Omaha daily bee., 1908-08-30
INVASION OF ENGLAND
Preiudice Against Them Wanting in
that Country.
LONDON HAS cOL0RED QUARTER
Five Thousand OF the Race Are
Already There and Mor- Are
on the Way over to the
IaIandn.

LONDON. Aug. A-SpeciaLD-Engiand Is
being invaded by American negroes. VINO
have suddenly realized that they suffer IN
this country from none OF the disabilities
attaching to their race and color in the
United States. thousands df them have
come here IN the last year or two and
thousands more are coming. The invasion
began in force about a year ago. The first
negroes to come were variety artists and
athletes. who found that they were well
treated here. They stayed and wrote 70
their friends across the water to follow on.
A few came last year. but the rush has be-
gun this year and within the last few
months there arc almost as many black
faces to be seen on tine Strand and in Els
cadiily as on Broadway.
II is hard 20 obtain any estimate OF the
actual numbers Of American negroes now
in England. An official OF the American
embassy declares that last winter The EN-
bassy had hundreds OF applications from
colored citizens OF the United States. who
we're stranded in England. to be sent home
The embassy. OF course, has no funds for
this purpose. but the officials did what
they could to help, and many colored
brethren who came over to capture the
variety stage in England worked their
way home in the stokeholds Of tramp
steamers sailing TO Baltimore or New Or
leans.
More Negroes
This year. the same Official declared
there are at least 5000 American negroes
in England and 4,OB0 OF them arrived this
year. A trip to some OF the leading water
ing places on the English coast will lead
one 70 think that the estimate is much
smaller than the actual number. The
"buHker'' Ii an institution at Margata.
Ramsgate, Southend and other watering
places where the Londoners OF the middle
and working classes run down for the
weekend or for a few days holiday. The
"busker' is usually a broken-down actor
or music hall man who makes his living
singing and dancing on the sands. depend
ing on the generosity OF the holiday max
ers for his reward The native 'busker"
has been almost driven off the sands by
the American negro.
The "~bIack-faee' comedian act has long
been a favorite one with the 'busksr. but
the 'c~uedians' were white men made
black BY a liberal application OF burnt con K.
Ehis year the black men ars the real thing
and the entertainment which they offer
has changed. Instead OF the sentimental
ditties OF the L0ndon music halls the
"~buskers' are rendering the coon songs
OF New York and Chicago and the niger
melodies Of the plantation days. The SEN
umentaI semf-miiiLary songs 20 pupu-ar in
America about the time Of the Spanish
American war are also great favorites at
present on the Margate sands.
On 5ruSte Hail 'stare.
The negro comedian has also made his
way into some OF the lower class muslin
halls in London and the provincial towns.
He has not succeedsd in gaining much Of
a footfold in the better London halls. for
the reason that he has little to recommend
him except his color and a certain sweet
ness Of vUice. and the London audiences
are critical.
We are continually receiving applica-
lions for work from negroes who can do
nothing but sing a few very ordinary
songs and dance a slovenly kind Of shut
fle. said Joseph Wilson. MANAGER OF the
Tfvoli, one OF London's leading music
halls. OF course, We cannot employ them
ana / don't know what will become OF
Them when the summer season IS over. At
present they make a good living 'buskinE
Tor the seaside audiences are generous and
not critical I don't know that any OF
them have succeeded in breaking into any
OF the regular London halls VET
I talked with one OF these coIored Dusk
ers' al Southend the other day. He told
! me that his name was johnson aud that
ne came from Baltimore where he had
been "chucker OUT at a dive. He varied
MS duties there by 'ubiiging' once or
twice a night with a song.
II earned SO a week IN Baltimore ne
said, and 1 had TO work hard for il and
sometimes to fight for #. Here 1 can earn
go or sometimes SO a week and all I have
70 do is sing for 1t and L am treated like
a white man. In Baltimore I was only a
Niger and Fad no chance OF forgetting
/ it,
No Prejudice Against Him.
This Afro-American struck the keynote
OF the whole situation. There is no pre-
JUDGE among the lower class honne-staying
English men and women against the negro.
The colonial Englishman regards him much
as the American does. but 20 the Cockuey
or his prototype OF the provincial cities
svery man whose skin is not white is a
native. He draws no distinction be-
tween the negro and the high-class Hindoo
and receives them both on terms OF per
feet equality. He will eat with the negro.
drink with him. and the women will 20
even further; they will marry him. 1 am
told than many OF the negro invaders have
taken 70 themselves English wives since
~i0h arrival anu IL y no uncommon rnlng
to see one OF the negro 4buskers' az a
seaside resort s~troiling arm in arm with
4 white woman after his work Is done.
The holiday crowd looks on unmoved. see
ing nothing strange or repulsive in this as
ISOLATION.
A negro quarter. although not very we'll
defined. Is already springing up in london.
II lies In Soho among the tangie OF mar
row street. inhaAdted by men of every
nationality under the sun. except English.
and there are one or two restaurants
whore fried chicken, sweet corn ara other
delicacies dear % the negroes heart can be
obtained AnnTra~ cantor fu Il, rr. --