—f- THE MONITOR SEs
| NEBRASKA’S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF COLORED AMERICANS
| THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor.
12.00 a Y< | -5c a Copy OMAHA, NEBRASKA, FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 1926 Whole Number 553 Vol. XI.—No. 35
Negro Made U. S. Attorney
N.A.A.C.P. BACK OF
BILL FOR MONUMENT
TO NEGRO SOLDIER
Special Recognition Asked for Col
ored Soldiers Attached to
French Army
New York, N. Y.—The Board of
Directors of the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored
People, at its meeting last week, en
dorsed the bill introduced in Congress
by Representative Hamilton FMsh of
New York, providing for a monument
costing $30,000 to be erected in com
memoration of the valiant service in
France of three American regiments
composed of colored Boldiers. The
regiments whose bravery is thus to
be commemorated are the 369th, thi
371st and the 72nd, all three of which
were attached to the fourth French
army.
“The bill,” writes Representative
Fish in a letter to the N. A. A. C. P.
“is practically the same as the one
which was favorably reported out of
the Foreign Affairs committee of the
House last year. . . .1 believe
it would roe effective if you would
ask your readers to write every Con
gressmen no matter what ditsrict they
represent in behalf of the tardy rec
ognition of the colored people.”
In the favorable report on the bill
by the Committee on Foreign Affairs
of the House of Representatives, it
is stated: “Three of these regiments
had their colors decorated with the
French War Cross for gallantry on
the field of battle." The regiments
together with the 370th, had killed
and wounded amounting to 40 per
cent of their men. The four regi
_ ments received more than 400 indi
vidual decorations for extraordinary
heroism under fire, officially provini
the gallant conduct of Negro troop;
in modem warfare. The report fur
ther states:
“These colored soldiers belonging to
these combat units demonstrated that
if properly trained, equipped and led
that they will equal the best soldiers
In any army in the world for bravery
and fighting qualities. They endure*
all the hardships without a murmur,
slept in the cold rain, and face*! death
from high explosives, shrapnel, ga>
and machine guns with the same for
titude, loyalty and courage as th<
other American divisions. These col
ored regiments were known to the
French as 'les Joveux,’ or the happ;
ones, as they carried out orders with
out grumbling and always made the
best of the conditions with which
they had to contend.
“There were over 400,000 Negro
soldiers in the United States army by
the armistice and about 40,000 on the
battle line. The erection of the pro
posed monument would be a wonder
ful inspiration not only to these
400,000 colored soldiers, but to the
entire Negro race in America, amount
ing to 12,000,000 people, who contrib
uted their blood and their treasures
to help win the war. Such a monu
ment would not only teach loyalty
and patriotism but would carry a mes
sage to the Negro race that there
is no discrimination for the soldier
who wears the United States uniform
and is willing and glad to lay down
his life for his country; for the life
of a colored soldier is just as dear to
his mother, his wife, or his family as
that of any other soldier that wa*
ever born. The record of these Negr*
infantry regiments entitles them to
the grateful recognition of a grate
ful republic.”
APPEALS TOR (JIRLS* HOME
Orangeburg, S. C.—(By the As
sociated Negro Press)—Mrs. Etta B
Rowe, corresponding secretary of
South Carolina’s Federation of Col
ored Women’s Clubs, in a just pub
lished article, makes a noble appeal
in behalf of the Fairwood Industrial
school, a community home for work
ing girls. She explained the purpose
of the institution and the efforts of
the federated women and local Sun
light clvfb are launching in order that
$10,000 may be raised to rebuild the
home recently destroyed by fire.
MOTHER IS HERO
Marianna, Ark.—(By the Associated
Negro Press)—After fire had broken
out in her home, in which her four
children slept, and firemtn had given
up hope of saving the home or rescu
ing the children, Mrs. Isaac McGinnis
came home. Undaunted by the warn
ings of white firemen, she tore into
the burning house in an unsuccessful
effort to save her offspring. She was
so terrbly burned that she died the
next day.
NEW JERSEY N. A. A. C. P.
FIGHTING FOR NEW CIVIL
CIVIL RIGHTS BILL
Branches of the National Associa
tion for the Advancement of Colored
. People, in the State of New Jersey
[ are fighting for the enactment in the
legislature of an amendment to the
j Civil Rights Act, which would give
persons discriminated against in places
| of public accomodation the right to
bring civil suit for damages. At pres
ent the right to bring action rests-jn
a state official.
The national office of the N. A. A
C. P. has written all of its New Jer
sey branches asking them to com
municate with Joseph Altman, chair
man of the Committee on the Revision
of Bills; Anthony Siracusa, chairman
of the Judiciary committee; and t<
their own representatives and stat<
senators, asking that the bill be ex
pedited to enactment.
