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About The monitor. (Omaha, Neb.) 1915-1928 | View Entire Issue (April 13, 1923)
F . The Monitor \ A NATIONAL WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF COLORED AMERICANS \f THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor 12.00 a Year. 5c a Copy V OMAHA, NEBRASKA, FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 1923 Whole Number 405 Vol. VIII—No. 41 -- ---- - OVERSEERS OVERTHROW COLOR LINE AT HARVARD RACE OR RELIGION PROVIDES NO BAR AGAINST STUDENTS Harvard Hoard of Overseers Stand For Traditional Policy of Free dom From Discrimination on Itarial Grounds. TOLERATE NO SUBTERFUGE Proportional Representation Viewed With Disfavor Because Violation Of Equality of Opportunity For All. Cambridge, Mass., April 13. The hoard of overseers of Harvard Mon day voted unanimously that "In the administration of rules for admission Harvard college maintains its tradi tional policy for freedom from tils- j crimination on grounds of race or religion." The vote was taken after the board had accepted the report of a com mittee appointed last year to con sider and report to the governing boards principles and methods for more effective sifting or candidates for admission to the university. L The board further voted to com ■ I ^ mend other recommendations of the committee’s report to the careful | k consideration of the faculty of arts j and sciences, with the request that any changes in the methods of ad mission to Harvard college adopted | by the faculty be presented to the governing boards for approval. Another vote of the board of over- I seers dealt with the question of ad- j initting Negro students to freshman | dormitories. Its conclusion was that "men of the white and colored race i shall not be compelled to live and ' cat together, nor Bhall any man be excluded by reason of bis color.” In itB report the so-called "sifting committee” made nine recommenda I lions, constituting a unified plan of admission. These Included the fol I lowing: "That In the administration of rules for admission to Harvard col lege maintains its traditional policy i of freedom from discrimination on grounds of race or religion. "That, as a general policy, trans ler of students front other colleges he confined to such candidates as have lacked opportunity to prepare themselves for admission by the usual methods. "That no candidate be admitted whose examination in English coin s' position is not passable. This rule is not to apply to candidates for whom English 1b a foreign tongue, ft Modification Proposed. "That as an experiment, the fol I s. lowing modification be introduced k \ tn the published requirements for admission: Pupils who have satis Ifactorily completed an approved school course such as is outlined in the discrimination of the new plan, and whose scholastic rank places them in the highest seventh of the hoys of their graduating class, may, if recommended by their school, he s admitted to college without exam ination. This method of admission Is intended to facilitate access to college by capable boys from schools which do not ordinarily prepare their pupils for college examinations. The college records of students thus ad mitted will be scrutinized with a view to determining the expediency of extending, restricting or abolish ing the practice.” Dealing with ceratin aspects of Its work, the committee said In its report: "Foremost by reason of publicity and apparent urgency, among the matters to be examined by your com mittee was the question of racial proportion In the student body.. _ _ The committee belleveR that If the intellectually unfit can be eliminated and If our entrance requirements can he adjusted to the work of good schools now sending men to Harvard college our whole problem can be met, and the student body will be properly representative of all groups in our national life. Equal Chance For All. "Concerning proportional represen tation, your committee Is unanimous In recommending that no departure be made from the policy that has bo long approved Itself, the policy of equal opportunity for all, regardloss of race or religion. Any action liable to Interpretation as an acceptance of the principle of racial discrimination would to many seem like a danger ous surrender of traditional Ideals. “Under the circumstances the in troduction of any novel process of scrutiny seems inexpedient. Even so rational a method as a personal conference