The Dayton forum. [volume] (Dayton, Ohio) 1913-1949, 1919-01-24
The Negro
& the South
After the War
..n,lnett j. Scott, Special Assistant 10
Secretary of War. Discusses Con-
ditioms That should Follow
the Return of Honorahiy
Discharged Negro
Soldiers.

- rSN~a -
Tuskegee Institute. Alabama. Jan
nary 10 The second days sessios, Ill
the Annual Tuskegee Negro Confxs.
ence was devoted to discussion of
& Problems Connected with the np-
mobilization of Negro Soldiers. 1ie
principal address before this sessioa
OF the conference was delivered bva
Dr Emmett j. Scott. Secretary of
Iuskegee Normal and Industrial H.
stltute, who has been serving lii Wash
sngton, p. Ct, since the outbreak of
the war as special assistant to the
Secretary Of War, advising ii, matters
affecting the interests OF colored sol~
alers and colored Americans ptae4,-2
ally The Tuskegee Negro Confer
enee, the fame Of which ii now nation
wide, was inaugulnted by the late
Booker 7. Washington, and meets an
nually ut the Tuskegee Nornal and
Industrial Institute. lolskegee Ala
baftaa. The conference has always
lsoaglt ID encourage Negro farmers
and the Negro people of the south
lgenerally IN forward looking airee-
tions. The same policy of helping
colored farmers hi practical ways and
iof seeking to cement friendly relsl.
tions between the two races in the
South, has been and is being con.
sistently carried cut by nr. Robert III
Motion. the present principal Of the
institute.
IN discussing the subject. THE Me-.
gro and the South After the War;
Pr. Scott took d broad view of the
/ situation and sought To allay and ia
iissipale thu spirit of uasresf assa Ill.
prehension which seems to obtain Ii
the South with reference to the return
I 70 this section Of discharged Negro
lsoldiers. Incidentally he revealed the
plan and policy of the War Depart
lment to gradually demobilize the
thousands of Negroes in the Array MS
lrapidly as suitable civilian employ
Iment can be found FOR them. Extracts
from his address follow.
The Negro and the South After
the War.
Peace hath her victories no less
renowned than war" and the fact
that hundreds of thousands, If not
millions, Of soldiers must soon be dis
charged from military service and
thus be changed from q military 10 a
Icivilian status, presents problem re-
Iquiring the best thought for It's prop
er handling and solution, and indeed
Imakes the problem of Peace equally
If not more complex than the prob
lem OF war. At one time during the
Iwar. German propagandists would
have had us believe that the Ameii-
can Negro had neither the inclination
Iaor the ability to efficiently fight ,ln-.
Ider the Stars and Stripes and to fully
Iperform his share of civilian work and
military service so essential III the
support of our country's program at.
home and overseas; but the ready re-s
sponse of Negro draftees to the Sc
llective service call, the splendid REG
ord made by nearly 100000 Negro
soldiers in camps and cantonments at
home as well as IN the war zone and
lon bloody battlefiields OF France, to-
Igether with the whole souled support
land numerous patriotic activities Of
Negro Americans generally, showed
how false and unfounded was that
thought.
Negro Loyalty Proved.
In this connection, it is both inter-
testing and encouraging to note the
Testimony BY Mr. A. Bruce BieIaski,
Ichief Of the bureau of Investigation,
Department of Justice, and by Cap
ltain George B. Lester, OF the Army
Intelligence Service. before the United
States Senate Committee, which is
Investigating the activities of Ger
imam propagandists IN this country.
I'm referring to the efforts that were
repeatedly made to discourage loyalty
lon the part of the Negroes Of this
Icountry, Captain Lester said:
"This propagand abecame so seri-
|ous from the military end that active
measures were taken TO suppress it.
THE real leaders of the race in this
Icountry were called 10 a conference In
Washington on june l9, 30, 81, 1918.
There was 4 large number of these
representative men Of the colored race
present, j list of which have. AS d
Iresult of the conference, which lasted
lseyeraI days, an active counter propa-
ganda. through the Committee on Pub
lie fafosaaasipa was preparsd articles
.r-ssasgyfS srrspaesss ayv~rzs~s~gs