Assemblyman Altman has written
to L>r. J. C. McKelvie, of I/mg
j Branch, the following letter:
"I am perfectly willing to let tin
bill out of committee and vote favor
j ably on the same as I have told youi
Mr. Nutter, but I cannot get two othei j
members of my committee to sign it i
out. If the colored citizens of the
varous counties can prevail upon two!
other members of the committee to
sign the bill out, your bill will receiv<
necessary consideration, but I do not
purpose to be “damned” by all the
colored citizens of the State of New
Jersey for an attitude that does not
exist in my mind.”
Dr. McKelvie reports that it is
commonly supposed the bill is meet
ing with organized op|>osition from
the associations of hotel men in As
bury Park and Atlantic City, and that
there is a disposition on the part of
New Jersey legislators to “pass th(
buck.”
Assemblyman Altman’s entire com
mittee is as follows: Darwin of New
ark; Albert Comstock of Patterson;
James H. White of Hackensack, and
William H. Gilfert of Hoboken. All
colored citizens of New Jersey ar<
asked to write to thisl committee and
send them church, lodge and other
resolutions.
(NEW ORLEANS SEGREGATION
UP TO U. S. SUPREME COURT
Dr. George W. Lucas, president of
the New Orleans branch of the N.
A. A. C, P. reports that the residential
segregation case, originating in that
city, on which adverse decisions have
been rendered by state courts, is now
ready for presentation on appeal to
the United States Supreme Court in
Washington.
The N. A. A. C. P. will base its
j fight in this case on the Louisville
! segregation case, won n the Supreme
Court in 1917, by Moorfield Storey
president of the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored Peo
pie, in which the Supreme Court held
that ordinances of states or munici
palities establishing residential seg
regation were unconstitutional.
The New Orleans case originates
in a Louisiana state law, directing
violating the Supreme Court’s deci
sion, enabling the city of New Orlean;
to establish colored and white zones,
into which no citizen of either race
would move without unanimous con
sent of the other group.
TEN YEARS FOR
ACCIDENTAL KILLING
Covington, Tenn.—(By the Associ
ated Negro Press)—Charles Williams
has been found guilty and sentenced
to ten years in prison for the acci
dental killing of George T. Kurtz,
February 23.
EDITORIAL
There are some among our people who do not grasp the fun
damental principle at stake in the fight that must be uncomprom
isingly waged against residential and other forms of segregation.
Such persons apologetically deplore the desire or effort of the
more prosperous of our group moving into neighborhoods where
“they are not wanted’’ and “where their presence will only make
trouble.”
Some are short-sighted, foolish and envious enough to charge
those who seek letter environment of trying to get away frbm
their race. This last charge springs from the sentiment so preva
lent among us that all Negroes are alike, that there is no dif
ference between us, and that one is as good as another. This
is the viewpoint of the large majority of white people and, sad
to say, of black people also. There is reluctance to differenti
ate between the intelligent and ignorant; the industrious and the
improvident; the virtuous and the vicious; the wealthy or well
to-do and the poor. But all Negroes are not alike by any means,
and because a man is a Negro does not make him the social or
intellectual equal of every other Negro. This is a fallacy which
many, even of our own people, must rid themselves of.
When a prosperous member of our race wishes to have a
better home, he desires to do just what any other prosperous
American citizen does, and that is to build or buy in a neighbor
hood which fits his pocketbook. For example, if he has lieen
living in a neighborhood where the houses have an average value
of $2,000 and he is able to own a home worth $20,000; naturally
he seeks a $20,000 neighborhood, which he has a perfect right to
do. He would be very foolish indeed to build a $20,000 house in
a $2,000 neighborhood.
Segregationists would denv and attempt to deny a funda
mental right of peaceful domicile or residence guaranteed by the
Constitution to every law-abiding American citizen. If the Amer
ican Negro be an American citizen, then his right to purchase
and occupy property anywhere his circumstances will allow can
not be abridged or denied. The fight against residential segre
gation is a fight for a fundamental right of American citizen
ship. Therefore, let no member of our race who lays any claim
to intelligence or ordinary common sense, lend the slightest aid
to the creation of any adverse sentiment or opinion that will
deny this fundamental'right of any American citizen, be he white
or black, Jew or Gentile.
STUDENTS IN ANNUAL RECITAL
Daytona, Fla.—(By the Associated
Negro Press)—The music department
of the Daytona-Cookman Collegiate
Institute gave its annual student re
cital in the auditorium of the White
Hall. In every respect it was the
most finished and delightful enter
tainment given, this year. The com
positions selected and the brilliant and
accurate performance of the pupils
reflected great credit upon the de
partment of music. All who attended
got a new appreciation of the train
ing and ability of Miss Mildred Jones,
head of the pianoforte department of
the school of music.