or an Intelligence test, if now adopted here as a moans of selection, would inevitably be re garded as a covert device to elimi nate those deemed racially or so cially undesirable, and however fair ly conceived and conducted, could not full to arouse damaging sus picion. "Your committee Is opposed also, under present conditions, to an ar bitrary limitation of the number of students to be admitted and to the policy of giving preference to the sons of graduates. Unearned ex emptions and favors are apt to be demoralizing to their recipients. And if the size of our freshman class Is to be reduced, the reduction can best be accomplished by raising the stand ard for admission." The following vote, passed on March 26 by the corporation of Har vard college, was presented this af ternoon by the president to the board of overseers, and was unanimously concurred In by the board: "Voted, that up to the capacity of the freshman class shall reside and the freshman halls all members of board in the freshman halls, except those who are permitted by the dean of Harvard college to live elsewhere. In the application of this rule, men of the white and colored races shall not be compelled to live and eat to gether, nor shall any man be ex cluded by reason of his color.” FOI L Rons III ItHAKI) OF NEW YORK JUMP Ann Harbor, Mich., April 13.— DeHart Hubbard, Btar track athlete of the University of Michigan, came within an ace of shattering the broad jump record of Ned Gourdin, estab lished last year, only to have his mark blotted out when the referees claimed a foul. Hubbard leaped the unheard-of distance of 25 feet, 4% inches. The lad later won the event himself, but did not use any unnecessary exer tion. Hubbard declares that he Is primed for the Penn relays in Phil adelphia this month. RACE SUPPORTS DEMOCRATS IN CHICAGO FIGHT Second and Third Wards, Colored Strongholds, Return Heavy Plu ral! ties for Dever, Successful Candidate for Mayor. A LOYALTY DEMONSTRATION Stand Faithfully l>y Colored Candi dates on |{c|>uhlirun Ticket and Re-elect Them to City ('ouncil. Chicago, April 13.—The Second and Third Wurds in this city gave large pluralities Tuesday, to William E. Dever, Democratic candidate for Mayor. These are the two wards dominated by the Colored voters which returned Louis II. Anderson, in the Second and R. R. Jackson, in the Third, to the Council, February 27th. In the election Tuesday: The Sec ond Ward gave Dever 8,269, Lueder, Republican, 3,714. The Third Ward was Dever, 9,218, and Lueder, 7,119. This bolting from the Republican ranks by the Colored voters was only in the case of the candidates for Mayor. The Negroes gave plurali ties to the other Republican candi dates. I fever Plurality Rig. .Mr. Dever’s plurality was 103,748. Ills total vote was 387,961. His chief opponent, Arthur C. Lueder, Republican, received 284,21 3. Wil liam A. Cunnea, Socialist, had a to tal of 40,841. Judge Dever re ceived a majority of 62,907. The Thompsonites claim that they delivered more than 100,000 votes to Dever yesterday and feel that they are strong enough to go into the county primary next year and give battle to the Deneen, Brundage and Crowe organizations. The Thomp son leaders still talk of running a man against Senator McCormick when he comes up for re-election. Every Simon-pure Thompsonite on the Aldermanic ballots was beaten. Not only have the Democrats an overwhelming majority, but they have enough votes to suspend rules and to dominate any legislative bat tle that may arise. Writh a numerical strength of thir ty-eight, as against twelve Repub llcana, the victors never before had such a sweeping power over city hall affairs. WALTER F. WHITE TO SPEAK HERE SUNDAY AFTERNOON Walter F. White, assistant secre tary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, who will speak at the Grove M. R. church Sunday afternoon is a man who has had many thrilling experi ences in investigating lynchings. He is the man who gave the facts of the TulBa riots to the world. A well ar ranged program will precede his ad dress. CHURCH OP ST. PHILIP THE DEACON. A large congregation was present at the 11 o’clock service Sunday, which was the choral eucharist. The services next Sunday will be at the usual hours: Holy communion 7:30 a. m.; Church school 10; sung eucharist with sermon or address by one of the delegates in attendance upon the Conference of Educational Workers of the Episcopal Church in session here this week at 1 1 o’clock. Vespers will be said at 6:30 o’clock. DYER RILE IN PENNY STATE LEGISLATURE Harrisburg, Pa„ April 13.