The bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-12-28

"e.e siaih, and hacked by bay
onets," but they never cut of their
heads and let it roll around on the
street until some one picked Il IN az
they recently did in Memphis to Eli
Persons, nor did they cut out their
tongue, or gouge out their eyes with
redhot pokers, or burn them alive. or
unsex them, or torture them in any
way. They were disciplined men and
bayonet practice is being taught in
our American army.
Why didn't the press pring out the
filth and rottenness of the East st.
Louis congressional investigation?
Because it was SO loathsome and so
detrimental to the white man that it
has not appeared in the daily papers,
but our association, the National AS
sociation for the Advancement Of Col
ored People, has brought it out word
for word and you might step into the
library some time and get the "Crisis," !"
our militant magazine. It would show
you that nothing is being overlooked
by the Negro Of today.
Of all the press reports of the
southern Huns, after the first report
they are not square enough, not hu-
man enough to admit that the pri-
mary cause Of the Houston riot was
the brutality Of the white police to-
ward the colored people and the un-
arming of the Negro provost guard.
But Miss Martha Gruening's investi-
cation at the expense of the N. A. A..
C. P. has brought out all the facts and
then some.
In conclusion, allow me to say that
our brave men are with their maker.
They were cross bearers below, SO will
be crown wearers above around Gods
throne. None of our colored men
know fear, only the unframed ones.
Then, too, it is quite different from
fighting those southern Huns, man to
man, than it is to have mob Of 5000
red-necks to one poor helpless human
being. So their graves will have the
highest monuments that 12,OOO,OOO
colored people can buy for our love
and respect is with them.
We never expected justice from
white investigation of military IN
curry, especially in the Prusslanl
south, but we did not look for execu-
ton Of thirteen colored men and at
time when Germany knows 50 well TO
approach the fathers, mothers, sisters
and brothers as we'll as race VINO IS
as one against the southern Hun. &.
Never again will the Negro submit
10 the outrages in the future as he has
IN the past. The training OF the
southern Negro viii ob1iterate aii sub
mission to brutal burnings and lynch
ings and the hanging Of our heroes
makes us more determined to stand
for the right and it must be right, not
right for the white man and wrong
for the Negro to exercise his ordinary
rights as an American citizen, but one
standard of justice must do for all;
otherwise there will be many Hous-
tons, for we have all good red blood
in our veins and the mixture Of the
southern white man with his Negro
mistresses during slavery and up to
date makes us a proud, if somewhat
arrogant race.
Seventy-five thousand intelligent,
educated colored women of New York
have the presidential ballot and ma
tional women suffrage will enable US
to send our own colored representative
to Washington so we will have voice
in the laws of the twelve million black
folks in America, this beloved land OF
the free and home of the brave. we
hold that a government that exacts
allegiance is under obligations to re-
turn protection and to put a stop 70
this Prussian autocracy in the soutn
awhile prating to other nations OF
democracy"
Mrs. Lillian Smith,
tn1s C;xfh A11on11a