t
LIFTING—
The Monitor
NEBRASKA’S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF COLORED AMERICANS
THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor.
GROWING —
THANK YOU
$2.00 a , ^—5 Cents a Copy Omaha, Nebraska, Friday, May 11, 1928 Vol. XIII—No. 45 Whole Number 666
- O --—— — . .. -————
Negro Race Health Shows Improvement
N.A.A.C.P. OFFICIAL
ORGANIZES WOMAN’S
OMAHA AUXILIARY
Robert W. B.gn.ll, Branch Director,
Vt.it. Local Branch and Stimu
late. Intere.t in Militant
Organization
‘TRIP TO CALIFORNIA CONTEST'
Opportunity Offered for Attending
National Aa.ociation Meeting
and Vi.iting Pacific
Coaat
Robert W. Bagnall of New York,
director of branches of the National
Association for the Advancement of
Colored People, arrived' in Omaha,
Monday afternoon and remained here
□ ntil Wednesday night in the interest
of the orf.’anization.
Tuesday night he held a helpful
conference with the executive com
mittee of the local branch at St. Ben
edict’s Community House, giving
many excellent suggestions for the
development of the work locally bas
ed upon the experience of similar
communities.
Wednesday afternoon he held a
conference with a number of women
at the Lewis mortuary, the chapel of
which is available for public meet
ings, at which time a Woman’s Aux
iliary to the N. A. A. C. P. was or
ganized with the following temporary
officers: Mrs. Herbert Wiggins,
chairman; Mrs. J. H. Hutten, secre
tary; Mrs. Joseph D. Lewis, treasurer j
Miss Ruth Seay, Mrs. W. J. Johnson,
and Mrs. William Johnson, members
of the executive committee, this num
ber to be increased to five. The
auxiliary has undertaken as its first
work the conducting of a “Trip to
California Contest” in which any one,
man or woman, may enter. The con
test is to begin May 20th and end
June 20th. The first prize is a trip
to the N. A. A. C. P. conference at
Los Angeles, June 27 to July 3, all
expenses paid. The second prize will
be a round trip ticket to Los Angeles.
Already two entrants are in the con
test, Mrs. J. D. Lewis and Mrs. Minnie
Dixon. The contest will not start,
however, until May 20, when coupon
books for votes will be given out and
all entrants will have an even start.
The next meeting of the auxiliary will
be held next Tuesday afternoon at 3
o’clock at the North Side Branch of
the Young Women’s Christian associ- j
ation.
Wednesday night Father Bagnall
spoke at a mass meeting in Pilgrim
Baptist church, and while the attend
ance was far below what it ought to
have been, the speaker brought a
thrilling and inspiring message of the
work being done by this great out
standing organization battling for the
rights of Negro Americans and made
an eloquent plea for a larger meas- i
ure of support in finance and mem-1
bership.
The meeting was called order by!
the secretary of the local branch,]
Rev. Russel Taylor, who presented i
the president, Milton L. Hunter, who]
presided. “America” was sung by
the audience. The invocation was j
by the Rev. A. F. Martin, pastor of
Pilgrim Baptist church. Father John |
Albert Williams introduced thel
speaker. Following the address, the
Rev. P. M. Harris, a member of the
executive committee, made an appeal
for members.
Father Bagnall stressed among
other things racial unity, organized
action and the use of the ballot.
Speaking on the latter point, he urged
the wisdom of voting for men and
measures rather than blindly for
party nominees. The work of the
N. A. A. C. P., is educational; to edu
cate men and women out of racial,
religious and class prejudice, since
prejudice is not innate but taught.
Various agencies are used in this edu
cational program, lectures, addresses,
conferences, forums, and the press.
It is also legal: to fight for constitu
tional rights in the courts. The as
sociation has on its national legal
staff fifteen of the ablest and most
outstanding lawyers in the nation
among these such men as Morefield |
Storey, the national president; Louis
I
Marshall, A. P. Spingarn and Clar-!
ence Darrow, supplemented by strung
legal talent in various local communi- j
ties. The membership of the associ
ation, colored and white, is 175,000»
but it ought to be 1,000,000. It is
contending for true democracy in
America, the elimination of prejudice
and hatred and the bringing in of
justice for all American citizens. Its
program is one that all American citi
zens of vision can most heartily en
dorse, it is a cause in which all Amer
ican citizens should unite. Every
Negro American who has at heart the
interest of his children in the future
ought to be a member of the National
Association for the Advancement of
Colored People. Memberships run
from $1.00 a year upward to life
memberships of $500.
