I THE MONITOR s
NEBRASKA’S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF COLORED AMERICANS
__ THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor.
jji $2 00 a Year—S Centi a Copy OMAHA, NEBRASKA, FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 1927 Vol. XII—No. 40 Whole Number 610
f MAN LEAtfES HALF-MILUON ESTATE
Los Angeles, Calif.—Timothy Lee
Woods, former Boley, Okla., store
^ merchant and farmer, died at his
home recently from blood poisoning
caused by an infected foot.
Mr. Woods was perhaps one of the
wealthiest Negroes in Southern Cali
fornia. He had recently been of
fered $100,000 cash for the hand
some brick building at Ninth and
Central, which he had paid $60,000
cash for five years before when he
moved to Los Angeles from Boley.
Besides oil holdings and a farm in
Oklahoma, Mr. Wood owned a cotton
ranch worth $40,000 in Calipatria,
California, and numerous real estate
holdings in Los Angeles, leaving his
widow, Mrs. Hattie Woods, and young
children, Helen Louise and Roberta
Lee, an estate valued at more than
$500,000.
Mr. Woods was a member of the
Eleventh Church of Christ, Scientist.
He was born in Raleigh, N. C., 49
years ago, served with the U. S.
Army in the Spanish American war
and is also survived by a father and
brother.
LEM JOHNSON. COLORED
LIGHTWEIGHT OF ENGLAND,
| IS CONSISTENT WINNER
Scores Third Successive Win in an
Impressive Manner. Shows
Remarkable Ability in
Bouts ——
London, England—For the third
time in succession Lem Johnson, the
colored middleweight of Manchester,
outpointed George West of London
in their recent encounter at Cardiff
over a fifteen-round bout. Each of
the two previous contests was a
twenty-round affair fought at Man
chester. The superior skill of John
son was always apparent in the re
cent bout. The manner in which he
frequently scored with a remarkable
accurate left hook was one of the
features.
ST. BENEDICT’S CHURCH
Am a request has been made to the
pastor of St. Benedict's to explain
the attitude of the Catholic church
toward dancing, the Reverend Thom
as Martin will do this next Sunday
evening at 8 o’clock in the church
auditorium at Twenty-fourth and
(jrant streets. The speaker is giving
an exposition in popular style to an
increasing congregation of the doc
trines of the Catholic church as seen
from the inside. Whenever anyone
wishes to know the truth about any
organization, he must go to its au
thorized exponents.
The pastor of St. Benedict’s, the
Reverend Francis Cassilly, has ar
ranged to have an interesting picture
sermon on the life of the “Little
Flower,’’ St. Teresa of Jesus, on Mon
day evening, April the 4th. This
date will be the feast of St. Benedict
ahe Moor, who is the patron of the
church. Teresa was a fascinating
girl who died about twenty-five years
ago, and on account of the many
“roses” dropped to earth since her
death, has been added to the list of
the canonized saints. Persons who
are interested in knowing something
about the saints of the church will
have a good opportunity to learn on
this occasion. There will be no ad
mission charges.
There will be a band concert at
St. Benedict's church, Monday even
ing, April 4th.
DR. BRITT’S SISTER
RANKS HICH IN TEST
Mrs. Anna Pratt ranked second in
final test of educational psychology
at Teachers’ College last week. A
white teacher of the training depart
ment of the college ranked first. In
addition to the completion of the
above course, Mrs. Pratt has finished
several original literary productions.
| —From Kansas City Call.
Mrs. Pratt is a sister of Dr* L. E.
Britt. She has visited in Omaha sev
eral times. Mrs. Pratt has taught fif
teen yqars in the Kansas and Missouri
schools.
f Overstreet's Lake Syncopators at
Dreamland Hall, every Saturday
night. Admission, 35 cents.
MOST VALUABLE
COLLECTION OF
RACE LITERATURE
Schomburg Priceless Collection of
Rare Volumes, Documents and
Manuscripts Placed in
New York Library
New York, N. Y.—The Schomburg
collection of Negro literature and hi
tory has recently been acquired by
the New York Public Library through
a purchase made by the Carnegie
corporation. This collection, one of
the largest and most complete of its
kind, is housed in the 135th Street
Branch Library, which for two
years has served as a reference li
brary for students of the Negro.
4,500 Volumes in Collection
There are 4,000 volumes in the
I collection, many written by Negroes,
and 1,000 pamphlets and manu
! scripts, besides 250 old prints and en
graved portraits, some very rare.
African folklore, art, dialects and
j the history of African and West In
l dian Negroes are extensively covered
in these books. Many of the vol
i umes found in hand-tooled leather
and printed on vellum, are fine ex
amples of the early bookmaker’s art.,
besides contributing source materi
als.
Works in Many Languages
Colonial possessions in Africa,
South America and the West Indies
are dealt with in books of historical,
anthropological and general interest.