—In an effort to give this state an anti lynching bill. Representative Andrew F. Stevens of Philadelphia intro duced an exact reproduction of the Dyer Bill in the legislature last week. Mary Heady, infant daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Herbert Wiggins, who has been quite ill for several days is much better. From Nebraska to Arkansas and Back Experiences and Observations of the Editor on Trip to Southland Where He Saw Many Things of Interest THE LOUSE ON THE LADY’S BONNET Last week I spoke of the South’s plan to prevent as far as possible, “physical contact between the races” as It is applied in their method of seating passengers in the street cars. All enter by the same door, the col ored people seating from the back seats forward and the white people from the front seats backward. Thi places, as one can readily see, the colored passengers in the back, so that in case the car is crowded white passengers are compelled to elbow and push their way forward through the colored passengers standing in the aisle. If this does not necessi tate “physical contact between the races,” then it is difficult to spe what does. And then, too, this system does not prevent white and black sitting side by side; for on the longitudinal seats the twain do frequently meet. To paraphrase Kipling, Por black is black and white is white, And never the twain shall meet; And yet this plan does not work out quite On the longitudinal street car seat. These inconsistencies amused and impressed me as being almost child ish and puerile. The motive behind it all, of course, is to impress upon the Negro American the idea that he is an inferior being. It is the pith and marrow of America’s caste sys tem, which one sees most pronounced ly in the Southern states. Other sec tions are not free from it, but in those sections it is not so acute or glaring. The puerilities and incon sistencies of this dual system as ap plied and noted on the street cars and in other cases and the real superficial ly of the racial differences which are supposed to make it necessary are seen in a comparison of the conduct in banks and stores. I went into two or three handsome and well appointed stores. I do not know how it might be in other stores, but in these the colored and white patrons were standing side by side at the same counters making their pur chases. I also went with Bishop Demby into one of the banks, The American Bank of Commerce. It is as handsome a banking room, I believe, as can be found in any part of the country. I was delighted to see the large num ber of colored Americans doing bus iness here. We were in this bank about twenty minutes. During that time I counted some twentytwo men and women of our race making de posits and withdrawals. I am not so sure of this, but I think every fifth or sixth person entering the bank and taking his or her place in line was colored. Several of the men wore rather rough-looking working clothes. Not uncleanly nor untidy, hut as though they were mechanics, farmers or truckmen. Their very air and manner spoke industriousness. That they were banking for themselves and not for their employees 1 concluded from the fact that several of them made out their deposit slips and some of them wrote checks which they cashed. People who do these things are acting for tihemselves and not for others. Some of course of the num ber mav have been making deposits for their employers. Of course I was ..leased with this evidence of thrift. The man or wo man who realizes the value of bank ing hid money is on the highway to success and substantial self-respect ing citizenship. Here then was visi ble evidence of the fact that the col ored citizens of Little Rock are indus trious and Khrifty. But please notice this significant thing: In the lines before the re ceiving and paying teller’s windows, there was NO SEPARATION OF THE RACES. Each took their turn and places in line according to their initial. Here, for example in one line, stood a colored man, behind him a white man, behind him a colored wo man, behind her two white men, be hind these a white woman, and behind her a colored man. This was the act ual make-up of one line before a re ceiving teller’s window in the Amer ican Bank of Commerce and Trust Company, Little Rock, Ark., as seen by my own eyes, on Monday morning, February 12, 1923. Each one was at