The Monitor
A National Weekly Newspaper Devoted to the Interests of the Colored
Americans of Nebraska and the West
THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor
$1.50 a Year. 5c a Copy Omaha, Nebraska, Jan. 20, 1917 Vol. II. No. 30 (Whole No. 82)
Department Store
Springs Surprise
[’laces Large Force of Colored Men
In Complete Charge of Its Ex
tensive Delivery Service
EDITOR PITTSBURG COURIER
Responsible for Securing This Un
usual Opportunity of Employment
for Members of Race.
Pittsburg, Pa., Jan. 18.—For the
first time in the history of Pittsburg
and, perhaps, in the history of the
country, a leading business firm has
decided to recognize in the Negro his
value as an industrial asset, and give
h:m a chance.
Kaufmann’s (The Rig Store), after
years and years of experience with
white men as delivery servants, de
cided to try the worth of Colored
men and boys, and on Wednesday,
Jan. 3, 251 men and boys were placed
in charge of the delivery service of
the oldest and leading department
store of Pittsburg. The change
came as one of the surprises of the
age. No one had hoped that so many
men and boys would be given such an
opportunity to demonstrate their abil
ity in a field of labor hitherto denied
them.
Entire Delivery Service
The entire service, including me
chanics, helpers, greasers, oilers,
shifters, gasoline men, vulcanizers,
chauffeurs and aids was turned over
to our men with the hope that we
take hold of this new opportunity and
make good or die in the effort. Pitts
burg has never seen such a change
before. In fact, The Big Store is
easily in the lead of all other Northern
department stores in this respect. In
Southern cities, such as Richmond,
Baltimore, Washington and Atlanta,
it is no uncommon thing to see our
boys delivering merchandize, but the
Northern stores, perhaps due more to
custom, because of the scarcity of
Colored help in former years, have not
seen fit to give us the chance. Now,
that Kaufmann’s has opened the door,
we shall soon become accustomed to
Colored men engaged in delivery serv
ice.
Crew Selected and Trained
The taking over of the new crew
was a sight well worth seeing. The
organization had been carefully ef
fected, trained and primed for the
moment, and the ceremonies were
truly impressive. The heads of the
firm told the men what would be ex
i pected of them. Honesty, punctuality,
regularity of service, and courtesy
were the key notes sounded by the
men of “The Big Store.” The new
crew responded with a determined
chorus of “we will,” when asked if
they would make good. They seemed
to realize that their life depends upon
this one chance, and they have entered
the service with a determination to
improve it, and to hold it, if real, con
scientious service will hold the job.
The men were selected by Attorney
Robert L. Vann, who had been selected
by the firm to organize the crew, j
The work of organization covered sev- j
eial months, and the remarkable;
thing about the organization, a truly
remarkable thing, the men did not
know they would go to work nor for
whom they would work until three
hours before they were signed up for
duty. This is the best illustration
of confidence shown for many a day.
Mr. Vann says he never saw such
confidence as the men showed in his
promises to give them the greatest
opportunity they had ever had.
Our men and boys are on the job,
and on the streets is that they are
and on the streets is that they are
“making good.”—Pittsburg Courier.
NASHVILLE Y. M. C. A.
BUYS HOTEL PROPERTY
Nashville, Tenn.—The Colored Y.
M. C. A. of this city will be housed in
the historic old Duncan Hotel, located
rn one of the most accessible sections
of the city, for which the association’s
beard of directors paid $70,000. Pos
session was given January 1.
Necessary alterations will be made
and proper equipment installed at
once. When ready for occupancy the
Nashville Y. M. C. A. quarters will
compare favorably with those in any
other city in the country, many of
which cost considerably more. One
Nashville Colored man contributed
$1,000 and another gave $500 to the
fund, local Negroes contributing al
together $33,000.
A FRIENDLY NOTE
ON RACE EFFORT
Atlanta University is attempting to
raise a half million dollar endowment
and the following friendly note was
struck in the columns of The Nation,
for December, “To this we gladly call
our readers’ attention in the earnest
hope that some of them will con
tribute to this most worthy undertak
ing. Even in the South realization is
coming that if the Colored people are
to direct their footsteps towards effi
ciency, probity, and useful citizenship,
there must be among them great lead
ers and great teachers. This is pre
cisely the opportunity and need which
Atlanta University has lived up to for
fifty years.”
MADAM C. J. WALKER TO
BUILD A $100,000 MANSION
Indianapolis, Ind., Jan. 18.—Mme.
C. J. Walker, an Indianapolis Colored
woman who has acquired enormous
wealth in the last ten years through
sale of a hair preparation, has bought
a $76,000 lot in the most exclusive
section of Long Island.
The lot is opposite property former
ly occupied by Miss Helen Gould and
close to a mansion owned by John D.
Rockefeller. Mme. Walker’s income
is said to be in the neighborhood of
$200,000 a year. She will erect a
$100,000 mansion on this property.
