That strong defender of true Ameri
canism, the Cleveland Gazette, edited
by Hon. Harry C. Smith, a man of
whom all Americans maywell be proud,
printed an editorial in a recent issue
which is so accurate an exposition of
the costly blunder the colored people
have made in failing to fight for their
rights that we reproduce It. We trust
that every reader will read it care
fully and ponder over the truths ex
pressed.
"It has not been so very many years
since the adoption of the war amend
ments to the Constitution and the be
ginning of a systematic effort on the
part of our enemies to nullify the ef
fect they were expected to have and
its subsequent good. Since these ef
forts at restriction began, they have
grown and multiplied rapidly and
much of it has been due to our refusal
to fight the issues raised with all our
resources, before they became opera
tive. In the South disfranchising
constitutions have come, separate or
"jim-crow" railroad and street cars,
"peanut
_,.,_.
