A National Weekly Newsp v5*' devoted to the Interests of the Colored
Americans c Nebraska and the West
THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor
$1.50 a Year. 5c a Copy Omaha, Nebraska, June 2, 1917 Vol. II. No. 48 (Whole No. 100)
Restrict Negro Exodus
Thru Secret Service
Georgia Council of Defense Seeks Fed- ,
eral Intervention in Labor
Problem.
Resolutions adopted recently by the
Georgia Council of Defense asking the
government to stop the exodus of Ne
groes from Georgia, will be addressed
at once to secretaries of the United
States departments of agriculture and
of labor.
Whatever measures the government
adopts, if any, toward restraining the
tide of Negro emigi-ation from south
ern farms will be taken through these
departments.
Colonel Alexander 15. Lawton, of Sa
vannah, author of the resolution, ap
pealing to the federal government for
aid in the present labor situation, in
fested at Tuesday's meeting that the
government has power to adopt auto
cratic measures to stop the exodus.
“A conscription law was necessary,”
he said, “and it will be passed, sum
moning men from their business and
their homes to serve in the army. Why
then, can’t the same conscription
methods be applied to Negro farm la
borers and the order go forth that
they must remain on the southern
farms instead of going north?”
The resolution adopted by the coun
c 1 of defense calls on the government
\o use every necessary agency to stop
the northward migration. Prof. S. V.
Sanford, who first suggested federal
intervention, urged that the council
adopt a resolution calling on the
United States government to use its
secret service men in the detection of
agents who are inducing Negroes to
leave Georgia, and that it aid in the.
prosecution of such agents.
It was the final decision of the coun
cil, however, to go even further by
asking the government to use not only
its secret service force, but any and
every other means necessary to stop
the flow of Negroes to the North.
Dr. A. M. Soule expressed the sense
cf the meeting when he declared that
Georgia is being confronted by an un
just situation.
“We are told,” he said, “that in the
present times of stress it is impera
tive that we raise food crops enough
to feed ourselves, and at the same
time we are being deprived of the
power to do this by the exploitation
of Negro laborers, who are being in
duced to go north by the thousands.”
TO REDUCE HIGH COST OF
LIVING WITH MELONS
Hempstead, Tex.—R. C. Chatham,
known throughout Texas as the
“watermelon king,” says he is going
to reduce the high cost of living with
his famous “boneless ham” Waller
County melon, which will be ready for
shipment to Houston and other points
by June 16.
Mr. Chatham is an expert soil an
alyst. He has five hundred acres of
watermelons under cultivation near
Sealy, Tex., his two sons having
How to Serve Your Country By
Buying a Liberty Bond
While the members of the race have
come forward in large numbers in all
parts of the country with offers to
serve the country in any capacity that
is opened to them, there is still an
other way in which those not qualified
for active service on the field may do
their bit. Money will play an import
ant part in putting the armies into
.he field and this money will be raised
through the •coming issue of Liberty
Loan Bonds. Savings can be invest
ed in these bonds in sums of $50 or
more, payable in installments. The
security will be the best in the world
and the rate of interest is equal to
that paid by most savings banks. The
following statement as to the nature
of this loan is taken from the offi
cial bulletin, published by the Com
mittee on Public Information:
“The Liberty Loan Bonds will ma
ture in thirty yeaiv and be redeem
able, in whole or in part, at the op
tion of the United States, on or after
fifteen years, at par and accrued in
terest.
“In order to avoid adding to the
heavy burden of work incident to the
July 1 and January 1 settlements, the
Secretary his determined the Liberty
Loan Bonds, shall be dated June 15,
1917, instead of July 1, 1917, as here
tofore announced, and that the inter
cst shall be payable June 15 and De
cember 15 in each year.
“Applications must be made on or
before June 15, 1917, subject to the
right of the Secretary in his discre
tion, to close the subscription books
at an earlier date, and payment for
the bonds must be made as follows:
2 Per cent on application, 18 per
cent on June 28, 1917, 20 per cent on
July 30, 1917; 30 per cent on August
30, 1917.
“Bearer bonds with interest cou
pons attached will be issued in de
nominations of $50, $100, $500 and
$1,000. Bonds registered as to prin
cipal and interest will be issued in
denominations of $100, $500, $1,000,
$5,000, $10,000, $50,000, and $100,000
Provision will be made for the inter
change of bonds of different denom
inations and of coupons and registered
bonds.”
Those who wish to buy the Liberty
Loan Bonds will find their local bank
ers prepared to furnish subscription
blanks and render every possible form
of assistance without charge.
This will also afford a splendid op
portunity for the various organiza
tions of the race, such as lodges and
s» cieties, to safely invest their surplus
funds and at the same time fulfill a
patriotic duty.
charge. They have shipped this sea
son 540 barrels of radishes, spinach
and mustard greens, which netted
them $4.20 per barrel. They have 35
acres in snap beans and with the aid
ot a fine rain now falling their out
look points to 150 bushels to the acre,
which, as in former years, will net
00 cents per bushel.