tending strictly to his own business, simply doing his or her banking bus iness, as we were accustomed to see ing it done in the United States Na tional, First National or any other Omaha bank. 1 do not know wfliat the custom is in other banks in Little Rock. I pre sume, however, it is the same? for one rule of treating customers and patrons generally obtains in all like business anil commercial institutions bidding for business. I presume there fore, that this is the rule. But I am writing of what I saw personally. But please note this: If colored and white patrons of banks can stand in the same line to transact business just as ordinary self-respecting American citizens, where is the sense or consistency in drawing the racial line so rigidly on street and railway cars, in depot railway ticket offices, waiting rooms, etc., which are purely business and not social relationships ? It impresses me as extremely silly and foolish, and shows the shallow ness and superficiality of the whole business. Did you aver read Robert Bums' “Lines to a Louse” which he saw on a lady’s bonnet in the kirk? The lady belonged to a class who put on a deal of foolish airs and looked down upon the people whom she did not consider in her class. It is from this by many considered vulgar poem that the well known lines are taken: “Oh, wad some power the giftie gie us To see oursels as others see us! It wad frae mon.v a blunder free us, And foolish notion; What airs in dress and gait wad lea’e us And even devotion.” Lady South does not realize it, but there is a louse on her bonnet. Some day the fair lady will discover it and rid herself of her foolish notions. Next week, “The Negro Organiza tion Whidh Loaned The Government $750,000.” ELECTED MEMBER OF BOARD OF GOVERNORS Rev. John Albert Williams was elected one of the first ten of the Board of Governors of the Omaha Welfare Federation at a meeting of delegates representing twenty seven charitable organizations held at the Chamber of Commerce Wednesday night, standing third on the first and second ballots and second on the third and final ballot. There were four colored delegatee present at the meet ing, Dr. R. C. Riddle and Mrs. Grace M. Hutton from the Colored Commer cial Club, and Mesdames Martha Tay lor Smith and Cecelia Wilson Jewell from the Negro Christian Women’s Old Folks Home Association. These delegates were united upon the one candidate. Dean Cutter presided and briefly charged the delegates to make a care ful selection of the governors as much of the success of the federation would depend upon the ability of those elected. Those elected in the order of their standing were as follows: S. S. Cald well, Rev. John Albert Williams, Dr. Irving S. Cutter, Mrs. Charles Metz, Henry Monsky, John L. Kennedy, Mrs. C. M. Wilhelm, J. A. Munroe, Mrs. C. C. Belden and T. C. Byrne. A called meeting will be held next week from the donor group at the Chamber of Commerce for the pur pose of electing ten governors. The combined twenty with Mayor Dahlman will elect four more. These twenty five will form the complete governing board. LOS ANGELES. Cal., April 13— Booker T. Washington, Jr., son of the founder of Tuskegee Institute Is a candidate for the city council here. Mr. Washington Is engaged In the real estate business. I THE GOVERNOR OF VIRGINIA REFUSES TO PARDON WHITE MAN CONVICTED OF LYNCHING Executive Says Granting Clemency To Prominent < It iwn Would He I/ending His Sanction To Mol> Violence. Associated Negro Press. RICHMOND, Va , April 13.—Gov ernor Trinkle has taken a stand against mob violence when he refused pardon in the case of A. L., Napier, a prominent white man, of Wise Coun ty, sentenced to one year in the pen itentiary for participating in the lynching in 1921 of a Wise county Negro. Napier was convicted in the cir uit court of Wise county and the Vir ginia supreme courl of appeals turn ed down a motion for a writ of error, after which citizens of the county presented a petition to the governor. H. B. Tate, another Wise county citi zen, was sentenced to two years in state prison on the charge of being an accomplice in the lynching. Nap ier is said to be a prominent citizen of Wise county, but in granting him clemency, the Goveernor stated he would be lending his sanction to mob violence. WOMAN GETS A $2,000 VERDICT AGAINST THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA WASHINGTON, D. C., April 13. —Because she was bitten on the arm by a horse belonging to the city Mrs. Eulalia Joiner was given a verdict for $2,500 damages against the Dis trict of Columbia by a Jury here last Thursday before Justice Hltz. It is said the District of Columbia will appeal the case. HILL ELIMINATING RACE I >1 ST I\< TIONS INTRODUCED IN KANSAS LEGISLATURE Woman Fosters Measure Thai Would Hra<v Entirely The Color Line In All Public Places. Pacific New Bureau. TOPEKA, Kan., April 13.