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 Mail Matter July 2, 1916, 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.
WE DO NT ACCEPT
DONATIONS, THANK YOUl
We were soliciting advertisements.
The head of a certain firm, who is a
roost affable gentleman, greeted us
most kindly, but said: “We are con
fining our advertising to the dailies
ana two or three weeklies. Anything
we might give you would be in the
way of a donation. We would be will-'
ing to do that.”
“We don’t accept donations, thank
you!” was our reply. “We sell ad
vertising space on a strictly business
basis, because we believe we are able
to give value received. Here’s our
mailing list, which we happen to have
with us. That will show you our cir
culation. If you think that it is a good
business proposition to advertise with
us, we’ll be glad to sell you advertis
ing space, for we are out after busi
ness, just like you are; but The Moni
tor is not asking for or accepting
donations, thank you.”
He seemed not a little amused and
surprised, but he looked over the
mailing list and said: “You do have
quite a circulation, don’t you? It
looks like you reach nearly all the
Colored people in Omaha. And you
have a good many out of town sub
scribers, too. Yes, sir, YOU SEEM
10 BE REACHING YOUR PEOPLE
ALL RIGHT. I’ll take ten inches as
a starter. Then come in again next
week. Here’s the copy for ten inches.”
“Thank you!” we replied.
There are at least 8,000 Colored
people in Omaha, the great majority
of Whom read The Monitor. And yet
there are business men, like this gen
tleman, who patronizingly would give
“a donation.”
WE DON’T ACCEPT DONA
TIONS, THANK YOU. BUT SELL
ADVERTISING SPACE.
That The Monitor is one of the best
advertising mediums in the city is at
tested by our well pleased advertising
patronage.
AN EXPLANATION
We try as far as possible to publish
each week all local items which are
sent to us in time. Now and then de
mand for advertising space compels
us either to condense or leave out
local and general items, even after
they are set up. It sometimes hap
pens that we have several galleys or
columns of what is known as “over
set.” This is matter which is set up
or in type and has to be held over.
As linotype composition costs lots of
money, we have to work in these
“oversets” as soon as possible before
they become too old or stale. If news j
items become too stale to use they j
have to be thrown down and not pub- j
lished, which is, of course, a loss. Last
week, by an oversight, two or three j
important local items were left out, j
much to our regret—and loss.
THE SHAME OF ILLINOIS
St. Louis Globe-Democrat.
The events in East St. Louis Mon
day night were a disgrace to that
city, a disgrace to Ililnois, a disgrace
to America, a disgrace to humanity.
We can recall no event in the history
of this country so utterly and unre
lievably shameful. There have been
mobs, many of them, there have been
riots not a few, to stain our civiliza
tion, but never a one that carried to
such an extent the unreasoning bru
tality of mobocracy, never a one that
so tortured and killed and burned
without discrimination of innocence
or guilt, that spared neither sex nor
age in its violence. The often con
demned mobs of the South have al
ways had as their purpose the quick
and effective punishment of crime.
They have been, almost without ex
ception, composed of determined men
who felt that the law was too slow
and too uncertain, and who, having
found the ones they believed to be
guilty, executed them and dispersed.
Such acts are in violation of the fun
damental principles of orderly gov
ernment and as such should not be
tolerated, but in comparison with the
unspeakable outrages in East St.
Louis they are righteousness itself.
No attempt was there made to punish
crime by striking at the criminal.
Scores were tortured or killed against
whom no charge of wrong w'as made,
whose only offense was their color.
Men, women, children went down be
fore the insatiate blood lust of this
worst and most cruel of mobs.
And this in the state of Abraham
Lincoln! This in the great state
whose sons poured out their blood on
many battlefields that all men with
in this Union should be free! At the
1
heart of the country which prides it
self upon its liberty and humanity,
within a hundred miles of the home
and tomb of the great liberator, men
of the race he saved from slavery are
massacred by a lawless mob unre
strained by any authority. At a time
when we are entering a tremendous
war to make, as we say, the world
safe for democracy, our own people
have given democracy a blow that
well may stagger it. For if democ
racy is. not the right of every individ
ual to life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness, then in heaven’s name
what is it? How can we decently
and honestly proclaim the superiority
of American government and Amer
ican principles when such a crime
against liberty as that of Monday
night in East St. Louis is permitted!
