The Colorado statesman. [volume] (Denver, Colo.) 1895-1961, 1919-03-15

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 on
ly one war at a time.
THE following descriptions from Ok
Iahoma and Arkansas boards are typ
ical. 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 address them. The Rotary
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 a spirit as did the white
men. One of them asked if he We're
going to France, said. NO, sir; Use 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
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
sIacker) in order to retain the mans
labor.
"On October 1, 1917, in order that
there might be no question of the full
protection of the rights of the Negroes,
and that thorough examination might
be made into all matters affecting
their relation to the war, and its many
agencies, there was announced the ap-
pointment of Emmett J. Scott as spe-
ciaI assistant to the Secretary of War.
Having been for eighteen years conf
Dental secretary to the late Booker T.
Washington, and being at the time of
his appointment secretary of the Tus
kegee Normal and Industrial 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 matters affecting the inter-
ests of the Negro se1ectives and enlist
ed men, and to inquire into the treat
ment accorded them by the various Of
ficiaIs connected with the War De-
partment. In-the position occupied by
him, the special assistant to the Secre-
tary of War was thus enabled to OBJ
tain a proper perspective both of the
attitude of selective service officials to
the Negro, and of the Negro to the war
and especially to the draft. As the
representative of his race, his express
sions, therefore, have great weight. In
a memorandum address to this office
on the subject of the relation of the
Negro to the war and especially to the
draft, on December 12, 1918, Mr.. Scott
wrote:'
1.-THE attitude of the Negro to the
war. and especially to the draft, was
one of complete acceptance of the
draft in fact of eagerness to ac-
cept its terms. There was a deep re-
sentiment in many quarters that he was
not permitted to volunteer. as white
men. by the thousands. were permitted
to do in connection with National
Guard units and other branches of
military service which We're closed to
colored men. One of the brightest
chapters in the whole history OF the
war is the Negroes eager acceptance of
the draft and his splendid willingness
TO fight His only resentment was due
70 the limited extent to which he was
allowed to join and participate in COM
batant or Fighting" units. The num-