History of the American Negro in the Great World War / His Splendid Record in the Battle Zones of Europe; Including a Resume of His Past Services to his Country in the Wars of the Revolution, of 1812, the War of Rebellion, the Indian Wars on the Frontier, the Spanish-American War, and the Late Imbroglio With Mexico

by William Allison Sweeney

The following descriptions from Oklahoma and Arkansas boards are typical, the first serving to perpetuate one of the best epigrams of the war:

"We tried to treat the Negroes with exactly the same consideration shown the whites. We had the same speakers to 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 whites. One of them when asked if he were going to France, replied: 'No, sir; I'm not going "to France". I am going "through France".'"
"In dealing with the Negroes," the Arkansas board report says, "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 landlord, often himself an aristocratic slacker, in order to retain the man's labor."

Many influences were brought to bear upon the Negro to cause him to evade his duty to the government. Some effort in certain sections of the country was made to induce them not to register. That the attempt to spread German propaganda among them was a miserable failure may be seen from the statement of the Chief of the Bureau of Investigation of the Department of Justice, made to the United States Senate committee:

"The Negroes didn't take to these stories, however, as they were too loyal. Money spent in the south for propaganda was thrown away."

Then too, these evil influences were more than offset by the various publicity and "promotion of morale" measures carried on through the office of the special assistant to the Secretary of War, the Hon. Emmet J. Scott, and his assistants. Correspondence was kept up with influential Negroes all over the country. Letters, circulars and news items for the purpose of effecting and encouraging continued loyalty of Negro citizens, were regularly issued to the various papers comprising both the white and Negro press. A special committee of 100 colored speakers was appointed to deliver public patriotic addresses all over the country, under the auspices of the Committee on Public Information, stating the war aims of the government and seeking to keep unbroken the spirit of loyalty of Negro American citizens. A special conference of Negro editors was summoned to Washington in June, 1918 by the same committee in order to gather and disseminate the thought and public opinion of the various leaders of the Negro race. Such was only a part of the work of the department of the special assistant to the Secretary of War in marshalling the man power of the nation.

NEGRO TROOPS OF U.S. ARMY RECEIVING HOLY BAPTISM WHILE IN TRAINING FOR OVERSEAS DUTY AT NORCROSS RIFLE RANGE. CAMP CORDON, GA.

It is only fair to quote the opinion and appreciation of this representative of the Negro race of the selective service administration, especially as it affected the Negro and in reference to occasional complaints received. The extract is from a memorandum addressed to the office of the Provost Marshal General on September 12, 1918 and is copied from the report of that official to the Secretary of War:

"Throughout my tenure here I have keenly appreciated the prompt and cordial cooperation of the Provost Marshall General's office with that particular section of the office of the Secretary of War especially referred to herein. The Provost Marshall General's office has carefully investigated and has furnished full and complete reports in each and every complaint or case referred to it for attention, involving discrimination, race prejudice, erroneous classification of draftees, etc., and has rectified these complaints whenever it was found upon investigation that there was just ground for same. Especially in the matter of applying and carrying out the selective service regulations, the Provost Marshall General's office has kept a watchful eye upon certain local exemption boards which seemed disinclined to treat the Negro draftees on the same basis as other Americans subject to the draft law. It is an actual fact that in a number of instances where flagrant violations have occurred in the application of the draft law, to Negro men in certain sections of the country, local exemption boards have been removed bodily and new boards have been appointed to supplant them. In several instances these new boards so appointed have been ordered by the Provost Marshall General to reclassify colored men who had been unlawfully conscripted into the army or who had been wrongfully classified; as a result of this action hundreds of colored men have had their complaints remedied and have been properly reclassified."

It is also valuable to note the opinion of this representative of his race as to the results of the negroes' participation in the war:

"In a word, I believe the Negro's participation in the war, his eagerness to serve, and his great courage and demonstrated valor across the seas, have given him a new idea of Americanism and likewise have given to the white people of our country a new idea of his citizenship, his real character and capabilities, and his 100 per cent Americanism. Incidentally the Negro has been helped in many ways physically and mentally and has been made into an even more satisfactory asset to the nation."