Eugene V.

Debs

Danger Ahead
Source:International Socialist Review,Vol.IV,No.5.November1903
OnlineVersion:E.V.DebsInternetArchive,2006
Transcribed/HTMLMarkup:RobertBillsfortheSocialistLaborPartyofAmericaand
DavidWalters,December,2006
ItsohappensthatIwriteupontheNegroquestion,incompliancewiththerequestoftheeditor
oftheInternational Socialist Review,inthestateofLouisiana,wheretheraceprejudiceisas
strong and the feeling against the nigger as bitter and relentless as when Lincolns
proclamation of emancipation lashed the waning Confederacy into fury and incited the final
and desperate attempts to burst the bonds that held the southern states in the federal union.
Indeed, so thoroughly is the south permeated with the malign spirit of race hatred that even
Socialists are to be found, and by no means rarely, who either share directly in the race
hostility against the Negro, or avoid the issue, or apologize for the social obliteration of the
colorlineintheclassstruggle.
The white man in the south declares that the nigger is all right in his place that is, as
menial,servantandslave.Ifhedareholduphishead,feelthethrillofmanhoodinhisveins
andnursethehopethatsomedaymaybringdeliveranceifinhisbrainthethoughtoffreedom
dawns and in his heart the aspiration to rise above the animal plane and propensities of his
sires,hemustbemadetorealizethatnotwithstandingthewhitemaniscivilized(?)theblack
manisaniggerstillandmustsoremainaslongasplanetswheelinspace.
But while the white man is considerate enough to tolerate the Negro in his place, the
remotest suggestion at social recognition arouses all the pentup wrath of his AngloSaxon
civilizationandmyobservationisthatthelessrealgroundthereisforsuchindignantassertion
ofselfsuperiority,themorepassionatelyitisproclaimed.
AtYoakum,Texas,afewdaysago,leavingthedepotwithtwogripsinmyhands,Ipassed
four or five bearers of the white mans burden perched on a railing and decorating their
environment with tobacco juice. One of them, addressing me, said: Theres a nigger thatll
carryyourgrips.Asecondoneadded:Thatswhathesherefor,andthethirdchimedin
withThatsright,byGod.Herewasasavorybouquetofwhitesuperiority.Oneglancewas

sufficienttosatisfymethattheyrepresentedallthereisofjustificationfortheimplacablehatred
oftheNegrorace.Theywereignorant,lazy,unclean,totallyvoidofambition,themselvesthe
foul product of the capitalist system and held in lowest contempt by the master class, yet
esteeming themselves immeasurably above the cleanest, most intelligent and selfrespecting
Negro,havingbyreflexabsorbedtheniggerhatredoftheirmasters.
Asamatteroffacttheindustrialsupremacyofthesouthbeforethewarwouldnothavebeen
possible without the Negro, and the south of today would totally collapse without his labor.
Cottonculturehasbeenandisthegreatstapleanditwillnotbedeniedthatthefinenessand
superiorityofthefibrethatmakestheexportofthesouthernstatesthegreatestintheworldis
dueinlargemeasuretothegeniusoftheNegroeschargedwithitscultivation.
ThewholeworldisunderobligationtotheNegro,andthatthewhiteheelisstilluponthe
blackneckissimplyproofthattheworldisnotyetcivilized.
ThehistoryoftheNegrointheUnitedStatesisahistoryofcrimewithoutaparallel.
Whyshouldthewhitemanhatehim?Becausehestolehimfromhisnativelandandfortwo
centuries and a half robbed him of the fruit of his labor, kept him in beastly ignorance and
subjectedhimtothebrutaldominationofthelash?Becausehetoretheblackchildfromthe
breastofitsmotherandravishedtheblackmansdaughterbeforeherfatherseyes?
TherearethousandsofNegroeswhobeartestimonyintheirwhiteningskinsthatmenwho
so furiously resent the suggestion of social equality are far less sensitive in respect to the
sexualequalityoftheraces.
Butofallthesenselessagitationincapitalistsociety,thatinrespecttosocialequalitytakes
thepalm.Theveryinstantitismentionedtheoldaristocraticplantationownersshrillcryabout
thebuckniggermarryingthefairyoungdaughterofhismasterisheardfromthetomband
echoedandreechoedacrossthespacesandrepeatedbythewhitetrashinproudvindication
oftheirsocialsuperiority.
Socialequality,forsooth!Istheblackmanpressinghisclaimsforsocialrecognitionuponhis
whiteburdenbearer?Isthereanyreasonwhyheshould?Isthewhitemanssocialrecognition
ofhisownwhitebrothersuchastoexcitetheNegrosambitiontocovetthenobleprize?Has
theNegroanygreaterdesire,oristhereanyreasonwhyheshouldhave,forsocialintercourse
withthewhitemanthanthewhitemanhasforsocialrelationswiththeNegro?Thisphaseof
theNegroquestionispurefraudandservestomasktherealissue,whichisnotsocial equality
,BUTECONOMICFREEDOM.
There never was any social inferiority that was not the shrivelled fruit of economic