The languages of these early books
include Latin, Spanish, French, Ger
man, Dutch, Portuguese and Arabic.
Noted Works Included
The noted Negro scholar and poet,
James E. J. Capitein, who was born
in Africa and educated in Holland, is
represented by an elegy written in
Latin and by a small volume of ser
mons in Dutch that were printed in
Amsterdam in 1742. “A New His
tory of Ethiopia,” or “Des Kingdom
of Abessinia,” is ITftted 1682 and
bears the subtitle, “Vulgarly, though
Erroneously called the Empire of
Prester John.”
Samuel Purchas’s book, “Purchas:
His Pilgrimage, or Relations of the
World and the Religions Observed
in All Ages and Races Discovered
from the Creation unto the Present,
in four parts is in the collection. The
date of publication is 1613.
Illustrated Works Added
An illustrated edition of “Resi
dence in Ashantee,” by Joseph Du
puis, is enlivened with illustrations
of creatures and scenes worthy the
adventures of Marco Polo. This vol-1
ume is dated 1824. The other vol
ume is the Koran in Arabic, while “A
Book on Physical and Medical Cli
mate and Meterology of the West
Coast of Africa, and valuable hints
to Europeans for the preservation of
health in the tropics,” is a detailed
picture of living conditions that the
colonizer and traveler to that coast
might expect.
Tells of Toussaint L’Ouverture
Toussaint L’Ouverture, liberator
of Haiti, is represented in the col
lection by his original proclamation
and address in which he struck for
freedom. “An English History of
Jamaica,” published in London in
1774, and the “History of the Ma
roons at Sierra Leone,” by R. C. Dal
las (1803) contribute to the early
history of the Negro.
Included in manuscript form are
some of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s
poems, sermons by Alexander Crum
mhell and speeches by Frederick
Douglass, abolitionist and editor who
was born in Maryland about 1817.
A fare first edition is that of “The
Poems of Phyllis Wheatley,” who
was one of the first Negro poets in
this country. She was bought when
very young by the Wheatley family
in Boston. Because of her marked
ability, she was sent to England to
be educated. While there she wrote
her poems, which were brought out
in England in 1773.
Give Interesting Accounts
Another early race poet represent
ed is Jupiter Harmon, the slave-poet
of Lloyd’s Neck, L. I. He was born
about 1720. Worn copies of his
poems, which consists of quatrains of
dialogue are among the earliest
American books in the collection.
The prints were gathered from all
EDITORIAL
Tuesday the primaries will be held. Primaries are very
important. Many voters do not appreciate this fact. “Pri
mary” means first, chief. Candidates must first be nominat
ed, before they can be elected. At the primaries the voters
nominate the persons whom they want to stand for election to
office. If, therefore, there are certain men whom we want to
see nominated for City Commissioners, it is our duty to go to
the primaries and vote for them. We ought to help to nomi
nate them. Voting is not only a privilege, but a duty. As a
matter of fact, it is more important, who shall be elected to
administer the affairs of our city, county and state, than who
shall be president of the United States. At the present elec
tion it is confined to City Commissioners, the men who shall
govern this city in which we live and for the maintenance of
which we are taxed. It is of supreme importance to us, as a
distinct group of citizens who are very likely to be discriminat
| ed against, that fair-minded men shall be placed in charge, or
continued in charge, of our city government. It is of prime
j importance, for example, that we shall have a man in charge
of the parks and their recreational privileges, who shall see
to it, that our people, in common with all citizens, enjoy with
out limitation or discrimination those privileges. It is of chief
importance that the Mayor be a man who shall have the DIS
POSITION and the BACKBONE to see to it that all citizens be
given a square deal; that the head of the police department be
humane and insistent upon fair treatment to all classes and
impartial in the enforcement of law. And so with the heads
j of all departments. You see, then, do you not? how vitally in
terested we ought all to be in our city government, and you will
appreciate our contention that it is of much more importance
to us who shall be our city, county and state officials than our
president. If this be true, and it is, then you ought to see the
necessity of your going to the primaries and voting for the men
whom you honestly believe will do the right thing. Your ONE
VOTE—did you ever look at it this way?—may elect the right
man and defeat his opponent. YOUR vote, then, is a vital
thing. Vote at the primaries and vote at the regular municipal
election.
Tuesday fourteen men are to be nominated. Then, in
May, from these fourteen, seven are to be elected to adminis
ter the government of this city. More than forty candidates
tor nomination have filed. Several slates are in the field.
Among the candidates are undoubtedly some who belong to an
organization unfriendly to our people. Some of these we know,
others we do not. The present City Commissioners we know
are not Kluxers. Whatever else may be said for or against
them, this fact, so far as we are concerned, is in their favor.
