St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1943-10-22


in a state of crisis. Within the
space of a few war years we are
making decisions, establishing poll
cies, crystallizing our individual at
titudes toward the issue in a man.
ner that will determine whether
America will witness a maximum
or a minimum degree of racial tur-
MOL in the coming decades.
Whether as a people we proceed
now in a moment of enlightenment,
on a high level of humanism and
intelligence, or whether we yield
to the dark and primitive residues
in our national spirit, attempting
to ride roughshod over the Negro
problem and over the Negro, is a
decision which can bring to Ameri-
ca a postwar era of internal heal
ing and recovery, or time of Dor
der fighting on the frontiers be-
tween the races, and involvement
in an expanding conflict which
might eventually precipitate the
third world war.
The American race question is
no longer matter of domestic pol
itics. Even in the middle years of
the last century, when the contro-
versy did assume this Characters
tic, it produced a destructive war.
Then it was two-part conflict be-
tween white Americans over the
disposition of the Negro as prop
erty, but today the Negro is at
tempting to wrest the question of
his own destiny from white hands,
and only violence and main force
will deter him in his efforts. Know
ing this, American Negroes in re-
cent years have begun to feel an
esprit de corps with the other COL
ored races whose numbers consti-
tute an overwhelming majority,
and the American race question has
become an integral part of the COL
onial crisis throughout the world.
The white majority in America
must decide now what it intends
to do about this crisis. Though the
ultimate consequences of the deci-
sion will not confront them within
the month or possibly even the
decade, they belong inexorably to
the future and some day they must
be faced.
White America has two ap-
proaches to the problem; the first
is an official approach through gov
ernmental acts and policies; the
second approach is through the pri-
vate acts and attitudes of citizens.
An enlightened, courageous federal
program could go far in condition
ing the attitudes of citizens. But,
unfortunately, we live in a day of
official expediency, and actually it
has been the attitudes of private
citizens and their pressure groups
which have given direction to the
government.
The history of the Presidents
Fair Employment Practice Com
mittee is case in point. It was
formed by presidential proclama-
ton only after Negroes had threat
ened a march on Washington I'M
less something were done to ameli-
crate Widespread discrimination
against them in war industries.
Then a counter pressure was in
ltiated by Southern industry and
politicians and the President per-
mitted himself to be pushed in the
other direction: the committee and
its scheduled railroad hearings
were abandoned. But now manv
white progressives joined with the
Negro groups and still more per-
sistent pressure was brought to
bear on the President; the COM
mittee was reestablished and the
hearings opened.
In this respect it appears that
initiative in the field of race rela-
lions has been defaulted by the ad-
ministration and has passed to pri-
vate citizens and pressure groups:
to the Negro and his organizations
on one hand, and to anti-Negro
white groups on the other.
There is a third group which
must interest itself in the problem,
for its stake in the solution is as
great as any. This is a large pas
sive group of white Americans who
consider themselves loyal support
ers of the principles of American
democracy, and who have some
actual sense of the meaning of the
term. It is the reading, thinking,
reasoning group in America who,
though at present uneasy about
the mounting race conflict, desires
at least to understand it and to
act with intelligence and fairness,
and with effect. It is to these peo-
pie primarily that this special sup
plement of The New Republic is
addressed.
White America has a record of
bad faith, ignorance and cruelty
toward the Negro and, on the
whole, the historic liberal move
ment shares this record. The anti
slavery agitation of the pre-Civil
War era is tainted with economic
implications. Though many of the