Nebraska Newspapers

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A NATIONAL WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF COLORED AMERICANS. %
/oo.
TRE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS. Editor ^/(t
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$2.00 a Year. 5c a Copy OMAHA, NEBRASKA, MARCH 22. 1919 Vol. IV. No 'Whole No. 193)
Negro Migration
Causing Concern
Shifting of Population from South to
North Raising Serious Problems
Calling for Solution.
THE CHIEF CAUSES OF UNREST
Centenary Movement Interested in
Raising Immense Sum to Be Used
in Educating Wise Leaders
to Help Situation.
TVTEW YORK.—One hundred thou
1 ’ sand Negro soldiers recruited in
the South, according to a recent can
vass, intend remaining permanently in
the North. Negro workmen released
from Southern munitions factories
have come North by the hundred and,
year after year, there has been a
steady stream of Negroes flowing
northward.
“Now you have them, what are you
going to do with them?” The South
. "-«■ asked this question mirthfully when
the migration first began, but mirth
has slowly changed to anxiety as the
visible shortage of labor increases.
At present the North is beginning
to ask the same question—what is to
be done with the increasing Negro
population? The problem is a double
barreled one, affecting both the South
and the North, and one that must be
solved speedily for the economic health
of the nation.
When called upon to give a reason
for the steady northward migration
of the Negro, Prof. J. 0. Thomas,
friend of the late Booker T. Washing
ton, and, incidentally, examiner in
charge of the United States employ
ment service among the Negroes of
.New York City, smiled and related
the following characteristic story:
“What do you want to go North for,
Jerry?” asked a Mississippi planta
/tion owner of one of his Negro labor
ers. “Don’t you know that the South
ern white man is the Negro’s best
friend?”
“Yes, boss, Ah reckon you am right;
but when a Southern nigger can’t
agree with his best friends he don’t
quarrel with dem—he jes’ naturally
pick up an’ leave dem!”
“Negroes come North because the
color line is not drawn quite so tight
ly and because they find a freer ac
cess to educational institutions than is
possible in the South,” continued Prof.
Thomas. “But often they find much
cause for dissatisfaction in their new
environment.”
Education and specialized training,
the Negro has discovered, are easily
obtainable in the North; but the
profitable application of a trade or
profession, once acquired, is not quite
such a simple matter.
^ Seven years of university and post
graduate work made a competent phy
sician out of a studious young Negro,
but failed to put him on the way of
obtaining either a practice or an in
stitutional position. Recently he ap
pealed at the United States employ
ment agency in uptown New York, ex
pressing eagerness to secure a job as
porter at $50 a month and wondering
why less competent white men suc
ceeded in medicine while he failed.
Thousands of Negroes who came
North to work in munitions plants, al
though some few of them are good
mechanics, are now working in New
York and other large cities as unskill
ed laborers. Many of them feel that
they are discriminated against in fa
vor of white workers.
Raising the average intelligence of
|— a race also raises its sensitiveness
abnormally, and the Negro in the
North is getting restive.
Have you heard of “The Interna
tional league of the Darker Races?”
This new society is enjoying a mush
room growth umong the Negroes in
the North and is also patronized by
Japanese and other non-white ele
ments of our cosmopolitan population.
It is ultra-socialistic by inclination. At
present its aims are rather vague;
but whatever may be its ultimate ob
jective, this organization portends a
mass movement among Northern Ne
groes which must be properly directed
if it is to be beneficial instead of
harmful to American democracy.
. “The Negro church alone can guide
f such a movement,” explained Prof.
Thomas. “Educated or utterly illiter
ate, a Negro pastor wields mire power
among his people than any one else,
and his opinions are more greatly re
spected than those of any other per
son. I believe that the Centenary pro
gram of the Methodist Episcopal
church is a step in the right direction
and will do much to prevent future
racial misunderstandings.
This program proposes the expen
diture of $1,383,600 out of the $105,
000,000 world betterment fund now be
ing raised for the benefit of the Ne
gro in the North. Community centers
and educational propaganda will Ire
counted upon to counteract any un
balanced anti-social tendencies which
agitators may strive to stir up, while
well equipped churches and intelligent,
sufficiently educated, broad-minded
Negro pastors are expected to aid
greatly in the final satisfactory settle
ment of the difficult racial questions.
Many ex-munitions workers have
found remunerative employment as
gardeners in New York’s suburban
districts, where they live well among
agreeable surroundings. But mpst of
the city’s Negroes are grouped togeth
er in the congested Harlem district,
finding life in the North a more com
plex matter than life in the old Ken
tucky home.
