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About The monitor. (Omaha, Neb.) 1915-1928 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 23, 1925)
L,FT,NC I ^ I ^ U T? 1U A \T T 'T' A D CROWING !! !! x il m2j 1V1 U IN 1 X U Xv =! » thawk T°* S. NEBRASKA’S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF COLORED AMERICANS ^ _ THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor $2.00 a Year—5c a ^ y OMAHA, NEBRASKA, FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 1925 Whole Number 498 Vol. X—No. 30 AN OMAHA PREACHER HAS WIFE ARRESTED STANDARD LIFE AND ^SOUTHERN IRSUR’CE COMPANIES MERGE Combination of Colored and White Organization!* la Effected Making a Powerful Corporation IS AN I NI SEAL COMBINATION Officers and Ihrectors of Standard Ke-eleeted with Three Exceptions and Will Co-operate with Others \ - Atlanta, Georgia, January 23.— (Ex 11 naively by the Associated Negro Press) Announcement was author ized here recently that the Standard Life Insurance Company of this city, one of the giant Negro companies, had been merged with the Southern Insur ance Company of Nashville, Tenn., a white organization. This simple state # merit issued after a Joint meeting of the officials of the two companies ac quainted the public with the fact that a climax had been reached in the dif ficulties which the Standard and its allied institutions have been battling and lifted the curtain on another scene in a drama of Negro financial endeav or which the country has watched in terestedly for the past year. According to the spokesmen for the two groups, President. Will G. Harris of the Southern and President Heman E. Perry of Standard, the two com panies will operate for the present as separate institutions with the prob ability that, later they will be consol idated into a single organization which will he known as the Southern and Standard Life Insurance Com pany. Officials and directors of both will be on the hoard of the new com bination. Mr. Harris pointed out that the merger brought together assets of over five million dollars and said that there was outstanding business of nearly $75,000,000 covering some three hundred thousand policy holders. He further stated that the move made doubled the protection behind Stand ard Life policies, and gave birth to an inter racial control and co-operative business endeavor on a scale never before attempted. ^ Officers ajid directors of Standard were re-elected with three exceltions: Bishop R- E. Jones, his brother, Da vid Jones, secretary of the company, and J. R. Pinkett, director of agen cies. Their withdrawals were volun tary; they remain as stockholders and are said to be in accord with tbe mer ger as affording the best solution of the problem facing the company. The merger took place after the stock holders and directors ha/1 met in their y 12th annual meeting and canvassed the critical situation brought about by tbe failure of Mr. Perry and his associates to raise sufficient money to discharge the $400,000 obligation owed by the Service Company, an or ganization which held the majority of t« outstanding 2,500 Standard Life shares of stock and which had hy pothecated them to the Southeastern Trust Company of this city as secur ity for loans. Premature reports given to the ra cial and daily press of the country several weeks ago hazi heralded the fact that white northern capitalists and philanthropists ha/1 agreed to ad vance the money needed after hercu lean efforts made by Dr. Robert R. Moton, president of the National Business League. Later disclosures are said to reveal that this effort failed, contributory causes being first that a greater amount of money was required than originally was stipulat ed second, that affairs of the Service Company due to the demands for liquidation forced by the insurance commission were more involve/1 than a cursory examination indicated, and, thirdly, a disinclination on the part of officers of the Standard and Ser vice Companies to resign from what they considered their life’s work. Mr. Rosenwal/1 and the eastern group are then said to have withdrawn cheir offer. 1 — APPOINT KANSAS CITY MAN ASSISTANT PROSECUTOR (By the Associated Negro Press) Kansas City, Mo., Jan. 23. Attor ney Duane Mason of this city has been appointed assistant prosecuting attorney of Jackson county. This is the first time an appointment of this kind has been tendered to an attorney of the race. Mr. Mason is one of the younger members of the local bar. Don’t lose your head in traffic or you may lose a limb. | PREACHER HAS HIS WIFE ARRESTED i Rev. John I'nion Charges That Widow Whom He Married a Few Years Ago Is Insane. Mrs. Mary Shelton Union, 3410 No. 29th street, a highly respected resi dent of Omaha for several years and prominent in religious, charitable and fraternal circles, was arrested Monday night on complaint of her husband, [ Rev. John Union, to whom she was married two or three years ago, on an j insanity charge. Friends learning of 1 this got busy and interested Attorney j John Adams in the case, as it was al leged by them that this was an at tempt niton the part of Union to se cure her property and Mrs. Union was released. Oreat indignation has been expressed by Mrs. Union’s friends over her husband’s actions. NEGRO SHOW ON COLUMBIA CIRCUIT (By the Associated Negro Press) New York, Jan. 23.