The Monitor is chiefly concerned now in urging upon our
people the importance of getting out and voting at the pri
maries. If the people will do that we can safely leave it to
their intelligence to vote right. But we do urge that every one
of our people, whoever else they may vote for, should be sure
to vote for Charles J. Solomon, one of our own group. The
jtime has come for our people to be VOTED FOR as well as
voting for the other fellow.
Go to the polling places, then, on Tuesday and nominate
the candidates whom you want to run for City Commissioners.
Be guided by men’s past records. Those who have proven
themselves efficient, friendly and fair in the past, in their re
lationship with our people, be it in business or political life,
can be safely trusted to be fair in the future. Use your brains,
your common sense, your good judgment, and your conscience,
and VOTE AT THE PRIMARIES TUESDAY.
parts of the world and represent the
habits and customs of Negroes in
; Guinea, the Congo, Abyssinia, Ashan
ti and the West Indies.
Pamphlets and manuscript material
about the work of Northern Negroes
in their effort to abolish slavery
j from the early days <jf American col
onization through the Civil War, con
tain much unpublished material.
Other source manuscripts on slavery
and the “underground railway” open
i additional fields of research.
Nucleua of Library
With the Schomburg collection as
its nucleus, the 135th Street Library
expects to build a complete collection
of books about and by Negroes. The
reference library thus far has served
many purposes. College students
working for advanced degrees, auth
ors and editors are among those who
have used its materials. History, so
ciology, anthropology, are subjects
studied, as well as Negro art, poetry
and music.
Arthur A. Schomburg, a Porto
Rican and now a resident of New
York, spent many years in assembling
these books, pamphlets and pictures.
He will serve as advisor to the li
brary regarding the expansion and
service of the Negro collection.
OVERSTREET’S SYNCOPATORS
MAKE A HIT AT ROSELAND
Omaha is justly proud of the sev
eral fine orchestras which have been
developed out of local talent and are
making good in their chosen field.
The latest addition to this aggrega
tion is Overstreet’s Lake Syncopa
tors, who have been appearing at the
Lake Theatre, and also doing much
broadcasting over W. O. W. They
played a special St. Patrick’s Day
dance, March 17th, at Roseland Gar
dens, with Tracy-Brown’a Oklshsa*
ans, and went over so big that they
have not only received many letters
of congratulation and commendation
but also a number of out-of-town
jobs as a result. This red hot jazz
band is under the very capable di
rection of Holly Overstreet. The
public may look for big things from
Overstreet’s Lake Syncopators in the
near future.
St. Philip’s Episcopal Church
The usual sendees will be held at
the Church of St. Philip the Deacon,
Sunday, and are as follows: Holy
communion, 7:30 a. m.; Church
school, 10; eucharist with sermon,
11; evening prayer and sermon at 8.
The Men’s club of St. Philip’s held
an interesting meeting Wednesday
night at the residence of J. F. Smith,
3027 Manderson street, at which time
an address on “Church History” was
given by the host, a spirited discus
sion following.
The Woman’s Auxiliary of St.
Phillip’s church will have a mission
ary tea at the residence of Mrs. John
A. Smith, 2611 North Twenty-second
street, Thursday afternoon, from
three o’clock to six, at which time
Mrs. W. H. Brook, diocesan presi
dent will give an address. Friends
are invited.
CARD OF THANKS
We wish to thank our many friends
for their kindness during the illness
and death of our beloved mother and
sister, and for the beautiful flowers.
Mrs. Irene Jones, Daughter.
Virginia Jones, Sister.
Minnie Brown, Sister.
Lulu Giles, Sister.
George Stepney, Brother.
Freedom Movement Began 70
Years Ago By Scott Case
Seventy years have passed since
the United States Supreme Court
rendered its decision in the Dred
Scott case. The court’s opinion—
a landmark in American constitution
al law—handed down on March 6,
1857, not only denied Dred Scott, a
slave, his freedom, but went on to
declare unconstitutional the Missouri
Compromise and all other legislatiop
forbidding slavery in territory under
Congressional control. It is said that
under the form of government exist
ing a Negro “had no rights the white
man was bound to respect.” This de
cision caused excitement and dismay
• in the North and strengthened the
South.
Sued Slave Holder
Dred Scott was a slave belonging
to a Dr. Emerson, who was attached
to a Missouri army post. Emerson
took Scott to Illinois in 1834 and in
1836 to what is now Minnesota—nin
slave territory. In 1838 he was
again back in Missouri. Afer sever
al years Dred Scott brought suit
against his master’s widow in the
circuit court in Missouri claiming
that his residence in free territory
had made him a free man. A jury
in the state court decided for Scott,
but on appeal to the state supreme
court the higher tribunal ruled in
1852 that although Scott might have
been a freeman in free territory, on
returning to a slave state his slave
status was resumed.
Case Held Back
When Scott was sold to John A.
