Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1917-12-14
THE COLORFD FAN
OH French SOIL
HAS No USE FOR SENEGALESE-
aFRENCH NIcGERS.-
View OF SYLVESTER B. JOHNSON.

YIEEg OF SYLVESTER B. JOHNSON.
The American 7. NJ. c. A. Looking
After Their Social welfare Same
As White Soldiers.
Though they bewail the lack Of
chickens in the backyards OF the
French-and on their menu-the
members Of q regiment of American
negro steyedores in France have
danced and sung their way into the
hearts OF the French population in
the port where they are stationed
Warm-heartedly they are already
planning a show for the benefit Of
fund for the French wounded
Telling Of their work and play and
thoughts. Howard Kahn. in an arti-
Gle sent to the National War Work
Council of the Y NJ c. a, speaks Of
them as the wars Minstrel show"
In spite OF their strange surround
ings. he says. they carry on their
work as usual They shuttle the same
dances. and sing the same plantation
melodies as at home.
They have no use for the Senegaiese
French niggers" they call them
because they wear monkey caps, have
rings in their ears and don't talk
sense" The native wit and constant
good humor Of these stevedores have
made them q Joy and delight to the
officers and men who come in contact
with them. Moreover, they are liv-
ing up to the best traditions of the
American negro.
Writing from port in France. Mr.,
Kahn says:
It's against the rules to mention
names when you write about enlisted
men OF the American Expeditionary
Forces, but even the hardest-hearted
censor viii admit that no military
secret is divulged in this interview
with Mr.. Sylvester Bogus Johnson,
Of Nashville, Tenn. a member OF a
regiment Of negro stevedores.
"Mr. Johnson was standing on the
dock looking over an expanse Of salt
water such as he had never seen at
Nashville. He started the conversa-
tion withou. any preamble from me.
Man. Mani he said. 'Christopho
Columbus suah must of had some
gutsr
"'You don't like the ocean, then?
Not me, boss. pse pale from nah
trip yet. Use been an American all
NAH life. But unless this yere At
lantic ocean freezes ovah and some
body builds a railroad back to
Tennessee, Use a European. TO life
Parlez-vous francaisT I inquir-
ed.
No sab. stevedoTe, he replied.
What's your particular objection
TO the oceanT
The scenery is rotten Sylvester
explained. And / couldn't keep
nothin' on my stomach except a life
preserver.
Get plenty to eat here?
Yes. sab Uncle Sam feeds US all
right. But chickens is mighty sca'ce.
I aint had no chicken since I landed.
amt even seen no chicken walkin'
around nobody's back ya'd."
Have you made many friends over
here?
Boss, these French niggahs amt
no good. / saw one today with rings
in his eahs. / asks him TO- cigarette
and he jes' walks away. l done head
him say somethin' but it didn't have
no meanin'. They weah little red
monkey hats and they is just plum
ignorant
Maybe he was a Senegalese?
Il don't ca'e what he was He's
Just a plum no count niggah Use
even seen 'em ovah heah with whis-
kahs. But they couldn't speak the
English language so you could un-
derstand it a-tall. Plum ignorant.
That's what ! says
"'If you had to do it over again,
would you enlist?'
Boss, when I made my mark on
dat enlistment papah, no one toP me
about all that watah in this Atlantic
ocean. II they had, I'd still be in
Nashville, Tennessee, II. s. A.
sylvester Bogus Johnson was
somewhat more pessimistic than most
Of his dusky colleagues. 1t isn't at
all hard to imagine that one is visit
ing lower Mississippi river landing
in the southern part OF the United
States as one sees these negroes in
long single file carry box after box
Of provisions for Uncle Sans men
from the big steamers. They sing the
same plantation melodies, shoot the
| same bones and shuttle the same
4 darky dances.
Their attire is almost as pictur-
esque as that OF the Senegalese, tc
whom Mr.. Johnson objected to SC
strongly. They wear the uniforms
formerly issued to the army before
the khaki was adopted. Those who
were fortunate enough to draw the
old style light blue artillery -overcoat
with long cape and scarlet lining
| were particularly well satisfied. ThC
negroes are comfortably housed ir
barracks near the docks Their "a.
! tions are the same as those issued e
the fighting men and while their
discipline IS not SO strict. the hours
OF duty and routine are much the
same.
eThe American 7. H. c. A. plans tc
| look after their social welfare in just
the same manner that It cares for the
white soldiers. A hut for the use oi
the stevedores is being constructed
II Is to have electric lights. a NOV
1 ing picture machine, q piano end fa-