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VOL. VI. Omaha, Nebraska, Saturday, January 7, 1933._ Number Forty-Six_
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By CLIFFORD C. MITCHELL 1
A NEGRO CONTRIBUTOR S
MAGAZINE—
• • •
About three months ago this col
umn wns devoted to suggestions for
"Young Negro Writers". That part
icular release was written merely by
way <rf reply to hundreds of letters
received from aspiring writers over a
period of two years.
• • •
I had hoped that by contributing
my thoughts on the subject that the
matter would be dropped, as far as 1
waa personally concerned. To my sur
prise a condition quite to the contrary
has arisen and an even greater am
ount of correspond Ace has been re
ceived on the subject.
• * *
Not only do the correspondents
thank me for analyzing the situation
they were up against but most of
them seem to think that because this
#
column is read in every pert of Am. j
erica that I can considerably advance
their cause by placing their aim be.!
fore the public in the hope that some
progressive and capable member will
respond by providing a medium of
national circulation for their partic
ular benefit.
• • *
My conclusions in the matter con
vinces me that there is a wonderful
field for a “Negro Contributor’s Mag
azine". Such a magazine would ac
cept only contributed matter, stories
essays, poems, features and drawings
from the pen of aspiring Negro writ
ers.
• • •
Such contributors, judging from the
correspondence I have received are to
be found in every community in the
country. Each contributor would not
only have the satisfaction of seeing
their “brain-child” in print but they
could, and would, act as a distributing
agent for the magazine, and in this
Latter capacity they could commerc.
ilize their efforts, thus earning, in
directly. a competence for their con
tributions.
• • •
With thousands of such contributors
from all parts of the country, an im
mediate nation-wide circulation would
be assured, and would be constantly
increasing because of the very active
offort that each contributor would
make in “selling" the idea and the
magazine to their relatives, friends,
acquaintances and neighbors.
• • •
Apparently, the demand for snch
a magazine is undisputed. The ques
tion then is securing a competent
person to “put it across.” There
have been many attempts made at
filling this demand, usually by “fly
by-night” promoters who lacked both
the necessary ability and finances to
make their project successful.
• • •
To properly launch such a magaz
ine the owner, or owners, should have
a sufficient financial backing to carry
their efforts for at least a year,
either in the form of outright own.
ership of the necessary capital, or a
pro-rats investment from each aspir
ing contibutor.
e e e
To may who might undertake this
project I shall be glad to cooperate
and help to provide a definite med
ium for our aspiring writers.
Ask Redress (or Citizen
Jailed/ Insulted at
Panama_
u ui ir; /ims uuTcrnor ror
Report
Washington,—The Secretary of
War has received a complaint and de
mand for redress transmitted by the
National Association for the Advance
ment of Colored People in behalf of
John Samuel Clark, naturalized Am
erican citizen, born in the British
West Indies, who by reason of his
color was placed in jail and subjected
to indignities at Cristobal, Canal
Zone, while enroute from Kingston,
Jamaica, British West Indies, to his
home in San Francisco.
The complaint, drawn up for Mr.
Clark by his attorney, Edward D.
Mabson, of San Framsco, states that
Mr. Clark was carrying a passport
issued by the U. S. Government, that
he had in his possession sufficient
funds to cover the expenses of his
passage from San Francisco to King
ston and return, and that on his way
home while waiting for his ship at
Cristobal on June 24, 1931, he was
insulted and jailed by the local offic
ers.
It is charged that the local health
officer, Dr. C. A. Hearne, Chief Quar
antine Offcier for the Canal Zone at
Cristobal, sent him to the Captain of
the Port at Colon who asked him only
his name and where he was going,
thereupon returning him to the cus
tody of Dr Hearne to be put in jail.
Upon Mr. Clark’s inquiring the reas
on for his tention, as he was a first
class passenger having his passport
and first class passage, waiting for
his boat to San Francisco. Dr. Hearne
is alleged to have said that Mr. Clark
was not wanted on Colon, that he the
doctor “had nothing to do with it, I
am just going by orders and it makes
no difference to me if you have an
American passport and first-class
passage, you are still nothing but a
damned old Jamaican nigger.”
Mr, Clarke, the complaint states,
was thereupon sent to the Chief of
Police at Cristobal to be placed in
jail. Mr. Clark thereupon informed
the Panama Agencies Company, con
trolling the Nelson Steamship Line,
which company after communicating
with the Panama Police Department,
Dr. Hearne and the Captain of the
Port of the Panamanian Government,
prevailed upon the United States
Consul at Colon, Dr. William W.
Early, to procure Mr. Clark’s release.
Mr. Clark’s complaint to the War
Department states that he was con
fined in the Cristobal jail for one
hour, and his liberty was restricted
for an additional hour in the custody
of Cristobal police.
Had To Pay for Jail Food
Dr. Heame, furthermore, it is
charged, surrendered Mr. Clark’s
pasport to the United Fruit Company
only after he had paid $1.50 for meals
served him in jail and this passport
was not returned to Mr. Clark from
the United Fruit Company without
the intercession of the U. S. Consul.
Mr. Clark states that he was not
seeking entrance into Panama and
was therefore not subject to local im
migration laws, but was merely wait
ing for his ship. Copies of orders
issued in his case state that he was
detained because he was “likely to
become a public charge”, whereas in
fact he had $55.50 in his possession
and was merely awaiting the arrival
of his ship.
The governor of the Canal Zone, H.
Burgess, is quoted as having report
ed to the State Department that “Un
der a strict interpretation of the reg
ulations, Clark should have been de
tained for the entire time he was on
the Isthmus.”
Redress Asked
The complaint states that not only
was Mr. Clark a United States citis
en, on American territory at the
time of his arrest, and entitled to the
full protection of his government, but
that he was “wrongfully, arbitrarily
and without cause or reason” arrest
ed and jailed "without the least sem
blance of a hearing or trial and en
tirely without recognition of his
rights as a citizen.”
The War Department is asked to
vindicate the violation of Mr. Clark’s
rights while in the Canal Zone by A.
merican officials acting in the dual
capacity of officials for the American
and Panamaian governments. His
j being on shore was due to the steam.
| ship company transporting him.
The complaint asks for redress
! that shall be "substantial and com-!
. mensurate with the wrong inflicted
and the injury suffered.”
The National Asociation for the Ad
vancement of Colored People in trans
mitting the complaint asks not only
redress for Mr. Clark and appropr
iate action against the officers res
ponsible for his treatment but also
"the correction of conditions so that
there may be repetition of this epi
sode with regard to other colored A
mericans who may have occasion to
be traveling in the Canal Zone.”
Hurley Asks Report
In a letter dated Dec. 27, Patrick J.
Hurley, Secertary of War, acknow
ledges receipt of the NAACP. com.
munication and states: “Your letter
and its inclosures are being brought
to the attention of the governor of
the Panama Canal with the request
that he furnish a report on this case
and upon the receipt of the govern
or’s report you will be comunieated
with again.’
NAACP. ANNUAL MEETING TO
BE HELD
New York— Plans were announced
today for the annual meeting of the
Association to be held on Sunday Jan.;
uary 8th, and Monday January 9th.1
The Sunday mass meeting will be
held at 3:00 p. m. at the Abyssinian
Baptist Church, 132 West 138th St.,
'New York-City. Among the speak.
I ers will be Mayor Joseph V. McKee,
if his health permits, and the Rev.
Lorenzo H. King, Pastor of the St.
i Marks ME. Church. Featured at this
; meeting will be the Mississippi Flood
| Control Project and the Wagner res
| olution for a Senate investigation.
The annual busines meeting of the
, Association will be held in the offices
of the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People, 69
Fifth Avenue, promptly at 2:30 p. m.
on January 9th. At this meeting the
annual reports of the Secretary,
Treasurer and other officials will be
read and members of the Board of
Directors will be voted upon. The
public is cordially invited to attend
both meetings.
