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About The monitor. (Omaha, Neb.) 1915-1928 | View Entire Issue (March 9, 1923)
The Monitor — % A NATIONAL WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF COLORED AMERICANS THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor 52.00 a Year. 5c a Copy OMAHA, NEBRASKA, FRIDAY, MARCH 9th, 1923. Whole Number 400 Vol. VIII—No. 36 ________ COLONEL YOUNG’S BIRTHDAY WILL BE WIDELY HONORED Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and Veter ans and Other Organizations Will Hold Memorial Services for Gallant Soldier. SERVEDCOUNTRY FAITHFULLY His Cleverly Planned Rtirement by Government When America Entered World War Still Rankles Rare. Washington, D. C., March 9th—On March 11 and 12 in the principals in stitutions of learning and in many cit ies throughout the country, local chap ters of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and Veterans and other organizations will hold memorial services in honor of the late Colonel Charles Young, U. S. A., who died at Lagos, Nigeria, on January 8, 1922. Col. Young was born at Mayslick, Ky., March 12, 1864, but received his early education in Ripley, Ohio, where his parents moved when he was nine years old. After graduating from the Ripley high school at the age of six teen Young taught school until he re ceived his appointment to the Military Academy at West Point in 1884. From this time until his death Col. Young was a public character and was often spoken of as the embodiment of the military spirit of his race. After a period of frontier duty he was detailed to Wilberforce Univer sity as Professor of Military Science and Tactics in 1894. From a very helpful tour of duty at this institution where he taught French, German and Mathematics in addition to his mili tary subjects, he was sent to military camps along the Atlantic Coast. Again he went to the Western frontiers. Young was made Captain in 1901, and sent to the Philippines where he commanded a troop at Samar, Blanca, Aurora, Daraga, 'l’oaeca, Rosana and San Joaquin. Upon his return to the States his service included adminis tration of Sekuoia and General Grant Memorial Parks. California. The War Department commended Capt. Young officially for his excellent work on this detail. In May 1904 Young was sent as Mil itary attache to Haiti and remained four years. During this period he made an accurate map of the country. It is said that the American marines would not have been able to find their way into Haiti so easily had not Capt. Young done his work so well. In per forming his duties as Attache he found time to write "Toussaint L’Ouverture,” a drama of which only a few copies are in print. Rapidly from this point the scene; of Young’s service shifted from this! country to the Philippines to Africa! and back to Mexico where he was when it became a probability that this country would become involved in the ] European holocaust. He was now a1 Lieutenant Colonel and in command of the famous Tenth Cavalry. Lt. Col. Young’s keen foresight and; his eagerness to serve his people led ! him to establish a school for enlisted men at. Fort Huachuchua in order to I get black soldiers ready to enter any ; training camp which might be opened to Colored Officers. As this was done under opposition and great hindrances from higher command, it is thought that that service to his people might have had something to do with subse quent events. The Colored race has not yet recov ered from the shock received when the news was flashed across the country that Lt. Col. Charles Young had been retired as Colonel on June 22, 1917. The hopes of 12,000,000 people that they would have a black Major Gen eral leading a black Division on the fields of France were shattered. It may be that this broke Young’s heart but the greatness of the man is clearly shown by the fact that he never complained. I^ater when the war had past and his country said that it need ed him to go back to Africa he eagerly grasped the opportunity, it is thought, to go with his disappointments to the Land of Forgetfulness. It was there that his eventful life came to an end. The War Department has recently announced the early return of Colonel Young’s body to this country for per manent interment in the Arlington Na tional Cemetery. Preparations are being made by the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity of which Colonel Young was an active member, to participate in the burial ceremonies with the large numbers of other representative or ganizations that will do honor to this g* *■ American. CARD OF THANKS We take this means of expressing our sincere gratitude to our many friends for their numerous acts of kindness shown us during the serious * illness and convalescence of our be loved husband and brother.—Mrs. Le roy Robertson, Miss Ada Payne, Mrs. ). S. Black. -—.