The Daily Worker Newspaper, November 22, 1924, Page 6

Negroes and the Caste System By GURDON OWENS. Workers Party Candidate for (Con- gress in Recent Elections, First District, Chicago. The Negro population of the United States suffer untold difficulties on ac- count of the vicious caste system known as the color line in vogue in this. country. This vicious form of discrimination practiced against Ne-; groes originated with the introduction of chattel slavery in the United States, when the masters of the indentured white slaves replaced the indentured slaves and wage workers with Negro chattel slaves from Africa. ‘The un- employed white workers, seeing ‘their jobs ‘taken by the Negro chattel slaves, began to stir the Negro slaves to re- belttion against ‘their masters. As ‘the Negro slaves numerically outnumber- ed their masters, and staged several rebellions against them, the slave owners realized that something must be done to ‘hold their slaves in check and to put a stop to the mixing and fraternizing of ‘the white wage work- ers with the Negro chattel #laves, who were termed “Niggers:” Set Negro Against White Workers. Then was started for the first time anti-Negro propaganda, stating that the Negro chattel slaves were the in- | feriors of the white wage workers and unfit te associate with the white work- ers. Despite this anti-Negro propa-' ganda of the white master class, thou- sands upon thousamis of mulatto chil- dren were being produced during this period as a result of the mixing of the southern white masters with their Negro female slaves. Propaganda was also disseminated by the white, masters among their Negro chattel slaves, stating that the Negro slaves were better and should not mix with white wage workers who were termed, “poor white trash.” ; This propaganda proved very ef- fective in. keeping apart the Negro chattel slaves and white wage work- ers, and with few modifications to «comply with mew conditions is still used today, to keep Negro and white wage workers separate and apart. As a result of this propaganda many \Ne- gro workers still refer to white werk- ers as “poor white trash” and many white workers refer ‘to Negro workers as “Niggers.” The conditions which the employing class Go all in their power to prevent trom existing ‘between the Negro and white workers, is social contact, the unionization of the Negro workers along with the white workers, .and free speech and assemblage. ‘Social con-, tact between Negro and white work- 2rs, would make them ‘become frienilly , and understand each other, and real-' ize ‘their identity of interests as work- ors. Negro workers in the same un-, ‘ons with white workers, would pre- vent the use of Negro workers as strikebreakers by the employers dur-. ‘ing strikes. Class conscious speakers telling the Negro and white workers: of their identity of imterests, and try- ing to organize them to better their Tivirg conditions, are constantly ‘be- ing molested and prohibited from speaking. ; The capitalists and their hirelings, will go to any extent to prevent Ne- gro and white workers from becoming friendly and fraternilizing. Im cities ‘both north and south, with few excep- tions, the Negroes are forced to re- side in segregated residential districts. Negroes while traveling thru the: south to ride in jim-crow cars or sec- tions, which comprise the men's smok- ing compartment, and are refused ser- vice in the dining car, and denied ser-; vice given to other public travellers. | Every state in the south and many) northern states, prohibit ‘by statute marriage between Negroes and whites, despite the fact that the two races. have been and still are mixing very intimately in the south as well as in| the north. When the Negro chattel’ Slaves were first brought from Africa to the United States they were all! black, but today as a result of the dreaded so-called “social equality” which has been going on between the! ‘Negroes and the whites since the Ne-' groes first landed in this country, Ne-’ groes today are of every shade and eolor from a fast black to a lily white. : In fact many Negroes can and may. easily pass for white. This proves. concretely that despite the anti-inter-’ marriage laws, Negroes and whites. mix very intimately together. ‘Negro and white workers holding‘ joint meetings are constantly molested . by the police as tho they were crimi- | nals. The capitalist newspapers stir up prejudice and riots against Negroes by displaying in Jarge headlines across their front pages real or im- aginary crimes attributed to a Negro or Negroes, always placing the word. “Negro” in Yarge letters in the head-. line, thereby discrediting the Negroes, in general. All of this is done to place Ne- groes as inferiors to white warkers, unfit to mix or masociate with the whites. As a result of this propa- ganda many ‘politically ‘backward white workers today think themselves ‘better and superier to all Negroes. Communism the Solution. Dhis «capitalist amti‘Negro propa- ganda, is what keeps the Negro and white workers separate and apart and suspicious of each other, and enables the capitalists*and employers to rob and exploit both groups of workers. This caste system, or color line, is one of the main props of capitalism and can