Yes, permitted! It was a prevent
able crime. There had been ample
warning. There was'a large and com
petent force on hand to maintain or
der. Yet the rioters were permitted
to gather and go on their way of de
struction. Eight companies of the
state militia were there, but appar
ently no serious effort was made
either to prevent the formation of the
mob or to stop its work after it was
formed. Reports of eye-witnesses
agree as to the inaction of the militia.
Some feeble attempts were made to
protect the objects of the mob’s fury,
but there seems to have been no at
tempt whatever to maintain order.
We do not know* who is responsible
for this most disgraceful and lament
able failure of authority and power.
But we do know that some one is, or
some ones are, responsible, and the
state of Illinois cannot rest until that
responsibility is fixed. Punishment
of rioters alone will not wipe away
the shame. The blunder that per
mitted the riot must be accounted for.
And, finally, the federal government
should refuse to take into its service
any officer or private who is found to
have been derelict in his duty in this
crisis. The people of Illinois must
insist, and the people of America will
insist, that this thing be probed to
the bottom, for it is not only state
honor but national honor hat is in
volved.
GOVERNMENT CONTROL
The most pressing need of America
today is the government control of all
markets and food supplies so that
prices and distribution may be taken
entirely out of the hands of selfish
speculators who would enrich them
selves at the expense of the people’s
woes, and so that all the people may
have a fair chance to supply their
needs. Unless this is done the move
ment to cause greater production of
foodstuffs on farms and city lots will
only enslave and impoverish the peo
ple more than ever.
The next vital necessity is for the
government to take over the railroads
and all other means of transporting
so that food, clothing, war materials
and all other needful things may reach
the people and the soldiers promptly
and without graft.
The big agitation should be concern
ing public ownership and control of
markets, mines, factories and rail
roads.
The war is on. We Socialists could
not, we can not help it. We must each
do all he or she can to arouse the peo
ple NOW to the extreme necessity of
nationalizing all resources and making
the most rapid strides possible toward
industrial and political democracy.
Now is the time to cry aloud every
where for public ownership.—The
Christian Socialist.
RIGHT CANNOT DIE
By Rev. G. D. Brooks
Wrong cannot live, Right cannot die—
O man,
Think not to foil the gerat Jehovah’s
plan:
Thy business here is business of a day
One moment here, and then the next
away.
Look around thee, see, the earth is
strewn with dead,
Whose bodies slumber in a cheerless
bed.
Thou, too, with all thy prowess, powei
and skill,
Shalt soon be numbered with them
cold and still;
And o’er thy grave the winds will
softly sigh,
And airy tongues repeat along th<
sky—
Wrong cannot live—Right cannot die
John RuSkin Cigar, 5 cents. Biggest
and Best
Obvious Observations
The editor of these nifty observs
made a flying trip down to old St.
Louis to look over the field and the
effects oi the riot knocked his sense
of humor into a thousand pieces.
The papers say that Russia has
Germany saying her prayers. The pa
per also said that only 37 black and 3
white people were killed in the East
St. Louis riot. Our advice is, don’t
believe everything you read in the
paper.
We thought that government food
control was a big bluff. Prices haven’t
become a bit nervous and coal, the
most essential of products, is not to
be bothered at all.
Can the south stop migration? Say,
Irene, can the old reb states stop the
sun from shining?
The four men from Birmingham
have been trying to tell us all about
the Grum trial. Monitor printed mat
ter was greatly in evidence and the
prosecuting lawyer roared like a lion
until he reached the part where we
said we will try to have every Col
ored man out of the south in five
years. It was then that he grew faint
and fell up against the rail.
