The Dayton forum. [volume] (Dayton, Ohio) 1913-1949, 1918-10-11
Col. Roscoe Simmons Addresses
Large, Patriotic Audience
At Memorial Hall

"When the war began the question
arose, what will the Negro dog We
will do what the American white man
tells us. | am going to teach the
world what soldier is. | am going
to do everything necessary to win the
war. The father of my nation is al
Washington. | have but one flag,
that il the flag that set me free.
have seen the flags Of all the world
The only flag in the world since time
begun that has stars III it. Your flag
and my flag God made them and no
man can blow them out.
| Patience Is your word. | would
rather be an American Negro living
side by side by the American white
man, trust my case into his hand,
living beneath the protecting fold of
1.-THE stars and stripes, standing and
under the mercy of Abraham Lincoln,
no fears for the future, no regrets FOR
the past. The American Negro
sehooled BY adversary knows how tc
take commands, the American white
man wants to give commands.
Germany says it's 50 great, where
is Germany's Daniel Webster? Where
IS their Henry Clay, their Calhoun?
Where is their George Washington,
their Booker 7. Washington They
talk of their great culture2 What
culture. They talk Of their religion;
what religion? Where Is their
Rooseveltg Where II their Longfel-
low? their William Cullen Bryan!
4 Where IL their John Greenleaf Whit
taker? Every advancement made ii
100 years, has been made by Aneri-
can white men Who threw The ca
bic across the Atlantic ocean? Silas
Field, All American white boy. Who
spoke through the air for The first
time and named that the telephone
Some Prussian God, ! suppose. No.
Bell, an American white hoy Who
bnilt the first submarine? An Ameri-
can white hoy built the first sub
marine Who built the first airship?
Even now he sleeps tonight IN Day
ton. Who perfected wireless tele-
graphy? An American Every adj
vancement made has been made by
the American. Who picked UP re-
lligion and taught the world what civil
lization means? The American Ne
gro I've got to get in here some
place.
Now let me speak for my nation
IN time like this. | love America
, When Woodrow Wilson falls asleep,
q Negro stands at his door When
trouble is around they know whers
| come. am 50 proud Of my race.
belong to d race whore there's no
slackers, no spies and no l. w. VS.,
thank God.
when The war broke out, the
question arose Will the Negro get
to France? THAT didn't worry me.
The first American soldier who put
foot on French soil was a Negro. He
will be the last one to be there when
the war is over for there will be a
3 lot of cleaning up to be done.
I. One Negro bought $4,000 worth 81
Z Liberty bonds and paid cash for them
] another Negro bought 100000 worti
of liberty bonds and got in ''Jin
s Crow car and rode home. Satisfied
s no fears for the future, no regrets fol
the past.
Y Eve promised Wilson to go acros
the waters. I'm going to take th
= Bull out Of Bulgaria and the Germ
B, out Of Germany. | am going to max,
= the world safe for Democracy. ri
= knock on the door Of the Kaiser ans
make him read the first part Of tn,
n constitution that all men are create,
= equal. will stand side by side wit
the American white boy. When tha
is completed, will come back acros
= The sea, and lay my gun away, tax
off my war garments and put on TIL
5 garments Of peace, walk up to th
a door Of the American white man an
= say: You sent me 1000 miles ava
! from home to make America saf
- for democracy, since have mad
u America safe for democracy, won
you make East st. Louis safe for til
American Negro?
We II do not like these hyphenizc
be names, German-American, Iewiss