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.”
