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.
Application made for entry at the Postoflice, Omaha, Neb., as
second-class mail matter, under Act of Congress, March 3, 1879.
THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS. Editor and Publisher.
Lucille Skaggs Edwards, William Garnett Haynes and Ellsworth W.
Pryor, Associate Editors.
Joseph Lacour, Jr., Advertising and Circulation Manager.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES, $1.00 per year.
Advertising rates, 25 cents an inch per issue.
Address, The Monitor, 1119 North Twenty-first street, Omaha.
UNSIGHTLY, IF NOT UNSANITARY
We are interested in making Oma
ha a beautiful city. Unsightly spots
here and there mar the beauty of our
city and make a bad impression upon
the thousands of strangers whom this
year we expect to welcome within
our gates. Many of these unsightly
spots are being removed and we are
confident that our city commissioners
are anxious to remove and will take
whatever steps may be necessary to
remove these eyesores and blemishes,
wherever found, if called to their
attention. We, therefore, respectfully
beg leave to call our commissioners’
attention to one of the most unsightly
sights in Omaha and pray them to
take such action as the case demands.
We invite them to come out and
inspect Twenty-first street between
Nicholas and Paul, which is being
used as a dumping ground i'or build
ing refuse and rubbish. The array
of broken tile, brickbats, rusty cor
rugated steel, scraps of timber and
other refuse which the tall and state
ly weeds, growing with tropical lux-,
uriance, refuse to hide, is a sight to
make a slovenly slattern weep. It’s
hideous. It’s disgraceful to allow such
a condition of slovenliness to con
tinue. The condition may not be un
sanitary, but it is certainly unsightly,
and to us the grotesquely hideous is
unsanitary.
It is claimed that this refuse is
stored or dumped on private prop
erty, Decause the street at this point
is only thirty-three feet wide. The
plat shows that it is the city’s inten
tion to make the street fifty-five feet
wide. If, then, this is private prop
erty, one of two things should be
done: either the city should acquire
it, clean up and open the street, or
compel the owrner or owners of the
property to fence in this unsightly
rubbish and hide it from the public
view.
The city officials owe it to the city
which they are anxious to faithfully
serve to see to it that this rubbish
is removed or fenced in as a protec
tion to the taxpayers, because should
there be- an accident here the city
would unquestionably be liable for
heavy damages.
There may be more unsanitary
places, but there can !>e no more
unsightly place on an Omaha public
thoroughfare than that to which we
now publicly, but most respectfully,
call our city officials’ attention,
Twenty-first street between Nicholas
and Paul. Clean it up. It’s unsight
ly, if not unsanitaiy, and dangerous
for public vehicles.
-o
LESSONS FROM A LIFE.
Major John Roy Lynch, U. S. A. re
tired, whose cut appears in this is
sue, and whose recent letter to the
Chicago Tribune will be read with
interest, furnishes an excellent ex
ample of a man who has risen from
lowly life and adverse circumstances
to a career of usefulness. He was
born a slave in Concordia Parish, La.,
Sept. 10, 1847, the son of Patrick and
Catherine L. Lynch. His father was
an Irishman. His mother was a col
ored woman. Lincoln’s proclamation
brought him freedom. Being of an
inquiring mind and studious habits
be found a way to acquire an edu
cation. His life reads like a romance.
He was elected to membership in the
Mississippi House of Representatives,
1869-73, being speaker thereof in
1871-73. He was a member of the
43rd, 44th and 47th Congresses from
the Sixth Mississippi district; a dele
gate to several national Republican
conventions, and presided as tempo
rary chairman of that honorable body
in 1884, a coveted distinction. He
served as fourth auditor of the treas
ury in 1889-93. He was appointed
major and paymaster (U. S. V.) July
1898, and served through the Spanish
American war, after which he was
appointed captain and paymaster, U.
3. A.; promoted to major September
13, 1906, and retired September 10,
'911. For a number of years he was
stationed at Omaha, where he made,
as everywhere he has been, scores of
friends, who will be pleased to see
this good picture of him and to read
he accompanying article from his
pen. Major Lynch resides in Chi
cago and is devoting himself to liter
ature. His “Facts of Reconstruction’’
is an entertaining and instructive vol
ume which is being widely read and
-hould have a place in all our homes.
He has about completed his second
work, being a fascinating volume of
reminiscences, some chapters of
which we have had the pleasure of
reading in the manuscript.
We hope that Major Lynch may be
spared many years to be an inspir
ation to the younger generation who
are too prone to think that it is use
less to set their faces toward the
heights.
