*
fHET) The Monitor t=ti
A National Weekly Newspaper Devoted to the Interests of Colored Americans
THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor
$1.50 a Year. 5c a CopyOMAHA, NEBRASKA, JULY 28, 1917 Vol. III. No. 4 ^.noleNo. 108)
Negroes Buy Million
Dollar Property
Philanthropists Talk of What Should
Be Done; Leading Colored Men
Act for Themselves.
SOLVING HOUSING PROBLEM
Philton Realty Company Acquires
Apartments in Harlem.
Astounds New York
—
While well meaning white folks,
philanthropists, real estate men and
others are planning and talking about
improving the housing conditions of
Negroes in this city the Negro him
self has set out to solve his own hous
ing problem. He took the first step
in this direction last week when he |
amazed those who have been working
in his interest by the purchase of six
fine big apartment houses on 141st
and 142d streets between Lenox and j
Seventh avenues, property which a!
few years ago sold for more than!
$1,350,000. For an initial step it is |
a long one, and since it was taken by
the Negro himself it is evident that j
he has ideas about how he shall live ;
that are far in advance of those which
are being planned for him. In these |
apartment houses he will have all the j
comforts of the modem apartment j
house. He will even be lifted to his '
apartment by elevators just as in the ;
best apartment house in the city.
He will have United States mail ;
chute service, telephone, gas and elec-1
tricity. In all apartments are hard- :
wood trim and parquet floors, tile i
baths with showers and pedestalled |
lavatories, open nickel plated plumb- j
ing, with porcelain fixtures, both in j
bath and in kitchen and ample closet'
room. French doors with Florentine
glass are in the dining rooms.
The houses w’ere built about five
years ago for w'hite folks who were
expected to pay fairly good rents for
occupied by white folks under leases
which will not expire until October.
As the block shifted from a tenantry
of white folks several years ago to
one of Colored folks the occupants of
the houses changed as rapidly as leas
es expired and today the row is occu
pied by white and Colored families.
The Negro population of Harlem,
w hen these houses were erected, was
estimated at 4‘J,000. This population
has almost doubled since that time and
today the estimate is that there are
upward of 75,000 Negroes in the
northeast corner of Harlem. They
have huddled into dwellings and ten
ements and apartments abandoned by
the whites.
Housing accommodations were so
limited that friends of the Negro, folk
who had the moral side of the Col
ored man at heart, real estate men
who had interests in Harlem to pro
tect and builders of model tenement
houses in the San Juan section de
cided to help the housing problem of
the Negro and plans were laid and
talked over for erecting in the Negro
section of Harlem a series of model
tenements, such as the Hampton at
210 West Sixty-third street, for their
occupancy. The proposal was wel
the Colored folks of the
,;st of whom are hard work
aw abiding citizens. Philip
A. Payton, Jr., and others of their
leaders co-operated with this commit
tee of mdValist real estate men and
builders, for the plan would give to
the Negro as good housing conditions
as prevailed in other sections of the
city and at rentals below those which
they were paying for poorer quarters.
It is a mistaken idea that the Negro
does not pay high rents. He pays
more relatively for the poor quarters
he occupies than the white does for
far superior premises. This inequal
ity has been causing considerable un
rest in the Colored section and many
respectable families have been threat
ening to leave for the localities where
they could have better homes for less
money. It was this unrest which
spurred the real estate interests of
Harlem to lay plans for building clean,
wholesome tenements which they could
rent for $1.50 a room a week, the
upartments being divided into three
and four rooms with baths, the bath
not being considered a room.
This type of house would appeal
strongly to the average Negro fam
ily and would eliminate the necessity
of taking in boarders in order to meet
the prevailing high rents. But there
were other families in the Negro sec
tion who wanted better homes than
these houses would provide. They
wanted dwelling places as fine as the
whiteB, since they were able to afford j
them. It was this demand that in
duced the steps taken last week.
Mr. Payton, Negro real estate man,
organized the Philton Itealty Company
to buy the 141st and 142nd street
apartments. Who are interested with
him in the purchase of the houses is
not to be known. They are Colored
folks, however, as far as can be learn
ed, who have entered the company not
out of philanthropy, but on a purely
commercial basis, that is, to make
money. They know to what extent
the Colored man has profited by the
prosperity waves which have been
sweeping over the United States for
the last few years. Apparently Ne
groes have met these waves, for they
are willing to pay in the new apart
ment houses a rental of $10 a room,
which means that a four room flat
will cost them $40 a month. The
larger apartments will cost them from
$60 to $70 a month to rent.
