COLOR LINE IN PARIS

NZ Truth, Issue 947, 19 January 1924, Page 7

COLOR LINE IN PARIS

YAKS UNTIED BUCKS AN AFFAIR INVOLVING THREE CONTINENTS France's Dependence On Africa The United States diplomatic doctrine of holding aloof from European affairs seems to end at the color line. Americans have lately interposed (or, as the French say, interfered) very considerably m the affairs of Prance's African subjects m Paris, and the Paris cafe proprietors have a Hard job to oblige their colored patrons without losing the money of negro-hating Americans, or (alternatively) to disoblige their colored patrons without being closed up by the French Government, whose poli-tical-military dependence on the African peoples is one of the great world -factors.

When the big doors of the noisy allnight Cafe El Garron, Paris, flew open m the early hours before dawn the other day and His Royal Highness Prince ToUbalou Houenom Kuenum was pitched out on to the sidewalk, a very remarkable now situation m the all-night cabaret life of Paris was brought to a head. The Prince is a nephew of His Majesty King Behanzin of Dahomey, .Africa, and he is a negro. Following close behind him out through the door of the cafe came Prince Kogo's brother. Prince Mark, and as they picked themselves up from the pavement they called a policeman and demanded the arrest of the cafe authorities. AN "INTERNATIONAL" INCIDENT. Drunken rows and wrangles over bejewelled women m the early morning hours are common enough m the cabaret cafes m Paris, but this was an affair of quite • a different complexion, and instantly took on an International Importance. , Paris has always been known for its indulgence of men and women of all nations and all colors. The colored man (if he has money) has always been the .petted' darling. of the affectionate ladies who sit about the tables m the cafes and music halls or parade their painted faces up and flown the boulevards. There has never been any discrimination against a Jap, a Chinaman or a negro — if he had the money to buy wine and jewellery and his pocketbook was fat enough to hold up his end m the mad whirl of Paris night life. But since the war American visitors m Paris have started a mdvement to keep colored men of money out of the cafes and dance halls. In some of the resorts where American • patronage is considerable and important tho managers have been warned that they need not expect to find American dollars among their night's receipts if they welcome the presence and the money of colored patrons. It became, therefore, a matter of business expediency, and of late months some of the resorts which are popular among the American visitors had, turned a cold, shoolder on negroes who were formerly welcomed by the managers and petted by the women who hang about the places. This situation gradually took on a rather serious aspect, because Prance has important African cotonies, and the more influential and wealthy negroes delight to come from their African homes ahd enjoy the matchless allurements and indulgences of the gay French capital. It 1b therefore a matter of Government policy that these influential blackH should be encouraged to come to Paris, should be welcomed and made happy, and on their return to their native homes should speak with kindly feelings of the French. BLACK ROYALTY PITCHED OUT. And thus it happened that when His Highness Prince Kogo was pitched out of the Cafe El Garron, that gay and noisy resort m Montmarte, an episode of national Importance had happened. Prince Kogo and his brother, Prince Mark, belong to the royal family of Dahomey — and Dahomey is the most valuable negro colony which France possesses. When His Highness the Prince complained to the Commissary of Police, the gravity of the situation became at once apparent. . Prince Kogo declared that he and his friends had been insulted m the cufe, and that Americans who were eating and drinking there had cried: "Put the niggers out!" The Commissary of Police made profound apologies m the name of the French Government and brought the manager of the cafe, Rene Renault, into Court. The case was quickly decided and the proprietor was sentenced to fifteen days' imprisonment and a fine of 200 francs, while Prlnoe Kogo was awarded Personal damages m a nominal sum. So serious did the French Government regard the matter that after the Judge's decision the authorities ■ went further and withdrew the nll-night license of the cafe as ft warning to other resorts that swift and severe punishment awaited them if they per* mltted their American patrons to dictate a policy of color lin© discrimination. CAFES ARE BETWEEN DEVIL AND DEEP SEA. The severe penalty visited upon the head of the proprietor of the Cafo El Garron has, therefore, precipitated a very difficult situation. American patrons arc many and wealthy, and their patronage la highly valued In the night resorts. They insist that they arc not accustomed to eatln*. drinking, dancing and associating with colored men and women In their native America, and that they certainly will not spend their money m French resorts where they are likely to rub ol» bows with a colored man at tho bar or have a party of African natives flinging, drinking and dancing at an adjoining table. And yet if the enfe manager refuses tho courtesies of his establishment to colored visitors, he now knows that he runs the Hblc of fine and imprisonment and the loss of his license It Is a most perplexing predicament for the cafes. While the recent eplsodo of tho two royal Princes from Dahomoy ig tho moat Bcrlous which has yet dovelopod, thore have been many other very similar difficulties between tho whiten and the blacks m tho Paris cafes. An equally entertaining epluode, but one which has never come into the Courts, occurred at tho fashionable* Hotel Astoria. Charles Dana Gibson, the American artist, had planned to Rive a dinner .party there to twenty mon and women, mostly Americans. Shortly before his dinner time ho looked into tho dining room nnd saw eight black men dancing about the room. They woro not at all Bhy m thair manners. Mr. Gibson remarked thnt ho could not ask his American guests to dlno with these colored men. The manager retorted: "But. monsieur, those aro not ordinary colored mon. They arc Hln Highness tho Sultan of Zanzibar and hlfl suite. We cannot possibly tißk them to ko oway." Thon Mr. Gibson Raid he would go away, nnd ho took his whole party to the Rite, Tho Sultan of Zanzibar was a gay African potentate who was deposed by the British and supplied with a Üborul pension, which he apent rapidly on tho nternctions of Pnrta. This naturally made him popular m that city, • ASIA, TOO, IS IN THE ROW Ono evening tho proprietor of the Cafo Jockey, m tho Latin Quarter, nut out a swarthy and lively customer at the request of some Am«r!cnn vlaltorK. Tho swarthy one complained to ih* pollco and revealed that he wa« Prim «• Shadwadjah of Annam, tho Fren.-h protectorate In AMtk. Th* police clos<<l up tho cafe for some ilmo. The French Government, imprcsucd by tho number of clajhet that h.iv«» occurred between American and color-

ed visitors to France, fears that they" may have a bad effect on the various colored races with whom the French are m alliance. The Foreign Office at Paris has taken so serious a view, of the situation thatjt has issued the following 1 notice, . Which is quite remarkable because it threatens Americans with "punishment" for annoying colors ed men: - "Foreign tourists, forgetting they are our guests and therefore bound to respect our customs and laws, recently on several occasions ' have forcibly manifested their ■ aversion to seeing" colored men born m the French colonies sit by their side m public places. They even have gone to the length ■ of demanding their ... expulsion In h insult? ing terms. If such incidents are re"r> peated punishment will be exacted." v AMERICAN NEGRQES ARE BUCKED UP. This notice, by the way, excited a feeling of sympathy and pride among the colored people of America, and they sent the French Minister of Foreign Affairs the following dispatch: "National Association for Aid* . vancement of Colored People, with membership 100,000, endorses your stand against American color pre* judice." ; ■:;.;■■■■•; '■ \K-* , M. Raymond Poincare, the Prime Minister of France, has explained some especial reasons why the French Government attaches Buch great importance to the goodwill of the the African race and resents any insults to them by foreigners m,/ France. " ■'.' "The power of France m Europe," says M. Poincare. "is increased by the possession of an African empire of 40,000,000 inhabitants m close proximity to the home country. During the late war the value of our African empire m Increasing military strength waa abundantly demonstrated. In future it will bo of even greater advantage to us', and we must leave nothing undone that will help to bind our African colonies to us by ties of affection and self-interest."