Patriotism beats strong in the Ne
gro heart, but religious leadership
colors his whole life. He is by nature
the most religious man on earth. Give
him proper leadership and an even
break in the labor market and there
will be no race problems in the North.
He is here to stay. Properly cared for
he will make an admirable citizen, but
he must be given a chance.
PRESIDENT REQUESTTS
ALABAMA GOVERNOR
TO GRANT REPRIEVE
Montgomery, Ala., March 16—Based
on urgent telegraphic requests from
various citizens of Chicago, President
Wilson requested Governor Thomas
E. Kilby by letter to grant reprieve
to Sergeant Edgar Caldwell, a Colored
! soldier who was sentenced to be
banged at Anniston for the murder of
Cecil Linton, a conductor on an An
niston street car. The president In
conclusion wrote:
“In view' of the fact that this man
was a soldier of the United States,
would you not be willing to grant a
brief reprieve in order that the attor
ney general, at my request, may ex
amine the records in the case?”
Arrival of the president’s request
! was preceded by an appeal on the
part of Caldwell's attorneys to the
state supreme court, which automat
ically granted him a reprieve and the
president was so informed by the gov
ernor.
WHITE MAN’S PRIMARY
HELD TO BE ILLEGAL
Waco, Tex., March 18.—The “white
man’s primary” has been declared il
legal and an injunction has been
granted by Judge Erwin J. Clark of
the Nineteenth district court at Waco
restraining the White Men’s Demo
cratic Executive Committee from pro
ceeding with the “white man’s pri
mary” ordered for the city of Waco
on February 18. Judge Clark holds
the primary at which only white men
would be permitted to vote as vio
lative of both state and federal con
stitutions, and also the Terrell elec
tion law. This is the first time the
“white man’s primary," under which
white men have been able to control
affairs of their cities without interfer
ence from the Negroes, has been at
tacked in the courtH.
“ROYAL GARDENS” SHOW
PLACE OF CHICAGO
Chicago, March 18.—New Orleans
was moved to Chicago this week with
the special production at the Royal
Gardens of the Grand Mardi Gras
Carnival, in which several hundred
people participated, costumed in all of
the gorgeous styles of exclusive aris
tocracy and royal court. The crown
ing of Rex was the feature of the oc
casion and the affair was undoubted
ly one of the events of the season.
The Royal Gardens is one of the real
show places of Chicago and no visit to
the Windy City is regarded as com
plete without a visit there. The pro
prietor is one of the most progressive
men of the race and he has expended
more than $25,000 in making the place
in keeping with its name. More than
$5,000 has been expended on the gold
room alone.
BRINGS SUIT FOR
INFRINGEMENT OF PATENT
Chicago, March 14.—Dr. Elbert R.
Robinson of this city, who for more
than twenty years haH claimed to be
an inventor of a patent car wheel, is
to be the defendant in a $600,000 dam
age suit brought against him by Al
bert Hanson and others in the supe
rior court of Chicago.
Robinson is a well known figure in
Chicago and has been able to interest
more than 5,000 people, mostly whites.
Local N. A. A. C. P.
Holds Great Meeting
Audience of Several Hundred Crowds
Zion Baptist Church to the Doors;
Over One Hundred Members Join;
Adopt Resolutions Condemning
Kberstein’s Comment on the Crime
Wave; Chief Wants Co-Operation.
APPOINT STRONG COMMITTEE
Authorized to Have Interview with
Chief of Police and Local
Newspapers.
SUNDAY afternoon Zion Baptist
church was crowded to the doors by
a representative audience of Omaha’s
best Colored citizens. The occasion
was the regular weekly meeting of the
local branch of the National Associa
tion for the Advancement of Colored
People. Interest in this meeting had
been quickened by the fact that much
publicity had been given recently to
robberies and attacks upon women
supposed to have been committed by
Colored men, and the published state
ment of Chief of Police Eberstein that
if this crime wave continued Omaha
would have a race not. Feeling ran
high because of the sensational report
that Mrs. J. H. Glassman had been
robbed, beaten and gagged by “a giant
Negro” in her home on Bristol street
Friday night. It was in connection
with this crime that Chief Eberstein
made certain questionable statements
which caused sinister mutterings.
The meeting was called to order
promptly at 4 o’clock by the Rev. John
Albert Williams, president, and was
opened by the singing of “America.”
