The Denver star., 1917-10-20
Opening the Wedge
Fighting for Uncle Sam
Negroes given fighting chance to overcome
prejudice in Army. Eyes of the
world on American Negro
Soldiers.


several hundred coored who have passed
fully through the officers training at Des
Moines. Iowa. These will be used regiments made
lup of of the The colored soldier has long
been recognized good fighting the records OF
the school promise we'll for his work officer This in
,eesting article deals with the work in the schooLeses
Weekly.
And there will be some black men who can remember
that with silent and clenched teeth and steady
and we'll poised bayonet they have helped mankind
this great copsummaton!"
With these resoundng of Lincoln still ringing
slogan the minds of grandsons of slaves and
lfreemen. October IS will of tremendous
moment the coored in America For the first time
the history of this country hundreds OF the picked c0ored
citizens of the United States will join the National Army
officers lead coored For the first time coored
men will be viewed from military stapdpoint plane Of
Equality with commissioned officers OF the regular army
This of the significant innovations which the
conflict has created in American affairs 1t the great
opportunity for social advancement which has
to colored men in America.
June Fort Des Moines Iowa. reserve officers
training opened exclusively for the benefit
oed under the command OF Col c. c. Ballou, with
Lieut. Col. Charles W. Castle command and
head of staff of Regular Army instructors Over thou
sand coored responded this opportunity They fore
gathered from of the country They the
leaders Of their spendly equipped mental
lily and physically Doctors lawyers cergymen architects
designers civil engineers college school teachers
college students and successful business every
State Union applied tor admission They
eagerly the opportunity extended them. For priv
they fairly gowed with gratitude heart
ing in its sincerity Truly there color patriotism
Out of the whole number who applied for admission
$50 ranging IN age from accepted for mil
tary training Forty cent of those found
be college graduates and the remainder all weed
ucated In the number teachers and
from Tuskegee Institute alone Practically high
school and college in America from Harvard to- Le
land Stanford represented In squad of sixteen
alone tound four lawyers physician one dent
s architect electrical engineer city engineer
two cereymen, railroad man holding college diploma
one hotel waiter holding high school diploma
students from the University Of Iowa. Two hundred
fifty of the best educated Negro regiments
of the Regular Army were included in the enrolment
BY the Of seective eliminato the original
rolment of 7so reduced to little less :han thou
sand During the period of final
last week OF August about of the capable
eded Many of these excused dismiss
ed however not because of their failure absorb
ness OF but for minor physical defects slight pre-
thsir for the and great
them to quality for commissions Thus eight hundred
conscientious and earnest Negroes remained of the
highest moral integrity and the mental aptitude the
greater number of whom heartily recommended for
commissions BY the ards of officers who the FIN
al tests he total number recommended will receive
cachet OF military rank conferred bv the u S Government
Colonel Charles Young, the only coored officer in the
Regular Army graduated from West Point 1880 now
command of the 10th u s. Cavalry. addressed this body
of coored reservsts Fort Des Mones recently AS he