Father Bagnall left for Colorado
Springs following the address.
A REAL SURPRISE PARTY
Mrs. Walter W. Craig and mem
bers of the Carter Benevolent club,
sponsored a very delightful surprise
party in honor of Mr. Joseph Taylor’s
birthday anniversary Monday night.
One group met at the home of Mrs.
Craig and the other group at the
home of the president of the club,
Mrs. Ardena Watson, 2718 North
Twenty-eighth avenue. The two
groups met at Twenty-eighth avenue
and Miami street and proceeded to
the Taylor residence, 2859 Miami,
bearing many gifts. A delightful
evening was spent by all, after which
they left, wishing Mr. Taylor many
happy returns of the day.
- I
INNOCENT NEGRO LYNCHED
IN CLARKSDALE, MISS.
Another Moat Pay With HU Life for
Murder a* Result of Action
of Supreme Court in
Slaying
Jackson, Miss.—In 1925 a Negro
was lynched in Clarksdale for a crime
which he did not commit. And now
another Negro is to be executed for
the same crime for which the victim
of the mob died, as the result of the
action of the supreme court in af
firming the case of the state against
John Fisher, charged with the slaying
of Grover C. Nicholas, white planter
of Coahoma county, Mississippi.
Lindsay Coleman, who was tried
and acquitted at Clarksdale for this
murder was lynched by a mob as be
was leaving the courthouse with his
attorney.
"
OTHER CENTRAL HIGH
SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE
AWARDED HONORS
Three colored students of Central
High school were awarded honors this
week. They are Miss Ollie Mattison,
of whose scholastic standing The
Monitor spoke a few weeks ago; Carl
ton Goodlett, son of Mr. and Mrs.
A. R. Goodlett, 2815 Binney street,
and Ralph Adams. Ollie Mattison
has been elected to the sophomore
honor society and Carlton Goodlett,1
to the freshman honor society. Ralph
Adams, who was one of the two
chosen from Central to compete in
the state scholastic contest in Span
ish at Lincoln last week, won third
place in the contest.
The Monitor is pleased to extend :
congratulations.
LOCAL PASTOR LEAVES FOR
GENERAL CONFERENCE
Rev. John H. Grant, D. D., pastor
of St. John’s A. M. E. church, a dele
gate to the Methodist general confer
ence, left Sunday night for Chicago,
where the conference convened Mon
day, for a month’s session. The con
ference has a membership of nearly
1,100 ministerial and lay. Many
important questions, including sug
gested reforms, are to be discussed
by the conference, bishops and gen
eral officers are to be elected. From
pre-conference rumors and forecasts
it is believed that a once popular song j
will not be out of place in the song
services of the distinguished and im
p o r t a n t ecclesiastical assembly,
“There’ll Be a Hot Time in the Old
Town Tonight.”
“Mother of Mine!”
So brave she was and good
la worth of womanhood
So like the snow—
She. smiting, gave her IHe
To blend the name at wife
With Mother—So.
Alan R^eHAti
God sees in her a worth
Too great for this dull earth
And beckoning, stands
At Heaven’s open gate
Where all HI* Angels wait
With welcoming hands.
—James Whitcomb Riley.
EDITORIAL
HAS VANN BECOME A WEATHER VANE?
Why has Vann of The Pittsburgh Courier about faced on
the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters’ just demand for a
living wage and better working hours? Where does he get
his information that if Randolph will eliminate himself from
the fight which he has so intelligently waged the Pullman
company will be willing to treat with the brotherhood? Why
is he so oracular in his declaration that the porters will never
win with Randolph in the forefront because the powerful Pull
man company will never consent to negotiate with a socialist
which Randolph is and has a perfect right to be? What under
high heaven has Randolph’s political views to do with the jus
tice of the Pullman porters’ plea for improvement of their
status? Are they right or wrong? Are they making a just
demand? That is the whole question.
Hitherto the Pittsburgh Courier has claimed that the broth
erhood is right and has ardently supported its intrepid leader.
