THE NEGRO AGRICULTURAL AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE
OF NORTH CAROLINA

GREENSBORO, N.C., August 6, 1917

To His Excellency,
Governor T. W. Bickett,
Raleigh, N. C.

Dear Sir:--

Although I am under instructions by the President of our Board of Trustees, Prof. M. C. S. Noble, and our Executive Committee, in reference to discussion of the Jordan letter, I am seeking your attention at this time without the opportunity of consulting with the College authorities, as I understand most of them are out of the state.

In view of the comment made by the Raleigh correspondent in yesterday’s News that I “had angered many State officials by my silence”, I hope I am not doing anything amiss by addressing you at this time.

I am very much surprised and disappointed to learn that I have enemies who are so unfair as to ignore my record and seek to put me on the defensive. As to my record, I do not think I am far from being correct when I say there is no Negro, living or dead, who has tried as I have to teach state pride and loyalty to my people. “The Old North State”, “Ho For Carolina”, “Let Me Live in Carolina”, and kindred sentiments have been taught to thousands of Negro children and teachers, by me, for the past forty years. Last spring when a sister educational institution was guying and deriding us for the enthusiasm we had worked up among our students on the subject “Military Preparation” the city press was profuse in its compliments as was also the Greensboro public. North Carolina’s quota to Fort Des Moines is 49. Of this number, not less than 9 went from this instution..

During this spring, monthly letters were sent to the patrons of this college in which they were urged to be loyal to the Government and careful in their expressions and actions. A copy enclosed will serve as an illustration.

Last Commencement, at each of our exercises, I urged that our people should be loyal, that this was no time to “air” our grievances. This was repeated in varying forms at every session of our commencement during the week, and was heard by hundreds attending the commencement exercises and doubtless read by thousands, as abridged reports were made of my talks and published throughout the country---especially in Negro papers. I am enclosing you a clipping from the Greensboro Daily News and also one from the Greensboro Daily Record, of May 28th, although copies were sent you at that time. You may also remember in connection with the German visitor here that you were kind enough both to write and express verbally to me your confidence in my loyalty.

Now, I have referred to my past record because I do not feel that anyone could charge that such record has been colored in order to exonerate me of any responsibility for the Jordan letter.

Now since the Jordan letter, at the closing of our summer school, July 27th, I urged the teachers to return to their fields of labor determined to give more valuable service than ever to their people and country; that they should impress upon the Negroes the splendid advantages the South offers for Negro labor; how this monopoly of labor is slipping away from us and the folly of allowing temporary adversities to lead us into errors of lasting results. I referred to the East St. Louis horror, while deplorable, as only an incident that will come to any people or any section; that in the economy of Providence, individuals, peoples and nations must face adversities; that we must not be depressed thereby but under all occasions should follow the examples of our fathers who from the colonial wars down to Carrizal had shown a patriotism that ever rang true and was fitly described by the famous toast of Admiral Decatur when he said “My country, may she always be right; but my country, right or wrong.”

Now, Your Excellency, in view of this record, I respectfully protest that neither I nor the College should be held responsible for the sentiments of a letter written by an employe of this college in his personal capacity even though that writer be a friend and daily associate, and especially when I had expressed to the writer my disapproval of statements therein made.

I trust you will pardon the length of this letter and give it and the enclosures your favorable consideration.

Very respectfully yours,

Jas B Dudley
President

6 encls.
JBD/CW.

Enclosures: 1917, April 7. Dudley to ________
1917, April 17. Dudley to __________
1917, May 18. Dudley to __________
1917, May 28. Newspaper clipping
1917, July 28. Newspaper clipping

Enclosed in: 1917, Aug. 6. Dudley to Martin