inequality.
TheNegro,giveneconomicfreedom,willnotaskthewhitemananysocialfavorsandthe
burningquestionofsocialequalitywilldisappearlikemistbeforethesunrise.
Ihavesaidandsayagainthat,properlyspeaking,thereisnoNegroquestionoutsideofthe
labor questionthe working class struggle. Our position as Socialists and as a party is
perfectlyplain.Wehavesimplytosay:Theclassstruggleiscolorless.Thecapitalists,white,
blackandothershades,areononesideandtheworkers,white,blackandallothercolors,on
theotherside.
WhenMarxsaid:Workingmenofallcountriesunite,hegaveconcreteexpressiontothe
socialist philosophy of the class struggle unlike the framers of the Declaration of
Independencewhoannouncedthatallmenarecreatedequalandthenbaselyrepudiatedtheir
owndoctrine,Marxissuedthecalltoalltheworkersoftheglobe,regardlessofrace,sex,creed
oranyotherconditionwhatsoever.
AsasocialpartywereceivetheNegroandallotherracesuponabsolutelyequalterms.We
arethepartyoftheworkingclass,thewholeworkingclass,andwewillnotsufferourselvesto
be divided by any specious appeal to race prejudice and if we should be coaxed or driven
fromthestraightroadwewillbelostinthewildernessandoughttoperishthere,forweshall
nolongerbeaSocialistparty.
Letthecapitalistpressandcapitalistpublicopinionindulgethemselvesinalternateflattery
andabuseoftheNegroweasSocialistswillreceivehiminourparty,treathiminourcounsels
andstandbyhimallaroundthesameasifhisskinwerewhiteinsteadofblackandthiswedo,
not from any considerations of sentiment, but because it accords with the philosophy of
Socialism,thegeniusoftheclassstruggle,andiseternallyrightandboundtotriumphinthe
end.
Withtheniggerquestion,theracewarfromthecapitalistviewpointwehavenothing
todo.IncapitalismtheNegroquestionisagraveoneandwillgrowmorethreateningasthe
contradictionsandcomplicationsofcapitalistsocietymultiply,butthisneednotworryus.Let
themsettletheNegroquestionintheirway,iftheycan.Wehavenothingtodowithit,forthat
istheirfight.WehavesimplytoopentheeyesofasmanyNegroesaswecanandbringthem
into the Socialist movement to do battle for emancipation from wage slavery, and when the
workingclasshavetriumphedintheclassstruggleandstandfortheconomicaswellaspolitical
freemen,theraceproblemwillforeverdisappear.
Socialistsshouldwithprideproclaimtheirsympathywithandfealtytotheblackrace,andif

any there be who hesitate to avow themselves in the face of ignorant and unreasoning
prejudice,theylackthetruespiritoftheslaverydestroyingrevolutionarymovement.
ThevoiceofSocialismmustbeasinspiringmusictotheearsofthoseinbondage,especially
theweak black brethren, doubly enslaved, who arebowed tothe earth andgroanindespair
beneaththeburdenofthecenturies.
Formyself,myheartgoestotheNegroandImakenoapologytoanywhitemanforit.In
fact,whenIseethepoor,brutalized,outragedblackvictim,Ifeelaburningsenseofguiltfor
hisintellectualpovertyandmoraldebasementthatmakesmeblushfortheunspeakablecrimes
committedbymyownrace.
Inclosing,permitmetoexpressthehopethatthenextconventionmayrepealtheresolutions
ontheNegroquestion.TheNegrodoesnotneedthemandtheyservetoincreaseratherthan
diminishthenecessityforexplanation.
WehavenothingspecialtooffertheNegro,andwecannotmakeseparateappealstoallthe
races.
TheSocialistPartyisthepartyoftheworkingclass,regardlessofcolorthewholeworking
classofthewholeworld.

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