When it comes to writing editorials
we have to hand Mr. Newbranch, of
j the World-Herald, the palm. He is a
! wang as long a she isn’t expounding
j administrative policies.
Where is the little country girl who
used to wear gingham and pigtails?
I went through forty-eleven country
burgs last w^ek and could ■ not find
one with a periscope.
An Omaha man met a southern man
last week on the streets. The south
i era man just came and was broke,
I but when he left the other he had
money. Neither had ever seen the
other before. Two little gold emblems
of cross and crescent was what
brought them together.
SKITS OF SOLOMON
—
Savages
Nappy, the little sawed-off, ham
ir.ered-down emperor of France, bet
ter known as Napoleon, once mur
mured, “Scratch the skin and you get
the savage.” Nappy was right. He
knew what he was talking about. He
had the English in mind most partic
ularly when he said it. The white
race never has gotten very far away
from savagery. As late as the tenth
century A. D. they snoozed in caves
and wore animal hides. It is just
lately that they have varnished over
the hard places. Very true is this of
the U. S. A. If a wild man of the
stone age should have dropped in on
East St. Louis last Monday he would
have fallen on the necks of the riot
ers and cried, “Hello, brother! Glad
I'm home." It’s in the breed. The
present war in Europe is just the la
tent brute being tired of civilized ef
fort and going back to the smell of
blood and the touch of iron. As far
as they are concerned, civilization
means something to fill their hungry
stomachs. In the frenzy of fight the
only thing that will cool them is a
collection of Winchesters. The man
who is civilized or tries to be has no
better protection against a veneered
brute than the possession of a shooter
that 3hoots. Buy one, because, as the
scout of the plains once said, maybe
you might never need one, but if you
do need one you will need it mighty
much. Mighty much is right. Self
protection crowds every other consid
eration off the bench of life, and it is
not an end seat hog, either. Invest,
brother; invest.
LABOR NOTES
Mr. Parker is in St. Louis assisting
as many victims of the riot as possi
ble to find employment. Many of
them are being shipped to different
points because East St. Louis will be
no longer safe for them.
Now that the southern roads have
refused to honor prepaid transporta
tion the only step left is to persuade
companies to advance cash. One com
pany has already decided to do this
and everything will be arranged as
quickly as possible. Other companies
will follow as soon as they are per
suaded that the risk is not great.
Peter McCann, L. T. Jones and John
Robinson were sent cash fares to Mo
bile where they had come from Pen
sacola and all three arrived in Omaha
Saturday. Four men reached here
Friday from Birmingham.
A. Grum, who was arrested in Bir
mingham for “recruiting,” has been
released. He will be in Omaha in
about thirty days.
More than 100 tickets sent by the
Monitor before July 1, in order to es
cape the new order were cancelled on
all the roads before the date set for
the order to become effective. The
M. and O. was the only road delivering
transportation up to midnight, June
30.
One firm in Omaha has announced
that it will need about 200 Colored la
borers in about 60 days for a large
contract job lasting a year or more.
The packing houses in and around
Omaha have become filled and now
refuse the promised raise to 30 cents
! per hour made the men a short time
ago.
All men wishing to apply for work
! at any firms listed in The Monitor
should address Mr. Parker, in care of
The Monitor, and not write firms di
rectly because their letters are simply
handed over to us.
Mr. Parker asissted Mr. James Tay
lor and Mr. James Woods to get chaf
fcur jobs last week. Mr. Taylor is
with a wealthy private family, while
Mr. W'oods is working in a large gar
age. Both have given fine service.
Mr. Fred Williams, partner to Mr.
Parker, went to Mobile to meet the
party of forty men to come from that
point. The order from the M. and O., !
however, forced a cancellation of the
tickets and Mr. Williams was forced
to return. Mobile, however, is under
consideration as the probable future
base for bringing all Monitor appli- |
cants from the south.
LABOR LETTERS
Erie, Pa., May 28, 1917.
