AND YE SHALL KNOW THE TRUTH. AND THE! TRUTH SHALL; MAKE YOU
DAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1930.
BY THE WAY
The Editor of The Columbia
(S. C.) State is using a deal of
printer’s ink and expending
much energy in ethnological
research to prove that the
Abyssinians are not Negroes,
since, according to native tra
dition, Menilehek, or Menelek,
the son of Solomon and the
Queen of Sheba, was their first
king. These people are too rich
• in history and traditions to be
Negroes, as the Editor of The
State thinks and has a desire to
tell the world. He gives scien
tific reasons for the color of
their skin, but none for their
thick lips and blunt noses and
wooly hair—those of pure
Abyssinian stock.
This brilliant Editor, in so
many cases of this kind, seems
to feel that it is his whole du
ty to keep the world informed
as to “who’s who” racially, if
there is doubt; especially if the
arrow points toward Negro or
African extraction exerting it
self as one of the factors of
world powers.
The question with the Negro
is: If the Editor of The Colum
bia State can succeed in prov
ing that the Albyssinians are
Semitic and by no means of Af
rican extraction, what has he
gained for the reading and
thinking world, and what has
the Negro lost in body, mind,
heart and soul; or in anything
in reach of human opportuni
ty?
It is strange that some men,
who seem to be wise, set up pegs
to knock down, while quite a
number exchange six for a half
dozen; meanwhile they assume
* the air and postuye of one all
victorious, or^ffle man otf^fM'
<v hour.
It is said that an Irishman,
after purchasing a railroad re
turn ticket from the ticket agent
—hearing the American people
are hard to fool—called his
friend aside and whispered:
“Pat, I’ve fooled the American
man.” Pat asked, “How, Mike?”
His reply was: “I’ve bought a
return ticket, and I aint coming
back.”
Perhaps he was not coming
back, but what did he gain,
since railroad companies do not
sell return tickets for less than
one-way fare. Then, too, what
did the ticket agent or railroad
company lose by virtue of his
not coming back?
There is a certain aristocrat
ic clan in Berkeley, Charleston,
and Colleton counties that has
succeeded to a finish in impress
ing a certain class of Negroes
that they are not Negroes.
In no other section of ti
United States do you fi’
white people so interested as to
who is Negro and who is not
Negro as you find in the coun
ties mentioned. But I must go
cautiously, for the Editor of
The State is from Adams Run,
Colleton county, and about 13
miles from Edisto Island, the
hot bed of the colonial and
ante-bellum aristocrats. But
he knows that in and around
Adams Run, Rantowles, Rave
nells, and through the hill sec
tions of Colleton county, there
is a class of Negroes called
“brass ankles." There is nothing
in them of foreign extraction.
They sprang from the soil and
loins of the counties of their
fathers and mothers, Berkeley,
Charleston and Colleton, S. C.
Many of them do not know of
any other.
I should say in this connec
tion that Negro men are not
responsible for the begetting
and existence of “brass ankles.”
Perhaps the world is aware of
this fact.
“Brass ankles” were taught
that they were not Negroes;
and it was the custom when
the hour of preaching arrived
on the Sabbath for the slaves,
“trass ankles” were given a
seat on the ground floor while
the real slave Negroes with no
Anglo-Saxon extraction occu
pied the gallery. Of course, this
made the “brass ankles” feei
that they were among the elect
and cream of the South; and
this was perfectly natural.
It is interesting to know why
they are called “brass inkles.”
Although the white brother’s
blood be in “brass ankles’ ”
veins; and although “bifass an
kle” was accorded special priv
ileges in the days of American
slavery, his case today is not
envied. He attempted to enter
his white relatives’ schools.
They shut the door in his face.
He moves into white rural
communities among the aristo
crats. They pass him by on the
other side. Poor brass ankle’s
social life is pathetic. He is in
a class by ^himself. The .Ne
groes pass them by and watch
them from under the rims of
their hats with a doubting and
repulsive eye.
“Byass ankles” were slaves in
the days of slavery with special
privileges; but around their
ankle was welded a brass band
with his owner’s initials en
graved in order to identify
their brass ankle slaves if this
class of slaves attempted to es
cape to the underground rail
road for freedom, as many of
them from Georgia and Vir
ginia did.
This may be a distorted or
modified tradition, but Mr.
Samuel Gilliard Stoney has
written a book entitled, “Po
Buckra;” and in this book he
gives the “brass ankles” con
sideration. But I am sure that
the origin of the name.brass
ankle is not far off the mark;
for Iihave read of bras»-a»Jdes ,
and talked with brass ankles of
brass ankle lore. And, by the
way, Mr. Stoney is of Charles
ton.
