Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1923-02-17

tremendous headlines. wild eloQuencs
and great insistence ana repetition
caught the attention OF all America
white and black. When Mr.. Carney
brought his cohorts to Madison Square
Garden. clad in fancy costumes and
with new songs and ceremonies and
when. ducking his dark-head at the
audience. he yelled. I'VE are going ia
Africa to tell England. France. anu
Belgium to get out OF there" Ameri
ca sat up, listened laughed and said
here at least is something new.
This was indeed popular idea. but
the execution of it was a difficult
task. Mr.. Garvey was British subjec-.
| This language might be regarded as
reasonable. But he held to the doc
trine of in all m~tters. the Negro race
first. And again:
Negroes especially West-Indians
flocked to his movement and poured
money into 1t. About three years ago
he had some $4,000 members in his
organization, and perhaps 10000 or
10000 were paying regularly thIrt.
five cents a month into his chest,
These numbers grew in his imagina,-
ion until he was claiming 4. 500. 900 fol
lowers and speaking for -Four hun
'lred million Negroes!" He did no.,
however. stop with dreams and prom.
ises. If he had been simply a cnlcu.
lating scoundref, he would carefuli,
have skirted the narrow line between
nrnmica and
as long as possible the inevitable catas
trophe. But he believed in his program
and he had a childish ignorance of
thc stern facts OF the world into whose
lace he was flying. Being an islander,
ana born in little realm where hah
days journey takes one from ocean
TO ocean. the world always seemed
small to him and 1t was perhaps en-
cusable for this black peasant of Jamsi
ca TO think OF Africa as similar. but
shgntiy larger. island which could
easily be taken possession of.
DR.. Ferris, In his admirable reply 70
DR.. Du Bots declared that Hon. Mar.
Gus Carney had never been a peasant.
He says further:
His first practical step toward this
was to establish the Block Star Line
and here he literally left his critics
and opponents breathless by suddenly
announcing in 1919 that the Frederick
Douglass. a steamship, had been
bought by his line was on exhibition
ut wharf in New York and was
about to sail to the West Indies with
freight and passengers. The announce
ment was electrical even for those sgnt.
did not believe in Garvey. With 4
splendid, audacious faith. this poor
black leader. with his stormins
tongue. compelled word of admira-
ton from all. But the seeds of failure
were in his very first efforts. This
first boat. the Yarmouth (never re.
named the Frederick Douglass prob
ably because of financial difficulties
was built in the year Garvey was born
and was an old sea-scarred hulk. He-
was cheated in buying it,. and paid
$14O 600 for it-at least twice as mucn
as the boat was worth. She made three
trips to the West Indies in three years
and then was locked for repairs, at
tached for debt. and finally. in Decem
Der, 1921 sold at auction for $1625!
And still again: 5s.
The second boat that Garvey bought
was steam yacht originally built for
Standard Oil magnate. IT, too, was
old and of doubtful value but Garvey
paid 100000 for it and sent it dowa
to do small carrying trade between
the West Indies Islands. The boat
broke down and it cost $40, 900 or $50.
700 more to repair it than Garvey
paid for it. Finally it was wrecked or
seized in Cuba and the crew was
transported to the United States at
government expense.
The third boat was Hudson River
ferry-boat that Garvey bought for $35
600. With this he carried excursionists
up and down the Hudson during ono
summer and used it as a vivid adver
tisement to collect more money. rhe
boat. however, ran only that summer
and then had to be abandoned as be
yond repair.
Finally, Carney tried to buy of the
United States Shipping Board the
steamship Orion for $3.50 900. This
boat was to be renamed the Phyllis
Wheatley and it's sailings were adver
tised in Garvey's weekly paper for sew
eraI months, and some passages were
sold: but the boat never was delivered
because sufficient payments were not
made.
With all Of this vitrioIic criticism
who can refrain from admiring the
nerve and audacity Of this able blaze
leader. 1t reminds us of the Saviour.
comment in reference to the woman.
"She hath done what she could" 1,
seems that in this case, Garvey had
done what he could. His own people
must pay for his mistakes. He blazed
the way for some other leader to fo:-
low even though he should not be able
to reach the goal himself Even Dr..
Du Bots admits that both white and
black people were filled with admiral.
ion over his venture. DR.. Du Bots con
tinues: