The Twin City star., 1916-06-24
READY TO DEFEND
NATIONS HONOR
Oswald Garrison Wizards Plea
For COlOred Soldiers.
PRAISED BY GENERAL BURT.

House Military Affairs Committee Re.
qussted to Provide For Two Artillery
Regiments In Present Plans For En-
iarsing Regular Army - Record Of
Ninth and Tenth Cavalry Cited.
Washington.-The following letter re-
Gently sent to the chairman of the house
and senate committees on military at
fairs nd others voices the demand Of
100000 native born, English speak
ing American citizens for the right to
serve their country at this crisis Of its
existence. These citizens risk for the
right to enlist in our army, while the
Tenth cavalry is bearing the brunt in
Mexico.
The letter says: At the suggestion
of Mr.. Oswald Garrison Willard, treas
urer of the National Association For
the Advancement Of Colored People.
this appeal is presented asking for
your support Of the request that two
regiments Of artillery and two OF In
fantry Of those about to be created be
DESIGNATED as open for the enlistment
Of colored soldiers.
The adjutant general has stated that
he doubted If 175,OOO regulars could
be recruited in the United States
There is no difficulty In recruiting col
ored regiments. Yet while officers are
tearing their hair to get white recruits
the sign is up, mo colored man want
ed." Does it not seem ridiculous pro
gram Of preparedness which deliberate
ly excludes the best material we've
got7
That is no idle boast. When the Fiji
ty-fourth Massachusetts stormed Fort
Wagner in 1863 it established for all
time the fact that the colored soldier
could fight and fight well. The history
of the Ninth and Tenth cavalry In the
Indian fights between 1868 and 1890
piled up the evidence Of their courage
and loyalty. There have been notably
fewer desertions from the colored regt
ments than from the white. The Ninth
cavalry once astonished the army by
reporting not a single desertion In
twelve months, an unheard Of and un.
dreamed Of record.
Their service during the Spanish war
and since has shown our colored troops
to be Infinitely better fitted for service
In our tropical dependencies than white
troops. Company L Of the Forty-ninth
volunteers, composed wholly of colored
men and commanded by Captain e. L.
Baker, a colored veteran, who had
served for seventeen years In the Ninth
and Tenth cavalry, made record
which no white company remotely ap-
preached. This company had on its
rolls during a period Of twelve months
100 men who were fit for duty at all
times and never lost day on account
Of sickness.
More extraordinary still Is the fact
that during the same period not one OF
these men ever went before a court
martial, surely a striking Illustration
Of what can be done by colored officers
Such traits enabled General A. 8. Burt
| In rclinquishing command of the Twen'
ty-ffth infantry on April II, 1902, to
quote the inspector general of the army
as saying, "The Twenty fifth infantry
Is the best regiment have seen In the
Philippines" 1t was noticeable, too
that neither the officers nor the men ot
any colored regiment figured in thu
charges and countercharges which
arose out Of the use Of the water cure
in the islands.
Since 1870 there have been four col
ored regiments in our regular estab
lishment, two of cavalry and two O
infantry, but there has never been
colored artillery organization in tn
regular service. When ten regiment
; and several units Of artillery were add
ed In 1901 the colOred citizens Of Amer
: lea were deeply offended that Secre
tary Root failed to recommend the es
tablishment Of any colored regiment
Now that the question Of recruiting
: the national guard is before congress
again the National Association Fo
the Advancement Of Colored Peopl
urges that the right of these 10000
600 citizens to participate to the full 1
every phase of our national life b
, recognized by designating two OF tn
, artillery regiments and two Of infantr
, of those about to be created by COZ
gress as open to enlistment to colore
|, Americans. If hyphenated citizenshi
Is q weakness Of the body polite, VIII
: insist that 100000 men and wome
must remain Afro-Americans unto tn
fourth and fifth generation?