But, after all, this matter of
race designation is the out
growth of social and political
power; or the result of duty
performed; or the nature of the
person or thing named. You
will find this the case in He
brew names; and it is the same
with races. Study the origin of
names of countries and races
and you might be surprised as
to how some races got their
names and how some great
countries came to be designated
as to their names. It is inter
esting to know how the poor
white man in the South came
to be called “cracker” or “po’
trash.” You know why he is
called “buckra” or “reb.” Of
course the Negro knows the or
igin of all his names, from
“darky” down.
Suppose all black folks are
not Negroes and all white folks
are not Caucasians, as the Ed
itor of The Columbia State
seems to want us to know, then
who is naturally responsible for
the former and who is socially
responsible for the latter with
all of the depravity entailed ?
This matter of “who’s who”
will not stand very much pres
sure. I is like ancestry: it does !
not pay to go very far into it
lest you find some of your peo
ple on the gallows or in the
hen house.
UNCLE BILLIE.
The modem mind is lacking
in its labeled exhibits of
sin. Hie consciences of our
grandfathers were stirred to re
pentance by the visible remind
ers of sin which .surrounded
them on every hand. Insanity,
epilepsy, blindness and various
forms of disease; earthquake;;.,
floods, tornadoes and other vio
lent physical upheavals—these
were interpreted as the divine
puipshment of perversity. Now
we look for the causes of dis
ease in germs not in sins.—
Dr. R. W. Sockman.
MEETING OF THE TfOUHf*
PEOPLE’S LEAGUE
The Young People’s
of the Yadkin Presbj
with St. John’s Presl
church, of Jonerfboro,
Friday, November 7th, ifor
regular Fait meeting.
The League was called
der by the President, and
first hour was spent in ojut
songs, games and yells1;
which all representatives
members present were enrol
After the enrollment the
dies of St. John’s church
vited all present to 4
heavily laden with jnariy g<
things to eat. Before jleai
the table, Miss Robinson,
Blandonia church, was I asked
to express thanks to the ladies!,'
which she did in a few ww
chosen words.
,, From supper the group/'
called to order for busiiu
The reports from the various
Leagues were indeed good .apld
were accompanied by the fult
assessment from each League
represented.
The President, Miss E. Lar
rett, of John Hall church,
asked Rev. F. C. Shirley to pre
side during election of officers,
which resulted as follows: .
Miss Margaret Robinson,
President. : |
Miss Pearl Tyson, Vice-]
ident.
Mrs. Beatrice McMillan, Mrs.
’B&ytei&uef Rev. P.
and Rev. J. E. McMillan.
Miss Bernice Washington,
Reporter.
Next was discussion of the
topic, “Christian Conduct As
It Relates to Home Life.” Those
taking part in the discussion
showed that they had given
time and thought to the topic.
Then came the closing worship
service, theme, “Sharing Jesus
With Others.” With appropriate
songs, Scripture read'ng and
prayers we ware made to feel
that it was a real service of
divine worship.
MISS MARGARET ROBIN
SON, President.
MISS VIVIAN MOONE, Secre
tary.
reports were made and thp
election of officers took place.
Miss Vivian Moone, Secreta
ry.
ry. I ' ,
- Miss Rosa L. Blue, Assistant
Secretary. ;
Miss E. L. Barrett, Treasur
er.
The Advisory Committee
SWIFT MEMORIAL COLLEGE
NEWS ITEMS
Dr. W. C Hargrave, of the
English Department at Swift
Memorial College, has been
gjreatly (honored by the East
Tennessee Teachers’ Associa
tion for Colored Schools by be
ing elected as its President for
the ensuing year. The good doc
tor richly deserves this singu
lar honor. His untiring devotion
to duty, his progressive outlook,
his knowledge of educational
problems, and especially his ac
quaintance with the problems
confronting the schools in East
Tennessee are all qualities
which make him eminently
suited to direct the activities
of the Assocation for the next
year. We wish him a successful
year as President of the East
Tennessee Teachers’ Associa
tion.
Thanksgiving Day will be
“Home-Coming” day at Swift.
