Newspaper front page highlights return of 369th in February 1919 after end of World War I

NEW YORK CLUB WOMEN DISCUSS COLOR QUESTION THE bona-fide AGE has list of the paid largest up The New Bock Age EXTRA FACTS subscribers of any Negro newspaper in the U.S. A. THE NEWS AS IT IS VOL. XXXII. NO. 21. The National Negro Weekly. NEW YORK, N. Y., SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1919. Best Edited--Best Known. PRICE FIVE CENTS Pay Tribute to the Memory of Theodore Roosevelt OLD FIFTEENTH BACK IN THE UNITED STATES Impressive Services Held at St. Mark's M. E. Church. Endorse Plan for Permanent Memorial. The world paid tribute to the memory of Theodore Roosevelt Sunday, and colored took in Americans imby thousands part pressive services held in various sections of the United States. St. Mark's M. E. Church in West Fifty-third street, was the scene of the largest gathering of local Negroes when, last Sunday afternoon, Roosevelt was proclaimed in affectionate words of esteem by colored men and women who intimately knew him. Dr. A. Clayton Powell presided. Interesting addresses were made by Hon. Charles W. Anderson, Hon. Emmett J. Scott and Miss Eva D. Bowles. Appropriate musical selections, were rendered by the St. Mark's Olivet choirs, the Martin-Smith Music School, Miss Gertrude Martin, violinist, and , Mme. Daisy Tapley, soloist. Invocation was offered by the Rev. W. S. Holder and benediction pronounced by the Rev. J. Wesley Johnson. Letters were read from prominent Americans, including Mrs. Roosevelt and members of the family who were unable to be present. Resolutions by a committee of well known citizens, in eulogy of the life, character and works of Colonel Roosevelt, expressing, genuine sorrow over his death, endorsing the movement to establish a permanent Roosevelt memorial, were read. on the Rev. W. P. Hayes. The resolutions follow: "Ralph Waldo Emerson says: *A great man condemns the world to the task of explaining him.' The average man comes and goes without the world taking any special notice of him. He is unknown outside the narrow circle of his Immediate surroundings, and his passing occasions no stir in the world about him. great, nation today mourns the death of a great man. Not since the days of Lincoln has there appeared on our national horizon a more commanding figure than that of the late Colonel Theodore Reosevelt, statesman, soldier, author and prophet. His genius for leadership was no less marked than were his extraordinary powers of vision. No man since Lincoln has more richly interpreted America to Americans, and to the world than Colonel Roosevelt. Liberty and justice were the fundamentals of his political creed, and loyalty to the spirit of our institutions was to him the aoid test our citizenship should be tried. Vigorous and .aggressive himself, he believed firmly in and always preached this kind of Americanism. His outspoken advocacy of the square. deal, his unflinching opposition forms of injustice and oppression, his, contempt for a weak, vacillating polley when vital national issues were, at stake, his utter disregard of per-| sonal fortunes when daty once pointed out Its path, and withal, his tender and sympathetic attitude toward wo-1 manhood, were conspicuous attributes of his character, and should become the guiding principles of the nation he loved and served, and for which he would have given his life. "The a lite so richly or true was that of the late Colonel Theodore? Roosevelt, cannot rightfully be appropriated by any particular group of our citizenship, but rather belongs to the entire nation, irrespective of race, or creed. 1 the manifold | party; (Continued pa Page Seven) SPECIAL OLD 15TH INFANTRY TO PARADE MONDAY MORNING| On going to press The Age received a telephone message from Col. Bartlett| that the 369th Regiment, (old 15th,) Col. William Hayward commanding, will parade before demobilization. Next Monday will positively be the day of the parade. MEMBERS OF OLD 15TH ARRIVING IN NEW YORK FROM FRANCE 60,000 Stevedores in the Army 'Over There;' Helped Win War By LESTER In our enthusiasm over the ex-| ploits and achievements of our combatant forces many of us have unintentionally overlooked the accomplishments and excellent record of our non-combatants. The activities of the stevedore, for instance, have been more of the dull routine and void of the spectacular, yet the valuable services rendered by these boys of the "S. O. S." (Service of Supply) ae not to be underestimated by the general public. While in Tours, France, headquarters of the Service of Supply of the American Expeditionary Forces, 'THE representative was told by a least high 60,000 Army official that there were