The Monitor \=n
'<?
A National Weekly Newspaper Devoted to the Interests of Colored Americana
THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS. Editor *
$1.50 a Year. 5c a Copy OMAHA. NEBRASKA. JULY 7. 1917 Vol. III. No. 1 (Whole No. 105)
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If
The Negro Civic and Industrial
League of Nebraska
■i, .I, .. , . .. °-j
DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES AND CONSTITUTION.
Believing that there should be some central organization for conserving
and promoting the best interests of our race in this community and state,
we do hereby organize the Negro Civic and Industrial League of Nebraska,
and set forth the following as a declaration of its purposes and principles,
and the constitution for the government of said league:
I. NAME, CHARACTER. OBJECTS.
This organization shall be known as the Negro Civic and Industrial
League of Nebraska.
It shall be non-political and non-sectarian in character.
Its general object shall be the conserving and promotion of the general
interests of our race and the good of the community along all lines of useful,
self-respecting and upstanding citizenship.
Its activities shall be directed along the following specific lines:
Industrial, Housing, Social, Edycjation. Protection, Charity and Hos
pitality. '
il. SPECIFIC OBJECTS DEFINED.
Industrial—The league shall seek to find industrial and business oppor
tunities for the race and endeavor to encourage members of the race to
make good by showing promptness, efficiency and dependability wherever
they may be employed.
Housing—The league shall interest itself in trying to secure proper
housing conditions for members of the race, encouraging them to purchase
homes whenever practicable and to take pride in maintaining the premises
owned or occupied by them.
Social—The league shall endeavor to improve in every way the moral
and social conditions of our people by encouraging them to provide whole
some recreation and to be diligent in attendance upon divine service and in
the discharge of their full duty to the fraternal organizations with which
they may be identified.
Education—The league will encourage education not only for the chil
dren, but all members of the race, advocating attendance at night school
for those who cannot attend during the day.
Protection The league will endeavor to protect members of the race in
securing and defending their civil rights, and will oppose all legislation
aimed either directly or indirectly to injure us as a race, and will investi
gate individual cases in order that justice may be secured and prosecution
does not degenerate into persecution.
Charity—The league will endeavor to extend a helping hand to those
in need to the end that those temporarily in want may be succored until
they may be able to help themseivc-s.
Hospitality—The league will extend hospitality and welcome to
strangers of our race coming into the community in order that they may be
made to feel at home, be guided and directed as far as possible in adapting
themselves to their new surroundings, in order that they may become an
asset and not a liability.
III. MEMBERSHIP.
All persons belonging to our race, who are bonafide residents of the
community, are of good moral character and are willing to abide by the
rules of the league and promote its interests, are eligible to membership
and may become members by filing in writing their application with the
membership committee—which is hereby empowered to act upon the eligi
bility of members—by signing the roll when notified by the membership
committee of their eligibility and paying the designated membership fee.
IV. OFFICERS.
The officers of the league shall be a president, vice-president, recording
secretary, corresponding secretary and treasurer.
The duties of these officers shall be those customarily falling upon
such officers in similar organizations.
They shall be elected annually by ballot and shall hold office for tht
term of one year or until their successors are duly elected and qualified.
The president or first vice-president, in the absence or inability of the
president to serve, the recording secretary and the treasurer shall be the
committee on membership.
V. STANDING COMMITTEES.
The president shall appoint, and the organization confirm, the following
standing committees, consisting of at least three members each, to lool
after the specific work assigned to said committees: Industrial, Housing
Social, Education, Protection, Charity, Hospitality.
These committees shall meet weekly at such time and place as theii
chairman may designate, and shall report to the league at its regulai
monthly meeting the work done by it.
If at any time any committee meets an exigency mat demands the at
tention of the league the president of tW («igUe stall call a special meeting.
VI..’ d EETING8.
TV iefoe meet rrgul*.'*' once a i»onth on the second Tuesday
n' . m . Tnonth at 8 p. m.
•ecial meetings may be call'd from time to time when i-n exigency
.re demanding the same f'
\ |i. FINANCE.
4 For carrying out the objects”* the league an admission fee of 50 centi
►e paid ach member. aes* fee *o accompany application for mem
„ - -n annual fee of 50 «fits Bfcall be paid by every member withii
<mns o: beginning of each fiscal year, and each member shal
some ee \pav a monthly"**. 28 eenti.
*'ry member three ..mrith* >n iirrmr,' shall not be entitled to vote or
any quostinn.
Members six months in arrears shill be dropped from the roll.
