“Coming and Overthrow
of the Negro in Congress”
THE REJECTION OF THE CULTURED
MENARD BY A REPUBLICAN CONGRESS
AND REVELL’S ADMISSION TO THE SENATE
TN LAST week’s article attention was centered upon the story
of reconstruction following the surrender of the confederate
army and the enfranchisement of the Negro. Negro suffrage was
first established in the District of Columbia. Subsequently all
the residents of the District, white and black, were disfranchised
to eliminate the vote of the illiterate Negro. That is why resi
dents of the District are voteless today. This act also furnished
an excuse for the present unjust discranchisement laws in the
Southern states.
Today’s article tells the story of Menard’s attempt to enter
Congress and his rejection and of Revell’s admission to the Sen
ate. This is the way Colonel McClure puts it:
IT WAS not until the 7th of Decem
ber, 1868, that the first Negro
applied for admission into Congress.
There was a vacancy in the Second
district of Louisiana, and at the gen
eral election of November 3, 1868, J.
Willis Menard, a resident of New Or
leans, was certified by Governor
Warmouth as elected to fill the va
cancy. The House was largely Re
publican, but the idea of admitting a
Negro, into Congress threw many of
the Republican members into a hyster
ical condition. They could not frank
ly oppose him because he was a Ne
gro, and they made a miseroscopical
examination of the regularity of his
credentials. He was allowed to be
heard in defense of his own case, as is
common in such cases, and thus be
came the first of his race whose voice
was heard on the floor of the House
of Representatives; but his certificate
was rejected by an overwhelming ma
jority, and the Republican leaders
breathed more freely because they had
for at least a season escaped the fel- |
lowship of a black man in the coun- j
cils of the nation. Menard was one i
of the most accompli shed *of his race,
a college graduate and had rendered
very creditable sendee to the govern
ment, but three years after the close
of the war that had been fought for
the freedom and finally for the en
franchisement of the black man a Re
publican Congress was unwilling to
accept even one of the most creditable
of his race to membership.
In less than two years the Negro
again knocked for admission into Con- 1
gress, and this time he stood at the
door of the Senate. In January, 1870,
Hiram R. Revells, a full-bl 'eu Ne
gro and a man of much more than
common ability, was elected to the
Senate to fill an unexpired term by
the Mississippi legislature. It was
accepted as the irony of fate that this
Negro leader should be chosen to fill
the vacancy in the United States Sen
ate that had been created by the res
ignation of Jefferson Davis at the
beginning of the war. Mr. Revells was
a Methodist minister, and highly re
spected as one of the most prominent
and useful of the Colored leaders of
the South. On the 25th of January, j
five days after his election, he ap
peared in Washington and the Repub
lican leaders of the first legislative
tribunal of the nation were in con
sternation at the threatened advent of
the Negro in the Senate. The Senate
was overwhelmingly Republican, but
many of the party leaders made ex
haustive study to find some reasona
ble excuse for refusing the seat to
Revells. It was not until a month
after he had given his credentials to
Senator Wilson of Massachusetts, that
Wilson felt safe in presenting them
to the body and moving that Revells
be sworn as a Senator. An animated
debate followed, occupying three days,
in which Republican Senators invented
many excuses for rejecting the creden
tials with the Negro behind them; but
on the 25th day of February Charles
Sumner delivered one of the ablest
speeches of his life in defense of the
rights of the Negro, resulting in the
admission of Revells by a decided ma
jority. Thus on the 25th of February,
1870, the first Negro entered our na
tional legislature when Hiram R. Re
vells was qualified as United States
Senator, and during the term of little
more than a year he enjoyed the soli
tude that was broken by very few of
his fellow Senators in social inter
course, even on the floor of the Sen
ate.
I met Senator Revells when he was
a member of the Senate, and was
very much interested in him as the
first representative of his race in our
National Congress. He was a man
of rather imposing presence, severely
unassuming, and unusually intelligent.
