f' -—..II ,, The Monitor I K National Weekly Newspaper Devoted to the Interests of Colored | Americans. Published Every Thursday at Omaha, Nebraska, by The Monitor Pub lishing Company. Entered as Second-Class Mail Matter July 2, 1915. at the Postoffice at Omaha. Neb., under the Act of March 3, 1879. THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor and Publisher. Lucille Skaggs Edwards and Madree Penn, Associate Editors. Fred C. Williams, Business Manager. SUBSCRIPTION RATES, $2.00 A YEAR; $1.00 6 MONTHS; 60c 3 MONTHS Advertising Rates. 60 cents an Inch per issue. Address, The Monitor, 304 Crounse Block, Omaha, Neb. Telephone Douglas 3224. »■_ _ _ .... * * ^ For mankind are one in spirit, and an instinct bears along, Round the earth’s electric circle the swift flush of right or wrong; Whether conscious or unconscious, yet humanity’s vast frame Through its ocean-sundered fibres feels the gush of joy or shame; In the gain or loss of one race all the rest have equal claim. —James Russell Lowell. ---/ PRESIDENT WILSON’S ARGU MENT VV JE have read rather religiously, W although we did not find them very’ edifying religious reading, Pres ident Wilson’s speeches in favor of the peace treaty, and the league of nations, and we are forced to confess that his arguments do not either con vince or favorably impress us. In-1 deed, his presentation of the case ap pears to us as a desperate attempt! to bolster up a tottering cause. There seems to be a lack of candor and j frankness and a very adroit avoid ance of direct answers to direct ques tions which are uppermost in the minds of the American people. He does not meet, or attempt to meet, fairly and squarely, what appear to many’ valid objections urged against certain features of the proposed treaty. This artful dodging or side stepping of itself arouses suspicion. Then, too, his querulous fault-find ing with those who differ from him and refuse to accept his mere ipse dixit,’ or myself have said it and therefore it must be gospel truth, is anything but dignified. His covert suggestion that the men who are op posing the acceptance of the treaty as it stands are pro-German is ab surd and will get him nowhere. Such a suggestion comes with very poor grace from President Wilson. Im pugning the Americanism of one’s opponents is not argument. If the peace treaty as it stands is such a faultless document as Mr. Wilson would have us believe it to be, then surely one possessing his ability and astuteness ought to be able to prove it without resorting to the verbal ^ tactics which he would have the pub lic believe ascends to the dignity of a valid and convincing argument. WOMEN AND PROFANITY WOMEN who have any respect for themselves will not indulge in . profanity. Perhaps we are old-fash ioned, and we are willing to plead guilty to this indictment, but we have always associated women who swear with the brothel and question able resorts. Swearing has no place in the vocabularly of either a genle man or a lady, and right-thinking men, who have acquired this habit and in many cases indulge in it mechanic ally, will admit this. If this be true, and it is, how can any woman retain the instincts of gentility and habitual ly use profanity? HONEST BI T MISTAKEN THE MONITOR believes that J. Dean Ringer, police commission er, is wrong in his refusal to suspend the two officers woh have been bound over to the district court on the charge of manslaughter in connec tion with the shooting of Eugene Scott, the Plaza hotel bellman. That • he is sincere in his convictions, we do not for one moment doubt. We can not understand his position. His con tention is that the evidence elicited at the coroner’s inquest and at the preliminary hearing did not and does not sufficiently connect the indicted J officers with the crime to have jus tified their indictment and therefore he would be adding injustice to injus tice to suspend them. This, as The Monitor understands it, after a lengthy interview with him, courte ously extended, accurately states Mr. Ringer’s reasoning and position. We believe him to be honest and sincere in his views, but we do not under- J stand how, in view of the evidence submitted, he sees the facts in this light. Perhaps his is one of those single track minds that can only work along one groove at a time and just now the groove in which it is run ning is that of the intention to pro tect and clear these officers of the charge hanging over them, and of which he believes them to be inno cent. _ The public generally, and this opin ion has been accurately sensed and voiced by editorials in both the Bee and the World-Herald, the latter of which has not been unfriendly toward Mr. Ringer, does not take his view of the matter. The Monitor reiter ates its statement that we believe that these officers should have been suspended upon their arrest for a felony, and we regret that Mr. Ringei refuses to see it in this