The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1920-09-11
EMMETT J. SCOTT WAS NOT AN
ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF WAR.

EMMETT J. SCOTT WAS NOT AN
ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF WAR.
(From the Boston Guardian.)
4 The essentially jimcrow character of
the position given to Mr.. b. J. Scott
by this Wilson administration, and the
inferior rank OF the position, and it's
peculiar cats-paw nature are clearly
proven by the following letter sent by
Secretary of War Baker to Represent
ative-~Dent of Alabama. Here is the
letter: r., r.. e9..2s...~ - -, =
During the war the War Depart
ment dealt with many hundreds of
thousands of draftees and other SOL
die1s of the colored race. We were
constantly having delegations and rep
resentatiYes of colored people at the
War department upon matters con-
nected with war work, and the inter-
ests of men and women of the colored
race as affected by the war. In order
to have an intelligent comprehension
and sympathetic treatment Of these
problems, asked Emmett J. Scott Of
Tuskegee, to be special assistant to
the Secretary of War to deal With such
matters. Scott, of course, was not an
Assistant Secretary of War, but a spe-
cia1 assistant to- the Secretary of War
for the special purpose which I have
Indicated His assistance was of the
greatest yaluesto the government and
to the peoplesof the colored race.
Scott was stationed at Washing
ton throughout the war and did not
visit France at any time and was not
stationed at any camp Of the canton
ments. Dr.. Motion, principal Of Tus-
kegee, did, however, visit France at
my request and lectured and talked to
colored soldiers of the A. E. F."
It is noticeable that there is never
the prefix Mr." before the name OF
Scott. It is also clear that. Mr.. Motion
represented the government and not
the race,
A lot Of fuss was made in some OF
the papers which circulated amone
the .colored people in 1917, about the
appointment Of Emmett J.. Scott as
Assistant Secretary of War" al
though well informed people knew
that such was not the case. Accord
ing to the law, an assistant secretary
OF war is a presidential appointment
and must be confirmed by the Senate
OF the United States. President Viii
son did not appoint Mr.. Scott to any
Office and the records will show that
the United States Senate did not con
firm him in any Office.
Several of the colored editors
lunched with Mr.. Scott while in Wash
lngton, and when they returned home
they printed glowing accounts of the
visit and mentioned having lunched
with Assistant Secretary Scott of the
War Department."
| At the time that Mr.. Scott assumed
his small place, many people ex
pressed surprise that he would ACCEPT
such an appointment. Prominent bust
ness men were given appointments on
various war boards, but they were not
segregated places like the one Mr.
Scott had. Mr.. Rosenwald was on one
OF the boards, not as a Jew, but as an
American. I, Mr.. Scott was paid 81, 200
per year for his services.
Secretary of War Baker, as stated
over his own signature, did give Mr.
Scott a minor place as kind of buf
fer: Evidently this was done to pre-
vent colored delegations from reach
ing him when they came to ask for
justice for colored fighting men, who
were jimcrowed and mistreated even
at the front. According to the state
ment of Prof. Du Bots in the Crisis
and the statements Of hundreds of col
ored men who were in France, Mr.
Scott was not able to accomplish much
In their aid. Last year Du Bots and
Scott had quite scrap over the mat.
ter in the press, -" 49,