The “watermelon king” and his sons
have 800 acres, including all crops, in
cultivation. They are planting cow
peas all over the 500-acre melon patch,
and with the assistance of watermel
ons, will be able to fatten 200 or 300
hetad of hogs for the Houston and
Fort Worth markets.
TENNESSEE FRIGHTFULNESS
While the nation is going to some
pains to curb the frightfulness of Ger
many it might be the part of consist
ency as well as of civilization to ab
stain from frightfulness at home.
Such exhibitions of barbarism, for
instance, as burning at the stake and
mutilating a Negro in Memphis re
cently, do not square with America's
protests against the atrocities of
Prussianism. Generally such out
bursts can, to some extent, be con
doned by the fact that they occur in
isolated and ignorant communities,
but in this case a mob of from two
thousand to three thousand in one of
the largest cities of the South took
part in the horror, and, from all ac
counts, got a considerable amount of
glee out of it. The fact that after
sixty years of lynchings, occasions for
them still occur in the South, is proof
ct their noneffectiveness in preventing
the crime they are aimed at. And
they are not necessary these days as a
safety valve for the fury of the pop
ulace. The recruiting offices are open
to all citizens who feel an overpower
ing desire to participate in bloodshed.
—Kansas City Times.
EXODUS OF NEGROES
HAMPERS MILL WORK
Thomasville, Ga.—The Negro ex
odus from South Georgia to the North
still continues and every Monday
morning finds many of them leaving.
They are paid off by their employers
on Saturday night and take Sunday
to get ready and depart Monday morn
ing. Various industries are reporting
a serious shortage of labor and the
sawmill men say they are very much
handicapped in their business.
Many of those going are among the
better class of Negroes, who have
some means, the idle and worthless
ones not being able to pay their way.
PUPILS HELP BUILD CANNERY
Lincoln High and Lathrop Students in
the Role of Erectors.
Negro pupils of Lincoln High School
will do all the masonry work on the
school cannery, excavating for which
began yesterday. The building will
be one story, half of the height in
concrete blocks. The carpenter work
will be done by pupils of the Lathrop
School. The park and street cleaning
deputrments are supplying teams and
equipment for excavating and hauling
materials.—Kansas City Times.
Provisions for Colored
Training Camp
Letter to the Chief of Staff Depart
ments of the Army Gives a Brief
Outline of the Provision.
“1. You are advised that training
camps for Colored citizens will be es
tablished at Fort Dcs Moines, Iowa,
under Section 54, National Defense
Act, and the regulations prescribed
for present training camps, except as
modified herein and hereafter. The
camp is under the control of the De
partment Commander, Central Depart
ment, who will prepare and conduct
the same. The total attendance will
be twelve hundred fifty, of whom
two hundred fifty will be noncommis
sioned officers of Colored regiments
of the Regular Army, to be sent on
detached service status, and one thou
sand citizens either enlisted under
Section 54, National Defense Act for
three months beginning June 18th,
with agreement to accept appointment
tendered, of members National Guard
whose status will be as in the case of
National Guardsmen now in training
camps.
2. The contingents of citizens and
National Guardsmen from the various
departments is as follows: Northeast
ern Department 40, Eastern Depart
ment 240, Southeastern Department
430, Central Department 195, Southern
Department 75 plus contingent from
Twenty-fourth Infantry 84 and Tenth
Cavalry 57, Western Department 20.
3. As far as consistent with the
character of applicants, it is desired
that men selected shall be not less
than 30 years of age. Local distribu
tion as between various States and
cities and between citizens and Na
tional Guardsmen is left to the dis
cretion of Department Commanders.
From all applicants Department Com
manders will select their contingent
sc that definite notice to proceed to
the training camps may be given the
selected men not later than June 9th.
The training camps will be ready to
receive the noncommissioned officers
of the Regular Army June 5th, and
all others June 15th. The course of
l!'Structions begins June 18th.”
In addition to the contingents men
tioned above, 84 men will be sent from
the Twenty-fifth Infantry in Hawaii
and 25 men from the Ninth Cavalry
in the Philippines.
Applications should be addressed to
the Commanding Generals of Depart
ments as follows: Northeastern De
partment, Boston, Mass., Eastern De
partment, Governors Island, N. Y.,
Southeastern Department, Charles
ton, S. C., Southern Department, Fort
Sam Houston, Texas, Central Depart
ment, Chicago, 111., Western De part
ment, San Francisco, Cal.
The contingent from each Depart
ment wil’ be as follows: Northeastern
4C, Eastern 240, Southeastern 430,
Central 195, Southern 75, Western 20.
The remianing 250 will be noncommis
sioned officers from regiments as in-,
dicated above.