light. We be lieve that he is honest, but mistaken. “LOCHGIEL” URE THE MONITOR has never had any confidence in Big “Bill” Ure, as he is popularly called, but where his bigness comes in it has been difficult for us to determine. We have never considered him at all friendly to our people. His warning to us about stir ring up trouble sounds strangely like a voice from Texas, although Mr. Ure, if we are not mistaken, hails by an cestry, at least, from Scotland. His “Lochgiel, Lochgiel, beware of the day,” is doubtless well meant, but en tirely unnecessary. WORI.D-HERALD TO BE COMMENDED THE World-Herald is to be com mended for the position it has re cently taken in reports of alleged crimes. In several instances no ref erence whatever was made to the race of the accused; and in other in stances where the race was indicated it was in a manner not to especially attract attention. In other words, it has not made the race primary and crime secondary. This is a reform which we notice with pleasure, and hope that the World-Herald will con tinue this practice and that other newspapers will follow this most ex cellent example, which will win the commendation of all right-thinking people. THE MONITOR’S POLICY THE MONITOR is always pleased to receive constructive criticism and to act upon it. Destructive crit icism does not bother us a bit. W'e have our definite, clear-cut policy in trying to serve all the people in whose interests it is published and in pursuing that policy we are grow ing steadily in circulation and influ ence. Our policy is not to engage in personal controversy; indeed, many have faulted us because this was not our policy. When principles are at stake, we shall speak and speak fear lessly. When we run across practices which we consider unethical and questionable, we shall say so and, having tacts, and being sure of them, we shall not fail to call a spade a spade. BISHOP SHAYLER THE advent of a religious leader is of great moment to any progrcs sive community. For this reason the election and consecration of a bishop of the Episcopal church is not only an event of importance and interest to the people of that especial com munion, but to all who value wise and constiuctive religious leadership. The Monitor therefore extends most cordial welcome to Bishop Shaylor, who comes to take up the work of the late Bishop Williams, who was such a staunch, true and tried friend of our race. The number of Episcopalians among colored people is steadily growing ev erywhere, and the progress and viril ity of the work of this historic com munion among our people who are thinking as never before, depends upon the broadmindnedness and sin cerity of those placed in position of leadership. This is equally true of all classes of Americans in this period of reconstruction. The Monitor wishes Nebraska’s new bishop a long, prosperous and fruit ful episcopate. LET US REASON TOGETHER Dr. BuBois writes in the September Crisis: Brothers, we are on the great deep. We have cast off on the vast which will lead to freedom or death. For thiee centuries we have suffered and cowered. No race ever gave pas sive resistance and submission to evil longer, more piteous trial. Today we raise the terrible weapon of self-de fense. When the murderer comes, he j shall no longer strike us in the, back. W hen the armed lynchers gather, we too must gather armed. When the mob moves, we propose to meet it ! with bricks and clubs and guns. But we must tread here with sol emn caution. We must never let jus 1 tifiable self-defense against individ uals become blind and lawless offense against all white folk. We must not seek reform by violence. We must not seek vengeance. “Vengeance is mine,” saith the Lord, or to put it otherwise, only infinite justice and knowledge can assign blame in this poor world, and we ourselves are sin ful men, struggling desperately with our own crime and ignorance. We must defend ourselves, our homes, our wives and children against the law less without stint or hesitation; but we must carefully and scrupulously avoid cn our own part bitter and un justifiable aggression against any body. This line is hard to draw. In the south the police and public opinion back the mob and the least resistance on the part of the innocent black vic tim is nearly always construed as a lawless attack on society and gov ernment. In the north the police and the public will dodge and falter, but in the end they will back the right when the truth is made clear to them. ! But whether the line between just lesistance and angry retaliation is hard or easy, we must draw it care fully, not in wild resentment, but in grim and Fober consideration; and then back of the impregnable fortress of the divine right of self-defense, which is sanctioned by every law- of God and man, in every land, civilized and uncivilized, we must take our unfaltering stand. Honor, endless and undying honor to every man, black