J Thi \ Monitor l_
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. MAY 3. 1919 _Vol. IV. No. 44 <\ \’e No. 199)
SELF-DEPENDENCE
IS NECESSARY
Negro's Place In American Civiliza
tion Must Be Won by Himself, and
He Must Not Depend, Upon Others.
JER NAG IN’S MESSAGE TO RACE
National Race Conference Receives
Report of Its President's Visit to
France: Important Business Trans
acted: Successful Meeting.
BY CHARLES STEWART.
(Special to The Monitor.)
TTfASHINGTON, D. C., May 1.—
W “The Negro’s place in American
civilization must Ire won by himself,
and he must not depend on others,” is
the declaration made by the National
Race Conference through the execu
tive committee at a reception given to
Dr. W. H. Jemagin at Mount Carmel
Raptist church last Friday night. The
occasion was Dr.. Jemagin’s return
> from France, where he represented the
conference in the Pan-African confer
ence and at the peace conference.
During the day the executive com
mittee held an important meeting, per
fecting plans for the next annual ses
sion, and to hear the report of Dr. Jer
nagin and a report from Prof. John R.
Hawkins on the $250,000 defense fund.
Both reports were - far-reaching and
predict better things for the race in
the future. The Rev. Dr. H. J. Callis,
chairman of the executive committee,
presided, and at the opening said some
plain things to the members of the
committee. “The Negro in America
must no longer sleep, but must wake
up and do something,” he declared.
"What was won overseas will sink into
nothingness unless we back it up by
real service over here. Let us plan
well today and work it out tomorrow.”
Every section of the country was
, represented at the board meeting, and
over two thousand people attended the
reception at Mount Carmel church Fri
day night, presided over by Dr. Cal
lis. Special music was rendered by the
choir of Mount Carmel church, and
then followed the report of Dr. Jema
gin, who was the only man sent by an
organization over to France. He said
that the large crowd was to him a
m source of inspiration, and from the
greeting he was determined to do more
than ever for his race.
He was sorry to say that in many
instances the Negro, especially of the
labor battalions, had not received a
square deal in France, and the white
officers had carried their race preju
dice into France and had not failed to
exhibit it when the occasion presented
itself. “But I thank God I am able to
say to you that in the face of all of
this our boys discharged their duty
and were heroes. Some of them died,
V, and at the command marched into
death like they were going into a ban
quet hall. The world will give them
credit of being soldiers.”
Dr. Jemagin told of his experience
in getting over to France, his experi
ence after he got over there, what he
had seen on the battlefields, in the
trenches, and how he was received by
the men over there. His address was
punctuated with outbursts of applause
and, concluding, he made a strong ap
peal to every man and woman to rally
to themselves, to the call of their race.
“We must do it ourselves,” he said,
“and not depend on others, for if we
do we will be left.”
Invitations will be sent to all organi
zations, and every race loving man
and woman to attend the next session
of the National Race Conference,
>-•**' which will be held next October in
Washington.
URGES PUNISHMENT
OF LYNCHERS
New York, May 1.—The National
Association for the Advancement of
Colored People, through its secretary,
John R. Shillady of New York, makes
public a telegram to Governor Charles
H. Brough of Arkansas, urging an in
vestigation of the lynching of Sam
McIntyre, a Negro, on April 23, at
Forrest City, Ark., and the punish
ment of the lynchers.
The attention of the governor is
called to the fact that the lynching of
/Mclnyre is the twenty-first known
lynching since the signing of the ar
mistice and that all twenty-one oc
curred in Southern states. The tele
gram urges action by the state au
thorities and stateB that vigorous
prosecution of the lynchers of McIn
tyre and adequate punishment of them
will do much towards preventing fu
ture similar outbreaks and will show
America that Arkansas does not stand
for mob violence and lynching.
OMAHA SKYSCRAPERS
NOTABLE EVIDENCE OF
NEW ERA OF JUSTICE
Review of Reviews, Leading Magazine
of Country Dealing With Current
History and Events, Tells Part the
Negro Played in Winning War.
SOME FACTS TO REMEMBER
(By Associated Negro Press.)
EW YORK, May 1.—Another no
table instance of the new era of
justice is brought out in the Review
of Reviews, one of the great maga
zines of the country dealing with cur
rent history and events. The informa
tion concerning the part the Negro
played in winning the war, from an in
dustrial standpoint, is not even gen
erally known by us, and is of greatest
moment.
