I THE MONITOR
I a WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED PRIMARILY TO THE INTERESTS
OF COLORED AMERICANS
PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY AT OMAHA, NEBRASKA, BY THE
MONITOR POLISHING COMPANY
Entered as Second-Class Mail Matter July 2, 1915. at the Postofftce at
Omaha. Nebraska, under the Act of March 3. 1S79
THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS_Z..Z.. Editor
W W. MOSELY. Lincoln. Neb____ Associate Editor
LUCINDA W. WILLIAM*_Business Manager
SUBSCRIPTION RATES, *2.00 A YEAR; *1.25 6 MONTHS; 75c 3 MONTHS
Advertising Rates Furnished Upon Application
Address, The Monitor, Postoffice Box 1204, Omaha, Neb.
Telephone VVEbster 4243
\UII —^
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ARTICLE XIV. CONSTITUTION OF THE X
f UNITED STATES %
% Citizenship Rights Not to Be Abridged
£ 1. .All persons born or naturalized in the United States. £
X and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the ?
Lx United States and of the State wherein they reside. No X
state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the j
privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States: nor X
shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or prop- ,t.
erty without due process of law, nor deny to any person £
within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws,
HX-*«-x~>*X“X~X"X~X“X-X"X“X~x~x-x-<~:-X"X"X“X“X"X-X":-v
THINK IT OVER
A HIGHLY esteemed friend and reader
of The Monitor writes ns in well-meant
criticism of the position taken by the Pub
licity Committee of the Colored Commercial
Club in its letter published in last week's
issue, commending our recent editorial,
“Our Strength in Omaha."
Our correspondent of this week was
also pleased with our editorial, but he
sees in the logical carrying out of the
proposition submitted by our last week's
correspondent, the emphasis and entrench
ment of the very principle which every
right-thinking American should oppose ami
that is segregation. Dr. Ward maintains,
in substance, that we cannot consistently
encourage the principle of segregation on
one hand and oppose it on the other. Is
he not right? Read his letter and think
it over Can it he satisfactorily answered?
We withhold our comment while thanking
our correspondents for furnishing our
readers with much food for thought.
HOLDING THE WORLD'S RECORD
DE H ART HUBBARD holds the world
record for the running broad jump. At
Chicago last Saturday he jumped nearly
Iwentv-six feet, or to be exact 25 feet.
10 7-8 inches. This is nearly five inches,
or, again to be perfectly exact, four
and 11-16 inches farther than any other
human being is known to have jumped be
fore. He has. therefore, set a record for
the entire world that will be difficult even
to equal, to say nothing of surpassing.
That a Negro athlete holds the world's
record is a gratifying fact in the face
of the disposition to write his race as in
ferior in all realms of activity. Negro
athletes are knocking big holes in the
high wall of Nordic superiority. Hubbard
has brought an enviable honor to his alma
mater. Michigan university, by his athletic
prowess and Michigan has been honored
by admitting him to its privileges, schol
astic and athletic. He has brought honot
to America and American athletics and
an especial honor to his rare. His achieve
ments will be an inspiration to other Amer
ican athletes, whose countenaces wear thf
burnished livery of the sun. Hubbard has
brought honor to America. He holds thf
world's record. And yet the sad thoughl
that intrudes itself is that America, nar
row-minded. prejudice-hlighted. craven
hearted America will not treat him at
an American son, but as an alien, because
his face is black. But this must not daun!
us. or palsy our endeavors. We must keef
striving to make and break world records
wherever opportunity offers and some day
America will Ire just, banish her Jirr
Crow cars and other humiliations whirl
U —
she permits such men as Granville Woods.
! in science, George Carver in chemistry and
DeHart Hubbard in athletics to suffer.
MUNICIPAL STREET CARS
WHY cannot Omaha own her street cat
[system? Municipal ownership of gas and 1
I water has proven beneficial not only
from the standpoint of efficient service
but from the other important angle of
economy. Municipal street tars is what
Omaha needs. Let's go after th**m.
