Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1922-02-04

coHilHent Ill the Following language:
You urge the Negro not to
initiate the white man, but to SGT III
ms own racial ideals. The American
Negro has acquired the Europeans con
seriousness and put OH his spiritual
clothes. He uses the same language,
reads the same books, admircs the
same art, understands the same science
accepts the same standard of ethics
;hu PRACTICES the same religion. When
lie DulldS house or buys q suit of
clotncS or breaches Il sermon or writes
poem, he must proceed along Europ.
oah lines. Whatever racial aims vi
! i0calS he might have developed il LEFT
IN ms native country have been destroy
Cd by tranSplantat.on and by imitation
9, his cap; tors. Fred Douglass used to
say there is none of tho banana f.,
me. 1t is no particular compliment TO
inc white man that the Negro initiates
MN. The human race is ever prone TO
initiate admirable qualities wherever
they appear. Il IS not color or racial
idiosyncrasy that are initiated but at
tainmcnt. Of which tho color may be Il
negllglble accompaniment. The Anglo.
Saxon Processes to initiate Jesus. Say.
Jour OF the World. although he may at..
feet to dcspise the idiosyncras;cs ami
race pcculiarities of the Jew. 1t is not
the race, but the ideal manifest ed by
the individual. AS. in the water lace
answers to face, so the heart \of man
to the heart Of man. The external Incl,
dentS OF race and color count absolute
~ for naught. Because the Negro's
there is no reason why his descendants
may not use the steamship. the rail
way ana the airplane. Whatever diver.
Geicles there may be in racial gifts AMI
quantities serve hut as tho spice of
variety. 1t would be a curious philoSo.
my That urged the Indian to put aside
MS ancestral and tribal ways and yet
encourage the Negro to revert to hiy
African customs and traditions.
And again:
ii may be permitted to revert again
to the deracialized millions OF mixed
breed, whose ethnic identity the white
man has made doubtful, it would be,
interesting to know what trnditloas
und racial ideals they should be encou1
aged to develop. Tour advice to the NO
groes on this point, Mr.. President,
though given with q generous purpose
and kindly intent, Is necessarily VOID
Of effect. No one can effectively advise
another to be different from himself or
to be content with anything less or any
thing different from thnt which he is
willing to accept for himself. In vain
does the millionaire advise the paupct
to be content in his poverty. The well
man need not urge the invalid to be sat
isfied with illness. The philosopher la
vain breaches to the fool the conten.
ment of folly. The teacher who would
teach his pupil to be less than himself
or different from himself loses tho prw
er of inspiration. No white man, how.
ever generous his spirit, is competent
TO advise the Negro in the domain OF
the segregated life which he must 1.-Two
apart.
"The toad beneath the harrow knows
Exactly where each Footprint goes.
The butterfly along the road
breaches contentment to that toad
Here you have logic, axioms, the
Golden d1ule and common-sense all
combined. There can be no argument
upon these points. no disagreement
with these premises. They are as selr.
evident as Holy Writ. We might So
woll pass on. He continues:
Mr.. President, your doctrine tiea
your hands and makes it impossible 70,
you to accord the Negro political equal.
:ty. You were supported in the last
election by 100 per cent Of the Negro
voters. They naturally expect official
recognition according to their weight
and importance in the political equat
ion. Their votes as much as any 9th.
ers helped to swell the magnitude Of
your majority. So far you have not
seen your way clear to recognize this
support by concrete tokens Of political
reward. The plain. Of disappointment
is az but universal. Your black politi
cal allies can scarcely refrain from the
familiar lines
Behold C. stranger at the door;
lie gently knocks. has knocked before:
Has waited long. Is waiting still;
~" tlcdl lO olHoT ITlCnQ SO Ill
What is the matter with Kelly Mil
Ter? The above extract and familiar
lines as he chooses to term them
should be emblazoned upon the walls
Of every Negro political clubhouse in
the United States. In the language of
the street, ut touches the spot" It re-
fleets the feelings Of the army of color
ed voters Of the United States CT
America. He says further:
No one believes that this is In accord
with your spontaneous feeling and at.
t:tude, but by reason Of recognition OF
race difference you hesitate to accord
the Negro political equality. 1t is also
stated that you have declared that you
will not appoint n single colored man
to office In the South where 100000