The Rev. W. F. Botts said the invoca
tion. Minutes of the previous meeting
were read by the secretary, Mrs.
Jessie Hale Moss, and routine business
rapidly dispatched. The president de
livered an address giving the history
of the organization of the N. A. A. C.
P., a resume of some of its achieve
ments, its aims and purposes and ex
plained the necessity for strong local
branches in every community where
there are relatively large numbers of
our race in these restless and perilous
times of reconstruction and readjust
ment. The address was listened to
with intense interest, and the speaker
was frequently interrupted with ap
plause. At the close of the president’s
address it was moved that all other
business be suspended and the books
opened for enrollment of new mem
bers. One hundred and twenty new
members were enrolled.
Attention having been called to
Chief of Police Eberstein’s statement
and the sensational character of head
lines in one or two of the newspapers,
a committee was appointed to draft
suitable resolutions for adoption hy
the meeting. The following commit
tee was appointed: The Rev. W. C.
Williams, pastor of St. John’s A. M.
E. church, chairman; the Rev. W. F.
Botts, pastor of Zion Baptist church;
the Rev. M. H. Wilkinson, pastor of
Mount Moriah Baptist church; Mrs.
James G. Jewell, chairman of the pub
licity committee, and Attorneys Amos
P. Scruggs and A. W. Lewis.
R. C. Price said that when crimes
were committed they are not commit
ted by the self-respecting element of
the race, but by a floating, irrespon
sible class of pistol toters, and that it
is the duty of the better class of our
people, should they know' of the pres
ence of any of this class in the com
munity, to report them to the police.
This he believed was all that Chief
Eberstein meant, although he might
have had an awkward way in express
ing it.
The committee on resolutions then
presented the following resolutions,
which were most enthusiastically re
ceived and adopted:
“We, the members of the National
Association for the Advancement of
Colored People, in regular meeting as
sembled, deploring the published cases
of criminal acts alleged to have been
committed by Colored men; the ten
dency of newspapers generally to un
duly emphasize by glaring headlines
the race of the suspected assailant in
such cases and the expression and
comment of Chief of Police Eberstein
in regard to these cases, adopt the fol
lowing resolutions:
“Whereas, The National Association
for the Advancement of Colored Peo
ple, with a membership of 50,000
broad-minded, justice-loving men and
women of both races, is a human
rights organization, pledged to oppose
every form of racial oppression wheth
er in the nature of sinister sentiment
or actual physical violence, is further
pledged to maintain every principle of
law and order; and
“Whereas, We hold that the expres
sions and comment of Mr. Eberstein
as chief of police tend to incite racial
antipathy, by his unfortunate refer
ence to racial friction and a race riot
of another time and in a Southern
community; and
“Whereas, We hold that the expres
sions of Chief Eberstein to the effect
that the Colored people should ferret
out the criminals of their race is an
attempt to shift official responsibility
and is an unwarranted reflection upon
the integrity of the race; and
“Whereas, We hold it not improb
able that these crimes might have been
committed by the members of either
race, with black or blackened races;
"Whereas, We hold that if Chief
Eberstein, with his corps of officers,
does his whole and sworn duty it will
not be any more necessary for Ne
groes to hunt down their criminals
than it will be for white people to hunt
down theirs; therefore, be it
“Resolved, That the National Asso
ciation for the Advancement of Color
ed People puts itself on record in this
community as being opposed to all
forms of crime by whomsoever com
mitted, and desires to see all criminals
brought to justice, irrespective of
race.
“Resolved, That we are unalterably
opposed to the expressions and com
ment of Chief Eberstein or similar ex
pressions and comment from any
other public official.
“Resolved, That the public press be
called upon and requested to avoid
creating a sentiment against the race
by using in glaring and sensational
headlines expressions of special refer
ences to the'race.
“Resolved, That these resolutions be
spread upon the records of the organi
zation and copies thereof be trans
mitted to Chief of Police Eberstein
and the principal newspapers of
Omaha.”
The Rev. W. F. Botts stated that he
believed a committee should be ap
pointed to wait upon Chief Eberstein
and the press and present the resolu
tions in person, and to let it be dis
tinctly known that the self-respecting
citizens of Omaha of both races do not
want any race riot, do not expect any
and look to the officials to suppress
any suggestions of the kind, and to
give the law-abiding citizens of this
community the adequate protection to
which they are justly entitled.