MORE POLITICAL HERESY
" i
THE Monitor believes that the Com
mission form of government is less ef
ficient than the old councilmanic form.
The ward councilman looked aft^r needed
improvements in his ward and got them
or his constituents knew the reason why.
Interest wa* localized. As it is now, it
is easy to pass the buck and delay mat
! ters. This is political heresy, hut never
theless we are willing to confess that we
i would like to see a return to the old coun
| cifmanic form of city government.
“WHITE SUPREMACY"
: THERE is much talk these days about
the maintenance of ‘ White Supremacy."
Much of it is hysterical: a vast deal of it
! is quite unnecessary and foolish. 1 here
I is a well-known biological law called "the
| survival of the fittest." if the white races
are the fittest to survive, the fittest to lie
: supreme, they will survive and maintain
: their supremacy which they will deserve
to do; but feverish and hysterical boasts
about the maintenance of white supremacy,
unless moral, spiritual and intellectual
standards and ideals conform thereto are
foolish and vain.
1 EASTERN DELEGATES TO
N. A. A. C. P. CONVENTION
ARE COMING TUESDAY
I _
<
[ A large delegation from the eastern
states, enroute to the sixteenth annual
^ conference of the National Association for
' the Advancement of Colored People, which
1 opens in Denver next Wednesday, will
reach Omaha over the Burlington at 3:50
Tuesday afternoon, leaving at 4:25. That
will give them thirty-five minutes in Om
I aha. The local branch of the N. A. A. C
P. plans to give these visitors a twenty
minute auto ride over the city during
their stop here. It is requested that any
.of our citizens who will he willing to use
. their ears for this purpose phone the Bev.
I John Albert Williams. Webster 4243, not
later than Monday night.
Monitor For Sale
Wishing to retire from newspaper work and devote
my entire time to my parish work, I offer The
Monitor, a well-established and well-known weekly
newspaper, for sale.
JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS.
2 %
- THE NEGRO S CONTRIBUTION NOT NEGLIGIBLE J
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" %
\ I A moment’s thought will easily convince open-minded .j.
!! persons that the contribution of the Negro to American .j.
!! nationality as slave, freedman and citizen was far from •••
!! negligible. No element of American life has so subtly and .j.
!! yet clearly woven itself into warp and woof of our thinking •{.
! I and acting as the American Negro. He came with the first
“ explorers and helped in exploration. His labor was from y
< > the first the foundation of the American prosperity and j
■ > the cause of the rapid growth ef the new world in social and j*
< > economic importance. Modern democracy rests not simply \
• - on the striving white men in Europe and America but also
? on the persistent struggle of the black men in America for y
i two centuries. The military defense of this land has de- y
y pended upon Negro soldiers from the time of the Colonial y
wars down to the struggle of the World War. Not only does ?
;; the Negro appear, reappear and persist in American litera- v
;; ttu e hut a Negro American literature has arisen of deep ?
1 ! significance, and Negro folk lore and music ar4 among the £
;; choicest heritages of this land. Finally the Negro has pjlayed .£
;; a peculiar spiritual role in America as a sort of living, 2
• ’ breathing test of oar ideals and an example of the faith, ?
2 hope and tolerance of our religion.—Du Bois, “The Gift of ?
2 Black Folk.” * ; m |
FORTUNE CLAIMED
BY PEA SHELLER
London Market Woman
Seeks O’Connor Wealth.
Hastings, Neb.— Mrs. Mary O’Con
nor Tindall, 36 Doon street, London,
Kngland, who has been shelling peas
in Covent Garden, London, for 50 years
and claims to be the champion pea
sheller of the world, has put In a claim
for the fortune of .John O’Connor.
Hastings' shoemaker recluse, who died
12 years ago leaving $150,000 and no
known heirs. The property is now
worth about $250,000 and Is held by
the state until the true heirs are lo
cated.
