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About The monitor. (Omaha, Neb.) 1915-1928 | View Entire Issue (July 31, 1925)
f ,the Monitor l * NEBRASKA’S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF COLORED AMERICANS s THE REV. JOHN ALBERt WILLIAMS, Editor $2.00 a Year—5c a Copy I OMAHA, NEBRASKA, FRIDAY, JULY 11, 1925 Whole Number 525 Vol. XI—No. 4 SEEUirMWORLD WAR ON COLO LINE Desdunes Changes Mind and Declines to Play for Sheeted Gang WHITE RESIDENTS ATTEMPT TO DRIVE POSTMAN AWAT Purchased Property for Residence and Declines to Sell Out at Largely Advanced Figure LETTERS THREATEN MURDER Policemen Have Been Appointed to (■uard Brown's Home and Dis trict Attorney to Start Investigation New York, July 31.—A special grand jury, called by District Attor ney Albert C. Each of Richmond coun ty, to question fifteen whites sub poenaed on charges of damaging the property of Samuel Brown, a colored postal employee, of 67 Fairview ave nue, Castleton Hill, West New Brigh ton, L. I., and attempting to frighten him and his family from their home, adjourned Tuesday without taking any action. Thursday was set as the date for the resumption of the case. “A Matter of Principle" Brown, who has become the victim of a residential segregation design, following his refusal to sell his prop erty in the exclusive Castleton Hill district to whites for less than $12,000, before the court adjourned declared: “It is now a matter of principle with me; I am going to fight it out to the end." Attack Home Several attacks have been made on Brown’s home, the last one occuring at 3:30 o’clock last Fiiday morning. A number of white men hurled bricks through windows of the house, up rooted trees and destroyed flowers. Brown reported the affair to the dis trict attorney, who called the special jury. White neighbors of Brown have ad mitted that they tried to induce him to move out of that neighborhood. Some of thpm said that Brown had arouseil the resentment of the white residents by demanding an excessive price for his house when white people offered to bey it. H. M. Robertson, of the Robertson Development Com pany, which developed Castleton Hill, declared: “My company sold the property to a M rs. Evans a few years ago for $6,600. If we had had any idea she wanted to resell we would have will ingly bought it back with a good profit to her. “I was elected chairman of a Citi zen’s Committee that went to see Brown. I pointed out that he was the only colored man in a neighbor hood which depended for its property values on its exclusiveness, and that in view of this we would pay him $9,500 for his property. Brown de clined the offer.” Brown paid $8,500 for the property in July, 1924, according to Ro!>ert.son. He rejected another offer of $10,000 by the Citizens’ Committee. Robert son said that Brown, in refusing the second offer, asserted that he did not want to sell because he had bought the place for a permanent home and intended to settle down. Receives Threats Brown declared that he had re ceived many threatening letters since the attempts to oust him began, many of which were signed or undersigned with crosses. One of the letters, he declared, warned him that his wife, a school teacher, would be "shot by an ex-service man" if they did not move. “She will not be shot in the house but in the street while she is returning from work," the letter fur ther stated. Postmaster Frank Foggins of Stat en Island denied a report that he had been asked to have Brown transfer red to another postoffice. Policemen have been ordered to guard Brown’s house, on which fire insurance has been cancelled a num ber of times. WHITE PHILANTHROPISTS AID COLORED ORPHANAGE Houston, Tex., July 31.—Four thou sand dollars was donated toward the Gilmer Texas Colored Orphans’ Home by three white philanthropists within leas than an hour after a campaign had been launched by its founder, Rev. W. L. Dickson. The donors were John H. Kirby, $2,600; Will Hogg, $1,000 and Jessie Jones $500. All three have been regular contributors to the institution. DESDUNESCANCELS h. K. K. ENGAGEMENT AND PUBLISHES NOTICE _ Last week The Monitor published an article from the Omaha Daily News to the effect that Dan Des dunes, leader of the famous band which has played an important part in putting Omaha on the map and has a national reputation, had prom ised to play for the Ku Klux Klan, and and would have done so July 4th could he have been released from an other engagement. The Monitor added the information that it had been re liably informed that a definite en gagement ha.l been made for Tuesday night, July 28, and a subsequent en gagement, date not publicly given, had also been accepted. Similar in formation was carried in the daily press. The World-Herald of Sunday, July 26, carried this self-explanatory ad vertisement: TO WHOM IT MAY ( ON CER N Dan Desdunes Explains Contrary to announcements, Dan Desdunes Hand Will NOT I’lay for the Ku Klux Klan pub lic meeting. I was simple enough to be lieve that a band, like a rail road, was created to serve all of the people. I know better now. (Signed) DAN DESDUNES. The second engagement was for Fri day night, July 11, at a meeting of the Omaha Klan. This engagement was also cancelled, because of “ad verse public sentiment”. Readers of The Monitor and warm admirers of Dan Desdunes everywhere will be pleased to learn of his action in this matter. FINDS $1,100, TURNS IT OVER TO POLICE Los Angeles, Cal., July .