—What is considered the most radical mea sure yet introduced in the Kansas legislature was recently introduced by Mrs. Minnie Grinstead of Liberal, Kansas, in the house. The proposed bill would eliminate entirely any distinction between Ne groes and white people, making it compulsory for all theatres and ho tels to admit Negroes the same as white persons. This bill is causing the Kansas motion picture theatre owners considerable worry and strong opposition against this bill from this source is expected. PRESENT AGE FULL OF DANGERS FOR GIRLS Woman Speaker Praises Rapid Ad vancement of Colored Girls. Chicago, 111., April 13.— (By A. N. P.)—'"The girls of this genera tion are facing greater dangers, with more unnatural hazards, but they also face more glorious opportuni ties for success in many fields than have ever confronted women since the beginning of time, and you white girls want to watch the colored girl; she is coming,” said Beatrice Forbes Robertson Hale at Recital Hall, Fine Arts building, recently. Nearly all your business life is spent in meeting people, finding out what they want and getting It to them. FRENCH GOVERNMENT BUYS TANNER PICTURE Works of I taro Artist Are Receiving Unstinted Praise. Paris, April 13.—In the field of art the work of an American Negro, Henry O. Tanner, is receiving high praise on two continents. One of his pictures, “Christ and the Disci ples at Emmaus,” has been pur chased by the French government and hung in the Luxemburg Gallery. A collection of his pictures is being exhibited in American cities and re ceiving high praise. Charles Joiner has returned to Omaha after several weeks' sojourn in Tlhuna, Mexico, Denver and other Colorado points. METHODIST BODIES ! HAVE ARRIVED AT MEETIHG OUHD Northern and Southern Branches De cide mo Ulnite—Division Made Prior to Civil War Now to lie Healed. TERMS NOT YET DISCLOSED More Than 300,000 Colored Mem bers of Northern Branch Are Awaiting Conclusion of Com missions on Unification. Associated Negro Press. St. Louis, Mo., April 13.—Colored members of the Methodist Episcopal Church throughout the country, numbering over 300,000, are await ing with interest the report of the sub-committee, recently in session here, on the union of the Methodist Episcopal Church North, and the Methodist Episcopal Church South. The division in the church came a few years before the Civil War, on the slavery question. Great effort covering a period of years, has been made to reunite the two religious bodies, but there has always been a falling down at the “color line.” It is presumed that some kind of ad justment has finally been reached on the subject. The northern and southern divi sions of the Methodist Episcopal Church finally have reached a gen eral agreement upon unification of the two religious denominations af ter a separation of seventy-eight years, it was stated by members of the sub-committee of the joint com mission on unification of the Meth odist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church South. The sub-committee did not make public its conclusions, but it was asserted by members that all the dis puted questions in regard to the unification plan were disposed of, and amicable adjustment was made of all the main points at issue. The reported agreement upon plans for merger of the two bodies represents many years of investiga tion and conferences between the two branches, it was said. It was added that the agreement if ratified by the joint commission and the re spective general conferences, would bridge completely the division, which began in 1845. The sub-committee ended a two days’ conference here. TEN REPUBLICANS DESERTED COHEN Washington, D. C., April 13.— The names of the ten Republican senators who prevented the confirma tion of Walter Cohen as collector of customs at New Orleans, has just been made public. They are: WILLIAM E. BORAH, of Idaho. H. O. BURSUM, of New Mexico. CHARLES L. McNARY, of Oregon. FRANK R. GOODING, of Idaho. ROBERT M. LA FOLLETTE, of Wisconsin. SELDEN P. SPENCER, of Mis souri. WESLEY L. JONES, of Washing ton. TASKER L. ODDIE, of Nevada. DAVID A. REED, of Pennsylvania. IRVINE L. LENROOT, of Wis consin. The vote in the United States Sen ate against Cohen was 35 to 37. But for the treachery of these ten sen ators, the vote would have stood 27 to 25 and Cohen would have gotten the job. Chicago, 111., April 13.