Meantime, some 500 or more O’Con
nors all over the world have been after
Hie fortune, but none have been able
to prove relationship to the recluse.
The fortune consists of cash, gilt
edged bonds and mortgages and sev
eral of the finest farms in Adams
county.
Mrs. Tindall has Just written Judge
Waldo Withersteen of the District
court that she believes she is a sis
ter of John O’Connor and, as such,
she thinks she is entitled to the
$250,000.
Referred to Three Brother*
Mrs. Tindall says that 55 years ago
her little brother, John O’Connor, at
that time twelve years old. started
for America in company with Dun,
Denny ami Mike Hyan. brothers and
friends of the O'Connor family.
“If you can find either Dan, Denny
or Mike Hyan, they will tell you I am
John O’Connor’s sister," Mrs. Tindall
naively remarks in her letter.
Mrs. Tindall was “written up” a
couple, of years ago as tlie champion
pea sheller of the world. Her story
gradually drifted around until a wom
an in Spanishburg. W. Va., read it. The
West Virginia woman had also read of
the O’Connor fortune. She wrote Mrs.
Tindall about the Ameriean fortune
awaiting proof of relationship. Mrs.
Tindall remembered her brother of
half a century ago, ami immediately
addressed Judge Wlntersteen.
For over fifty years Mrs. Tindall hu»
done nothing but shell peas, she says.
Shelling peas is her one imd only job.
But she has never seen a pea growing
on a vine. She hasn't been out of
London for over fifty years and sel
dom has left the block where she
works.
In Hastings there’s always some
thing new in the O’Connor ease.
“O’Connor” is a standing assignment
on the books of the city editors. Un
porters, every day. stop by to see,
not if there’s anything new in O'Con
nor affairs, but what the new thing
is. There’s always something new.
For 12 years it's been the standing
new’g of Hastings.
Last month the new O'Connor story
was the trial of James B. O'Connor,
Kansas City lawyer, charged with
forging a will giving himself the for
tune of the recluse, whom lie claimed
as an uncle. This was O’Connor’s
third trial.
One trial in 1922 lasted for font
months. This was the case in which
four claimants of the fortune—one
from North Carolina, another from
Lapeer. Mich.; a third from Fresno,
Cal., and the fourtli from Selkirk, Man.
—were fighting one another for the es
tate. The Selkirk claimant was a half
breed Cree Indian who said old O'Con
nor was his father, and that he for
merly had been a trapper for the Hud
son's Bay company. None of tlie four
proved his claim.
Kept Affair* to Self.
O’Connor came to Hastings when a
young man, opened a shoemaker'*
shop, attended to business, saved
every cent, and made no confidants.
He never wrote rfr letter nor received
one, and never spoke to a woman ex
cept on business. He invested every
cent he got in lands at $1.25 to $2.56
an acre. That land is now worth $206
an acre. He died without leaving a
will.
The court took over the property.
The story got into the new spapers, and
it fairly rained claimants. At one
time over 500 men, women and chil
dren had formally applied to the court
for the fortune.
O’Connor's body was kept in cold
storage for five years awaiting identi
fication, and every O'Connor who saw
it positively Identified it as the body
of his father, grandfather, uncle,
brother, cousin, or some other rela
tive, although none of them had seen
him for 50 years.
After burial It was exhumed for the
benefit of a woman from Watervliet,
N. Y., who immediately recognized
it as the body of her runaway hus
band who had deserted her 51 years
previously.
But none has been able to prove re
lationship und the fortune is still here.
Mrs. Tindall, champion pea shelter of
the world, has Just as good a chance
of getting the money as anybody else,
especially if she can find Dan, Denny
or Mike Hyan anywhere.
LONDON NOW HAS
ABOUT 8,000,000
Telephone Area of City Coven
735 Square Miles.
London.—Recent unofficial estimates
of the population of Greater Londoa
have put the figures at about 8,000,000.
The London telephone area covers 785
square miles, and the metropolitan po
lice district 091 square miles, and both
are said to be growing rapidly.