at colored soldiers in this branch the service stationed in various parts of the Fronch Republic. They are sometimes known as engineers and other times as stevedores. Shortly before leaving France I heard them officially, referred to as "service of supply men.' But no matter what they are called they were an important cog in the military machinety which did so much toward help winning. the war.. There are thousands of white steve-1 dores, usually known as engineers, and they, too, have performed their due work satisfactorily; but it has been endurance largely to the brain, brawn and of the colored stevedores that the United States has acquired a reputation among | the Powers for efficiency and celerity in handling large cargoes of material at base ports. The French continue to marvel at the speed in /which colored stevedores handle freight. The first stevedores to go to France early in June, 1917, were, experienced civilians recruited from New Orleans and other sea-port towns in the Southland. They finished their contract in June, 1918, and returned to America. By this time, due to enlistment by volunteers and draftees, the stevedore camps at base ports had become one great industrial army. Stevedore regiments were under and were officered wore military regulations, same uniforms by commissioned and non-commissioned. like the infantry. Chief Base Ports. Brest, St. Nazaire and Marseilles are the chief base Bordeaux, ports where thousands of found. stevedores Hundreds and engineers colored completed soldiers whose be seen work in the has vicin- not ity of Toul, Verdun, may Epernay, St. Mihiel, Fismes and the Argonne. Many millions of dollars worth of supplies Greater New York Gives Colored Heroes Hearty Welcome Upon Return Very much disfigured but formerly the old 15th New York, this week, and the citizens of heroes an exuberant and sincere There was plenty of noise last°¡ Sunday when thirty officers and 952 men, comprising the 3rd Battalion, Companies I, K, L and M, the Machine Gun Company and a medical detachment arrived in port on the La France, but hilarity reached its height on Wednesday when Colonel Williams Hayward and the other units of the crack regiment came to town on the Stockholm. One battalion came on the Regina. Above the din of whistle-blowing, ringing of bells and cheering, the band of the old 15th lent additional martial ardor to the home-coming by playing patriotic airs. "Is ev-rybody happy?" yelled out one enthusiastic member of the Citizens' Welcome Committee, and a mighty answer in the affirmative was given by the boys on the Stockholm. Colonel Hayward, who has come back to New York happy in the thought that and his "Hell Fighters" have made glorious record in the world war, was all smiles and it seemes as though he was trying to look more jubillant than his men. The breast of many members of the regiment were adorned with French dec-1 orations, and it was noticeable that some were speaking French when conversing among themselves. For over a year the New Yorkers were associated with French soldiers and there are men in the regiment who are said to speak French fluently. the left sleeve of each fighter is white, rattlesnake, coiled to strike, or a field of black. The slogan goes with the insignia is: "Don't tread on me." 200 of Original Members Killed. Of the original two thousand members of the old 15th, two hundred were killed and more than 1,300 have been brought back safe and sound. Both Wednesday and last Sunday| thousands of , colored civilians were greatly disappointed over not seeing the returning soldiers parade. In each instance the home-comers did not leave the dock and - were taken by transfer boat to Long Island where they boarded trains for Camp Upton. When the Stockholm docked Wednesday two of the first to greet Colonel Hayward were Major Lorillard Spencer, who formerly cammanded the Third Battalion, and .Major David .A. L'Esperance who succeeded Major Spencer 371sT, 372ND AND 368TH BACK HOME Tuesday the Leviathan docked at Hoboken, bringing 9,295 men, which included the 371st Infantry, complete, 104 officers and 2,660 men, and the 372d. Infantry, complete, 77 officers and 2,605 enlisted men ; Headquarters Detachment, Medical Detachment and Companies H, I, K, L and M of the 368th Infantry, 35 officers and 1,339 enlisted men. The 371st and 372nd Infantries were brigaded with the French, and the 368th Infantry, made up of drafted men formerly stationed at Camp Meade, Md.; belong 92nd Division. All regiments saw active service. still in the ring, the 369th Infantry, returned to the home of its nativity Greater New York gave the colored welcome. COL. WM. HAYWARD Record of the Old 15th The first colored