Mr. George Wells Parker,
Business Manager The Monitor,
Omaha, Nebr.
Dear Mr. Parker: We are in re- !
ceipt of your of May 26th regarding |
Colored labor and desire to say that j
the attached has been forwarded to
each member of our association and
undoubtedly you will hear direct from
such members as desire labor.
Very truly yours,
MANUFACTURERS ASSN. OF
ERIE,
David E. Jones, Secretary.
Manufacturers Association of Erie
Office of the Secretary.
May 26, 1917.
BULLETIN
The following letter from George
Wells Parker, 1119 North 21st St.,
Omaha, Nebraska, will be of interest
to members seeking Negro labor. Mr.
Parker, who is business manager of
“The Monitor, a paper for Negroes,
says:
"For the past nine months, The
Monitor has been making a thorough
and systematic campaign in the South
to get into touch with the very best
labor and we believe that we can sup
; ply more first class labor than any
j other management in the United
! States. Of our companies that have
advanced transportation, and that is
the most important matter with these
[poor people, NOT A SINGLE ONE
j PAS HAD A DESERTER. Our en
| closed literature will give you some j
idea of the way we are handling the j
, matter.
We are at your service and trust
I that we may be of service to you.
j The fact that we are a distance from
Erie does not matter in the matter of
i our furnishing good labor.”
Respectfully,
(Signed) George Wells Parker.
For further information, please
i communicate direct with Mr. Parker.
Manufacturers Association of Erie.
Buffalo, N. Y., May 29, 1917.
I Mr. George Wells Parker,
1119 North 21st St.,
Omaha, Nebr.
Dear Sir: Replying to your favor
cf May 26th, relating to opportuni
ties for Negroes in Buffalo, I will an
! swer your inquiries in their order, as
follows:
(1) Does you locality offer any
opportunities for industrious Negro
labor? Yes.
(2) Is your locality overcrowded j
with such labor? No.
(3 Firms that may want, or prob- |
ably will consider, Negro labor in- i
elude: Gould Coupler Company, De
pew, N. Y.; American Malleables
Company, Lancaster, N. Y.; Atlas
Crucible Steel Company, Strong Steel
Foundry Company, Buffalo Forge !
Company, Jewell Steel and Malleable
Company of Buffalo; Buffalo General
Electric Company, Wickwire Steel
! Company and the Semet Solvay Com
pany of Tonawanda, New York.
Wages are as good here as any
where and range from 27% to 36 cents i
per hour for common labor. Skilled j
men can, of course, earn much higher
wages.
Very truly yours,
HENRY B. SAUNDERS,
Industrial Commissioner.
! Buffalo Chamber of Commerce,
A letter received from the Minne
sota Steel Mills this week says the
200 industrious Colored men are want
ed. Wages 27% cents per hour, full
time at ten hours, and all year work.
A letter this week from the Cham
bei of Commerce, Buffalo, gives the
names of many firms wanting Col
ored labor at wages from 27% to 36
cents per hour for unskilled workmen,
higher wages for skilled. The Mon
itor has sent letters to all the firms.
A bulletin has been made of The
. Monitor circular and mailed to all
members of the Manufacturers Asso
! ciation j>f Erie, Pa.
The Montana Mining Companies
want Colored labor. Negotiations are
now under way to supply the same.
Albion, Mich., June 27, 1917.
Mr, George Wells Parker,
Omaha, Neb.
My Dear Sir: By some means, the !
registered letter did not reach me. I i
I
J
received notice of same yesterday, and
went to the office here for same.
I am, indeed, sorry for this misfor
tune, as I am not pleased with work,
hours, money or situation. But, how
ever, I am going to get straight, save
a few dollars and come to Omaha. In
the first place too many of my people
have come here for accommodations
needed, and sentiment is not the best.
1 get this from refusal of vacant
houses offered for rent, and where
there is property for sale the terms
are too dear for any of my race to
buy.
