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About The monitor. (Omaha, Neb.) 1915-1928 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 17, 1928)
r’H3 THE MONITOR HE™ \ % ° NEBRASKA’S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF COLORED AMERICANS £ THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor. ___ o .. ... , . , — l $2.00 a Yet § i Cents a Copy Omaha, Nebraska, Friday, August 17, 1928 Vol. XIV—No. 7 Whole Number 680 HERBERT HOOVER FORMALLY TOLD OF HIS HOMIHATIOH Speech of Acceptance Stresses the Fundamental Principles of True American Democracy PLEDGES EQUAL OPPORTUNITY Admits Right of Every Individual To Attain Position In Life To Which His Ability and Character Entitle Washington, D. C. — Herbert Hoover has formally accepted the re publican nomination for president of the United States. In accepting the position of standard bearer of the republican party, he stamped himself as an exponent of the principles of Americanism, upon which this coun try was founded, which include equal ity of all men before the law, equei opportunity for all races and religi ous tolerance, and indicated to the voters of America that :f elected he would be the president of all the people and not of any particular race or group. Prefacing his acceptance remarks with a resume of the progress and prosperity which admittedly the Ne gro has enjoyed along with evorj other racial group making up the citizenry of the republic, Mr. Hoover set forth a program designed to ef fect a continuance of the advance ment which has been experienced in improved home-life, education, and industry during the past eight years. Of special interest to Negro vot l ers, who form an integral part of the V citizenry of the United States, was \ the statement of Mr. Hoover con \ cerning “Equal Opportunity.” While realizing that the Negro group shares directly and indirectly in the pros perity of the country at large, the leaders also realize that frequently the members of the race have suf fered from the lack of the opportun ity to prove their merit along with other groups. Mr. Hoover’s pledge of equal opportunity, which he de clares is the right of every American citizen, meets with their approval and is in keeping with the desires of the leaders of that group. It has been pointed out by such leaders as Dr. Robert R. Moton, Dr. Mordecai Johnson, William Pickens, John R. Hawkins and others that the Negro does not seek special favors or opportunities, but insists upon equal opportunity with other citiiens of this country to advance along all lines of endeavor and to enjoy the rights guaranteed to him by the Con stitution of the United States. Mr. Hoover has concurred in this policy and has pledged himself to do his ut most to see that Negroes are accord ed equal opportunity. In concurring wholly with the platform of the republican party, Mr. Hoover likewise showed that he con demned lynching and mob violence and pledged himself and the party as favoring the passage of a federal law to curb and abolish this practice which has been too prevalent in this country. Pertinent portions of Mr. Hoover s statement follow: “There is one of the ideals of America upon which I wish at this time to lay especial emphasis. For we should constantly test our econo mic, social and governmental system by certain ideals which must control them. The founders of our republic propounded the revolutionary doc trine that all men are created equal and all should have equality before the law. This was the emancipation of the individual. And since these beginnings, slowly, surely and almost imperceptibly this nation has added a third ideal almost unique to Amer ica—the ideal of equal opportunity. This is the safeguard of the individ ual. The simple life of early days in our republic found but few limi tations upon equal opportunity. But in the crowding of our people and the intensity and complexity of their ac tivities it takes today a new import ance. “Equality of opportunity is the right of every American—rich or poor, foreign or native-born, irre spective of faith or color. It is the right of every individual to attain that position in life to whi< h his abil ity and character ent’tie him. By its maintenance we will alone hold open the door of apiortunity to (Contnued on Page Two) STANDARD OIL ADDS ANOTHER EMPLOYEE Kansas City, Mo.—Samuel Fore man has been employed as helper at the Standard Oil filling station at 18th and Paseo, and is the second Negro to be employed here by the Standard Oil. Dewayne Williams was hired at the 15th and Paseo station a short time ago. The co-operation of the local and national industrial departments of the Urban League are responsible for the openings. — ■AN DESDINES’ FATHER DIES AFTER ILLNESS OF EXTENDED DURATION Am Author, Editor and Public Offi cial, Rodolphe L. Demdunet Warn An Outstanding Character in New Orleans for Years Rodolphe L. Desdunes died at his iate residence, 2215 North Twenty fifth street, Tuesday morning, after an illness four months. Born in New Orlei La., in 1849, Mr. Des dunes had . distinguished career as author, editor, publicist and govern ment official. He was an outstand-1 ing character