—On February first the Seven-Eleven company of I Negro performers will take a place on the Columbia burlesque circuit ! where it will replace the Hurtig and Seamon Temptations of 1925. The i colored attraction opens in Chicago taking up the time of the show that closes in Omaha. The troupe may ' find it expedient to change the name. This has not yet been determined. Hurtig and Seamon who are mak ing this remarkable opening for a Negro attraction are the same people who sponsored Williams and Walker’s presentation and who took them to Europe. They also were the produc-, ers who sent Roseanne on tour with a colored cast, but were obliged to close the show at Shubert’s Riviera, New York, an Upper Broadway house, after a brief season. This firm has long been noted for its friendliness to the race, and today the picture of Williams' and Walker’s big show is the principal adronment of their private offices in the Strand building, New York. Sam Cook, Speedy Smith, Garland Howard, and May Brown are the prin cipals in the show that has been se-1 leeted as the first complete Negro unit on the big burlesque wheel. Their advent on the circuit upon which the race has been excluded, except as in-1 dividuals, acts or units, marks with success a persistent effort that has been waged by the Billboard in the i interest of colored shows. NONOGKNARIAN GIVES RULES FOR LONG LIFT? (By the Associated Negro Press) Van Huron, Ark., Jan. 23.—After working nearly eighty years as a blacksmith and being now still active, j Richard Douglas, has Just celebrated his 05th birthday and handed down his j rules for a long life. Mr. Douglas' has a colorful history, one of the out- | standing periods of which was hiB life as a free Negro before the Civil | War. His rules for long life are: Go to church. Do not argue with a woman. A woman has got to talk and when she does—go away and let her alone until she gets over the spell. Man is boss of everything, just as long as he can keep his nerve and look them in the eye. He can look a Jion in the eye and bluff him. But if he loses his nerve, Lord help him. Woman's place is in the house ex cept on Sundays. Let her get out then. I do all the housework and cooking on Sundays. That’s the way a man should do. When a man doesn’t love his mother he is not fit for the dogs to drivel out of the country. Live right and be right. Do lots of hard work, it won’t hurt you. Sleep regularly. I go to bed at eight every evening and get up at four the year around. Laugh a whole lot—and be a friend to everybody. FRANCE STUDIES FURTHER USE OF BLACK TROOPS (By the Associated Negro Press) Paris, France, Jan. 23.—Significant phases of France’s future military policy are suggested in the sailing for Bakar, French West Africa, of Mar shall Petain, recently, to study mili tary reroganizations and the possibil ities of recruiting native troops l’or the colonial army. Transportation will also be a subject considered. Marshall Branchet de’Esperey is now crossing the Sahara with six-wheeled cars, studying the organization of military automobile transport across the desert. " - —-— -■ . ■ .. J . - 1 RENAULT OUT TO REGAIN PRESTIGE BY A WIN OVER ROPER ON JAN. 30 i What is probably the most impor tant heavyweight boxing bout ever staged in Omaha is the one between Jack Renault and Bob Roper, which will be the headliner on the Amer ican legion’s fistic show at the city auditorium next Friday evening. The bout is especially important be cause of its bearing on the world’s heavyweight title, which, it is report ed, Jack Dempsey is about to relin quish. Until recently, Harry Wills, Tommy Gibbons and Jack Renault were con sidered the three outstanding con tenders for Dempsey’s title. But the dope was upset about a month ago, when Romero Rojas, the South American slugger, won a re feree’s decision over Renault at Bos ton. The defeat by Rojas hurt Re nault’s standing as one of the ‘‘big three”s contenders. To make it worse, on New Year’s day. Bob Roper met and decisively defeated Rojas at Grand Rapids, Mich., which according to comparative performances would rank Roper above Renault in the present ratings. Renault is out to win back his standing among the ‘‘big three”. To do this, he ' must win over Captain Roper in the fight here next Friday, and there must lie no doubt about the victory. Sounds simple, but can Renault do it? Omahans who saw Roper cut Andy Schmader to ribbons here, and later saw him defeat Tiny Herman only to have the bout