—— The Monitor —
+, \ 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, FEBRUARY 9, 1923- Whole Number 396 Vol. Vni—No. 32
“SILENCE (IF GOOSE CREEK" IS SHAME OF TEXAS
Colored Builders Form National Association; Do $1,280,000 Business in Year
CONTRACTORS FROM
37 CITIES ENJOY
PROFITABLE MEET
linmpton Institute Builders Conference
Attracts Leading Men in Building
Industry From Alabama
to Slew York
_ j
REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMILY
Plan to Further Interests of Colored
Builders Thru Dissemination of
Information and Practical
Improvement by Study.
(By Wm. Anthony Aery)
Hampton, Va., Feb. 8—“The National
Bulldere’ Association" was formed at
the closing session of the first annual
Hampton Institute builders’ confer
ence, which brought together from 37
cities and towns and from 12 schools
and colleges, for three days, over 80
leading colored builders and contract
ors, as well as others who are inter
ested in developing the building in
dustry.
This association of employers and
instructors in the building Industry has
the following objects: Dissemination
of information; self-improvement thru
study, local organizations and national
conferences; propaganda for the train
ing of mechanics; the fostering of all
trade schools; and the placing of trade
graduates.
Tile following officers were elected:
Charles T. Kusseli, Richmond, presi
dent; W. T. Courtney, Atlanta, vice
president; H. Whitteinore Brown,
Hampton Institute, secretary-treasur
er; A. L. Manly, Philadelphia, chair
man, executive committee; and C. H.
Evans, Tuskegee Institute, member of
executive committee.
A committee was appointed to draw
up a plan of organization: H. Whitte
more Brown, chairman, David H.
Terry, Edward H. Speunie, Robert A.
Coles, Alexander Santa Cruz, all of
Hampton Institute, and C. H. Evans,
Tuskegee Institute.
The next meeting of the association
will he held in conjunction with the
annual Hampton Institute builders’
conference, which will serve as the as
sociation's clearing house.
Members of the builders’ conference
were distributed from Alabama to New
York. Some of the cities represented
were Atlanta, Lynchburg and Roanoke,
Norfolk and Suffolk, Williamsburg,
Hampton and Phoebus, Richmond and
Petersburg, Charlottesville, Washing
ton, Baltimore. Philadelphia. Some
of the educational institutions repre
sented were Tuskegee Institute, Fort
Valley High and industrial Institute,
Spelman Beminarp, Christiansburg In
stitute, St. Paul Normal and Industrial
institute, Virginia Union University,
Virginia Manual Htbor School, St. Em
ma Industrial and Agricultural Col
lege, Gloucester Agricultural and In
dustrial School, Bordentown Manuel
Training industrial School, and Hamp
ton institute.
Dr. James E. Gregg, principal of
Hampton institute, in his address of
welcome, expressed his appreciation of
tlie cooperation whicii had been given
by Hampton-trained colored builders in
submitting helpful ideas for the new,
two-year, advanced builders’ course
that will start in September, PJ23, un
der the direction of H. Whittemore
Brown, who is in charge of Hampton
Institute's new department of building
construction.
The conference program included
Lhe following speakers: Alexander U.
Trowbridge, consulting architect, New
York, Federal Reserve Board, "Value
and Use of Standard Pluns;” Arthur
A. Sburtleff, Boston, landscape archi
tect, “Influence of Proper Placing and
Good Plauting;” T. Alfred Fleming,
New York, National Board of Fire Un
derwriters, "Fire Prevention and Fire
Resistive Construction;” Frank K.
Walker, Chicago, contractor, text-book
writer and lecturer, “Cost Accounting
and Estimating;” Raymond F. Bryant,
production engineer, Stamford, Conn.,
"Manufacture and Selection of Hard
ware;’’ Dudley F. Holtman, Washing
ton, D. C\, "Manufacture and Use of
Lumber;” Irving H. Cowdrey, Cam
bridge, Mass., Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, “Relation of the Test
ing laboratory to the Building Trades”
W. c. Davis, New York, "Gypsum Pro
ducts;” C. B. Bryant, Washington, D.
C., "Concrete Products;” and J. C.
Pearson, Washington, D. C., U. S. Bu
reau of Standards, "Recent Develop
ments in Concrete Houses.
The speakers used lantern slides and
motion pictures, as wellas exhibits of
materials, to drive home their mes
sages. H. Whlttemore Brown, who was
In charge of this builders’ conference,
arranged a series of demonstrations
to show the value and use of modern
methods and standard materials in
building construction. In this work
he had the cooperation of manufactur
ers and the Hampton Institute Trade
School staff of instructors and student
tradesmen.
