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to democratic progress, sometimes seem-
ing to have as its purpose the apothe-
osis of proletarianism. Opposition to
differentiation of potitical privilege for
any reason is as deep-seated, if not so
spectacular, as it was in the period of
ochlocratic ascendency that followed
the achievement of freedom by the
American Colonies, the theory of
which liberty was largely misinter-
preted in France. Russia has par-
tially compromised with this political
spirit, which has submerged ancient
China and is the crucial issue in
Japan.

There is scarcely a spot in the world
to which civilization has penetrated
that the American idea, generally in a
perverted form, has not become the
goal, consciously or unconsciously, of
the people. That the Socialists and
Liberals will eventually win their fight
in Begium, if they presently fail,
seems to be the logical deduction, for
no government in modern times has
been able permanently to resist a
purely popular demand, and "stand-
pattism," as it is called, has been no
more successful in other countries
than it has been in America. There is
as yet no sign that the flood tide is
ready to ebb.

A HALF-CENTURY OF NEGRO
FREEDOM.
The remarkable sertes of events of in
world-wide interest, such as the birth
of the Chinese Republic, the downfall
of the Turk in Europe, the approach-
ing completion of the Panama Canal,
the rapid growth of social democracy
at home and abroad, and many other
movements of almost equal import-
ance, have accounted in part, prob-
ably, for the comparatively little atten-
tion thus far shown to the year 1913
as being the semi-centennial of the
emancipation of some 4,000,000 of ne-
groes in this Republic. Important as
are each and all of the great move-
ments referred to, the PUBLIC LEDGER
believes that the American people
cannot afford to be indifferent to the
claims of the nearly 100,000 colored
people in this city of "Brotherly
Love," and the more than 10,250,000
persons of negro descent who now
reside within the borders of this
Republic.

Fifty years ago such noble philan-
thropists as William Lloyd Garrison,
Wendell Phillips, Horace Mann, Henry
Ward Beecher, Phillips Brooks and
Bishop Matthew Simpson were plead-
ing the cause of the black man. It
required no small degree of courage at
that time to espouse so unpopular a
cause. But those men believed with
Lowell that

"They are slaves who dare not be
In the right with two or three."

Every thoughtful student of the last
two decades has been brought face to
face with startling facts, so many and
so appalling at times as to raise the
question whether our country has not
been undergoing more or less of a
complete revulsion of feeling toward
[? - fold in paper]
scendants. But however strong may
have been that ebbing tide, the splen-
did careers of such men as Booker
T. Washington, Doctor Du Bois and
scores of other local leaders in Boston,
New York and Philadelphia, together
with the cheering facts as to the great
decrease of illiteracy, and the steady
increase of real estate holdings, sound
the true note of hope and good cheer.
But why this apparent neglect, on the
part of both races, to give some fit-
ting expression to this semi-centennial
year. Ought not the more highly
favored white race to take the initia-
tive in calling attention to the gains
and also to the danger signals which
confront the colored people today.

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