Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1951-08-18
Asian Thinking


Governor Thomas E. Dewey of New York will
doubtless make better secretary of state than Cover
Jimmy Byrnes when he was elevated to this post
by President Truman. News from Singapore
where Governor Dewey recently made speech the
Orientas giving the New Yorker post course in
relations and especially the former New York dis
rict attorney is daily learning of the serious impact
American prejudice has upon the thinking of dark
people in Malaga.
1t must have come as an astonishing surprise to Mr.
Dewey when the day following his important address in
Singapore he found not line in the daily papers regard
ing his presence in the Malayan capital but on the other
hand discovered twocolumn spread the front pages
of Asian publications telling of riots in Cicero Ill.,
U.S.A.
In other words, the Asian these days is putting in
his time looking at what he wants to observe and notice
He hears deal these days about boundary lines aggres-
Slon and the free world and he is anxious determine
whether not dark people have any sefdetermnation
IN such conclusions He is using his measuring rod
in shaping his Judgments Evidently the Asatic believes
IN the Biblical axiom, by their deeds We shall know
Them, and that is the reason why they showed into
prominence American action rather than American talk
Conversely speaking so far as races are concerned
Booker /. Washington, during his lifetime got dose of
the same sort OF medicine served Governor Dewey
Washington sad IN telling OF the incident he arrived in
certain southern city to deliver address, and that all
of the important white people in the community were
on the platform that afternoon of the Speech capping
their hands and commencing him for what he said and
according to Washington, their commentator was so
profuse the Sage of Tuskegee knew the morning paper
would headline his philosophical utterances and consd
cred Judgment He could hardly wait for the morning
hours to come.
Imagine my surprise" said Washington, when
the next morning | found not line on the front page
but on the back page about twO-nch wrteup say
ing in the fewest words possible Booker Washington
was IN town yesterday and spoke at the court house,
But on the front of that same paper in glaring
headlines the story of Negro who had been caught
stealing chickens The publisher of that southern Jour
nal headned the type of he wanted his readers to
observe regarding black folks in that community He
therefore waered down few the speech of the
most outstanding black of his time, and a great
American, consgning the article to the back page while
at the same time parng the crimnaty of black folks
to the natives of that vicinity. White people in those
days maored in describing and painting the black man
as a rapist thief and a lazy worthless inferior.
Does not the story from Singapore give the same
picture? Does not this playing down completely speech
made by the cond highest citizen in this country in the
Malayan capitol while at the time presenting in
glarng headlines the misreatment of blacks by whites
in the second largest urban center in the United States
indicate clearly that Asian propaganda is directed to-
ward proving to dark people that white people dislike
them and are obviously cruel and nhuman to II million
under their direct control
We talking to some labor officials recently
about discrimination in work. prior to reading
the Singapore item and at this time we pointed out
OF the why the Colossus of the North had
failed to get hemisphere solidarity in the Americas is
because below the Rio Grande with the exception of
Argentina and Chile, two-thrds of the population is
dark and aerted with suspicion toward any overtures
made by the American state department looking toward
drawing them into military alliance Their fear rests
in belief that white people look down on dar1 people,
We said to those labor leaders just at this moment
in world history when dominant the Atlantic
nate wifuly disspated potential alliance with dark
people through unwilngness to drop narrow sec
tional sanctions such have brewed in Dixie for
three centuries
The Dewey experience in Singapore proves con-
clusivey that American snobbishness and chauvinism
running prospects for expanding Western influence
in the Far East. There crankng the Asian
motor but Asans when the publisher of Singapore
journal ignored speech delivered by Thomas E. Dewey
which undoubtedly pointed up such issues as those now
engrossing American in Korea Japan and our
Pacific island possessions while in the breath
giving front clearance to racial atrocities here
the United States There designed method in such
madness.
Probably this Asian editor recalls the remarkable
and striking philosophy of Votare after he had listened
to the Dewey address he doubtless did this
casion
"How hear what you say when what you are
keeps laundering in my ears?'
AS loyal American who wants to see this nation
and social order perpetuaed and prosper believe
the Singapore incident should have SOLDERING effect up
current thinking The job have to do cannot be