, bt-ie shall be no promiscuous outside solicitation of the public, eithe:
>> direct oi indirect mri for raiwing funds for the objects of thii
rWfi league.
w Any lwr8°“ or 'H‘rMOnh att«*npUng ft, use or exploit the league for per
*onal >'a'" or P^tige shall he repud it. . ;,y the league.
v»ii advisory Committee.
i !>n .oi ,t and secretary of the league, with the chairmen of th<
respective committees, *h«U constitute an a\uory or executive committer
d 'try oil tie Will St tie .
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I IV HKS IN THREE !*Ub omUi, tJNWAR
* EARS AT HARVARD |k RANTED DISCRIMINATION
Harrisburg, Pa th.ive Payne, S. The guard of F.'ifucation of San An
14th street, has returned T-mr after tonio, 1%., has granted an increase
graduating from Harvard at (am- of flQ a month to all white grade
bridge, Mass. He finished ids fotu - teachers on account of the high cost
year-course in three years, making^a oi Tying and $6 to the Colored teach
good record in scholarship. ers. n»e board Aid not make known
--- why the Waite teachers were given an
REFUSES COMMISSION * increaae of r.0 per cent more than the
IN CUBAN ARMY Colored teacht...
Havana, Cuba.—Sergt. Thomas of HAS NEW THEATRE
the U. S. Tenth Cavalry, who trained
the republic’s first soldiers, has re- Roanoke, Va., has a new C eatre for
fuseii to accept a commission in the Colored people, known as tly Hemp
arm v here. Iton Theatre. *1'899^
iiiiiiTV
i i
Foreigner Leads
Machinists’ Strike
Schnectady Firm Employs One Young
Negro and Twenty-Five Hun
dred Men Strike.
LEADERS’ NAMES ARE FOREIGN
Officials of Company, Believers in
Real Democracy, Disposed to
Stand lor the Right.
Schnectody, N. Y.—Demanding that
the color line be drawn in the l<yge
plant of the General Electric Light
company here, the same as the United
States Government practices segre
gation in the army, 2,500 machinists
and toolmakers went on a strike said
to be one of the most peculiar labor
strikes on record in this section of
the state.
The color issue was created when a
young colored man—Wendell King—
was put to work in the machine shops
of the General Electric Company.
King is of a good family in upper
Troy, N. Y., and was graduated from
the Lansingburg High School in 1916.
He entered Union College, Schnecta
dy, last September, and soon attract
ed attention as an excellent student
in wireless telegraphy and French.
It is rather suggestive that the
strike leaders bear names of a de
cided foreign Davor, the chief spokes
man and ringleader being Joseph Lef
kowitz. It is therefore not at all un
likely that this shallow-pated indi
vidual anti many of his confreres are
but a slight remove from Russian
oppression.
In haranguing his striking coll
ogues he said:
“ ‘Do not lose sight of the fact that
we are not fighting on the grounds of
race prejudice, but on the grounds of
moral convictions.’ ”
The speaker went on to explain
that the real issue of the strike was
the employment of one Negro, who
was put to work in the shop under tne
jurisdiction of the machinists organ
ization, which act is contrary to the
laws of that organization.
“ ‘We are not unfair in our de
mands,” said Mr. Lefkowitz, in end
ing his address. “ ‘We ask no more
than the United States Government.
This nation has several regiments of
Negro soldiers. It is known that
those Negroes are not allowed to fre
quent the same recreation grounds as
the white soldiers, nor are they in
any manner, allowed to mingle with
the whites. What this government
| sees fit in practicing, we feel justi
fied in demanding,’ "
company onciais claim me issue
to he the employment by the company
of a young colored man. According
to Mr. Emmons, Wendell King is a
student at Union College, and was
, | recommended by the faculty with
twenty-five or thirty other young
men in the college as being a worthy
boy to aid in securing his college ed
| ucation. The young man was put to
work June 8, and is at present em
ployed in building 23 operating a
drill press. The first intimation of
any dissatisfaction, Mr. Emmons said,
vas last Tuesday afternoon, when a
committee of machinists protested
against the young man being longer
■ employed in the capacity of ma
chinist.
Mr. Emmons contends a committee
; of the machinists practically demand
ed that the young colored man be
taken off that work to which Mr. Em
| mons replied that he could see no
reason for establishing a color line.
1 He told the committee that the young
■ man was a college student and
worthy of being aided.
Mr. Emmons Believes in a Beal
Democracy.
There were about 2,500 machinists
who left the works, practically all the
machinists employed by the company,
and many of them were busy on gov
ernment work.
