Can Deceive No Longer
February 7, 1903
Summary
Despite the continuous assurance that the “race issue” and the “disenfranchisement of the ‘Negro’” will be settled, the government is still completely in the hands of white men.
Transcription
Can deceive no longer
Despite the fact that every effort to disfranchise the Negro in the southern states has been followed by the announcement that it would settle the race question, it is evident that every step in this direction has even followed by a renewed agitation of the subject.
The feeling today, with the offices in every southern state absolutely in the hands of white men, is more bitter than ever was known in the history of the country. The hope of some of the most conservative elements that the relinquishing on the part of the “Negro” of all of his rights would be followed by an era of good feeling has not been realized and we now witness the remarkable spectacle of a President of the United States being condemned by southern journals and mildly chided by some northern ones, because he refuses to violate his oath of office and make color, instead of efficiency, the requirement for appointment to office.
It emphasizes one point and that is that the citizen of color must no longer appear before Mordecai of American prejudice as a Negro, but as a citizen of the United States, entitled to all of the rights and privileges of any other citizen. The man, be he white or black, who thinks that we should refrain from asking for this or that because we are alleged to belong to this race or that will not be the guide for us through this period of combat for our rights as an American citizen.
The cry was that the opposition to us was based on our ignorance and not specifically on our color. Now the “Negro-haters” have thrown off all concealment and disclosed the cruel purpose of their deception.
Despite the fact that every effort to disfranchise the Negro in the southern states has been followed by the announcement that it would settle the race question, it is evident that every step in this direction has even followed by a renewed agitation of the subject.
The feeling today, with the offices in every southern state absolutely in the hands of white men, is more bitter than ever was known in the history of the country. The hope of some of the most conservative elements that the relinquishing on the part of the “Negro” of all of his rights would be followed by an era of good feeling has not been realized and we now witness the remarkable spectacle of a President of the United States being condemned by southern journals and mildly chided by some northern ones, because he refuses to violate his oath of office and make color, instead of efficiency, the requirement for appointment to office.
It emphasizes one point and that is that the citizen of color must no longer appear before Mordecai of American prejudice as a Negro, but as a citizen of the United States, entitled to all of the rights and privileges of any other citizen. The man, be he white or black, who thinks that we should refrain from asking for this or that because we are alleged to belong to this race or that will not be the guide for us through this period of combat for our rights as an American citizen.
The cry was that the opposition to us was based on our ignorance and not specifically on our color. Now the “Negro-haters” have thrown off all concealment and disclosed the cruel purpose of their deception.
About this article
Source
Location on Page
Upper Left Quadrant
Topic
Contributed By
Rose Williams
Citation
“Can Deceive No Longer,” Black Virginia: The Richmond Planet, 1894-1909, accessed May 12, 2025, https://blackvirginia.richmond.edu/items/show/282.