or white, who in Houston, East St. Louis, Washington and Chicago gave his life for civiliza tion and order. If the United States is to be land of law, we would live humbly and peace ably in it—working, singing, learning and dreaming to make it and our selves nobler and better; if it is to be a land of mobs and lynchers, we might as W'eli die today as tomorrow. “And how can a man die better Than facing fearful odds For the ashes of his fathers And the temples of his gods?” LOADED WITH DYNAMITE The holding of two Omaha patrol men for manslaughter as a conse quence of the illegal raid on the I’laza hotel, in which an innocent Negro boy was killed, should have the effect of a sobering shock on the Omaha city government. The World-Herald has no desire or intention to tear passion to tatters in an unceasing attack upon the police administration of this city. It has no vendettas to wage or grudges to sat isfy. liut the action of the prelimin ary court, at the insistence of the I county attorney, makes it not amiss 1 once more to call the attention of the thoughtful people of Omaha to a serious situation; a situation loaded with dynamite. How long will public sentiment in Omaha, by its indifference, permit Su perintendent Ringer and his support ers in the council to continue in their career of reckless fanaticism ? How long shall police lawlessness and police violence, practiced blas phemously in the name of God, be per mitted to serve as a constant example for other lawlessness and other vio lence ? How long shall one element of the community, temporarily and unfor tunately vested with control of the po lice power, be encouraged to misuse that power in trampling down the legal and moral rights and inciting the sullen and justifiable resentment of another element on which it has declared a sort of holy war? | What will be the eventful bitter fruit of such a policy? We have here a city of nearly a quarter million people, made up of all races and creeds and classes—a cos mopolitan city, as former Mayor Dahlman used to say, if there is one ; west of the Mississippi river. If we are able to live together in peace and harmony and continued prosperity and security, it must be on the basis of I tolerance, of fairness, of respect for , one another’s rights, of equality be fore the law. Superintendent Ringer and his fool hardy backers, inspired by the odious spirit of superior righteousness and the hatred and intolerance which that spirit engenders, are doing their dan gerous best to tear down that basis, pile by pile and plank by plank. We submit that the condition re suiting—a condition that is constantly growing more menacing—is one that deserves the thoughtful and imme diate consideration of all citizens with a stake in Omaha.—The World-Her ald. » 1 Flashes of Most Anything j i. ........ i JACKSONVILLE, FLA., had its first lynching the other day. Boston had its first riot. The blot on the national escutcheon is spreading so as to threaten the entire shield. Crime knows no color line; and lawlessness fostered becomes an eating cancer. “That we but teach bloody instruc tion, which being taught return to plague the inventor.” The fellow who wrote that knew something about human nature. I’ll say he did. FUNNY isn’t it how a crooked shoe can pinch the foot it fits? Listen at ’em squeal, Pete, listen at ’em squeal! 0~ N the trail of the lonesome Whine —Borah, Johnson and McCormick. ANOTHER 14 POINTS Here are 14 points that opponents of the League of Nations raise against the ratification of the peace treaty. 1. The Shantung provision is in ternational piracy, bringing dishonoi to any nation party to it. 2. Great Britain is given six votes to America’s one, without justification in reason. 3. By entering the league, America would abandon her traditional policy of non-interference in European af fairs. 4. The Monroe doctrine would be subject to interpretation by the league council, as asserted by British offi cials without contradiction. 5. The United States would be bound to maintain armies in Europe to regulate purely European affairs. 6. Our constitutional provision that congress shall have power to raise armies would be violated. 7. Domestic questions, such as im migration, tariff, and coastwise trade, will come within the jurisdiction of the league if the foreign council so decides. 8. Insignificant nations, like Liber ia, Hedjaz, would have voting power in the assembly equal with the United States. 9. The United States would be bound to preserve the territorial in tegrity and political independence of every member of the league, many of them monarchies. 10. By bringing the charge that nation could require the United States to submit any question to the league for decision. 11. Article 23 requiring free tran sit and equitable treatment of com merce could be construed to forbid protective tariffs. 12. America, industrially and fi nancially strong, would become the burden-bearer of the world. 