The distance across London from
various sections of the greater city
vary from twenty to thirty miles.
Sir Kingsley Wood, M. P., speaking
recently on the housing question, an
nounced that the total number of
houses authorized at the beginning of
1924 aggregated 198,808, and of these
52,109 had already been completed.
Many Londoners are confirmed town
dwellers, the speaker said, and a cer
tain percentage of them always would
be They preferred the cinema to the
country, and they disliked a long Jour
ney which cut Into their leisure.
Without Imitating the worst fea
tures of the American skyscraper, tt
should be possible to erect dwellings
with generous gardens or ground space
and with proper arrangement for de
cent living, and thus work out an
eventual remedy to help relieve Lon
don’s housing situation, which, for gen
erations, has been one of the city’s
most difficult problems.
In spite of Its growth, London had
18 fewer fires In 1924 thun in 1923.
The total last year was 3,845, of which
36 were serious.
Red Tape Costs U. S,
$970 in Man’s Death
WashingtonBecause the check
for a cash settlement on his $1,000 in
suranee policy was not mailed by the
veterans’ bureau until IB days after he
died Comptroller General MeCarl has
ruled that the government must pay
i the beneficiary of John <'hard the
ill face value of the policy,
i Ids disc harge from the army In
i‘r’1. (‘hard asked for a cash set- ;
f ! ;'<» tear endowment pol
release. lie (lied
settlement Check
t
.SI BSCRIUE FOR THE WORLD’S
GREATEST WEEKLY-THE MONITOR
To the Telephone Users
of This Community:
As telephone users, I think you will
be Interested in the following statement
of the action this Company has taken to
obtain authority to adjust exchange rate*
In Nebraska up to the time we appealed to
the Federal Court
We consider you and every telephone
user as essentia! partners in the succeatful
operation of our business, and therefore
we want you to know at all times what we
are doing and why.
Our efforts to secure adequate revenue
from our operations in Nebraska to pay
expenses and earn a fair return on the
value ol our property, date back to
September 30. 1918 At that time we
applied to the Nebraska btate Railway
Commission for authority to increase our
exchange rates 20 per cent in order to
meet the high operating costs resulting
from the war.
Hearings were held on our application
during October that year, after which the
Commission issued an Emergency Order,
authorizing our Company to increase its
exchange rates 10 per cent., effective
December 1, 1918 The order was to
expire after six months.
On April 17, 1919, shortly before the
Commission's authorization ol the new
rates was fo expire, our Company applied
for authority to substitute » slightly
higher schedule ol exchange rates in Ne
braska Hearings were held, and our
application was granted on May 2, 1919.
The Order specified that the new schedule
of rates was to terminate at the end of
that year As the close of 1919 approach
ed. the Commission continued the rates
for another year.
However, on September 30, 1920,
because of continued high cost our •
Company made application for a 10 per
cent increase on all exchange rates in
Nebraska This application was granted
on November 30, 1920, after a number of
hearings, and a 10 per cent surcharge on
exchange rates was authorized until June
30, 1921 Later it was continued until
December 31, that year
This was the situation when, on
December 14, 1921. alter it was evident
that a level of prices higher than those in
1914 would prevail, our Company applied
to the Commission lor authority to es
tablish a new schedule of exchange rates
to take the place of the temporary sur
charge rates. The schedule applied for
was such as we then hoped might eventual
ly result in satisfactory earnings but it is
now clear that it would not have produced
a fair return on the cost ol our property
in this state as shown by the books of the
Company
After a senes of hearings on our applica
tion, the Railway Commission on No
vember 4, 1922, handed down an order
which, if it had been placed in effect, it
is estimated, would have permitted only
the payment of our expenses and a return
of 2,92 per cent on the cost ol our intra
state property in Nebraska, based on 1921
operations.
