j err., i The Monitor iveeti A National Weekly Newspaper Devoted to the Interests of Colored Americans ^ THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor -:-\ $1.50 a Year. 5c a Copy OMAHA, NEBRASKA, OCTOBER 13, 1917 Vol. III. No. 15 igro soldiers, as may be seen from '.ne following ut terance made by him in a letter to Governor Andrew Johnson of Tennes see on March 26, 1863: “The bare sight of 60,000 armed and drilled black soldiers upon the banks of the Mississippi would end the re bellion at once, and who doubts that we can present that sight if we but take hold in earnest? If you have been thinking of it, please do not dis miss the thought." (From “Great De bates in American History,” edited by Marion Mills Miller, Litt. D.—Current Literature Publishing Company.) In a report made to the Secretary • of War (Edwin M. Stanton) on June 23, 1862, General David Hunter gave testimony of the Negro’s efficiency as | a soldier. So according to the best military authorities, the Negro made good as a soldier. Can there be any wonder that he has been making good in Un cle Sam’s battles since the civil war —since he was emancipated and came into the enjoyment of individual free dom, which was before then denied him ? W hen alarmists, under the cloak of rac.io-sociology have done their worst; when scientists have been silenced and doctrinaires have been subdued; re freshing, indeed, will it be for future generations of Americans to read with calmness what the impartial, unpreju diced historian will have to say about the part the Negro soldiers of the United States army played in the war with Spain. Things that are too raw to state publicly now—facts that, perchance, bring embarrassment now—may be accepted with grace a few decades from now. The official report of Gen eral Kent, for instance, now a part of the records of the army at Wash ington, telling how he led the Twen ty-fourth Infantry, (a Negro regi ment,) over “prostrate forms” of pan ic-stricken white soldiers in the Cuban campaign—such official documents some day may be taken less sensi tively by Americans than they now are, or recently have been. One of these days such documents may be ac cepted earnestly, seriously as a means of arriving accurately at the Negro’s comparative merits as a soldier. In the regular army, there is an other regiment of Colored infantry— the Twenty-fifth—and two of cavalry —the Ninth and Tenth. All of these did good service in the war with Spain. After the declaration of war the Twenty-fifth was the first regiment to encamp. It was with the first ex pedition to Cuba, and was the second regiment to land on Cuban soil, and had the "honor,” as one of them put it, of digging the entrenchments near est to the enemy’s lines. It gives one a pretty fair mental picture of the Twenty-fifth to know that in physique the men were large and so sound of body that only one man from its ranks died in the Cuban campaign from cli matic disease, and only two from dis eases of any kind. The Twenty-fifth, according to Col onel Daggett’s report, occupied the right of a short, reconstructed line in the battle of San Juan Hill with the Fourth Infantry on its left. To the right of the Twenty-fifth were about fifty Cubans, who took little or no part in the fighting. The Twenty-fifth’s firing line consisted of two companies —H and G. Company D was ordered to deploy as flankers on the right. The firing line battalion was under the command of Captain W. S. Scott, and advanced in line with the Fourth I lfantry, all being under fire until they reached a point about 500 yards from the fort. Here the line found cover, halted and delivered effective fire. But at this point the Fourth Infantry was blocked by natural ob stacles, according to official reports, and could make no further advance. Nevertheless, it continued to scatter destructive bullets on the enemy. Col onel Daggett ordered an advance, which was quickly made by the Negro soldiers of the Twenty-fifth, but in doing so it broke away from the Fourth, which was halted on its left. This separated the Twenty-fifth from the brigade and exposed its left to a severe oblique, or nearly cross fire, from the village and blockhouses, which were on the left and a little in front of El Carney. Company C was then ordered to reinforce the left of the line, and Lieutenant Kinson’s com pany was called from the reserve to replace Company C in the line of sup port, thus making five companies in action. The battalion in this forma tion proceeded to within fifty yards of the fort, and fifteen or twenty minutes before any other troops came up the enemy put out the white flag. Under protection of the rifles of the Negro regiment, a delegation from the Twelfth Infantry went forward and took the emblem of surrender from the Spaniards; but, not to be outdone in the celebration of so joyous an oc casion, and hungry for the trophies of the fray, two Negroes from the Twen ty-fifth rushed upon the scene and began tearing the Spanish standard to pieces for souvenirs. (To be Continued) Conference On Food Conservation Interesting Addresses Made by Na tional, State and Local Repre sentatives of Food Commission. A meeting in the interests of food conservation was held in the Guild rooms of St. Philip’s church Tues day night, in connection with the reg ular monthly meeting of the Negro Civic and Industrial League. The pastors of the local churches and the heads of various fraternal bodies were invited to the conference. H. A. Chiles attended as the representa tive of the K. P.’s; J. C. Belcher as the representative of the Oddfellows, and Messrs. Nate Hunter and W. L. Seals as representatives of the Ma sonic fraternity. Several ladies were invited, but the sole representative of the fair sex were Mrs. R. K. Law rie, the well-known cateress and