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About The monitor. (Omaha, Neb.) 1915-1928 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 14, 1918)
i = i The Monitor A NATIONAL WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF COLORED AMERICANS. THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor $2.00 a Year. 5c a Copy OMAHA, NEBRASKA, DECEMBER 14, 1918 Vol. IV. 1 (Whole No. 179) Dr. Robert Moton x Goes To France Head of Tuskegee Is Sent by Presi dent Wilson and Secretary Baker to “Do Morale Work Among the Color ed Troops Over There.” OBJECT OPEN TO QUESTION Prominent Newspaper Men Members of Party: Dubois Goes as Represen tative of the Crisis Magazine on Same Transport. ASHINGTON, D. C., Dec. 2.— Dr. Robert R. Moton, principal of Tuskegee institute, has gone to France at the request of President Wilson and Secretary of War Baker to do morale work among the Colored troops “ever there.” With the tensity of combat relieved, it is the usual dis position of all armies to fall into ex cesses of various kinds. Dr. Moton will visit all of the cen ters where numbers of supply troops, stevedore regiments, depot brigades, -—labor battalions and combat troops are located, speaking to them and urging in every way that they observe the good name they have won on the bat tlefields and in the service in France, that they may not furnish the slight est cause for unfavorable comment or adverse criticism before they return to America. Dr. Moton carried with him letters of introduction to the highest officers of the American expeditionary forces and to the American ambassador at Paris. He was accompanied by Mr. Nathan Hunt, traveling secretary, and Mr. Lester A. Walton, managing edi tor of the New York Age. The party sailed on the United States transport Orizaba Sunday, December 1, at 2 o’clock. On the same transport Dr. W. E. B. Dubois, editor of the Crisis Mag azine, also took passage. He will rep resent the Crisis Magazine. /Dr. Moton and party will be away for four to six weeks and will have full opportunity to render splendid service to the Colored troops and the government by The good work Tie'will do among these soldiers of the repub lic. Mr. Emmett J. Scott, special as sistant to the secretary of war, ac companied the party to New York City and supervised all of the ar rangements incidental to their pas sage. WYOMING MOB MURDERS NEGRO Victim, Who Had Killed Switchman and Wounded Another Man Taken From Jail and Hanged by Mob Numebring 500. Green River, Wyo.—A mob of 500 persons lynched “Joe” Woodson, a Negro, hanging him from a telephone v pole in front of the court house here. V after he had shot Albeit Miller, a switchman for the Union Pacific rail way, killing him instantly, and wounded another railroad man. The shooting followed his ejection from the dining room at the Union Pacific station, tl was said that Woodson, who was employed there as a porter, had made an offensive remark to a white waitress. He later returned to the dining room with a revolver and began firing. Miller fell at the first shot. An other bullet struck his companion, entering one arm. Woodson was arrested shortly aft erward and taken to jail. In the meantime the mob began forming. It marched to the jail and, after overpowering the guards, seized the prisoner. STREET CAR STRIKE ENDS Car Men on Order From Washington Decide to Return to Work—Truc tion Service Resumed Thursday Afternoon. TAFT AND MANLY ARE COMING Representatives of National War Board Will Come to Omuha January 2 to Hear Grievances. As The Monitor goes to press Oma ha’s street car strike has ended and service has been resumed on all lines. The union officials decided Wednes I day night to end the strike on receipt of telegrams from President Mahon of the national organization and from the war labor board. President Ma hon advised the man to go back to work until a further hearing on the Omaha situation could be had. The war labor board held that the men had no right to strike. A conference was held in the labor “OO! GRANT A, V/£ FORGOT SOMPIN’!” temple Thursday morning the out come of which was the calling off of the strike and the decision to refer grievances to William Howard Taft and Basil M. Manly, chairmen of the war labor board who will come to Omaha, January 2, to hear all griev ances. INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE Washington, D. C., Dec. 7.—The executive committee of the National Race Congress of the United States announced Wednesday that it had named five delegates to the Interna tional Conference of the Darker Races of the World, to be held in France during the peace conference. The dele gates, it was said, also were sent as a visiting delegation to the peace con ference. Rev. E. C. Morris has been selected by the Arkansas State Baptist con vention to represent them at the peace conference. Colonel Roscoe Conkling Simmons will go as a representative of the Chicago Defender. AMERICAN COLONIES IN AFRICA Manchester Guardian Suggests That United States Acquire Colonies in the Dark Continent. The future of the former German colonies is now much under discussion in Europe, and many think that America should bear her share of “the white man’s burden.” The Manchest er Guardian says: “Some of those who are interested in coloniul questions are asking whether the time is not coming when America will reconsider her attitude with regard to undertaking territorial obligations in the backward regions of the earth. “If the