The monitor. (Omaha, Neb.) 1915-1928, May 24, 1919, Page 2, Image 2

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    SCOTT ANSWERS Dl BOIS
(Continued From Page One.)
recommendation was pressed by me,
Mr. Ralph W. Tyler was designated
by the committee on public informa
tion to render this service. Mr. Tyler
constantly called to the attention of
the war department, through me, cer
tain conditions; and in each and every
case these complaints were brought
to the attention of the proper offi
cials of the war department.
My files evidence the fact that Dr.
DuBois wrote me repeatedly calling to
my attention complaint after com
plaint concerning wrongs, grievances,
discriminations, etc., alleged to exist
among Negro soldiers in various
camps here in America. He was in
formed time after time with reference
to the investigations which followed as
a result of those complaints, and ex
pressed in writing his satisfaction
with the action taen in following up
such complaints. Having gone on his
“Mission” to France December 1, 1918,
why did he wait five months until the
May, 1919, issue of “The Crisis,” to
mention to me any overseas com
plaints? I fear that the animating
impulse back of his present inquiries
has not as yet been altogether dis
closed to the public. An old and fa
miliar saying, “When folks can’t use
you they ‘knock’ you” comes to my
mind. Dr. DuBois knows, and his
friends know, and the record proves,
that as far back as two days before
the meeting of the Negro Editors’
Conference, which I called here in
Washington, June, 1918, he was seek
ing my personal good offices that he
might realize personal aspirations. He
knows that I did everything I could to
help him secure that much coveted
commission in the army, which he so
eagerly but vainly sought. He also
knows, as the record will show when
necessity arises, that there were other
occasions also when Dr. DuBois prob
' ably" felt I might be used for ‘pulling
chestnuts out of the fire’ for him.
Personal Testimony as to Service Ren
dered Colored Americans Overseas
and Over There.
While in the very nature of the case
it was impossible for me or anybody
else, during the war. to know every
thing that was going on among Ne
gro soldiers or even white soldiers in
France, yet, in my efforts to handle
specific complaints that came to my
notice and look after the welfare of
Negro troops generally, it is gratify
ing to have received from Negro sol
diers, Negro officers, Negro chaplains
and Y. M. C. A. secretaries overseas,
numerous letters on the order of the
few partially quoted below:
Hon. Emmett J. Scott.
Special Assistant to the Secretary
of War:
. . , No one can better appre
ciate your efforts than we, the Col
ored men of the A. E. F., who have
suffered and labored under unfavor
able conditions on the battlefields of
France.
M. M. COLEMAN,
Co. B. 806 Pioneer Inf.
American Expeditionary Forces.
France, October 23, 1919.
My Dear Dr. Scott:
. . . I have just had time to fin
ish this note to you. We are not with
out our difficulties, but the men and
officers aie hitting the line hard.
Much has transpired to prove that
you are on the job to our satisfaction
“overe here.”
Yours very truly,
(Signed) EDW. L. SNYDER,
Y. M. C. A Secretary,
Headquarters 365th Inf., A. P. 0.
766, r ranee.
Similar testimony has come to this
office personally and by letter from
such officers of the 92d Division as
Major M. T. Dean, 317th Ammunition
Train; Captain Charles G. Kelly, 366th
Infantry; Chaplain William T. Amiger,
371st Engineers Battalion, A. E. F.;
and Lieut. Charles S. Parker of the
366th Infantry, the only Colored ad
jutant we had during the war, and
from many others. And now may I
also quote the testimony of Mr. Archi
bald H. Grimke, a member of the
executive committee of the National
Asociation for the Advancement of
Colored People, and president of the
Washington branch of that organiza
tion.
Washington, D. C., May 19, 1919.
My Dear Dr. Scott;
From the very beginning of your
services in the war department nearly
two years ago, I have had full op
portunity to know something of the
hard position you have filled with
so much benefit to our race generally,
and to Colored soldiers in particular.
Numerous, indeed, have been my
visits to your office in the w»ar depart
ment for the purpose of presenting
specific cases involving complaints
and grievances of Colored soldiers in
camps at home and overseas, and also
cases involving discrimination against
Colored men and women in the gov
ernment service here at Washington.
I am, therefore, in position to state,
from positive, personal knowledge
covering nearly two years of intimate
contact, that you have always gone
forward after making proper inquiry
to develop the exact facts, in a firm
manly, uncompromising way—urging
right and justice in behalf of Colored
soldiers at home and overseas, and in
behalf of Colored Americans general
ly. Very truly yours,
(Signed)
ARCHIBALD H. GRIMKEi
President Washington Branch, Na
tional Association for the Advance
ment of Colored People.
