Phoenix tribune., 1919-03-15
R latiOn of the Negro
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discrimination made in the determine
ton of his claims. Indeed, the pro
portion OF claims granted to claims
filed by members of the Negro race
compare fayorably with the proportion
of claims granted to members of the
white race.
That the men of the colored race
were as. ready to serve as their white
neighbors is amply proved by the re-
ports from the local boards. A Penn
sylvania board, remarking upon the
eagerness of its colored registrants to
be inducted illustrated this by the
action of one registrant, who, upon
learning that his employer had had
him placed upon the Emergency Fleet
list, quit his job Another registrant,
who was believed by the board to be
above draft age, insisted that he was
not, and, in stating that he was not
married, explained that he wanted
only one war at time"
"The following descriptions from Ok
lahoma and Arkansas boards are typi-
cal, the first serving to perpetuate one
of the best epigrams OF. the war:
Equal Consideration
I'VE tried to treat the Negroes with
exactly the same consideration as was
shown the whites. We had the same
speakers to address them. The Roary
Club presented them with small silk
flags, as they did the whites. The band
turned out to escort them to the train.
And the Negroes went to camp with
as cheerful spirit as did the white
man. One of them when asked if he
were going to France, said, "No, sir,
Pse not gwine to France, Use gwine
through France"
''In dealing with the Negroes, the
southern boards gained a richness of
experience that is without parallel.
No other class of citizens was more
loyal TO the government, or more ready
to answer the country's call. The
only blot upon their military record
was the great number of delinquents
among the more Ignorant but in the
majority of cases this was traced to
an ignorance of the regulations, or to
the Withholding of mail by the land
lord (often himself an aristocratic
slacker) in order to retain the mans
labor
ION October 1, 1917, in order that
there might be no question of the
full protection of the rights Of the
Negroes, and that thorough examina-
tion might be made into all matters
affecting their relation to the war, and
its many agencies, there was an
nounced the appointment of Emmett
]. Scott as special assistant to the
secretary of war. Having been for
IS years confidential secretary to the
late Booker T. Washington, and being
at the time of his appointment secre-
tary of the Tuskegee Normal and In
dustrial Institute for Negroes, he was
peculiarly fitted to render necessary
advice to the war department with
respect to the colored people of the
various states, to look after all mat
ters affecting the interests of the Ne
gro selectives and enlisted men, and
to inquire into the treatment accorded
them by the various officials con-
nected with the war department. In
the position occupied by the, the spe-
cial assistant to the secretary of war
was thus enabled to obtain a proper
perspective both of the attitude of
selective draft officials to the Negro,
and Of the Negro to the war, and es-
pecially to the draft. As the represen-
tatiye OF his race. his expressions,
therefore. have great weight In a
memorandum address to this Office, on
the subject OF the relation of the Negro
10 the war and especially to the draft,
on December u. 1918. Mr.. Scott wrote:
Eager to Accept Terms
"The attitude of the Negro to the
war. and especially to the draft. was
one Of complete acceptance of the
draft, in fact. of an eagerness to ac-
cept its terms. There was deep
resentment in many quarters that he
was not permitted to volunteer, as