American troops in action. Had finst taste of war April 8, 1918, at Main de Massiges, Champagne. During •April, 1918, held 20 per cent of ground held by the American -Army. A member of the regiment was the first American doughboy to be awarded the Croix de Guerre. The regiment as a whole won the Croix de Guerre in Septem• ber and October, 1918. One hundred and seventy-one officers and men wene awarded individual citations by the French, The finst unit of the Allied Army to reach the Rhine, leav• ing the trenches at Thann 'No• vember 17 and geing to BJodelsheim on the left bank of the •Rhine November 18. Has record of 191 days in front-line trenches and in battle -the best made by any American unit. Never lost a prisoner, a trench or a foot of ground. OLD EIGHTH ILLINOIS NOW AT CAMP UPTON The 370th Infantry, formerly the old 8th Illinois, returned to the United States Sunday on the steamer La France-123 officers and 2,843 men, under command of Colonel Roberts. Along with the first contingent of the old 15th to arrive in •the port of New York, the Illinois fighters were sent to Camp Upton, L, I., where they are now stationed. The colored Idiers are in the same area at Camp Upton as was formerly occupied by the 367th Infantry, which was trained at this camp. DRASTIC CHANGES AT• HOWARD UNIVERSITY (Special to THE New YORK (AGR) WASHINGTON, D. -The mid-year meeting of the board of trustees of Howard University last Friday evening threw consternation into the ranks of the old "regime" on the Hill. It was the first meeting of the board under the presidency of the newly elected president, Dr. J. Stanley Durkee. He laid before the trustees a comprehensive plan of changes in both the personnel and the operations of the institution (Continued on Seventh Page) LYNCHING DENOUNCED BY CITY FEDERATION For the first time in its history the color question was taken up by tion the New York Clubs City Federa-| of Women's at nual convention at the Hotel Astor last Friday. A resolution containing three clauses of vital interest to the colored people of the United States was adopted. The first denounced. lynching, especially as practiced against Negroes; the second recognized the work done by colored women during the war and the third clause | recommended that colored women have equal opportunities with white women as citizens of the United States. Mrs. A. Mitchell Palmer, wife of the Alien Enemy Custodian and president of the Club of America, sponsored the resolution and so skilfully did she manage her campaign that it was adopted almost unanimously, although there are hundreds of Southern women in the federation, composed of 330 clubs. Between 1,500 and 2,000 delegates were present. Mrs. Palmer made a stirring speech in ¡which she graphically described the outrages and humiliations the colored citizens nf the United' States constantly are compelled to suffer in spite of the splendid record they have made. She warned the representatives of the various clubs that their organizations would have to join in the fight to secure justice for the Negro if they intended to do their full duty as American citizens. Mrs. A. Mitchell Palmer Makes Stirring Speech. Mrs. Palmer had a splendid National array of facts furnished by the Association for the Advancement of Colored People, through the courtesy of James Weldon Johnson, and the statements which she made and was able to prove, undoubtedly caused a sensation. The Mary Turner lynching was given respecial emphasis. Supporting Mrs. Palmer, conspicuously, was Mrs. Marie Gross Newhaus, president of the League for Justice, Equality, that and not Peace. Mrs. must Newhaus America de- be proud of the Negro, but the Negro must feel that he can be proud of America. | She pointed out the German inconsistency atrocities of Bel- protesting against in gium when crimes equally as abhorrent were common occurrences in the United States. The resolution which was presented to the City Federation of Women's clubs was the result a movement inaugurated at a meeting held at the home of Mrs. Maude G. Halle, 576 Greene ave(Continued on Second Page) as batailion commander when the latter was severely wounded. Major perance came to America on France. Colonel Hayward was the most lar regimental commander among the American armies tin France, according to Major As there in great livelihood the entire regimest being out inside of the paxt two weeks, influential citizens have asked the War Department to grant the colored heroes permission to parade, in Manhattan within the next ten days. It is thought that the request will granted. A. WALTON. of all kinds are being salvaged by these Americans who do sentry duty and are under just as rigid discipline