GETS DAY IN JAIL FOR SAFETY
ZONE PARKING
Otis Johnson, Negro, 307 Nicholas
St., rubbish hauler, was sentenced to
a day in jail Wednesday by Judge
John Battin, when he was tagged for
parking in a safety zone and cussed
out the whole police department from
Sergeant William Krfcnek, the tagger
on up. Johnson’s complaint was that
pleasure cars parked in the safety
zone and got away with it, but when
an honest busy rubbish hauler tried
it he was pounced upon.
SPENT (HUSBAND’S CHRISTMAS
FUND FAKES STORY OF “NEGRO
BURGLAR”
New York,— One of the many cases
of crimes falsely attributed to Negro,
es every year 1 sthe case of a white
woman in New Orleans, who,, after
spending the Christmas fund she and
her husband had been saving, fabric
ated a story about a Negro burglar.
The story forwarded to the Nation
al Association for the Advancement
of Colored People is authenticated in
the New Orleans States, one of the
leading daily papers of the city.
According to the story, Mrs. Jessie
Saunders, wife of a packer earning
$12 a week, bought clothing for "her
sisters out of a $11 fund she and her
husband had saved. When the money
was spent she alarmed her neighbors
with a tale of how a Negro had grab
bed her in her home, struck her over
the head with a blunt instrument, tore
her clothing and robbed her of money
and jewels. She had taken the pre
caution to hide her jewelry under the
house. ,
Detectives, after extended question
ing, made the woman admit that the
burglar story was false.
MRS. COLOMBO PINKETT DIES
The many friends of Atty. H. J.
Pinkett were shocked to hear of the
sudden death of his mother, Mrs. Col
ombo Pinkett of Beatrice, Nebraska.
Mrs. Pinkett made her home with
her daugher, Mrs. Daisy Gordon,
prominent club woman of Beatrice,
Nebr.
Wealthy Omahan Is Buried
Dr. Lennox to Fight Suit
*~' • 11 —■ » _
Jewells Robbed
Sunday evening between 8 and 11
p. m. the home of Mrs. James G. Jew.
ell was robbed. As reported by Mrs.
Jewell, a fur coat valued at $400.00
belonging to James Jewell, Jr., was
stolen, two diamond rings of Mrs.
Carrie Jewell, two suits of clothing,
a fur neck piece of Mrs. Cecilia Jew
ell and practically all the clothing of
Mrs. Ruth Sykes of Chicago, niece of
Mrs. Jewell. A rear window was
found opened by which the robbers j
gained entrance.
-:-—
TREASURY DEPT. ASSURES
NAACP. OF EFFORTS TO GET
JOBS FOR NEGROES
New York, —FeTry K. Heath, As
sistant Secretary of the Treasury, has
written the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored People
to state that efforts will be continued
by the Treasury Department to ob
tain jobs for colored workers on the
new Parcel Post Building in New
York City.
The NAACP. has previously com
plained that of the hundreds of jobs
on this work only one or two had gone
to colored workmen and had again
writen to state that the situation had
not been improved.
Mr. Heath reports that although
the Department is without authority
in the matter of labor employed by
contractors,” the employment of col
ored labor was taken up in a person
al interview with one of the national
representatives of the Bricklayers
Masons, and Plaster’s Union in Wash
ington. The union representatives,
according to Mr. Heath, stated that
there are two bricklayers’ unions in
New York “an uptown union (no. 37)
and a downtown union (no. 34)—and
that the lamer proportion of colored
bricklayers are members of the up
town union. It is the belief of this
representative hat some of the dif
ficulty experienced in connection with
the Parcel Post work may be due to
an effort on the part of the down
town union to obtain a greater part
of the work for its* own members.”