Here are some of the things done
along industrial and agricultural lines:
Helped build ships, to dig coal, to
operate railroads, to raise com, wheat,
oats, hogs and other food products,
and to raise cotton and other staples.
Worked in powder plants and muni
tion factories: helped to build canton
ments. The brawny arms of black
stevedores and screwmen loaded many
vessels with supplies on the docks at
Norfolk, Charleston, Savannah, New
Orleans, New York, Baltimore and
other places, and unloaded vessels in
record time at foreign ports. When
the full story of the war is written
the black stevedore regiments at
French docks, who sometimes worked
night ami day without relief, will have
a high place in the annals of victory.
A gang of Negro riveters at Spar
rows Point, Md.,first broke the world’s
record for driving rivets into the hull
of a ship. Thousands of other Negro
workers in the shipyards—at Newport
News, Charlestown, Wilmington, Tam
pa and other places—helped to build
the “bridge of ships” for the trans
portation of troops and supplies to
Eui'ope. Negro piledriverg at Hog
Island established new world’s rec
ords, which still stand.
In the coal fields of West Virginia,
Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama
other thousands—many of them work
ing extra shifts—miner! coal during
the serious winter months of 1917-18,
thus helping to provide fuel not only
for homes, but also for industry and
transportation during the mad race of
war. In agriculture, during the past
four years, the values of the twelve
principal food and feed crops in the
Southern states increased more rapid
ly than the value of cotton crops, great
as those were. The Negro farmer and
farm laborer had a large share in this
increase.
LOVE IS BLIND; FINDS A WAY
French Maiden Uses Burnt Cork and
Travels Incognito as Stevedore to
Marry Man of Her Choice.
(By Associated Negro Press.)
New York, April 30.—A new lesson
in true love has been brought to light
here by the arrival of the transport
Turrialba from France. On board and
in the custody of the officers was
Mile. Alexandria Boyer of Marseilles,
bride-to-be of Michael Black, a first
class boatswain's mate, and Colored.
Mile. Boyer traveled incognito for
the first two days until, according to
soldiers on board, she became seasick
and so pale that her heavy coating of
burnt cork failed longer to deceive the
ship’s officers. Much to the surprise
of the officers it was discovered that
the “stevedore” was an aristocratic
French woman who had fallen in love
with Black and who was unable to
marry in France because of the “red
tape” necessary to go through before'
the ship sailed.
The woman has been turned over to
the immigration authorities, but both
the woman and tnan maintain as soon
as the trouble is straightened out they
will get married.
CELEBRATE THE 300TH
ANNIVERSARY OF THE
LANDING OF SLAVES
(By Associated Negro Press.)
Newark, N. J., May 1.—The 300th
anniversary of the landing of the first
Negroes brought to this country in
slavery was celebrated here this week
under the auspices of the Knights of
Pythias. Mayor Gillen, A. K. Bugbee,
candidate for governor, and Rev. W.
A. Byrd were the speakers, as was
also Governor Edge. The occasion was
a memorable one.
y Crockery 8aver.
Danger of breakage Is eliminated In
l new motor-driven dish washer in
which the dishes are held stationary in
vlre baskets and water is forced
round them.
COLORED AMERICAN
IN WAR WORK
Excellent Opportunities Offered Am
bitious Young Men to Train for Ef
ficient Service; Reserve Officers’
Training Corps and Military In
structors.
ASHINGTON, D. C., May 1.—
Following the demobilization of
the Students’ Army Training corps,
shortly after the signing of the armis
tice, the war department, to stimulate
the patriotic spirit of young men in
the colleges and schools of the land
and to fit them for efficient service in
defense of the nation, formulated
plans for the establishment of a re
serve officers’ training corps. Under
this system the students of the vari
ous educational institutions who are
able to meet the required standards,
mentally, physically and temperamen
tally, are trained to become officers in
the army, prepared to take their
places in the active military service,
should necessity arise.
