hington 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.

[Illustration: 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