‘il.—While Herbert Howard, 24, erstwhile janitor of the Plaza Branch of the Citizens Trust and Savings Bank, was making his nightly rounds he came upon a neat package which he found contain ed $1,100 in currency. Within an hour the youth appeareil at the Cen tral Station carrying a 38-calibre pis tol in his hand. When the police dis armed him and demanded to know what it was all about, he told them of his find and declared that he had brought it to them for safe keeping. The police commended Howard for his honesty and took charge of the mo ney, after advising him to be careful with the “Big Bertha”. SEGREGATION NOT SO EASY IN LOS ANGELES Los Angeles, Calif., July 31.—That the colored citizens here do not intend to tolerate segregation, has become evident by the filing of two segrega tion suits in the superior courts. One suit brought by A. Hockett, of 1388 E. Washington street, charges that the proprietor of a restaurant at 709 K. Washington street, St. Haynes, unlawfully refused to serve him; the other brought by P. L. Hodge charges the Stearn Drug Co. with refusing to serve him at one of its foutains. At torney Willis O. Tyler is representing the plaintiffs in both cases, which have the backing of the N. A. A. C. P. Subscribe for The Monitor! HOWARD UNIVERSITY PLANS BIG PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN Washington, D. C., July 31.—A Publicity Committee was authorized by the Board of Trustees of Howard University to aid in keeping the Uni versity’s work before the philanthrop ic public. The future of the Univer sity is recognized to depend much upon public approval. At the first meeting held at the Prince George Hotel, New York City, Dr. Chas. R. Brown, of Yale Univer sity, who is president of Howard’s Board of Trustees, President J. Stan ley Durkee, Secretary-Treasurer Dr. Emmett J. Scott; Trustees, Moorland, Dumas, Wheatland and Hawkins, Li brarian E. C. Williams, Dean Kelly Miller, and Emory B. Smith, secretary of the alumni. It was resolved to push a vigorous campaign of publici ty, and to that end it was decided that President Durkee be relieved from in ternal routine details so that he may employ his powers of oratory, in the pulpit and platform throughout the country, in placing Howard Univer sity before the general public, and making its claims on the public inter est better known. Dean Kelly Miller, Alumni Secretary Smith and others will be associated with Dr. Durkee. All these activities will be systema tically outlined and directed by a com mittee of four headed by Dr. Durkee. Nature of Campaign The propaganda will Ire set in mo tion by a series of meetings in large churches, white and colored, of New York City, New Rochelle, Rochester and Syracuse, N. Y.; Boston and Wor cester, Massachusetts; Providence and Newport, Rhode Island; Bridgeport, New Haven and Hartford, Connecti cut, and Montclair, New Jersey. Speeches hefore civic organizations, such as Rotary Clubs, Chambtrs of Commerce and federations are to be featured. BANK REWARDS NEGRO FOR FAITHFUL SERVICE San Diego, Cal., July 31.—Chas. H. Dodge, colored, who has been in the employment of the Southern Trust Commerce Bank of this city for many years received a reward for faithful and efficient service last week by be ing given the position of confidential clerk of the institution. The banking officials stated that the position was one which required both honesty and ability, and one of vital importance to the successful conduct of the con cern. HELPING THE BLACK MAN OUT OF HIS SAD PLIGHT IS A DUTY AND A PLEASURE Because I am interested chiefly in white people I lake an interest in the Negro. There are twelve million Negroes in the United States. They are here to stay. That’s a tenth of our population. It’s a question whether we want them to be vici ous or decent. I prefer to have my chil dren and grandchildren live where there is no ignorant, uncouth and vicious un derprivileged class. If we would keep the Negro down we must stay down with him. It was this thought that first interested me in the Negro. Booker Washington said: “You can’t keep a man in the ditch without staying in with him and you can’t get out of the ditch without climbing out too.” Soon after I had read “An American Citizen,” a biography of William II. Bald win, the friend of Tuskegee, written by John Graham Brooks, I met Booker