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About The monitor. (Omaha, Neb.) 1915-1928 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 26, 1920)
, "v rtr r=n The Monitor n=n A NATIONAL WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED IX) THE INTERESTS OF COLORED AMERICANS. THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS. K4H» $2.00 a Year. 5c a Copy OMAHA. NEBRASKA, FEBRUARY 26, 1920 Vol. V. No. 34 (Whole No. 243) General Wood Spends Strenuous Sunday Leading Candidate for '*t0 blican Nomination for the Presidency Omaha Visitor for %0 "«ty-four Hours—Kept Busy, But Cheerful and Affable—ds Services and Memorial Exer cises and Makes Three Adu%, s. GRANTS MONITOR EDITOR PLEASANT INTERVIEW Is Giatified to Ivearn That His Outspoken Stand for Law and Order and His Reputation for a Square Deal for All Citizens Has Made Him the First Choice of the Colored Voters of Nebraska. GENERAL Leonard Wood, whom The Monitor confidently believes will be the next president of the United States, spent a strenuous Sun day in Omaha. Arriving at 9 a. m., accompanied by Mrs. Wood, h)s son. Lieutenant O. C. Wood; Colonel C. B. Baker of hiR staff, E. B. Clarke, pub licity aanager; Andrew Moss, messen ger, who, by the way, has been in the war department for fifteen years, and is a cousin of M. F. Singleton of our city; and two stenographers, the party drove Immediately to the Fon tenelle hotel. General Wood and party attended All Saints’ Episcopal church at 11 o'clock, where at the close of the serv ice he delivered a five-minnte address stating that in these times it behooves , Americans to follow the example of Washington, to be obedient to the laws of the country and to promote by practice and precept wholesome family life. In the afternoon General Wood de livered a splendid address at Central % High school in connection with the pageant and ceremonies of the pre sentation of certificates from the French government to the nearest of kin to those who had paid the supreme sacrifice overseas. Speaking on this occasion, General Wood reminded those present that: "It is singularly fitting that Wash ington’s birthday should be the day -selected to receive the handB of the French this testimonial," he said, "for ^ she came to our aid during the dark est days of the revolution. Even in her hour of trial she is stretching out her hand to us in gratitude. "We must not let anything come be tween ub and the allies. I^et us re member those many dead—so many that if they were marshalled in col umns of squads they would reach from the Atlantic to the Pacific— who have died In the great cause for which we have fought with the al lies and let them he a bond between us." ‘.Some time again," he continued, "it will be necessary for each nation to make the supreme sacrifice and to break peace to fight for the right. We must be prepared. We hate mil itarism, but we hate almost as much the helplessness that comes of being unprepared.” Must Preserve Spirit General Wood closed his speech by saying, "The dead have given the highest testimonial that can be giv en—their lives. The soldiers we sent out typified the principles of Christ lu their spirit of self sacrifice. Let us keep alive that spirit." At the close of the exercises at the high school, which preceded by a din ner at the residence of Mr. John W. Towle, president of the Wood league, General Wood attended a reception, which kept him busy until nearly 6:30, and In the evening at 8 he de livered an address on "Character" at the First Presbyterian church. Crowded with engagements as the day was It was exceedingly gratify ing to Rev. John Albert Williams, edi tor of The Monitor, which was the first weekly to suggest General Wood's name as a candidate for the presi dency, to be Invited to meet him, and to renew the acquaintance made when the general was here In con nection with the September riot. The hour fixed was 6:30. The Monitor editor and Mr. Singleton were on time. We were warmly and cordially re ceived by Colonel Baker, who recalled our meeting in September. Ho is a splendid type of man, enthusiastic over General Wood's presidential prospects. General Wood soon arrived and greeted us most heartily. He wan pleased to learn that hls uncompro mising stand for law and order and hls reputation for believing In a square deal for all men and had alligned the colored citizenry of this state practically solidly behind him. Reference was made to hls recent speech before the Lincoln Republican League In Chicago, a report of which was published In last week's Issue of J The Monitor. He said the reception given' him there was most gratifying, and that when he stated what he sin cerely believes, that the colored citi zens stand for law and order and simply demand protection as Ameri can citiznns and their constitutional rights, for which he unequivocally stands, the applause was marked and continuous. He was told that the American people want a president who will be the president of all the people, and that because we believe him to be that kind of a man, be could rest content that the colored citizens of t his state would vote for him at the April primaries. In his address at the First Presby terian church, Oeneral Wood said in part: ‘ America has a great mission in the world, a mission which she is ont go ing to perform unless we keep up an Intense spirit of Americanism,” said Oeneral Wood in an address made last night at the First Presbyterian church. “When 1 say intense American spirit, I had better say intense American con science. “I hope we shall be able to get rid of the league of nations with the reservations which will thoroughly Americanize it, and which will permit us to call together the people of this country and discuss whether or not we want to go into war. As soon as we have settled this, we will be able to turn our attention to the return of the railroads to where they belong, and to take up and settle the other great problems before us. Must natch Immigrants. “We Bhould keep one door open for the expulsion of the unfit, the reds, the agitators. It is not good to close our doors to the reds and permit other undesirables to enter. We should scrutinize carefully all immigrants, but once within the country it Is our duty to educate them, Americanize them, give thorn something of the American character. We must be a little bit more careful in seeing who comes here and what they get here. The influx of unquestioned immigrants is a very grave question. “We build character more than any where else in the universities and pub lic schools of the country. We arc paying altogether too little attention to our teaching force, the greatest character-forming machine in the country. School teachers are receiv ing $4.60 a day and plumbers $10 a day. We should give this subject Im mediate, thorough and careful atten tion, and pay serious attention to our teaching force In order that our chil dren may have the right kind of char acter, “One other element in building up national character, national solidarity, is the relations of labor and capital. There must not be the subjugating of any class. Capital must not be per mitted to dominate labor nor labor to dominate capital. The human ele ment must enter more into the rela tions between them. “All of these things are causing un rest all over the country. We must stand rigidly for the things that Wash ington and Lincoln stood for. We must keep our feet on tho ground, our eyes on Ood and our Ideal high, and stand solidly for law and order. We people of the class here tonight have got to Interest ourselves in the prob lems of the other half of the world.” — HAH HYDROPHOBIA; VICTIM IS SHOT BY POLICEMEN Montgomery, Ala., Feb. 25.—Jesse Tolliver, a negro, who was bitten two years ago by a pet dog, developed hy- , dropbobia Saturday and was shot and killed by officers who were called to i subdue him after he had attacked nurses at a hospital where he was be ing treated. CHOSEN AS DELEGATE. Shreveport, Ala., Feb. 25.—Charles M. Roberson, lawyer of Shreveport, has been chosen uninstructed dele gate to the national republican con- j ventlon to be held in Chicago June 8. THE COLOR PROBLEM IN THE UNITED STATES AS SEEN THROUGH THE EYES OF AN OBSERVANT FRENCHMAN A Thoughtful and Suggestive Article Recently Published in Promi nent French Journal Denies Racial Inferiority of Blacks and Expresses Belief That American Good Sense and Loyal Heartedness Will Give Opportunity to Both Races to Live Amicably Together. TIE International interest that is being taken in what is known as “America’s Race Problems,” in indicated by the number of articles being published in foreign newspapers and magazines. It is always interesting to learn what others are thinking of us. The following article which has been translated from the French especially for The Monitor will invite more than passing atten lion: “THE KATE OK THE BLACKS” (By Monsieur Alfred W. Gaspart in The Freeman.) Translated from the French journal l'Home for The Monitor by Raymond Jean Knox and Rudolph L. Desdunes. The American government finds itself face to face with a grave prob lem. What measures will it take to allay the conflicts which occur daily between the inhabitants of the •white raco and the black race in the various states? The latest cablegrams inform us that, at Washington, the Negroes, responding to the attacks of armed bands of workingmen of the shops, have ransacked the stores and spread terror throughout the city. une riiouiu not deceive mmseii as to the fact that the blacks represent con siderable strength. By the favor of circumstances, they have grown to be an element of very great importance i in the American community. The la bor crisises of late years have induced the heads of establishments to trust the blacks with occupations which hitherto had been reserved to the whiles. After all. of what Importance to the corporations Is the color of the workman or the laborer If he can do the same work as the white man for the same amount of pay? Up to the present day, the error has been to consider, in the United States as well as abroad, even in France, that the Negroes are naturally of an infer ior race. Each day, however, brings new evidences which tend to demon strate the opposite of this theory. One must not forget that long before the modern era the black race has given to the world proof of its own greatness among the other races. It would take rank ignorance or Innate prejudice on the part of