Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1928-09-29
greatest failure.

greatest failure.
When DR.. Dubois admits rallure
in any of his previously prepared
deductions and announces the
unknown quantity which he had
automatically found to be correct
as being incorrect. then we are on
the verge of the coming millennium.
Any ordinary leader in the South
land, who had the experience,
extending over one or two decades
in this section could have told him
that he was chasing a phantom"
and had reached an erroneous solu-
ton of the problem.
Not even war will change Unborn
prejudices. Only time can do it and
a very long time at that.
He says further:
Nothing could show this more than
the present presidential campaign.
There are momentous questions: the
plight of American agriculture, the
monopoly of water power, the role
of organized wealth in industry, the
future of organized labor, the dis
tribution of national income. Most
Of these important questions we are
rot facing in this campaign. Why?
Because the average voter does not
understand how To face then. He
finds himself vainly paving the air
in the so-called elections. He tlnds
that he cannot exercise democratic
control because he is not free to
vote.
The above is the gospel. It is as
true as Holy Writ.
And again:
In the September Crisis l showed
how. where and why American Ne
groes were not free to vote. But how
about white Americans? Are they
DISTINGUISHED?
And still again:
It might be assumed that the prac--
teal disfranchisement OF the great
majority of Negroes chiefly by race
and not by condition had TO erect
upon the state and nation, but sim
plv upon them: but the singular
thing is, and the point which this
paper is seeking to emphasize, that
this Acknowledgement Of the Negro
has had an astonishing effect on the
voting of other persons in the states
concerned and in the whole nation
so far as the mass of voters IS con-
cerned.
OF course they are, with this dt-
ference. The Negroes are dfsfran-
chised and know 1t and the white
Americans are disfranchlsed and do
mo- know it. AS a matter Of fact
nany of them, being blind In their
own concet will vehemently protest
and affirm that they are not disfran
chised. This is done too, when tho
tallying of the returns on the day
after" shows that they have been
'sfranchised.
There should be no establishment
on the part Of an economist like Dr..
Dubois. 1t is q logical result
and is according to fundamental
rule Of ethics, just as certain and
az sure as the mixing together in
the CHEMISTS tube Of two parts
hydrogen and one part oxygen Is
bound to produce a liquid, which
the whole world calls water.
DR.. Dubois then follows with
fundamental fact. He says:
First. in the Southern States it
encourages oligarchy Secondly, it
enables cliques to nullify, not simply
the 14th and 18th Amendments, but
the 10Th Amendment, giving the
right vote to women. And finally, it
entirely vitiates the normal distribu-
lion of voting power throughout the
nation and makes a third party i'm
possible. Let US take these points
up in order. I
And again:
One of the most interesting state
ments on clique government in the
South comes from Henry W. Ander-
son, q rich white Virginia politician,
who spoke at the Institute of Public
Affairs held at the University of Viz
ginia, August 10, 1927;
"The Negroes were distinguished.
The Negro vote has Tt1cH b. so
small that II ie no longer = material
factor in the political situation. But
40 rroaaes Of disfranchiscment did