Wash ington. He asked me to become one of the Tuskegee Institute trustees. In that way I became interested in education for Negroes. In one of my talks yith Dr. Washington he pictured to me the miser able condition of Negro secondary schools in the South and asked me to finance an experiment in extension work that would cost about $25,000. I did it. The ex periment was a success. There was $2000 left over. Dr. Washington asked me if I would let him have it to help build a number of experimental country school houses. His idea was to interest both the white people ami colored people in the building of modest but substantial and comfortable schools in given rural com munities, donating one-fourth of the cost BY JULIUS ROSEN WALD (In Collier's Magazine) when one-fourth had been raised by the Negroes themselves and the balance hv the white people. The plan worked so well and aroused so much interest that before the first of these schools was built there were applications for funds for more. | The idea spread and kept spreading with j the result that we have over 2800 school houses for Negroes in the fourteen south ern states. They represent an investment of nearly twelve mfttiol dollars. About I 55 per cent has hern contributed by south ern white people and out of public fumls; and about 22 per cent has been raised by colored people. The Julius Rosenwabl j Fund, as it is now called, has contributed 18 per cent and supervised the construc tion. The results have been so gratifying that there is a feeling of satisfaction and a desire to increase rather than limit the work. Wherever these schools are built I there is an immediate and noticeable im-1 provement in the life and thought of the colored people served. We find the Ne gro taking more pride in his home and premises and more pride in his children. That little schoolhou.se with its trim win dows. its spotless coat of paint and its tidy furnishings sets a mark for him and he tries to live up to it. The Negro has city problems too. He j needs a renter for education, recreaotion j and service, such as the Y. M. C. A. fur nishes in its buildings, and this need has j been emphasized since the recent rnigra lions to northern cities. The Negro larked the means to provide such facilities. This led me to make an offer which stimulated white and colored people to work together for the same cause. They raised the needed funds, coonstructed the buildings and co-operated in the management of the completed property. The Y. M. C. A. appealed to me for this work because it could organize and protect the Negroes—be a big brother to a neglected group. This movement has resulted in eighteen buildings in fifteen cities. Two of the liuildings are for women and girls in New York and Philadelphia. The total value of the property is more than three million dollars. Of that amout, colored people gave nearly four hundred thousand dollars. White friends, in various cities, gave more than a million and a half. The acquisition of money is largely a matter of luck; a man inherits money or he stumbles upon some money making op portunity. In my own case, I luckily, at the right moment, fell into a business that had great money-making possibilities. The fact that I have been commercially suc cessful is not due so much to my ability as to great good luck. There are, no doubt, men right here in this business (Sears, Koehuck & Co.) today working for mod est wages who would have made a greater success of it than I have, had they had my opportiynity. Having made money, my problem now is how to use it so as to give and get happiness out of it. I am glad of the privilege of trying to help the Negro climb out of the ditch. POPULARITY CONTEST CIX)SES The contest for the most popular tennis Kiri was closed Monday even ing at the North Side Branch Y. W. C. A. After a brief program consist ing of solos by Mr. Carter and read ings from Paul Lawrence Dunbar by Mrs. Senora Wilkinson the names of the eight contestants and the votes reported were read by the chairman of the recreation committee, Mrs. Minnie Dixon. Miss Ernestine Singleton reported 513 votes and was declared the win ner. She was presented with a fine tennis racquet. Miss Mercedes John son came second with 417 votes. The committee decided to give a second prize as Mercedes hud worked very hard and made such an excellent showing. The standing of the eight contestants is as follows: Miss Ernestine Singleton, B13 votes; Miss Mercedes Johnson 417, Miss Mel va McCaw 233, Miss Josephine Kat cliffe 226, Miss Nancy Pharr 155, Miss Louise Scott 152, Miss Geraldine Har ris 51, Miss Helen Fletcher 46. An Omaha Kiddie LETTERS FROM OUR READERS | - / Commends Editorials Omaha, Nebr., July 29, 1926. To the F,ditor of The Monitor: Your editorials, always worthwhile, have in the mind of the writer been exceptionally so in the recent issues j of your helpful paper. I refer to your