The Twin City star. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1910-19??, 1916-04-22
READY TO Defend
NATIONS HONOR
Oswald Garrison Wizards Plea
For Co|ored Soldiers.
PRAISED BY GENERAL BURT.

Houss Military Affairs Committee Re-
qusstsd to Provide For Two Artillery
Regiments In Present Plane For En-
Iarslns 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 al
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
cd" Does 1t not seem ridiculous pro-
gram Of preparedness which deliberate
" excludes the. best material we've
got?
That ia no idle boast When the FIJI
ty-fourth Massachusetts stormed Fort
wagner in 1868 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 assertions from the cOlored regi-
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 IN
dreamed of record.
Their service during the Spanish war
and since has shown our colored troops
to be Infinitely better fitted for service
Tn our tropical dependencies than white
troops. Company L Of the Forty-ninth
volunteers, composed wholly Of colored
men and commanded by Captain Il. L.
Baker, a colored veteran, who had
served for seventeen years in the Ninth
and Tenth cavalry, made a 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 a day on account
Of sickness.
More extraordinary still Is the fact
that during the same period not one OF
these men ever went before court
martial, surely a striking illustration
Of what can be done by colored officers
Such traits enabled General A. 8. Burt
In relinQuishing command Of the TWEEN
ty-ffth infantry on April II, 1902, tt
quote the inspector general Of the army
al saying, 1.-THE Twenty-dfth infantry
Is the best regiment have seen In thu
Philippines" 1t was noticeable, too
that neither the officers nor the men o.
any colored regiment figured in TIT
charges and countercharges which
arose out Of the use of tho 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 q
, tablishment of any cOlored regiment.
Now that the question Of recruitin
, the national guard is before congress
, again the National Association Fo
, the Advancement Of Colored Peopl
, urges that the right Of these 10000
3 600 citizens to participate to the full
. every phase Of our national life b
recognized by designating two Of tn
D artillery regiments and two Of infantr
2 Of those about to be created by col
: gress as open to enlistment to colore
= Americans. If hyphenated citizenshi
: is q weakness Of the body polite, VIII
I insist that 100000 men and wome
q must remain Afro-Americans unto th
I fourth and fifth generation2
Y | cvync~DrnE ENp THE STA