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About The monitor. (Omaha, Neb.) 1915-1928 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 16, 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 Mail 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, J1.50 PER YEAR Advertising Rates, 50 cents an Inch per Issue. Address, The Monitor, 1119 North Twenty-first street, Omaha. Telephone Webster 4243. --——---[ MANAGER FRANKE’S POLICY We had occasion to go to the Audi torium a few days ago to find out who was responsible for changing tickets which were held by members of our family for the first floor of the Auditorium. Mr. Green of the Retailer’s Asso ciation said that it was done without authority from him, and was evident ly the work of an officious usher tak ing unwarranted authority upon him self. In seeking to locate responsibility it was necessary for us to interview Mr. Franke, who is the manager of the Auditorium and hired by the city commission for that purpose. He disclaimed knowledge or responsibi! • ity for the discourtesy offered; but insolently volunteered the informa tion that for any show, or entertain ment, that fell under his management he would refuse to sell tickets to Colored people for the arena or first floor. He seemed to be oblivious <J the fact that he is a city employee. He was then in the box offce and advised us to try to buy a ticket for the Ballet Russe for the arena to learn how quickly he would refuse. He further stated that if we procured a ticket for the arena from any othei source he would throw us out and re turn our money. Poor fellow, he must have had a brain storm and thought he was again running the Krug theatre and was talking to an habitue o: that place. But we suggested, with due cour tesy to the gentleman, because for tunately we w^ere able to keep our temper, that he would evidently find that a much more difficult job than he anticipated. We also advised him that we had no desire or intention of attending the Ballet Russe, but were simply seeking to locate the person responsible for a discourtesy and an invasio'n of our personal rights which called for an explana tion. We said further, that as a citi zen and taxpayer of Omaha, we would have a right to any seat in the Audi torium that we could afford, pro vided that we behaved ourself, and that if he denied that right he would be held answ'erable for it. He said loudly and emphatically that his pol icy was to exclude “your people,” meaning, of course, Colored people, from the first floor. “That’s my pol for and I’m giving it to you straight. You can’t sit on the first floor for any show I’m running. You’ll have to go upstairs.” Leaving the distinguished manager we went to interview Mayor Dahl man, whom we have always found most courteous. We told him of our interview with Manager Franke. The Mayor promptly said that Mr. Franke had no business to make such a statement or establish such a pol icy and he referred us to Mr. With nell under whose direct charge the Auditorium falls. Mr. Withnell was not in his office so we wrote a letter to the Council, which was read Tues day morning at Council meeting. We also addressed the Council. Mr. Withnell publicly stated that no discrimination would be tolerated at the public entertainments given at the Auditorium. He assured us that if Mr. Franke should attempt to enforce such a policy his resignation would be forthwith demanded. The subjoined letter is a copy of the one read at the Council meeting; December 12, 1916. To the Hon. James C. Dahlman, Mayor, and Commissioners of the City of Omaha. Gentlemen: The Auditorium is city property and under your control, and I am therefore very sure that your honor able body will not knowingly counten ance or endorse any discrimination against any well-behaved, self-re specting patron of public entertain ments held there under the direct control and management of your sal aried manager, Mr. Franke. It is for this reasoi that I desire to call your attention to the fact that in an interview held with Mr. Franke at the Auditorium Monday afternoon, December 11, he volunteered the in formation that at any show or enter tainment held in the Auditorium un der his management, he would refuse to sell tickets to Colored people for the arena or first floor. He said, “You try to buy a ticket from me for the Ballet Iiusse, next Saturday night, for the first floor and see how I’ll turn you down. And if you get one anywhere else and pre sent it here, I’ll throw you out and give you your money back. For that’s my show and any show that 1 control your people can’t sit on the first floor. That’s my policy and I’m giving it to you straight.’’ This is substantially Mr. Franke’s language to me December 11. In deed, I am quoting him almost ver batim. I had gone to see him for the pur pose of locating the person respon sible for refusing to honor tickets held by members of my family at a recent entertainment. Mr. Franke disclainmed responsibility for that, stating that it was not his show, and that he had therefore nothing to do with it. He then volunteered the in formation as to what his own policy is in entertainments under his man agement. I am sure that Mr. Franke’s policy cannot have the endorsement either of Mr. Withnell, under whose depart ment the Auditorium falls, or the other commissioners. I therefore call this matter to your attention and respectfully suggest that your honorable body make it emphatically plain to Mr. Franke that ! his policy of discrimination against ! self-respecting, well-behaved citizens and taxpayers, on the simple ground of race or color will not be tolerated. Respectfully yours, Jno. Albert Williams. We have been reading of boycotts, federal investigations and court cases relative to the H. C. of L. but we haven’t discovered any difference in ‘.he grocery bill. TELEPHONE COMPANY SHOULD EMPLOY OUR PEOPLE The Nebraska Telephone company receives for telephone