1 11——
BROOKLYN N. A. A. C. P. PRESSES
CASE AfiAINST POLICEMAN
WHO BEAT WOMEN
The Brooklyn IN. Y.) branch of the
National Association for the Advance
merit of Colored People, has an
nounced its intention of pressing
charges against Patrolman Thomas
McAttliffe, who is accused of having
beaten and threaten two women be
cause one of them, Mrs. Estelle Ben
son, a colored woman, had refused to
go out with him. The white patrol
man was arrested on charges of fe
lonious assault and held in $3,500
bail, which was furnished by a bond
ing company.
Mrs. Benson’s complaint recites
that the pntrolman stopped her on
the street and invited her to enter his
car. When she refused, ho punched
her, knocked her down, dragged her
across the street and threatened her
with his revolver. A second com
plaint substantiating Mrs. Benson's
charges, was made by Miss Cecilia
Thouluc, white, who went to her aid
and was herself struck.
0. D. Williams, secretary of the
Brooklyn N. A. A. C. P., states that
Stanley Douglas, an attorney of 200
Broadway, will press the charges
against the patrolman, and that the
association will seek to have the case
taken from the jurisdiction of the
magistrate’s court to a higher court.
Civil action is also to be instituted
in behalf of Mrs. Benson against the
patrolman.
If Kill SCHOOL IH'IMLM
GIVE CASH TO “V” El’Ml
Little Rock, Ark.— (A.P.)—Twenty
five thousand dollars, the second goal
set by the leaders of the Y. M. C. A.
campaign fund in this city was
reached here Monday. More than
$30,000 were raised. Scipio Jones di
vision led with $18,524 and both high
teams for largest sums in cash and
pledges were members of his division.
One of the features of the campaign
was the cash subscription of $125 by
pupils of Gibb’s high school. A. E.
Bush, one of the most prominent
business men of the city, gave $3,000
at first and promised $2,000 more
when the general fund should have
reached $23,000, made his offer good
Monday. A cartoon, drawn by W.
Anthony, in the interests of the cam
paign, was reproduced by the white
newspapers of the city. R. B. De
Frantz, of the national council of the
Young Men’s 'Chrlstinjn Associatfps,
declared that the work here was one
of the most remarkable demonstra
tions of united efofrt that he has
witnessed anywhere. E. C. Robin
son of Des Moines, la., will become
executive secretary of tht local Y,
April 1.
4
AN IMPORTANT WORD TO SUBSCRIBERS. X
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l>e sent through the mails subscriptions must be paid in .j.
1 advance. A reasonable time, thirty days, is allowed for X
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If this is not done, postal privileges are denied the publi- tjl
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The Monitor must see to it that their subscriptions are •{•
paid, as the law requires, in advance. Statements are be- A
ing sent to all those who owe, or our collector will call — |
and unless your subscription is paid we will be compelled y
to cut off your paper which, of course, we do not want ^
to do. . %
We, as publishers, MUST comply with the law or y
£ pay the penalty. ?
APPOINT COLORED ASSISTANT
U. S. DISTRICT ATTORNEY IN N.Y.
New York, N. Y.—U. S. District
Attorney Buckner in announcing a
list of new appointees has included
that of Richard L. Baltimore, who ha?
been assigned to the immigration di
vision. Robert S. Conklin, 21st As
sembly district leader, is credited with
■sponsoring Baltimore, who was born
in Washington and is a graduate of
Armstrong high school and Howard
university.
WHITE KENTITKI AN ATTACKS
NEGRO GIRLS; NO TROOPS
NEEDED TO PREVENT LYNCHING
In Lexington, Ky., where 1,000
state troops were called out recently
to prevent lynching of a colored man
accused of murder, a white man has
been arrested, charged with rape of
an 11-year-old colored girl, an at
tack upon a 17 year-old girl, accord
ing to reports received by the Na
tional Association for the Advance
ment of Colored People. To date no
call for troops has been sent out to
protect tlit white rapist from mob
violence.
The Lexington Leader, a local
white daily, states that the young
white man was accused by two col
ored girls, one 17 and one 11 years
old, of forcing them at the point of
a revolver to accompany him into a
laundry, where he tore off their
clothes and assaulted the younger
girl.
A doctor who examined the
younger girl shortly after the attack,
is reported to have found she bore
traces of having been criminally as
saulted. Both girls identified the
young white man as their attacker,
after he had been found and arrested.
The attack occurred six days prior
to the hanging of the Negro, whom it
had been necessary1 to protect from
a mob with 1,000 state troops.
The National Association for the
Advancement of Colored Ptople has
advised its Lexington branch to bring
all possible pressure upon the state
authorities to enforce the law equally
against the white criminal colored
people having stood for law enforce
ment against the colored murderer,
who was convicted in court and
hanged.
