The Dayton forum. [volume] (Dayton, Ohio) 1913-1949, 1919-05-16
che,r al Staff Revokes Finding OF.
Army Board Which Declared Ne
groes disqualified for Officers
ai.i Lenders Of Men Record
III All Wars show Race is
MOI Deficient in Moral
Fiber.
Especial to The Farnnll

Especial to The Farnm)
Washington, p. C., May Letters
hsve been forwarded to the War De-
pastment BY Bishop Charles Spencer
Smith as chairman CT the Commission
On / fter-War Problems, Of the A. Nj.
Il. Church, w. T. Andrews, editor Of
The Daily Herald, Baltimore, Md, and
others Of like prominence in public
affairs, calling attention to an EN-
dorsement which had been placed on
the application filed by colored Of
ficer who had been overseas, relative
to his fitness for admission into the
Regular Army The endorsement, or
recommendation, signed by Board of
Officers, appointed to investigate the
qualifications of candidates for as
sigaments in the reorganized United
States Army, after summing up all
Citations and observations, was Ms
follows:
THAT Board recomemnds that he he
not examined. Reason: unqualified
BY reason of the qualities inherent in
the Negro race: an opinion of the
Board, based on the testimony Of five
white officers serving with the 36sth
Infantry Negroes are deficient in
moral fiber, rendering them unfit as
officers and leaders OF men,
War Record Of Negroes Refutes All.
sursi Finding Of Army BOARD
The writer's OF the communications
to the War Department, IN addition to
|eondemning the injustice to the Officer
involved made 1t quite plain that the
eolored peolpe of the country resent
most strenuously the reflection upon
the race ~ d whole In the bald declar-
Iation that I Negroes are deficient in
moral fiber, etc, and regard Ii as an
unsustained Indictment of the entire
race as a group of incon1petents and
failures. They declared the charge to
be absolutely discredited by the writ
ten record of the brilliant achieve
ilnents cf colored officers under fire
lin the fiercest offansives of the war,
| and by the published testimony Of
| General pershing, Of Colonel Hay
ward, and of a score Of French Off
GERS Of highest military standin, all
| of whom had the advantage of know
ling exactly how the colored command
ers bore themselves at crucial periods
on the field of battle. The objection
able memorandum is refuted, the writ.
ers assert, by the unbroken chain OF
lvalorous deeds and heroism of Ne
groes in all the wars Of the Republic
from Bunker Hill to CarrizaI and III
France from Verdun to the siege oi
/ Metz.
Nc Exclusion of Any officer ON Ac
count OF Color
DR.. Emmett J.. Scott, Special Assist
ant to the Secretary of War, taking
Iup the matter directly with the Wa,
Department, made this reply, upor
the authority of the officials having
| charge Of the question at issue, in /
| letter addressed to Editor Andrews
ef the Baltimore Herald:
! with reference to the marked cop,
| Of The Daily Herald, containing al
editorial, quoting an endorsement
placed upon the discharge of colore
! lieutenant who applied for retention
\ in the service, beg to say that thi
| whole matter has been before tn
! War Department, and | am please
to inform you that the Chief of Stat
! has personally directed the Command
. ing General at Camp Meade to Yeyok
, the finding; he has also directed tha
in the matter of coiored officers be
ing commissioned in the Army, ther
. lis to be no exclusion on account o
ceisr.
81 an saTe you will be pleased tina
this action has been taken by the Wa
Department, and personally shar
with you and the entire race the satis
!. faction Of feeling that the findin
quoted by you, and WHICH was place
upon the record of the colored office,
will not appear on his permanent rel
ord as filed in the War Department.,
The answer Of Dir. Scott TO the es
it9r of the baltimore Herald wi
aarye as d reply to the many inquirer
who have shown an anxiety to kno'
the status Of colored officers who d,
sire to be retained for service in I'll
j Regular Army.
: Mr.. Green, the energetic .Y." ma,
I is organizing the Sunday scho
T.sIs cya