for many years among a group of brilliant men in his native city. Some fifteen years ago he lost his sight and subsequently moved to Omaha, where he has resided for the past 12 years. He was the author of several books and articles both in French and English, and for many years was editor of The Crusader, an influential race weekly. Conversant with the masterpieces of French and English literature, well versed in his tory and law, a brilliant conversa tionalist and a man of magnetic and pleasing personality, association with Mr. Desdunes meant education and inspiration for those who enjoyed this privilege. A devout Roman Catholic Mr. Des dunes received the last sacraments of the Church prior to his death at the hands of Fr. Francis Cassilly of St. Benedict’s. The body, accompanied by his grandson, Francisco Desdunes, was shipped to New Orleans Wednesday Wednesday night by Jones & Co., un dertakers, for interment in the fam ily vault. Mr. Desdunes is survived by his widow, Matilde, to whom he had been married for nearly sixty years; two sons, Dan, the well known bandmas ter, of Omaha, and Wendell J., of Los Angeles, Cal.; three daughters, Mrs. C. W. Dixon of San Francisco; Mrs. C. Frere of New Orleans, and Mrs. C. Mora of Stockton, Cal., and other relatives. PROMISING YOUTH CALLED John Jackson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Jackson, 2224 Seward street, died at his home Tuesday night after less than a week’s illness of pneu monia. He was much beloved by a large circle of friends who were shocked to hear of his sudden death. The funeral will be held Saturday afternoon at 2 o’clock from Pilgrim Baptist church, 26th and Hamilton. VISITORS FROM HONOLULU # Mr. and Mrs. Escot Powers and son, Jean, and daughter, June, ar rived in Omaha early Sunday morn ing from Honolulu, where they have resided for a number of years. They motored from California, and left Wednesday for Kansas City, Mo., Fulton, Mo., St. Louis and Chicago. They were guests of Dr. and Mrs. Peebles for dinner Sunday evening. Mrs. M. E. Overall and Miss Lulu Bryant entertained at a small party at cards Monday evening at the home of Mrs. Overall. They stopped at the Patton hotel while in the city. Mrs. Marie Newsome is quite ill at her home, 1614 North 27th street. EDITORIAL It is rumored that there will be an attempt made to organ ize an independent “Negro Party” with presidential and vice presidential candidates, and the presumption is, with a corre sponding complement of senatorial and congressional candi dates. Were such a plan practicable the time between now and November is too brief for any effective organizing or cam paign. Such a political party, so conceived and so organized, would conserve no good purpose. It could amount to nothing but a petulant and childish gesture. “As a protest” against policies and practices of the Republican party as applied to the Negro race, which it has been alleged the proposed move ment, (or, is it merely a suggestion?) is, it will prove ineffect ive, if not wholly abortive. The time MAY come when it will be deemed wise and ex pedient to organize such a racial party, but that time is not now. Such a movement will take ample time and money for its launching, even should it be deemed expedient, which we se riously doubt. It can be no Minerva-born movement but bo brought to birth through much travail. There ought to be enough political parties now to satisfy the most fastidious taste without the genesis of others. Beside the two major parties, there are, to name only two or three, the Socialist, the Prohibition and the Labor, not to mention others. Our people may ally themselves with any of these. The most effective protest, as we see it, would be the align ment of our people with the Democratic party, if the propo nents of the “Negro Party” want to protest effectively; or, if not that, to throw their strength to the Socialists. An inde pendent Negro party is neither practical nor needed. The talk about such a movement, so far as any effective organization or work is concerned, can be but idle words. As indicative of political discontent and a desire for freedom and independence of action, however, it is most significant. DEMOCRATS NOMINATE YOUNG ATTORNEY FOR SEAT IN CONGRESS Historical Political Precedent Set By Democratic Party in Missouri By Nomination of Joseph McLemore FIRST OF RACE SO HONORED St. Louis, Mo.—Joseph L. McLe more, an attorney, was nominated here Tuesday for representative in congress from the Twelfth congres sional district on the democratic ticket. This is believed to be the first time in the entire country when a Negro has been nominated for con gress by democrats. McLemore will have for his repub lican opponent Representative L. C. Dyer, author of the famous Dyer anti-lynching bill. McLemore defeat ed E. G. Hancock, former police serg eant. He says 66 per cent of the vote in the district is Negro. The whole district is usually overwhelm ingly republican. Dyer has been elected nine times. If the democrats in the district support McLemore, it is confidently believed that he will poll enough re publican votes from his race to elect him. COLORED INVENTOR GETS LARGE OFFER FOR HIS INVENTION New York, N. Y.