administration of the Ger man colonies is to be added to the al ready enormous burden resting upon the British Empire, this burden—if it is to be carried alone by us or even shared in some manner between Great Britain and France—may become al together too unwieldly. There is the greatest need in colonial administra tion of the efficient and liberal-minded help which America could supply.” ON HONOR ROLL Among the pupils of the Central high school who are on the honor roll for this semester is Dorothy Williams, who received three and half A’s. EPISCOPALIANS CONSECRATE A N O X H E R HI S H O P The Rev. Henry Heard Delaney, Vice President of St. Augustine’s School, Raleigh, North Carolina, Elevated to the Episcopate. Raleigh, N. C. — The Venerable Henry Beard Delaney, D. D., arch | deacon for Colored work in the dio , cose of North Carolina, was conse I crated suffragan bishop of that dio cese for Negro work on Thursday, j November 21, in the chapel of St. 1 Augustine’s school, Raleigh, with which he had been connected for many years. The Rfc-Rev. Joseph B. Cheshire, | D. D., bishop of the diocese, officiated j as consecrator, assisted by the Rt. ! Rev. Dr. Beverly D. Tucker, D. D., of southern Virginia, and the Rt. Rev. Thomas C. Darst, D. D., of east Caro ; lina. Bishop Lloyd, president of the I General Board of Missions, preached I the sermon. Bishop Weed of Florida and Bishop Homer of Asheville pre sented the dean for consecration. The Rev. Morrison Bethea, secretary of the diocese, read the certificate of election. The Rev. M. A. Barbey read the consent of the bishops, and Dr. R. H. Lewds read the consent of the standing committees. Bishop Demby, who was recently consecrated suffra I gan bishop of Arkansas for Colored I work, read the Litany. The Venerable | Erasmus L. Baskerville and the Rev. James K. Satterwhite were the at tending presbyters. The Rev. Dr. Bragg was master of ceremonies. PLEASANT CONDITIONS AT CAMP LEE, VIRGINIA Washington, D. C.—Conditions at I Camp Lee, Petersburg, Va., are quite satisfactory to the 10,000 Colored sol I diers now stationed there, according to a statement made by Rev. Arthur G. C. Randall, a representative of the Y. M. C. A. work at that point. The Thirteenth infantry replacement bat talion at Camp Lee has four Colored i captains and there is also the 155th Depot Brigade, both of which are ren dering excellent service. Officers and men are treated with uniform cour tesy and respect by their commanders. There arc two Colored chaplains, Max Yergan and J. H. Brown,1 spiritual leaders of broad sympathies, and they exert a most wholesome influence upon the morale of the men. A com modious hostess house is in process of ■ erection and will fill a long-felt want. FIGHTING WHEN THE ARMISTICE IS SIGNED — Lieutenant Udell Turpin of St. Louis, an Officer of the Ninety-Second Division, Tells of Fight Until Order to Cease Firing. Somewhere in France, November 12. AT the eleventh hour, eleventh day - of the eleventh month, the armis tice was signed; peace is certain; Ger many is whipped; the kaiser is gone and the world war is ended. All France is again lighted up, after four years of daikness, and every French man is happy. Negroes Given Strong Position. It was so arranged that our di vision, which had a fighting reputa tion, like all Negro divisions have, was placed opposite a very strong part of the Getman line; in fact, if wre accomplished the objective given us, we were sure to turn the tables. On Sunday morning, November 10, at 5 o’clock, we went “over the top.” Such fighting I have never seen dur ing my five months here. Reach First Objective. We reached our first objective on Sunday morning and started on our second Monday morning at 5 o’clock. Shells were bursting all around us, but they did not stop our boys. They intended to gain this important ob jective or die in the attempt. Many Fall On the Battlefield. Men were falling all about me (I was sent ahead to gain important "in telligence” information); many were knocked out by gas, but the boche was getting twice as much “hell” as he gave us, and prisoners were coming through in great numbers. All of a sudden the call “Cease fir ing” was sounded by a bugler in the distance and, as if by magic, all fir ing ceased and the deafening thunder of guns was silenced. The Germans stopped also and at once we learned that the kaiser had abdicated and an armistice had been signed. Words will never explain these last days of the war. No human tongue will ever de scribe the sensations experienced. You Cannot imagine what a grand and glorious feeling it is to know that we have “met the enemy and he is ours,” and we can once more sleep in peace without worrying about the boche shells knocking us off of our bunks or being attacked by gas at night. We are now waiting for a safe return back to those we love most dearly. GERMAN RULE IN AFRICA The following was clipped from the Gold Coast Leader, a progressive Af rican journal, and we reprint it as published so that our Monitor read ers may have some idea of what Ger man rule has meant to Africa. LOME July 1. “West Africa” of the 4th of May, 1918, has the following under “A “A Coaster’s London Log:” A Pleasant Fellow. A new and cheap edition of a book entitled “From the Congo to the Niger and Nile,” written by Duke Adolphus Frederick of Mecklenburg, has been issued at Leipsic. In one chapter the writer genially says: “Whoever desires to colonize in Af rica must not be afraid of deeds