The Swift foot ball team will
play its annual game with
Greenville College of Green
ville, Tennessee, on that day,
and among other interesting
items on the day’s program is
a Popularity Contest in which
the Swift co-ed who receives
[the largest number of votes
will be . crowned as “Miss
Swift” between the halves of
(Continued on page 3)
THE LIQUOR INTERESTS
. STILL ACTIVE
By Dr. E. H. Cherrington
Behind the “window dress
ing” of the ostensible leaders of
the fight against prohibition,
there stand today, as there have
stood in all the campaigns for a
sober land, the sinister figures
of those interested in the finan
cial possibilities of the restored
legalized sale of beverage intox
icants. They have at stake a
prize worth from five billion
dollars a year to seven billion
dollars. It has been estimated
that with our present popula
tion and the general wealth of
the nation today, the liquor
trade would be worth at least
that much. It is only natural,
therefore, that large sums
should be invested in propagan
da against prohibition by those
who would most largely benefit
financially should this national
policy be abandoned or even
seriously embarrassed. It is
equally natural that the liquor
interests should not desire tr
publicly appear in this fight. It
is manifestly to their advantage
if it can be made to appear that
the question is not the enrich
ment of the brewers and dis
tillers at the expense of the
people in general but, instead,
is one of personal liberty,
state’s rights or other more or
less general ideals unrelated to
the liquor question. It is also
vital to the success of their
purposes if the apparent leader
ship of the fight should be as
sumed by persons or organi
zations whose relation to the
historic or potential liquor trade
is unknown.
The Lobby Investigation of a
subcommittee of the United
States Senate Committee oJM&e
Judiciary revealed more fully
the interests and the invest
ments of the liquor group in
this fight against the prohibi
tion amendment. The lists of
contributors to the Association
Against the Prohibition
Amendment, seized from the
files of that organization, jby
the Committee, showed the ex
tent to which brewing compa
nies and families long identified
with the liquor traffic financed
the wet fight. The later lists,
however, did not show such con.
tributions, an earlier exposure
of the brewers and liquor men’s
gifts having been made, on the
basis of the sworn returns
made to the Clerk of the House
of Representatives under the
Corrupt Practices Act.
The wet organization, accord
ing to the testimony of its
founder, W. H. Stayton, con
tinued accepting from brew
ers until the 1st of January,
1930.
Another angle to the disap
pearance of the brewers’ gifts
appeared when Senator Walsh,
of Montana, read into the Rec
ord (pages 4124-4125 of Hear
ings) from the minutes of the
wet association the statement
in a report of Mr. Curran that
contributions from “brewers or
persons in or formerly in the
trade” had “fallen off so that
they now represented about 1.5
per cent.” Concerning this Sen
ator Walsh asked: “Did some of
the brewers withdraw?” to
which Mr. Curran replied:
“Certainly, some who had giv
en in 1928 did not give in 1929,
If this is withdrawing, it is so.”
That contributions of liquor
interests were sometimes so
entered into the accounts of the
wet organization that the names
or the business of the givers
was not revealed, was shown by
a letter written by the secreta
ry of the association to Hiram
H. Walker, of Walkerville, On
tario, manufacturer of a fa
mous whiskey, acknowledging
his offer of financial aid and
suggesting (page 4148 of Hear
• ing):
--=
By Kelly Miller
In Hie Newport News Star
The, election is over. My pre
diction made a week in advance
has been verified all but to the
letter. The wets are jubilant.
The Democrats are casting
their anchor to windward for
1932. Mr. Hoover has received
the most humiliating drubbing
of any candidate of modern
times. A margin of seven mil
lion majority has dwindled in
to a minority under his manip
ulation as head of the
Republican Party. Taft suf
fered like reversal, but the
obvious cause was a wide open
split in the ranks. Harding was
riding to a similar fall but a
merciful Providence shifted the
foreseen fate to the shoulders
of Calvin Coolidge who ducked
the blow even as lie 'dodged
all of the great issues arising
under his administration.
Mr. Hoover is an innocent
victim of an undeserved fate.
The American voter, under the
weight of depression and un
employment, visited the ills of
the cosmos upon the adminis
tration in power. The master
politicians on both sides of the
political fence are now busy re
forming the alignment for the
next presidential campaign.
The Republicans have learned
a great lesson. Whenever the
Grand Old Party of moral tra
ditions turns its hack upon a
great moral issue, it thereby
invites defeat. Any tyro in pol
itics knows that if the admin
istration had assumed an em
phatic, position o*ytheJEight
eenth Amendment and had di
rected the National Committee
to hit hard on the prohibition
cy'in’e', the r°sult wou’d have
been much more consoling. But
because the Republicans were
neither cold nor hot, or rather
both hot and cold, on this ques
tion, the American voter
spewed them out of their
mouths. Massachusetts and Ohio
might have been saved. New
York and Illinois would have
been less hell-bent towards
wetness. Morrow would have
won in New Jersey on his own
popularity and on the fame of
his winged son-in-law. Hastings
stood up like a man and won
in Delaware.