—According to reliable communications, Solomon Harper, noted inventor of electrical and mechanical devices, has been of fered $50,000 manufacturing capital for the special beauty culture instru ments he has recently been granted patents on. Mr. Harper also has the co-operation of the American Steel and Wire Company, Cleveland, Ohio, in the matter of competing with 4,000 other inventors of safety devices for lifting submarines. George W. Lyttle is half owner of all patent rights, ex cept one which is owned by the Na tional Safety Instrument Company, room 2126 Woolworth building. After attending Pratt Institute two years, Mr. Harper was elected to membership in the American Insti tute of Electrical Engineers, and headed the school committee on pat tents during 1924. He is a member of the exclusive Technology club of Sy racuse and member of the. American Association for the Advancement of Science. It will be recalled that Mr. Harper in connection with Mr. Lyttle sub mitted plans for a submarine saving device following the accident in which a number of sailors lost their lives on the S-54. The invention was one of the four thousand recently turned over to a special committee on naval affairs for consideration by the sec retary of the navy. DEMOCRATS MAKING STRONG EFFORT FOR NATIONAL NEGRO VOTE r^publican Leader* Perturbed Over Unprecedented Movement—Plan To Organize Voter* As the G. O. P. Ha* Done REPUBLICANS ARE CONCERNED Washington, D. C.—Republican leaders are perturbed over news they have received that Chairman John J. Raskob of the democratic national committee plans to organize the Ne gro vote in the northern, border and central western states in an effort to land it for the Smith-Robinson party. The republican party has always regarded the Negro vote as its own, and party leaders, therefore, were somewhat pained to learn that they would have to be up and doing this year to keep this particular segment of the voting population in line. Making Determined Move Raskob’s bid for the Negro vote was a bold challenge that Chairman Work of the republican national com mittee met by the prompt organiza tion of a colored voters’ division to resist the democratic attempt to wean the Negro in the North and West from his long-time political associa tion. According to information received here, Chairman Raskob has gone af ter the Negro vote in a most busi ness-like manner. Hoover leaders are advised that he has chosen a number of intelligent young men identified with Harlem in New York, Governor Smith’s stronghold, to carry on the work. These young men are to be sent to other cities with large Ne gro populations to convey the mes sage that Governor Smith is friendly to the race; that this would be a good year for the Negro to demonstrate that he is capable of independent thinking, and that he must no longer permit himself to be treated merely as a chattel of the republican party. Republican* Concerned Definite information is lacking as to what special arguments are to be made in urging the colored voters to vote for Smith and Robinson. The republicans have had no trouble in former national elections to hold the Negro voter in leash. They have re warded leaders of the race with pub lic'offices, and recognition in other ways. It is a new experience for the republicans to find themselves con fronted by an organization that thinks it has a chance of swinging the colored vote into the democratic column. An effort is being made to organ ize a junior branch of the N. A. A. C. P. in Omaha. A meeting of those interested was held Wednesday even ing, August 15, at the home of Miss Etta Green, 1518 North 19th street. NEGRO RACE TICKET POSSIBILITY S’ ANNUAL CONVENTION Word of Colored Fraternal Order’* Political Plan Carried To Hoov er—Perry Howard Leader SIMMONS ADVISES HOOVER Argument Advanced That the Time Is Now Opportune for Effective Political Protest San Francisco, Cal. — Another unique note was added to this cam paign today when it became known here that in all probability a “Negro race ticket” for president and vice president of the United States will be chosen next week in Chicago by a convention representing nearly a half million colored men and women. The delegates to the convention are expected to number more than three thousand. The convention they represent is the “Independent Order of Elks,” one of two great fraternal orders among colored people. The grand attorney of the Inde pendent Order of Elks, now contem plating this entry into national poli tics by the Negroes as a race, is Per ry Howard. Howard is republican national com mitteeman from Mississippi. He has been an assistant attorney general of the United States. He is under suspension from that post because of having been indicted on charges of selling federal offices. His indictment has been widely at tacked in the Negro press on the ground of “discrimination.” White men, it is said who are equally guilty of selling federal offices, have re mained “unmolested,” while Howard, being a Negro, has been “persecut ed.” Therefore, Howard as “grand attorney” of the Independent Order of Elks, will be portrayed to the con