The Colorado statesman. [volume], March 24, 1917, Image 1

About The Colorado statesman. [volume] (Denver, Colo.) 1895-1961

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THE COLORADO STATESMAN
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VOL. XXIII.
RACE NEWS
GATHERED FROM VARIOUS SOURCES
The Evening Journal of Marclf
3, Richmond, Va. says:—Fines of
SIOO each were imposed by Police
Justice Crutchfield today on five
alleged violators of the segrega
tion ordinance. Appeals were
noted. Those fined were L. El
ierson, 120 West Federal street;
S. Green, 1201 St. Paul street;
John Flack, 826 St. James street:
J. Funnai, 825 St. James street;
M. Maxlevin, 1038 St. Peter St.
Although warned to move be
cause they were residing in
blocks in which there are more
colored residents' than white,
they said that they were living
at their places of business and
that it was not practicable to
move at this time. Similar cases
against J. Bass and L. Kukoff
went over till March 30. All
were reported by Patrolman J.
H. Thomas.
New Rochelle, N. Y.—Ernest
Brown the colored boy who won
the Columbia University speak
ing contest for Westchester
County at Winyah School recent
ly, has won the State contest,
under the same auspices, in Earl
Hall, Columbia University. Be
cause of his victory the New Ro
chelle high school for the second
time leads the State in public
speaking of school boys. The
first prize is SSO cash or a schol
ship in Columbia College. Brown
has not decided which he will
take. A large number of colored
people from New Rochelle and
several high .school students were
present and demonstrated their
pleasure when the winner was
announced. The young man’s
subject was “The European Bur
den, ” the same that he had in
the county contest. The second
prize of $35 was won by Thomas
F. Carr, Buffalo, who on
“Resolved. That the Philippines
Should be Given Their Indepen
dence Within Four Years. ’ ’ The
third prize, sls, went to Edward
F. Steele, Kingston, who spoke
on “Back the Administration.”
Des Moines, lowa, March 3.
The leading daily newspaper of
this place, in a well-considered
editorial expression with refer
ence to the scant attention the
colored folks receives in times of
peace and the solicitude vouch
safed in them in time of war,
says; “A demand is now before
Congress for a great national
school for colored men, made
strange as it may appear, by'a
Congressman from Tennessee.
It is to be a school for military
training. The Southern leaders
who during fifty years of peace
have permitted that race to se
cure his own training for civil
life, have suddenly become thor
oughly aroused to the need of
government instruction in the
art of war. Of course, if we are
to prepare soldiers much may be
said for the proposed school.
The colored man has stood up be
sides the best soldiers in the
world, and he is more willing to
flight for the flag than many to
whom the flag has meant more in
privilege. But it is not worth
thinking about that we should be
so suddenly solicitous for his
training in times of war and so
little solicitous for his training
in times of peace? Suppose
the Congressman from Tennessee
had proposed a great national
training school for him fifty
years ago to fit him better for
the commorr duties of American
life?
COLORED MEN TO BE
USED ON NEW WORK
Colored men from the south
are going to play an important
part in Union Pacific railroad
construction through Wyoming
the coming summer. In the past
only white labor has been em
ployed on track and construction
work. Recently it has been im
possible to secure white men to
do the work. Americans don’t
want to do this kind of work and
there are not. enough Japanese
and Chinese available. Greeks
and Italians who have been de
pended upon during the last two
or three years have returned to
Europe and joined the armies of
the allies and it has been found
necessary to import the Colored
men.
The Wyoming work on the Un
ion Pacific this season will con
sist of widening the Sherman hill
tunnel a distance of 1,700 yards
in order to make room for the
second track on the main line.
It addition to this there will be
the driving of the tunnel through
a low mountain range west of
Laramie.
The new work along the Union
Pacific is to be done by the Utah
Construction company, recently
given the contract, and work will
start with the coming of spring.
Already the construction com
pany has recured the services of
3,000 Georgia and Alabama Col
ored men, and they will begin to
arrive within the next sixty days.
Later in the season it is expected
that as many more will be
brought in from the south. The
men will live in camps along the
line.
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DENVERT COLORADO. SATURDAY, MARCH 24 1917
Patriotism and the Colored American
HERE ARE EVENTS in the history of every nation
that arouse deep and overwpqhning waves of patriot
ism to sweep the length and breadth of the land
T
wherein that nation dwells. Love of country seems to be
implanted in the breast of every human being, be he sav
age or civilized.