the best por tion of the anthropologists to allow proofs so evident to have been Ig nored. Let the subject be the powerful states of the Pharoachic age of an cient Egypt or let the subject be the grand black empires of the Soudan, it is an incontestable fact that some Negro civilizations have existed and lately have been buried under the sands of the desert. I visited .some few weeks ago, the Negroes’ Art exposition, organized by M. Paul Gullaume. The most part of the statuettes in clay or in wood, placed in glass cases, presented a re markable artistic value, evidenced a certain culture and an incontestable degree of civilization and which the major portion of the visitors hardly expected to find among Negroes. The activity and the traditions of which maintained themselves through cen turies only to die almost within our UUJM. Joined to a number of others,- it is there a proof of the unity of Negro civilization and the very high level to which It is required to climb. From, the artistic viewpoint, as from other angles, it is not rash to compare it with what have been at their cradle, • he grand civilizations of antiquity. If the disappearance of the grand Negro societies is undeniable, it is then an acquired fact and not an original con dition, a phenomenon historically ex plicable "and not a fatality due to an essential inferiority of the race.” A lieutenant of the colonial infatnry. Monsieur Roeckel, has consigned in a very suggestive book, the fruit of daily observations. It is not a thesis born of preconception, but a connected mass of authenticated facts recorded from time to time from which M. Roeckel was in position to ward off all comments without their pictures que and significant force being aten uated. I leut, Roeckel at once affirms that, if he is but little "sensitive,” accord ing to the physiological sense of the word, the black is very much so, if on< should give the word its full psy ch' logical value. Livingstone, himself, did he not declare that wherever he saw the Negro in the state of nature, he knew him to be good, candid, easy, generous, enthusiastic and sensible to gratitude? As to that which regards the intelli gence, M. Roeckel’s affirmations are considered almost audacious, so shock ing are they to our prejudices; but one will how willingly to the conclusion of this impartial observer; “Abstrac tion made," says he, "of all that af fects culture, one may say that the black is, for the needs of his kind of life, as well endowed Intellectually as the white, if not better. All the dif ference existing between the brain of the African and ours is that one is educated and the other is uncultured. Oniy usage of scientific observation, has caused us to lose the sense of natural observation.” In that which concerns me, I have to declare, that, as well in South America as during my journey in Sen egal, the black gives proof of a bril liancy of mind and of a faculty of reasoning which could be envied by many Europeans. I have had, as fore man of the employee’s force in the pressroom of the Tribune in Buenos Ay jps, a Negro gifted with a faculty L TfnSpreheuskm and of a lino wit, qualities which made of him a prec ious collaborator. To conclude, let us say that the Negro race, considered In the natural state, personifies the youngest branch of the grand family of nations; the qualities of the race predispose it to receive, of the strongest and most ad vanced races, the direction of which it actually stands in need. Hence, it is those dispositions which the con quering nations are inclined to depre ciate and hold in contempt, because they esteem themselves superior to those whose difference in color is not a sign of weakness. We possess an immense African territory, therefore let us draw from that fact the proper inspiration re garding the notion of the equality of the white and black races and the work of African civilization will he more than a hope. It is necessary that economic laws which are Intended to rule workman ship should be wise and liberal enough to permit file blacks and whites to live in peace by the fruits of their labor. The Americans, who are people said to have a loyal heart, will obey, we doubt it not, these principles to re establish order at home. Their good sense will tell them that the union which has made their strength on the battlefields, must not be destroyed by stupid prejudice. VATICAN CATEGORICALLY DENIES PERMISSION TO DIVORCEES TO REWED Route, Feb. 25.—Authorities at the Vatican, after Inquiry, state they are ( unable to find any commucinations or exchanges have taken place to war rant publication by a Journal of Vlen- ( na that marriage of divorcees was about to be Inaugurated In Austrian Catholic churches, says an announce ment authorized bv the pope. No such authorization has been given, it is stated, nor Is there any trace of sug- ' gestlons warranting such a statement, which is said to be canonically impos sible. GENERAL W'OOD FILES FOR NOMINATION IN GEORGIA Columbus, Ca., Feb. 25.