He was sincerely devoted to the ele
vation and improvement of his race on
the highest lines of advancement, and
he probably did more than any one of
his race in his day in smoothing the
thorny pathway for his people in the
South. A notable illustration of the
general public sentiment in the North
on the subject of the Negro as a
national legislator was given in Phil
adelphia soon after Revells’ admission
to the Senate. He suddenly rose to
national fame as the first black man
to become a national lawmaker, and
he delivered lectures in many sections
of the country, which were largely at
tended. Among other invitations he
received and accepted was one to lec
ture in Philadelphia in the Academy
of Music, but when application was
made for the use of the Academy the
managers of that institution were
thrown into hysterics at the sugges
tion of bringing a Negro on its plat
form, and Revells was refused the
right to speak there. Of course, it
was not announced that the Academy
was refused because Revells was a
Negro, but it was none the less the
truth. The Black Swan was allowed
to warble her sweet notes on the same
platform and her coming did not mean
political fellowship, but the advent
of the Negro Senator was a living
object lesson of equal rights for the
black man, which could not at that
day be accepted even in loyal Phila
delphia.
Ten years after Revells’ retirement
from the Senate I visited the capital
of Mississippi and there met the late
Senator George, who was then Sena
tor-elect, with the governor of the
State and a number of other promi
nent officials. I was equally sur
prised and gratified to hear from them
that ex-Senator Revells was doing a
great work in Mississippi as president
of a college for Colored students, and
that he was very highly respected. His
work was so well appreciated that the
State of Jefferson Davis, who was
then living, contributed annually and
liberally to maintain the institution.
Revells continued that work until his
death, and he lived to see Blanche K.
Bruce, of his own race, represent his
State in the Senate, with half a dozen
more Negro Representatives in the
House. Bruce entered the Senate in
1875, served a full term, and after
ward made Register of the Treasury.
He had a more rosy pathway than his
predecessor in the Senate, as the Ne
gro was no longer shunned as a pest
in the conucils of the nation. Since
Bruce’s retirement in 1881 the Col
ored race has been without represent
ation in the Senate.
With the appearance of Revells in
the Senate came two Negro Represent
atives—‘Joseph R. Rainey, of South
Carolina, who was admitted without
question, and Jefferson F. Long, of
Georgia, who filled an unexpired term
of little more than a month, and who
was the only Negro ever chosen to
either branch of Congress in that
State. From the time of the appear
ance of Rainey in the Forty-first Con
gress the Negro has served in one or
both branches until the close of the
last Congress, with the single excep
tion of the Fiftieth Congress, when
it happened that the Colored race was
without representation.
(Next week: “South Carolina’s Bril
liant Galaxy.” Watch for it.)
“AUNT DINAH”
GOING FAR AWAY
“Aunt Dinah” is going away. This
news will sadden the day for many
an Omaha epicure. But she’s going.
Two years ago “Aunt Dinah” came
j from Atlanta, Gawga, to delight the
palates of Omaha folk with fried
chicken such as only a Georgia mam
my knows how to cook. The Fonte
! nelle hotel opened a special kitchen
! for her, and fame which had preceded
her was enhanced again. To those who
really understood what fried chicken
should be like, her name became a
thing to be spoken with tender regard.
To those who did not know how chick
en should be fried there were opened
vistas of Elysium theretofore un
dreamed of. "Aunt Dinah” came, and
cooned, and conquored.
She stayed a year at the Fonte
nelle. Then the Blackstone got her
as pastry cook—for her skill was
p'-oven in a various way. And there
she spent another year. Now she’s
going. Going back east somewhere—
she won’t tell just yet. But Omaha’s
remembrance of her is expressed in
one brief sentence:
“She sure could cook!”—World-Her
ald. ill
u
OVERSEAS COLORED
TROOPS COMING HOME |
Sections of the 367th, 369th, 370th and
372nd Regiments Assigned by War
Department for Early Convoy to
America.
Special to The Monitor:
Washington, D. C., Jan. 20.—An
nouncement is made through the of
fice of Emmett J. Scott, Special As
sistant to the Secretary of War, that
the War Department has assigned for
early convoy from Franee to America
the following units of Colored troops,
or sections thereof, as herein de
sc ribed:
Three Hundred and Sixty-seventh
Infantry (“The Buffaloes,” part of
92nd Division), headquarters and first
battalion, 40 officers and 1,296 men,
headquarters company, supply com
pany and Third Battalion. 49 officers
and 1,315 men.