Its somersault into the outstretched arms of the Pullman com
pany and invitation to Randolph to withdraw looks just a little
suspicious. What is in the offing, Vann? Have you political
ambitions to be Matthew’s successor, which you believe this
sudden conversion will promote? “Speak up, honey, 'spress yo’
sef.” What is it, dear Willie? Have you decided to change
the last consonant of your significant name into a vowel, “N”
to “E”? When we see your initials, “W. V.” hereafter are they
to suggest With the Van, in the forefront of the fight for right
or Weather Vane? Vann or Vane, which henceforth will be
your name?
What of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters?
By Robert W. Bagnall
Director of Branches, N. A. A. C. P.
The movement towards the organi
zation of the Brotherhood of Sleep
ing Car Porters is one of tremendous
importance to Negro labor through
out America. If it succeeds it will
cause Negro labor to be encouraged
to organize all along the line. The
organization of ten thousand porters
also will convince white labor that
the Negro is fully capable of mobili
zation and should be freely accepted
into the ranks of organized labor.
The failure of the movement on
the other hand will discourage Ne
groes in all other lines from attempt
ing to organize unions and will dis
count the Negro in the eyes of white
labor.
The Need
No one who knows anything about
the pitiable wage and the unfair
working conditions of the porters will
deny that such an organization is
needed. It is not, as some suppose,
an organization to do away with tips
but an organization to do away with
tips counting for wages. Dead head
ing, long runs with insufficient sleep,
working without pay for hours be
fore his train leaves, buying his own
polish and brushes, helplessness when
charged unfairly, favoritism — these
and other evils the porter suffers.
Company unions offer no redress,
because owned and directed by the
company they work for the interests
of the company. A union of the
men, owned and directed by them is
the only remedy. Collective bargain
ing instead of individual agreement,
is a necessity if the porters are to be
assured of fair treatment.
Its Leadership
The porters in their movement are
being splendidly led. A. Philip Rand
olph, their general organizer, is one
of the best economists in the race and
knows more about the labor question
than any other Negro in America. He
is peerless in the presentation of his
topic, absolutely incorruptible and
thoroughly unselfish. He is fearless
and cannot be discouraged.
It was left to him to set his salary
|and he named $150 per month—an
j amount below living wages in New
| York City, for a man who has to keep
j up to the standards of a cultured
j group. If it were not for the assis
(Continued on Page Four)
ENTERTAIN AT DANCING PARTY
The Misses Florence and Hazel
Myers, Mabel Anderson and Helen
Hunnigan entertained at a delightful
dancing party Friday evening, May
4, at the Royal Duke club rooms, in
honor of Miss Margaret Dallas, who
recently was elected to the National
Honor society at Central High
school. The rooms were decorated
with Central’s colors, purple and
white. Music was furnished by Mrs.
Gaskin and a few of Simon Harold’s
Melody Boys. Special selections of
dancing and singing were featured by
Mr. Sam Brown and Mr. O. C. Winn.
YOUTH TAKEN AWAY
FROM WAITING MOB
Prompt Response of West Virginia
Troops Saves Neck of Alleged
Attacker of White
Girl
Charleston, W. Va.—The prompt
response to an emergency call by na
tional guardsmen is believed to have
been all that prevented the lynching
of Henry Grogan, 18 years old. The
troops were called after a mob of
more than 300 infuriated whites had
gathered about the Raleigh county
jail at Beckley, where Grogan was
being held in connection with an at
tack upon a white girl.
The crowd milled about the jail
i throughout the night and was pre
paring to rush the building when the
troops arrived. Grogan was imme
diately removed from the jail here.
Although the youth strongly denied
the accusation made against him, his
life was in great danger.
—
NEGRO RACE MOST FERTILE
OF ALL IN U. S.—DR. DUBLIN
New York City—“Of all the native
stocks of America, it is and has al
ways been the most prolific,” de
clares Dr. Louis I. Dublin of the Ne
gro, in a new book, Health and
Wealth, a copy of which has been
sent to the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored People,
69 Fifth avenue, by the publishers,
Harper & Brothers. Dr. Dublin con
tinues :
“The doleful prophecies of those
who saw the race problem solved
through his (the Negro’s) extinction,
have been absolutely discredited by
recent events. . . . The recent
gains in the average length of life
are entirely commensurate with those
of the white population. This fact
alone holds out the greatest prom
ise for the future of the Negro in
America.”
Dr. Dublin reports a sharp decline
in the incidence of tuberculosis
among the Negroes and says:
“The colored people have, as a
race, good physiques and they are
learning all the time to take better
care of themselves in relation to their
change of environment. In their na
tive habitat, tuberculosis was either
unknown or only slightly prevalent.