Among the conference members
were forty colored contractors, who
during the past year completed work
valued at $1,280,000.
Albert Farwell Bemis of Boston,
prominent merchant and manufacturer,
whose gifts have made possible the es
tablishment of the Hampton advanced
builders’ course and the new depart
ment of building construction, with its
service bureau and short courses in
cost accounting, estimating, use of
standard plans, materials of construc
tion, mathematics, and strength of ma
terials, was present and expressed the
hope that this builders conference
would prove helpful, not only to those
in attendance, but also to those living
in distant places. He expressed his
appreciation of the cooperation of the
many groups that had made the first
conference a success.
SPEAKS ON HOW TO
ACQUIRE KNOWLEDGE
(Special to the Monitor by
Wm. H. Ray.)
Miss Martha L. Root, a magazine
and newspaper writer of Pittsburgh,
Pa., spoke Wednesday evening, Janu
ary 31st, at the Calvary Baptist i
church, Duluth. The pastor is Rev. ;
S. E. Beasley.
Her subject was “Universal Educa- i
tion—the Four Ways of Acquiring j
Knowledge.” Miss Root is an ardent i
believer in the universal principles i
taught by Baha’o’llah of Palestine as j
the solvent for present day world dis
turbances. She explained his teach
ings on the oneness of humanity; in- ]
dependent investigation of truth; the j
foundation of all religions is one— j
universal education, universal peace, I
a universal auxiliary language, a new
solution for the economic problem, the
abolishing of all prejudices.
“The one infallible standard for!
education which never fails,” Miss I
Root said, “was the help of the Holy j
Spirit. Through the help of the Holy [
Spirit certainty can be obtained. God’s j
greatest gift to humanity is the
bounty of the Holy Spirit. It is when.;
through meditation, the Holy Spirit j
shines on the intellect, that the human j
spirit catches the reflection of the.
Divine cosmic spirit and then through!
comprehension, meditation and action
the greatest discoveries, arts and
books may come into reality. Human 1
spirit inspired by the Holy Spirit will j
bo able to educate a nation. Read the
Holy Word, pray, meditate and then
act,” Miss Root said, “was the way to
progress."
She gave lines from the wisdom of
the ages: “In the silence characters
are formed and developed.” “In the
silence geniuses are born.” “In the
silence great truths shall come to
thee and thy soul be blessed with the
rich increase of celestiai knowledge.”
“In the silence all perplexities shall
vanish, all troubles cease, all sorrow
assuage.” “Into the silence, then, and
commence with self, find there thy
mission in the world.”
The lecturer spoke of the teachings
i of Baha’o’llah as taught by his son
Abdul Baha who visited America in
11912. This son said there is a sign
| of God in every phenomena. The sign
of the intellect is contemplation and
the sign of contemplation is silence,
because it is impossible for man to
do two things at the same time—he
cannot both speak and mediate. When
one meditates he is speaking with his
own spirit. In that state of mind he
speaks to his own spirit and his spirit
answers; the light breaks forth and
the reality is revealed.
Through the facu’ty of meditation
man attains to eternal life; through
it he receives the breath of the Holy
Spirit—the bestowal of the Spirit is
given in reflection and meditation.
This faculty brings forth from the
invisible plane the sciences and arts.
Through the meditative faculty inven
tions are made possible, colossal un
dertakings are carried out; through
it governments can -run smoothly.
Through this faculty man enters into
the very Kingdom of God.
FOR RENT—Furnished Room with
Kitchenette, 2425 Grant street. Phone
Webster 3 34. Inquire at 2221 North
Twenty-fifth street.
[" Homage_1
-m—4
i.moom
CHICAGO H. A. A.
C. P. PROTECTS
COLORED GIRL
—
Following Report Tells How Interests j
of Innocent Southern Girl Were
Looked After When Betrayed
by “White Slaver”
ASSIST III PLANS FOR FUTURE
Chicago, Feb. 8.—(Special to The
Monitor.)—How a colored girl who
had been brought from Alabama to (
Chicago by a white man was careil ;
lor and the white man prosecuted ami
fined, is told in a report submitted
to the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People, 70
Fifth avenue, New York, by Morris
Lewis, secretary of the Chicago i
branch. Mr. Lewis’ repoi-t states:
A colored girl and white man had j
been picked up the day before at a
railroad station. The white man had
brought this simple-minded colored
girl from Alabama to Chicago, paid j
her railroad fare and furnished her j
spending money. At the time of the j
arrest the man and the girl were hir
ing a cab to take the girl from the
station.