Mrs. John Albert Williams. Amos P. Scruggs, president of the League called the meeting to order and announced that inasmuch as rep resentatives of the national, state and city food conservation commissions were present for a conference with representatives of our people, the reg ular monthly meeting of the League would yield place to the conference. By common consent he acted as chair man of the meeting. Mr. E. G. Foote, a prominent busi ness man who had been summoned from Shang Hai, China, by President Wilson to assist Mr. Hoover, was in troduced and in a very simple, lucid way explained the necessity for the saving of food. He told how that by the substition of beans, potatoes and corn meal for wheat flour the United States would be able to send abroad for the sustentation of our army and allies the food which they must have. Wheat, meat and dairy products must be shipped abroad. The consumption of less of these foods at home will enable the government to make these shipments. Mr. J. C. McKelvie, who is the state representative, told in a force ful way how Nebraska is being organ ized to help in this national move ment. Every man, woman and child I can do something in this work. Mr. Harry Palmer, whose work is | the organizer of the food saving cam paign in Douglas county, explained how it was proposed to reach every individual in Douglas county, and in this work the cooperation of school children, school teachers, churches, i lodges and every organization is ' needed. The first work is that of ed ucating the people to the need of ! food conservation. This will be fol ; lowed with the pledge-signing cam paign, in which the people will be : asked to sign a card pledging them selves to keep one wheatless day and one meatless day each week. Those present at the meeting pledgeg their cooperation. NEW HEAD FOR HAMPTON Newport News.—The Rev. Dr. An son Phelps Stokes, secretary of Yale University, has been chosen as prin cipal of Hampton Normal and Indus trial Institute to succeed the late Dr. Hollis B. Frissell. “DISGRACE OF DEMOCRACY” Washington.—Kelly Miller’s pam phlet entitled the “Disgrace of De mocracy” on motion of Senator Wes ley Jones of Washington, was printed in the Congressional Record of Sep tember 15th. Tuskegee Secretary Made War Advisor Emmet J. Scott Has Been Appointed One of Three Civilian Advisors to the Secretary of War. A MAN OF MARKED ABILITY The Administration Makes Wise Movement in Giving Recognition to Well-Qualified Race Man. Washington, D. C.—Emmett J. Scott, secretary of Tuskegee Institute, has been appointed civilian advisor to the Secretary of War and will take up residence in Washington, D. C. He will be in daily communication with the other two members of the commit tee, Felix Frankfurter of the Harvard University Law School, and Walter Lippman, editor of the New Republic. This committee will be in direct con sultation with Secretary Baker. For the last twenty years Mr. Scott has been in the public eye. Before be coming private secretary to Booker T. Washington he attracted attention as a newspaper man, first on the Hous ton Post, Houston, Tex., and later as editor of the Texas Freeman. He also served as private secretary to the famous Texas politician, Wright Cuney. In the early days of Tuskegee Mr. Scott became private secretary to Booker T. Washington and for eigh teen years served with great credit in a confidential capacity to the cele brated Negro leader, proving a most valuable and trusted assistant. It was Mr. Scott who framed the plat form and handled the machinery of the National Negro Business League, who managed all the many trips that Booker T. Washington made through the Southern and Atlantic States, and who in all detail work of Tuskegee Institute as well as in the public work upheld the hands of his chief. He has a wide acquaintance and is the author of several pamphlets and books, among which are “Is Liberia Worth Saving?” “Tuskegee and Its People,” and “Booker T. Washington, Builder of a Civilization.” RACE SOLDIERS FORGOTTEN Dayton, O.—The surprising fact was made known to the public Octo ber 4 that Company C, Ninth Bat talion, Colored troops, encamped near the Soldiers’ Home since June, has not received a cent of money or shred of clothing from the government since the company, 200 strong, went into camp. In some manner the govern ment overlooked the battalion, which is composed entirely of Dayton boys. A large number of the men are without shoes and the majority with out underwear. Thus equipped they are compelled to drill six to eight hours a day and often march a total distance of 18 miles. Citizens have become interested and will appeal to the government. ADVOCATE GOOD GOVERNMENT Philadelphia, Pa.—One hundred prominent race men formed an or ganization known as the Committee of One Hundred, of which Hon. Chris J. Perry is chairman, and donated $1 each toward meeting on Thursday night at the Academy of Music for good government in this city. COTTON PICKERS IN DEMAND; PLANTERS OFFER HIGH WAGE Shreveport, La.-—A record breaking price of $1.50 per hundred pounds, nearly three times the usual price in past seasons, is being paid by some planters in north Louisiana, partic ularly in the Monroe section, for cot ton picking. HOWARD UNIVERSITY OPENS Washington, D. C.—Fi « hundred and fifty-nine students have regis tered in the academic departments at Howard University. The Fresh man and Sophomore classes are as full as usual but the draft, training camp and higher wages have caused many Juniors and Seniors to be ab sent. The registration is about one hundred and fifty below that of last year. FREIGHT HANDLERS STRIKE IN NEW ORLEANS New Orleans, La.—Approximately 500 union Colored freight handlers quit work here Sept. 24, making a total of about 2,600 dock workers on strike at this port.