This is the thought that always
comes to us as wre review the careers
of our men and women who have
achieved success in any given field of
honorable endeavor: SUCCESS
AWAITS THOSE WHO ARE WILL
ING TO PAY THE PRICE.
"The heights by great men reached
and kept,
Were not attained by sudden flight;
But they while their companions
slept
Were toiling upward in the night.”
Are you willing to pay the price?
Which do you prefer SLEEPING or
TOILING?
In mch of our issues we have pub
lished a good deal about prejudice
promoting photoplays and jitneys.
Our reason for this, is not to wait
until these photoplays with their ob
jectionable features come to Omaha
and then protest against their produc
tion, as we certainly will, if they
come; but to advise the public of
their distastefulness and danger be
fore they coine, so that there will
be a sentiment against them. Ottier
cities do not want them and Omaha
does not want them. So much for the
prejudice-inciting photoplays. And as
for the jitneys, here as elsewhere
there has been a disposition upon
their part, t.o draw the color line, con
trary to the laws of this state and
the ordinances of this city governing
common carriers. The time to call
attention to such matters is in their
incipieney, not when they have be
come intrenched and buttressed with
custom.
Our readers all love good music.
You have the opportunity of your life
to hear it next week at the Auditor
ium. The Saengerfest. Two thou
sand trained voices in choruses. Think
of it! Better yet, be sure to heai
them.
I)o your part to make Omaha the
best city in the world in which to live
and raise your children.
Hot? Yes! But have you begun
to plan to lay in your coal for next
winter?
Going to patronize our advertisers?
Excellent. They deserve it.
Enjoy the parks—when the rain
will let you.
Keep down the weeds around your
house.
Going to start buying a home?
Good.
EX-SENATOR JOHN M. THURSTON
The Hon. John M. Thurston has
always been counted among the
staunchest and truest friends of the
colored people. Many, therefore, who
are readers of The Monitor will be
interested in the following graceful
tribute paid him by Edgar Howard in
a recent issue of the Columbus Tele
gram and join Bincerely in the wish
with which the article so eloquently
closes:
"I wish I might have had a stenog
rapher take down the eloquent little
talk which ex-United States Senator
1 Thurston made at the 'friendship'
meeting between Omaha and Colum
bus boosters at the Elks’ club room
last Thursday night. It was a g( m
of eloquence, a beautiful tribute to
the worth of Nebraska pioneers, a
glorious testimony to this prairie
commonwealth and to the men and
women who have carried the banner
of Nebraska here at home and pe
yond the state lines. His comparison
between the naturalness of the men
of the agricultural West and the arti
ficiality of the men of the dollar-wor
shipping East would be of value to
the people of both localities. His
eulogy of the men and women who
had large part in transforming the
domain of the prairie dog and the
Pawnee into the abode of the most
literate citizenship under the sun
would be worthy a golden page on
the records of the Nebraska Historical
Society. His plea for acceptance of
his belief that not men alone, but
also the guiding hand of the God of
the Universe has had something to do
with making this America of ours a
sweet oasis of peace in the present
desert of world-war, would, if that
plea could have been reduced to print
ed words, be a sermon worthy repe
tition by every priest of every creed.
I recall a day when Nebraskans Hung
their caps in the air in the presence
of this great orator. That was when
his cup of distinction was overflow
ing. And now in the day when the
once famous man is in the garb of
commonality, bereft of the purple of
fame, it is still my part to be com
plimented by opportunity to sit at the
feet of brilliance and absorb freely of
its effulgence. I am glad that John
M. Thurston has returned to spend
the remainder of his days under the
Nebraska skies, and I shall be hoping
that all his pathways may be bor
dered by the flowers of good remem
brance, scattered by the thousands
who in the old days were charmed
by his eloquence or recipients of his
bounty.”
PRESS COMMENTS.
Reaping the Harvest.
Echoes from Georgia still carry tid
ings of dissatisfaction over the com
mutation by the governor of Leo
Frank’s sentence lo life imprisonment.
They believe that the executive should
not have interfered with the provi
sions of the court and believe it so
strongly that they have made several
attempts to lynch the governor. This
lawless mob spirit isn’t a new thing
at all, it is only breaking out in a new
place. A habit once formed is hard to
break, it grows and fastens itself deep
in till it becomes a very part and par
cel of an individual. The white men
who lynched and encouraged lynch
ing of members of our race will gath
er for their posterity, the lynching of
white law abiding citizens, by lawless
white men, as the fruition of such a
policy.
Georgians are simply harvesting the
seeds sown by their ancestors and
sanctioned by the state in failing to
discharge her duty in upholding laws.
—The Chicago Defender.
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