Three Hundred and Sixty-ninth In
fantry (formerly 16th New York Reg
iment) , headquarters supply company,
2nd Battalion and Sanitary Detach
ment, 56 officers and 1,202 men.
Three Hundred and Seventieth In
fantry (including the former 8th Il
linois Regiment), headquarters, 2nd
and 3rd Battalions, Medical Detach
ment, 68 officers and 1.555 men.
Three Hundred and Seventy-second
Infantry’ (ihcludiag the District of Co
lumbia National Guard, etc.), 65 of
ficers and 1,855 men.
Three Hundred and Seventy-second
Infantry, Medical Detachment and
Second Battalion complete, 22 officers
and 683 men.
This will be welcome intelligence to
the relatives and friends of these gal
lant warriors for freedom and democ
racy throughout the land. In many
of the larger centers of Colored pop
ulation elaborate arrangements are al
ready underway to give them a warm
reception upon their arrival home.
I These Colored soldiers have given an
admirable account of themselves on
some of the most notable battle-fields i
in France, and richly merit the plau- I
dits they are to receive at the hands !
of a grateful and well served repub- I
lie.
OMAHA COLORED
BUSINESS FIRMS
Our classified directory of Omaha
i Colored Business Firms, which is be
gun in this issue, will not only be a
splendid advertising feature for the
firms themselves, but will be a rev
elation to people at home and abroad
of the number and variety of busi- t
ness ventures in which our people are j
engaged. We hope to have in time !
every business and professional firm j
in Omaha in this directory. It will
make you open your eyes. The only
way these firms can grow will be
through your patronage. These firms ■
! must also, on their part, do all that
in them lies to give its patrons effi
cient service.
—
N. W. C. A. HOME
—
The N. W. C. A. will hereafter hold
their middle meeting at the members’
homes and the monthly meeting at the
j Old Folks’ Home. The first middle
meeting was held with Mrs. J. H.
Smith with a good attendance. Eigh
teen blocks for a quilt was made. Mrs.
John Perry was made president of the
middle meeting and Mrs. H. R. Rob
erts secretary. All members are re
quested to be present at meeting to be
held January 29.
Anyone wishing to buy an equity in
a beautiful home, now is your chance;
8 rooms, strictly modem, terms rea
sonable. Call W. 2941.
Save
that we may share
Save food
+ + + + + + + + + •( + + + + + + + + 4
+ . ♦
4 METHODS OF DEMOCRACY. 4
4 - 4
4 The extent to which the United 4
4 States Food Administrator has 4
4 gelled on the voluntary support 4
4 of the American people Is shown 4
4 by a statement made by the 4
4 United States Food Admlnlstra- 4
4 tor speaking before the Senate 4
4 Agricultural Committee less 4
4 than three months after this 4
j 4 country entered the war. That 4
4 he was Justified in his Implicit 4
4 confidence in the strength of de- 4
4 mocracy has been clearly reflect- 4
4 ed by the measure of support we 4
4 have lent the Allies. 4
4 "If demoegney Is worth any- 4
4 thing,” Mr. Hoover declared, “we 4
4 can do these things by co-opera- 1
4 tion, by stimulation, by self-sac- 4
4 r I flee, by the patriotic mobilize- 4
4 tion of the brains of tills coun- 4
4 try. If It cannot be done In this 4
4 manner It is better that we ac- 4
4 cept German domination and 4
4 confess to failure of our political 4
4 Ideals, acquiesce In the superior- 4
4 Ity of the German conception 4
4 and send for the Germans to in- 4
4 struct us in its use." 4
4 4
444 4 4 4 4 4 4 v 4 4 4 r 4 4 444
Patrioteering
*
By BOOTH TARKINGTON
Of Thm Vigilantes
“When the German-Americans, as
we call them, found that our country
was in the war, they erased the hy
phen. The hyphen Is gone forever.