“Let him know,” said the speaker,
“that we look to him to see that no
East St. Louis business starts here,
and if he permits it to start”—(a voice
from the audience, "They’ll find us
ready to defend ourselves!” Thunder
ous applause.) “That’s the right
spirit,” said the speaker, “but, of
course, we hope and believe that this
will never become necessary in Omaha.
It will not if we ourselves, the public
officials, the press and the pulpit and
all good citizens who are jealous of
our city’s honor, welfare and good
name do our duty. Criminals, white
and black, can be and should be ap
prehended and punished without in
diting a whole class for the crimes of
individuals and bringing disgrace and
suffering upon a whole community.”
The same committee was named to
carry out this suggestion.
The committee waited upon Chief
Eberstein Monday, by whom they were
received most courteously, and pre
sented the resolutions. He said that
he had been entirely misunderstood
and that the action of the N. A. A. C.
P. in criticizing him was out of place
and entirely uncalled for; that he had
been in official life for twenty-five
years and had never had any trouble
with Colored people and did not expect
to have. He intended to do his duty
as chief of police, but in this he need
ed the co-operation of the people. He
thought we were unduly excited over
nothing. He was advised that if he had
been correctly quoted in the daily
press, his statement might lead to the
very results that it was felt he would
l>e anxious to prevent. He was asked
the straight question, “Were you cor
rectly quoted by the newspapers?”
“I have nothing to say,” was his
reply.
“Then, sir, if you were misquoted
you ought to say so, because our ac
tion was based upon the assumption
that you had been correctly quoted.
We considered such a public expres
sion from you in your official capacity
ill-advised and still think so.”
Chief Eberstein said that he was
glad something had stirred us up to
come to him that he might make it
plain that he wanted the co-operation
of all good citizens in improving con
ditions. The committee pointed out to
him that the criminal element, which
is relatively a very small percentage
of our citizens, which fact he admitted,
does not come in contact with the bet
! ter element of our people, but hang
out with the class whose habits are
well known to the police, and it was
up to the police and not to us to ap
prehend them. The committee fur
ther assured him that he would find
the Colored citizens ready and willing
to help him in any way they could. It
was suggested that a practical way in
doing what he seemed anxious to have
done by private citizens would be to
appoint an adequate number of up
right, competent Colored men to the
police and detective force of the city.
Such men would be in a position to
ferret out and apprehend the lawless
classes which we all desire to have
brought to justice. This practical sug
gestion was left with Chief Eberstein,
who in dismissing the committee as
sured them that as chief of police he
would do his duty with impartiality to
all, looking only upon crime as crime
and upon criminals as criminals, with
out regard to race or color.
The interview was quite satisfactory
to the committee and it is believed
that Chief Eberstein, who impressed
the committee as a man who is really
anxious to do his sworn duty as a re
sult of this frank interview and manly,
plain speaking, realizes that our best
citizens are willing to co-operate with
him in any practical way possible.
MISSISSIPPI INFORMATION
New York, March 14.—The Nation
al Association for the Advancement of
Colored People, through its secretary,
John R. Shillady of New York, states
that the association has received from
an anonymous correspondent a clip
ping from the Jackson (Miss.) Daily
News of March 9. The clipping, after
referring to the fact that a telegram
of inquiry from the association had
been received the previous day, re
questing information concerning the
fate of Eugene Green, a Negro, al
leged to have been lynched at Belzoni,
Miss., on Sunday, March 2, and as to
what steps had been taken by the Mis
sissippi authorities to deal with the
situation, goes on to remark as fol
lows:
“The governor is not in the city and
the telegram has not been answered.
However, the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored People
need not remain in the dark concern
ing the fate of Green. He was ‘ad
vanced’ all right from the end of a
rope and in order to save burial ex
penses his body was thrown into the
Yazoo river.”
The association’s anonymous corres
pondent encloses x penciled memoran
dum, in excellent handwriting, as fol
lows:
"If this information does not suf
fice we can give you the size of the
rope and exact location of where this
coon was hung.”
MEMPHIS APPOINTS
TWO CITY DETECTIVES
(By Associated Negro Press.)
Memphis, March 13.—Through the
influence of Robert R. Church, the
new Negro politician in the South,
two white detectives were dropped
from the force in this city and re
placed by two Negro detectives, Albert
Hurst and James Mahon, at a salary
of $100 per month. These are the
first race officers appointed here in
more than twenty-five years. The
white policemen have raised a protest,
but the Negroes of Memphis have the
ballot and it is not feared that their
murmurings will have any effect.
