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THE MONIT OR
1 > A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED PRIMARILY TO THE INTERESTS
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I ’ PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY AT OMAHA, NEBRASKA, BY THE * ’
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’ Entered u Second-Clam Mail Matter, July 2, 1*15 at the Poatoffice at Omaha,
( ( Nebraska, under the Act of March 8, 1879._, ,
• ’ THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS.....— Editor < >
‘ ’ W. W. MOSLEY, Lincoln. Neb. ... Associate Editor ’ *
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NO JIM CROWING, PLEASE
It has been reported to us
that the new Orpheum theatre
has magnanimously set apart a
separate section for colored
people.
We would respectfully call
the attention of the manage
ment of the Orpheum theatre
to the fact that this solicitude
upon their part for the accom
modation of their colored pa
trons is entirely unnecessary.
Not only is it unnecessary, bat
it is UNLAWFUL. It is in di
rect violation of Nebraska’s
Civil Rights Bill which express
ly provides that “all persons
within this state shall be en
titled to a full and equal enjoy
ment of the accommodations,
advantages, facilities and priv
ileges of THEATRES
and other places of amuse
ment; subject only to the con
ditions and limitations estab
lished by law and applicable
alike to every person.” Fur
thermore, this statute provides
a penalty for violation of this
law.
It must be apparent to all
that if theatres and places of
amusement can provide sepa
rate places for colored people,
“public conveyances,” and oth
er places of public accommoda
tion, named in this statute, can
do the same thing. This prin
ciple, once submitted to, how
long will it be before the ad
vent of jim crow cars, and oth
er like abominations?
Our advice to the manage
ment of the Orpheum and any
other theatres that are trying
to introduce and maintain jim
crow provisions for the humili
ation and embarrassment of re
spectable and law-abiding col
ored citizens, is to abandon
such efforts and cease violating
the law of Nebraska, and to
treat all patrons as the law pro
vides. There will be no trouble
or loss of patronage. This pol
icy will avoid trouble, while
that of segregating or attempt
ing to segregate will invite and
provoke trouble.
Our advice t-o our own peo
ple who are theatre patrons is
this: Do not submit to any
policy of segregation. Do not
accept the principle of a “sepa
rate place for colored people.”
Always be well-behaved, con
ducting yourselves as people of
good breeding and trailing
should. Do not permit your
selves to be betrayed into los
ing your temper or to becoming
loud and boisterous. If ”ou
are refused the “equal privi
leges clearly vOnteinpiaU.u m
the Civil Rights statute, bring
suit. In your suit you will have
the backing of the National As
sociation for the Advancement
of Colored People, of the Citi
zens’ Committee ana like or
ganizations.
This jim crowing evil is go
ing too far and now is the time
to check it. If Nebraska’s Civil
Rights Bill is a mere scrap of
paper, the sooner that fact is
known, the better. If it be the
law of this state, as we contend
it is, then those who violate it
should be made to pay the pen
alt”.
It may be well to point out
that it has been held, we be
lieve invalidly, that this law
applies only to c tizens of this
state. Be sure then that you
are a citizen of this state, if it
becomes necessary at any time
to bring suit. Play safe. Let
there be no loophole or techni
cality which may weaken your
case.
We hope the theatre mana
gers of this city will not make
it necessary for any of our citi
zens to resort to law. We be
lieve that every effort should
be made to promote amity and
good will among all our citi
zens with all co-operating in
making Omaha a well govern
ed, liberal minded, progressive
going city, of which all can be
justly proud. There should be
no backward or reactionary
move, such as the policy we op
pose is, in pleasant race rela
tions. We hope that theatre
managers will recognize the
wisdom of this.
If, however, we are forced
to go to the courts for the pro
tection of our civil rights there
must be no hesitancy in doing
it. Self-respecting colored peo
ple, knowing their rights, can
not be expected to tamely sub
mit to embarrassment, humilia
tion, discrimination and viola
tion of those rights without
lawful protest. They who will
not contend for their rights are
not worthy of them and will
eventually lose them.
