A Man of his Principles

I found Chestnutt’s “A Matter of Principle” to have somewhat of a confusing meaning behind the piece. The reader learns very early on that Mr. Clayton, a wealthy, influential member of the Groveland community, is not a white man. That said, he identifies with the principles that white men likely identified with in the 1870’s. This can be seen through Clayton’s speech at the beginning of the passage when he explains, “we can at least have principles, and try to live up to them the best we can. If we are not accepted as white, we can at any rate make it clear that we object to being called black” (1899, 67). This ‘principle’ or value to desire not being seen or labeled as black becomes Clayton’s obsession as the story progresses.  This is seen when Alice, Clayton’s daughter, speaks of dancing with various men of differing skin pigments while in Washington. Once Alice reveals to her father that the Congressman whom she danced with is black, her father becomes enraged and exclaims, “You weren’t obliged to go back on your principles because you were away from home” (72). Clayton has expressed zero interest in affiliating himself with any black man, out of fear of being ostracized for associating with people of color. Yet, the congressman is in fact fairly light-skinned, and the racial judgment exemplified by the Clayton’s leads to the prosperity of those who are more accepting of all people.

            Once he sees a dark colored man who he believes to be Congressman Brown in the train station, Clayton devises a plan that would prevent the man to stay in his home. I find it confusing that Clayton does not find himself racist, just as a man with ‘principles.’ He even thinks to himself, “I have no prejudice against his color- he can’t help that, - but it is the principle of the thing” (78). To me, the reasoning for disallowing the Congressman in the Clayton household is clear. Regardless of how Clayton refers to his ‘principles,’ Clayton is a racist who, himself, is passing as white. I find Clayton’s behavior despicable, especially given that he lost a fantastic suitor for his daughter. The story ends with Representative Brown becoming engaged to Miss Lura Watkins. This may be indicative that had Clayton simply been more accepting, perhaps his daughter could have been fortunate enough to be in Lura’s position.