The broad ax., 1917-10-13
BY v. p. Thomas.

! the men. These demands were rejected
by the contractors, who submitted a
counter proposition Offering a much
lower scale of wages, which the local
could not accept and forthwith refused,
tying up the business of the port for
several days, until the federal authori-
ties called upon Mr.. Paul, the president,
and Mr.. Joseph w. Jones, financial see
rotary, and appealed to their patriotism,
pleading with them TO do the same with
their men to help move the supplies
needed by our army and our allies. The
men are now working, pending the de-
eision to be rendered by the arbitration
commission. The demands of the other
labor organizations were, in the main,
satisfied, but the movement of freight
could not 90 on because they could not
handle freight not delivered to them by
union men. The agreement of the Car
Leaders and Unloaders' to resume
work pending the adjustment of the
by the arbitration commission required
much hard work on the part of Messrs.
Paul and Jones, but they accomplished
it and have been highly commended for
their patriotic efforts.
Sixteen hundred and thirty Negro
men drafted for the National Army left
the state Sunday, Oct. Z, for Camp Pike,
Ark. Two hundred and eighty-six of
this number went from New Orleans.
They constitute IL per cent of Louisi-
ana S quota. On the 18th of this month |
ID per cent more, it is understood, will |
be sent to the same training point, max /
ing about $500 Negro men in all at |
Camp Pike. When this number is in |
Camp Pike, Louisiana will then have
81 per cent of her quota enrolled in the
army, 40 per cent, all white men, having
been sent to the camp before any Ne
groes at all were sent. OF the remain
ing 80 per cent of Louisiana quota
vet to go, Is per cent will be Negro men,
and Is per cent white men, making a
total representation of IS per cent Ne
gro and So per cent white men. Lou
siana has never in IL years given her
Colored population so large a representa-
ion in her affairs of great importance
Is she has in this. And it does not APP
'ear that she gives il reluctantly, either.
indeed, a member of the class that has
'een doing all the representing of the
tate in that time has tried hard to stay
L home, even resorting, in some in ,
tances to foul means to do so. In the .
sister state of Mississippi
he Negroes are also getting big repre-
entation in the mOmentous affairs of
he state, being sent to Camp Pike in a !
roportion that bids fair to be more =.
han half of the states quota in the )
National Army. 1t is all very sudden
nd perhaps unexpected to find the Ne I
TO such an asset in the opinion of Mis-
issippi and Louisiana, but clearly
nough that is their opinion, proven by
ne presence of thousands of Negro men
Camp Pike, representing these two
tates in the worldwide argument for 4
r against democracy. s.
No class of people in America be- 4
ewes more in true democracy than the S
egroes, and none will fight more earn Ia
'tly than they to establish that politi- W
Il creed. For the want of it no class r,
as suffered more or as much as have Il
lie Negroes. 1t is the one thing before "
] other things political that they want u
} fight for, to the death of the last man ii
nong them if that be necessary, to al
tablish it. l.