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, William Garnett Haynes and Ellsworth W.
Pryor, Associate Editors.
Joseph LaCour, Jr., Advertising and Circulation Manager.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES, $1.50 PER YEAR
Advertising rates, 59 cents an inch per issue.
Address, The Monitor, 1119 North Twenty-first street, Omaha.
Telephone Webster 4243.
THE IMPENDING RAIL
ROAD STRIKE
Unless the order is rescinded or
means are found to prevent it, Mon
day morning will find the railroads of
the country tied up by a strike. If
the strike be continued for any
considerable length of time it will
mean serious inconvenience, \priva
tion and suffering to the great Amer
ican public, whose rights are primar
ily to be considered.
Right this time is on the side of
the railroad officials rather than upon
that of the labor organizations which
have ordered the strike. The officials
are willing to submit the case to a
board of arbitration and to abide by
the decision of that board; the repre
sentatives of the labor organizations
refuse to submit the issues in the
case to arbitration, but imperiously
insist that their demands, which may
or may not be just, be at once complied
with. The public, we are quite sure,
will not sustain them in this position
and without the sympathy and good
will of the public the strike will fail.
If their demands be just, the train
men have nothing to lose and every
thing to gain by arbitration.
Their stubborn refusal to submit to
arbitration places the trainmen in a
most unfavorable light before the
public and throws the balance in fa
vor of the railroad heads.
Railroads and other corporations
have their rights and limitations as
well as individuals and it is for them
to say if the sudden increase of their
operating expenses by hundreds of
millions of dollars will or will not seri
ously embarrass them. If, as the rail
roads contend, they are willing to
submit the case to an impartial board
and abide by that board’s decision
the representatives of the trainmen
should be willing to meet them half
way.
In the event that the strike comes,
then the President by the right of
eminent domain with which his office
clothes him, should see to it that the
public does not suffer through the
stubbornness and selfishness of the
two contending parties. There is no
need for this strike; and certainly
not until arbitration has at least been
tried.
THE APPOINTMENT PLEASES
We are very much pleased with
Mayor Dahlman’s appointment of
Amos P. Scruggs as inspector of
weights and measures and his prompt
and unanimous confirmation by the
city commissioners. We believe that
the appointment is one that leaves
no room for criticism, but upon the
contrary is one upon which the ad
ministration, the business public and
the race should be congratulated.
Mr. Scruggs is a young man of good
education and pleasing personality
and bears a good reputation. He is
gentlemanly and courteous, and, in
our judgment, has both the tact and
ability to handle the office most sat
isfactorily. He is a home-owner and
tax-payer, and as such is identified
with and contributing to the prosper
ity and development of the city. All
of these are points in his favor.
The Monitor sincerely congratulates
Mr. Scruggs upon his selection and
desires publicly to commend and
thank Mayor Dahlman for the excel
lent choice we believe him to have
made from among so many applicants.
FORCE AND MORAL SUASION.
In dealing with people of mature
judgment, we believe that one can
accomplish more in bringing about
reform along any line by moral sua
sion than by using force. Force may
restrain, but it never really perma
nently subdues or wins. It is only by
winning over one’s judgment and af
fection by an earnest appeal to the
better nature within every man that
permanent reform or good can be ac
complished. Here is where legisla
tive programs so frequently fail.
Force is at times necessary; but
at best its results are only temporary.
Moral suasion requires patience,
pluck,persistency and perseverance,
but in the end it wins. It does not
merely restrain; it constrains.
STEPS IN WILSON’S CAREER
One of our exchanges summanizing
the steps in President Wilson’s re
markable career notes as the last
eight steps the following:
“Nominated for president, of the
United States July 2, 1912.
Elected November, 1912.
Inaugurated March 4, 1913.
Began watchful waiting in Mexico,
1913.
Continued watchful waiting, 1914.
Still watchfully waiting, 1915.
Waiting watchfully, 1916.
Renominated St. Louis, 1916.
This is almost as good as the “New
Wilson Five-step;” executed thus:
one step forward, one step backward,
hesitate, side-step, salute—nit.
A CLEAN NEWSPAPER.
We are in receipt of The Monitor, a
weekly newspaper devoted to the in
terest of the eight thousand colored
people in Omaha and vicinity, and to
the good of the community. The Mon
itor iB exactly the size of The Oak
Leaf with double the number of
pages. A nice, clean sheet with good
quality of reading matter ,and is a
credit to its editor and the race it rep
resents. Here is our hand, brother.—
The Oak Leaf, Baton Rogue, La.
We sincerely thank our contempo
rary for its kind words.
YELLOW RED CAPS.
Although the officials of the Union
Pacific railroad presumably know
their business, there is certainly room
for argument as to their wisdom in
supplanting the colored “red caps” at
the Union Depot with Japanese boys.
The colored men who are thus
ousted from their jobs are Omaha citi
zens and voters, and most of them
property owners of one sort or an
other. The Japanese “red caps” were
brought in by the Union Pacific solely
to be “red caps” and are aliens in
every sense.
Whatever the motive of the Union
Pacific may be—this company being
the heart and soul of the Union Depot
company—in our opinion the positions
mentioned certainly should lie between
Omaha and Nebraska citizens, of
whatever color.
An explanation of some sort would
seem to be in order.—The World-Hei -
ald, Aug. 31st.
While the World-Herald is in error
as to the displacement of the “red
caps,” the position taken in this edi
torial is sound. It is the JANITORS
on the night shift who have been dis
placed by the Japanese, and not the
“red caps.” But these colored jani
tors are citizens, voters and tax-pay
ers. They are not aliens but loyal
Americans. In these perilous times it
would seem to be the part of wisdom
to give preference in the matter of
employment to American citizens.
There is no excuse for substituting
Japanese for colored labor. If the
work of these particular janitors were
unsatisfactory it would be an easy
matter to find others who would be
satisfactory.
Eight Colored persons murdered
by American mobs in ten days! Is
this America’s answer to the heroism
of our black troopers at Carrizal ?
Our telephone number is Webster
4243.
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HOWARD AND SIXTEENTH STREETS
Assist Us In Preventing Accidents
We appeal to passengers to exercise care in getting on
and off street cars and when crossing streets on which cars
are operated. Carelessness in this respect often results in
serious accidents.
Omaha & Council Bluffs Street Railway Company
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