The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1917-12-08
SECRETARY OF WAR BAKER.
Sends an Open Letter to His Special
Assistant, Emmett J. Scott.


Assistant, Emmett J. Scott.
Washington, D. C.-Some eighty
three thousand, six hundred $4,000
colored men have been drafted for
service in the National Army to be
sent overseas.
Secretary of War Newton D. Baker,
in working out his plans for the train
ing of these men, has met with many
difficulties. First of all, he has had
to contend with those friends of the
colored men 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, colered leaders from all parts
of the country have importuned the
War Department in various and sundry
directions, while the peculiar south
ern situation, where the masses of the
colored people live, has had to be
taken into account.
Because of these difficulties, the Sec
rotary of War called to his aid, on o.
tober LIST, 1917, as Special Assistant
In the War Department, representa-
tive of the colored people, Emmett J.
Scott, who, for eighteen years, was
Secretary to the late Booker T. Wash
ington, and also Secretary of the Tus-
kegee Normal and Industrial Institute,
in Alabama. Mr.. Scott has a wide &C
quaintance among members of his own
race, and with leading 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 possible. of the burdensome
details growing out of controversies,
involving racial relationships, caused
or occasioned by the presence of
white and .col0red draftees together
in many of the cantonments.
Lately, there has been a certain
amount of misgiving and unrest
among the colored people of the coun-
try who have been led to feel, by
reason of reports of alleged mistreat-
ment of colored men in environments,
that there is disposition on the part
Of the War Department to deal un-
fairly with colored draftees in Ma
tional Army cantonments and in Ma
tional Guard camps. For the purpose
of allaying these suspicious and cor
recting certain false impressions
which have been made and circulated,
the Secretary of War has addressed an
his attitude and the policy of the War
Department with reference to these
| colored soldiers. The letter., dated
November Both, 1917, follows:
WAR DEPARTMENT
Washington, Nov. 80, 1917.
MEMORANDUM
For Mr.. Emmett J. Scott,
| Special Assistant,
| War Department.
Referring to- various kilograms and
letters of protest received at the DIT
partment, to which you have called my
attention, concerning certain alleged
determinations against colored draft
ees, I wish to say that a full investi
cation of the matters complained Of
has been, ordered.
AS you know, it has been my policy
to discourage discrimination agains
any persons by reason of their race
This policy has been adopted no
merely as an act of justice to all race
that go to make up the American PEG
pie, but also to safeguard the yer,
institutions which we are now at tn
greatest sacrifice, engaged in defend
ing, and which any racial disorder
must endanger.
At the same time, there is no in
tention on the part Of the War Dc
partment to undertake at this time t.
settle the so-called Race Question. L
this hour of national emergency an
need, white and colored men alike ar
being called to defend Our Country
honor. In the very nature of the case
some must fight in the trenches, Will
others must serve in other capacitie
behind the firing line.
very much regret what seems t
be certain amount of overworke
hysteria on the part of some of tn
compliments who seem to think tina
only colored draftees are being a.
signed to duty in Service Battalion
whereas thousands of white draftee
already have been, and more of the1
necessarily will be, assigned to dut
in such Service Battalions.