views as expressed on the sad pre valence of policy playing among our people and the acceptance of our Dan Desdunes of an invitation to play for the ignominious Ku Klux Klan. As little related as the two matters may seem to be, there is an insiduous principle common to both. Very commendably our people are grasping after business. On every hand they are admonished to establish and sup port business of our own. But like all worthy causes this too has been very seriously misapprehended and mis applied. Unscrupulous persons have concluded that any way a dollar may be obtained other than by so-called . common labor is more commendable than that earned by honest sweat. In siduously, social classifications are gradually being formed on that basis. Such a tendency augurs not the best for the race’s future. A dollar ob gained at the sacrifice of principle acks much of being an asset. It is therefore hoped that your ef forts will bear fruit along the line lesired. And may our mutual friend Desdunes seriously consider, if he Joes not reconsider, his promise in the light of what I am quite sure is his honest-to-goodness better judg ment. Truly Yours, RUSSEL TAYLOR. UPHOLDS BEQUEST TO MAID Trenton, N. J., July 24.—(By the Associated Negro Press.)—The will of the late Mrs. Emma L. Woodward, of this city, who died leaving most of her $50,000 estate to her colored maid, Miss Amelia M. Stewart, was upheld last week by Vice-Chancellor Learning in the Mercer County Orphans’ Court. The bequest to Miss Stewart includes the $25,000 home and personal prop erty to the value of $25,000. Relatives of Mrs. Woodward contested the will, but the vice-chancellor held that there was nothing to support the charge that the testator had been unduly in fluenced. YOUNGEST GRANDMOTHER IS 30 Hagerstown, Md., July 31.—(A. N. P.)—The youngest grandmother in the United States so far discovered is Mrs. Lola Dixon of this city, who is just 30 years old. Her daughter, Mrs. R. W. Middleton, is just IB, and has just become the mother of a boy. Mr. E. C. Bryant of the South Side and an employee of the American Smelting company delivered a highly commended address last Sunday even ing before the Young Peoples Societj of the First Reformed church al Twenty-third and Deer Park Boule vard on “The Accomplishments of the American Negro.” t FUERNAL OF MRS. RUSSELL _ Saturday afternoon, July 25, 1925, the funeral services for Mrs. Fannie Russell, wife of Eugene Russell and president of the Nebraska State Fed eration of Colored Women’s Clubs, was held at the residence, 4025 Sew ard street, with burial at Forest j I,awn cemetery. The services were in charge of the Rev. Chas. Williams of j St. John’s A. M. E. church of which j the deceased was a member. The fol- j lowing program was rendered: Selec tion, St. John’s A. M. E. choir; Prayer, Rev. O. J. Burckhart; Selection St. John’s A. M. E. choir; Scripture, Rev. Mr. Divers, Bethel A. M. E. church; Solo, “Face to Face”, Mrs. Maud Ray; Obituary and Sermon, Rev. Chas. Wil liams; Resolutions—St. John’s A. M. E. Church, Mr. James Clarke; Eureka Art Club, Mrs. Sothem; Dubois Dra matic Club, Mrs. Ada Smith; Happy Hour Club, Mrs. Moffitt; State Fed eration of Colored Women’s Clubs, Mrs. Rhieva Harrold, secretary of Ne braska State Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs; Solo, Mr. Levi Broom- ; field; Prayer, Rev. Mr. Slater, Coun cil Bluffs, A. M. E, church. r riends from out of the city and representatives from the federated clubs of the state were among the large audience which came to pay tribute to the deceased. The floral offerings which nearly filled the room, covering the casket and every available space were evidence of the esteem in which the deceased was held throughout the country. Mrs. Russell was an elocutionist of unusual ability, an active worker in the church and clubs, being organizer of the, Happy Hour Club, a charter member of the Eureka Art Club and a mem ber of the Dubois Dramatic Club. Site was especially interested in and de voted much of her time to all char itable work. Telegrams and letters were received from all parts of the country. Those from out of the city were: Mr. Wm. Green, Minneapolis; Mrs. Malinda Boone, Kansas City; Mr. Jno. Patrick, St. Joseph, Mo.; Mr. Wm. Patrick, Kansas City, Kan.; Mrs. Rosa Green, Kansas City, Kan.; Mrs. Fields, Des Moines, la.; Mr. Wesley Talbert, Des Moines, la.; Mrs. Minnie Parks, Minneapolis; Mrs. Sadie Gwynn, Den ver; Mr. Robert Johnson, Lincoln; Mr. and Mrs. John Baker, Grand Island; Mrs. Ada Holmes, Lincoln, Neb., first! vice-president of State Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs; Mrs. Fannie Young, Lincoln, Neb., chairman of! Home Committee; Mrs. Belle Collins,! Lincoln, Neb., chairman of Music and ! Art. —By Helen Ricketts. CONVENTION NOTES Mr. Ed. Killingworth, R. L. Wil I liams, R. C. Long and Dr. W. W. Peebles attended the American Le