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

vid is enthusiastically conjured to jump on his
harp and even oslide it the infectious good
nature of the black race generally conquers the
listener So much for the problem of the actual
mingling of the races in camps. One Negro lad
laughingly assured a white boy that there was
no harm in their soldering together; he too, so
he said, had white blood in his VEINS as his an
cestors had eaten Baptist missionary!
So far we have dealt only with white objections
to the Negroes being a solder-we have still to
touch on too great eagerness to force him into the
ranks In some parts of the South-by means
all parts-there appeared on the announcement of
the draft feeling that the Negroes must be taken
for cannon fodder" before the white were heav-
lily drawn upon. The Local Boards of Exemption
of Fulton County, Georgia (Atlanta the county
seat) and Taliaferro County unfair to
colored drafees that the Secretary of War ordered
their immediate discharge removal. In the
of both of these Boards there were whole
sale exemptions and discharges of white men for
all sorts of causes excuses, and Gin the case
of the Atlanta Board) only six discharges
emptions granted colored draftees. The unfair
and discrimination manifest that the
Secretary of War did not hesitate for a moment.
These are of course exceptionally fragrant cases,
yet the figures of the first draft are food for
amined were certified for service, while only PATS
per cent of the white men were taken. The Pro-
vost Marshal Generals office officially says that
this difference between colored men and white
is 'probbaly not due to either difference
in physical qualifications nor to difference in
the applicability of the several legal grounds for
exemption and discharge" One can only COM
ment, probably not. But if the Negro is really
for
military service than the white man, so much
more is he national asset.
Even outside actual military service there have
been what seemed to the Negro discouragements to
patriotism. 1t seemed for example that colored
trained nurses should be enrolled and allowed at
least to give their aid to the ill and wounded of
strong argument against this enrolment was ad-
vanced, but for long time it did not take place.
And the Red Cross, which has as a national or
ganizaton, all the best intentions in the world
toward the cOOred race, encountered many diff
culties in carrying them out Membership in the
Red Cross was, Enthusiastically enough, conceived in
some parts of the country to be social distinc-
ton which could never be bestowed upon the
Negro 1t was even suggested that "Black Cross
be organized. Difficulties put in the way of
organizing colored chapters badges and pins were
withheld and surgical dressing produced by Negro
women were rejected Wholesale Yet the colored
people persisted The nurses raised money to pre-
sent an ambulance and Red Cross branches were
formed and knitting and sewing do go on.
The Negro is after all an optimist, an oppor-
tunlst, and something of gambler. He believes
that the war presents the greatest opportunity of
service to the country which has even been offered
his race. And broadly speaking he is content to
wait for his reward rather than to fight for it now
He believes that if he proves himself brave SOL
dier in France and patriotic citizen at home both
the white soldier in France and the white civilian
here will gain some conviction that the Negro
is true American and perhaps even brother
American, and that after the war the gates of 3D.
portunity will open wider to him.
OF course this attitude seems to trusting to many
Negroes, who are instead determined to win recog-
milton as they give service. And what may be
termed the "black intellectuals' often say they
must "know where they are going in this war;"
This temper of mind often encounter in white