—Major Gen eral Leonard Wood filed his declara tion of candidacy for the republican presidential nomination with the sec retary of state here Sunday. He also filed a statement authorizing candi dates for delegates to pledge them selves to his support at the republican national convention. — (VONDERFUL ADVENTURES AND ENVIABLE ARMY RECORD OF OMAHA COLORED ELE VATOR MAN. Deputy Sheriff Bailey Recommended for Medal of Honor Twice. Up and down in the dark elevator which runs from the court house ground floor to the county jail on the fifth floor rides Isaac Bailey, a colored nan apparently of middle age. His is a quiet life. An elevator op jrator’s life is not filled with much excitement and you think that Isaac lever had anything very interesting n his-life. Isaac never volunteers to ell about his adventures. He is sim ily an elevator man and a deputy un ler Sheriff Mike Clark. But Isaac—he is better known as Sergeant Bailey—has had excitement i plenty. He was in the United States irmy for a quarter of a century. Dur ng all that time he belonged to the 'amous Tenth cavalry, which saved lolonel Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Rivers at the battle of Santla ?o, Cuba. Sergeant Bailey has fought Indians, Spaniards and Filipinos. Arizona Shooting Bee. During his first enlistment he was itatloned in Arizona at Fort Apache. He was dispatched to Holbrook, ninety niles away to relieve another ser geant there in taking care of some Indian property. The cowboys at Holbrook were getting too "skittish” :o suit the other sergeant. Soon after Sergeant Bailey arrived here he heard that three of his six nen were in Tom Pickett’s saloon, where the cowboys were engaged in heir favorite pastime of making the coopers dance by shooting near their ’eet. Sergeant Bailey went into the laloon. Pickett was a "bad man” and lad a “private cemetery" where he mried the men killed in his saloon. “lire, boys, you musn’t shoot at my nen.” said Sergeant Balloy as he itepped inside the door. "Oh, the h— you say!” exclaimed a ellow called Cactus Bill. “Now you lance." But Sergeant Bailey had drawn his •evolver and had Cactus Bill "cov srod.” "I can’t dance," he said, slowly, "but play pretty good music.” The cowboys knew wheat he meant >y the "music," but they were a des jerate lot. A general sbooting-up was ibout to start, when, suddenly, across he bar was thrown the barrel of a ihotgun. At the other end 'of It was 3ickett himself. ‘‘I’ll plug the heart of tho first dnnkety blank that fires at the Ber jeant,” he said. Pickett was an old ’riend of Seargeant Bailey. Itetlred by Pershing. Sergeant Ballev served a number of lonsecutive enlistments totaling 25 fears and is now retired as regimental juartermaster sergeant. His discharge, given July 9, 1898, is :ountersigned by "John J. Pershing, luartermaster, Tenth U. 8. Cavalry, \ctlng Adjutant.” "Pershing was a lieutenant then and I knew him well,” says Sergeant Bailey. “Everybody liked him and he certainly was a fine officer.” This discharge was given during the Cuban campaign of the Spanish American war and the sergeant reen listed the next day. The discharge paper on which Gen eral Pershing’s name appears bears also this notation, "Sergeant Bailey showed conspicuous gallantry in as sault on Spanish entrenchments at Santiago de Cuba, July 1, 1898.” "That was the time when we saved Colonel Roosevelt and the Rough Rid ers,” says the sergeant, opening the jail door to let out a couple of deputy sheriffs. “We had fought the Span iards for two hours and driven them out of their entrenchments. Roose velt and his men came in on the left and the Spaniards opened fire on them. The Tenth cavalry arrived just in time. That was where Hamilton Fish and several others were killed.” Recommended for Medal. For his actions in this battle Ser geant Bailey was recommended for a medal of honor. (Continued on Page 8.) GENERAL WOOD LIKE ROOSEVELT By Edgar 0. Brown. INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., Feb. 23.—Ever since General Leonard Wood de clared before the Lincoln League as sembled in Chicago that he stood for equal rights, equal justice and equal protection to all citizens, in other words, that he stood for the Roose veltian Square Deal and further stated that America must be made safe for Americans, hundreds have sent their names to be enrolled as charter mem bers of the National Colored People’s Wood-for-President Club located in this city. Everyone feels that Leon ard Wood will be the next great re publican leader because he is a real American like Theodore Roosevelt. Mr. F. B. Ransom, recently appoint ed on the Indiana state plateform com mittee to represent the colored peo ple of this state, leans toward Gen eral Wood because he thinks Leon ard Wood understands the needs of all the people of the United States and like Theodore Roosevelt will be able to put the country in line for greater progress in the next four years. Some other prominent leaders to take stand for Wood are Perry W. Howard, Jackson, Mississippi, and Major John R. Lynch, ex-auditor of the navy and at present residing in Chicago. All people wishing to be enrolled as charter members of the National Col ored People’s Wood-for-President club with headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana can do so by sending in their name and address at once to this as sociation. General Wood is the only candidate up to date to publicly state his posi tion in regard to the colored people.