gion convention at Columbus, Nebr., as representatives of Theo. Roosevelt Post No. 30 of Omaha. Mrs. Clarence Gordon attended i * he American Legion Auxiliary con vention at Columbus, Neb., as a rep I resentative of the Auxiliary of Roose I velt Post No. 30 of Omaha. _ Theodore Roosevelt Post No. 30 was awarded the badge of citation for distinguished service, which consisted of an increase of members over for mer years. The smoker and committee meeting held on Friday night was addressed by Major Mason, executive secretary of the American Legion Convention Committee. His address was in the nature of instructions to the commit tee and legionaires, covering their duties and responsibilities in connec tion with the American Legion Con vention which meets in Omaha in Oc tober. After the smoker was over, Major Mason held a meeting with the Citizens Committee and gave them detailed instructions concerning their duties and responsibilities necessary for the American Legion Convention in October. Refreshments were served during the evening. DR. ERNEST E. JUST CONTINUED AT HOWARD It is pleasing to note that the Na tional Research Council has notified Dr. J. Stanley Durkee that the Rosen wald Fellowship for Dr. Ernest E. Just will be continued at Howard Uni versity. Dr. Just has received wide recogni tion for his biological research work. FORECASTS FIERCE WORLD-WIDE RACE CONFLICT SOON Writer Believes Events in China, India and Morocco Are Preliminary Stages of Anticipated Armageddon WHITE PRESTIGE DOOMED? Shadow of the War Cloud in East Is Falling Darkly Upon World Supremacy of White Race Is Claim London, July 29.—The events in China, Morocco and India are ap parently the preliminary stages of an unparalleled war to the death between the white and colored races, with the Pacific as the central battleground, says F. Britten Austen in The Sunday Pictorial. He believes the world is rushing toward a struggle directed by a Bolshevist campaign, which will make the fall of the Roman Empire look like a small local affair in the destinies of the white nations. “The shadow of a war cloud in the East is falling darkly upon the hither to sunny world supremacy of the white race,” says Mr. Austen. “It is unpleasantly possible that the cloud may be cloven tomorrow or the day after, but inevitably by the lightning flashes of war. The white man’s prestige will disappear when the savage, barbaric millions from Africa and Asia can defy the white man. “The white man has forcibly fed the ancient populations with the newest theories of education, politics and so cial custom. He has fatuously pre sented them with thousands and thou sands of cinemas showing the white races in a contemptible light. He has committed the crowning folly of lead ing the colored races into battle against white men. In Africa, India, Indo-China and China tens of thou sands of demobilized war auxiliaries have returned to spread the wondrous tale that the white man is not in vincible. “The colored race hates the white man, with a hate whereof we have no conception. Moscow’s one great re iterated hope is that the innumerable millions of colored races rise and mas sacre the white man. They have used feverish propaganda to accomplish this. “They count cunningly on Japan. Although Japan is equal with the Western nations in the war of com merce, the white man insultingly treats her nationals as an inferior race. Her populations are desperate ly overcrowded, but the white man denies them an outlet. Japan could fight a war against America or Great Britain, or both, with a reasonable prosptect of at least temporary suc cess. If she should, the whole world’s colored race would seeth in fanatic excitement. .STOP LIGHT INVENTOR FIGHTS FOR PATENT Chicago, July 31.—A desperate struggle is being waged by Levy Bostick, colored, inventor of the auto stop light, to secure patent rights on the device, which it is estimated has a value of $12,000,000. At the present time many concerns are pro ducing stop lights under different names from the original, and taking the right of production from its orig inator. The Victor Evans patent law firm is prosecuting the case, but is met with stiff opposition from trusts and syndicates. SCORE VICTORY OVER SEGREGATION IN OHIO Cleveland, O., July 31.—Steve Spa nos, proprietor of a restaurant at 7820 Cedar avenue, who refused to serve a colored patron in his place of business, was found guilty of vi olating the the Ohio Civil Rights Law and sentenced last Saturday. The case against Spanos was brought by Brown and Collins, resi dents of the Cedar Avenue Y. M. C. A. who refused to eat in a back room of the Greek’s restaurant, and were thereupon not served. The winning of the suit against Spanos marks the second victory of the Negroes of this state against se gregation within the last three weeks. The other case was against segrega tion of Negroes by the Dayton school | board.