The case found its way to the
juvenile court and the girl being over
20 put it outside the “juvenile” juris
diction, thus it became the duty of
someone other than a juvenile officer
to look after the girl. My wife then
came into the case. The girl was put,
in her charge and was taken to the
Phyllis Wheatley Home for the night.
Next day the trial came up. Mrs.
Lewis appeared just the same as a
lawyer for the girl and was so re
cognized by the court.
The man was fined $200 and a
nominal fine of $25 placed against the
girl. She was continued in my wife’s’
care for six months’ probation, after
which time on payment of the fine
she will be free. I imagine the fine
will be remitted when the time comes.
There was apparently some effort
on the part of shysters to get the fel
low off, one Negro seeming to be in
terested on his side. When he round
out that my wife was representing the
girl he beat a hasty retreat. The in
vestigation was followed up and con
sideration given to resorting to the
Mann Act prosecution, but in view of
the fact that the girl is free of the
man and he on his way to the bride
well, it is perhaps just as well to let
it drop and save the girl further pub
licity. Mrs. Lewis was greatly com
mended by many social workers who
were in the court room and said it
was quite a treat to see a colored
woman stand up and fight for the
rights of an innocent simple-minded
colored girl.
Mr. Lewis further states that the
girl will be helped to find employment
and to obtain education.
TRIED IN VAIN TO
BAN ATLANTA KLAN PARADE
Atlanta, Ga., Feb. 8.—John A. Man
get disclosed today his unavailing ef
forts to persuade Mayor Sims to can-;
cel permission for the Ku Klux K'sn j
parade which marched through the
streets last Wednesday.
“This cowardly aggregation hid be
hind masks,” Mr. Manget said, in giv
ing out his conesnorylence, “and were
advertised as Knights of the Ku Klux
an, which organization was bom :
in this city of dreamers and grafters, j
At the head of this bunch of Invisible !
Empire champions, who hide their
names and faces, rode mounted police
of our visible government by order
of the mayor.”
MER ROUGE MAYOR
GETS DEATH THREAT
City Executive Ordered to Leave the !
Town Because of llis Opposition
to Ku Klux Klan.
Mer Rouge, La., Feb. 9.—Mayor
Robert L. Dade, a brother-in-law ol
Watt Daniel, murdered by a hooded
mob, is said to be threatened with
death unless he leaves town within
ten days.
The warning came today in an anon
ymous letter, bearing a Hot Springs,
Ark., post mark. It was written by
someone apparently familiar with
Mayor Dade’s history and his tes
timony at the open hearing at Bastrop
into the hooded murder mystery. The
mayor, who opposed the withdrawal j
of troops from the parish, announced |
that he would ask the attorney gen- j
eral and department of justice agents
to try to locate the sender of the j
death threat. The mayor once joined j
the'Ku Klux Klan and then renounc- j
ed it as he opposed its policies.
The letter, written on stationery
of the National Park Hotel at Hot
Springs, Ark., follows:
“Dear Sir: You are hereby notified
to pack up and get out of town within
ten days of receipt of this notice. You
have never been any good as a man or
as a citizen. Use your own judgment
and either leave or become a corpse.
—Law Abiding.”
E. MONT REILY MAY Ql IT
Harding’s Comedian Governor of Porto
Rico Being Forced Out.
Washington, Feb. 8.—Governor E.
Mont Reily of Porto Rico said recent
ly he would resign if his health did
not show decided improvement.
After conferences earlier in the
week with the President and Secre
tary Weeks, Governor Reily purchased
tickets for his return to Porto Rico
on a steamship leaving New York on
Saturday. Considerable dissension
over his administration has been re
ported to the government from Porto
Rico.
Governor Reily, who does not like
Negroes, had six ribs broken in an
automobile accident at his home in
Kansas City three weeks ago when his
car collided with that driven by a
Negro chauffeur. He said today the
hardships of his office required his
best health, and if his condition did
not improve immediately he might re
sign.
FORWARD STRIDES)
BY INDUSTRIAL
FINANCE CORP.
Association Formed for Purpose of
(living Financial Assistance to
Race Enterprises Reported in
Excellent Condition.
QUARTERLY DIVIDEND DIVED
Washington, D. C., Feb. 8—That
great forward strides are being made
by the Allied Industrial Finance Cor
poration was definitely shown from
the reports of the President, Dr. Em
met J. Scott, and the Treasurer, Mr.
John R. Hawkins, at the annual meet
ing of the stockholders of the Corpor
ation at the offices of the Corporation,
Irfll Seventh Street N. W., Washing
ton, D. C., January 30, 1923. The re
ports of these two officers show that
the Corporation has succeeded in hav
ing more than one-half of its first of
fering of $250,000 worth of stock sub
scribed for and enough paid in to war
rant the officers of the Corporation to
decide that it would enter actively up
on Us program of giving financial as
sistance to Negro business enterprises
beginning July 1, 1922.