The country may not be fair to look upon, there may be
just enough fertility to eke out an existence, justice within
its borders may be but a mockery, the poor citizen may be
but a burden-bearer.
Ilis dwelling place may be a hut or an humble cot, but
deep down in his heart of hearts dwells the love of home,
sweet home.
Treasured in his memory are fond recollections'of loved
ones who struggled beneath the burden, yet nurtured and
provided for him in childhood’s happy days.
Hanging alongside of this picture on memory’s wall
are the scenes of joys and hopes of early manhood. Joys
partaken of with the keen zest of youth, hopes oft-times
shattered, but the sweet perfume iof anticipation still lingers
to assauge the pain of failure.
Wc have all lived again in the dim-lighted corridors
of the past, calling up one by one its memories. Some
there be that are sweet indeed, some indeed are bitter, but
in the balancing of the scale our hearts beat faster and
after all there are few lives wherein the bad outweighs the
- good and we long for a return to the golden days of long
ago.
So involuntarily but firmly as the enduring hills is
built up in our hearts the love of country. When our na
tive laud is threatened, our homes menaced, our rights de
nied by outside powers, we are aroused by a deep feeling of
resentment and we demand an opportunity to defend our
country, our homes and our rights.
The colored American is" very much human and the
same sentiment that sways the white American sways him.
Much has been said about the stand the colored American
will take in a new struggle that might arise out of the pres
ent crisis facing the United States.
In the past wars of this land, none excluded, he has
shouldered a gun, bared his breast and been found in the
forefront fighting for his country and his flag. In no war
since his forefathers were landed ou these shores has he
been found wanting, and tf the summons comes again he
will once more be found midst shot and shell dying by the
side of his white brother for the land he loves so well.
We know he has not had justice, we know lie has been
the burden-beurofj we know his has been the hut and huuiw
ble cot, but still it is his native land.
Deep down in his heart the lamp of hope still burns
brightly, bidding hinmto do his best, still believing that in
the final summing up when the nation shall award, the
laural wreaths, justice shall strike the scales of prejudice
from its eyes and he shall come into his own.
He knows no other land, the flag that waves above his
head he justly claims his oyvn.
Ilis forefathers and his brothers by their blood shed
upon fields of battle, kept the old flag from trailing in tl\,e
dust and established the right to claim it for themselves and
their posterity. »
Sleeping beneath old ocean's waves, the sturdy oaks
of New England, the weeping-willows of tjie Southland, and
the cacti of the deserts of Mexico are silent, yet eloquent
witnesses of his valor of other days, and they bid him still
be true..
This is his country, for his forefathers watered the soil
of the Southland with the sweat of their brows, and though
oft it was mingled with tears and blood, in the 244 years
of their unrequited toil, yet he loved the land, for it was
the only home he knew.
lie built the foundation upon which has been erected
this great commercial nation and though he has been
wronged, he still loves the land that gave him birth and no
other to him is so fair to look upoq.
He will defend it in spite of Ids severe criticism of its
injustice and unmerciful treatment. It is true the younger ~
element is not as responsive as were his forefathers, but the
colored man has never been a traitor and in the test will be
found true as steel, as in the days of yore. —Philadelphia
Tribune.
MILITARY TRAINING CAMP.
FOR COLORED OFFICERS.
Dr. J. E. Spingarn Explains His Rea
sons in a Nutshell.
1. No one could make a greater
mistake than to think that the army
wants colored men to Join this camp.
The army officials want the camp to
fail. They refuse to set a time or
place until two hundred men apply
because they know that this makes it
harder to recruit men for the camp.
They merely want to be able to say
that they have given the colored peo
ple a fair chance and the colored peo
ple refused to take advantage of the
opportunity. The last thing the army
wants Is to help colored men to be
come commisioned officers.
2. This project is intended to FIGHT
segregation in the army and not to
help it. If there were enough men fit
to be officers it would not be neces
sary; we could fight for a wide-open
army with that material. But there
are not enough men. The New York
Negro regiment could not find enough
men to fill the commission. When war
comes we do not wish to be in the
same position. We want to be able to
say: Here are colored men fit to be
officers, and you have got to commis
sion them.