of violence. Friendly persuasion will never induce any Negro to work; the African Negro must be made to un derstand that if he does not work, soldiers will come, burn his hut, and seize him by the throat.” But the duke apparently forgot to add these words which we do now with due respect to his exalted rank and position .... seize him by the throat and make his wives your concubines .... Duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg Schwerin was the last German governor of Togoland. He was on leave in Ger many when the war broke out. Herr Hans Georg von Doering was acting governor at the time and he was cap tured as a prisoner of war in 1914. During the administration of his high ness Duke Adolf Friedrich the hatred ness and dislike of German rule in Togoland was intensified. The peo ple expected a German duke would be inspired with a high motive in the administration of the colony, but they were disappointed in Adolf Friedrich. The duke governor thought in Africa one could live as ho wished, but he underestimated the intelligence of the people who watched and criticized his acts. The Roman Catholic mission aries who shielded his scandals by changing the names of the black white children did little service for him as the litle Meeklenburger Prince ling is living and will be known by the name of Prinz Adolf Friedrich. His father’s name is neither Kuajo nor Kofi. Mrs. E. Lewis has received word from her son, Sergeant A. C. Dent of Camp Pike, that he expects to be home for Christmas. 92 nc Division Makts Record In France Gallant Colored Fighting Machine Wins Plaudits for Successful Raids Against Germans in “No Man's Land”—Led by Capable- Command ers. BY RALPH W. TYLER Accredited Representative of the Com mittee on Public Information. Somewhere in Fr^jige.—The Col ored people back in America can well feel proud of the record made by the 92d division over here, which has about 600 Colored line officers, and whose rank and file is composed ex clusively of Colored soldiers. Here is the record of the 92d as a combatant regiment up to November 8, 1918: When the Marbache sector was taken over the 92d division of “Black Devils,” as the Germans call them, “No Man’s Land” was owned by the Germans, and here they were ag gressively on the offensive. They, the Germans, held Belie Fai-m, Bois De Tete D’Or, Bois De Frehaut, Voivrotte Farm, Voivrotte Woods, Bois De Cheminot and Moulton Brook. The constantly aggressive action of patrols, day and night, from the 92d has resulted in many casualties to the Germans, and the capture of many prisoners. fiach of the places named above has been raided, as has also Epley, and patrols from the division has penetrated north nearly to the east and west line through Pagny. The Germans have been driven north beyond Frehaut and Voivrotte to Cheminot bridge and in his despera tion the Hun is attempting to de stroy the Seilie Bridge, after having flooded the Seilie, proving conclu sively that he regards the black troops that compose the 92d division as one he cannot successfully with stand. West of the Seilie river ex cellent results have followed the en ergetic offensive action of this doughty wing of the allied army, the . Germans losing heavily in killed and wounded and prisoners. In nearly ev ery instance, these raids made by troopers of this division have been made under the command of Colored line officers. This record made by these Colored soldiers, must, of necessity, arouse the greatest enthusiasm back in “The States” and merits the plaudits of the race for the gallant fighting ma chine. So wonderful have been the achievements of the 92d that the di vision commander was impelled to send out a bulletin of congratulation, to be read before each unit of the di vision. This proud record must for ever set at rest the question of Col ored soldiers following and fighting under their own officers, and it must forever establish the efficiency of Colored officers, who have done splen didly under the most trying circum stances. COLORED SOLDIER BURIED AT SEA ASHINGTON, D. C.—Dr. Thos. Jesse Jones, who recently went to France, under the auspices of the Y. M. C. A., has just been sent Mr. Emmett J. Scott, special assistant, war department, the following account of the burial of a Colored soldier at sea: A Colored soldier was buried at sea today. The flags on all the ships of the fleet have been at half-mast all day. It matters not that the sol dier came from a lowly cabin. It matters not that his skin is black. He is a soldier in the army of the United States and was on his way to fight for democracy and civiliza tion. The announcement of his death was signalled to every commander and every ship prepared to do honor to the Colored soldier. As the sun was set ting in the west, the guard of honor including all the officers from the commander to the private came to attention. The body of the Negro trooper wrapped in the American flag, was tenderly carried to the stem of the ship. The chaplain read the solemn burial service. The en gines of the fleet were checked. The ship was stopped for the only time in the long trip from America to Europe. The bugle sounded taps and the body of the American soldier was commit ted to the great ocean and to God. The comradeship of the solemn oc casion was the comradeship of real de mocracy. There was neither black nor white, north nor south, rich nor poor. All united in rendering honor to the Negro soldier who died in the service of humanity.