COLORED POLITICIANS OF
ILLINOIS WELL CARED FOR
In Illinois the great Negro vote is
not only adequately recognized, but is
fully appreciated. In the state, county
and civil service branches of govern
ment they are holding 1,144 appoint
ments, drawing a total of $1,151,850
annally, and yet with all of this fine
showing Governor-elect Frank 0.
Lowden has promised the race 100
additional appointments the first of
the year.
The following is a list of the Negro
appointments and elective offices in
Illinois, with the salary paid: Major
R. R. Jaskson, elected state represent
ative, $3,500; Benj. H. Lucas, elected
state representative, $3,500; Edward
H. Wright, appointed assistant cor
poration counsel, $5,000; Louis B.
Anderson, appointed assistant corpor
ation counsel, $3,000; Rev. A. Carey,
appointed chief law clerk, $2,400;
James Tipper, appointed law investi
gator, $1,200; Oscar DePriest, elected
alderman Second Ward, $3,000; Ed
ward D. Green, appointed law inves
tigator, $1,500; James M. Brumfield,
appointed assistant city attorney,
$2,400; Adelbert E. Roberts, ap
pointed court clerk, $1,800; seventy
five colored policemen civil service,
each $1,200; nine Colored police ser
geans civil service, each $1,500; ten
Colored sanitary inspectors, civil ser
vice, each $1,500; one civil engineer,
appointed, $1,800; four Colored
nurses, appointed, each $1,200; 600
Colored clerks and carriers, postof
fice, average $1,200; fifteen Colored
firemen, civil service, average, $1,400;
300 Colored laborers, appointed, aver
age per day, $2.50; fifteen Colored
appointees in Legislature, per day, $3;
105 Colored clerks in city, state and
county offices, per month, $90:—The
Indianapolis Recorder.
ODDFELLOWS AWAITING
COURT DECISION
Atlanta, Ga., Jan. 18.—The state
supreme court is expected to hand
down a decision within the next two
weeks in the injunction proceedings
involving the row among Colored Odd
Fellows of Georgia.
A letter has been received by E. L.
Collier, one of the auditors of the na
tional committee of management of
the order, from Attorney General Clif
ford Walker, saying that the delay in
the decision had been due to other
important matters coming before the
supreme court. He advised that all
policyholders in the endowment
branch continue to pay their prem
iums and thus save their policies.
YOUNG ATTORNEY
RECEIVES APPOINTMENT
Columbus, O., Jan 18.—Attorney L.
P. Henderson, one of the recent grad
uates of the Ohio state university,
has been appointed deputy clerk in
the office of Probate Judge Homer Z.
Rostwick. Attorney Henderson will
begin his work February 9.
Legless Colored Lad
Wireless Operator
Disabled by Accident Robert J. Free
man Determines to Find Some
Method of Self Support
ACCUSED BEING GERMAN SPY
Denies Accusation—Member Ameri
can Radio Relay League. Hopes
to Secure Berth.
An accident which cost him both
legs, caused Robert J. Freeman, of the
Alout Radio Station, Southampton, N.
Y., to take up the study of wireless
telegraphy. After three months in
the hospital young Freeman was car
ried home a helpless cripple, to all
appearances. That happened three
years ago.
A friend in New London, Conn.,
owning a wireless set which he wanted
to dispose of, interested Freeman,
who bought the set for something un
der $5. His father and uncle erected
two forty-foot poles, sixty-five feet
apart, and the legless boy put his own
wires up. Patient sutdy and effort
followed, and today the young man
has a wireless outfit worth more than
$150.
Able at first to hear only a few sta
tions, the young wireless operator now
can receive messages from Key Rest,
Fla., Miama, Fla., New Orleans, La.,
and practically all the stations along
the Atlantic coast. Just recently he
picked up messages from English and
French cruisers far out to sea. He
receives standard time from Washing
ton twice daily also. A powerful re
ceiving set makes this possible, but
he is handicapped by a sending set of
light power and small area. Young
Freeman hopes to be able during this
year to install a more powerful send
ing set to cover at least 500 to 800
miles.
Accused as a Spy
His patient study and faithful ef
fort hs broght him some distinc
tion, both pleasant and unpleasant.
He is a member of the American Ra
dio Relay League, and holds both an
operator’s license and a station li
cense. But reference to his work has
been made by some papers, in which
he was denounced as a German wire
less spy. This, of course, is an abso
lute fabrication and is indignantly re
pudiated by young Freeman.
His operating table is a late model
and he is now installing a switch
board. He says that much of his time
during 1916 was given to experiment
ing and developing his ability, so that
he has not done as much receiving as
usual. He would be glad to get in
touch with any other young Colored
man interested in wireless telegraphy
for mutual benefit. It is his ambition,
handicapped as he is, to so perfect
himself in the art that he will be able
to secure a berth as wireless operator
on some sea-going vessel.