The Monitor
A National Weekly Newc'p9\3°9 ^evoted to the Interests of the Colored
Americ ot Nebraska and the West
THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor
$1.50 a Year. 5c a Copy Omaha, Nebraska, May 5, 1917 Vol. II. No. 44 (Whole No. 96)
Charges President
With Hypocrisy
_
Prominent Member of the Reichstag
Advises Americans to Manifest
Democracy at Home.
STRIKES A ‘VULNERABLE SPOT
Dr. Ludwig Haas Advocates Abolish
ment of American Outrages
Against Colored Citizens.
Berlin—Discussing the American
attitude in the Tageblatt, the well
known member of the Reichstag, Dr.
Ludwig Haas, said that many Ger
mans characterize Wilson’s message
as a document of shameful hypocrisy,
but as Wilson has many millions of
Americans behind him, “one man may
be a hypocrite, but never a whole na
tion. If the American people accept
this message without protest then a
tremendous abyss separates the logic
of Germans and Americans.”
Haas says that to democratize Ger
many is the aim of his friends and
members of the left because democ
racy affords a much larger number
from which to choose able leaders and
officials.
“Wilson’s heart belonged to Eng
land and France,” Haas says, “when
they were yet tied in friendship to
the Czar. Now he rejoices over the
collapse of Czarism, and he would
probably rejoice just as honestly if
Czarism had defeated Germany.”
Haas declares Wilson “permitted his
American people to aid the Czar in
every way to defeat the Central Pow
ers. Wilson wants to liberate Ger
many from autocracy, and for the
sake of this delivery he has blessed us
with mountains of American muni
tions.
“No doubt the world is growing
more democratic,” Haas continues.
“After the war is over the democracy
of the world will find it incumbent to
oppose unhealthy nationalism wher
ever professors and other spectacled
persons raise their voices. But the
American President seems blind to
the fact that a handful of men made
it their secret, uncontrolled business
to direct the fate of European dem
ocracies.
“Germany democracy rejects liberty
by the grace of Wilson. It would be
better if he had first thought of re
forming his democracy of corrupt of
ficials and his democracy of industrial
magnates into true democracies be
fore bestowing his blessings on Ger
many. He might also abolish outrages
against the Colored people in his owr
country. If Americans lynch the pool
Negro all is well and good, but if the
Negro happens to perish on a tor
pedoed ship Wilson shouts, ‘Citizens
your country is in peril. American
honor is violated!’ ”
JAMES E. CHURCHMAN
DIES AT ORANGE, N. .1
Orange, N. J.—James E. Church
man, one of the best known Colored
men in the state of New Jersey, died
Monday.
MR. HOG AND MR. CORN. _
—New York Herald.
Strikes a Vulnerable Spot
T'vR. LUDWIG HAAS, acording to a dispatch from Berlin, has
been saying some very uncomplimentary things about Presi
dent Wilson. He charges that his able war-message is a document
of shameful hypocrisy, and that his heart all along belonged to
England and France.
It is but natural that Germans like Dr. Haas should criticize
President Wilson. Our only regret is that in certain matters Dr.
Haas’ arraignment of American hypocrisy cannot be successfully
refuted. Outrages against Colored Americans have become no
torious, and America’s apathy in this matter deserves the scathing
rebuke that it is receiving from Germanic sources.
Colored Americans, despite glaring injustices of which we are
the victims, will stand manfully behind President Wilson in these
trying times to serve valiantly and faithfully wherever our services
may be needed, and we indulge the hope that bfore the war is
ended we will be accorded those rights and privileges to which we
are entitled as citizens of the republic.
A few years ago Tristem Bey, the Turkish ambassador, flung a
well-deserved taunt at “Christian America for lynching black
Christians,” and now a representative of a government allied with
Turkey strikes the same vulnerable spot.
Achilles was vulnerable only in his heel. When it comes to the
race question in the United States of America, Brother Jonathan
is vulnerable from head to foot and the shafts of adverse archers
find ready mark.
How long will this remain true? How long will it be before
this reproach will be rolled away? Out of this war may America
emerge a righteous exemplar of true democracy.
Photoplays Dealing
With Negro Life
An Important Branch of Film-Making
Industry Being Rapidly Brought
Into Prominence.
MOTION PICTURE COMPANIES
fivercoming Difficulties of Producing
Race Plays. Lester Walton Gives
Opinion in New York Age.
Throughout the United States Col
ored people are forming film cor
porations to produce photoplays deal
ing with Negro life. This is the right
move in the right direction. If the
pictures put out are up to the artis
tic standard no difficulty ought to be
experienced in disposing of them.
There are hundreds of Colored thea
ters in this country which should fur
nish a ready market for photoplays
I osed for by Negrc actors.
Film-Making Industry
Here is one branch of the film
making industry that has been over
looked by motion picture men that
can be made remunerative if the pic
tures produced compare favorably
with those of white concerns. The
success a picture depends largely
upon „.ie staging, and only those who,
have had valuable experience in
stagecraft should be employed to at
tend to this highly important func
tion.
“The Birth of a Race”
The Douglass Motion Picture Com
pany in New Jersey seems to be mak
ing progress after overcoming many
difficulties, and in the west another
firm, the Lincoln Motion Picture
Company, of Los Angeles, has
been started which hopes to
attract general attention. Another
ambitious movement on foot is the
production of a photoplay entitled
“The Birth of a Race,” which will be
shown to counteract the evil effects
of “The Birth of a Nation.” Emmett
J. Scott, secretary of Tuskogee Insti
tute, has written the scenario for
this picture.
GERARD TELLS YALE
W.AR WILL BE LONG
s
• “I have seen the Germans take as
many prisoners in one day as we have
men in our whole army. To organize
and train a large army therefore
there will be tremendous need of
trained officers and college men have
proved themselves best fitted for such
responsibility.
“The United Staten must not go
into this conflict half heartedly, for
it will be a long and serious struggle.
There is but <>ne choice—universal
service or universal training. The
nation that stands opposed to us to
day probably has no less than 12,
000,000 men under arms. The rea
son Germany is standing strongly, al
though she is fighting the world is
because in that country there is uni
versal service and every man and
youth of military age can be called
to the colors,”