rentals from the Colored people of Omaha by the most conservative estimate, from $15,000 to $20,000 a year. We know personal ly, by actual count, 250 who reit phones and there must be double that number in use. So our estimate is very conservative. This company has about 700 employes and there is not, so far as we have been able to learn, one member of our race em ployed by this corporation. This is a condition that should cer tainly be remedied. Casper E. Yost and the other gentlemen in charge of this company are liberal and fair minded men and it seems to us that by courteously calling their attention to this matter they will readily recognize the justice of our contention that em ployment should be given to some of our young men and women in some of their departments or various ex changes. It may be that no one has made ap plication to the company for employ lent for fear of being turned down; for there is a good deal of timidity upon the part of our people when it comes to seeking employment. Per sistency brings its reward. We should not be afraid to apply for work even to public service corporations. We believe that our people should make application to the Nebraska Telephoned company for employment and that that company which is so largely patronized by our people should see to it that some positions are opened by them for some of our deserving young men and women. SETS A BELATED, BUT APPRECIATED EXAMPLE We are delighted to be able to re port that the Omaha Electric Light company has given employment to several Colored men and also to state that Mr. Holdrege advises us that there is a willingness on the part of his company to give further employ ment to our people as soon as it is practical to do so. We hope that it may soon become “practicable” for the company to give us a few posi tions among their office and mechani cal forces, as well as among their force of laborers. We hope that the Omaha Gas com pany, the Omaha and Council Bluffs Street Railway company and the Ne braska Telephone company; yes and the Metropolitan Water District, our municipal plant, will follow the belated but none-the-less appreciated example of the Electric Light and Power com pany. THE MATTER OF CREDIT Credit is the keystone in the arch that supports the world. If tomor row the financial world should de cide to place business on a cash basis only, the arch would crash and a ter rible panic would sweep the earth. Behind credit is honor and behind that honor is the finest trait of human life and human existence—FAITH. One of the things our race needs most is honor and the ability to de mand credit. Among us there are many whose word is their bond, but the majority take credit lightly. They assume debts, some which they in tend to pay and never do and some which they do not even intend to pay. It is not only harmful to themselves but harmful to the race. These people do not seem to realize that a good credit is a tremendous asset. All of us do not have ready money, but a good credit is the same thing. It is one of the ways to fortune. So establish a credit for your name. When you promise a man to pay a certain sum, pay it at the time prom ised and if you cannot, be honorable enough to tell him so before or at the time. A good credit is something to be proud of and some thing worth having. Get a good credit. SONGS OF SOLOMON The Man Who Came Back 1. Hearken, 0 my dearly beloved Son, whilst I murmur to thee some music measures of the man who came back after the world thought that fate had slipped to him the nifty knockout. 2. In the days gone by there lived a man named Villa who stood ace high with the demo duma, till it tied a tin can to his political post mortem. 8. Then this duma sent tin soldiers across the border to pickle and pre serve his carcass, but the bandit played the kid game of hide and seek and tangled them up in the deserts of Shiwawa. 4. To save their reputations the soldiers wired that Villa was non est and had passed in his comp to the bony reaper. 5. The duma shook hands with itself and said that everything was peaches and that the old Carranzy chap had landed safe in the harbor of peaceful pickings. 6. But O my Son, no man is surely dead until the undertaker fixeth him and crosseth his hands over an Easter lily. Villa was not planted. He was only spending a week end siesta with his black eyed senorita. 7. Again he sallied forth with iiis trusty troopers and handed the Car ranzy cohorts a sad sample of the rough and ready. 8. Now he hath taken Shiwawa, the big burg below the Rio Grande, and chuckleth the merry ha ha as he journeyeth northward. 9. Old Carranzy now pulleth his whiskers and the American eagle scratcheth his bean with his talons. 10. The moral of this tale, O my Son, is never to feel blue over the down and out certificate. Thou art never dead until the insurance com pany payeth thy claim, and some times not even then. _ OBVIOUS OBSERVATIONS The right arm of the observation scribbler is so sore from receiving congratulations upon his marriage that he cannot manipulate the type writer. May the lino-man forgive his copy. The press is now crying, “Poor Little Roumania,” but when a nation, no matter how little, jumps into a scrap on one side because she figures she can gain more booty than on the other, she deserves to get the dickens licked out of her. If any subscribers are thinking ser iuosly of giving The Monitor an Xmas present, kindly let it be the little one fifty for the year’s sub. Santa could not please us any better. Burr-r-r! Go heavy on the coal, mister; go heavy on the coal. When it comes to fighting we have just got to take off our hats to Ger many. It looks to us that Der Kaiser has found his place in the sun and is going to stick around awhile. The publicity bureau over the Peo ple’s Drug Store is contemplating en gaging a stenographer to take notes of the daily meetings and discussions held by Omaha's eminent political cabinet.