3. Those who think that a large
number of officers could be obtained
from the regular colored regiments
simply show their ignorance of the
army and of the enormous amount or
“paper work” an officer has to do. A
good soldier is a man who has military
training; a good officer is a man who
has military training, ability to lead,
and a GOOD EDUCATION. Few men
who have not had at least a high
school education can ever hope to pass
tho written examination that is nec
essary to become an officer.
4. Some of my friends say that a
few scattered colored men in a white
camp would be neglected and passed
over, while colored men in a camp by
themselves would all get a fair chance.
I do not go quite as far as that. I
regard the camp as a temporary ex
pedient forced on us by circumstance,
lasting cniy four weeks, but possibly
able to alter the fate of the colored
race m a great war. It is a sudden
opportunity in a great crisis. Colored
men. must get officers’ training as
soon as possible, and there is no other
way with the whole army against
them.
5. The South does not want colored
men to get any kind of military train
ing; nothing frightens it more than
the thought of black millions discip
lined, organized and dangerously ef
fective. That is why Vardanian is so
bitterly opposed to universal military
training. That is why the General
Staff of the Army has decided to ex
clude colored men from th» training,
and has reduced its original estimate
of 900,000 to 500,000 men. That is
why the colored man who refuses to
take advantage of this hard-won op
portunity to get officers’ training is
biting off his nose to spite his face.
6. If there is a real war, there tfill
be conscription of all able-bodied men.
All pretty talk about volunteering or
not volunteering will have to cease;
all men will have to go. The choice
will no longer be between volunteer
ing and not volunteering, but be
tween CONSCRIPTION and REBEL
LION.
If conscription comes, will the lead
ers of the Colored Race help their
Southern enemies by preaching trea
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cou/rni'/
NO 31.
son and rebellion? Or will they face
facts now' and prepare themselves to
go as leaders and officers instead of
followers and privates?
Seventy-two men have already ap
plied. J. E. SPINGARN.
March 9, 1917.
INVENTS NEW DEVICE
FOR PLAYER PIANOS
(Chicago Defender.)
Chas. V. Richey, 129 Ashland street,
Brooklyn, N. Y., is in the city demon
strating his new' inventions to buyers
of electric player pianos at the Mar
quette Piano Company, Sixteenth and
Canal streets. Mr. Richey has a de
vice whereby from any part of a store,
cafe or amusement place one can drop
a nickel ih a box and play any one of
the number of pieces in the piano he
chooses.
Heretofore one had to be satisfied
with whatever piece that was played,
as there was no way to select any par
ticular one. Not only does the device
let.you select the piece that you want
played, but should you make a mis
take in the selection, you can stop
that piece by depositing another nick
el, turning the dial to the number you
wished and the piece already on will
stop and the roll you wish be played.
At the finish of this piece the follow
ing piece in rotation will play, thus
saving you the loss of your first nick
el, and playing only tw’o pieces.
Mr. Richey came to Chicago after
some correspondence with the Mar
quette people, and last week when he
walked into their office the heads
seemed quite surprised and carried off
their feet because he was not a w’hite
much dickering they con
sented to try him, thinking he could
not make good. He w r as taken up to
the fourth floor in a dirty corner,
where all around him lay parts of a
piano. They insisted that he put them
together, with his device, so they
could see whether it would work or
not. Although this was not what he
was • brought here for, he consented,
and when they saw his work they
signed a contract to manufacture it
with factory rights. He was then
moved to the second floor, where he
superintended the worlt of fifty white
piano makers. Now he is on the first
floor demonstrating to buyers. All
this in ten days’ time. He had what ,
they wanted. In his brain was some
thing none of the white people had
been able to invent. The color line
faded. A Defender reporter called to
see him. Anything he wishes is at his
command. Employes treat him with
the same courtesy they do the head of
the firm.
Mr. Richey is a self-made man, hav
ing only a grammar school education.
He became interested in electricity
and was with the U. S. government
perfecting w ireless telegraphy at Cape
Hatteras, N. C. He has also been em
ployed by the Bell Telephone Co. in
New York city developing and experi
menting with devices. He was an era
ploy£ of the Viking Electric Co. Mr.
Richey is stopping at 3457 Prairie ave
nue.
Toledo. Ohio, March—l 6.
James Miller, - who after 23 years
service in the fire departmi t re
tired on a pension of S6O, was
given a banquet by his white
comrades at No. 11 engine house,
February 28. He was given to
bacco, a meerschaum pipe and
several boxes of cigars. He was
considered one of the best drivers *
in the department.