declared a draw, have a great deal of respect for the dem onstrated ability of Roper. He has never been knocked out and had never even taken a count of one in a ring. He has taken special delight in stopping the championship climbs of a number of youngsters who, previous to the time of meeting Roper, had won practically all of their bouts. For instance, Schmader, right here in Omaha, was going like a house afire until he met Roper. After his defeat at the hands of the captain, Schmader began to sink. Bob Martin, former A. E. F. cham pion, was another blooming hope un til Roper met and defeated him. Then there were Tony Melchior of Chica go, Dan O’Dowd of Boston, Tiny Her man, who had won every fight he en gaged in in Omaha until he fought Roper, and last but not least, Romero Rojas himself, the man who just de feated Renault. The tickets were placed on sale Wednesday at popular prices of $3, $2 and $1, tax free, and the fans have been snapping them up. In the semiwindup, Henry Malcor, a knockerout from Kansas City, who is after Morrie Schlaifer’s hide, will meet Johnny Nichols of St. Paul. Nichols, it will be remembered, de feated Schlaifer three times, losing one to the Omaha boy. Malcor has won more than half his bouts by knockouts. He has been defeated only one, that being by Bert Colima, Pacific coast middleweight | champion. He has knocked out such good men as Harvey Thorpe, Anthony Downey, Battling Ortega, Gordon Me-! Kay, Jimmy O’Hagen and a score of lesser lights. He is the only fighter to knock out three opponents on three successive nights, his victims being Ortega, McKay and O’Hagen. Kansas City sports are backing Malcor heavily. They believe he can ilefeat Schlaifer, and Malcor has taken this fight with Nichols to prove that he is capable of giving Schlaifer a real fight. Nichols has been fighting in the east and has been going great. He recently defeated K. O. Phil Kaplan and fouhgt a draw with Billy Wells, so it can be seen that he is in great condition. COLONIST PRAISE PRES IDENT KING OF LIBERIA (By the Associated Negro Press) Monrovia, Liberia, Jan. 23.—At the prospect of the visit of President C. I). B. King of the Republic of Liberia to Sierra Leone, the papers of that British colony have taken the oppor tunity to laud the work of President King in maintaining the cordial rela tions which have so long existed be tween the neighboring territories. One of the papers of Sierra Leone remarks: “We are proud of the way that republic has been pulling through the difficulties that were strewn on its path since the great war. And much more so for that exhibition of precision and determination over a misguided movement that threatened to have embroiled the republic with foreign states. President King has shown extreme tact and courage in the manner he has dealth with that political agitation. We are hopeful that his stay in this colony will be one of very great mutual profit.” STATE SUPREME COURT DECIDES NEGRO ELECTED (By the Associated Negro Press) New York, N. Y., Jan. 23.—The ap pellate division of the New York state supreme court has just unanim ously decided that George W. Harris, editor of the New York News, and not John W. Smith, white, was elect ed alderman in the general election held in November, 1921, and that Smith, held office without warrant from the voters of the district Mr. Harris may now sue Smith if he so elects to recover the salary which was paid to the latter as aider man. The appellate court found that 206 votes for Harris had been thrown out. MEDICAL ASSOCIATION HOLDS ANNUAL ELECTION The Negro Medical, Dental and Pharmaceutical Association at a meet ing held last Friday night, held their annual election with the following re sult: Dr. D. W. Gooden, president; Dr. J. J. Jones, secretary; Dr. G. B. l^ennox, treasurer. GEORIGIA COMMERCIALIZES RACE HATRED WRITES DR. DU BOIS IN “NATION” Georgia is the state which com mercializes race hatred, according to Dr. W. E. B. Du Bois, writing in “The Nation” of January 21st. “It is usual," he says, “for the stranger in Georgia to think of race j prejudices and race hatred as being the great, the central, the unalter able fact and to go off into general considerations as to race differences and the eternal likes and dislikes of mankind. But that line leads one astray. The central thing is not race hatred in Georgia, it is successful in dustry and commercial investment in race hatred for the purpose of pro fit.” Dr. Du Bois declares that white and colored labor were played against one another, the whites being used to dis franchise the Negro and Negro labor being used to force down white wages. He continues: “Then fallowed the curious and paradoxical semi-disfranchisement of white labor by means of the ‘white primary’. By agreeing to vote on one issue, the Negro, the normal split of the white vote on other questions or the development of a popular move ment against