The monitor
A Weekly Newspaper devoted to the civic, social and religious interests
of the Colored People of Nebraska and the West, with the desire to con
tribute something to the general good and upbuilding of the community and
of the race.
Published Every Saturday.
Entered as Second-Class Mall 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.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES, *1.50 PER YEAR
Advertising Rates, 50 cents an Inch per issue.
Address, The Monitor, 1119 North Twenty-first street, Omaha.
Telephone Webster 4243.
“THE NEGRO IS LOYAL
TO THE CORE”
Under the above caption The
Christian Science Monitor in its is
sue of April 6, publishes a lengthy
editorial on the Prussian plot to start
a revolution among Colored Ameri
cans. It is so noteworthy that
throughout this thoughtful editorial
it capitalizes the word Negro. The
closing paragraphs of the editorial
are here quoted:
“One great mistake of the German
strategist, diplomatist, and conspira
tor, from the beginning, has been the
failure to consider the other fellow.
This led the German expert to believe
that he could march through Belgium
with bands playing and colors flying
as if he were out for a holiday; that
he would be in Paris in two weeks,
that he would be in London in six
months, and that the war would be
all over, and the Eastern Hemisphere,
and perhaps a good slice of the West
ern as well, would be in his hands,
within one short, triumphant, delight
ful year. More recently, there is
every reason to believe, he neglected
to consider the Japanese or the Mex
ican. And in the latest of his pro
jected exploits, this most efficient of
human beings has forgotten to con
sider the Negro, with whom he pro
posed to deal.
The Negro, the Southern Negro,
the Negro citizen of the United
States, as anybody familiar with his
character knows full well, unfortu
nately for the purposes of the Ger
man strategist, diplomatist, and con
spirator, is loyalty personified. He
is true to the core. He has given
countless exhibitions of self-sacrific
ing devotion such as have left, neither
in the South, North, nor in the Na
tion as a whole, any lingering doubt
of his personal or national fidelity.
His loyalty is a cherished conviction
in the Southern household, in the
Southern community, in the Southern
heart, and wherever he is best known
as he deserves to be throughout the
land. He is not treacherous, he is
not deceitful, he is not underhanded,
he is not ungrateful, he is not a plot
ter, he is not a conspirator.
He is not at all deserving of the
confidence or reliance of the Im
perial German Government in any
enterprise that calls for treason.”
THE FUTURE FOOD PROBLEM
Ideas, thought, opinion and phil
osophy are the machinery of the
world, but food is the fuel that runs
it. The problem of eating is the prob
lem of necessity and before it all
other considerations must fall. Under
the new defense of the realm act the
President has the power to place a
maximum price upon foodstuffs, and
now the Secretary of Agriculture has
asked Congress for $25,000,000 to
enable the government to handle and
market the food supply. Such con
siderations merit and receive the
hearty approval of all Americans, but
can it be realized? The proposed
•
plan of the Department of Agricul
ture will render impotent the specula
tor, but can it regulate distribution
without taking over the railroads?
Distribution is the problem facing
America today and to our mind the
governmental ownership, or at least
control, of railroads is the primary
consideration in managing the food
problem.
Meanwhile put in all the supplies
you can, because you will need them.
The government evidently wants to
help out, but that is no reason why
we should erect a fool’s paradise. In
another six months the food problem
W'll be harder than now. The wise
man will give his wife extra money
to prepare and the wise wife will
really prepare.
FOR THE GOOD OF THE
COMMUNITY
The Monitor is justly proud of the
type of Southern Colored men which
it has induced to come to this part of
the country. Without a single excep
tion the men have proven to be of the
very best industrious class, willing,
efficient, intelligent and honorable.
They will make excellent citizens of
this community and help materially
to make Omaha a bigger and greater
city. One firm is so wrell pleased with
the disposition they have shown that
it has advanced them money to bring
their families here, the same to be
paid back in small weekly payments
without interest.
Omaha needs thousands of good la
borers and it will be the constant en
deavor of The Monitor to hold the
record of supplying the highest type
of laborer. The uneducated Colored
man is a vast improvement over the
ignorant foreigner, but the intelli
gent Colored laborer becomes a
unique asset to the present economic
demands of modern business. We
say again that we are proud of the
Southern men whom we have brought
here and with the handclasp of wel
come we are pledged to do all pos
sible to help them and that pledge
will be carried out. We are glad they
have come.
“PEARL OF THE ARMY”
The intensely interesting moving
picture, “Pearl of the Army, or the
Silent Menace,” ended Wednesday
night at the Alhambra after a run of
several months. “The Silent Menace”
proved to be Toko, the Japanese
chauffeur of Pearl Hale. The New
York Age wrote quite an article upon
“The Silent Menace” and condemned
the manner in which the Japanese are
disparaged before American au
diences, predicting that it will tend to
increase prejudice against the Japan
ese people. There may be something
in this position, but we believe there
is greater reflection upon the patriot
ism of the American people when
such a character as Toko can control
so many of her citizens and soldiers
for the nefarious purposes of destroy
ing the American nation.