All other branches of work contin
ued as usual after the machinists
walked out.
In a formal statement Mr. Emmons
expressed himself as follows:
"It is contrary to the policy of the
company to take any action detri
mental to the best interests of its em
ployes, but it will tolerate no discrim
ination against any worthy individ
ual on account of nationality or color.
“The management believes th|at
every person should be given an op
portunity to improve his condition
which the young man in question lis
trying to do." ■ —
The Monitor is growing. Help
grow,
„ :i : 7 '
LINCOLN REPCBLICAN
LEAGI E HOLDS RECORD
BREAKING MEETING
(Special to The Monitor)
Memphis, Tenn., July 2.—What was
a record-breaking meeting of the fa
mous Lincoln Republican League was
held at Church’s Auditorium Friday
night, June 29. The largest political
organization among Colored people in
the country, the Lincoln League, is
the rallying point of 50,000 Ne
groes in Memphis and all the Negroes
in west Tennessee.
The first time the League had met
since the burning of Ell Persons, and
the beginning of the exodus of the
Negro from this city and section,
more than 3,000 people packed them
selves in the Auditorium, while hun
dreds were turned away.
No organized condemnation of law
lessness had been heard; no word of
advice had been forthcomig from the
leadership, and no speech of hope and
courage had been uttered. And the
people said their cup was running
over.
The pent-up feeling of the patriots
and patriarchs, together with a thou
sand women, found expression in a
burst of cheers when Robert R.
Church, Jr., president and founder of
the league, took the gavel. What the
people expected is exactly what they
got.
„ After his speech, dealing with rout
ine business, Mr. Church read the res
olutions prepared by the Executive
Committee on the death of the great
Foraker, and then launched into a
declaration against lawlessness.
“I would be untrue to you and 'to
myself as your elected leader if I
should remain silent against shame
and crime of lawlessness of any char
acter, and I could not if I would, hold
my peace against either the lynching
or burning of a human being,” he said.
He went on: “We must not lose
hope, but keep our eyes open and
press forward. What the Lincoln set
out to do is exactly what the Lincoln
proposes to do without a shadow of
turning.
The President announced that the
League endorsed heartily the work of
the National Association for the Ad
vancement of Colored People.
.UK NEGRO CIVIC AND INDUS
TRIAL LEAGUE
As the result of a meeting held in
i the office of Amos P. Scruggs some
weeks ago an organization, to be
I known as the Negro Civic and Indus
trial League of Nebraska, has been
organized. The principles and consti
tution of the league are published
elsewhere in this issue.
The officers of the organization as
thus far elected are: Amos P.
Scruggs, president; Henry W. Hlack,
vice president; Mrs. J. Alice Stewart,
secretary, and Nate Hlunter, treas
urer.
For the present it is planned to
hold the monthly meetings at the
various churches of the city. The
first monthly meeting will be held
next Tuesday night in the lecture
room of St. John’s Methodist church,
Figtheenth and Webster streets. The
public is urged to attend this meet
ing. Immediately following the East
St. Louis race riot in May Mr.
Scruggs invited twenty-five of our
representatives to a conference in his
office to take under advisement some
form or plan of organization for the
protection and guidance of our people,
who are coming in large numbers
from the South. This league, con
ceived along sane and broad lines,
[ which should have the co-operation
of all our people, is the outcome of
that conference.
The non-sectarian character of the
organization is indicated by the fact
' that the president is a Roman Cath
I clie, the vice president is an Episco
palian, the secretary is a Methodist
and the treasurer a Baptist. Its non
partisan character is equally well de
, fined.
BISHOP HURST ILL
—
Baltimore, Md.—Dr. T. P. Hurst,
bishop of the A. M. E. Church, is ill.
It wras first thought that he had a
paralytic stroke but physicians claim
tliat he was overworked and had poor
circulation in one of his legs. He is
secretary of the Bishop’s council,
which position together with his other
duties has taxed his nerves greatly.
NEGRO BAPTISTS
PURCHASE COLLEGE
Nashville, Tenn.—The Baptists of
the United States have purchased the
Bascobel Colege on Sevier street, East
Nashville. The school will be used
as a National Theological Seminary.
*
Riot Is Blot on
the State of Illinois
Tribune Declares Governor Low den
Must Investigate Thoroughly and
Guilty Must be Brought
to Trial.
Chicago, 111., July 3.—Under the
caption, “The Shame of Illinois,” the
I Chicago Tribune this morning says,
1 editorially:
“The riot at East St. Louis is one
of the w orst blots on the good name
of an American community in our
whole history. Illinois must bow heg
head in shame before this disgrace.
