rrince lie. npliasixe
Opposition to (iominiin-^ i
TULSA, Okl.—Prince Hall
Masonry, proud of its time-proven
loyalty to the American concept
of government, will launch a na
tion-wide program this month re
emphasizing its opposition to
Communism and stressing its
campaign against the infiltration
of Communism into Negro groups.
According to Amos T. Hall, prom
inent Tulsa Attorney and Chair
man of the Grand Masters Con
ference of Prince Hall Masons,
an important phase of the pro
gram will be a series of public
meetings across the country to be
held simultaneously on Sunday,
January 22, a day designated by
the Grand Masters of the 38
Prince Hall Grand Lodges of
America as “Americanism Day.”
The meetings will be held in the
hundreds of communities where
Prince Hall lodges are established
and will be addressed by able
speakers who will stress the abid
ing faith of Negro Masons and
their neighbors in American De
mocracy. In planning the national
program, Mr. Hall, who is Grand
Master of the Prince Hall Grand
Lodge of Oklahoma, is being as
sisted by the following commit
tee of Prince Hall Grand Masters:
Dr. G. Bernard Key, Missouri;
Louis Fair, Jr., New York; Ashby
B. Carter," Illinois; Dr. William
D. Washington, Massachusetts;
John W. Dobbs, Georgia; James
C. Gilliam, Mississippi; William
O. Greene, Mich.; E. J. Brown,
Washington; and L. L. Lockhart,
Texas.
A statement issued jointly by
the 38 Prince Hall Grand Masters
set forth the position of Negro
Masons. It says, in part: “Prince
Hall Masonry enjoys and protects
one of the noblest heritages that
has come dowm to any group of
Americans in the history of our
beloved land. Generated and nur
tured as it was by a Free Negro,
who in pre-and-post-Revolution
ary days was a courageous cham
pion of human rights for all man
kind and an indefatiguable pro
ponent of the brotherhood of man
and of truth and justice, Prince
Hall Masonry has for 165 years
adhered strictly to the lofty con
cepts held by America’s first
Negro Mason. Prince Hall, a man
of learning, a business man, a
preacher and a soldier in the Rev
olutionary Army of George Wash
ington builded so well and so en
duringly that generation upon
generation of Negro Americans
have willingly and proudly fol
lowed in his footsteps.... Prince
Hall, in harmony with his con
temporaries, envisioned an Amer
ica destined to be great because
of its advocacy of such ideals as
freedom to worship, think, act and
speak; freedom from tyranny
and oppression; freedom of the
people to have and maintain a
government of, by and for the
people. To these ideals, Prince
Hall devoted his life and, since
human bondage was as yet an
item in the economic system of
the young nation, his added task
was his labor for an American free
of discrimination and differences
based upon ethnic considerations.
... As an institute, Prince Hall
Masonry has consistently stood
for the best things in American
* society. It has been and is
staunchly opposed to any and
every attempt of foreign or alien
ideologies to invade our way of
thinking, acting and living. Es
pecially is it categorically op
posed to totalitarianism, Com
munim, Facism or any like “ism”
having for its purpose a change
in the true American concept of
government. Although we recog
nize the fact that American De
mocracy has not as yet attained
the high ideals of our Founding
Fathers; that imperfections still
exist. Prince Hall Masonry is
happy to reaffirm its traditional
position and to continue to labor
assiduously for the attainment of
those high ideals and for the
elimination of imperfections,
such labor to be done within the
framework of our present gov
ernment. The contribution Prince
Hall Masonry is making in the
current fight against Communism
and its nefarious doctrines is con
siderable and is being increased
daily. . . There can be no divided
allegiance. There is room but for
one ideology in the minds, hearts
and souls of all the peoplfc of this
Christian nation, and that is
Americanism—the great light that
illumines the path of all of us,
black and white, Jew and Gen- j
tile, rich and poor. Prince Hall j
Masonry pledges itself anew to
live and die for the ideals and
principles that have made our na
tion the greatest on the face of the
globe.”
Prince Hall Masons in Nebraska
pledge their whole hearted sup
port to this program and will
continue to fight for the ideals
and sacred principals of this great
country of ours.
Clayton P. Lewis, G. M.