The election has accomplished
one clear result—it has broken
the traditional fealty of the
Negro to the Republican party.
Never before was the Negro
vote so oibviously divided. The
N. A. A. C. P< by a vigorous
campaign in at least “fou in
states battled against the pro
Parker Senators. Incidentally it
supported the wets against the
drys. Their sole aim was to
avenge the pro-Parker Sena
tors. Their vindictive policy is
one of disputed wisdom. How
ever, they followed their own
philosophy to its logical conclu
sion.
In Harlem Negro voters
chose two democratic judges
against their Republican antag
onists. This is the clearest
proof of the record of the divis
ion of the Negro vote. The Af
ro-American tells us that seven
thousand Negroes in Baltimore
voted the Democratic ticket.
The Lord only knows how the
Negroes in Chicago voted. If
they followed their proclivities
and inclination, I fear the bulk
of them voted the advice of B'g
Bill Thompson for Lewis and
wetness. DePriest, the wet,
pulled through, while Judge
George, the dry, went under. In
Pennsylvania the race sustained
the acid test. The Republican
bosses bade them vote for the
Democratic candidate for Gov
ernor against that moral g'ant,
—
Gifford Pinchot. I must leave
it to the Editor of the Phila
delphia Tribune to determine
how many voted one way, and
how many the other.
And so it goes all along the
line. Never again can the Re
publican bosses command the
Negro vote on the plea of by
gone benefits. The Negro to^ay
faces the future with his back
to the past.
This does not mean that all
Negroes have forsaken or will
forsaken the Grand Old Party.
The old line politicians remained
within the fold from a prudent
sense of regularity. Mrs. Addle
Hunton and Roscoe Simmons
3till waved the old flag of Re
publican glory around which we
all used to rally in days gone
by. Some, like myself, deemed
prohibition the dominant issue,
and supported dry candidates,
md wished from patriotic rea
sons to uphold the hands of
Mr. Hoover, not as a Republi
can, but as head of the nation,
in the hour of storm and stress.
On the whole, I have no doubt
that for one reason or another,
more thah half of the colored
voters supported the Grand Old
Party. But this support rested !
largely upon principle and pol
icy, rather than upon traditionrl
fealty and undying devotion.
In the future the Negro w 11
align himself with parties and
;ssues according as they appeal
to his patriotism and enlight
ened self-interest. The Republi
can party will hardly fail to get
its just quota of Negro sup
port, according to the just mer
its of is appeal. On the whole,
I anticipate that the majority
of the race will, wtih eyes wide
open to the best interest of the
race and country, follow in the
train of that party which, in
the main, -hasr"tepfe^ented the
best patriotism, traditions and
statesmanship for the past sev
enty years. But this will not be
from blind superstition, like
the man Friday who bowed
down and worshipped the "un
of his master, Robinson Cru
soe. The two opposing parties
will attract the Negro voter ac
cording to the relative persua
siveness of their appeal.
WOMEN AND THEIR
HUSBANDS
(From The Boston Transcript)
A discussion is going on
among the philosophers of New
York over the question why
women when they gather to-\
?ether in sewing circles or at
bridge teas devote so much of.
their conversation to compar-'
ing the imperfections of their?
husbands, whereas men, when
they meet at golf or around the
poker table, always give the1
impression that they are happi
ly mated. Wherever there is a
husband who doesn’t pick up
after himself or who uses swear
words in front of the children,
the whole street presently
knows of it. But a man may be
married to a confirmed gold
digger or a Xantippe and not a
word passes his lips that be
trays his tragedy.
Are we to look for the cause
in a finer chivalry in the man?
Does he persist in gearing his
w fe’s favor in public after it
has become faded and tarnish rd
all because he cannot forget the
first long-lost rapture? Or is it
merely his selfish, over-ween
ing pride in appearances? And
how about the candid wife ? The
chances are that she pipes only
because she must. It is in the
nature of woman to talk or
burst, and the mysterious, can
tankerous ways of even the best
of husbands provide her with
an inexhaustible subject of
conversation and reprobation.
When it comes to a case of the
worst of husbands, too iniqui
tous for tea-table badinage, even
then she must open her heart
(Continued on page 3)