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About The monitor. (Omaha, Neb.) 1915-1928 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 28, 1916)
The Monitor A Weekly Newspaper devoted to the civic, social and religious interests of the Colored People of Omaha and vicinity, with the desire to contribute something to the general good and upbuilding of the community. Published Every Saturday. Entered as Second-Class Mall Matter July 2, 1915, at the Post Office at Omaha, Neb., under the act of March 3, 1879. THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor and Publisher. Lucille Skaggs Edwards and William Garnett Haynes, Associate Editors George Wells Parker, Contributing Editor and Business Manager Joseph LaCour, Jr., Lincoln Representative, 821 S St., Lincoln SUBSCRIPTION RATES, $1.50 PER YEAR Advertising Rates, 50 cents an inch per issue. Address, The Monitor, 1119 North Twenty-first street, Omaha. Telephone Webster 4243. OPPOSITION TO WILSON We have been asked why so many intelligent Colored Americans, who four years ago were decidedly friendly toward Woodrow Wilson are now so bitterly opposed to him. Well, for those who are even re motely acquainted with the growing self-respect of and among our race, this question should not offer any dif ficulty. It is not because President Wilson has taken away many positions efficiently filled by members of our race, although the injustice of this were cause for resentment; but be cause there has been apparently a studied and well-defined policy on his part and that of his administration to humiliate us, deprive us of our man hood rights and destroy our self respect. No fair-minded man or women can read the record of restrictive laws, enactments and practices which have been the vogue of the Wilsonian ad ministration—we had almost written nial-administration — without admit ting the truth of this indictment. We need not here give a list of the segre gation acts and practices, the anti racial measures introduced in Con gress and the humiliating demands made upon Colored federal employees if they were to retain even the places to which they had been demoted (no this is not a typographical or ortho graphical error for pro-moted) which have been aimed directly at our self respect, and which we are fast learn ing is the most valuable asset that any race or people can possess. Self-respect needs cultivation and encouragement, not repression. The Wilson policy, wittingly or unwitting ly, designedly or undesignedly—but we believe it to be wittingly and de signedly—in its application to the Col ored American has been aimed at the weakening and extinction of his self respect. This then is the reason for the race's opposition to Woodrow Wil son. It is vital and deep-seated. PROGRESS AND HOPE One cannot visit any of our large cities where our race is to be found in any considerable numbers without being impressed with the evidence of thrift, aggressiveness and progress which he sees on every hand. Of course, there is the other side, too, but in our opinion, to him who will but see the brighter more hopeful side is the more prominent. Everywhere we find our people be coming home-owners in larger and ever-increasing numbers, entering more generally into various and varied business enterprises, demanding, ap preciating and using better educa tional facilities. All of this indicates progress, genuine progress and offers ground for hope and encouragement in our struggle to rise to the highest plane of the best type of citizenship. There is no reason at all for our people being disconraged anywrhere in this country for we are making pro gress that must command respect. Progress and hope are valuable assets. STANDING FOR IDEALS Someone has said that Americans are idealists. When we note the trend of affairs one is inclined to believe that it were nearer the truth to say hat Americans are opportunists. They shape their conduct with a view to the main chance. They are largely gov erned by what is considered the prac tical side measured by a financial standard of profit and loss. The ques tion is seldom “Is it right?” But more often “Will it pay?” Meaning by this will it pay in dollars and cents. Do you believe the day will ever come when both the American church and the American nation will stand uncompromisingly for the highest deals? DREAM Dream, children of the sun-loved race, dream! It is the most real thing in all the wide wide world. Fin ders can clutch at cloth and wood and stone and gold, yet somehow they all slip away. But no one can rob you of your dream. Why dream? Ah! yes, I know what you would ask. Is it worth while? Yes, it is always worth while. Prejudices may tug at the bruised and broken chords of your heart, but there ore thousands in the world who un derstand and will help you heal the wounds. And the mystic power that helps dreamers knows neither race nor creed nor color. It comes out of the blue zone and over the volcanic peaks, "luttering like a little wind among the trees, and reaching down to man, helps to raise him up. To that power barriers are tinsel and hate a mist. Yes, pick out a dream, a great big dream, and work and wait and hope. And then through every hour of ev ery day and through the slow deep breathing of all the silent nights, that mystic power will smooth a path for your struggling feet and weave a "sion for your yearning eyes. Just keep this faith and one day you shall reach the sunlit heights and from life’s dissonance strike one clear chord "hat carries to the ears of God. A SUBTILE DEMOCRATIC MOVE Colored voters need not be disturbed over the articles appearing in the World-Herald, signed “A Colored Cit izen.” It is