—(A. N. P.) —Big projects continue to force their way to the front in Chicago. The latest to be announced is the erection by the National Amusement Corporation of an eight story the ater and office building. SOCIALISTS SEE SIGJIAL SUCCESS SECURING VOTES Colored Americans’ Growing Politi cal Independence Believed To Be Valuable Opportunity For Party. MISSIONARY WORK IS UROED New York Writer Cites Decent Vote In Metropolis as Fxample of Politicjil Dissatisfaction Among (ilroup. New York, April 13.—Frank Crosswaith writing in the New York Call, cites the fact that there are about 175,000 Negroes domiciled in New York City, and that recently a large number of these turned their backs on the Republican party and voted the Democratic ticket, going ho far as to elect a Negro Democrat as Assemblyman. The action of these workers in this instance carries a story according to Mr. Crosswaith. The story is this: The Negro has at last arrived at the crossroad of his career here in the United States; for ages he has had unwillingly to bear the evils of lynehings, segregation, disfranchise ment, etc. While bearing these bur dens he stuck true to the party of Lincoln and Douglass and Roose velt with the high hopes that faith fulness would eventually move the hearts of that party and its repre sentatives to do something tangible for him and his race; he has grown gray hoping, while the evils visited upon him are increasing with fright ful rapidity. He has seen the reorganization of his nemesis, the infamous K. K. K. He sees the gaunt figure of “jim crowism” ruling Harvard University. He is aware of a veritable campaign further to discredit him before the rest of his fellow-citizens. Yes, he has carefully read and thoroughly grasped the significance of President Harding’s Alabama speech, in which the President gave official approval to all the evils from which Negroes suffer, and, pondering over his cursed lot, he has decided to break loose from the old moorings; he is surely turning his back on the old ideas and institutions and traditions that have served him ill in the past. Our task in this matter is clear; our duty calls us to the aid of these black men and women who, by every right and reason, belong to us. Let us manfully face our obligations; let us resolve once and for all that the fine and ennobling characteristics of the Negro—his ready wit, his hu mor, his song, his music, his glib tongue—these shall be drawn upon to enrich and spiritualize the revo lutionary working class movement; let us begin a campaign of appeal and education among our Negro fel low workers, so that, with our ranks closed tight, our hearts undaunted, we will march on and on over the rugged walls of cruel capitalism to Socialism and the co-operative com monwealth, in which the strong won’t lynch the weak; where hate, prejudice and war will find no place, but wherein will dwell all the sons of men—black, brown, yellow, and white—heartily co-operating with each other for the good of all. Forward to our duty. Comrades. WELL-KNOWN WIDOW AND MINISTER AltE MARRIED Large Assemblage Witness Nuptials of Rev. John Union anti Mrs. Mary A .Shelton at Bride's Residence. The marriage of Rev. John Union to Mrs. Mary A. Shelton was solem nized Monday night at the residence of the bride. 3410 North Twenty ninth street, in the presence of a large assemblage of friends and well wishers. Preceding the ceremony Mr. H. L. Preston, the popular bari tone soloist, sang "Sing Me to Sleep,” by Green, Mrs. Preston being his ac companist. At the conclusion of the solo to the strains of Lohen grin’s wedding march, played by Mrs. James G. Jewell, the groom, ac companied by his best man, Herbert Kemp, descended the stairs and took his place in the arched doorway of the parlor. Then came Mrs. Mattie Johnson, matron of honor, gowned in gray, followed at a short Interval by the bride, uandsomely gowned In a gray silk creation and carrying a bridal bouquet of roses. The Rev. W. C. Williams of St. John's A. M. E. church performed the ceremony. Over two hundred guests were present to extend con gratulations. The gifts were many, beautiful and costly.