vention at Chicago as a “race mar tyr.” Protest Urged The argument is made that now is the time for “a protest vote.” The Negro nominee of the Chicago con vention for the presidency of the United States, it is reported here, may be Louis Anderson of Chicago, said to be a member of the local board of aldermen. A full report on the prospect, along with an estimate of its seriousness, has been conveyed to Herbert Hoov er at Palo Alto personally by Roscoe Simmons, an outstanding republican politician of the Negro race since the days of Mark Hanna. He is chair man of the colored speakers’ bureau in republican headquarters at Chi cago. Simmons was joined in his talk with Hoover at Palo Alto by Robert R. Church of the republican state committee of Tennessee, dominant Negro character in all Memphis and Tennessee politics. Church is a mem ber of the colored executive commit tee of the Hoover national campaign, but by an awkward chance, he is also chairman of the executive committee of the Independent Order of Elks, which at present seems determined in its Chicago convention to bolt away from all political party affiliations with the whites. 850,000 Vote The total number of Negro voters —who not merely exist but who ac tually voted—in the close and doubt ful states of New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri and Oklahoma—is responsibly estimated this year to exceed 850,000. In each of these states the colored ballot is a conceivably decisive factor. In these circumstances, unprece dented efforts are being made by both republicans and democrats to gain or regain possession of that fac tor and to prevent the formation of a special independent “Negro race party.” A new “Negro national democratic league” has been organ ized which has penetrated even into Arkansas, where at Little Rock not long ago a local branch of 2J0 Ne groes was formed to support Gover nor Smith’s candidacy. William Mc Donald (more distinctively known as “Gooseneck Bill”), a veteran leader of republicanism in Texas, has an nounced his defection from Hoover and his transfer of his allegiance to Smith. CALLS CONFERENCE OF NEGRO DEMOCRATS Washington, D. C.—A national democratic conference of colored vot ers has been called to be held Sep tember 6 and 7. The purpose of the conference will be to unite race vot ers of the country to support the Smith and Robinson ticket. The call stated that the Negro for 50 years had made enemies of the Southern democracy by voting the republican ticket and had made no genuine friendship. PROMINENT BROOKLYN RECTOR INCLNBES OMAHA IN EXTENSIVE ITINERARY Rev. Dr. N. Petenon Boyd and Wife Are Guests of Former Parish ioner and Are Favorably Impressed With City *'.< The Rev. N. Peterson Boyd, D. D., rector of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, Brooklyn, N. Y., accom panied by Mrs. Boyd, arrived in the city Sunday afternoon enroute east from an extensive trip. They were the house guests of Mr. and Mrs. C. T. Smith, 2916 North 28th street, un til Thursday morning. Mrs. Smith was a former member of Dr. Boyd’s parish. In May, Dr. Boyd, who had built up St. Philip’s from a struggling mis sion in an unpromising section of Brooklyn to an independent and well organized parish, celebrated his twenty-fifth anniversary. He was given a six months’ leave of absence with full salary and a generous purse for an extensive trip, European or continental, as he might elect. Hav ing visited Europe formerly, he de cided on a trip to Central America and a transcontinental tour of the United States. Sailing from New York, June 9, Dr. and Mrs. Boyd visited the coastal and some 6f the interior cities of Central America, including Panama, Costa Rica, Guatamala, Honduras, Nicaragua and San Salvador, and finally landing at San Francisco, where they began their transconti nental American tour. This em braced the scenic wonders of the great west. Dr. and Mrs. Boyd said that among the most pleasant features of their extensive trip was their visit to Omaha, with which they were most favorably impressed and which they left keenly regretting their inability to prolong their visit here. Those who had the privilege of meeting Dr. Boyd and his gracious and cultured companion were delighted to make their acquaintance. DR. JONES ATTENDING MEDICAL CONVENTION Dr. J. J. Jones, the well known dentist, left last Saturday for Balti more, Md., to attend the annual meet ing of the National Medical Associa tion, which convenes there from Aug ust 13 to 1.7, inclusive. Dr. Jones has made it a custom to attend these annual meetings for several years, takinug advantage ol the instructive clinics conducted by leading special ists, which are features of the ses sions. MICHIGAN GOVERNOR ADVISES SUPPORT OF NEGRO CANDIDATES Detroit, Mich.—Speaking to the huge audience gathered at the mass meeting of the Wolverine Lodge No. 72 of the I. B. P. O. E. of W. here Saturday evening, Governor Fred Green paid tribute to the progress which Negroes have made in America and urged them to support Negro men and women for legislative offices declaring “Michigan will be greatly helped by having representatives of the colored group in the house and senate.”
