The Dayton forum. [volume] (Dayton, Ohio) 1913-1949, 1919-01-24
munity, 10 his country, and Go his Godl
The Negro Entitled 10 the Product
Of His Patriotism.

lmanity, TO his country, and 90 his Godl
The Negro Entitled 10 the Product
Of His Patriotism.
Despite all else, the Negro loves tho
South. He knows no North, no East,
nn West, as he knows the South. Here
in largest numbers he was born, here,
/ in the sacred soil Of the sunny South
land, his parents and relatives lie
buried; here, in Southern fields and
amid ecentional business opportpnit-
les, he has made the most amazing
! progress; and hero he wishes to re-
lmain IN peace, ii friendly and helpful
relations with his fellow men! He WAS
willing To make any sacrifice that the
highest principles Of civilization
might triumph and he has emerged,
like all others. | trust. ehaatened by
the rigors of selfrsaerifice and the
horrors Of war; these same principles
| Of civilization and humanity should be
applied to him impartally. for cer-
tainiy he is entitled to the product of
his own patriotism He asks no more,
and no equally helpful and loyal race
eould expect less. And today. as the
world eagerly awaits those decisions
land understandings which shall be
finally reached and agreed upon ut ths
Peace Table; while there sit hi counsel
at Versailles those who Iii large meas
ure control the future destin ypf mll-
lions Of mankind. the Negro still tolls
on in faith and hope that America, his
native land, will see to it that he ID
4 included In that new covenant which
shall guarantee justice and fairness
without regard To caste or creed, and
(which shah vouehsafe freedom OF OPP
lportunity 10 all of the lowls and OPP
pressed races and groups 81 people on
the face of the earthl
The South need have no fear about
the returning Negro soldiers his return
lis not III ii hostile spirit, but one OF
friendly helpfumess. Justly proud OF
the record his race has made as cour-
ageaus, self-sacrificing soldiers and as
equally courageous and self lf-sacrific-
ling civilians, be is coming back home
and the only thing he asks for is u
mans treatment and mans chance!
Il Let as alI, therefore, bravely and
Ecalmly face the new conditions occa-
lsipnad by the trend of Tile grant Times
1 Hi waieEl we 1--we.
Now, just few words AIS TO when
our boys may be expected home, for
/ | know you are all interested iii the
War Departments plan for demobil-
ling Negro soldiers. | may say at
the outset that the same plan which
1 the War Department has IN mind for
white soldiers is equally applicable to
the colored soldiers; that is to say, all
of them will be gradually denobilized
and not suddenly turned loose by the
hundreds Of thousands, hl the middle
of this winter, with slim chances Tor
many of them to find employment or
I to be absorbed In either the industries
or in agriculture. The policy OF the
! War Department is to discharge, from
time to time, proportionately as many
Negro soldiers as there will be white
soldiers discharged Even as, III the
conduct of the war, the Negro has
/ been given a splendid opportunity TO,
land has entered practically every
branch of the United States Army, so
| likewise the War Department is plan
ming to see, in The matter OF demobil-
izing Negro units as we'll alb white
military units, that the Negro soldier
lis discharged as rapidly as economic
and other conditions make it wise and
practicable to return SO large d NUM-
ber of men to civilian life. Referring
particularly to the military opportun
lities which this war has brought to
us as a race, ] wish to emphasize the
fact that some twelve hundred Negro
officers have been commissioned in
| the Army Of the United States and the
| Negro soldier is we'll represented IN
all Of the following branches Of mill
Itary service: Infantry, Cavalry, En
gineer Corps, Signal Corps tincluding
Radio or Wireless Telegraphyl, Med
ical Corps, Field Artillery, Coast Ar
tillery, Sanitary Corps, Ambulance
and Hospital Corps, Stevedore Regi
ments, Labor Battalions, Motor Trans
port Corps, etc.
Now that the war is over, it is uat-
lnrally and undoubtedly the desire Of
large number of soldiers to be hon
orably discharged from the Army at
once, in order that they may return
to their families and, il possible, find
on resume employment IN the com
munities where they formerly lived,
but, on the other hand, there are
grave problems presented when you
think of the matter Of demobill2ing
two or three million American sol
diers and returning them to the status