Mr. Heath states that “a letter is
being addressed to the Secretary of
the Bricklayers, Masons, and Plaster- j
Public Interest in Mississippi River
Exploitation Sweeps Country
New York, Dec.—Reports from all
parts of the country to the National
Association for the Advancement of
Colored People reveal that public in
terest among all classes and races in
the exploitation of Negroes in the
Federal-financed Mississippi Flood
Control Project is reaching over
whelming proportions. Among the
latest to pledge their suppor by tele
gram to Senator Robert F. Wagner
for Senate Resolution 300, which pro
vides for a thorough investigation of
the charges of brutality and exploit
ation by a Senate investigating com
mittee, is the National Religion and
Labor Foundation with headquarter!
at Yale University. The Executive
Secretaries of the Foundation Fran
cis A. Henson and George A. Doug
las, wired Senator Wagner on Dec
ember 19th:
“The National Religion and Labor
Foundation heartily supports the res
olution you introduce^ authorizing
an investigation of labor conditions on
the Mississippi flood-control project
Urge you read this telegram into Con
gressional Record and utilize it in
other ways to secure action on your
resolution. Jerome Davis, Stephen
Wise, Bishop Francis McConnell, John
Haynes Holmes, Philip Randolph, Ed
ward L. Israel and more than hund
red other national leaders supporting
Foundation.”
The NAACP. has just had printed
10,000 copies of a leaflet, “Mississi
ppi River Slavery—1932.” Branches
of the Association, lodges, the Feder
al Council of Churches of Christ in
America, the League for Industrial
Democracy, the Fellowship of Recon
siliation, the American Civil Liberties
Union, churches and other organis
ations are being supplied with copies
of this leaflet and are being urged to
bombard their senators in the nam
es of these various organisations and
as individuals, with telegraphic de
mands that they support the Wagner
resolution. Copies of this leaflet giv
ing the full facts may be secured from
the National Office of the NAACP.
69 Fifth Avenue New York.
The NAACP. this week placed in
the hands of each member of the
United States Senate an eight page
digest of editorials which have ap
peared in colored newspapers of the
United Sates urging support of the
Wagner resolution.
Latest reports from Washington in.
dicate that the Wagner resolution will
shortly be acted upon by the Com
mittee on Commerce and reported out
to the floor of the Senate for a vote.
“Colored people and their friends”
said the NAACP., today, “realize that
this fight is more important to the
Negro than any other issue. It is the
opening wedge not only in ending the
brutality and exploitation of the col
ored workers immediately concerned,
but in the struggle to secure for Ne
groes a proportionate share of jobs
in FederalJfinanced projects.
Practically the only construction
now being done is that by the Feder
al government, and by States and Cit
ies and the NAACP. is determined to
fight to the limit to see that Negroes
get their full share of jobs in these
projects for the financing of which
they are all taxed at the same rate
as other citizens.
Read
j
1932" on P. 3
In answer to reports that a suit is
being brought against his property at
2527 Patrick St., Dr. G. B. Lennox,
well known Omaha physician, stated
that the legal proceeding was brought
about through the failure of the de
ceased Myrtle Crutchfield to release
the second mortgage as promised by
her after he had paid her the sum of
Four Thousand Two Hundred Dollars
($4,200.00) in checks. Dr. Lennox
further stated that he is of the opin
ion that Mrs. Crutchfield would have
fulfilled her promise had she not died
before the necessary steps could be
completed. He says that it is only
natural for the administrators of the
Crutchfield Estate to make such a
move, which he doubts will be suc
cessful under the existing circum
stances.
ers International Union of America,
requesting him to use his influence in
obtaining equitable consideraton for
colored workmen in connection with
fthe New York Parcel Post work.”
The NAACP. is also writing to the
union and to William Green, Presi
dent of the American Federation of
Labor.
BITTER LEGAL BATTLE IN ALA.
HIGH COURT OVER WILLIE
PETERSON DEATH SENTENCE
Birmingham, Ala.—One of the abl
est criminal lawyers in the State of
Alabama has been working td perfect
the defense of Willie Feterson, twice
sentenced to death on a charge of mur
dering a white woman, himself shot
while a prisoner in jail by the worn, j
an’s brother.