The
Hah
Price
Sale
1
Choice of Any Spring and
Summer Suit in House j
>/2
Former
Price
IIIU REDUCTIONS IN
MEN’S FURNISHINGS
PANTS AND SHOES
150 Dozen Men’s Straw
Hats 50 Cents Apiece.
Palace
Clothing Co.
11th and Douglas Sts.
* AMUSEMENTS *
The Alhambra
24th and Parker
SUNDAY
Bessie Love in
CHEEKFUL GIVERS
HAM AND BUD COMEDY
Jimmie Dale in
THE GRAY SEAL
Vaudeville
THE MITCHELL TRIO
MONDAY
Chas. Ray in
THE PINCH HITTER
This is one of the best baseball stories
of the season. Don’t miss this.
TUESDAY ^
Vitagraph Night
Lucille Stewart in
HIS WIFE’S GOOD NAME
Comedy,
JONES’ FINISH
WEDNESDAY
Molly King in
THE DOUBLE CROSS
Hearst-Pathe News
True Boardman in
The further scries of
"STINGA REE”
’Triangle Comedy
"DOG’S OWN TAIL”
THURSDAY
Maurice Costello in
THE CRIMSON STAIN MYSTERY
Black Cat Feature
Triangle Comedy
SKIRT TRAGEDY
FRIDAY
Metro Night
SATURDAY
Clara Kimball Young
Hearst-Pathe News
Jerry Comedy
II kUn DeLUXE ICE
ALAmU CREAM GARDEN
SPECIAL ATTRACTION!
Cabaret entertainment every
evening from 7:30 to 11:30. Don't
forget the De Luxe Matinee every
Thuruda> and Sunday afternoon
from 3:30 to 6:30. No dancing on
Sunday.
ICE CREAM DELIVERED FREE
Herrington & Killingsworth.
Phone W. 2861.
....— .... i - i
Rex Theatre
<<IZZY»»
IEW ROSE—Your Favorite
Comedian
With the Five Hargis Sisters
ALL NEW SONGS AND DANCES
Every Afternoon and Evening
1 316 DOUGLAS STREET
A Riot of Fun—Don’t Migs It
....... ....... . . . . 4
I am sorry for the delay of this let
ter and note that it should be return
ed within sixty day t. Hope that the
delay will cause no trouble in having
money refunded.
I have some good friends here that
do not want me to leave. I was elect
ed president of the Colored Business
Men’s League last Thursday evening,
but I am thinking solely of Omaha.
I shall write you more fully later.
Hoping to rivet a stronger friendship
with you, I am
Yours respectfully,
ROBT. M. EVANS.
HOLSUM
AND
KLEEN MAID
Why Boy Inferior When
The Best
COSTS NO ""RET
JAY BURNS BAKING CO.
,11,Tt-.........
... . * • • • »■«■■»■«■—»
SHOES MADE LIKE NEW
with our rapid shoe repair meth
ods, one-fifth the cost. Sold un
l alled-for shoes. We have a se
lection; all sizes, all prices.
FRIEDMAN BROS.
211 South 14th St. Omaha.
t... . . ....... .
~ I TAKE PLEASURE j
In thanking you for your patronage. ♦
I want your trade solely upon the ♦
merits of my goods. t
You will profit by trading here. ♦
H. E. YOUNG
Webster 515 2114-16 N. 24th St. {
.. ....... .
WATERS
BARNHART
PRINTING CO
If
I O M A H A I
WHO DOES YOUR SHOE RE
PAIRING?
Try H. LAZARUS
Work done while you wait, or
will call for and deliver without
charge.
Red 2395 2019 Cuming St.
If I don’t get your work, we both
lose.
ARE YOU SATISFIED
with your Dry Cleaner? j
If not, try the
ROYAL
DRY CLEANERS
BEST WORK AND SERVICE
NONE BETTER
Call Ub First
PHONE DOUGLAS 1811
24th St., 1 block north of Cuming
Street
. . ......... . . . ■ «««—« . . I
John RuBkin Cigar, 5 cents. Biggest
and Best.