Watchful of the welfare of the Col
ored young man and anxious that the
Colored schools of the country should
he given a proper opportunity and
-hare in this advance work of pre
paredness, Dr. F.mmett J. Scott, spe
cial assistant to the secretary of war,
took up the matter with the committee
on education and special training of
the war department, in charge of the
training and instruction branch of the
war plans divisions, general staff, with
the result that twelve of the leading
Colored schools of the country have
been selected as centers for the estab
lishment of units of the reserve offi
cers’ training corps. In addition to
having the schools enlisted under this
advantageous banner, Dr. Scott was
able to have a number of thoroughly
competent young Colored army offi
cers stationed at the schools to serve
as instructors in military science and
tiiCtlCS.
K. O. T. C. Units and Their Military
Instructors.
Herewith is given a complete list of
the schools selected up to April 1,
1919, together with a roster of the of
ficers designated as military instruc
tors therein. All of the instruction
for the present is in infantry move
ments:
Howard University, Washington—
Major Milton T. Dean and First Lieut.
Campbell C. Johnson.
Tuskegee Normal and Industrial In
stitute, Tuskegee Institute, Ala.—Cap
tain Russell Smith, First Lieut. James
C. Pinkston and Second Lieut. Harry
J. Mack
Wilberforce University, Wilberforce,
Ohio—First Lieut. PercivaJ R. Piper.
Negro A. and T. College, Greens
boro, N. C.—Second Lieut. Horace G.
Wilder.
South Carolina A. and M. College,
Orangeburg, S. C.—First Lieut. Sam
uel Hull.
Hampton A and I. Institute, Hamp
ton, Va..—First Lieut. Leonard L. Mc
Leod.
Virginia N. and I. Institute, Peters
burg, Va.—Second Lieut. Ernest C.
Johnson.
Prairie View N. and I. College,
Prairie View, Tex.—First Lieut. Wal
ter A. Giles.
Tennessee A. and I. School, Nash
ville, Tenn.—First Lieut.Grant Stuart.
West Virginia Collegiate Institute,
Institute, W\ Va.—First Lieut. John H.
Purnell.
Branch Normal School, Pine Bluff,
Ark.—First Lieut. Elijah H. Goodwin.
Straight College, New Orleans, La.
—Captain Charles C. Cooper.
NEGRO NEWSPAPERS
COMING TO THE FRONT
Nearly Four Hundred Publications
Supplying News and Moulding Sen
timent Among Race In All Sections
of the Country.
READERS RAPIDLY MULTIPLY
Intercommunication Unifying Racial
Sentiment, Consciousness and Ac
tivities; Spreading Gospel of Justice
and Equal Opportunity.
(By Associated Negro Press.)
CHICAGO, May 1.—The newspapers
of the race are finally and forever
on the map. With more than 400 pub
lications of various kinds in the field,
more than 100 of the weekly news
papers have increased in business,
prestige and influence by leaps and
bounds in the last five years.
So great has become the influence
of the newspapers that in certain sec
tions of the South there has been a de
termined, though unsuccessful, effort
to prevent the circulation of certain
race newspapers that are spreading
the gospel of justice and equal oppor
tunity.
Circulation for more than a score of
the newspapers has been doubled,
trebled and in some instances quad
rupled in the last four years. There
is no event of importance happening
at the present time that is not known
from one end of the nation to the other
in a week’s time. This intercommuni
cation has enabled the 12,000,000 peo
ple of our group to act in unity' on
many subjects that in former years
required weeks and months to dissemi
nate.
Everywhere editors are displaying
the liveliest and most progressive in
terest in getting the news to the peo
ple. Their increase in circulation has
given them an increase in advertising
and an opportunity to raise rates, and
hence it has at last reached the de
lightful point where race journalism
has become a paying investment.
The latest addition to the files of
Negro journalism is the Associated
Negro Press, with headquarters at 312
South Clark street, Chicago. This ser
vice, which is modern in every respect,
gathers news from every section of
the country and distributes it among
more than 100 newspapers. The ser
vice is copyrighted.
NORTHW ESTERN FEDERATION
TO MEET AT GRAND FORKS
(By Associated Negro Press.)
Fargo, N. D., May 1.—The biennial
meeting of the Northwestern Federa
tion of Colored Women’s Clubs will be
held in Grand Forks, N. D., July 1-3.
Mrs. Johanna Porter of Chicago is
president. There will be much im
portant business transacted with ref
erence to equal justice and reconstruc
tion.
