The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1931-12-17
SUMMARY OF NON-PARnSAN MEET
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sections of the country as well as
religious, civic, fraternal and benev-
client organizations, assembled in the
city of Washington, District of Co.
lumbia, December 2, 3, and 4, 1881,
present the following declaration of
principles and purposes to the Negro
race and to the American people.
This declaration does not engage
to include complete bill of griev-
ances, nor yet catalog of common
place virtues and values upon which
all good citizens must agree, but a
practical agenda, with constructive
purpose.
Our Americanism
We wish to reaffirm our Indeviat-
ing devotion to the principles of
American institutions, as set forth in
the Declaration of independence and
the Constitution of the United States
believing that no other foundation
can be laid than that which has been
laid
Communism
We warn members of the race
against the specious pleas of Com
munism, whose basic principles are
vitality at variance with our received
ideals of free institutions. While
no underprivileged minority may be
expected to be injurious to the ex-
periments of aggrieved groups in
other parts of the world, struggling
to throw off the shackles of oppres-
sion, yet the American Negro must
rely for relief upon the American
ideal. In the modified language of
Frederick Douglass, "The Constitu-
ton is the ship, all else is the sea-"
Patriotism And Loyalty Made
Difficult
The patriotism and LOYALTY of the
Negro to American ideals and tradi-
tons are deep-seated and passionate,
and have stood every test to which
they have been subjected. We ap-
peal to the fair and candid judgment
of the American people, not to make
the continuance of this loyalty, pa
triotism and devotion hard and diff
cult by harsh and unjust treatment.
Conference Non-Partisan
This is non-partisan conference.
We are meeting at the Capital of
the Nation at time when the re-
| sponsibility of the government is be-
ing divided between the two major
political parties.
1t is not our purpose to endorse or
condemn either, but to utilize both
for the good of the race. The politi-
cal history of the race up to now,
is well-known story. We have been
chiefly the beneficiaries of one party
against the overt or covert unfriend-
illness of the other. In the past we
have requited these parties substan-
TALLY according to their relative at
titude towards us. We would not
have been human, if we had acted
differently. But today, party creeds
are crumbling and party differences
dwindling to the point of indistinc-
ton.
The last two party platforms adop-
ted in 1928, differ only in phrase
I4ology. This approachment serves to
liberate the hard and fast allegiance
of the Negro and to dispose his mind
to independent political action. We
must now catch the political manners
living as they rise. Like all other
elements of the people, we must no
longer look to the past, but face the
present and the future. Solid blocs
are dangerous to good government,
whether they be the solid South or
the solid North.
We would like to see Negroes
build up basis of effectiveness and
influence inside of both parties, so
that when the wheels of political for
tune bring the one or the other into
national control, the race may not be
without friends at the seat of pow
er. The control of the government,
under a democracy, must needs fluc-