The Dallas express. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1893-1970, 1921-01-08

representative, we will lose that rep
resentative, who is usually white. and
always the added probability that the
Colored populations though large
enough to give the state one more
representative. will be so scattered
among the districts that the Colored
viii not have a majority vote for any
enc representative
ed people, who are suspicious of al
most any political move TO help the
Colored brother" and for good reason
that such action by Congress would
tend 20 acknowledge and even to con-
firm the decitiZening OF Colored peo-
pie. That fear is based on a miscon-
ception of law and punishment. Be-
cause a court Furnishes wrong doer
IT does not even stop the court from
doing nor license him TO continue It,
II does not even estop the court from
inflieting other and greater penalties
IL the wrong is continued. If South
ern representation were reduced under
the Fourteenth Amendment that by
no means stops the court from APP
plying the Fifteenth Amendment and
compelling the state to allow the Me-
But on the other hand, the applica-
tion Of the penalty Under the Four
teenth would make 1t all the more
easy to enforce the Fifteenth, mas
much as the SHINING state would be
deprived Of part of its votes in Con-
gress of part of its power to oppose
the enforcement of the Fifteenth. Be
cause we punish a thief, that does
not entitle him to the property nor de-
prive the victim of his rights. Because
we punish a state for violating the
rights of its citizens, that does moi
declare that the citizens are not citi.
to give up five of its votes in thai
body, 1t does not nullify the constitu.
tional declaration that ''all persona
born or natpraliaed in the United
State wherein they reside" An act o.
Congress does not alter the constitu
tion. To enforce law is not to abro'
gate it.
But there is no reason IN the as
sumptien that the disfranchisinl
hold to its decision to give up III
power rather than conform to the fun
damental law of the land. To maxi
reduction of representative objection
not merely just as willing to disfrhn
chise the Negro when the state Is pen
allied, but MORE WILLING for 1t b,
only just as willing as before, 4
would be still better for the Negro
that such state should lose some o
its power and be less able to wronf
him. And especially should such stat
lose that part of its political powei
which II derives from the physica
presence of the Negro.
buI lHtTt is TOlnlnE III human ma
ture to justify the opinion that reas
oning men will continue to choose tn,
wrong even at cost. OF course. mel
always threaten and buster when ~
move is first to deprive them of thei
right to do wrong The slavehold
err of 1850 swore by all the eterna
stars that he would die and die anC
die before ever he would live will
free niggers"
Reduction of its representation II
proportion to its disfranchisement o
Colored people. would certainly stril
the present South of its political pow
or in the nation. Southern white peo
pie could never again be the main re
source for electing any national ad
ministration, until they and their Col
ored people made up their minds t
cooperate in the doing of It. Tha
section would Immediately begin to b.
less solid" and for the short spac,
in which It would by natural re
action seem TO become more solid, 4
would nevertheless be d much smalle
and lessy dangerous solld. Not on
the interests of the Negro be advan
ced but the interests of civilization
in America and especially in th
South would be more secure And 1
Southern representation is reduced, tn
Negro can easily afford to wait on al
these desiderata.
/ VIM. PICKENS. ~
! New York City.