as before the signing of the armistice. The war dis over. Many of our sherdes are returning to American shores; but the colored soldiers of the "S. doubtful O. if S." they are still job. It is return to the United States in large numbers within the next six months. The United States has thousands of soldiers in the Army of Occupation. They must be fed and furnished with supplies. The duty of getting these supplies into Germany is largely incumbent on the stevedore. The recent decision of the Y. M. C. A. to send fifteen additional colored canteen workers to France, thanks to recommendations made by Dr. R. R. Moton, strengthens the assumption that the stay of those in the "S. O. S." is indefinite, The Rev. D. L. Ferguson, pastor of the Church of Our Merciful Saviour, Louisville, Ky., who, for more than a was stationed at St. Nazaire as a year, C. A. worker and became a big | favorite with the stevedores, says that during the war the stevedores took great pride in their companies, their camps, and all that belonged to the army; that because their work and contribution were always emphasized by officers as being …essential to the boys, in the trenches, the became one of dignity as representing part of a great American Army. How splendidly the stevedores measured up to military standards 'of efficiency and the great affection with which their officers regarded them and their' work, the Rev. Dr. Ferguson makes apparent by quoting Col. C. E. Goodwyn, who for over a year was in charge of the largest camp of colored the stevedores In a letter to Rev. Dr. Ferguson, Colonel Goodwyn said: / "It is with many keen thrusts of sor-, row that I am obliged to leave this camp and the •men who have made up this organization. The men for whose uplift but you have truly earned a large place in are working have not only gained heart, and I will always cherish a loving memory of the which men of this won- had derful organization I have the honor and privilege to command." Out of the war have been born jokes' innumerable, but in eight out of ten! cases they 'are on the colored soldierusually stevedore. In the trenches many stories were told at his expense with the result that humor and cheerfulness supplanted gloom and depression. Before the signing of the armistice one was always readily impressed with the unfailing high spirits of the colored stevedore as he merrily sang, whistled and joked while handling heavy (Continued on Bighth Page) Did Great 'Fighting. After being two months in a training camp near St. Nazaire the 369th Regiment joined the 161st Division of the French Army, under General Gouraud, and went into action on April 8, 1918, at Main de Massiges, Champagne, and had 191 days' continuous fighting. The heaviest fighting was on Sept. 26, when the regiment went into action with 20 officers and 700 men in the battalion in the morning, and at the close it had 7 officers and 150 men left. The boys advanced steadily like seasoned veterans and never lost a foot of ground they had taken or let a prisoner escape. The Germans became so frightened at the appearance of the Negro troops toward the finish that as soon as they saw them coming at them with the cold steel they would throw up their hands and yell "Kamerad." After the fighting on Sept. 26 the regiment went back for five days' rest was then transferred to the Vosges front with the French Army, where it remained until the armistice was signed. These trrops took part in two of the biggest operations of the war, and it was chiefly their efforts that stopped the Germans in July when they fround that they, could not make any headway against the Americans. In seven days' fighting in the Vosges the old 15th took 4 77-millimeter guns, 250 machine guns, and 400 prisoners. The soldiers fell into the French methods of attacking the enemy as if they had been moulded for it. The French Generals and officers were enthusiastic in their praise, of the Negroes in action, and at rest, camps with their singing and other forms of entertainment they were the riot of the countryside. The 369th Regiment were the first American troops to reach the Rhine a at Blodelsheim on November 18, after a hurried march from Thane in Alsace. - "In next week's issue of The Age, Fred R. Moore will tell of what leading white people of South Carolina think on the race problem. Mr. Moore has just returned from a three week's tour of South Carolina and talked personally with ex-Gov. Cole Blease and other well known people.

The New York Age

Newspaper front page highlights return of 369th in February 1919 after end of World War I

Newspaper front page highlights return of 369th in February 1919 after end of World War I

The New York Age