The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1919-02-01
"THE NEGRO AND THESOUTH
AFTER THE WAR
Emmett j. Scott, Special Assistant to Sec
retary of War Discusses Conditions
That Should Follow the Return of
HOnOrably Discharged Negro
Soldiers

on the part Of the Negroes of this
country, Captain Lester said:
This propaganda became so serious
from the military end that active
measures were taken to suppress it.
The real leaders of the race in this
country were called to a conference
in Washington on June 10, 20, 21,
1918. There was a large number of
these representative men of the col
ored race present, a list of which 1
have. AS a result of the conference,
which lasted several days, an active
counter propaganda, through the Com
mittee on Public Information, was
prepared, articles were written deny
ing statements of this character, and.
as a net result, the President issued
statement on Friday, July %, 1918,
deprecating and denouncing mob ac-
tion, and that is about the last that
was heard of the German propagan-
da among the Negroes" | have par
ticular pleasure in bringing this testi-
money to your attention because of
the fact that the Conference referred
ledu6IS
of Negro thought and opinion; it was
called under the auspices of the War
Department and the Committee on
Public Information. l am glad to have
had the honor of presiding at the
conference referred to.
The fear that now seems to prevail
in the South over the Negroes home
coming after the war is, in my opin-
ion, equally without foundation. This
is the Negroes natural home and here
the masses of the race will continue
to reside, it is to be hoped, for many
years, in peace and profitable indus
try. The Negro soldiers will soon be
only land they have ever known, in
defense of which they have been will
ing to give their lives in time of war,
and in the reconstruction of which
they are eager to give their best en-
ergies in time of peace. Thousands
of them volunteered for military and
naval service regardless of the Selec-
/ tive Service Law, and they will return
no less anxious to perform their full
duties as citizens and to live in peace
with their fellowmen, asking in re-
turn only the full protection of the
/ law of their land-the guarantee of
| life, liberty, and the pursuit of happi-
ness.
The returning Negro soldier will not
be the foul wretch from which TO
shrink in terror, or a plague from
which to flee in fear, as some seem
to think. He will return both physic-
ally and mentally benefited by reason
of his military training and experience
during the Great World War and, nat
urally, he will return to the South
land and other sections with broad
er vision and appreciation of Ameri-
can citizenship, as well as with new
ideas of what Liberty and Freedom
! mot license) really mean. He has
clearly shown his eager willingness to
discharge the duties and responsible
ties of American citizenship and it
is devoutly hoped that fair minded
Americans in all parts of the country
will calmly and justly recognize the
fact that he is, therefore, entitled to
all OF the rights and privileges which
the laws of our country offer to all
other classes of our common citizen
ship.
Primarily the Negro is the means
, by which the people of the Golden
Southland are pourished and strength.
: ened through his diligent efforts to
coax out of the ground life sustaining
} Al. -
official census, Negro farmers in the
South numbered S93,S70, constituting
+ IA per cent of the total number oi
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