The wisdom of the decision of the
officers to have the Corporation begin
active business on July 1, 1922, is
shown by the fact that the investments
brought sufficient returns to enable
the Directors to declare a quarterly
dividend at the rate of eight per cent a
year for the period July 1, through
September 30th, 1922. Upon the show
ing made according to the books of the
Treasurer, the Directors have again
voted to declare a second dividend pay
ment at the rate of eight per cent a
year for the second quarter October 1st
through December 31st, 1922.
The enthusiastic approval of the
conduct of the affairs of the Corpora
tion was evidenced by the re-election
of the following men as Directors:
Whltefield McKinlay, M. O. Dumas,
John R. Hawkins, A. B. Jackson, Em
met J. Scott, A. M. Curtis, and Norman
R. McGhee, of Washington, D. C.; S.
W. Green of New Orleans, La.; T. H.
Kiah, of Princess Anne, Md.; Joseph
R. Jones, of Cincinnati, Ohio; E. C.
Brown, of Philadelphia, Pa.; R. M.
Fowler, Jr., of Atlantic City, N. J.;
J. B. Stubbs and S. G. Elbert of Wil
mington, Del. The strength of the
Board of Directors was increased by
the addition of Dr. George E. Cannon,
a prominent physician of Jersey City,
N. J., who has taken leadership in
many affairs affecting the colored peo
ple of New Jersey and the Nation.
In speaking of the important service
which the Allied Industrial Finance
Corporation is rendering, Dr. Scott,
the president, in his report to the
stockholders, stated: “Nothing more
vividly Indicates the need and neces
sity for a corporation such as the
Allied than the experience which your
officers have had In having brought be
fore them so many investments of a
worthy nature which have had to be
turned down because all the available
funds were invested. In keeping with
the program of the Corporation, the
officers and directors have given care
ful and especial attention to the large
number of applications for loans with
which the Corporation has been del
uged ever since it actively began busi
ness. It has been difficult for the of
ficers to sift out Just which of the
many applications should be favoramy
acted upon in view of the fact that
there have been so many applications
from worthy persons and concerns and
the funds of the Corporation have nev
er been sufficient to enable the officers
to handle even a small part of the ap
plications filed with us. As soon as
funds were available In the treasury,
all loans that could be provided tor
were placed."
The above statement from the Presi
dent of the Allied Industrial Finance
Corporation points out in a very defi
nite way just what a concern of this
kind can do to assist Negro business
enterprises. It is easily seen that
when this concern has succeeded in
placing larger amounts of Its stock in
the hands of the investing public, it
will have at its disposal greater sums
with which to give assistance to the
many worth while race business enter
prises, and it will not only be in posi
tion to render great service in connec
tion with the economic progress of
the race, but it will be able to pay
larger dividends and become the great
outstanding success which its stock
holders are anxious that it shall be.
The Board of Directors of the Allied
Industrial Finance Corporation met
following the meeting of the stock
holders and voted unanimously that
the following men who had served as
officers during the year 1922 be re
elected: Emtnett J. Scott, President;
A. M. Curtis, Vice President; White
field McKinlay, Chairman of the Board
of Directors; John R. Hawkins, Treas
urer; and Norman L. McGhee, Secre
tary.
BACK HARVARD ON
ANTI-NEGRO STAND
Cambridge, Mass., Feb. 9.—Har
vard’s stand in the matter of exclud
ing Negroes from the freshman dor
mitories is defended by three writers
in the Harvard Alumni Bulletin. One
of these is Arthur H. Hayden, T8, of
Norfolk, Va., a former resident of the
north. Edmund A. Whitman, ’81, of
Cambridge, tells how President Emer
itus Eliot dealt with an “exclusion”
situation.
William Bross Lloyd, ’98, of Chica
go; the Rev. Edward S. Drown, ’84,
professor at the Episcopal Theological
School, and George W. Martin, ’10, are
among other correspondents.
“When President Lowell declares
we do not owe to him (the Negro)
to force him and the white man into
social relations that are not, or may
not be, mutually congenial, he is sim
ply reiterating with the force of a
broad national vision—not the vision
of sectional partisan—what hundreds
of southern alumni have always main
tained, and will continue to maintain
with all the vigor of their manhood,”
one correspondent writes.
“The freshman class of 1877 includ
ed two Negroes and several students
from the South,” Mr. Whitman wrote.
