The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1921-08-06
STEPPING OVER THE LINE

The recent revelation of the census
that the increase of 6.5 per cent in
the negro" population of the coun-
try during the last decade was the
lowest on record has been accounted
for in many ways, but there is still
another explanation.
There are a lot of inaccuracies in
all United States Census reports.
The enumeration of the "negro" pop
ulation is based on false premise,
and it follows that the figures are
untrustworthy.
The mixing of the races has been
going on for 800 years and still con-
tinues in spite of law and public
opinion. In many cases it is impos-
sible to decide who is "white" and
who is "colored'' in the U. S., and
why is it necessary?
There are millions of so-called
white" people in whose veins runs
Afric's warm blood, and yet they are
unaware of it's presence. The editor
is personally acquainted with hun
dreds who are known as "white, "
but who have a percentage of Negro
blood in their veins, and whose chill
dren have not the remotest idea that
they are "colored." And if the edi-
tor knows so many there must be
many known to others, but unknown
| to the writer.
During the last decade, because of
the increase in race prejudice, thou
sands of "colored" people who would
really have preferred to have been
"colored" if they could have enjoyed
the rights of American citizenship
and economic opportunity have sim
ply stepped over the color line and
become "white.'' This is not so diff
ficult:: Every tscolored'' person is
aware of this fact, and if any
''white'' reader doubts it, just ask
any ''colored" person if the state
ment is true.
Recently the editor met a man
once "colored" who is now "white, .
and in conversation, he said: II
realized that there was no hope of a
future for my children in Alabama
not only because of the attitude of
the white people but because Negroes
were preaching that we ought not tc
try to vote or do anything else that
the white people objected to. So ]
withdrew the money I had in the
bank, disposed of my interests and
cut loose from the jim-crow crowd
who were willing to endure condi-
lions in Alabama without protest;
and l am now living in Iowa as a
man, in all that word implies. Eight
other members Of my family and
twenty other families from my
neighborhood have done las I have
done and have settled the problem
so far as they themselves are con
cerned, and we have not forgotten
our brethren we left behind as we
all give about a tenth of our incomes
to aid them in various ways" ,~..>
The "white'' people who imagine
that they have succeeded in barring
all persons with Negro. blood are
greatly mistaken. There are few
communities in the United States in
which there are not people of mixed
blood taking part in all industrial,
professional, civic and social activi-
ties. ~. ~ A.. -.
The census plan Of designating all
persons with even the smallest per-
centage of Negro blood as negroes
is basically wrong and is done in no
other country. Really segregation is
just as much out of place in the
census as it is in anything. else in a
democracy. All persons born in the
United States, no matter what their
race or color, should be classed as
Americans a..