Obvious Observations
Welcome, the woman voter! Bye
aye to our raggety curbstone petty
grafters.
Read all that you see in the news
lapers about the war and then forget
t. The most of it is untrue.
The press keeps on reporting the
.hreatened fall of the kaiser, but
vhat seems queer to us is that it
lidn’t know a thing about the fall of
he czar until friend latter was hot
ooting it for the tall timbers.
The Missouri—otherwise known as
Old Mud—is also making a sort of
pring drive.
If there is any man in Omaha who
n’t working now it is because he
doesn’t want to work. His place is in
jail.
Thanking you in advance for your
areless attention, we will now de
late with ourselves whether to hitch
some patches aft starboard our shoes
.r lay down seven hard, cold, heavy
dunks for a pair of new kicks.
I
- (
SKITS OF SOLOMON
Preparedness.
Knowest thou, folks who scan.this
pitome of journalism, that the dark
louds of want are elbowing each
ithor for room upon the horizon ?
This be not glumful noise; aye! it is
learest of kin to hard-shelled reality.
The jinx is on us and on us with both
)ig feet. Get busy. Save the pennies
nd buy eats, much eats, for thou
halt need them muchly bye and bye.
Hang thee a few hams on the raft
■rs; buy slabs of bacon to keep them
ompany; go heavy on the dusty
vhite from wheat; cop a barrel of the I
ood old cornmeal; corral countless
f the canned commodities, and see
hat slews of cereals slide into thy
lanfrv bins. It’s up to Uncle Sam to
eed the world and for some moons
cast Uncle Sam has had a hefty job
vying to feed himself. Think not
bat if thou savest thy small shekels
nat it means the rest easy, for there
hou turnest a somersault into the
ea of error. Ere long thou wilt
mt be able to buy, even though thou
ast much mazuma. Then thou canst
ot fool thyself. Thou canst fool thy
'iet, thy body and thy head, and
lake them to believe they are shod
rd gowned and crowned like princes;
ut thy bread basket thou canst not
ool. It can’t take a joke. You’ve
cot to come clean with it and show
•ip with gilt-edge security. So get
.busy. Don’t let the food famine hit
you broadsides and then say you
.veren’t warned. No matter whether
tigress fixes food prices or not, if
ood is nix prices are only grim jokes
>!ayed on a hungry nation. There
re rich dudes in Germany today who
ould give the government one hun
red bones for a pound of good coun
ty butter, but
Get wise and then get busy!
Firms Who Employ
Race Labor Reply
Morgan Paik Duluth, Minn., 3-17-17
Mr. George Wells Parker,
Omaha, Nebraska.
Dear Sir: The answering of your
letters of the 27th ult. and March
10th have been delayed on account
of my absence, and I wish to advise
that the work at this plant is steady
the year around and good workmen
can work every day without losing
any time.
We are going to put on a number
of workmen during next month and
no doubt, your people can secure im
mediate employment when reaching
Duluth. However, we are not ad
vancing fare to workmen coming
here. Our workmen do not have to
wait longer than three weeks for
their first pay day as they are be
ing paid semi-monthly.
Minnesota Steel Company,
H. A. Hutter
Supervisor of Labor.
Sparow’s Point, Md., Apr. 25, 17.
George Wells Parker,
Omaha, Nebr.
Dear Sir: Answering yours of the
17th, W'ould advise that we have in
our employ a large number of Coi
ned laborers and are usually in a
position to furnish steady employ
ment to men of this class who care
o come here.
We do not furnish transportation,
out if any men desire to come here
n their own accord there will be no
trouble in their securing employ
ment with us.
Bethlehem Steel Company,
By T. W. Stingley.
Stamford, Conn., Apr. 1!», 17.
Mr. George Wells Parker,
Dear Sir: Answering your note of
the 13th instant, I beg to advise that
this company does not advance trans
portation to any prospective employe.
We are glad, however, to give em
ployment to reliable Colored men
who present themselves at our em
ployment office.
The Yale & Towne Mfg. Co.
Per John Williams,
Mgr. Service Bureau.
■■Him
Colored People
Intending to
Come North or ^ARMERS, farm laborers,
iAf « skilled and unskilled
neSI workmen, who intend leav
ThLp Uflfipp ing the south should pro
IdUC RUIIbC tect themselves against
t j swindlers and chance con
13 ditions. The Monitor has taken up this
problem and is able to be of service to you.
Write at once for information and en
close stamp for reply. Address,
George Wells Parker,
Business Manager of The Monitor,
'* Omaha, Nebraska.
■