I would rather have the testimony
of these gentlemen who know the facts
concerning my efforts in behalf of
Negro soldiers overseas, some of
whom actually served “over there,"
than to be at all perturbed by, or to
treat other than with appropriate con
tempt the insinuating remarks, print
ed and spoken, of a self-centered, self
seeking, unfair critic—the main drift
of whose life has been to try to “tear
down" and to destroy what other men
have sought to build up for the honor
and welfare of their country and their
race. Discredited himself by a large
portion of the Negro press of the
country, he now seeks to discredit
others. Surely “misery likes com
pany,” but in the desperate effort of
Dr. DuBois to rehabilitate himself in
the eyes of the Negro world after the
severe drubbing he has received in the
Negro public press and otherwise, it
might be well for him to know that if
he is trying to “come back” and again
pose as an ardent defender of the race
he shall not do so at my expense. I
am fully prepared for any further on
slaught he may make.
w hat tne itecoro snows.
My record in the war department
speaks for itself. I am not ashamed
of it. I have no excuses or apologies
to make. True it is, "I could not do
everything,” as he confesses for him
self, yet I challenge any man to show
wherein I have failed to perform my
whole duty. While no one expected or
could expect that a civilian official in
the war department could altogether
control even- untoward incident or
harsh or on tactful handling of soldiers
overseas, it was always expected at
least (and I have so interpreted it as
my duty) that such an official should
go forward in the matter of present
ing the complaints and grievances of
such men when brought to his atten
tion, and should do all in his power to
cause a thorough investigation and
bring about, if possible, a prompt and
suitable remedy.
The following recommendations,
among others, have been brought to
the attention of the war department
by me and urged as offering an oppor
tunity for better morale among Negro
officers and soldiers overseas:
1. That the Negro soldiers of the
labor and engineer units be given the
same opportunity for promotion and
advancement as are given the white
soldiers.
2. That all Negro laboring units be
given Negro noncommissioner officers.
3. That all Negro units be supplied
with Negro chaplains. *■
4. That military police be selected
from the Negro soldiers as well as
from white soldiers.
B. Also a change in the matter of
drilling the men on Sunday without
special permission from commanding
officers.
6. That trials by summary court
martial in the case of these particular
units be discontinued. The non-control
of social questions outside of camp
limits unless requested by the French
authorities. This particular order re
ferred to a certain effort which had
been made to commit the military of
ficials to the solution of social and
other questions non-military in nature.
7. That racial discriminations among
American soldiers both at home and
overseas be in no way countenanced by
the war department.
8. That promotions of Colored offi
cers in combat units be made as such
promotions be earned, etc.
Challenges Dr. DuBois to Present “Bill
of Particulars” of Presumed Delin
quencies and Asks .Some Leading
Questions.
I challenge Dr. DuBois to show in
any of the numerous memoranda I
have written, or among the numerous
putilic addresses I have delivered in all
parts of this country — without a
, penny’s charge to any one who came
! to hear my message—concerning the
interests of Negro soldiers and civil
ians, any line or paragraph that falls
short of a firm demand for justice and
fair play. And, now, having specific
ally indicated a few of my efforts and
activities in the war department with
reference to overseas complaints, I.
too, shall publicly ask a few questions:
1. Inasmuch as^Dr. DuBois left for
France December 1, 1918, and waited
practically five months (May issue of
the Crisis) before becoming indignant
about the treatment of Negro troops
overseas, I want to ask—if he (Du
Bois) know of the conditions com
plained of and manifestly thought I
was in a position to have those wrongs
corrected, why, in the name of Justice
and High Heaven did he not bring
them directly to my attention?
2. How many of such overseas com
plaints did he bring to my attention as
he easily could have done as a “cor
respondent” and as Mr. Ralph W.
Tyler, accredited war correspondent,
actually did?
3. What did he himself do to help
the situation overseas and to have the
wrongs corrected? Is it not a fact that
when the opportunity was offered for
him to counsel with Colored officers
in group that he refused to do so, pre
ferring to be in a position to criticise
later rather than to be “a present help
in time of trouble”? If he did not
wish to report the grievances of Col
ored soldiers to me personally as be
ing beneath his dignity, did he not
have access to every regimental and
divisional headquarters in France the
same as other "correspondents” ?
4. Did he make any effort while in
| France to have the injustices com
plained of ameliorated, or did he await
i Ids return to America, 3,000 miles
away from France, to protest?
I challenge him to cite specifically
what overseas complaints among Ne
gro troops he ever brought directly to
my attention or to the attention of my
office, where, according to his own
| testimony, such complaints should
have been brought and pressed forcor
| rection.
