8-th, 2004 - 08: 0   (Posted By: Webmaster)
Garvey & Dubois Meet

WHEN THE LION AND THE LIZARD MET IN A CINCINNATI HOTEL

(From the Cleveland Gazette)

Last week Monday morning 19 May, Prof. (W. E.B.) Du Bois, editor of The Crisis magazine, was in this city and had 10 A.M. breakfast at Hotel Sterling with Prof. W.P. Dabney,2 editor of our local publication, The Union. But let the latter tell about it: "As I (Dabney) journeyed to the hotel,3 I thought of how Du Bois in The Crisis, only last month, had assailed the doctrines of Marcus Garvey, and personally called him 'everything he was big enough to call him'; in short, things the reverse of complimentary. We were saddened, for we knew Garvey's foreign blood (West Indian) and fiery temper.

We prayed that the two would never meet, unless surrounded by minions of the law. We entered the Hotel Sterling office, found Du Bois, and, as we were early, the time was agreeably spent in a tête-à-tête."Fragrant odors wafted from realms below told that a feast fit for the gods was in process of preparation or materialization. To the elevator we went. Waiting a moment, the door was suddenly thrown open, out stepped a guard of honor, consisting of several ladies splendidly costumed, and a stout dark gentleman, gorgeously appareled in military costume! Ye gods! 'T'was Garvey. He saw me, a smile of recognition, then a glance at Du Bois. His eyes flew wide open. Stepping aside, he stared; turning around, he stared, while Du Bois, looking straight forward, head uplifted, nostrils quivering, marched into the elevator, seemingly 'all the world forgetting,' but not by all the world forgot for Garvey was still gazing, petrified, as though uncertain whether 'twas really his arch foe who had been so near and yet was getting farther away every second. A sigh of relief escaped me as we entered the club. Immediately, I remarked, 'I must compliment you upon your wonderful nerve, your coolness, your poise.

The only sign I saw of nervousness was the quivering of your nostrils.' "'What are you talking about?' said he. "'Why, about your meeting with Garvey, just now. I expected him to attack you at once.' "'Are you crazy? Garvey? Where is Garvey?' "'Why, he stepped out of the elevator as we entered.' "'Stepped out of elevator? Garvey? Why[,] I did not know it. I saw a man in uniform, but paid no attention. I was deeply thinking about something.' "'Well, if you did not know it was Garvey, why was your nose twitching SO?' "'That was caused by thought. You see, I smelled the breakfast, and was wondering how soon we would reach the table.' "We ate, he chuckling with laughter as he thought of the meeting, and I a little serious at the thought of what might have happened. But 'All's well that ends.

'"5 DABNEY Printed in NW, 7 June 1924. Original headlines abbreviated. Reprinted from the Cleveland Gazette, 31 May 1924; original article in the Cincinnati Union, 24 May 1924. 1. The Gazette headlines read: Du Bois & Garvey Meet!/No Blood Is Shed!/The Quivering of Du Bois Nostrils/The Only Casualty/Garvey Stared at Du Bois--the Latter Pretended He Did/ Not See Him-Some Tense Moments in the/Lobby of Hotel Sterling, Says/Editor Dabney. 2. Wendell Phillips Dabney (1865-1953) owned, edited, and managed the Union, a black weekly in Cincinnati, from 1905 until his death. Dabney, the son of a Virginia slave, attended Oberlin College from 1885 to 1886 and taught school in Richmond for eight years before moving to Cincinnati to take over management of his uncle's hotel, the Dumas House. Dabney quickly became involved in black Republican polities in the city, and the Dumas House served as a center for Republican political rallies. In 1896 Dabney was instrumental in taking over the Douglass League, a black Republican organization, making the league a secret organization and becoming its president. Yet rather than stay within the folds of the Republican party, which Dabney termed a new form of slavery, the league joined the Fusion movement of 1896, which brought together Democrats and Independent Republicans. In response to black demand for more political power within the government of Cincinnati, a number of blacks were appointed to political office; Dabney was appointed the first black assistant paymaster in 1898 and then head city paymaster, the highest political position held by a black in Cincinnati. He served from 1898 to 1900, then was returned to the post, serving from 1907 until 1923. Dabney was an accomplished musician. He taught music, wrote six books on musical method, and composed several songs and musical works. He was also president of the Dabney Publishing Co. and the author of Cincinnati's Colored Citizens (1926), president of the Royal Union Improvement Co., and a member of the Masons and the Shriners (WWCA; WWCR; NYT, 5 June 1953; Cincinnati Times-Star, 3 November 1945; Wendell P. Dabney, Cincinnati's Colored Citizens [Dabney Publishing Co., 1926]; Langston Hughes, "America's Most Unique Newspaper," Negro Digest 3, no. 2 [October 1945] 23-24). 3. The Cincinnati Union article reads: As we journeyed to the hotel, before us arose visions of the immense banquet for the most distinguished white and colored citizens given in New York recently on the arrival of the doctor from Europe and Africa. Thought of what a wonderful thing it was that the colored people who contemplated remaining in this country, were establishing inter-racial relations on terms of equality that would be so beneficial to coming generations. This banquet to honor Du Bois occurred on 12 April 1924 at New York's Card Savarin (Philadelphia Tribune, 26 April 1924). 4. The asterisks replace the following passage from the Union: that embraced, lovely tales of the wonders of Africa, our magnificent -looking relatives in that country; choice bonmots gathered here and there, sketches of Europe in its many phases and forms, prospects for the next Pan-African conference, the present itinerary of many cities on a lecture tour, the coming great gathering of the N. A. A. C. P. in Philadelphia next month. 5. The Negro World omits the final word, "well."

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