The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1917-12-07
.SEC'Y. BAKERS
STATEMENT
ATTITUDE MADE PLAIN-S0L-
DIERs RECEIVE GOOD TREAT
MENT-COUNTRY's HONOR AT
STAKE-RELATIONS WORKED
OUT.
Special to the Glabe.

Special to the Glabe.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Dec. Some
thousand, six hundred
(S3,600) Negroes have been drafted
for service in the National Army to
he sent overseas.
Secretary of War Newton d.
Baker, in working out his plans for
the training of these men, has met
with many difficulties. First of all,
he has had to contend with those
friends of the Negro who have felt
that it was Secretary Bakers special
duty at this time to attempt to solve
or settle the so-called Race Question
in America. Second, Negro leaders
from all parts of the country have
importuned the War Department in
various and sundrv directions, while
the peculiar southern situation,
where the masses of the Negroes live,
has had to be taken into account.
Because of these difficulties, the
Secretary of War called to his aid, on
October list, 1917, a Special Assist
ant in the War Department, repre-
sentative of the Negro race, Emmett
j. Scott, who for eighteen years, was
Secretary to the late Booker T. Wash
ington, and also Secretary of the
Tuskegee Normal and Industrial In
stitute, in Alabama. Mr.. Scott has
wide acquaintance among men,
bers of his own race, and with lead
ing members of the white race in the
South, as we'll as with leaders of
thought and public opinion in the
North. He has sought to relieve the
Secretary Of War, as much as posi-
BILE, of the burdensome details grow
ing out of controversies, involving
racial relationships, caused or oc-
casioned by the presence of white
and colored draftees together in
many of the cantonments.
Lately, there has been certain
amount of misgiving and unrest
among the colored people of the
country who have been led to feel,
by reason Of reports of alleged mis-
treatment of colored men in canton
ments, that there is disposition on
the part of the War Department to
deal unfairly with colored draftees
in National Army environments and
in National Guard camps. For the
purpose of allaying these suspicious
and correcting certain false impress
sions which have been made and cir
culated, the Secretary of War has ad-
dressed an open letter to his colored
Aide, stating his attitude and the
policy of the War Department with
reference to these colored soldiers.
The letter, dated November 90th,
1917, follows:
WAR DEPARTMENT.
Washington, Nov. 80, 1917.
Memorandum-Fo Mr.. Emmett J.
Scott, Special Assistant, War De-
partment.
Referring to various kilograms and
letters of protest received at the De-
i partment, to which you have called
my attention, concerning certain al
legged determinations against colored
draftees, wish to say that full in.
vestigation Of the matter complained
of has been ordered.
AS you know, it has been my pol
against any person by reason of theil
race. This policy has been adopted
not merely as an act of justice to al
races that go to make up the Ameri
can people, but also to safeguard thu
very institutions which we are nov
at the greatest sacrifice engaged il
defending, and which any racial dis
orders must endanger
At the same time, there is no in
tention on the part of the War De
partment to undertake at this tim
to settle the so-called Race Question
In this hour of National emergenc,
and need, white and cofored mel
alike are being called to defend Gu
Country's honor. In the very ma
ture of the case, some must fight il
the trenches, while others must serv
in other capacities behind the tirin
line.
| very much regret what seems t
be a certain amount of overworke
hysteria on the part Of some of tn
complainan(s who seem to think tina
! only colorei draftees are being as
, signed to duty in Service BatalliOnS
, whereas thousands of white draftee
, already have been, and more Of ther
necessarily will be, assigned to dut
in such Service Batallions.
Some of the complaintants Q
charges of discrimination seem a
|, the more unwarranted, in view of tn
fact that there is far less hazard
the life of the soldier connected wit
: the Service Battalion than is tru
:, in case of the soldier who faces she
and shell on the firing line. Further
> more, the. attitude of the War d.
; partment toward colored soldiers
clearly shown by the following facts
, More than GIG of the 1850 colore
, men who completed the course at tn
, Reserve Officers Training Camp, 6
/. Fort Des Moines, Iowa, have bee
i commissioned as officers in tn
!. United States Army; nearly 100 co
r ored physicians and surgeons hay
a received commissions as officers
4 the Medical Reserve Corps, and flu
:. fighting force of 10000 colored so
!. diers, including representatives
G practically every branch Of militaI
j service, will constitute the 92n
n Division, to be detailed for duty
f France under General Pershing.
r The relations between the colore
v and white men, in the camps col
r tanning both, have been worked OF
Z onAa very satisfactory.basis, and II
9 tie or no trouble seems likely
arise. All Of my reports indicate th'