J. H. Andrews, G. S.
Dimes Drive
Needs Your
Dollars Too
Jan. 16, the March of Dimes
campaign of the National Founda
tion for Infantile Paralysis got
under way and-will continue until
Jan. 31. The National Founda
tion had hoped that 1949 would be
a comparatively light year since
1948 was the second highest then
on record. But instead, the dread
malady was worse than ever,
42,000 cases w’ere reported.
Dr. R. G. Gustavson, State
Chairman of the March of Dimes
drive, said last week, “We must
continue to wage the fight against
this vicious and costly disease,
both in the laboratories and at
the bed of the afflicted until the
conquest is realized. Recent ad
vances bring us ever closer to a
solution.”
In Nebraska last year there
were 678 cases reported (39 less
than for 1948) but deaths were
up 150 percent (43 as against
29 in 1948).
Fifty precent of the funds con
tributed to the March of Dimes
remains with county chapters for
use in providing medical care
for polio patients needing that
, help. The other 50 percent is used
by the National Foundation for
the three-fold program of (1) re
search, (2) training of profes
sional personnel for research and
patient care, and (3) emergency
epidemic aid to areas where local
funds have become exhausted in
meeting the pledge of the Na
tional Foundation that no victim
of infantile paralysis shall go
without the best medical care
available for lack of funds regard
less of race, creed, color or age.
The University of Nebraska has
received $15,000 for the study of
polio, Tuskegee Institute Polio
center, $143,417 and Meharry
Medical college, $81,150.
Join the March of Dimes! Give
; your dimes—and dollars!
Truman Calls For Action
On Civil Rights Program
BY ALICE A. DUNNIGAN
WASHINGTON (ANP). President Truman once again called for the enactment of
civil rights proposals now before Congress; for a workable farm support program; for the
establishment of a labor extension service to encourage educational activities in that
field; for legislation authorizing a vigorous program for building houses for lower and
middle-income families; for the continuation of rent control for another year; for a
broader social security program; for the establishment of a system of medical insurance
which will enable all Americans to afford good medical care; for federal assistance to
the states so that they can maintain adequate schools; for broadening the existing dis
placed persons law and remove its discriminatory features; and for strong support to
the UN in bringing about peace
ful adjustment of tense interna
tional Controversies.
In urging Congress to enact the
civil rights proposals which he
made in February, 1948, the Presi
dent declared that “These propos
als for the enactment of federal
statutes which will protect all
our people in the exercise of
their democratic rights and their
search for economic opportunity,
grant statehood to Alaska and
GOP Leader Says Party Can j
Win In 1950 If It Backs Rights
WASHINGTON. (ANP).The Re-'
publican party has a record of
“one hit, no runs, and many er
rors” in its performance on FEPC
and other civil rights issues of
vital importance to the colored
electorate, recently declared Rob
ert R. Church, chairman of the
Republican American committee.
In a letter to Guy G. Gabriel
son, chairman of the Republican
National cojnmittee, Church de
clared that the Republican party
has not won a presidential elec
tion since the colored electorate
deserted the party. Therefore, he
urged the new chairman to place
some Negroes in policy forming
Merit System
o'
Schedules 7
Examinations
Seven groups of examinations
for Merit System positions will be
offered in 1950, according to Ar
thur W. Pendary, Merit System
Director. The announcement of
the year’s examination schedule is
a new procedure in the Nebraska
Merit System intended to provide
a continuing flow of candidates
for the important jobs that need
to be filled. Applications may be
submitted at any time.
Examinations for clerical posi
tions will be conducted at about
three-month intervals beginning
February 18th. A special State
wide examination for high school
seniors will be offered in some 85
centers on April 1st, to give an
opportunity for commercial de
partment graduates to enter State
employment in the county, dis
trict and State House officers.
To fill vacancies in professional
positions in the Assistance and
Child Welfare Department, the
Health Department and the Em
ployment Security Division, two
additional groups of examinations
will be given. The first of these
is on May 20th, just before the
end of the college year.
The announcement schedule is
as follows:
February 18—Clerical examination.
State-wide, closing date February 5. 1950.
April 1—High School Clerical examina
tions—Clerk I. Typist Clerk I, Steno
grapher Clerk 1. Elghty-flve high schools.
State-wide, dosing date March 12, 1950.
May 20—Professional examinations*.
State-wide, for the Departments of As
sistance and Child Welfare. Health and
Employment Security. Closing date May
7, 1950.
June 17—Clerical examinations, all cen
ters where monitor serviee can be ar
ranged. Closing date June 4, 1950.
