The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1943-06-19
NEGRO RADICALS"

cal" Negro leaders, "agitators" and 'rabbe-rousers
The dailies one at least, edtoriazed on the asnne
statement Of Prosecutor Bowling who charged re-
Gently that the current juvenile disturbances could
be traced to the so-caled rabble-rousers who are
stirring up the Negro In the recent Packard
row. another daily reported that the racial tensions
in our plants have increased because of the activity
of "colored agtaors." A prominent reator last week
was quoted at length by the metropolitan press on
the negro housing problem in which he attacked
the radical" Negro Press and the "agitators"
This name-callng is extremely significant be-
reveals among other things the apprehension
of the robber barons few signs of social prog
ress. Rather than examine and study the forces at
work among the of u.s. the swivelchair bosses
look about them and picture Of unrest and then
they start jumping to conclusions. The real cause
of their alarm is the suspicion that the status quo
is threatened and that all their labors to enhance
and to protect their privileged place at the top of
the social and economic heap may have been in vain
What about these radical" Negro leaders, these
"rabble-rousers," these "agtators?" What foul doc
trines are these poor devils preaching? In what lies
their heresy?
An honest examination of the so-caled radical
Negro leadership in Detroit diScloses at least i'm
portant fact Every last of them seems to believe
that if democracy is worth dying for on foreign
battlefieds is worth fighting for in America They
seem to think that democracy must be realized in our
country and they insist that the equataran concepts
of the founding fathers are something more than
nebulous dreams. Now these very rash assump-
tons according to the glt-edged patriots who labor
so arduously during the lunch hour at the Detroit
Athletic club After all, what would happen to
Detroit if the color bar were abolished?
The poor white devils and the poor Negro devils
could not be so easily pitted against each other.
It would be impossible to impose higher rents in
the black ghetto sell houses at inflated prices to
Negroes that are obtained from whites for song
as they scurry to restricted neighborhoods. 1t would
be difficult to break up labor unions by the present
method of egging each racial groop to fight the
other Them too, some Negro might get elected to
responsible position in local government. In Short
if the color bar were abolished democracy might
really work.
These radical" Negroes are guilty of trying to
influence the masses of citizens to support the prn
ciples for which millions of young Americans
waging war. There can be little doubt why the
vested interests would like to shut them up.
The downtown dctators are now trying to pull
time-worn trick in order to accomplish their OBJ
jectives They telling the ctizenry through their
newspapers that if the Negro get rid Of their
radical" leaders, they will make what Carl Van
Vechten would call little "nigger heaven" in De-
troit Yes, they will create beautiful, we'll restrict
ed, jim crow paradise. They saying that Negroes
do not want to be free American citizens, they just
want to be comfortable and well fed, slaves with
silk hats.
1t is indeed great tragedy that the Griswod
street boys have not made an honest effort to under
stand that the Negro American shares with all
Americans burning desire for freedom and for
opportunity. 1t is the lack Of freedom and oppor-
tunity and not any handful of so-called agitators
that is stirring the souls of the Negro people in
Detroit and throughout America. The most back
ward Negro we'll as the most sophisticated have
common question that they want answered. Why,
they ask, must there be ceiling imposed upon the
progress of any American?
The Michigan Chronicle will continue to make
1T clear to all concerned that the people for whom
1T speaks do not want any "nigger heavens here or
in the hereafter. They merely want to live as free
men and women without being penalized simply be-
cause they are colored. Those who want to help us
and at the same time help make this democracy