Dies After Illness of Twc
CHICAGO—Former Congress
man Oscar DePriest—first Negro
Congressman to win office since
Reconstruction Days—died Sat
urday at Provident Hospital. He
was 80. Mr. DePriest was ad
mitted to the hospital last Thurs
day after suffering a sudden at
tack of illness. He had been re
cuperating from injuries sustained
recently in a bus accident near
his home.
Behind him Mr. DePriest left
a colorful career, which began in
March, 1871, when he was born
on a backwoods farm near Flor
ence, Ala. He became the leader
of a parade of Alabama-born Ne
groes who rocketed into world
wide fame over the years, includ
ing former Congressman Arthur
W- Mitchell and former Heavy
weight Champion Joe Louis.
Early in his career, young De
Priest moved to Salina, Kan.,
with his family and received his
early education there. Nearing
adulthood, he came to Chicago,
where he began work as a plas
terer and interior decorator. His
restless urge for leadership, how
ever .forced him into more active
fields and he entered politics.
Then he really went places.
In a rise marked by many
exciting and sensational events,
he became the first Negro Aider
man in Chicago in 1916, later be-|
coming the first Negro member
of the Illinois Commerce Com
mission, and finally—in 1928—
reached his peak, when he was
elected as U.S. Congressman from
the powerful First Illinois District
on the Republican ticket.
Coming to Washington in 1928
as the first Negro in the halls of
Congress since Reconstruction
days, Mr. DePriest was an im
pressive—though lonely—figure,
until 1935 when he returned to
private life. In Chicago he oper
ated a real estate business with
his only son, Oscar DePriest, Jr.,
who, with Mrs. DePriest and two
grandsons, survive him.
He survived many political
battle and in 1918 vas indicted
on charges brought by opponents
who sought to unseat him as Al
derman- Brilliant legal work by
the late Clarence Darrow and Ed
Morris saved him. He lived at
4536 South Parkway, a street on
which he held extensive holdings.
By coincidence, Chicagoans
only two weeks ago mourned for
the man who tried to unseat Mr.
DePriest in Congress, Roscoe
Conkling Simmons, also a Re
publican.
Defense Testimony
Refutes State in
Trial of Trenton Six
TRENTON, N. J.—(ANP)—
More defense testimony refuting
statements previously given by
the prosecution in the case of the
Trenton Six was given last week
as the trial dragged through its
11th week
The Trenton Six are six Negro
men on trial for the alleged mur
der of a white second hand dealer
in January, 1948. This is their
second trial following a rebuke of
death sentences to the men in
their first trial. The state Su
preme court ordered it back for
review.
CollLs English, the first mem
ber of the Six arrested, denied
testimony that he was treated
kindly by Frank Naples, chief of
detectives, the man who arrested
him.
Sgt. Roosevelt Ruggs
While eyes were on Lt. Gen.
Albert C. Wedemeyer, who was
greeted with a 15-gun salute on
his arrival in Lincoln for an
Armed Forces Day speech, Sgt.'
Roosevelt Ruggs, a member of his
staff, did not go unnoticed.
Sgt. Ruggs has spent two of his
seven years of army life with the
general. He is impressed with his
attitude relative to the integra
tion program in the Sixth Army,
with headquarters in San Francis
co. Sgt. Ruggs would recommend
that a program of human rela
tions be taught in the army to
assist the program of integration.
He did not comment on the
Mac Arthur controversy but he
did say that he believed that a
drastic change in policy would be
necessary to gain the victory
which we could not afford to lose
in Korea. He added that For
mosa was a vital point for the
security of this country.
Sgt. Ruggs has quarters on the
post for his wife, Carrie Ethel,
and two children, Roosevelt, jr,
2l/z and Peggy Ann, 18 months..
Mrs. Bethune to
Address Dillard
Graduating Class
NEW ORLEANS—(ANP)—Mrs.
Mary McLeod Bethune, great ed
ucator, woman and civic leader,
will address the graduation class
of Dillard university, Wednesday,
May 30, on Kearny Terrace.
Other graduation week activi
ties will include the national
alumni meeting, the 16th annual
baccalaureate sermon, and the
honoring of Dr. Albert D. Dent
for his 10 years as president of
the university.
Dr. John Owen Gross, a trustee
of Dillard, will deliver the bacca
laureate sermon, May 27 on
Kearny Terrace. Dr. Gross is the
executive secretary of the divi
sion of educational institutions of
the Methodist board of education.
A special university convoca
tion will be held for Dr. Dent in
Henson hall to honor him for his
work at the school.
Mrs. Bethune, the graduation
speaker, is one of the most hon
ored women in America. She is
the founder-president emeritus of
Bethune-Cookman college and re
cently appointed to the national
civilian defense board in Wash
ington, D. C., by President Tru
man. She has won nine honorary
degrees, the Spingarn medal, the
Haitian medal of honor, the
Frances Drexel award, the
Thomas Jefferson award, and
others.
The Dillard university National
Alumni association will meet May
29 in Kearny hall. 'Hie associa
tion’s breakfast will be held May
27 at 9 a.m. in Portia grill and
restaurant
report Declares Complete
Integration in Seven Camps
Student Becomes 1
i
Pres, of Campus
Group at N.W.
CHICAGO. (ANP).— Davis S.
Minor, law student at Northwest
ern and DePaul universities, last(
week was elected president of the
Northwestern University forum.
He is believed to be the first
Negro ever elected to head a ma
jor campus organization at North
western .although the school is
100 years old.