—- - WHITE HOODLUMS . RIFY NEGROES, AVERRED (Preston News Service) St. Ixmis, Mo., March 9—According to United States District Attorney Car roll he has received numerous com plaints that Negroes are being driven from Pemiscot and Dunklin counties in southeast Missouri, and that Ne groes have been fired upon, while in nearly all the instances Negroes have received warnings attached to sticks of dynamite. DENIED WARMTH. KILLS TWO WHITE MEN (Preston News Service) Gary, Ind., March 9—According to information reaching the District At torney's office last Monday Leo John son shot and killed two white men when they refused to let him come in to their warm shanty during a severe cold spell. All of the men were em ployees in a Gary steel mill. BUCK SWAN PHONO GRAPH COMPAHY HAS A SUCCESSFUL YEAR Corporation Owned and Operated by Members of Hare Did Quarter of a Mollion Dollar ltii<dness Last Year. RECORDS OF OUR ARTISTS — New Hoard of Directors Fleeted at Annual Meeting—The Late llert Williams Was Une of Heav iest Stockholders. New York, March 9—At the annual meeting of the stockholders held here recently, the legal retails necessary to the change of the name of the Pace Phonograph Corporation, manufactus err of Black Swan Records, to the Black Swan Phonograph Company, In corporated, were completed. At the same time the capital stock of the company was Increased from $60,000 to $76,000 and a cash dividend of six per cent was voted. This coftipuuy began business less than two years ago in a basement room with a force of one stenogra pher and the organizer. Today it owns and occupies its office building, 2289 Seventh Avenue, where all of its clerical work is done, and operates a factory covering 12,000 ssuare feet, in Long Island City, in the finest manu facturing district in the world, It does its own recording, plating, pressing and printing and employs over forty icople, with a combined payroll of over j one thousand dollars per week. The report showed the gross income of the company for the year was over I $260,000. Despite the serious depres sion during last year It showed a! f teady average in sales for all three of j its products, records, needles and Swanoias. During the year the company paid i to singers and musicians over $6,000 for records made, furnishing oppor tunities to our Bingers denied by white companies. Some of the artists of whom records were made during the year were Florence Cole Talbert, An toinette Carnes, Kemper Herreld, Re vella Hughes, Ethel Waters, Trixie Smith, Josie Miles and many others. Every type of song from grand opera, sacred and standard to popular num bers are made. The new board of directors consists of John E. Nail, Dr. VV. E. B. DuBols, T K. Gibson, W. H. Wilson, Dr. M. V. Boutte, J. Thos. Williams, Philadel phia; Dr. Godfrey Nurse, W. H. Wlllia, .Mrs. Viola Bibb, J. P. Quander, Jr., and Harry H. Pace. The late Bert Williams was one of the principal stockholders of the company, and had consented just before he died to be come consulting director of recording. LAWMAKERS IN ROW OVER PROPOSED NEGRO SCHOOL (Preston News Service) Oklahoma City, Okla., Mar. 9—Dur ing the discussion in the assembly here last Wednesday morning relative to the proposal of Charles Page to donate 160 acres in Tulsa county for the erection of a Negro school, Repre sentative J. W. Simpson, of Tulsa county, declared: “You can put all the Colonels you want to on the Com mittee, but I’ll tell you 96 per cent of the people of Tulsa county will not welcome a Negro school.” In spite of Mr. Simpson’s vigorous expression, on motion of Representa tive Warren Ferrell, also of Tulsa county, the house decided to investi gate the offer. Rep. F. M. Boyer, also of Tulsa county, rose and thanked the speaker for appointing such broad minded men on the committee and repudiated the un-American expres sions of his colleague from Tulsa county. Joseph Carr continues quite iU at the Paxton Memorial hospital. From Nebraska to Arkansas and Back Experiences and Observations of the Editor on Trip to Southland Where He Saw Many Things of Interest MY CONTROVERSY WITH JOHN STALL, PULLMAN CONDUCTOR ON THE “RAINBOW SPECIAL” When he reached my seat the Pull man conductor looked at me with a frown on his face and said in a surly tone: "Don’t you know you can’t ride in this car over the Kansas line?” “Why not?” said I. “Don’t you know what the law is down there?” “I know they have a ‘Separate Coach Law’ in those states, but what has that to do with me ? I’m an interstate pas senger. When I purchased my ticket in Omaha, I asked about my reserva tion, and Mr. Biendorf would not have sold it to me if it had not been all right.” “Oh, those fellows up there in Om aha don’t know anything about the law down here; they’ll sell tickets to anybody anywhere,” was his surly swer. “Well, sir, I think those gentlemen up there do know their business. That’s why they are employed. By the way, my name is Williams; what is yours, may I ask?” “My name is Stall,” he replied. “That’s a good German name, isn’t it?” I asked pleasantly. “How do you spell it, ‘S-t-a-h-L? ” “No, ‘S-t-a-1-1’ is the way I spell it.” “Thank you, sir. Well, Mr. Stall, having purchased my transportation and reservation, personally, in Omaha, without any evasion or deception, I think I am entitled to use it.” "If you insist on doing so, it may cause you trouble. I’ll tell you what I’ll do. I’ll accept your seat fare to the Kansas line, that is to Coffeyville, and then you can go into the ‘proper’ coach and everything will be all right. Your seat fare will be $1.25. Under those conditions. I’ll take up your Pull man ticket and refund the difference.” Provided I do that will you give me a note stating the reason why