capital and privilege is virtually forestalled. Thus in Geor gia democratic government and real political life have disappeared. None of the great questions that agitate the nation—international or national, so cial or economic—can come up for free discussion.” White labor, says Dr. Du Bois, is bribed by flattery which declares it socially superior to the Negro. The result is that every white man be comes a potential mobbist determined to keep the Negro “in his place”. Out of this attitude grows the Ku Klux Klan. The salvation of Georgia, Dr. Du Bois declares, lies in an eventual union of white and black labor: “They hate and despise each other today. They lynch and murder body and soul. They are separated by the width of a world. And yet—and yet, stranger things have happened under the sun than understanding between those who are bom blind.” DOUGLAS AND LINCOLN WERE GOOD FRIENDS (Hy the Associated Negro PresB) Springfield, 111., Jan. 23.—The Il linois Historical Society has just pub lished records which reveal an inter esting phase of the relationship be tween Stephen A. Douglas, the poli tical rival of Abraham Lincoln, and the martyr president. So intense was the political enmity between these two men that it has become to mean the same thing in human discord that the story of Damon and Pythias does in human friendships. But it is now learned that, despite their fights on the rostrum and the decline of Douglas due to the rise of Lincoln, the two men maintained a: strong and tender personal friendship which was exhibited in many acts of kindness by the one for the other. —————— Better counterfeit money than « spurious front. ROLAND HAYES’ VOICE PLEASES CANADIANS (By the Associated Negro Press) Toronto, Can., Jan. 23.—The press of this city has been a unit in praise of the work of Roland Hayes, who appeared in recital at Massey Hall last week. Critics agree that he pos sesses one of the most perfect lyric tenor voices among living artists and that his art is as great as his voice. They have also expressed a fine ap preciation of the work performed by Mr. Hayes’ accompanist, William Lawrence. One critic writes: “In his own sphere as a vocalist, Mr. Hayes is as perfect as an artist can be. He has a lyric tenor voice of almost flawless beauty, the tone limpid and clear and filled with vitality. One cannot re member ever having heard another tenor whose soft notes combine color and transparency in such a remark able manner. He sings without tricks and with a direct sincerity, interpret ing perfectly the mood of each song.” PUBLISHER HAS ANNIVERSARY (By the Associated Negro Press) New York, N. Y., Jan. 23.—The first issue of the New Year of the Indianapolis Freeman marked the be ginning of the thirty-eighth year of the Race Journal that was first to accord recognition to the amusement world. The paper was established on New Year's day, 1887, by a man then well advanced in years, for George L. Knox was bom in 1841. At the time his paper was started and for many years after he was the political dom inator of his group in the state of Indiana and was a familiar figure wherever the famed Marion club was seen at national conventions. His snow white hair then as now distin guished him even when in the com pany of then physically large figures. It was in 1890 that he installed J. Harry Jackson on the staff to do show news. It was an innovation in race journalism. Jackson has long since gone to his reward, but his work goes on. Today more than twenty pa pers of the race have theatrical de partments and all of the more than two hundred carry some amusement news; and the Negro performer is ac corded his share of attention in the general press. Tho now 83 years of age Mr. Knox continues as president of the Freeman Publishing company, although his son, Elwood, is the active manager; and when they visit Indi anapolis, all of the older group of showfolks give themselves the pleas ure of a visit to the pioneer theatrical editor. ROOSEVELT POST OFFICERS ENTERTAIN LOCAL COLORED MINISTERS AND EDITORS The colored ministers and editors were entertained at a banquet Fri day evening at the North End Branch of the Y. W. C. A. by the executive committee of the Roosevelt Post of the American Legion. The purpose of the meeting was to inform the leaders of the colored com munity of the work, objects and pur poses of the Legion and to obtain their aid in putting over its program and in making a success of entertain ing the delegates to the national Le gion meeting here this year. Opening remarks were made by E. W. Killingsworth who introduced Dr. W. W. Peebles, past commander, who made an excellent toast master. Ad dresses on “Hospitalization”, the “Na tional Convention", Employment” and “Insurance and Bonus” were made by R. C. Long, Dr. Andrew Singleton, R. L. Williams and H. J. Pinkett. The officers of the post made it clear that their first aim and duty is to serve