Since there are 306 suites in the six
houses and every one of them will bo
rented, more than $150,000 will be paid
in a year by the Colored folks who will
live there. It is the highest rental
that has ever been paid by Colored
tenantry in this city. The houses also
are the finest that have ever come un
der control of Colored folks in this
city.—New York Sun, July 15.
Negro Exodus
Is Increasing
Desire to Earn Higher Wages and For
Better Conditions Socially, Pre
sents .New Problems to Both
South and North.
Chicago, 111.—The exodus of Ne
groes from the South to northern man
ufacturing points, stronger within the
last month or so, is regarded as likely
to increase considerably as the season
advances, and to continue throughout
the summer. Not more than a quarter
of those leaving the South, it is ex
pected will return. The condition is
totally without precedent since recon
struction days.
As to the situation in Chicago, A. L.
Jackson, executive secretary of the
Wabash avenue branch of the Y. M. C.
A., tays: “The Negroes are coming
into Chicago pretty regularly, and in
lurger numbers now. I had a man i
wat' h the railroad stations recently i
for ten days, and the Police Depart
ment also had a man take a careful
census. In one week they found 500 |
arrivals and in another week from j
1,200 to 1,500. All, of course, do not
stop in Chicago. Many go on, to Wau
kegan, Indiana Harbor and Gary, De
troit, Moline, and various other manu
facturing centers. In two days my
agents found two parties of from 50
to 75 Negroes using Chicago as a
transfer point. The flow has been
very steady through good weather.”
“The real reason for the migration,”
continued Mr. Jackson, himeslf a Ne
gro, and an authority locally, “is the
desire of the Negroes to better their
school, housing, social and sanitary
conditions. The exodus is coming for
the most part from Mississippi,
Georgia and Louisiana, with Missis
sippi leading, and also from South
Carolina. Mississippi is leading be
cause of two conditions—lynch law
and peonage. In Alabama and Vir
ginia, so-called ‘good’ states, they are
not feeling the Negro migration, but |
in the states with lynch law and poor I
schooling, they are leaving in large |
numbers. The readjustment of the
Negro population and higher wages
will raise the standard of the Negroes;
and in the South, the shortage of them
will make their labor more valuable
and increase their bargaining power,
assuring them more consideration in
those questions of law enforcement,
schools, housing and conditions of
cleanliness.
COLOR LINE DISCRIM
INATION ON POTOMAC
STEAMERS REMOVED
Washington, D. C.—After a nine
months’ fight by a well organized
committee, the “jim-crow” regulations
of the Chesapeake and Potomac
Steamboat Company have been set
aside. Colored passengers are now
permitted to enjoy first-class accom
modations in the salon and on the
salon deck, and are also furnished
with state-rooms. This reviesd reg
ulation went into effect from June
16, 1917.
TEACHERS IN NEW ORLEANS
New Orleans, La.—The teachers and
citizens have made big preparations
for the annual session of the National
Association of Teachers in Colored
Schools, which meets here July 26-29.
Press Comments On the
East St. Louis Massacre
Editorial Opinions Gleaned for Monitor Readers
From Various Publications—Both
Colored and White.
RACE PRESS.
Providence (R. I.) Advance.
We hope this event will so thorough- j
ly stir up the Negro masses as to pave
the way for a general unification pro
cess among the race, for at no time |
in our American history do we need j
to be organized as at the present try- j
ing period.
Baltimore (Md.) Commonwealth.
It is to be hoped that this Federal j
investigation will at least set the pre
cedent that it is the duty of the Fed
eral Government to reach forth its!
strong arm and protect outraged Ne- '
groes in spite of the doctrine of state’s
rights.
_
Hopkinsville (Ky.) News.
It is believed that Monday’s horror
will disclose collusion upon the part
of the militia. If this should be
brought to light we have confidence j
that someone will be punished for t’fjfti
outrage that places the United Spates
upon a par with Russia and urkey.
This matter cannot be permitted to go
unnoticed. -
Jackson (Tenn.) ^larchlight.
