Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1924-01-19

By Rev. J. Milton Waldron, Pastor
Shiloh Baptist church,
In his Message TO Congress, President
coolidge gives his approval to the sug
gestion that "a Commission composed
IF members of both Races be created
(by Congress) to formulate a better
policy for mutual understanding aud
confidence. This suggestion look,
fair on the outside, but when careful
be but another device for the segreg''-
tion of the Negro citizen and shrewd
attempt to turn over the welfare OF
100000 people Of colof into the
hands Of five or seven men, who though
they be ever SO wise and ever so jus,
| cannot speak for the Colored citizens
of America. We notice that President
Coolidge did not feel called upon TO
suggest Commission upon the Jew
Ssh or Italian citizens; he insisted thai
all the Laws of the Country be faith
fully and justly enforced anu
hat all the rights CT every
citizen be properly safe-guarded. Does
! not this include The Negro as well as
any otrer citizen? This is all
the citizens Of color Of America are
asking for. And it is well to let Presi
cent Coolidge and every one else un
| derstand, once for all, that the Ameri
can Negro is tired of being singled on:
from among his fellow citizens anu
treated as ward or an inferior.
The appointment of ga Commis@if:l
10 formulate a better policy. -. for
The treatment of the Negro, in it's final
analysis, means that the Negro shall
be confined to the South or to any On
er place that this Commission may sea
tit to restrict him-and this is to SAY
the least, a very oppressive form
of semi-slavery.
All who have studied the policy d
this Government in appointing Com
missions to consider anything chow
ever triviaD pertaining to the rights
Of the Negro whether in this country
OF in Liberia. Haiti or other foreign
countries know that said Commits
sions have been composed of one o"
two trucking cowardly Negroes and
the other members of the Commission
were white men who regard the Negro
citizens as inferior and unworthy o.
the full rights guaranteed all under the
Constitution. Judging from the past
and by the determination of millions
of white citizens to regulate the move
ments Of the Negro we are justified ir
holding that President Coolidge's Ne
gro Commission will be made up of On"
or two selfish, time-serving and lick
spittle Negroes and three or five milk
and water white men who do not be-
liove in the manhood and Constitution
al rights of the Negro. And the fulmi'
nations of such a Commission will
always be in favor of Negrc-haters and
the denial to the colored man of the
rights-the full rights-of an Amerl-
can citizen.
The constitution by Congress am
the President Of "a Commission. -.
to consider and recommend what shall
be done with the Negro citizens Is
bound to result eventually in the de-
NAL to the Colored People of this coun
Try of the rights Of Appeal and Of petit
lion and protest. for whenever the
Race goes to Congress or the President
for redress of wrongs or the granting
of a right, the Race will be referred to
the Commission on the Negro. And
what is worse still public opinion viii!
soon come to the point where if will
take # for granted that ills. wrongs.
otc. of the Colore6 people of the Unit !
ed States need not concern the public. !
but must be referred to the Negro Com ,
mission.
If the Negro citizens OF this coun-
try value the rights conferred upon
them by the Constitution Of the United
States and wish to be free men ana
women. they must oppose by every
means in their power the appointment
by either Congress or the President Of
any kind of Commission to take in
nand the affairs Of the CoIored people |
of this Country.
(The Washington Sentinel.) ]