The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1950-07-01

the world that their suryiva
hangs upon ability to ind tn,
answers to two questions. The
first OF these, of course. /:
whether democracy and COM
munisnl can exist in the same
world. The second is the prob
lem of race and colonialism
World War II smashed not only
the atom but the myth of white
superiority and invincibiI.ty. To-
day Asia, Africa and Latir
America as a result are atiams
with revolt against white AFRO
gance and greed. No other cause
is as much responsible for dis
trust OF the United States and
for the loss of allies we must
need have to win the cold war al
is the continuation of race pre-
JUDGE here at home. That is
what 1 have found on seven trips
outside the United States dur
ing the past six years. Every
where American prestige sinks
lower and lower because the full
limitations of the Talmadge and
RankinS are grist to the propa-
ganda mill Of our enemies and
lukewarm friends while unani-
nous Supreme Court decisions
against segregations are ignored.
Thus it is imperative that we
relate the titanic struggle you
have been waging during the
past Al years to this moral is
sue OF race and imperialism.
More than four decades ago
the founders OF the NAACP
demonstrated a vision which
has it been shared by America
as a whole, would have the
world disaster which today
the world as much
as the conflict Of ideal.
logies Of Soviet Russia and the
United States. They warned
America that failure to give
every American full quality Of
economic, political, educational
and social rights would create
! malignant infection that could
destroy the health of the entire
lation DR. Dubois phrased
his warning tersely and &C
,urately when he wrote at the
urn Of the century that 'the
problem Of the 2othI century is
he problem Of the color line"
Unhappily for America and
he world, few were wise enough
o heed. On the domestic front
he states of the late Confeder-
lcy drove venomously ahead in
passage of Discriminatory labor,
citing and segregatory laws to
e-enslave CoIored as far as
vas humanity possible. This poi
on Of bigotrY spread to other
ections of the United States.
Even the sons and daughters Of
he Abolitionists here in New
England turned their attention
Q making money and other pur-
iuitS less onerous than righting
! great moral wrong. The les
'ening of interest il the race
question among those who had
inherited a great tradition Of
human freedom became in
;reaSingly evident.
Along with this domstic sur
lender. of principle there de- I
veloped an obseSSion with the |
dangerous doctrine Of the white
mans burden" in other parts OF
The world where raw materials |
and human labor we're sought
to build the great industrial |
civilizations of the United States
and Europe. Led by the white
supremacy press, Congress en-
acted oriental exclusion laws
which have algered the peoples
Of Asia for half century. The
circumstances that the people
OF Asia could do nothing about
such an insult to them until
after World War II did not les
sen their burning resentment. |
The recent loss Of China to the
Soyiets was due in part to the
TACT that the Chinese had lost
faith in the white world OF Eur
ope and America because Of CEN
turtles Of white exploitation and
condenscension represented by
oriental exclusion laws, the doc
trine and practice Of extraterri-
toriality, exploitation of the
material and human resources
OF China by outsiders, discrim-
nation against even distin- |
guished and cultured Chinese in
American hotels and restaurants
and the CALLING condescension of |
ignorant whites obsessed with
their own fictitious superiority.
Precisely the same thing is
about to happen in India, in
donesia, Tndochina and other
parts Of Asia unless the United
CfafAr xyo BE-. So. =. A.