Negro citizens of Omaha
have too much aelf-respect and
manhood to tamely submit to
jim crowing which is in direct
violation of the laws of Ne
braska.
RACES
Jim Crow, Jr.
TIME, a widely circulated weekly
news magazine in its issue of Octo
ber 10, contains the following sug
gestive and thought compelling arti
cle on the recent Gary school case,
in which a pusillanimous school board
and city council supinely surrender
ed to the demands of striking school
children who insisted that Negro chil
dren be excluded from the Emerson
public school.—The Editor.
Youth is brave, but youth is cruel.
Last week, two dozen young Negroes j
of Gary, Indiana, were mortified by !
j 1,357 young whites of Gary, probab
; ly more painfully than any adult
Negro ever lynched by rabid adult
whites.
The thing began when the pupils
I of Emerson High school returned to
'their classes and found the 24 Ne
groes enrolled in their midst. Emer
son High school is in the “nice" resi
dential section of Gary. It has never
| before had more than four or five
Negro pupils. But during the sum
mer, Gary’s school districts were re
defined. Because they lived where
I they did, the 24 Negroes were en
titled by law to attend Emerson High j
school.
Law or no law, the Emerson pu-1
pils whispered, gestured, glowered at i
the dusky newcomers. They told i
their parents, who protested to Supt. <
William A. Wirt and Principal A. E. |
Spaulding, who said nothing could be ,
done. "Segregation, is impossible be- j
cause of economic reasons," said Mr. j
Wirt as tactfully as possible.
Winfield Eschelman of the Emer
son senior class, glib talker, good j
swimmer, got together with Jack
Keener, sleek cheerleader, and Sam
Chase, smart debater, and some of
the athletically “big men” of Emer
son, to talk things over. Result: on
Monday morning, instead of attend
ing classes, some 800 Emersonians
in floppy trousers, sporty sweaters,
trim skirts and fetching blouses,
went shouting and laughing through
Gary’s business section. Police dis
banded them for “obstructing traf
fic” but many of them later stood j
around outside Emerson High school, !
hissing, gibing, cat-calling at non
striking students when school let out.
Policemen saw to it that the 24 Ne
groes went home unmolested.
Next day the “nice” residential
part of Gary was littered and scrawl
ed with placards and signs: “WE
WON’T GO BACK UNTIL EMER
SON IS WHITE.NO
NIGGERS FOR EMERSON. . . .
EMERSON IS A WHITE MAN’S
SCHOOL,” etc.
The strikers’ ranks swelled to 900
that day. Then, emboldened by their
elders’ actions or kept at home by
nervous parents, Emerson’s seventh
and eighth grades walked out, mak
ing a total of 1,367 strikers. Police
broke up attempted Negro mass meet- |
ings. The school authorities threat- j
ened the strikers in vain.
Led by talkative Winfield Eschel- j
man, the strikers formulated their
demands at a mass meeting which
the school officials attended: 1.
Let all Negroes be segregated in j
corners of Emerson classrooms and
in the school cafeteria. 2. Let no j
disciplinary reprisals be made upon
the strikers when they should re
turn. 3. Let the strikers not have
to “make up” school work missed
during the strike. 4. Let the Emer
son Negroes be transferred to other
schools as soon as possible. 5. Let
an all-Negro high school be built in
Gary as soon as possible.
The school authorities were help
less. President Ralph Snyder of the j
Board of Safety, representing Mayor ■
Floyd E. Williams, arbitrated the sit
uation and the strikers won all their
demands. Magnanimous, W’infield
Eschelman and friends permitted
three Negro seniors to finish out the
year at Emerson because they had
been there all along, but the rest were
transferred temporarily to an all
Negro junior high school elsewhere
in town. The strikers returned to
school.
