St. Paul recorder., 1963-08-15
ISSUES: GOOD
AND BAD
BY p. L. PRATTIS


executive director Of the National
Urban League, on Meet the
Press" I know in advance what
is going to puzzle Mr.. Spivak
most at this inquisition.
I can see his furrowed brow, his
quizzical expression, as he gently
needless the Urban League leader
with the question: But Mr.. Young
you are not asking for special
consideration for the Negro? You
are not asking that where there is
only one job and two applicants,
one white and one colored, that
the job be given to the colored
man - just because he is colored?
Wouldn't that be discrimination
against the white MANI"
Mr.. Young, I know, is going to
be able to answer for himself, but
inasmuch as the position taken by
Mr.. Young and the National Urban
League is bound TO become a pub
lie issue, I think it serves the pub
lie interest for everybody to know
the Urban League position and to
try to understand it.
First, the Urban League takes
into account the fact that the fore
bears of the American Negro
worked for $50 years, without re-
compense, to create wealth for
white Americans. They did not
share the wealth which their toll
and sweat created.
When President Lincoln first
thought Of freeing the slaves, he
did so In the context Of reIm-
bursting the slave owners. He
thought 1t would cost less to pay
the slave owners for their slaves
than to continue the Civil war.
The slave owners would not ac-
cept compensation for their
slaves.
However, when the slaves were
freed no thought was given to
compromising them for their labor
they were required to start from
scratch after $50 years of unrequit-
ed toll. This was discrimination.
The descendants Of the slaves
have been free for one hundred
years now. They have had TO COM
pete against a white man VINO had
the chance to gobble up all the
land while they were slaves. Dur
ing these one hundred years, they
have been deprived Of most Of the
rights and privileges Of other
American citizens, the right to
employment, the opportunity for
education, the right to natural
growth and to participation in the
nations affairs as equals.
The answer to Mr.. SplVak's
question Is not that the Negro
is asking for special considera-
ton. The Urban League and the
Negro are seeking compensatory
consideration. There is a debt
owed the American Negro which
white Americans have never
faced up to.
Billions have been given to for
eign lands. American Indians have
been requted. But no one has ever
yet said: Look, the Negro Is not
properly educated, but that is our
fault. He is not prepared as a
skilled worker, but that's our fault.
He is poor, but that's our fault.
And because of these latter things,
his health Is poor, his outlook is
distorted and his criminal rate is
out Of proportion. We owe it to
ourselves and to the nation to help
him catch up. This is neither dis
elimination nor charity. 1t is pay
ing a debt we owe"
I am sure Whitney Young will
be able to explain compensatory
consideration better than I, but !
want TO be sure that Negroes, too,
know what Mr.. Young means and
that they do not let anybody con-
fuse the issue of compensatory con-
sideration with the Illusion Of spec
ial discrimination They are diff
ferent and not related.