NATIONAL CAPITAL HAS FIRST
COLORED FIRE DEPARTMENT
(Rv Associated Negro Press.)
Washington, D. C., April 30.—For
the first time in the history of the na
tion’s capital there is a Colored fire
department in this city, in the south
west section of the city. The commis
sioners made the transfer a few days
ago, placing the white men into other
positions. The Southwest Civic asso
ciation plans to hold a reception in
honor of the new department, and
resolutions of thanks have been sent
the commissioners.
NEW ORLEANS HOME
OF ORIGINAL JAZZ
Lieutenant James Reese Europe. Fa
mous Band Leader, Says Popular
Jazz Originated ir. Southern City.
MUSICIANS CAPTIVATE CROWDS
Three Famous Aggregations Making
History by Their Rare Entertain
ment and Catchy Music; First Jazz
Band Under Direction of Mr. Razz.
(By Associated Negro Press.)
CLEVELAND, 0., May 1.—Lieuten
ant James Reese Europe, of the
famous Fifteenth New York band,
said recently' that so far as he could
loam the word “jazz” originated with
a band of four pieces which flourished
about fifteen years ago in New Or
leans. The queer little band was un
der the direction of a man named
Razz and was known as Razz’s band.
It is supposed that with the passing of
time the name was changed to “jazz”
there by the members of the race.
There are three aggregations, how
ever, that are making history' in the
way of arousing sentiment and creat
ing happy feeling. They are the old
Eighth regiment band of Chicago, the
old Fifteenth regiment band of New
York and the New York Sy'ncopated
orchestra. These are under the direc
tion of George Duff, James Reese Eu
rope and Will Marion Cook, respec
tively.
These organizations, of more than
fifty men each, have been touring the
country in recent months and “setting
the people wild” by their rare enter
tainment and music. The white people
have fallen in line and are hurrahing
everywhere for race music, instrumen
tal and vocal. Last week the New York
Syncopated orchestra played a return
engagement to a packed house in Or
chestra hall, one of the great centers
in this city.
A most unusual recognition was
given the orchestra. In the series of
symphony concerts, where the “400”
attend, the Russian Symphony orches
tra concert date was cancelled and the
management announced that the date
would be filled by the New York Sy'n
copated orchestra. The announcement
was received with remarkable ap
plause.
The Fifteenth New York band is
filling a week’s engagement at the
great Auditorium in the loop district,
which is recognition never before at
tained in the history of the country,
and the mammoth place can hardly
accommodate the great throngs who
desire to hear Europe’s players and
that marvelous voice of Lieutenant
Noble Sissle of Cleveland and New
York.
ELEVEN YOUNG WOMEN GO
TO FRANCE AS “Y” WORKERS
(By Associated Negro Press.)
New York, May 1.—Eleven of our
young women have gone to France in
the capacity of Y. M. C. A. secretaries
to add their setwice to the work that
forty-two of our men secretaries have
been carrying on for our soldiers since
the beginning of the war.
Nine of these women are college
garduates. Five of them are school
teachers; one in public education work,
two in public health work, two book
keepers and one in business.
They are: Miss Helen Hagin, Hart
ford, Conn.; Miss Rilda Phelps, Xenia,
O..; Miss Florences Lee Thomas,
Cleveland; Miss Meta Evans, Hunt
ington, W. Va.; Miss Ernestine Suarez,
Tuskegee Institute, Alabama; Miss
Hallie Craigwell, New York; Miss Lil
lian Woods Turner, Atlanta. Ga.; Miss
Florence C. Williams, Raleigh, N. C.;
Harriet S Edwards, and Althea E.
Rocho, ■ York City.
The \ - two men secretaries
abroad, as well as the 282 men secre
taries in the American camps, are all
men of high moral character and spe
cial training.
METHODISTS CLOSE
SUCCESSFUL SESSION
(By Associated Negro Press.)
Lexington, Ky., April 30.—The Lex
ington annual conference of the Meth
odist Episcopal church closed a suc
cessful session here, after going on
record in their annual “message to the
country” as favoring “equal and exact
justice for all, and a definite, untiring
working out of the great problems of
reconstruction.” This conference com
prises more than 50,000 members and
speaks for its work in the states of
Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio and the Meth
odist work in Chicago and southern
Michigan.