. . . In our country there are only
American citizens.” I quote the above
from a recent article Issued hy the
“Vigilantes,” and I believe the facts
to be virtually as stated. But if they
were not. and if the hyphen did ac
tually here and there remain alive,
would not the most sensible policy
treat It as dead, and at least assume
it to be dead, wherever it showed no
virulent signs of life? In other words,
men cnnnot be gonded into loyalty;
they only accumulate a sense of In
jury under the goad. And it was
never more Important than at this
present time that we should nvold In
justice to any citizen. Suspicion, ru
mor and coincidence of circumstance
should Influence neither our Judgments
nor our actions; much less should we
vent our passion ngnlnst Germany
upon the person of him whom we
called the German-American.
I speak from the standpoint of one
who bitterly opposed the German
American position on the war prior
to the American entrance, April, 1017.
But the sympathy of the German
American with the German cause
prior to that date. If rightly compre
bended, does not imply a sympathy
contii ilng beyond that date, though
to many minds this is either an Im
possible parndox or a symptom ol
credulity imposed upon by almosl
barefaced hyprocrisy. It Is neither
The German-American, beholding s
war between Germany and the allies
sided with Germany. He had nol
In rn alienated fr.mi Germany, as tbs
rest of iis had been alienated (by tht
'^evolutionary War) from England
lie saw merely a contest between for
eign powers and sided with that frott
which he sprang. But when his owi
country came to actual war with Ger
tinny the German-American fount1
ilmself to be an American. Neverthe
less, it Is hard for him to show hb
patriotism when we say to him: “Now
you dirty German-American, droj
your tricks and speak up I Repeat
these words in a loud shout, 'I am at
American and I love the flag,’ and II
von don’t shout loud enough we’t
kick you, and maybe we’ll kick yot
anyhow I” Such Instruction does nol
seem quite statesmanlike, or over
Chrlstlanlike, either.
Germans to Germans.
Margaret Deland, lately returne(
from France, says that over there, no'
-mg ago, a company of German pris
•iners. Just captured, were being sen'
back front the front, when they en
countered an American regiment
largely from Wisconsin, moving up ti
Hie trenches. Many of the Wisconsin
'roops were of Gentian origin; Bonn
•itong them, indeed, could hnrdl)
speak English, and the prisoners weri
tstonlshed to lie greeted noisily ant
-.irrulously In their own tongue. The]
were even more astonished at th<
iinrure of the comments which thesi
strange Germans from America madt
upon them. In fact, the episode wot
annullable. Oaths In the Germat
’ongue were frequent and Intensive
The German-speaking men of the Wis
"nnsln regiment cursed the capturet
German soldiers with an lnhospltahh
frankness very shocking to the pris
oners, who had been passed in silenct
by other American regiments, and
had received cigarettes flora a bat
talion of English. Words like "dumm
kopf” and “schwelnhund” were em
ployed, with prophetic expletives
nnd the general sense of what tht
Wisconsin men said to their Germat
cousins was as follows: “You dash
blunked Jackasses and dots, we and
our father left your old fatherland
nnd went four thousand miles to livt
In a better place. Now we have tc
come all the way back, four thousand
miles again yet, to slaughter you, be
cause you haven’t got any more senst
than to believe and obey thut old pig
dog of a kaiser I We’ll send youi
kaiser and princes to sheol, where they
can't do any more harm; and au fot
you, dunderheads, you ought to bt
hanged for making us all this trou
ble of coming over here to teach you
eome sense with our bayonets 1”
May Work Out Own Salvation.
The citizens once called German
Americans will work out their own
salvation if we do not make It too
hard for them. What man can show
enthusiasm for anything, when he is
threatened with punishment If he li
not enthusiastic? Loyalty is a feel
ing; It Is not a spoken word. You
cannot possibly produce a beautiful
feeling In any man by threatening him
or prosecuting him. Let us not threat
en at all, and let us prosecute only
when we have evidence. Is It certain
evidence thut a man Is loyal If he
have a son In the American army?