The race riot thaA Occurred in East
St. Louis shows ‘he height of Amer
ican civilization^ Is this a better civil
ization thanA’ne Teut/ ns? Can Amer
ica think Iperself better than those who
treated 'Belgians thus?
San Antonio (Tex.) Inquirer.
Illinois will bear its part in the Na
tional duty of these times with better
grace and a fairer standard if it shall
do its utmost, by a genuine enforce
ment of its penal statutes to erase
some of the blackness of this blot that
East St. Louis has spread upon the ]
record of the commonwealth.
Washington (D. C.) Eagle.
On the one hundred forty-second an
niversary of the Declaration of Inde
pendence which gave assurance for the
protection of all men under our flag
and Constitution it is a hard, hard
task to drive from the nostrils of our
very souls the nauseous stench of the
burning flesh of our brothers in East
St. Louis. We are trying to take cour
age here from the better sentiment
of the best Americans.
Denver (Colo.) Statesman.
The spirit of Abraham Lincoln is
recording these atrocities, and who
knows but quietly and secretly a Ne
gro Lincoln may suddenly appear on
the scene, and instead of appealing
make a demand on the Federal Gov
ernment to put mob-rule out of ex
istence in this nation, or we may
crumble like a Babylon, a Rome, or a
Spain.
Richmond (Va.) Planet.
This latest tragedy should be con
demned from every pulpit in the land i
and the sermons upon it should last!
for not less than six months. The Col
ored newspapers of the country should
take it up as a subject for comment
for at least a year to come. We have
stood many things but this latest
manifestation of heathenism, t /agery
and fiendishness is without a parallel
in the history of this country.
Birmingham (Ala.) Reporter.
Union leaders are courting black
laborers in Birmingham trying to turn
them against their employer. Union
leaders are shooting and killing black
laborers just five hundred miles away
because the black laborer wants to
work. Do you think it would make
any difference because the black man
belonged to the union ? White men
are white men; they are going to pro
tect one another first in the union.
The Pittsburg (Pa.) Courier.
Far better would it appear to all
men of reason and decency if the
President of these United States first
made America safe for all its citizens
before preaching a ‘‘New Democracy"
and a new “Humanitarianism.” Can
America fight for a greater purpose
than safety at home? Can we imag
ine a great enemy at our doors than
the forces which make of our laws
mere printers’ ink, and of our con
stitution mere scraps of paper?
WHITE PRESS.
The Great Falls (Mont.) Tribune.
It is a shameful story. It should
cause every decent American citizen
to blush for his countrymen who did
these things. The honor of the country
demands the stem punishment of the
men and women guilty of such fiend
ish acts, and yet the history of the
past gives us no assurance that this
will be done.
Billings (Mont.) Gazette.
Never has the loyalty of the Ne
groes been questioned, nor can it be,
for on every occasion they have re
sponded to the call of Uncle Sam, and
furthermore they have invariably
given a good account of themselves.
A few more outbreaks of this char
acter and the nation will find itself
minus a most valuable adjunct.
Rocky Mountain Herald (Denver, Col.)
The slaughter—better term it a
massacre—of Negroes v;a& mt only
j true1, fiendish. It brings dishonor
upon our country and the flag, and
| we shall be held up to scorn, espe
| cially by those with whom we are at
j war.
The Kansas City (Mo.) Journal.
Illinois and America cannot afford
to have such an exhibition of trans
planted "kultur” and “frightfulness.”
For the time being there is neither
freedom nor bravery in a “land of the
free” and the “home of the brave”
where such things can take place.
For the time being it is mere stultifi
cation to protest against barbarities
practiced elsewhere w-hile these hor
rible tragedies are being enacted in
an American community.
The Cleveland (O.) Leader.
Absolutely no excuse can be found
for such horrors. They are outbursts
of cruel and murderous bestiality
which knows no law of God or man.
Not a particle of evidence exists that
the great majority of the victims of
the mob attacks upon Colored men
and women had broken any law or
given any just cause of offense. They
were killed because of their race and
for no other reason.
The Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch.
The Negro should be protected in
his industrial rights in Illinois as he is
in Virginia. When he has been—when
the shame of Illinois has been blotted
out—it will be time enough for the
North to resume its discussion of pol
itics.
The Nashville (Tenn.) Banner.
The East St. Louis Negro massacre
is the worst manifestation of race con
flict ever known in America. It was
bloody and barbarous, a disgrace to
the country's civilization.