I call for his “bill of particulars."
I eagerly await his reply.
REPORT OF IVU'GI RAL
MEETING OF HAMITIC
LEAGI’E OF THE WORLD
(Continued From Page One.)
there the Colored man produced large
ly and was, therefore, able to launch
out into commerce, and he would ad
vise the people of the colony to do
likewise before attempting anything
else.
Mr. Thome then addressed the meet
ing at length, proving that we in this
country were far from idle; that
through the instrumentality of one of
his brother representatives in the
legislature loan banks had come into
life in lt>14 and had proved themselves
of great benefit to the small farmers
of the colony. Several members them
selves engaged in agricultural pur
suits and the chairman also spent
much time largely in this direction
and found it to be a mixed blessing.
Many things operated against them
and one of these was that the govern
ment sometimes held unemployed
lands in close proximity to such hold
ings and in the times of floods kokers
sometimes gave way and all the crops,
which took hundreds of dollars to de
velop, were destroyed. He would like
to remove from the mind of Prof. Cush
or any one else the idea that the local
people made no effort to better their
position, and he, for one, would ad
vise him to go cautiously in investing
his money, particularly in rice, for
even Booker Bros, could not compete
with the East Indians on the Cofen
tyne coast and had to close their rice
mill as a consequence. He had made
up his mind to join the league and to
give it all the support he could, for it
came at the right time.
The economic plan of the league was
then read for the benefit of the meet
ing, and it was shown to make pro
vision for questions dealing with pro- ,
duction by the native population, mem
bers of the race, a general commercial,
economic and banking program, and
all points mentioned by the various
gentlemen who had spoken.
Mr. S. A. Campbell in a short speech
on the need for the movement agreed
with many of the points raised by
Prof. Cush. He thought such a move
ment as the one before the meeting a
commendable one.
Mr. Britton then moved, seconded
by Mr. Durant, ‘‘that a branch of the
Hamitic League of the World be sup
ported in the colony.” This was car
ried unanimously.
Mr. Conrad Barrow then suggested
•: X-*X*«“X-X~X~X~X“X-X“X~X
that a small committee of manage
ment be formed. Mr. G. Ogle nomi
nated Mr. A. McL. Ogle as chairman,
A. A. Thome, esq., Dr. W. W. Camp
bell, Rev. Mr. Gamer, Messrs. Barrow,
Carto, S. A. Robertson and Britton.
This was adopted.
Calls for enrollment were then made
and the following gave their names:
Mr. H. L. Palmer, Revs. Deane and
Brown, Messrs. G. H. A. Runyan, H. D.
Durant, J. L. Griffith, T. A. French,
W. W. Durtcan, J. A. Bradford, H. A.
Britton, S. N. Collins, W. Hosannah,
Duncan L. Jordan, E. H. Waddell and
E. N. Beckles.
Those who had applied for member
ship prior to the meeting were: Rev.
H. W. Grant, Messrs. S. W. Ogle, D.
A. Spencer, W. N. Amo, J. B. Major,
H. A. Thompson, D. J. Richmond, J.
H. Loncke, J. Verbeke, McL. Ogle, jr.,
J. W. Ogle, N. A. Shaw, Edwin Sears,
J. Baird, Thomas Henry, Edwin Glas
gow and S. W. Ogle, jr.
The chairman announced that as
soon as the questionaire arrives mem
bers would be called together to dis
cuss it. A vote of thanks was given
the chairman, as also in the case of
the Rev. Mr. MacNie, who had so kind
ly put the hall at their disposal. The
meeting was then brought to a close,
time not availing for further business.
Much enthusiasm was shown and the
success of the league is assured unless
greatly unforeseen circumstances
should arise.
SOUTHERN JUDGE AIRS VIEWS
Thinks White Man’s Attitude In
creases Crime.
(By the Associated Negro Press.)
Augusta, Ga., May 23.—Before pro
nouncing sentence on William Morgan,
charged with manslaughter. Judge
Hammond said:
“Human life is too precious to be
held in light regard. If there is any
criticism I have to make of the Color
ed race it is that they are too reckless
with human life. If they have a pistol
they think they must use it, and they
do use it.
“The white people, judges and court
officials. I think,” continued the judge,
“take too narrow a view of the Color
ed citizen. They say he is respectful
and a good Negro because he tips his
hat to the white man. He is called a
‘white man’s Negro.’ and they let it go
at that.”
This attitude, in the opinion of
Judge Hammond, makes the Negro
overbearing to his own people, realiz
ing that he has the backing of white
men if he commits crime.
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