No. There were rebels In ’63 who
had sons in the Northern armies. Is
It certain evidence that a man Is
disloyal if he have a son In the Ger
man army? No. There were loyal
Union men In ’64 who had sons
fighting for the South. So It may
be now. There are American citizens
who have relatives In the German
fcrmy and other relatives in the Amer
can army. Here and there Is an Amer
ican citizen who has one son In the
American army and another eon to
Mm Germtu arm/.
IHHIIIMBttllllllllltllllllllllllllMttMItllttltlllltltltlllltMtltlllMttlHIIIItlllllltttltlltllllllllillltnillMIHIIIII
H Classified Dirt
Colored prol
Businea
* IHNIMtHIHMIMIIMlIIMfltllHIIIIIIIMIIItllilltlllllllHIIItltllllll III! (Ml MU In
Web. 875
I J. HALL - - - Prop. «
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| Progressive |
Tailor I
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1614 N. 24th St.
s s
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l South & Thompson’s Cafe jj
>1 2418 North 24th St. Webster 4566 »
:t ;s
;k SPECIAL SUNDAY DINNER jR
« Stew’ed cntcken with dumplings..40c )t
JJ Roast I^ime Beef au Jus _40c |g
h Roast Pork, Apple Sauce _40c H
JJ Roast Domestic Goose, dressing 50c jgj
Early June Peas
Mashed Potatoes &
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Coffee Dessert
We Serve Mexican Chile
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Scientific Scalp Specialists
Sole Manufacturers of
H MAGIC HAIR GROWER AND g
g MAGIC STRAIGHTENING OIL g
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B the Making of Hair goods.
». Hair Grower, per box 50c.
Straightening Oil, per box 35c g
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! J. H. HOLMES
TAILOR
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;; k i$it u,a if unf it n it it if it if if n it it if it a it y
iS 3tj
I E. A. Williamson 1
DRUGGIST
it
g X.
Competent and Reliable
2306 North 24th St,
Webster 4443.
:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: >: :! :: ;; ,< 2
f: Office Phone Residence ii
Douglas 2842 Web. 5519 I
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| OMAHA, - - NEB. |
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xtory of Omaba’9
?<99ional and
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1 TOP NOTCH 1
CAFE
24th and Hamilton Sts. 51
K Under new management. Week jj»
w days. 8 n. m. to 11 p. m. Sunday, M
breakfast 9 a. m. to 11:30 a. m. [>#
)j Dinner, 1 p. m. to 8 p. m.
p. Short orders, 9 a. m. to 11 p. m. p
p Mrs. loma Banks and Miss Mary p\
Anne Logan, Props.
1 A. F. PEOPLES
| Painting
Paperhanging and
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1 S
!r 4827 Erskine Street.
Phone Walnut 2111. 1
“XKfcXXaXWKXWXXaXXXx «.x«X*%£
| J.H. Russell I
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UNDERTAKERS
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1914 Cuming Street
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Day Phone, Red 3203
Night, Call Douglas 3718
B .___B
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Ware’s Candy Kitchen ij
I and Ice Cream Parlor §
x Fresh home made Candies of j
j' all kinds made daily,
x, K
x Ice Cream, per quart, 50c; per x
1 gallon, $2.00. §
" Orders delivered promptly. 11
it H
it it
1508 North 24th. %
H \
M _ t; A
■tl tt y, y y y y y y y y it it it it it.;: it it it it it it it
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J* Horse Drawn Hearses DayandNIght «
I Allen Jones |
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FUNERAL HOME
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§ Calls answered promptly anywhere K
Web 1100 and Web. 204
Licensed Embalmer.
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gj South 32d Avenue. Tel. Harney x
§ 3371, Omaha.
C. R. Boyd
Colored Prop.
WARDEN HOTEL
On Sixteenth Street at Cuming.
STEAM HEATED ROOMS—HOT AND COLD RUNNING WATER—BATHS j
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By Day tor Two. $1.00. $1.25, $1.50
By Week .$2.00 to $4.50
Take Any Car From Station and Transfer North on 16th Street.
EASY WALKING DISTANCE TO HEART OF CITY
Douglae 6332. Chariot H. Warden, Proprietor.
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