While a member of this organi
zation. Minor has accomplished a
number of achievements—regular
member on NU Forum’s radio
broadcasts; moderator of these air
shows; winner of oratorical con
tests two years in succession, and
last year winner in the citywide
contest sponsored by the Lake
Shore Drive Speakers club.
In other student activities,
Minor also has been honored by
membership in the national law
fraternity. In this group, he will
be an active delegate at the na
tional convention to be held in
Chicago, June 29, at the swank
Sharaton hotel.
Minor also belongs to the Na
tional Junior Bar association, a
subsidiary of the American Bar
association, a subsidiary of the
American Bar association and the
junior division of the Illinois Bar
association.
Whenever he passes the bar
Minor will automatically become
eligible for membership in both
senior organizations.
With the NU Forum, Minor also
has held the positions of vice
president, sergeant at arms, and
chairman of the awards commit
tee.
DR. AND MRS. JONES OBSERVE 25 YEARS AT BENNET
President and Mrs. David D. Jones, who complete 25 years of
service at Bennett college in Greensboro, N. C., during the com
mencement season, are shown standing on the veranda of the
school’s new Student Union building.
In the quarter of a century, the president and his wife have seen
the college grow from an enrollment of 10 students to 458. There
have been 1,119 graduates and more than $3,000,000 have been
added to the capital funds of the college. Dr. and Mrs. Jones are
the parents of four children and three grandchildren.—(ANP)
WASHINGTON. (ANP). Schools and training di
visions for soldiers are now being operated on an inte
grated basis at Fort Jackson, S. C., Camp Breckinridge,
Ky., Fort Riley, Kans., Fort Ord, Calif., Camp Chaffee,
Ark., Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., and Camp Roberts, Calif,
reported Cong. Jacob K. Javits last week.
Nebraska
Electorial
Holds Meet
The Electorial College of the
Nebraska Conference of the
A.M.E. Church met at Bethel
A.M.E. Church in Omaha, Ne
braska, May 17th, at hign noon.
Mr. W. H. Brady ,of Elwood,
Kansas, was elected chairman and
Mrs. S. Scott, Secretary. The four
delegates elected to the General
conference to be held in Chicago
in May, 1952, were Messrs- P. G.
Porter, Olathe, Kansas; Clayton
P. Lewis, Lincoln, Nebraska;
Chester Gaskin, Kansas City,
Kansas and I. S. McPherson,
Omaha, Nebraska. Alternates;
George Jones, Oskaloosa, Kansas;
Clarence Brown, Atchison, Kan
sas; Mrs. Edna Bell, Fairview
and Mrs. Winifred Newton, Be
atrice, Nebraska.
Makes Educational Tour
ELWOOD, Kan.—About 60 pa
trons, teachers and pupils, in a
two-bus caravan from El wood
motored to Boys Town Friday on
an educational tour. Among per- i
sons making the trip were Prof.
W. H- Brady, Mrs. E. Cochrane,
Mrs. A. White, Mrs. M. Davis,
Mr and Mrs. Bennie Massey and
family and Mrs. Ruth Roberby.
Wilberta Brady, Marian Cham
bers, Melvin Gorman and Willie
May Hayes were graduated from
Elwood High School on Wednes
day.
The New York Republican who
has spearheaded an almost con
tinuous battle for the integration
of Negro soldiers in the armed
forces, inserted in the Congres
sional Record, last Wednesday, a
summary of the advances which
the army has made toward the
utilization of Negro manpower
within the last few years.
The report pointed out that
Negro soldiers stationed in the
camps mentioned above work, eat
and are quartered together with
white personnel. In 1949, the re
port continued, Negro enlistees
were assigned to segregated units
at Fort Dix, N. J., and at Fort
Knox, Ky. Eut in little more than
I a year the army had completely
j changed this picture so that today
the training divisions located in
I Fort Dix and Fort Knox are in
I the process of change-over from
j partial segregation to non segre
i gation.
j The army has adopted policies
j which now assures the full use of
j any club, any mess or all recrea
tional facilities located in public
j buildings to all eligible military
j personnel without regard to race,
/ stated Rep. Javits.
I Exchanges and branch ex
I changes may no longer be desig
nated for the exclusive use of any
particular race Any theater on
the post may be used by Negro
personnel. Busses, trucks or other
transportation owned and oper
ated by the government or by a
government instrumentality are
available to all military personnel
regardless of ’•ace.
The army has gradually opened
up every segment of its military
schooling system to Negroes, and
racial quotas have been abolished
for schools selection and pre
scribed selection of qualified per
sonnel without regard to race or
color.
The selection of regular and
non-regular army officers for pro
motion has operated without racial
consideration, claims this report.
Jt points out that prior to June
of last year *here was only one
Negro colonel in the army, but
today there are four. Almost two
percent of Negro enlisted person
nel were master sergeants at the
close of last year; three percent
were sergeants, first class; little
more than eight percent were
sergeants and more than 19 per
cent were corporals.
The facts as laid down in this
report, according to Javits, prove
that since the close of World
War II, the army has “endeav
ored conscientiously to carry for
ward the principles laid down by
the President of the United States
and the secretary of defense for
the efficient utilization of all mili
tary manpower.”
General Raps
Police Tactics
SAVANNAH, Ga. — (ANP) —
Law enforcement officers are dis
rupting the combat training pro
gram at Camp Stewart by their
“unwarranted” mistreatment of
Negro soldiers, according to a
statement made here last week
by Brig. Gen. Clare H. Armstrong,
commanding general of the anny
post