this ac tion is necessary?” I quietly asked. "Oh, no, no, I won't do that,” he said hastily and quite decidedly, shak ing his head, “but you better give me your ticket and let me refund your money.” “No sir, I won’t do that. If you in sist that you cannot honor my ticket over the Kansas line, and will only ac cept my seat fare to that point, I’ll pay the fare, but I’ll keep my Pullman ticket and take the matter up with the proper officials.’” “That won’t do you any good, and it will take you a long time to get your money refunded, so you better take the money now.” “No, that’s a small matter, and I can afford to wait," was my answer, “but tell me, Mr. Stall, will my riding in this car cause you personally any serious trouble or embarrassment?” “No, it won’t cause me any, but it is likely to cause you some.” “Do you mean, sir, that I’ll be eject ed from the car?” “Not necessarily, but those two men up front there (referring to two who were minding their own business and playing cards in one of the front seats) know the law down there and they’ll probably object and cause trouble.” "Isn’t it the rule, that if passengers object then other or equal provisions must be made for the holder of a tick et for a berth by putting him in the drawing room or in another Pullman car?” I politely asked. “Yes,” he replied, “and if my draw ing room were open, I could do that; but it is full and I want to avoid any trouble. I have duly warned you and you will have to take your own risk.” “In warning me that I’ll have to take my own risk do you mean that I’ll be in danger of personal violence?” “Well, mebbe not,” he replied rather mysteriously, “but I have worned you and you’ll have to take your own risk.” “All right, sir," I quietly answered. "I'm perfectly willing to take the risk.” He then took my ticket. Subse quently he returned to me and said rather pleasantly this time: “Will .you mind changing to lower 2 and help make it as easy for us as you can?” But “lower 5”‘ he repeated. That seemed to worry him. "Certainly, sir, I’ll willingly make that change, if it will be any accom modation to you,” I replied. I was not, however, required to make the change, for at the next station a man boarded the sleeper and said, “I have lower 2.” Going into the diner I had my din ner. Two prosperous looking, pleas ant faced gentlemen, apparently busi ness men, seated at ,an adjoining table bowed to me, and I returned their sal | utation. It was doubtless my clerical garb which attracted their attention, I for I did not know either of them. The waiter, a clean-cut, upstanding, nice-looking young fellow, a well-edu cated Kansan, who served me, had learned through somebody of my con troversy with the Pullman conductor ! and spoke to me about it. I liked the young fellow’s manliness. Genuine manliness is a valuable asset. He gave me some valuable information and furnished me with his name and address in case I should need him. He was highly pleased that I had not ■ been bluffed or intimidated into sur rendering my Pullman ticket, as I was unquestionablywwithin my rights. He told me that there was hardly a day passed but that colored interstate passengers from the east had Pullman reservations right through into Little Rock and Hot Springs and were per- i mitted to use them without embarrass ment. 1 was unfortunate in catching 1 “one of the meanest conductors on the I line.” Upon my return trip, of which I shall tell you later, other trainmen confirmed the opinion that this young waiter had expressed concerning “my Pullman conductor.” Returning to the Pullman while the porter was making up my Ijerth, I went into the smoking apartment. It was occupied by four men who did not seem to resent my presence. I did not intrude myself but was drawn into the general conversation. In due time 1 went to my berth, retired, rested well and slept soundly. We were with in a short distance of Little Rock when I awoke and dressed. The Rainbow Special pulled into Little Rock about on time. With my fellow passengers 1 alighted from the Pullman, having enjoyed the privileges to which I was entitled as a self-re specting, law-abiding American citi zen, of receiving such accommodations in travel as I preferred and had paid for and which the railroad and Pull man companies were morally and leg ally bound to give when they entered into contract with me to do when they accepted my money. Had I violated their rules in any way, by disorderly conduct or in any other manner then they would not have been bound. This I did not do. I was cleanly in person, decently and neatly dressed and well behaved. I simply presented my ticket as any other pas senger did. My rights were not called into question by any employee of either company until John Stall, the Pull man conductor, exceeding his author ity, did so by trying to coerce and in timidate me into surrendering my Pullman ticket. His business was simply to take my ticket as he did those of the other passengers. He had no right whatever to annoy me and seek to embarrass and humiliate me. In doing this he has made his com pany liable. When he was subjecting me to the annoyance of which I have spoken I did not permit myself to become angry. That would have been a mis take. It pays to hold one’s temper even under great provocation. Our