“One of the latter called on President
Eliot and announced that if he was
compelled—and there was compulsion
in those days also—to sit in the same
section with one of his colored class
mates he would leave college. To this
President Eliot replied that, while the
college would regret his departure, it
would still go on as usual. The young
man thought better of it and stayed.”
NO PARDON FOR
SOLDIERS OF 24th
Authorities Merely Cut Life Sentences
to Twenty Years Imprisonment
in Federal Penitentiary.
Leavenworth, Kan., Feb. 9—Twenty
of the alleged Houston rioters in the
federal penitentiary here have re
ceived commutations of sentence, it
was announced officially today. Nine
teen of the prisoners have had their
sentences reduced from life to twenty
years and the other from life to eigh
teen years.
Sixty-seven former Negro soldiers
of the 24th Infantry were conyicted
of participation in the Houston, Tex.,
race riot August 23, 1917. Six were
hanged.
FOR RENT—Two unfurnished rooms
for light housekeeping. 1531 No. 21st
streit. Webster 6081.
4
TEXAS “RIGHTS” ADD
FLOGGIHG OF SICK
WOMAN TO PROGRAM
Grand Jury Investigating Case From
Its Verdict Seems Dominated by
Same Fear of the “Invisible
Empire” as People.
FLOCGERS ARE WHITEWASH’#
Shades of Early Day Texans Hnst
Writhe in Shame at Spineless
Attitude of Present Generation
in Lone Star State
Houston, Tex., Feb. 8.—The grand
jury adjourned Monday, declaring in
ability to obtain definite information
on one flogging at Goose Creek of
Mrs. Audrey Harrisson and R. A. Ar
mand. The jury declared its belief a
body of men “organized for the pur
pose of regulating the morals of the
community” had committed all the
Goose Creek whippings and was sanc
tioned by the town.
* * *
The Silence of Goose Creek.
A child screamed in the night—a
little girl eight years old—but no one
stirred.
Instead, a man—a painted, dis
guised man—drew his gun and threat
ened her with death, if she did not
cease.
A woman was lifted from her sick
bed and carried forth into the dark
ness to be whipped like a dog.
There were strong men to wield
the strap, to take the Spanish inquisi
tion for a pattern, but there was not
one to raise his voice for common de
cency, for the teaching of his fathers,
for ordinary American manhood.
Hundreds knew this thing had oc
curred, yet for four days a whole
community remained silent.
“The Chronicle” was the first paper
in Texas to report the horrible deed,
and its information came through a
letter secretly mailed in Houston by
a Goose Creek resident. That was
five days after the crime had been
committed.
Not a word had been given the pub
lic by the deputy sheriff at Goose
Creek, nor by the sheriff’s department
in Houston.
Constituted authority had been
flaunted, secrecy prevailed, men and
women refused to talk, while the two
victims lay moaning and suffering.
Is this white supremacy ? Is this
Gentile civilization ? Is this Protes
tant justice ? Is this Southern chival
ry? Is this Anglo-Saxon law?
And what sealed the lips and para
lyzed the arms of so many people?
What drove them to be deaf to the
cries of a child?
What caused them to remain mute?
Nothing but the terror of masked
violence. Nothing but fear of a dis
guised hand that might strike from
behind. Nothing but an alarm that
has spread, and spread, and spread,
until people do not dare to move or
speak, lest they expose themselves un
awares.
* * •
And suppose the woman had offend
ed, of which there is no proof, was
there no law to make her answer
able?
Is the machinery of our govemmeni
so clogged with ruts, so eaten and
corrupted, that it can no longer func
tion?
After 133 years of constitutional
democracy, must we admit failure—
admit that justice is only to be had
through masked violence?
After winning such glory on the
open battle field, after living for more
than a century with open courts, arc
we to acknowledge that the mob of
fers us our only salvation ?
There are men to laugh at the
grand jury, more’s th* pity, and to
hope its eiforts will prove futile.
There are men to ridicule Judge
Robinson’s charge.
There are men to applaud that brut
ish band, and to rejoice that its iden
tity has been concealed.
There are men to become drunk
with the thought of anonymous power,
and to take delight in its exercise.
There are men to prefer disguised,
extra-legal violence to the slower pro
cesses of the law.
* * *
When the kaiser threw down his
gauntlet and all Europe was forced to
defend itself, Lord Grey turned to us
and cried: “You next.”
We refused to believe it—refused
for three long years—but it came to
pags.
Who strikes at civilization, strikes
at everybody and everything depen
dent on it.
Who strikes at law, strikes at ev
erybody and everything that looks to
the law for protection.
If the time has come when the law
can not protect the humblest citizen
(Continued on Page Two)