Arkansas State press. [volume] (Little Rock, Ark.) 1941-1959, 1942-07-03
Conversation
Piece
by Marc Moreland, Ph ID.


y
We We're Just Saying
Now we were just saying the
other day that when that white
American jumped up from his
seat on the subway train upon
that colored American sitting be-
side him. he wasn't showing any
color prejudice; a pin had work
ed itself round to sticking him and
he was merely reaeting as any
one would on being stuck with
the point Of pin,
And anyhow, colored Ameri-
cans are much too touchy ON this
matter Of color prejudice, They
are always imagining things. For
instance, we wrote here last week
about color race prejudice being
IA myth, an attempt at a Fifth
| Column -. device, colored
Americans have been imagining
all sorts of things: things that
couldn't possibly be true in coun
try where all men are created
equal and every citizen is guild
ed ard guaranteed his rights by
the Constitution.
What are some of the things
! they have been imagining? You
won't believe it Take for example
this thing about the Mayor OF
Shreveport, La, saying the white
folk Of his town wouldn't be
"brihed' by the Federal Govern
ment into according equal pay and
| treatment to colored workers just
to get much needed health cen
ter built; he'd rather see white
! folk dying in the streets than sub
nit to any such indignity, Be-
lievc us, there's nothing to it;
merely the product of diseased
i imagination!
Again, take this report Of the
Gaffney, South Carolina registra-
tion official refusing to give re-
gistration certificates to colored
citizens, and challenging God to
| do anything to improve matters
in South Carolina, The officials
is reported as saying to color
ed citizen who came seeking a
registration certificate not as a
Republican but as Christian
"God may be able to do some coed
in some places, but He will never /
be able to do anything in South |
Carolina" Now, this is Just too
ridiculous for words, and we are
not prepared to believe that the
God-fearing people of South Car
Dina would tolerate blasphemy
In their public officials. Nothing
but the imagination of colored
citizen deprived of his rights I'M
der the Constitution could be 50
vicious as to imagine a public of
fetal of John c. Calhoun and
Cole Blease's old sttta sayirE
any such thing
Then there is that persistent
libel on the Military Establish
ment: that white Southern horn
officers in army camps outside
the South are instructing white
persons who are friendly to color
ed soldiers and appreciative of
TIE part they are desperately try
ing to take in defense Of the coun-
try, that they must not under
any condition do anything which
would tend to break down race
barriers. While we are aware
that many, many colOlnd boys
home on furlough continue to say
this is the case, it doesn't make
any sense; for everybody knows !
we are fighting a war one # the (
chief aims of which is to estab
lish the equality of peoples be
fore the law and in social rela-
tionships. The lies people will
tell The nervy imagination Of
some people,
People really should be more
careful about aiding and abetting
the spread of the products of di-
seased imaginations. especially /
in this time of crisis when all Of
us wish so much to remohe all
race and color barriers for the
sake Of tie common wei fare and
security. People really should.