merely an attempt to publish the fact that Will N. Johnson is Colored, with the hopes of appeal ing to prejudiced voters. While we would have preferred Johnson to make an open fight and carry his plea direct to all voters, we can say upon author ity that the Republican Committee wished to publish Johnson's picture along with their write-up, but John son refused. The blame is not with them, if there be any blame. OBVIOUS OBSERVATIONS The blizzard of last Thursday so •nocked us off our pins that we are not quite steady yet. We have in Vtod an epistle to the weather guy and told him that if he doesn’t slip js a twenty-four hour notice next ■ime we’re going to mail him a dandy little omb. The emergency editor of The Mon itor had so many bouquets thrown at him last week that he is seriously thinking of stopping newspaper work and opening a cut flower shop. Most of Omaha’s newspapers side tep the prohibition issue as if it were a smallpox sign, but The Monitor is out for the wet side hands down and e don’t care who knows it. Wake up all that latent energy of yours and boost for Will Johnson. He as got to come through on a long 3ad. What did you think of “The Trooper 'f Company K?” Say, our pride for the Colored race keeps us swelling ip so that the last notch in the belt s almost reached. The man who thinks he knows all there is to know about Omaha politics is beginning to think he doesn’t know near so much as he knew before he knew anything. Read it over again, now, and get it straight. We want to be understood. The editor of The Monitor was due lack last Thursday night, but didn’t lit town until several days later. He 3 now recuperating. Tell all your friends to vote for Hughes, because if this Democratic administration keeps up men will be walking around the streets with knives and forks trying to eat each other up. Potatoes are climbing to two bones a bushel. In our humble opinion, as between Kennedy and Hitchcock, the former has got friend latter fanned to a va por. We are certainly planning some real nice things for The Monitor’s read ers, but politics is keeping our ex haust valves so wide open that we don’t have time to even meditate over our plate of beans. Who said the Colored vote isn’t in the game? Batters up! Everytime we pass Fourteenth and Dodge we begin dreaming of the tel graph pole on the northeast comer of 35th and State. Pshaw, forget it. Railroad tickets cost too much. You can find everything you need advertised in The Monitor except a tombstone. May you never need one ntil 2000 A. D. Send The Monitor to an out of town 'riend. Uncle Sam will carry it for the measly sum of one cent. The publicity bureau over the Peo ple’s Drug Store, has issued a ukase to the effect that when if comes to the science of rapid retreats, Dr. J. H. Hutten has Kuropatkin looking like a lone deuce in a poker deck. Dr. Leonard Britt has filed suit in the court of general opinion against Henry W. Black and Dr. W. W. Pee bles for stealing his oratorical thunder and attempting to emulate him as a political highbinder. Mr. Thomas Bass, the well-known horseman of Mexico, Mo., was in Omaha on al business trip this week. Mr. Bass is the owner of some of the most famous race horses in the coun try. SONGS OF SOLOMON Opportunity. 1. Heed thee, 0 my cheeild, the counsels of a father, for today he iingeth to thee of Opportunity. 2. It may be true that all things ■ome to him who waits, but remem ber, O my cheeild, that when they come, thou mayest have parents, or worse. 3. Opportunity weareth no April fool sign, “I AM IT,” for if it did every dude and fair fluff would have a chug wagon and a check book. 4. Think not to find Opportunity at the green-covered table, for while it often lingereth there, it lingereth not for thee but for the other fellow. 6. When thou wouldst try a get rich-quick game, hearken to the tale of the fish who swimmeth happily to the bright hook and is served up a la Creole on Friday. 6. Some say that sooner or later Opportunity knocketh at every door, but put not thy trust in what people saith. Opportunity may lose thy ad dress. 7. So linger not behind thy door listening for the tap tap, but get thee nto the highway with a sandbag and lay for Opportunity as it pussyfooteth lown the lane. 8. As thou hidest in the shadows •emember the policy of watchful wait ng, and shouldst Opportunity see thy sandbag before thou swingeth it, let hy limbs remember Marathon and by feet patter after the fleety stran ger. 9. Never argue with either a wo nan or Opportunity, for if thou dost thy middle name is Boob. Simply get thee a hammerlock hold and dic tate thy terms. 10. Take these precepts to heart, O my cheeild, and forget not the sandbag. If will serve thee well. THE DREAMER The dreamer dreamed and the busy world Passed by with a mocking smile, As it went in search of the world’s rewards, But the dreamer dreamed the while. He saw the world, as the would should be, When longer years had run, \nd the world but paused in its work to ask: “Pray, what has the dreamer done?” Yet ever the dreamer dreamed his dream, Until, in some wondrous way— As the water springing in deeps of earth, Finds passage to upper day. The dreamer’s dream found the man of power— ’Tis strange how men’s lives are knit— Who knew not the dreamer, but took his dream And transformed the world with it. The world bows down to the man of power— And perhaps the dreamer dies— lut the dream he dreamed is the se- * cret force That has forged men’s destinies. —The Bellman. Beware of campaign segars. Tell the candidate that you prefer a John Ruskin or a Te Be Ce. Of the 2,000 students in the Los An geles High School this year only about 30 are Colored students.