There is no reason, therefore, why
they should not ultimately have as
low a tuberculosis death rate as any
group of the American population in
similar economic circumstances.”
On the other hand Dr. Dublin is
sues a warning against the high death
rate from syphillis and degenerative
diseases of syphyllitic origin, such as
locomotor ataxia and general paral
ysis. “From every angle,” he writes,
“these venereal diseases appear to be
the most important single obstacle in
the health progress of the race.”
According to scientific research,
Dr. Dublin reports, the Negro who
now numbers about 10 per cent of
the population of the United States,
will not change his relative status
in any marked degree. “He is here
for good, and the years to come will
probably see him playing an increas
ingly important and worthy part in
the affairs of the country. His
achievement in America will be ulti
mately recognized not only as the
greatest experiment in racial adjust
ments ever undertaken by man, but
as the most encouraging and gratify
ing episode in our national life.”
Dr. Dublin is statistician of the
Metropolitan Life Insurance company
of New York,
NEGRO VOTERS WIN
NEW VICTORIES IN
THE SOUTHLAND
“Lily White*” Are Badly Defeated in
Mississippi and Louisiana and
Court Injunctions Are
Denied
TRIUMPHS ARE SIGNIFICANT
Birmingham, Ala.—Colored voters
during the week have won significant
victories in southern states where ef
forts were made by “lily whites” to
exclude colored representatives from
the republican party. In Louisiana
the injunction against the Cohen fac
tion and in Mississippi two colored
persons were elected delegates-at
large to the G. O. P. national con
vention.
Jackson, Miss.—Two of the dele
gates-at-large from the state elected
recently at a state convention of in
dependent republicans are colored cit
izens. Their election created a furor
among the “lily whites,” white dele
gates from Leflore county withdrew
on the grounds that they were “led
to believe the leaders would all be
white. The colored delegates-at
large are D. W. Sherrod, Meridian,
and R. L. Johnson, Jackson.
Two groups, the independents and
the Perry W. Howard’s are slated to
represent the state at the national
convention and a contest over the
seating is in prospect. The Howard
group was instructed to vote for re
election of Howard as national com
mitteeman and Mrs. Mary C. Bobze,
Mound Bayon, as national commit
teewoman.
New Orleans, La.—The “lily white”
republicans lost in their efforts to
obtain an injunction restraining Wal
ter L. Cohen, comptroller of customs,
or his followers, from being active as
representatives of the G. O. P. party
in this state in civil district court here
recently. M. E. Norman, chairman
of the republican committee, who in
stituted the suit, announced he would
appeal to the supreme court.
MOTHER-DAUGHTER BANQUET
AT NORTH SIDE BRANCH
The Girl Reserves, under the lead
ership and management of Mrs. Craig
Morris, held a very delightful mother
and daughter entertainment at the
North Side Branch, Young Women’s
Christian association, Tuesday even
ing, May 8. The tables were ar
ranged to form a triangle and the
decorations were blue and white.
Miss Josephine Martin was toast
mistress. The following program was
given:
Opening song, “Mother,” audience;
Doxology, audience; Song, audience;
Reading, Viola Brooks of the Blue
Ribbon club; Vocal solo, “Mother,”
June Artison of the Blue Ribbon
club; Paper, “The Influence of the
Home,” Mrs. L. M. Brewer; Piano
solo, Christine Dixon of the Up-to
Date club; Paper, “My Duty to My
Mother,” Ollie Mattison of the Ath
letic club; Vocal duet, Josephine Mar
tin and Ollie Mattison; Remarks, Mrs.
Walter W. Craig, Mrs. Craig Morris,
Girl Reserve chairman, and Mrs.
John Albert Williams.
Songs were interspersed during
the evening. Mrs. Morris was assist
ed by Miss Collins, acting branch sec
retary, the Misses Alice Hunter, Jo
sephine Martin, and Ollie Mattison.
GOES TO CHICAGO
STUDY VOICE AND ART
Miss Cuma Watson, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Burrell Watson, 2925
Grant street, who is quite talented in
music and a former pupil of Mrs,
Florentine F. Pinkston, left Sunday
night for Chicago to take a course in
voice and art.
PHYSICIAN MOVES RESIDENCE
Dr. Herbert Wiggins and family
have moved from 2833 Franklin
street, where they have resided since
coming to Omaha some years ago, to
2815 Caldwell street, _,m