“FUNNIEST BOOK ON' EARTH,”
DONE BY WILLIAM PICKENS
Pickens’ newest book, now in press,
called “American Aesop—Humor of
the Negro, the Irishman, the Jew,
and Others.” It will contain over 220
stories, all told in the inimitable style
of the author. The book is being done
by those exquisite printers, the Jor
dan & Moore Press of Boston.
One of the first stories in the book
is the reproduction of a sermon on
“The lest Judgment” by an eminent
old-style Negro preacher, whose name
is not given, and it is accompanied
by a full page reproduction of the
picture of “The Last Judgment”
which is frescoed on the walls of
the Sistine chapel of the Vatican or
pope’s palace in Rome, Italy, by the
great Michelangelo.
It Is the first stereotyping of the
l>est Negro humor of a quarter cen
tury, and contains an equal number
of stories giving the best humor of
all other races. It will be of Invalu
able service to lecturers and after
dinner speakers, and will cost the
buyer only $2; postage prepaid by the
publisher.
ONE MAN DISPERSES KLAN MOR
Royston, Ga.—(By the Associated
Negro Press)—Fifty members of th<
Ku Klux Klan who surrounded the
home of H. L. Bigby, a lumberman
were dispersed when Bigby came out
on his porch and met the mob with
a volley of shot. One of the klansmen
was killed and several were injured
when a few of them returned th<
fire before fleeing. Bigby was struck
once, but not seriously. They camr
to talk to him about his attentions to
married women in the town.
ROLAND HAYES SINGS
TO HUGE AUDIENCE
AT WICHITA, KAN.
Famous Tenor Fills Wichita Auditor
ium With Charmed
Listeners
Wichita, Kansas—Roland Hayes, in
ternationally famed tenor, conquered
Wichita in his concert here Saturday
night at the high school auditorium.
The artist and his accompanist,
William Lawrence, were given an ova
tion as they appeared on the stage.
The applause lasted for several min
utes, both Mr. Hayes and Mr. Law
rence being forced to bow repeatedly
before beginning the concert.
After the first bar of the Mozart
aria, with which Mr. Hayes opened
his recital, the audience of 1,900 peo
ple sat back in enthusiastic wonder
ment. The small black man on the
platform had cast his spell over them
even as he had charmed the most
critical audiences in the music capi
tals of the world.
Applause brought the tenor back
twice to bow an acknowledgement of
the appreciation of his listeners.
In the second group of German
lieder songs, two by Shubert and one
by Wolf and the one French offering
by Massenet, the artist showed clearly
the reason critics in Berlin have be
come enthusiastic Hayes devotees.
His diction in all the languages is
flawless and his interpretation of the
German and French spirit as well as
the mere music is the wonder of all
audiences.
Prolonged applause forced an en
core to this group—Rachmaninoff’s
“In the Silence of Night,” which ir
turn got a burst of applause.
The next group of songs in English
led off with Rachmaninoff’s “All
Things Fade,” an odd piece. The
graceful and artistic accompaniment
of Mr. Lawrence came into particular
prominence in “Murmuring Zephyrs”
which earned more applause than any
other single number. Burleigh’s
“Scandalize My Name” was an encore
to this group.
In the four spirituals on the pro
gram and the three request numbers
that followed, Mr. Hayes rose to un
precedented heights. He seemed to
fairly to be breathing forth the long
ings and innermost thoughts of his
race. It was here that the fine shad
ing, delicate tone quality and infinite
tenderness and sweetness of the voice
of Hayes held his listeners literally
enthralled. “The Crucifixion,” the fi
nal number, sung without accompani
ment, left the audience unable to ap
plaud. A few scattering handclaps
broke the spell long seconds after the
last note had died, even as the artist
was turning to leave the stage.
More than half the audience was
white. Four white business men pur
chased a block of seats for 300 girl
reserves, all white, who attended in
a body following their banquet in the
cafeteria of the school.
White and colored patrons were
seated indiscriminately in the house.
After the final number the audience
applauded for ten minutes. The Hayes
party left Sunday afternoon for Den
ver where the tenor sang Tuesday
night.
Morning and evening papers were
generous in their treatment of Mr.
Hayes, The Beacon printing his pic
ture and a long story Saturday even
ing prior to the concert and both The
Beacon and The Eagle published en
thusiastic reviews Sunday morning.
Both Henry Allen, publisher of The
Beacon and Victor Murdock, publisher
of The Eagle, were in the audience.
I
BARS “BIRTH OF NATION” FILM
Columbus, O.—Attorney General
Crabbs in a ruling Wednesday, barred
from private showings in Ohio the
old motion picture, “The Birth of a
Nation.”
S. W. Lawrence, an official of the
K. K. K. had requested permission to
show the picture at a private Klan
meeting as a part of the educational
entertainment program of the Klan
in the state.