BLACK BOLSHEVIK IN RUSSIA
WAS A NEW YORK BOXER
New York.—Among the names men
tioned of aliens from the United
States who took part when the bol
shevik government of Russia was
former! appears the name of a Colored
American, Prof. Gordon, an ex-pugi
list and an instructor in physical cul
ture, who had once been a doorkeeper
at the American embassy in Petro
grad and who had married an Estho
nian woman.
EMPLOYS 4,500 OF OUR MEN
Hampton, Va.—There are 4,500
Afro-Americans working in the New
port News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock
Co. This is our largest force of
skilled men, and our highest paid
group, working anywhere in industry.
Some of them have been with the
company twenty-five years or more.
Eight to ten are on the retired list,
receiving from one-third to one-fourth
of their regular pay. The successful
ones have built their owm homes, sup
ported their churches, and helped to
develop some of our best sections in
I the south.
'Oj -
Would u /e League
End Race Prejudice
Jap Says Step Would Make Permanent
Peace Much More Certain.
FOREIGN POLICY UNAFFECTED
Viscount Ishii Declares Tokio Would
Continue to Adhere to “Gentlemen’s
Agreement" in Matter of Nipponese
Emigration to United States.
NEW YORK, March 18.—Action by
the peace conference to eliminate
race prejudice, which he termed a
“fruitful source of discontent and un
easiness among nations in the past,"
was urged by Viscount Ishii, Japanese
ambassador to the United States,
speaking before the Japan society
here last night. Nothing would con
tribute more effectively to the foun
dation of permanent peace, he de
clared, than application of a proper
remedy “at this opportune moment,”
to “this cause of international dis
cord.” The constitution of a league
of nations, he added, would not be
worthy of the conference if it omitted
a provision to right the “conspicuous
injustice” arising out of prejudice be
tween the races.
The ambassador indicated that if
this were done Japan would not take
advantage of such a provision, but
would adhere to her “gentlemen’s
agreement,” in the matter of emigra
tion of Japanese labor to the United
States and await the time when “by
gradual evolution,” the problem would
be settled to the mutual satisfaction
of both countries.
The restriction of immigration to
America, Viscount Ishii cited as Ja
pan’s “fixed policy,” despite the treaty
right of her nationals to free en
trance and residence in the United
States, and said he hoped this policy
as “abundantly attested by her past
record,” would disarm any alarmist
and unwarranted view pointing to the
probability of Japan’s taking advan
tage of the coveted article in the
league constitution. “Nothing would
be farther from Japan’s thought,” he
continued, "than hastily to force the
issue of the labor question in the
event of the league covenant being
modified in accordance with her de
sire, that is upon a new article being
inserted in the covenant against racial
discrimination.”
Viscount Ishii urged the right of the
Asiatics “who fought side by side with
the Anglo-Saxons, Latins and Slavs
against the common foe,” to equal
consideration among the allied peo
ples.
“The single-minded object of the
war,” said the ambassador, “was the
maintenance of international justice
and the establishment of durable
peace. No consideration of racial
feeling entered into the supreme de
cision for the sacrifices of blood and
treasure on the part of any of the al
lied or associated powers.
“And now when this war for in
ternational justice is about to come to
its happy termination and when the
world league for permanent peace is
being contrived, why should this ques
tion of race prejudice, race discrimina
tion and race humiliation alone be left
unremedied ? When restriction of
prohibition of discriminatory treat
ment of chattels and commodities is
being adequately provided for, why
should this unjust and unjustifiable
discrimination against persons be al
lowed to remain untouched. An idea,
however good, loses most of its value
if only half executed. The constitu
tion of a league of nations for which
the eminent representatives of inter
national justice and peace are now
working an Paris with their untiring
energy, would not be worthy of the
great world conference if it omitted
the necessary provision for the rem
edy of this conspicuous injustice aris
ing out of race prejudice.
“It may be added, in order to avoid
possible misunderstanding, that this
question of straightening out the ex
isting injustice of racial discrimina
tion should be considered independ
ently of the questions of labor and
immigration. The one is principally
economical in its nature; the other es
sentially a question of sentiment, of
legitimate pride and self-respect. If
anyone is afraid that a stipulation in
troduced in the league covenant for
the prohibition of any discriminate
treatment on account of racial dif
ferences will necessarily bring about
labor differences, will necessarily
bring about labor difficulties or eco
nomic troubles, that man has sin
gularly overlooked the actual facts
of international intercourse.”