The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1921-06-08
SAYS NEGROES
ARE NOT FULLY !.
EMA.NGIPATED.
Their Only Hope Is.
Through Agitation De-
clares DIR. Dubois
Twill ORGANIZE HERE
Meeting At Court House
Last Night Fully
Attended

Drawing an analogy between the
treatment OF Americans In the lat.
ter part Of the 18th century by the
English and French, both Of which
nations regarded Americans as In,
ferior to them, and the treatment
of the negro race In the United
States at the present time, DR.. W.
E. Burghardt Dubois used the life
OF Benjamin. Franklin last night as
administration OF what one man did
to overcome that prejudice and
made a plea for q larger member.
ship in the. National Association for
the Advancement OF the Colored
People, whose main object is 70
overcome such prejudice.
The address; was delivered In the
Circuit court room Of the court
house and was listened to with the
closest attention by a large audi.
ence mostly negroes, but withSa
plentiful 'sprinkling Of whites.
= IT a'
One Of the greatest criticisms
that can Be brought against mod.
.ern Civilization, said the speaker,
-is that we neglec lot the knowledge
,ots pies who have gone before
llepresepts day spEob blems ARE 8noi
.new. sye hat e only 10 flool into
the iii to see sirnilar things.
IN 5reyiewing theFiiie ot fansiIn!
lie spea eakef tDta ot dis early stttle.
gfea To- get III Sedu iun, ,eof the: fotif
years spent with his brother lin5the
printing business, aud of the dttfi:
;culties experienced by the tive
brothers inAkeeping alive the secs
ond weekly newspaper published IN
the United States. Franklin had
few books but had a reverence fot
the printed word, that Il the be:
ginning Of, scholarship. He spoke
OF the difficulty that Franklin.s
brother got into with the govern.
ment on account of certain criti,
cisms and said that the govern
ment Of that time was good deal
like that of today-afraid OF the
printed word. After the paper had
been stopped several times, Frank
lin went to Philadelphia, where he
not only worked diligently. to per,
feet himself In the English lalir
guage, but also studied several 9th.
er languages, among them French,
which served him In such good
stead in after years as minister to
France. Rapidly sketching his ex.
.perience as printer in Philadel-
,phia, his unfortunate trip to Eng.
land. his return TO subsequent pros.
perity, the speaker came to the
point IN Franklin's career, when at
the age OF 81 his life work really
began.
AT that time, England and France
were fighting for possession Of ter,
'fitory In America and both were
having troubles with the Indians
He pointed out how the English
forgetful OF the fact that the colon.
lists had not only given fighting
men, but had taxed themselves,
heavily, had also imposed taxes
which the colonists considered un,
Just, franklin was sent to England
from Pennsylvania, not as an am
bassador, but as a business agent
OF the colony. to protest against
these taxes. He stated that the at
titude OF some people that others
are congenitally inferior ia not a
new one, for Franklin was regard
ed by the English in much the same
way as many In America regard the
negro today.
Franklin had to endure all sorts
OF silent but perhaps unthinking In
suits. The average man would have
quit, but Franklin hammered away
at Parliament, with the slogan that
taxation without representation is
tyranny, until at last the iiniquitous
stamp act was repealed. Other
taxes were substituted, however,
until at, last the, colonies rose up In
rebellion. Franklin returned to the
colonies aud helped in the prose-
.cution OF the. war, after helping to
frame the Declaration Of Independ.
ence.
When he was sent to Frapce, Il
was different proposition. When
Wan street hands out. a half million
dollars for a negro educational IN,
stitution, he said, It Is generally
with the idea of currying favor
with the negro Of, the South, in or.
der to- us eehim In beating down
union labor. Franklin faced q sim,
liar problem. In France where he
found a disposition to attempt to
use him TO further trade relations
with the colonies to the advantage
'of France. But Franklin was mind
ful OF the real object Of his mission
and refused to be swerved from his
purpose. ~ .B I
|5 Then came the surrende Of Bur.
lceasisnda sn pase hyejs /.