September 30—Clerical examination.
Slate-wide, clsoing date September 17.
1950.
November 4—Professional examinations.
State-wide, fr the the Departments of As
sistance and Child Welfare, Health and
Employment Security, Closing date Octo
ber 22, I960.
, December 9—Cterleal examinations.
State-wide, dosing date November 20.
I960. _ i
positions and on the Republican
strategy committee.
These principles, he said, should
square with the principles of
Abraham Lincoln, the man who
made the Republicans a great na
tional party. But a statement of
principles alone is not enough,
continued Church. The Republi
can party has had statements of
principles since 1932, during
which time it has lost five presi
dential elections and eight out of
nine congressional elections.
While Lincoln was good on
principles, he was better on per
j formance warned Church, and the
party today needs a record on
performance that will bring voters
back into the party—not drive
them out and keep them out.
Church disagreed violently with
the recent suggestion made by
Senate Minority Leader Wherry of
Nebxaska that the Republican
strategy committee favored put
ting other civil rights measures
ahead of FEPC. This would be
a costly mistake as it would mean
torpedoing FEPC, declared the
American committee chairman.
For millions who comprise the
colored electorate, FEPC means
bread and butter, meat on the ta
ble, rent, shoes for the baby,
and clothes for all, declared
Church. These people are entitled
to fair employment practices and
to equal job opportunities; there
fore FEPC for them is literally a
life and death matter.
If the Republicans are sincere
in their desii'e to win the 1950 and
1952 elections, declared the GOP
leader, they should begin the new
year by competing with the Tru
man Democrats in the good work
of making FEPC a law before the
primaries and elections of 1950.
If they do these things, Church
predicts a Republican victory in
the oncoming elections.
Our Honor Roll
The following are some of
those who are New Subscribers
or have renewed their subscrip
tion to THE VOICE?
How does your subscription
stand?
Senator John Adams, Omaha.
Mrs. Lela Becks, Beatrice.
Mr. A. J. Blackwell, Parsons,
Kas.
Dr. C. A. Bumstead.
Mrs. Frank Burden.
Rev. J. B. Brooks.
Mr. Archie Furr.
Miss Ruth Odell.
Omaha Urban League.
Mrs. Jean Stevenson.
Dr. Gilbert F. Unterseher.
Hawaii, provide a greater meas
ure of self-government for our
home rule to the District of Co
island possessions, and accord
lumbia.
It is the duty of elected repre
sentatives of the people to let
the civil rights proposals come
to a vote whether they oppose or
favor them, declared the Presi
dent.
This duty is placed upon us, he
contiriued, by the religious ideals
which we profess, and the heri
tage of freedom which we have
received from the past.
The President reminded Con
gress that America’s objective in
the world is peace. This is not an
easy task or a short one but one
which the American people are
determined to see through.
“Our success in working with
other nations to achieve peace de
pends largely on what we do at
home.” Pointing out that Amer
ica must preserve her national
strength, the President empha
sized that “strength is not a mat
ter of arms and force. It is a
matter of economic growth, and
social health, and vigorius insti
■ tutions, public and private.
“Our surest guide in the days
that lie ahead will be the spirit
in which this great Republic was
founded. We must make our de
cision in the conviction that all
men are created equal, that they
are equally entitled to life, liberty,
and the pursuit of happiness, and
that the duty of government is to
serve these ends.”
In speaking of world peace,
Mr. Truman declared that a
peaceful, democratic world of
free peoples will be achieved in
the long run, not by force of
arms, but by an appeal to the
minds and hearts of men. “If the
peace policy of the democratic
nations is to be successful, they
must demonstrate that the bene
fits of their way of life can be
increased and extented to all na
tions and all races.”
In concluding his statement, the
President requested that Amer
icans work for a better life for
all, “so that all men may put
to good use the great gifts with
which they have been endowed
by their Creator.
“We seek to establish those ma
terial conditions of life in which
. . . men may live in dignity, per
form useful work, serve their
communities, and worship God as
they see fit.
“These may seem simple goals,
but they are not little ones. They
are worth a great deal more than
all the empires and conquests of
history. They are not to be
achieved by military aggression
or political fanaticism. They are
to be achieved by humble means
—by hard work, by a spirit of
self-restraint in our dealings with
one another, and by a deep de
votion to .the principles of justice
and equality.”
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