on who has either to give.

Approximately ten percent of our present population is colored. Every
man, woman and child of this ten percent should be given the opportunity
to utilize whatever ability he has in the struggle for the maintenance
of world leadership which we now face. Just insofar as we refuse to give
this part of our population an opportunity to lend its strength to
helping us set a pace for the rest of the world, as best it can, so do
we weaken the total strength of our nation. In other words, we can
either give our colored population the right and the opportunity to do
the best work of which it is capable and increase our efficiency, or we
can deny them their rights and opportunities, as we have done in many
instances, and decrease our efficiency proportionately.

Of course, the question naturally arises as to how efficient the
colored man and the colored woman are when given the opportunity to
demonstrate their ability. No better answer can be found than that given
by the splendid work of the majority of our colored people during the
war. On the firing line, in the camps behind the line, and in civil life
our colored population has done well indeed. Four hundred thousand
Negroes offered their lives for their country. Many more made noble
sacrifices in civilian life.

It was my privilege not only to observe the work done in civil life by
colored persons in this country during the war, but to visit colored
troops in France during hostilities.

There is no question that the Negro has given a splendid account of
himself both as an exceptionally fearless fighting man and as a member
of non-combatant troops. I made diligent effort to ascertain the manner
in which the Negro troops conducted themselves behind the lines. It is
much easier for a man to become lax in his conduct there than in actual
fighting. Without exception every officer I questioned stated he could
not ask for more obedient, willing, harder working or more patriotic
troops than the Negro regiments had proven themselves to be. Every
account I have read regarding the engagement of colored men in fighting
units and every case in which I had the opportunity to inquire
personally regarding the bravery of colored troops has led me to believe
our colored men were as good soldiers as could be found in either our
own army or the armies of our allies, regardless of color.

One needs only to scan the records of the War Department and the
official rep