Sanford of New York, he (Scott)
started a new action before the fed
eral court in St. Louis in 1853,
where, in order to give the court
jurisdiction, Scott was described as
a citizen of Missouri. The federal
circuit court upheld the state court
by holding that in cases of personal
freedom the federal court practice
was to follow the decision of the
highest court in the state.
The case of Scott vs. Sanford came
before the United States supreme
court in 1854. In 1856 the decision
was ready. But it was withheld until
i March 6, 1857, in other words until
after Buchanan's inauguration, to
keep the decision from having any
adverse effect upon the presidential
campaign of the democratic party.
Decimion Meant Much
Five of the nine judges, including
Roger B. Taney, the chief justice,
I Iran southerners. The court was in
b period of constitutional reaction.
Where John Marshall had sharply re
stricted state powers the court was
now hedging. The federal judiciary
had hitherto borne no part in the ter
ritorial controversies which had en
grossed the country for three dec
ades, and this sudden plunge into
the heart of the question was due
to a sort of revolution within the
court itself.
In the Dred Scott case the chief
question for the court to decide was
whether or not Dred Scott was a citi
zen within the meaning of the Con
stitution and whether he had any
rightful standing in the lower courts.
It was simply a matter of jurisdic
tion.
The supreme court decided that
the temporary residence of Scott’s
master in Illinois and in Minnesota
territory in the course of his official
duty and without the intention of
changing his legal domicile could not
affect the status of the slave. Scott
was not a citizen of Missouri in any
constitutional sense and hence could
have no standing in the federal
courts. But the court went further
and in an opinion, written by Justice
Taney, said that despite the fact that
the Constitution spoke of slaves as
"persons held to service and labor,”
men of the African race in view of
their descent from slaves were con
sidered not as persons but as prop
erty by the Constitution.
Result* in Great Move*
As property they were protected
from hostile legislation on the part
of congress by the express guarantee
of the Constitution itself, and con
gress could no more legislate this
form of property out of the territor
ies than it could any other kind, but
must guarantee to every citizen the
right to carry this as he might any
other property where he would.
This decision upheld the Southern
claim and strengthened the South in
its opposition, while it called forth
a storm of denunciation from the
North and the new Republican party.
In its attempt to settle the slavery
issue the supreme court had appar
ently hurried the country forward
toward the infinitely greater settle
ment—by arms, the Emancipation
Proclamation and the Thirteenth
Amendment.
SMASH INTERSCHOLASTIC
RECORD FOR MILE RELAY
Richard Sands, Colored Youth, Is a
Member of Famous Team. Will
Meet Country's Best
Squad
Newark, N. J.—One of the great
est schoolboy relay teams ever run
in the east is composed of three
white youths and one colored youth,
Richard Sands. The colored mem
ber of the team is one of its main
cogs. The team shattred all inter
scholastic records for the one-mile
relay at the Manual Training High
School games recently when they
covered the mile in 3:33 4/6 which
equals the world's indoor record
made by Mercersburg Academy in
1924 with spiked shoes at Madison
Square garden. The Newark four
made their time on a flat armory
floor without the aid of spiked shoes.
The team is coached by Harry Coates
who was a member of the team that
is joint holder of the record.
The Newark Prep school relay
team has been matched for a one
mile relay with the Mercersburg
team at the 103rd Calvary Armory.
That the former team will set a
world’s record is being freely pre
dicted.
The Domestic Science and Bridge
Club met with Mrs. Pauline Bell, Mon
day morning, March 28th. The first
prize was won by Mrs. Theodore
Thomas. The booby was awarded to
Mrs. Jessica Wright. A lovely lunch
eon was served by the hostess. The
next meeting will be held April 10 at
the home of Mrs. Louise Foster.
KEHM MAKING STRONG RACE
Of the forty-three men making the
race for city commissioner, it is prob
able that Karl Kehm has the largest
number of “working” boosters, ex
cepting possibly the present council
men.
Karl is out to get the nomination
and it is a good bet he gets what he
is after.
He is down at Lincoln helping to
put over good laws, some of which
he is the author. Kehm will not quit
legislative activities to come here to
personally conduct his campaign. He
is leaving that to his host of friends
who are working day and night to
put him over.
Mr. Kehm is a well known con
tractor. A nice home and a fine
family are his justifiable pride.
If elected, this student of civics
promises a good, clean, sound busi
ness administration and more law
enforcement.
PART OF YOUR EDUCATION
Disappointments and failures are
part of your education. If you al
ways had whatever you wanted till
you were middle aged, your first dis
appoint would crush you. If you al
ways succeeded in everything you
tried, till the same age, you would
be an intolerable person, tremen
dously impressed by your own im
portance, and without sympathy for
the unfortunate. Do not let your
self feel injured when you meet with
disappointment, or fail in something
you have undertaken, for these
things are essential parts of your
education.
