The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1947-04-05
FREEDOM GROWING

The fight for equality of freedom and opportunity
for all men daily grows in breath and intensity The
enormous addition the forces opposing religious and
skincolor bias Of the most remarkable and most
encouraging in social developments in years For
long while, two long, participation by noncoored APP
ponents less passive cooperation. But Of
late their members activity and influence have placed
them in the forefront of the antbias struggle 1t sums
up notable advance in liberal" public sentiment
Progress of that kind, nevertheless, had been slow
and long time in gathering momentum Colored lead
began the movement and almost alone kept it alive
through many years Despite setbacks betrayas with
in the ranks and attacks from without they kept faith
and still keep faith in the ultimate triumph of the cause
convinced that cannot lose unless democracy to which
the nation is solemny committed goes to pieces Com
monty recognized is the principle that free
and unless freedom equality and security are
shared equally by all That great moral victory 1t
in large measure by the efforts courage and
patience Of coored people themselves and at the start
the fighters were few and much magned misunderstood
and stunned by former friends and associates
Four decades and half ago when William Monroe
Trotter with his mouhpiece, The Guardian enunciaed
his oneplank platform: Segregation for color is the
damnng degradation in the United States Fight it." he
had the support of only handful of like-minded men
of color and practically from the dominant group
About that time Booker T. Washington delighted beyond
measure his white abeors with his doctrine 1--WE be
separate as the fingers and one as the hand lac U,3
Tom declaration him the instant approval of multi
tudes Of white felowctzens who to continue their
admiration for the mseader up to the present day For
brought balm their conscence perurbed by the IRA
tionaity Of colorphobia Pulpit and press sanctioned it.
Not line of opposition in the daily press of the country
possible to get published in the daily press of the country
not in the enlightened papers of Boston Only
after the socaed Booker Washington riot here was
chance opened for Trotter and his e wfoowers to get
hearing in the public press
is we'll In take yonca bacLurard o,,or +lo Ior,
hard trail marked by the struggles and heartache of the
sturdy batters for equal rights and equal opportunities
Iroter wa sdenounced cursed and abused by many of
his ownp race. They reoiced and were glad when he
mad to pay the penalty for daring to hecke Booker at
public meeng-heckling which today is handled by ex-
perenced presiding officers who would dsdan the idea
calling police to que the kind of disorder that was termed
riot in the early years of Trotters career 1t is
notable testimony to roters farsghtedness that many
his then antagonists later over became his euo-
gstS and are known to assert that rotter always
right"
Although the dauntless Boston leader had declared
that he championed "the principles which the old New
england Aboltonsts had espoused and for which John
Brown died. few Of the descendants of those great liberia
tors rallied to his aid It may have been that the aboli-
ZIONIST groups felt that their duty had been fulfilled with
the enactment of national and state laws against dscrn-
nation 1t is possibly that having forged these weap
ons they felt the coored people should do their own fight
ng But is known fact that of the old-ne re-
formers expressed dsapprova of Troter contention and
his methods And it is also known that many of his
former associates not only Knocked and derded him but
organized opposition to him. fought him by inuendoes lies
about his wealth-tha donations to his be
used by Trotter additions to his personal funds Thev
thus poisoned the minds of coOred and white would be
helpers and deprived him Of needed financial and moral
support.
Despite the incredible antagonism continued for
many years the New England Suffrage League was fol
Inv tno Niacro l,oAL
extinct and the Boston Equal Rights League which still
survives Membership in those bodies was composed of
white and colored men and women and marked dis
tnct advance in the acceptance of the claims the ogan