There is no proof or record that
these Negroes, pitilessly shot down as
they fled from their burning homes,
had done harm to anyone. Their chief
offense was that they had fixed their
habitation in the community and asked
for work.
The Virginian, (Fairmont, W. Va.)
The real culprit in this case is the
weak city government which for
months has been ignoring its duty to
enforce the law and preserve the
peace. But this time the aggressors
were whites, and not a thing was
done. This week’s outbreak was the
direct result of that abdication of
municipal authority. Every city that
has that kind of municipal government
is running the same risk that East
St. Louis ran.
Houston (Tex.) Post.
To have this shameful spectacle of
savagery raging in the heart of the
country at a time when the nation is
giving vent to the loftiest purposes
which can animate it is peculiarly hu
miliating. It not only shames the na
tion, but it reproaches the nation’s
allies now engaged in the noblest ef
fort of history to suppress savagery
and brutality and to re-enthrone
Christian civilization among men.
The Monitor is growing. Help us
grow.
MOSAIC TEMPLARS HOLD
ENTHUSIASTIC MEETING
Big Increase in Membership and
Funds, Invest $30,000 in
Liberty Bonds.
(Special to The Monitor.)
Little Rock, Ark., July 20.—The Mo
: saic Templars closed a most enthusi
! astic meeting here July 13. On July
10 an audience of more than 2,000 lis
tened to an inspiring patriotic address
by Iioscoe Simmons. Grand officers
of the Temple were re-elected Thurs
day. Reports of the auditor and re
corder showed that in the last tri
ennium there had been an increase in
membership of more than 12,000, and
in funds over $100,000. The order
had invested $30,000 of its available
funds in Liberty Bonds.
BANK FOR LOUISVILLE
Louisville, Ky.—A number of prom
inent men have filed articles of in
(orporation with the secretary of state
at Frankfort and in the office of the
clerk of Jefferson county, establishing
the Standard Savings and Loan com
pany. The officers are: Dr. John H.
Frank, president; E. L. Bowen, vice
president; Edward H. Hansberry,
treasurer; John H. Frank, Jr., cashier.
Makes Second 1 rip
to Training Camp
i “Bob” Robinson Tells Monitor Readers
of Interesting Trip to Army Post
At Des Moines.
PATRIOTIC SERVICE AT STADIUM
Thousands Listen to Soul-Stirring
Singing of Colored Cadets and
Witness Inspiring Review.
Editor Monitor:
We have returned from our second
trip to the Reserve Officers’ Training
Camp at Fort Des Moines. Our trip
going and returning was over the
“White Pole” route. Our party wras
composed of Messrs. Broomfield,
Banks, Buford, Jackson and myself.
We left Friday morning and returned
Monday. Many of the incidents of
the trip enroute and at Des Moines
must be omitted for brevity’s sake
and lack of space.
On arriving in front of the Y. M. C.
A. Friday afternoon, we met some of
our old friends and many of the boys
whom we had met on our visit early
in July. We had the pleasure of being
introduced to Bishop Johnson of Phila
delphia, whom wre heard deliver a
splendid address, replete with excel
lent advice and sparkling with wit,
Sunday afternoon.
Saturday morning we were at the
Fort early, but it being an “off day”
for the boys, we visited the different
companies and the Y. M. C. A. tent.
The men in quarters were getting
ready for the great demonstration at
Drake Stadium Sunday evening at
6:30.
When we left the Fort Saturday af-1
ternoon we were invited to attend a |
grand ball given by “The Step Lively
Girls” of Des Moines for tne cadets
at Greenwood. Park. The boys seemed
to have an enjoyable time, and we
know we did watching them dance.
Sunday afternoon we watched the
boys play a game of baseball and then
went to the Y. M. C. A. tent, where
we heard two splendid addresses by
Bishop Johnson and the Hon. Nelson
Crews of Kansas City.
At 4:30 we left the Fort and drove
to Drake Stadium to attend the White
Sparrow Patriotic Service. Autos!
were parked for blocks and blocks.
The Stadium which must hold 5,000
or 6,000 people, was packed. Enthu
siasm abounded. Patriotism was all
prevalent. Music was furnished by
the First and Third Iowa Infantry and
the Typographical Union Bands. Com
munity singing, “America,” was led
by Dean Cowper of Drake University.
