Cayton's weekly. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1916-1921, 1918-12-07

being Southern in composition and tone, has gone
a very long way towards recognizing and utilizing
the colored citizen, soldier and civilian. One
black in a remote Florida cabin wrote in
some trust and simplicity, letter to the Pres
dent of the United States about the drafting of his
son, and received promptly reply from the
Presidents secretary himself, message Of
planation and encouragement to fellow American
citizen which will be treasured many years in the
pine woods.
Records Of Black Bravery
There were pleasantly picturesque black notes
in the war scene at the very beginning. At the
declaration of war, it was colored troops who
set guards around the White House.
Some Negroes cynically observe that when one
of their officers died. colored Major, he was not
afforded military funeral. But such disturb
ing note did not for most Negroes appreciably
diminish the compliment to the one part of the
American population in which, it jocosely
said there couldn't possibly be any Germans.
There is rumor which though it cannot be au-
thenticated will not down, that General Pershing,
when he went to France, absolutely insisted that
he should take Negro troops with him. And al
most at the outset of Americas fighting on the
western front there home the stirring tale
of two black heroes Needham Roberts and Harry
Johnson Git is rather pleasant that it should be
Mistah Johnson) who though both wounded by
enemy grenades, one on the elbow forearm and
left leg the other the right hip and left leg,
beat off raidng party of twenty-five Germans,
killing or wounding five of them. 1t good
fight, with grenades rifles and at last bolo
knife These were cited to receive that wonderful
Croix de Guerre of our sister Republic, and it
would not perhaps be possible to better the sim
pie description of them in the final phrase of the
French text of citaton-"good and brave soldiers"
The news was received at home with delight
by the Negroes, and for the most part with simple
ungrudgng and unsurpassed admiration by the
white press. Indeed on the whole it may be said
that whatever may be thought of the colored man
in times of peace, we confidently expect him to
be brave in
There is indeed long tradition of black bray
cry, from the day when Negro Crispus Attucks
the first man to be killed in the Revolutionary
War, down. There famous names in the roll,
famous that is to Negroes possibly to them only.
Students of America might proftably read this
chapter of the nations history, possibly shall
say in the Pullman Porters' Review, an admirable
publication which probably few people who travel
on sleeping know There are, it appears 1888
stars in the Pullman COmpany's service flag; 1883
blacks who hitherto were only modestly ambitious
to keep the world we'll brushed and are now risk
ing their lives to keep it safe for better future.
There has perhaps been in the past something
family comic in George the porter; he gives
you deepened sense of the solidarity of America,
and a renewed conviction that this is
TALLY every Americans war.
Even before the news began to come from
France experts of fighting thought we'll of the
colored soldier. Colonel Moss, a Louisianan who
is in command of the 267th (Buffalo) regiment,
has been considerably quoted At the outbreak of
the he asked for colored troops and he believes
they make good soldiers But he is scrupulously
temperate the subject and says that it is un-
wise to talk too much about anyone black white,
being liable to lick his weight in Wildcats" But
his imperturbabity is not perfect for he permits
himself to say, with ill-hdden light of enthusi
in his eyes that "they are the only soldiers