Following the Commission's order,
compliance with which would have re
sulted in the confiscation o( our property,
our Company on November 23, 1922,
appealed to the Federal Court. The
Court on December 22, 1922, granted a
temporary injunction against the enforce
ment of the Commission's order and
appointed a Special Master to hear
evidence from the Railway Commission
and the Telephone Company
For years our earnings in Nebraska have
been inadequate. In 1917 we earned only
5.15% on the cost of our Nebraska
Division property, which included all of
our Nebraska plant and a small part of
South Dakota; in 1918, we earned 4.62%
on the same property; in 1919, 5.30% and
in 1920 only 3.09%. Since 1921 we have
kept separate records for the state of
! Nebraska In 1921 we earned 2.87% on
the cost of our property in this state; in
1922. 3.05%; in 1923. 4.63%, and in 1924,
we earned 4.55%. All of these figures
include earnings from interstate opera
tions. In connection with the increased
earnings in 1923 and 1924, it should be
borne in mind that the rates allowed by
the temporary injunction were in effect
during these years.
Notwithstanding the fact that the rates
of our Company in Nebraska have been
inadequate for many years, its subscribers
have enjoyed a good quality of telephone
service at prices relatively lower than what
they have paid for other services and
products. That they have been able to
obtain their telephone service at such
rates has been due to the fact already
mentioned—that the Company has not
been earning a fair return on the fair
value of its property.
The public demands and is entitled to
reliable telephone service. The employees
who help supply such service should be
fairly paid. And those who invest their
money to build telephone plant to meet
the needs of the public for service, must be
paid a fair return or the necessary new
money for growth cannot be obtained.
The interests of these three—the public,
the employees and investors—are identi
cal The interests of all can be best
served only when charges for telephone
service are such as are necessary to pay
expenses and earn a fair return on the
value of our property.
It is the policy of our Company to
refrain from increasing its charges for
service until every effort has been ex
hausted to operate satisfactorily on exist
ing revenues. But when this cannot be
done without impairing the quality of
telephone service, we believe it our duty to
seek an adjustment in rates.
If there is any further information we
ran supply regarding our efforts to obtain
additional revenue in Nebraska, please
ask any employee, or call our Manager
and we shallgladly send a representative
to see you.
W. B T. BELT, President
Northwestern Bell Telephone Company
Ivy a None!
Ql IT PAYING RENT!
I have a number of bargains ■
■ in homes, 5, 6 and 7 rooms, well ;
! located; am able to sell at $250 .
and up; balance monthly like ;
' rent.
Here Are Some Bargains:
5 rooms, modern, paved street, '
near car line. $2,850; $250 .
cash; balance $27.50 per mo. ;
! 6 rooms, modern, garage for .
two cars, south front, paved '
i street. $3,760; $300 cash, bal- '
ance $30 per month. ]
E. M. DAVIS
REAL ESTATE
We. 6178 1702 North 26th St. !
DREAMLAND CAFE
Opened Sunday, March 29,
in the Jewel Building, 24th
and Grant Streets.
—SERVING—
Ice cream, candies, soft J
| drinks, sodas, and home s
cooked meals.
THOMPSON & TAYLOR.
Proprietors
LV.V.V.W.V.V.'.V.V.V.V.V.V
WANT A HOME? i
■: We Have It Among £
■: Recent Listings >m
% - „ 5
f 5 Beautiful Residence Bun- f
J galows J
\ 2 New 5-room Cottages £
!■ Small Payment Down—Bal- £
ance Less Than Rent £
I* 1 can save you from $250 I|
I to $500 on a five or six- J
room bungalow built to jl
your order anywhere you Ij
want it. J
C. W. WILLIAMS ■:
■; Real Estate
■I 1520i/2 North 21th Street ■*
£ WEbster 4882 I;
.v.vw.ww.v.v.w.v.v.vi'
Don’t Fuss With
Mustard Planters
Musterole, made of pure oil of mus
tard and other helpful ingredients, will
do all the work of the old-fashioned
mustard plaster — without the blister.
Mustrrole usually gives prompt relief
from bronchitis, sore throat, coughs,
colds, croup, neuralgia, headache, con
gestion, rheumatism, sprains, sore mus
cles, bruises, and all aches and pains.