conversation was carried on in a quiet tone of voice without any noise or ex citement, but even so, some of the pas sengers knew what was up, as I learned subsequently. One gentleman was overheard remarking, “If that man gives up his ticket he’s a d fool.” So I would have been, perhaps with a much stronger emphasis. Had I surrendered my ticket and paid the seat tariff, I would have been a local and not an inter-state passenger, in the Pullman and would therefore have had no redress, whereas my Pull man ticket read “from Kansas City, Mo., to Little Rock, Ark.” So you can see why the Pullman conductor, appar ently solicitous for my personal safe ty, for he warned me that I must take my own risk, thereby insinuating that danger threatened, so magnanimously offered to accept my seat fare and thereby permit me to ride in the Pull man, but “not over the Kansas line.” The Pullman Company had sold me in good faith and I had purchased in good faith a seat and a berth in one of its cars from Kansas City, Mo, to Little Rock, Ark. It was the question of the fulfillment of that contract. The conductor named did his best to coerce me into consenting to the nulli fication of that contract. Do you see the point? It was up to the contract ing companies, railway and Pullman, to carry me safely and unmolested from the point of departure to my des tination. It was up to me to properly onduct mystelf as a passenger, attend ing strictly to my own business and leaving my fellow passengers to do the same thing. Knowing this it would have been a serious mistake for me to have voluntarily become a party to a surrender of my rights through ignorance or fear. There was more than personal comfort at stake. There was a vital principle and that is why I am pleased to state that I rode safely “over the Kansas line” and into Little Rock without any embar rassment or “trouble” to myself or anybody else, except the embarrass ment caused me by John Stall, Pull man conductor, on The Rainbow Spe cial, southbound from Kansas City, Mo., to Hot Springs, Ark., February 1st, 1923. Next week: “Something About Little Rock." ni « 9member _| When The old car was new alu <rifc attention it used to RECEIVE ANP — 1 I jiji 5 Vv/ MIGRATION OF NEGROS BRINGS NEW PROBLEM (Preston News Service) Atlanta, Ga., March 8—“The grow-! ling industrial development of the South the alarming exodus of Negroes to the North and West is accompanied by im migration problems which the south ern business men will have to face in a few years,” declared Edwin Tomlison in an address before the Kiwanis Club here last Tuesday afternoon. He urged the business men of the South to study the immigration situation which is growing in importance in southern states to be able to cope with the facts when the changed conditions actually come. “MAMMY” STATUE BILL PASSED Washington, D. C., March 9—The passage by the Senate of the Williams bill providing for the erection of a monument to the memory of the "Faithful Colored Mammies of the South” last Tuesday gave authority for the building of the statue. THE URBAN LEAGUE WARNS LABORERS AGAINST MOVING Housing Conditions in Industrial Cen ters Wholly Inadequate to Care for Numbers Coming.—Ne groes Advised to Wait. THE WORST EVIL TO RACE Northern Industries Making No Pre parations to Accommodate Fam ilies of Laborers from the Southland. (Preston News Service) Pittsburgh, Pa., March 9—The un usual response, especially from all parts of the South in nearly 1000 let ters caused by a Preston News Ser vice interview with the Executive Sec retary of the local Urban League has rather embarrassed the secretary, and ! he has issued the following statement: “The interview referred to, empha sized the large increase in the demand throughout the Pittsburgh district for Negro labor in the mills, mines and foundries. In order to intelligently advise the thousands of Negros who are waiting for the proper opportunity to come North, Mr. Clark communicat ed with 16 of the large corporations in the district to find out if they knew how limited were housing facilities for colored people and if they were planning in turn to increase the num ber of houses to accommodate the extra number of colored men they were seeking to employ. Only one concern replied stating they were building 26 houses but these houses upon comple tion would be taken by the men who are already in their employ with their families in the South waiting to be transported. “The Urban League feels that the supply of Colored labor alone will have to meet the industrial needs in the immediate future and that indus try will make proper provisions to ac commodate this labor IF NEGROES WILL NOT FLOCK NORTH UNTIL ORGANIZATIONS LIKE OUR OWN CAN INDUCE THE INDUSTRIES TO MAKE PROPER PREPARATION TO ACCOMMODATE THEM. The Worst Evil to the Race “Several concerns have already be gun to send their representatives South to bring large numbers of Ne groes North. One concern brought 1160 men into one small industrial community in 60 days without build ing a single house or making any added preparations to accommodate the men. This congestion has caused a tremendous amount of sickness, dis ease and immorality. Real estate men who handle the property largely oc cupied by colored people have advised the secretary of the