A military octette, eight uniformed
Negro soldiers, sang through mega
phones and unaccompanied, three num
bers: "The Old Flag Never Touched
the Ground,” “Couldn’t Hear Nobody
I’ray,, and “I want to be Ready.”
They made a tremendous hit, and the
immense audience wildly appaluded.
This was especially so when one of
them waved “Old Glory" as they sang
“The Old Flag Never Touched the
Ground.”
The members of the octette were:
T. J. Lancaster, J. E. Scott, Bush Hun
ter, A. S. Gilpin, R. R. Penn, L. C.
White, C. H. Thompson and L. G.
Koger.
Community singing, “The Battle
Hymn of the Republic,” followed. Then
Will Not Speak
of Loyalty
—
Washington Minister Says Loyalty
And Red Cross Tabooed.
Washington, D. C.—Explaining his
reason for failure to speak of the
Red Cross or of loyalty to the United
States, Dr. F. J. Grimke, of the 13th
Street Presbyterian Church, made the
following statement from his pulpit.
“When the United States govern
ment shows a proper appreciation of
the service of the Negro, who has
never failed in every crisis of its his
tory' to do his whole duty, to shed his
blood freely in its behalf; and when
the Red Cross ceases to discriminate
against Colored nurses and physicia'.s
out of deference to the Negro-hating
sentiment of the South, then, and not
till then, will I be heard on either
subject. I hope I have some little
self-respect left, enough, at least not
to allow myself to be insulted, and to
acquiesce in it. No, I have not spoken
and it is not my purpose to speak.”
--- '
came responsive reading of Psalm 46,
one side reading one verse and the
other side another verse. Can you
imagine the effect? A collection was
taken for the Woman’s Auxiliary of
the Navy league. The bands played
selections. There was some more com
munity singing; “Onward, Christian
| Soldiers” being the number. Col. C.
| C. Ballou, U. S. A., commanding of
ficer then made his appearance to
see that everything was in readiness
for the military review. The men en
tered by companies four abreast,
formed in battalions, and lined up at
the west side of the stadium facing
east. A person would not believe that
three-fourths of those men had only
six weeks of training. He would
have believed them to be one of our
regiments of regular infantry. They
had the appearance, preciseness and
regularity of trained veterans. After
mass formation the audience joined in
singing “The Star Spangled Banner.”
Stacking arms 300 of the boys formed
in a semi-circle in front of Col. Bal
lou and officers and sang four num
bers: “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,”
“Shouting All Over Heaven,” “Steal
Away, and “Tipperary.” There was
applause, repeated continuous ap
plause for five minutes. Companies
reformed and after executing a few
commands showing their mastery of
the manual of arms, Col. Ballou gave
the command, “Pass in Review." It
was great. That’s all. It would take
columns for me to fully describe what
took place at the Stadium. One would
have to see those men to fully appre
ciate their efforts.
It recalled memories of some six
teen years ago when I was a member
of Company L, 25th Infantry.
I would like to urge every Colored
citizen of Nebraska, who can possibly
do so, to take a day off and visit Fort
Des Moines. It will be an inspiration
to him.
Yours most respectfully,
W. H. ROBINSON.
WOMEN AT PRAYER
IN WASHINGTON
Washinfton, July 11.—Preparatory
to the coming of Mrs. Mary B. Tal
bot, president of the National Associa
tion of Colored Women to Washing
ton to confer with the state presidents
and put the question of lynching
squarely up to the American people,
6400 women gathered at the Metropol
itan Baptist Church this morning from
six to seven. The enormous crowd
overflowed the entrances and steps
and extended into the street. “Wrongs
can and must be righted” said Miss
Burrroughs. “We regret that the is
rue has been thrust before us when
we are with the nations at war, but
there will be no world democracy un
til the burning of innocent women
and babies, aged men and innocent
citizens of color is taken from the list
of “sports” of civilized America.
“We propose to fight for our coun
try, to help against foes at home and
abroad, to conserve food and fuel sup
plies, and we believe that the fight
for democracy must begin at home.
ASKS CONGRESS TO
INVESTIGATE RIOTS
Washington, D. C.—Representative
Dyer of Missouri introduced a joint
resolution Monday, July 9, for a Con
gressional inquiry into the recent race
riots in East St. Louis.
In the Senate Mr. Sherman submit
ted a resolution from the East St.
Louis Chamber of Commerce deploring
the riots.