Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1952-06-21
RAIGHT
AHEAD"

NEW YORK (GlobaD With
the death last week of Wendell P.
Dabney, venerable editor of the
Cincinnati Union, attention is once
more called to the fact that the
men best prepared to leave a liter
airy legacy that would enlighten
and inspire the younger generation,
are rapidly passing from the scene.
Last October, an article appeared
under straight Ahead" which in
ferentially called upon Mr.. Dabney
to set down for posterity, some of
his experiences and observations
over the past six decades. We
mentioned at the time that the old
timers were dying very fast. Since
the article appeared, several of
those we had in mind at the time
the article was written have died,
taking with them much knowledge
and information of valuable histor-
ical Importance. Any one of them
might have told great story 49,.
Robert Bob" Church, veteran COP
political leader; ]. Finley Wilson,
Grand Exalted Ruler of Elks; Luz
cius c. Harper, executive editor of
the Chicago Defender, and one of
the best-informeG newspaper men
in the country, and now, Mr.. Dab
ney.
Part of the original straight
Ahead" article read as follows:
Zone of the few Old Guard jour-
nalists who did 50 much to advance
the cause of the race in the days
when the struggle was really
rough, is the venerable Wendell
Phillips Dabney, sage of Cincinnati
and editor of the Union of that
city.
"There were others: Nicholas
Chiles of the Topeka Plain Dealer;
Robert s. Abbott, the Chicago De-
fender; Fred r. Moore, New York
Age; William Monroe Trotter, Bos-
ton Guardian; Robert L. Vann,
Pittsburgh Courier; Roscoe C. Sim
mons, A. N. Fields, and a number
of others.
"All these men, now dead. knew
the troubles of the race, shared
them and worked to improve the
Negroes plight. Moreover, all of
them plunged deep into politics,
and knew the political history of
the Negro first hand during the
early years of this century and
knew it from hearsay and books of
the Nineteenth.
Unfortunately, though, not one
of them has left very much in writ
ing that could guide or inspire the
youth of today. True enough,
student trained in research could
dig into the files of the newspapers
edited by these men Or newspapers
for which they wrote and come up
with some interesting material.
But, it is seriously doubtful if the
real story any of them could have
told could be pieced together quite
as they might have told it.
Nor have we anything from the
leading politicians of another day
who might have told interesting
stories-for example, Edward H.
Wright, Oscar DePrlest, and Louis
B. Anderson of Chicago; Ferdinand
@. Morton, and Charles Anderson
of New York; Walter H. Cohen of
Louisiana; Benjamin Davis and
Henry Lincoln Johnson of Atlanta;
and William H. Lewis the elder,
of Boston. Not one of them left
a line, although all were urged at
one time or another by their friends
to tell their story.
eve haven't heard directly from
Nh. Dabney for some time now,
but we sincerely hope his health is
fine, and that he will remain
perched high on his editorial stool
for many years to come dashing
off his fascinating Gossip and Re
Elections for all of US to enjoy.
However, we hope he has given Sc
rious thought to writing a book
about his Life and Times With
such a long and colorful career in
journalism, in government, and
with the Army, as we'll as in civic
and community affairs, Mr.. Dab
ney would be able to tell a power
full story-and it should be told.
Negroes whose lives have been
such that they have been provided
with the material for good stories
that ought to be passed on to fu-
ture generations, just refuse to
write"
Let US hope that some of the
remaining "old timers" leave Us
a legacy.