The guardian., 1953-02-07
BOSTON'
BA'~

Il am but Gods humble
instrument"
ABE LINCOLN
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
has now given its answer to the
long debated question as to
whether President Eisenhower
would select a colored American
for his initial cabinet Family"
The answer has been disappoint-
ing. Since 1919, or three cen
turies plus, colored people have
been in America. Many of ''lesS
residence" have enjoyed the top
honors. Alexander Hamilton has
been the only colored cabinet
member since 1889. And he was
great.
GEORGE WASHINGTON,
Americas first President, picked
his 1889 U. S. Cabinet with Tom
jefferson heading Dept. of For
eign Affairs; the first Henry Knox
as Secretary of War; Alexander
Hamilton as Secretary of the
Treasury, and Mr.. Osgood, Post
master General. Hamilton estab-
lished a brilliant financial prog
ress for the country, including the
u. S. Banking foundation. He
helped found the Constitution and
Coast Gr-~1
EVEN so, at Washington there
is Dixiecrat stupidity upholding a
primitive program" which re-
fuses to grant colored Americans
high office. Many other countries
have taken lead over the U. S. in
such appointments. Perhaps only
his paleface complexion saved
Hamilton, a mulatto. Mr.. Dullas
and all the voice of freedom
are kindered by such conditions
FRANCE has had many colored
Cabinet members including Blalse
Diagne who inspired African
troops to save France and per-
haps the West from the Germans
in the first World War. Adolph
Hitler never got over this strategy
of M. Diagne which stopped the
Kaiser's best troops. Hitler was
a coporal in that war. German
troops had a haunting fear of the
African soldiers which IS evident
in Hitler's book.
&& So -
ABE LINCOLN, today, would
have appointed colored men to
his Cabinet. His first choice
might have been Fred Douglass.
Certainly Mr.. Lincoln would have
noted Gas historian j. A. Rogers
notes) that France had at least
six known colored Cabinet MEM
bers prior to 1910. Many others
have been named since that time.
But one wonders, sometimes, with
justification, whether the Repub-
lican Party has ceased to be tne
Party Of Abe Lincoln.
- -
PORTUGAL, Spain, and even
German Prussia, have had colored
cabinet members. Indeed, Prussia
h9S 60 r. H'~'"9-' 9"ceo-'''' ''o0
was State Councillor. Portugal
and other Latin European coun-
tries have had so many govern
noent officials, ministers, and
ambassadors either obviously col
ored or deceptively mixed, that
we could not list them all here.
BRITISH ROYALTY at the
coming 1858 Coronation should
know that a colored Queen Of
Portugal was sister-in-law to
famous Queen Victoria. The col
ored son of a King of Portugal
became first ruling emperor OF
Brazil He married sister OF
Napoleon's second wife. Their
daughter became the Portugal
Queen royalty kin to Victoria.
And then there was Eugene
Chem. Foreign Minister for
President Sun Yet Sen of China.
- 80
i'm CROW has placed America
behind all the rest. It is believed
in many quarters that DR.. Dubois
paul Robeson, Walter White, Dr.
Ralph Bunche, Dr.. Claiming
Tobias. Judge Hastie, Mordecia
Johnson. Mr.. Marshall, among
others. deserved top-level Gov
ernment posts. But all are COM
psratively neglected. Jim Crow
cast them out. I think Mr.. Lin
colin would have resented TINS
crime. And so should Mr.. Presl-
dent.
Ws Awks,sru