It may prevent pneumonia. All drug
gists—35c and 65c jars and tubes—
hospital size $3.
Better then a mustard plaster
Tz
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| EMERSON’S LAUNDRY §
^ The Laundry That Suita AH y
% 1301 No. 24th St Web. 0820 X
4* ¥
X^-X^^X~X-X*<“X"X-X~X“X-*X~
IHILL-WILLIAMS DRUG f
COMPANY X
FOINTAIN PF.NS—STATIONERY ?
CIGARS and CANDY
I Ptutm/m Kttdakt and Supphrt t
2402 Cuming Street
<~x~x*<~x~x~x-x-x-x~x~x~x~x
1 !
X j;
| US6T |
I |
! 6% Dividends |
* PayaUa Quarterly ' 4
I Assets - - $16,700,000 |
| Reserve - * 465,000 ;1;
*1* It Thrifty ta4 Start a Savingt v
X Acananl Today
{’ Thlrtg-ata ynart of tnanntt in 4
X Omalu aad Nakratha *
♦»♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦»•♦♦♦♦♦♦»♦♦♦*
(
1 •;•
j| GOOD GROCERIES ALWAYS |
|ii C. P. Wesin Grocery Co. j
¥ Also Fresh Fruits and Veget able» |
:: 2991 CUMING STREET TELEPHONE JACKSON 109k j.
!"W-WX“XK“XX><X>iXM">,X..|"XhXXK"X"!"K">W,!h!“>'X“X"X,‘-,W‘*« ' y
I 21th and Decatur Sts. Phone WEbster 5#♦* % j
| I. LEVY, Druggist | j
£ free delivery
| ?
X CENOL A MYERS AGENCY % i
V .*«
I We Have It I
? i
¥ YOU CAN HAVE THE KIND OF JOB YOU '£
£ ARE LOOKING FOR £
•j* by listing your name and telephone number with v
| o ,
1 ALFRED JONES
.;.
Catering and Employment Office | > j
& 1322 DODGE STREET AT. 9TU7 t
% .?
t jta*K k K k>;: w mi i: ;' KiK innnrK k n r. :: >'■ •• “ sw u *; ::
LET US PAY YOU g// ON SAVINGS 1
-We Treat You Right
STATE SAVINGS <£■ LOAN ASSOCIATION |
N. W. Corner 19th and Douglas Streets Bankers Reserve Bldg. ”
PATRONIZE THE STATE FURNITURE CO.
Corner 14th and Dodge Streets Tel. JACKSON 1317
Headquarters B D IlliCIHI^V Phonographs
for B If If 11 w YYIV It and Records
trXXXSSSSSXIsS.X’-XXXKXX-XXXXX-’X-XXX^H.'JXM-XXXXM.XM-S!'
2
I # . ::
Prescriptions
% I
A GRADUATE REGISTERED PHARMAC IST
}t . |
X Is in charge of our Prescription Department at all times. $
£ Your safety is guaranteed when you leave your .
£ prescriptions at our store.
X I
Peoples Drug Store
£ 24th and Erskine Streets WEbster 6323 1
Z ... t
T" . ■■ ■ ■■■■ -<
PLANTS, SEEDS & SHRUBS
We now have at our store a most complete stock of
plants suitable for Porch Boxes, Baskets and Beds at moT
reasonable prices. Special for this week.
Nice Stock of Geraniums $1.00 per dozen and up
Aster Plants .25 per dozen and up
Verbena Plants .25 per dozen and up
Snap Dragon .25 per dozen and up
Dwarf Mangold .25 j>er dozen and up
Hot and Sweet Pepper .20 per dozen and up
Cabbage .10 per dozen and up
lomato .15 per dozen and up
Remember that you patronage is appreciated bv th >
old, reliable
Home Landscape Service
Tel. JA. 5115 24th & Cuming
L =^^====^== „_j
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