Twin-City herald. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1927-1940, 1934-09-08
HOUSTON, GEN. MACARTHUR
CLASH ON ARMY jim CROW

II. Houston Of Howard University
Law School and the legal committee
Of the National Association for the
Advancement Of Colored People took
sharp issue this week with the reply
by Gen. Douglas Macarthur, Chief
Of Staff Of the U. s. Army, to an
earlier letter charging gross discrim-
nation against Negroes in the mill
tAry service.
Replying TO Mr.. Houston's letter
Of Aug. Q, General Macarthur de-
MED the existence Of color prejudice
In euiistments or In the training Of
Negro reserve officers and colored
regiments.
"The four Negro regiments are
distinctly combat regiments" he in
sisted, "and receive combat training
in like manner as white regiments.
All regiments, colored and white, due
to lack Of appropriations, are COM
PEELED from time to time to perform
duties nominally falling to service
battalions. The records Of the War
department indicate that there is only
an infinitesmal percentage of colored
applicants for training in newer
arms"
Army Consistently Discriminates
In an answering letter dated Aug.
20, Dean Houston charges that "the
Army has consistently Disseminated,
and is even now discriminating,
against Negro officers and troops"
-. owe notice that all our officers,
from Colonel Young down to date,
seem to get shunted away from the
regiments into detached service.
Colonel Young was kept from over
seas and combat duty because the
War department was unwilling to
have Negro general in the service.
j. . The morale of the 92nd Division
was shot to pieces because the Negro
officers and men felt there was a de-
termined policy to discriminate
against them and keep them from
promotion, regardless of what their
records might be. If consistent with
War department policy, Negroes
like to know why Negro officers are
so continuously kept from active
service with troops"
Turning to the status of the four
Negro regiments, he insists that "ser-
vice work is their primary occupation
except for the 25th Infantry" and
that "75 per cent Of the Negro COM
bat troops are actually doing service
battalion duty as their primary func-
ton, which is a greater percentage
than can be found among the regu-
lar infantry and cavalry as whole"
In proof of his contention, the
former army officer cites the fact
that the Gath Infantry stationed at
Fl. Benning, Ga, the 9th Cavalry
stationed at Fl. Riley, Kan, and the
10th Cavalry which is divided be-
tween Fl. Leavenworth, Kan, West
Point, N. Y, and Fl. Myer, Va, all
perform a minimum of drill but are
largely used as service battalions and
on police and escort duty, and that
none of these troops take part in
maneuvers except as orderlies. Only
the 25th Infantry, stationed at Fl.
Huachuca, Arizona, functions nor
mally as combat regiment on gar
rison duty"
No Promotion for Non.Coms
Dean Houston further charges that
''The recent non promotion policy
of the War department operated dis
tinctly to the prejudice of Negro
troops. In order to fill up the
compliment of troops in the newer
arms within the limitations of the
appropriations, the War department
until recently had a policy whereby
in case of vacancy among the non
commissioned officers in the older
line regiments the vacancy would not
be filed, but corresponding posi-
ton would be created in one Of the
newer arms of the service and the
pay from the old office transferred
to the new. There would be no OBJ
lection to this policy if Negro sold
iers were permitted to qualify for the
arms of the service. But they are
not. The result was to deprive Ne
gro soldiers in the four regular army
regiments of all chance Of promotion