ex-service men who are in need of service, and then to co-oper ate with all organizations in the com munity which are helping human be ings to help themselves. A delightful menu was served con sisting of oyster coctail, celery, olives, roast turkey, giblet gravy, cranberry sauce, potatoes, English peas, head lettuce, mayonaise dressing, ice cream, cake and coffee, prepared by Jack Bell, vice-commander of the Post, and served by the Ladies’ Auxiliary of the Post. The ministers and editors pledged their aid to the Post in its effort to grow and serve their comrades and the community. Musical numbers were rendered by members of the Post, Dr. Jno. A. Singleton and Rufus C. Long. Announcement was made of the com ing of Madame Lottie Murray in con cert the latter part of February un der the auspices of the Roosevelt Post. Mr. E. W. Killingsworth is com mander of the Post and Mr. R. C. Long is Adjutant. LAST OF ELAINE PRISONERS HAVE BEEH RELEASED National Advancement Association Sees Successful Outcome of Its Great Battle For Jnstice WINS VICTORY OVER PEONAGE Wonderful Fight to Save Lives of Men Whom the State Would • Railroad Cost Over $16,000. New York, Jan. 23.—The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has announced receipt of a telegram from Scipio A. Jones, of Little Rock, stating that the last of the prisoners jailed in connection with the Arkansas riots of 1919, has been released. This marks the end of a six-year fight brought to a successful conclu sion by the N. A. A. C. P., in the course of which twelve colored farm ers of Arkansas were saved from the death penalty and sixty-seven prison ers, who has been sentenced to life and long term imprisonment have been freed. The famous “Arkansas Case” was undertaken by the N. A. A. C. P. in October, 1919, immediately upon re ceipt of news in New York that a riot was in progress. While the riot was still going on Walter White, Assist ant Secretary of the N. A. A. C. P., arrived on the scene and gathered facts showing the condition of peon age prevailing in Arkansas, out of which the trouble sprang. The N. A. A. C. P. published Mr. White’s find ings to the country, meeting the prop anganda put forth by Arkansas whites about a plot by Negroes to “massacre whites.” Mr. White reported that Ne groes were being hunted and 250 shot down like wild beasts, in the Arkansas cane brakes, because they had organ ized to employ a lawyer in an en deavor to obtain settlements and state ments of account from their landlords under the share-cropping system. In farcical and summary trials, dur ing which torture was employed to make colored men testify against each other, twelve colored farmers were sentenced to death and sixty-seven to life and long terms in jail. The N. A. A. C. P. at once under took to liberate these men and thus strike a blow at the peonage system in Arkansas. Attorney Bratton, the white lawyer whom the peons had hoped to employ, a former U. S. at torney; together with Sciopo A. Jones, with the co-operation of Moorfield Storey, president of the N. A. A. C. P„ carried the cases through the courts and before the governor of Arkansas to victory. The cases of six of the men sen tenced to death passed through four state and federal courts, the men hav ing been twice sentenced to death and dates for their execution set five times when the U. S. Supreme Court in January of 1923 reversed their convic tion. The other six men under sen tence of death were twice tried and sentenced and twice had their con victions reversed by the Arkansas Su preme Court. Dates for retrial of these men were set on four occasions but despite the readiness of the N. A. A. C. P. attorneys, the state of Ar kansas each time announced itself unready and asked for adjournment. Under the Arkansas law, the failure of the state to act, automatically entitled the men to discharge. A motion to dismiss hem filed by the N. A. A. C. P. was granted. This long fought legal battle re sulted not only in the saving of the lives of twelve innocent men and the release of 67 others from prison but in the opening up and placing before the people of the United States the whole nefarious practice of peonage in the South; in the exposing of the conspiracy which had been formed to ustify the massacre of more than two hundred and fifty colored men and women, and which would have been used afterwards as an excuse for sim ilar crimes; and in the winning in the Supreme Court of the United States a decision which stands as a protec tion for white men as well as for black men who may thereafter be tried under the conditions which sur rounded the Negro poens of Arkansas. Gufport, Miss., Jan. 23.—One of the subjects taken up at a conference among state superintendents in south ern states was that of the training of colored teachers, text books for and development of colored high schools. Colored supervisors were In attend ance at the conference.