We have no excuse. There can be no
excuse for such a breakdown of the
most primitive safeguards of civil
government, for such betrayal of the
first duty of ordered society.
"The Tribune, which has flayed the
evil of lynching and especially re
proached its countrymen of the South
•'or their failure to stamp it out, does
not propose to offer any palliation of
this outrage in Illinois. The blood of
victims spatters the state. The riot
will burn as an unforgettable dis
honor in our memories.
Eruption of the Brute.
“We do not propose to talk now
about race hatred or economic rivalry
or any other learned aspect of the of
fense. There is just one truth, one
-ickening, shameful truth—in an
American city, in a city of Illinois,
; here has been a loathsome eruption
| of the brute, and neither civilised
! ublic sentiment nor constituted au
thority was capable of arresting it.
"If Illinois has a conscience it wjll
..olemnly resolve that no such dis
honor shall ever lift its head among
n We ask Governor Louder.,
and, if need be, the legislature, to
< xarnine at once the conditions which
created this outrage and the condi
tions which eft society at the mercy
of brutishness in thia region.
"We demand • .peeiaiijr that it be
lade clear wjiv neit.be- Die police woe
the militia were capable of strangling
the riot at rhe beginning. We de
pjl
DAYBREAK
_ i
BY GEORGE MARION MCCLELLAN.
Awake! Arise! Men of my race—
I see our morning star, . . K
And feel the dawn-hrerze on niy face
Creep inward from afar.
1 feel the dawn, with soft-like tread,
t Steal through our lingering night.
Aglow with flame our sky to spread
In floods of morning light.
Arise, my men! Be wide-awake
To hear the bugle call
For Negroes everywhere to break
The bands that hind us all.
Great Lincoln, now with glory graced.
Ail Godlike with the pen,
Our chattel fetters broke and placed
Us in the ranks of men.
But even he could not awake
The dead, nor make alive,
Nor change stern Nature's laws, which make
The fittest to survive.
Let every man his soul inure
In noblest sacrifice.
And with a heart of oak endure
Ignoble, arrant prejudice.
j ...__ 4 If iSH
Endurance, lore, will yet
Against all laws of hate;
Such armaments can never fail
Our race its best estate.
I Let none make common cause with sin.
Be that in honor hound, '
For they who fight with God i|^‘ v'n
On every battleground.
Though wrongs there are, and wrongs hare been,
And wrongs we still must face,
We have more friends than foes within
The Anglo-Saxon race. j
I . .
In spite of all the Babel cries
Of those who rage and shout.
God’s silent forces daily rise*
To bring His will about.
Our portion is, and yet will be.
To drink a bitter cup
In many things, yet all must see
The race is moving up.
Oh, men of my race! Awake! Arise!
Our morning's in the air;
There’s scarlet all along the skies!
Our day breaks everywhere!
...-i-f—.—" ji
\
mand the guilty be tracked down re
morselessly and punished to the full
extent of the law.
White* and Blacks Guilty.
“We understand the dificulty of
this task. We understand how a mob
' and even its leaders escape in a
jungle of anonymity and political in
fluence.
"We realize how race prejudice and
j other complications will block discov
. ery and punishment. We know that
whites are guilty. We know that
blacks are guilty. But we know also
that the community and the state are
guilty before all, and if we cannot
punish the community and the state
more than in the punishment already
visited upon its good name we can at
least study its guilt and do our ut
most to root it out.”
MUST NOT DISCRIM
INATE AGAINST NEGROES
Fort Des Moines, la.—Several of
the local restaurants and picture
houses in the city of Des Moines have
refused to accommodate members of
the Reserve Officers’ Training Camp,
1 The proprietors of these places
have been notified by Lieut. Bell,
provost guard commander of the City
| of Des Moines, that the men in train
ing at the Fort are here because the
United States Government has or
dered them to come and any discrim
ination whatever shown toward them
in restaurants, church rooms or the
atres would not be tolerated by the
1 military authorities. Consequently
all owners and proprietors who have
been known to have discriminated
against one or two of the cadets have
been notified that at the first unfa
! vorable report againts them their li
censes will be revoked. Discrimina
tion in the city has not been wide
spread. It was only shown here and
there by some narrow-minded pro
prietor. The city as a whole has been
frank and open in its welcome of the
cadets. ^7
Be sure to attend public installation
of officers of flmnd Temple ao<r __
Tabernacle at Auditorium Friday
night.—Adv.