Dr. Charles A. J. McPherson, Sec- j
retary of the Birmingham Branch,
National Association for the Advance
ment of Colored People, states that
the bill of exceptions in Peterson’s
behalf is being filed before the Ala
bama Supreme Court, instead of be
fore the trial judge. The bill was
prepared by John W. Altman, known
throughout the South as a criminal
lawyer, who is in charge of the de
fense.
“We have raised and paid to the
attorntys of Willie Peterson, §2,425,”
said Dr. McPherson today, “and to
date we still have a drive on in our
NAACP. branch to raise the balance
of $571. Our local newspapers in
Birmingram have all given us ex
ceptional support in our drive.”
The National Office of the NAACP
has contributed $100. toward the de
fence of this case which has deeply
stirred Birmingham.
The alleged crime occurred Aug. 4,
1931, and involved the murder of two
white “society girls” and the wound
ing of a third by “Negro” who, it
was charged kept the girls on a lone
ly wagon road “more than three
hours.”
Peterson, a sufferer from tubercul
osis, a church member with good rep
utation, never before in trouble, was
suddenly seized on the street when
the surviving white woman passing
in an automobile screamed that he
was the Negro who had shot her. Pet
erson steadfastly denied his guilt.
An alibi established for him by wit
nesses at his first trial, begun Dee.
7, 1931, resulted in a mistrial. A sec
ond trial brought a death sentence
March 4, execution of which was stay,
ed by notice of appeal.
Despite KuKluxKlan parades and
other efforts to intimidate the color
ed citizens of Birmingham, they, led
by the local NAACP. and backed up
by the National Office are conducting
a finish fight on this case. Dr. Mc
Pherson reports that the fight in
Peterson’s behalf has the sympathy
of many “high clas intelligent white
people.”
THOMAS S. VINEGAR, WEALTHY
PULLMAN PORTER IS BURIED
The funeral of Thomas S. Vinegar,
2529 North 19th St., who is reputed
to be one of the wealthiest colored cit
izens in Nebraska, was held from the ,
Myer’s Funeral Home Thursday even
ing, December 29th.
Mr. Vinegar was a retired Pull
man porter, having entered the serv
ice in 1877 and retired five years a.
go. Being thrifty, temperate of hab
its and a wise investor, the aged por
ter is said to have amassed a fortune
well above the six figure mark. Dur
ing his residence here he acquired a
multitude of friends who mourned his
passing along with his wife, several
nieces and a brother.
The active palbearers were W. R.
Estell, J. W. Thomas, W. H. Ray, A,
L. Bowler, H. W. Black and R. W,
Freeman.
EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION
OF CHEROKEE NATION IS
DISCOVERED
Washington, (CNIS) The emanci
pation proclamation of the Cherokee
nation—an instrument that provided
for freedom of Negro slaves from Red
masters—has been found in old rec
ords and it antedates the “no slavery”
treaty of the Indians by three years.
The act was passed by the Chero.
kee council at Cowskin praire in 1863.
Spring Frog was speaker of the
council. The act stated that “all Ne
gro and other slaves within lands of
the Cherokee nation be and are here
by emancipated from slavery.” It
provided a find for violation of the
act.
“The no slavery” treaty was signed
three years later and provided that
the Indians be readmitted “to pro_
tection of the United States but ob
liged to liberate their Negro slaves
and admit them to equal sitizenship.”
The Cherokee nation was an inde
pendent government within the Uni
ted States and its Red citizens were
beyond pale of American law. Their
own government was fashioned after
the United States. The Indians held
slaves, but their loyalty was divided
during the War of the Rebellion. In_
dians sympathetic with slavery were
organized into “Knights of the Gold
en Circle” in 1855 and the organized
aim was to protect the institutions
of slavery.
Indians who sympathized with the
abolition movement formed the “Ke
toowah.” Approximately 8,500 Cher_
okees joined forces with the Confed
eracy and about 13,000 were loyal to
the Union. In 1861, the nation met
in a convention and decided to sign
a treaty with the Confederacy. How
ever, when the tide turned against
the South the Indians agreed to make
no such treaty and even disbarred
from office Cherokees who had “se
ceded” and joined the Confederacy.
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