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The Green Bag
ganizations is now made a primary consideration. A private club has a perfect right to bar black men or yellow, red-haired men, or any other men. But the American Bar Association has been accepted as a public institution, broadly repre sentative of the profession of the law, and primarily if not exclusively concerned with the responsibilities, problems, and interests of that profession. . . . The association's action will be interpreted as a declaration that negroes should not enter the profession, and when addmitted should not be accepted as honorable and useful participants in its professional public concerns. This is deplorable. While there is a belief that race mixture means race deterioration, there is reason for the objection to the social intercourse of whites and blacks. But there are 10,000,000 •negroes in the American rebublic, one-ninth of our whole population, and they cannot and will not be kept indefinitely in a condition of isolation. Those who prove themselves fit for the learned professions or fit to serve society's need in any capacity should be given encouragement and recognition in that work. The American Bar Association has set a bad precedent. Omaha Bee This squabble over negro members we have referred to as a tempest in the teapot. Every body knows that color is but skin deep, and that a lot of people with white exteriors are blacker underneath than the darkest Senegambian who ever came out of Africa. . . . We repeat that a man need not have a black skin to have a black record, ar.d the graduations of the one should de mand as much, at least, attention as the grada tions of the other in conferring the Bar . Association patent of legal nobility. Philadelphia Public Ledger If the American Bar Association is to set the example of closing the door of hope and of oppor tunity in the face of the Negro, what reasonable expectation has he of establishing his claim to be something better than a menial and an artisan, and demonstrating the possession of intellectual capacities that fit him for employment calling for the exercises of the thinking faculities? In these days we have much to say of social regen eration of the "uplift" of the down-trodden, of the doctrine of human equality, of the evolution of character, however handicapped by environ ment and heredity. Are these mere phrases of buncombe and rhodomontade? Do we mean
what we say, or do we idly, insincerely prate of a social creed we have no intention of carrying into execution? In view of the cold and selfish policy of exclusion pursued by the Executive Committee in the name of the Bar Association it professes to represent, the Negro would be justified in pre suming that his dream of recognition of his merit, independent of his color, it but a fond delusion and a cruel mocking. Boston Post This solution of a very awkward complication must be regarded as satisfactory, even while recognizing the compelling conditions as ridicu lous. There is absolutely no question as to the qualification of the three members who have been admitted, as regards professional attain ments; but never again must it occur through lack of information as to the color of the skin, which counts for more than the texture of the brain. Springfield (Mass.) Republican The American Bar Association by such action seems to transform itself into a kind of social club, which is inherently absurd. Rochester (N. Y.) Democrat In the manner in which it disposed of the mooted question of the admission of three negroes to membership, the American Bar Asso ciation at its convention in Milwaukee showed what scant pride it took in its course. Cutting off all opportunity for discussion, it devoted ten minutes to passing a resolution providing that hereafter when a negro was nominated for mem bership in the association his race must be given. . . . The action of the association was irrational and ungenerous; the members un doubtedly felt that it was, and that part of the public not wholly swayed by prejudice knows that it was. Council Bluffs (la.) Nonpareil This is not drawing the color line, is it? No, no! It is merely polite notice to all colored lawyers that the gun behind the door is loaded. But how lawyerlike the whole thing turned out! The A. B. A. certainly has "the punch." JacksonviIle (Fla.') Times- Union When the American Bar Association declared that negroes who had been admitted might stay but no more should come, they must have realized that they had plunged into hot water, but they are probably finding the temperature pretty high. However, their troubles are not ours; the South long since admitted the claim