13. The league covenant obligates the United States to give full and frank information concerning indus tries adaptable to war-like purposes, thus putting American industry at a disadvantage, since most important industries are of such character. 14. America has nothing to gain and much to lose by entering the league. BRANCH W. C. C. S. TO COM PILE COMMUNITY HISTORY The W. C. C. S. with its headquar ters at 24th and Burdette Streets has in mind the compiling of a history telling the part played by Omaha’s soldiers and sailors in the great world war. The authors invite all soldiers ann sailors to write a personal account of their connection with the service from the time of induction to discharge. All soldiers are welcome to headquar ters to relate in person each event and incident of importance. ___ , ... * ’ Dental Hygiene and Care of the Teeth By Dr. W. W. Peebles I I)R. W. VV. PEEBLES FOREWORD In the articles which will be writ ten for the consideration of the read ers of The Monitor, special care will be taken to be brief and concise. In an age where time plays such an im portant part in the activities of life much interesting and beneficial lead ing matter is only casually glanced over because of the long drawn out and minutely detailed nature of the SOUJiDS LIKE A JOKE OUR Washington correspondent states in this week’s letter that the president-elect of Liberia, "Mr King plans to remain in Washington during practically his entire stay ir the United States, because he feels that the more representative colored citizens live in the national capital and is of the opinion that he can ob tain better impressions of the prog ress of the colored people of America in Washington than in any other city of the United States.” Washingtonians may take them selves seriously and believe that “We are the people and wisdom will die with us,” and they may have im pressed Mr. King w-ith their progress iveness, but if the president-elect ol Liberia wants to secure, as we believe he does, the best impression of the progress of the colored people oi America, he will have to travel many F..~— .. .. ■■■■■ .. .r—. .... im. ws. article written. Hence brevity and concisiveness, or in other words, short and snappy, will be my motto. The writer does not hope to present any new phases of dental science, but simply desires to refresh your mem ories with those elemental principles of dental hygiene which if carefully , * observed will save pain and extra ex pense as well as give much comfort, to those who w'ill take the time to read these articles. The homely phrase —"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” has lost none of its virtues as time has sped on. So with brevity and conciseness and iteration and reiteration I shall endeavor to present some of the methods neces sary to be observed to present dental lesions. Having served as dental surgeon in the aiTny for over two years, I shall from time to time, not only familiar ize you with the progressive methods used in the army to obtain and main tain clean oral conditions, but shall occasionally recount personal observa tions of Europe. The mouths of the people of Europe with whom I have come in contact, and European den tistry in detail. Any questions which one desires to ask will be gladly answered by the winter. ! weary miles from the national cap ital. Washingtonians are puffed up with self importance, but they are woefully non-progressive and behind scores of other American cities whose ; colored population is much smaller than that of Washington. The Mon- j itor would respectfully advise Mr. f King to see the United States, or as much of it as he can during his so journ in this country. Seven-eights of the United States lie west of the Alleghany mountains. I - THREE BROTHERS OPEN GROCERY Three brothers, Albert, Herbert and Essie Kemp, recently from Ever green, Ala., have opened a grocery store at Twenty-fourth and Charles streets, having bought out a Jewish merchant, Mr. Abrahams. The store is known as the Sanitary Grocery and : Fish Market. / / | brandeis Stores < & W’e wish to announce that we are agents for the new Hart Schaffner and Marx Clothing for Boys. The same quality, material and workman ship distinguish the Boys’ Clothing that have made the Hart Schaffner and Marx Men’s Wear the Leaders in their field. SECOND FLOOR—MEN’S STORE -MMiAM.UJi.JUMl. AIM aim AIM- HIM lUi HJi H II \1 II .I H IUI HJf Hjf/ \J T/ 111/ »I.T/ Hit/ .1 11 kl'T/ il l/ HIT/ Alt Alt AIM ilU All J The Beautiful Thing I About the FORD CAR i8 its 100% simplicity of operation, 100% per X cent economy, and 100% service. That’s why we’ve adopted the y slogan 100%. Ford Service. We strive to maintain the Ford standard X all the time, in all ways, in all departments. X o We sell Ford Motor Cars and Fordsom Farm Tractors. *:• A j Sample-Hart Motor Co. f | Tyler 513. 18th and Burt Street*, .j. pX*