St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1941-12-26


States and Brazil. Since the Bra
lillian Negroes helped expel the
Dutch and French invaders in CO.
lonial times, the proportion of Az
rO- Brazilians in the army and navy
has been notably larger than with
us. Negro patriotism and loyalty
are strong in both nations. There
are no more American-minded citi-
zens in either country. They are
cold to European "isms." There is
no fifth column" among them.
Nazis and Fascists may be able to
organize many of the million Ger
man. BraZilians and some Of the
$500, 1000 Italian Brazilians into
dangerous anti-democratic groups.
And the clerical dictatorship of
Brazils backward but delightful
mother country Portugal may adj
versely influence the ideas of the
five or six million Brazilians of
pure Portuguese descent. The 1910
census reflects Brazil's suspicion Of
her European minority and her
perfect confidence in her part-Ne-
gro citizens.
United States Navy Prejudiced
It is ironical that there should be
discrimination against Negroes in
the armed forces Of both republics.
It is worse in the navies. The mill
tary academies of the United
States and Brazil admit few Ne
groes; their naval academies admit
practically none. The Brazilian
Navy at least has thousands Of Ne
gro sailors and many Negro petty
officers, while ours has no Negro
sailors or officers. This undemo-
cratic racism worthy of totalitar-
ianism is morally inexcusable and
strategically unsound. It is to be
hoped that Presidents Roosevelt
and Vargas will remedy it. It can
be assumed that this denial of
rights was inherited by our Navy
from England and was copied in
part in Brazil through admiration
for British and American naval
missions and traditions.
Democracy
In both Brazil and North Ameri-
ca, Negroes are strong for de-
mocracy even though most Of them
are disfranchised. Most Brazilians
are voteless not through prejudice
but because of illiteracy. Our Ne.
groes, outside the South, can be
more active politically than Brazil.
ian Negroes in recent years. Dur.
ing the well-intentioned regime of
President GetuliO Vargas, despite
governmental reforms and marked
economic progress; BraziPs trouble
some problems have led to the sus.
pension of national and state legis.
latures and elections. The Brazil
ian Negro holds no such potential
political balance of power as ouI
northern Negroes, as Brazil does
not have a two-party system
Brazil is still evolving toward de-
mocracy, but must first reduce hel
present illiteracy Of over 20 pei
cent, and poverty, poor health, and
faulty communications if she is tt
attain any large measure of reaI
democracy by late in this century
many scholars feel.
The Negroes Economic Place in
Brazil and the United States
Brazilian Negroes live in a coun.
try that is potentially prosperous
but that is still poor. United
States Negroes are citizens of the
worlds richest nation. Special Ne
gro political status here means that
periodically politicians capitalize
on determinations and lynchings in
bidding for the northern Negro
vote. The Brazilian Negro seldom
gets to vote, but he faces few dis
ordinations and no lynchings. Dis
examinations are even fewer in pre-
dominantly non-C Caucasian North
Brazil than in the mostly white
South, the dominant part of the
country. In the cities of South
Brazil-Rio, Sac Paulo, Porto
Allegro, and so on-where Eu-
ropeans settled by the million, the
Negro is outnumbered and is less
freely admitted to economic and So
cial equality. British and Ameri-
can businesses are numerous and
important in South Brazil, and