only be eliminated by destroying the capitalist syste. Communists the world over, recognize but one race, the human race, composed af two classes, ‘the working class and the exploiting class. Communists champion ‘the cause of all workers re- gariiess of their race, color er creed and are opposed ‘to all forms of dis- criminations practiced against Ne- grocs er other workers, and favor abolishing all race, color, and religi- ous lines which tend to keep workers of the oppressed and exploited Negro workers to obtain full and equal rights with all other workers. Therefore the chief task before the Communists of the United States, is to take the liber- ating message of Communism ito the badly misled and deluded Negro work- ers who are composed 95 per cent of farm and wage workers, and to ob- tain the support of a majority of the Negro workers to the cause of Com- munism. Leading the Junior Groups - - Note:—This is the second of a series of three articles by Comrade Shachtman on the Communist chil- drowned in the angry spluttering of -he protester. But wait, dear adult. It is here that the deader of the groups enters, and dren's movement. The concluding ane | in a most inobtrusive fashion. Let us will deal with the new relations be- tween the children and ‘their parents. —Mditor. ssf * HE leader of the Communist chil- dren’s groups is not a teacher iin the sense that one considers the in- structor in the modern capitalist school. Far from it! His task and purpose jis ithe organization of ‘the working class chil@ren to an under- standing of the struggle that is go- ang on right in the midst of life, arous- dng the children to the necessity of being 2 participant in the great bat- tle for proletarian freedom. And for this task it is mot necessary to be equipped with an crudite knowledge of the educational theories and ‘me- thods of the bourgeoisie. Quite the contrary—it is too often a positive | hindrance. The purpose of all bour- geois education is the preparation of the child to be a part of social life, which today means the training of good, efficient, but none too intelligent wage workers. The Communist junior groups train ‘the child to fight against bourgeois influence in education, and the system that it supports. , A Leader's Requisites. ‘What is required of a leader of a junior group is a simple understanding of the aim of the Communist move- |. ment and the desire to enroll the chil-, dren into the ranks of the revolution-/ ary workers, accomplishing ‘this task, without resorting to any of that dish- admit that the children, when left to themsélves, are inclined to conduct themselves in 2 rather “riotous” man- ner, not according to rules of order. It is the task of the group leader te @irect this superabundance of energy inte the channels ef Com- munist activity er education. This must be done without leaving the im- pression wpon the chil@ that such a thing must be done because the group leader has said so. Free Play to the Children. Do the childrefii want to play games? Very well, there are already a num- ber of games that bring home to the child the message of the class strug- gle, games which are being played by large numbers of children with enjoy- ment and profit. sing? Excellent! A singing prole- tariat is a marching proletariat. And instead of singing of the fact that ‘it isn't going to rain any more, ‘the chil- dren soon learn and sing with enthusi- asm the parody: “The capitalists ain’t going to reign mo more” with at least a dozen verses of their own compesi- is legion; or else he can relate some tale of heroism of revolutionaries in tre sports and lized and bers. ‘Th ‘his purpose -without the law. | ‘The members of the nist leagues have : a on the way, and ourselves. Games, sports, plays, socials, all can be made to serve as @ids in the development of class consciousness, revolutionary solidarity, and fhe creative individuali- ty of the child im ‘the interests of the common weal. ' Even im so small a matter as the wish of the children to chalk yp side-|}: walks or buildings can be turned ‘to, gaged. Amd it is quite probable that questions will follow, giving the lead- er ithe opportunity to draw from the}. ehil@ren the reply to the questions they themselves have asked. . No Orders. , i The leader of the junior group, if he knows his real function, will never order anything to be done, not even %f the order to the children is that they should do things themselves. ‘The children will learn to organize them- selves upon an independent basis. who are best fitted for the work will usually volunteer or be chosen. If it is required that a ceftain job be done in various parts of the city, direc-| tions will inevitably be issued assign- ing certain litfle comrades to particu- Tn GE iti it ul ap Fi | i of education and Jeadership is a sym- ef the methods that will be fol- i Bae aT : ft fret A servitude imposed by an unscrupulous ruling class. it presages the mew so- ‘Next Sunday Night and Every Sun- tay Night, the Open Forum. American Boom is atan End...” Says Prof. E. Varga in his “The De- cline of Capitalism,” a pamphiet just received from Europe. Also: “Will not the militaristic-imperialist policy of Poincare gain the upper hand, lead to a new ca- 3 5 z i a GY