The issue then shifted to the City
Council, a special sitting of which
was called to hurry through a $15,000
temporary all-Negro high school. The
galleries were packed with "race peo
ple” who came to hear their view
point at last expressed without hin
drance, by three Negro Councilmen.
The Council has 15 members, and in
the absence of three white members,
the three Negroes were sufficient to
block the passage of the $15,000 tem
porary appropriation, which required
a two-thirds council vote.
Negro Alderman A. B. Whitlock
did not insinuate that Ku Klux Klan
ism lay behind the Emerson strike.
Instead, he firmly said: “This ap
propriation is a useless expenditure
of the taxpayers’ money. We have
plenty of room now for all the school
children of Gary. This money would
not equip a shack, and the site you
propose is in a wilderness. There are
no streets, no sewers, no facilities
there at all.”
White Alderman Merritt Martin
dale, senior Councilman, interrupted
Mr. Whitlock. "Now, Bill.” he said.
“I hope you are not going to take a
wrong view of us whites. The dif
ference is there and it does no good
to try to hide it.”
“My people are taxpayers,” pro
tested Colored Alderman William
Burrus. “They have a right to as
good an education as anyone. You
are setting an awful example by
yielding to these striking students.
“These young people are taking the
law into their own hands.”
The whites promised that a $60,000
permanent high school would be built
for Negroes as soon as possible. A
Negro replied: “Even if you offer
ed us a million-dollar school we would
not take it. We’re fighting for the
principle of the thing.”
Numbers won. When the three ab
sent white members were obtained
for another council meeting, the two
thirds vote went through. Gary is to
have $15,000 temporary quarters for
the Emerson High Negroes. More
suitable, permanent all-Negro quar
ters will probably be furnished in
time.
Pondering this outcome, students
of U. S. race problems reflected that
95 per cent of all U. S. Negroes are
descended from slave stock, some of
whiih has been in the U. S. even long
er than genuine Mayflower stock.
They also reflected that, whereas
U. S. Negroes form 14 per cent of
Gary’s population, U. S. whites form
36 per cent, foreign born whites form
50 per cent. Thus a large majority
of Winfield Eschelman and friends
were—if representative of Gary’s
population—descended 14 per cent
from Slavs, 10 per cent from Poles,
four per cent from Hungarians,
three per cent from Austrians, three
per cent from. Croats, three per cent
from Italians, two per cent from Ger
mans, one per cent from Greeks, one
per cent from Mexicans, eight per
cent from miscellaneous white races,
one per cent from races of other col
ors.—Time, October 10, 1927.
I GOLDEN RULE f
GROCERY |
Specializes in A j
Good Meat ’$
You are particular what you £ j
buy; we are particular what y
we sell. Y I
2120 North 24th St. f
Webster 4198 £
FREE DELIVERY %
(Until 10:00 p. m. Saturday*) A
_
LINCOLN MARKET
is still drawing crowds. There is a
reason. Groceries and meats which
please.
1406 No. 24th. Web. 1411
* *
❖ 41
* EPISCOPAL 4!
t Church of St. Philip the Deacon %
|X 21st near Paul X
♦ V i
';♦> A
*♦. Rev. John Albert Williams, Rector a
4 ❖
$ SUNDAY SERVICES %
* 7:30 a. m. EEdv Communion *>j
4 10 a. m. Sunday School 4
£ 11 a. m. Sung Eucharist With Sermon £
*:* 8 p. m. Service and Sermon V
$ The Church With a Welcome §
| and a Message, Come *
t* *i«
4 4
v 4
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! ROSS DRUG STORE :|
Phones WEbster 2770 end WEbster 2771
Full Line of ::
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Best Sodas and Ice Cream
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PRESCRIPTIONS
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If from all adulterations as far as the most reliable
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fl him phone them to WEbster 2000. |
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Petersen Bakeries
24th and Lake—24th and Ames—1806 Farnam
; BREAD FRESH TWICE DAILY
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