The Monitor
A Weekly Newspaper Devoted to the Interests of the Eight Thousand Colored People
in Omaha and Vicinity, and to the Good of the Community
The Rev. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor
$1.00 a Year. 5c a Copy. Omaha, Nebraska, December 11, 1915 Volume I. Number 24
State Supreme Court
Sustains the Mayor
The Chief Executive of Minneapolis
Upheld in Right to Revoke
•License of Photoplay.
A FAR-REACHING DECISION
Will Be Cited in Fighting “The Birth
of a Nation” in Other Cities
Where Attempts Are Made
to Present It.
St. Paul, Minn., Dec. 10.—The su
preme court of this state has just
handed down a sweeping and iar
reaching opinion upholding the right
of the mayor of the city of Minneapo
lis to revoke the license granted by
the city council for the exhibition of
“The Birth of a Nation” at Shubert’s
theater in that city. The opinion was
delivered by Mr. Justice Harmon in
which the entire supreme court bench
concurred.
The case has attracted nation-wide
attention on account of the bitter
fight made in the city council of
Minneapolis on the occasion of the
hearing before that body when appli
cation was made by the management
of Shubert’s theater for a permit to
exhibit the film.
History of the Case.
About seven weeks ago the man
ager of the exclusive Shubert theater
of Minneapolis applied to the city
council for a permit to exhibit “The
Birth of a Nation.” When the appli
cation was made, notice of the date
of the hearing before the city coun
cil was published as required by the
ordinance, prominent citizens of both
races appeared before the council,
some protesting against and others
advocating the issuance of the li
cense. After two days’ hearing the
council granted the permit to the
theater to exhibit the pictures. Mayor
Nye, conceded to be one of the most
liberal and fair-minded officials ever
elected in Minneapolis, acting upon
his best judgment and the advice of
influential friends who had seen the
picture, notified the management of
the film that he would exercise the
discretionary power vested in him by
law, and revoke the license granted
by the city council. He accordingly
issued the order revoking the license.
The theater management then took
recourse to the circuit court of Hen
nepin county. A bill for an injuncticn
was filed praying that a restraining
order be entered to prevent the may
or from interfering. The city law
department vigorously resisted the
application made in the court. A full
and complete hearing was had in the
circuit court in which the merits of
the picture and its effect upon the
public mind were exhaustively gone
into. The presiding judge ruled
against the complainants and sustained
the mayor by dismissing the bill.
From the decree of the Hennepin
county circuit court an appeal was
taken direct to the state supreme
(Continued on eighth page)
Thoughts From Our Own Authors
Think oft of the hearts you may gladden,
The tears you may soon chase away,
The many kind deeds that the wanderer needs
To keep him from going astray.
—Mrs. N. F. Mossell.
SILAS JOHNSON, SUCCESSFUL HEADWAITER
Who holds record for longest continuous service in same Omaha hotel.
Why White People Should Read
Negro Newspapers.
(Editorial in The New York Age.)
A correspondent writes to us from
Tonopah, Nevada, saying that he is
making an effort to get as many
white subscribers as possible for The
Age. At the same time he asks us
to state some reason why white peo
ple should read Negro newspapers.
In the first place, we wish to say
that our correspondent shows himself
to be a wideawake man. How many
agents of colored newspapers are
(here who realize that it is possible
to interest white readers That it is
possible, even easy, is proved by the
fact that The Age has among its sub
scribers a large number of white peo
pie. The names of some of the white
people who read The Age regularly
would make an astonishing list.
There are several good reasons why
white people should read Negro news
papers; one of them is that the white
people of this country ought to know
what the ten million colored people
who live amongst them thing of them.
Sometimes our opinion of our white
fellow citizens is very high; they
would find that gratifying. Some
times our opinion is just the oppo
site; they would find that instructive.
However, the principal reason why
(Continued on third page)
Colored Canadians
Prevent Photoplay
Popular Windsor Theater Will Not
Show Objectionable “Birth of a
Nation” Film.
OFFICIALS ACT PROMPTLY
Management -of Show House An
nounces Cancellation of
Attraction.
Windsor, Ont., Dec. 4.—Fighting
quietly but systematically since last
Sunday night against the production
of the photoplay, “The Birth of a
Nation,” in the Windsor theater, ad
vertised for next week, the colored
people of the city have scored a vic
tory, James Harkus, manager of the
showhouse, announcing, Wednesday
night, the film had been cancelled.
When the leading colored residents
read the advertisements in the news
papers Saturday of the proposed ap
pearance of the film in Windsor, they
immediately got together to prevent
its coming, being convinced that the
pictures and words accompanying
them were an injustice to their race.
They held a special meeting in the
A. M. E. church, Mercer and Assump
tion streets, after the regular serv
ice, Sunday night, and decided to pro
test against the picture to the ad
ministration.
Mayor A. W. Jackson was waited
on by a delegation, headed by James
Nall, on Monday. On Wednesday aft
ernoon a delegation, composed of I.
C. Parker, James Nall and William
H. Kelly, the latter acting as spokes
man, waited on Maj. J. C. Tolmie, M.
P. P., placing their protests before
him.
Maj. Tolmie at once dispatched a
telegram to Hon. W. J. Hanna, pro
vincial secretary, Toronto, who is
also at the head of the Ontario board
of film censors, the message calling
attention to the grievances of the
colored people of Windsor and asking
him to help them, if possible. Mr.
Hanna sent no reply, but the man
ager of the theater was later advised
by the company controlling the film
that the engagement for Windsor
“was off.”
“We are indeed pleased to hear that
the production is not coming to Wind
sor,” said Mr. Kelly on hearing of the
cancellation. “We feel that the film
is unjust and harmful to the colored
people, inasmuch as it portrays the
Negro in the worst possible light,
representing him as everything that
is bad. We admit that there are bad
men in the race, just as there are
among the whites, but it is unfair for
any author to embitter and prejudice
the white race against the colored
because of the acts of the compara
tive few who violate the law. The
majority of the colored people in Can
ada and the United States are try
ing to be good citizens and we feel
that that spirit should be encouraged
rather than harmed by antagonistic
films and other agencies,”