Urban League League that there is not a single house available to Negroes in the Pittsburgh district vacant today. Rooms, usually with some other per |son, can be had from $2.50 to $7 per | week. With wages averaging about $4 a day there is little advantage in coming North and having to meet such unusual expenses. Men Should Stay South Until Proper Accommodations Are Made “Especially does the Urban League insist that men do not bring their wives and families at this time be cause of the serious shortage of houses; and yet on the other hand the League’s workers in various courts have come in contact with too many cases where men away from their families have become careless, irre sponsible, gamblers and drunkards. To come North with your family is a serious matter; but to come without your family is more than a serious matter. For instance: last week a man brought his wife and four chil dren with him from Virginia. He spent the first day in Pittsburgh with out getting accommodations; towards evening he went to a suburban town and could not be accommodated there and spent the night in the police sta tion. After making many attempts to get accommodations in the city, the next day he was finally sent by a coal mining company to their mining town some miles away where two rooms were provided for him and his family. This man could have obtained work here in Pittsburgh in fifty different places. Reliable Element in South Can Help Situation “The situation can be helped if the more reliable solid element in the South can induce our people to remain in the South until they are definitely connected up with a job and the pros pects of getting a house to transfer their family life rather than come up here alone usually breaking up their families.” AFRICANS LOOK TO AMERICA FOR HELP AHOIHSPI ION C. Kamba Simango and His Wife, Both Well-Educated Africans, Are Speakers at Hampton Institute. AFRICA NAS SIFTS TO MANE Those Who Go to Africa Must Hare Big and Generous Hearts as Natives Are Keen in Detect ing Insincerity. By Wm. Anthony Aery. Hampton, Va., March 9—C. Kamba Simango, a native of Portugese East Africa and a graduate of Hampton Institute, class of 1919, who has just completed a special course at Teach ers’ College, Columbia University, spoke recently in Ogden Hall, Hamp ton Institute, on African forms of gov ernment, police systems, education and physical training. “Africans,” he said, “in spite of the lack of highly organized police sys tems, succeed in apprehending wrong doers. They follow the customs and laws which are useful to their tribes, but they do not carry the rules be yond their tribes to so-called “aliens.” The Lot of African Women His wife, who is a native of Free town, Sierra Leone, and who is a graduate of the Royal College of Arts at South Kensington, England, describ ed the affection of African mothers for their children, especially for those children that are offered in human sacrifice for the sake of bringing peace to whole tribes, and likened this affection to that expressed by other mothers who send their sons to fight in modem warfare. She referred to the hardship which is brought on Af rican women through the government conscription of able-bodied men for forced labor. “There are today,” she said, “226 different languages and over 900 dialects spoken in Africa.” At another Hampton Institute meet ing Kamba Simango gave, in appro priate African costume, vivid panto mimic presentations of an elephant hunt, a witch doctor’s incantations, and a leopard-killing. His wife described several phases of African life, gave an African dance with piano music (originally written by Coleridge-Taylor and later arrang ed by Helen Hagen) which was played by R. Nathaniel Dett, and displayed specimens of native African work in brass, textiles and basketry, which had been made by men and women who had not come in contact with outside civ ilizing influences. She said: Africans Judge Persons “The Africans need help in order to develop themselves, but they also have important contributions which they can make to the rest of the world, es pecially in the fields of art andmusic. “Those who go to Africa must have big, generous hearts. The natives are keen at detecting all insincerity or failure to make words and deeds con sistent. The African native judges individuals. He does not put many persons in a single group because of the failure or even meanness of a single individual. Africans are care fully watching American Negroes to see what they will do to help Africa.” These two well-educated Africans will leave the United States in April to take up their work of missionary teaching in the Mt. Silinda School, at Melsetter in Southern Rhodesia, where they will help the native people real ize some of their worthwhile gifts. Africans Make Progress That the missionaries who have gone to Africa have given the natives the best that they possessed of reli gion and civilization and that these missionaries continue their work of bringing out the best traits of the natives were opinions expressed by Kamba Simango before a large aud ience of white and colored people, as sembled at Hampton institute. He said: “We find that the African is also striving and reaching out to get those things which will develop his happiness and welfare.”
