The Twin City star. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1910-19??, 1917-03-24
COLORED MENTOR
ARMY OFFICERS
Or. Spingarn Tells Why Train
Ing Camp Is Necessary.
MOVEMENT MUST NOT FAIL


Ing Camp For the Race 10 Intended to
Fight Segregation, Not to Encourage
Il, Says Noted Advocate Of Human
Rights.
New York.-In reply to his critics
with reference to the establishment Of
military training camp for colored
officers at Plattsburg, N. Y, DR.. ]. e.
Spingarn, leader Of the movement,
gives his reasons for the course he
pursues In the following statement.
DR.. Spingarn says:
mo one could make a greater mis-
take than to think that the army wants
colored men to join this camp. The
army officials want the camp to fail.
They refuse to set time or place un-
til 200 men apply, because they know
that this is the hardest way Of recruit
ing the camp. They have made the
offer merely In order that they might
be able to say that they gave colored
people fair chance and the colOred
people refused to take advantage Of
the opportunity. The last thing the
army wants is to help cOlored men to
become commissioned officers.
2 "This project is intended to fight Sc
gregatiOn and not to encourage it. If
there we're enough men fit to be officers
1t would not he necessary; we could
fight for wide open army with that
material. But there are not enough
men. The New York Negro regiment
did not have enough colored men to fill
the commissions. When war comes we
do not wish to be in the same position.
We want to be able to say, Here are,
colored men fit to he officers, and you
have got to commission them
Those who think that large num-
Der Of officers could be obtained from
the regular colOred regiments simply
show their ignorance of the army and
OF the enormous amount of paper
work an officer has to do. A good SOL
der is a man who has had military
training; good officer is a man who
has military training, ability to lead
and good education. Few men who
have not had at least high school
education can ever hope to pass the
written examination that rs necessary
to become an officer.
'The point has been made that few
scattered colOred men In white camp
would be neglected and passed over,
while colored men in a camp by them
selves would all get fair chance.
There may possibly be some truth in
this, but l am not willing to go as far
as that. regard this camp as mere
~ temporary expedient, lasting four
weeks, that may possibly alter the fate
Of the cOlored race throughout great
war. 1t is an expedient for great
crisis. COlOred men must get officers
training as soon as possible, and there
is no other way with the whole army
against them.
"The south does not want cOlOred
men to get any kind Of military train
ing; nothing frightens it more than the
thought of millions OF cOlOred men with
discipline. organizing power and dan
gerOus effectiveness. That is why Var
daman is SO bitterly opposed to univer-
sal military training. That is why the
general staff Of the army has decided
to exclude colOred men from the train
ing and has reduced its original esti-
mate Of 100000 to 100000. That is
why the colored man who refuses to
take advantage Of this hard won chance
for a camp is biting Off his own nose
to spite his face.
III there il war there will doubt
less be cOnscriptiOn Of all ablebodied
men. All pretty talk about volunteer
ing or not volunteering will haye to
cease; all men will have to go. The
choice will no longer he between vol
unteering and not volunteering, hut he
tween conscriptiOn and rebellion. If
cOnscriptiOn comes will the leaders Of
the race help their southern enemies
by preaching treason and rebellion, or
will they face facts right now and pre-
pare themselves to go as leaders and
not as privates?"