The Donaldsonville chief., 1918-04-20
ADDRESS TO coLoRED PEOPLE
Stirring Plea for Patriotic Co.opera.
sion Issued by Negro Leaders.
To the Colored People of Louisiana.

To the Colored People of Louisian.
Greeting:
We, the undersigned, having {
heart in every possible way the higl
est good Of our people, and havin
been appointd and duly authorize
by Hon. p. H. Saunders, state directo
of the,yy tional War Savings Com
nlittee, to- feo-opetejte with his office i
the sale IL theift and war saving
stamps. thereby prom oting the sue
Z cess Of the undertaking in Louisiana
relying upon your loyalty in thi
great crisis IN our country's history
and with abiding faith in your devo
tion to duty, and confidence in you
ability and, willingness to ''go owe
the top" in matter so vitality relates
as this is to the winning Of the wa
by our country and its allies, d,
most earnestly and respectfully urg
upon your attention the following:
! (a) All questions as to the neces
sity for, or wisdom of going to wal
Ihaving been definitely settled by oul
president and his advisers, are there
fore matters Of history We mus
now deal with facts and not simpl,
with. theories.
| (b) The present and future are the
first considerations that claim our at
tention.
(c) Our interests are collective
but they are also racial and individ.
ual. They are indissolubly wrapped
up in the issues of this war. If the
United States and her allies win, it
will be, in an important sense, our
victory, and will herald the dawn of
a new day. If the enemy win, it will
be, in vital sense, our loss, and will
betoken the approach of another long
| night of gloom.
(d} We want you to see this mat
ter from the point of view that your
individual, personal attitude and ac-
tivity MUST and WILL help to win
this war or lose it. You cannot be
neutral! You cannot say as Plate
II wash my hands of this matter" !"
To assume an attitude of indifference,
or even Of passive sympathy is to
give comfort and help to the enemy.
"He that is not for us is against us!"
/. How can we help? In many
ways Here are some of them: Con-
serve speech. Be careful to utter no
word calculated to beget mischief.
2. Conserve food; do not waste
-four, meal, sugar, meat, nor other
staples.
8. Conserve fuel; burn no more
wood, nor coal, nor gas, nor oil than
comfort and safety require.
a. Conserve time and energy; let
leach and every one find some useful,
gainful employment, and do some
constructive work putting in full
time.
Conserve nloAaey let each one save
his OF her money and buy thrift
stamps and war savings stamps. By
SO doing they develop self-reEant, ir-
dependent manhood and womanhood,
become creditor Of the government,
and fire a deadly missile. at the
enemy
There are two grand armies on the
side of the entente allies-that is to
say, on our side. One of these ar
mics is made up of our sons and
brothers and husbands and cousins
and friends who have gone or who
will soon go to the front. But they
cannot fight without guns and muni-
tions. They must be fed and clothed
and shod in the trenches. They must
be provided for when sick or wounded
or dying, and oh, how many there
will be in this number. !.
Little home comforts will remind
them of sweethearts and wives and
sisters and mothers who constantly
think Of and pray for their loved
ones s'over there"
They need the wholesome, moral
environment of the Y. M. c. A. to
soften the asperities Of life at the
front in this cruel war. And the pa
triot soul that sighs itself out on the
battle field amid the boom of cannon,
and the carnage and hell Of war, will
need spiritual administration.
To provide these is the grateful
task of the army at home. Every
boy and girl who is too young, every.
man and woman who is too old, and
every one who for any other rea-
son may not go to the front, can and
should enlist in the army at home.
WILL YOU?
Our fathers left US proud heritage
of faithfulness, patriotism and valor,
but for the first time in our history
we are called upon to help furnish the
sinews of war. Shall we be less faith
full, patriotic and valorous? A thou
sand times NO!
Then read the literature! Attend
the patriotic meetings! Boost the
campaign! Help raise the 38,O00,-,
900 asked of Louisiana.
Your thrift stamps and your war
savings stamps are the best invest
cages on the United States of Ameri-
ment in the world. They are mort
ca. They are tangible evidence OF
your loyalty. They insure the sue
cess of our arms.
J. L. BURRELL, DID,, Chairman;
REV. A. HUBBS,
FRANKoP. FARRELL, Secretary;
WALTEnt LeE5OHEN,
SMITH w. GREEN,
a THOS. P. WOODLAND,
ALBERT WORKMAN,
VICTOR P. THOMAS,
L. T. BURBRIDGE, MD,
W. SCOTT CHINN, DID,,
J. II. LOWERY,
LEVI NORRIS,
CHAS. w. BROOKS, AM,
E. O. MOSS.
Statement of Ownership, Etc.