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VOL. VI. Omaha, Nebraska, Saturday, February 4, 1933 _ _ Number Fiftv.—
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f By CLIFFORD C. MITCHELL *
HOW WILL IT END?
• • •
We read that foreign governments
are failing; others are staggering,
and some writers would have us be
lieve that our own government is
floundering.
• • •
And through it all we learn by
reading—and implication—that Ne
groes are sleeping. Some of our
own writers, columnists and propa
gandists would make us believe that
those Negroes who are not sleeping
are knocking each other into uncon
sciousness in their attempt to pre
vent other from progressing.
• • •
Daily we read of propagandized
campaigns being waged in an effort
to bolster American interests. These
cunpa.’iB> run the gauntlet of “Buy
American”; “Travel American”; and
“Hire American”. In these cam
paigns is an opportunity for the Ne
gro if he will wake up.
• • •
Personally we do not believe in sub
sidized interests, but as long as they
are the order of the day, we might as
well take advantage of them. If we
postpone our day of action until that
perfect day arrives when all things
will be considered purely on merits
then we might as well continue our
sleeping indefinitely.
• • •
If any class can be considered as
Americans, surely our race can. In
many cases we are able and willing
to “Buy American” but we secure the
same value for our money? We are
milling to “Travel American” but can
we secure the same accommodations
hi our travel that foreign countries
will provide us with? And as for
“Hire American"—well, we just sim
ply don't classify as Americans at all.
Yet, we sleep?
• • m
However, there is much danger in
these comercialized campaigns. It
paves the way for retaliation, not
only »t home but abroad. Other
groups adopt the same sort of tactics
and soon our civilization—continents,
nations, states and local communit
ies will be divided according to pro
pagandized groups.
Already we can begin to see such
results. Governmental economics and
changes are announced and put into
effect for the ostensible benefit of
the people and the officials are ac
cordingly applauded, until in the dis
tance we see a big storm cloud ap
proaching which we later analyze and
discover to be the propagandized ef
forts of opposition interests who de
sire economy as long as some other
group does the economizing.
• • •
In all of these apparent eontrover.
aies. merit seems to be side-tracked,
and it is every man for himself, and
the Negroes—no longer chattels of
the white race—must wake up, if he
really is seeping, and do some plug
ging Of his own. Otherwise, it will
hardly take a seer, a medium, or a
tipster to answer the question: “How
will H end?"
PINBOY FOUND ON SCALES
POLICE TAKE HIM AWAY
—
Charles Alrid. Negro pin setter in
a local bowling alley, was arrested
early Monday after he is alleged to
hare broken into a weighing machine
in front of the Knudsen drug store,
North 23rd St., employed in a bakery
North 23rd St . mployed in a bakery
opposite the drug store, saw Alrid
tampering with the machine and call
ed police.
DesMoines Attorney To Speak In Omaha
CAROLINA GOVERNOR ORDERS CHAIN GANcTkROBE
Columbia. S. C.—(CNS) Seeking
to profit by and escape from the un
savory reputation recently hung on
Georgia for its chain gang brutalities
Governor Blackwood of this State
has ordered a prompt investigation
into brutality charges recently made
against a Greenville County chain
gang.
“In justice to the State and to
Greenville County,” said Charles H.
Gerald, the Governor’s secretary “the
investigation will be promptly made.”
INTERRACIAL GROUP
ANNOUNCES CONTEST
Washington, (CNS) The Commis
i sion on Interracial Cooperation with
’ Headquarters in Atlanta has announc
ed the offer of a number of substan
i ual cash prizes to be awarded to
1 teachers, schools and pupils partici
pating in a simple educational project
in history, entitled, “America’s Tenth
Man.”
——■ — 1 ■
WHITE WOMAN LEADS NEGRO
IN DEMONSTRATION BEFORE
EMERGENCY RELIEF STATION
Chicago, (CNS) Mary Wernick, a
white woman, is under arrest here
charged with leading a band of riot
ers. mostly Negroes, demonstrating in
front of an emergency relief station
on the South Side last Thursday.
Forty police had been assigned to
guard the relief station in anticipa
tion of the demonstration. Bricks,
and stones soon started to fly. The
patrolmen replied with clubs, to dis
perse the rioters. Two wragon loads
of prisoners were hauled aw^ay.
One policeman suffered a fractured
kneecap and another was believed to
have received a skull fracture. The
rest were bruised and cut.
Two agitators were sent to the
Bridewell Hospital for treatment of
bruises.
Capt, Mooney, of the police, said
the fighting started when Mary Wern.
ick. 21, struck him behind the head
with an iron bar.
PROMINENT YOUNG SOCIETY
MATRON DIES
Mrs. Genevieve Gaskin, wife of Mr.
Richard Gaskin, 2640 Decatur St.,
died Jauary 27th. 1933 at the Cove
nant Hospital.
Mrs. Gaskin was very popular in
the community as a civic and church
worker and was loved by all those
who knew her.
The funeral was held Monday af
ternoon from St. John AME. Church
of which she was an active member.
Rev. Bryant, the Pastor, preached the
sermon and eugolized her “ life ser
vice”. Many resolutions were read.
Mrs. Venus Starnes and Mrs. Irene
Moten were the soloist.
She is survived by her husband,
mother and father, Mr. and Mrs. Wil
liam Elam, and a host of friends.
HARLEM HOSPITAL TO BE IN
VESTIGATED BT IMPARTIAL
PHYSICIANS
New York City, (CNS) A group of
distinguished physicians including Dr.
Dean Lewis, president of the Amer
can Medical Association; Dr. Samuel
A. Brown, dean of New York Univer.
sity Medical School and William Dar
aah, dean emeritus of Columbia Uni.
verarty Medical School, will investi
gate the changes of racial discrimin
ation, overcrowding and other unfa,
vorable conditions in Harlem Hospit
aL
VICTIM IDENTIFIES WOMAN AS
BANDIT
Callie Taylor, Negro, 402 North
14th St., was bound over to district
court Friday under $2,500 bond on
changes of robbery of A. Rosenfeld,
2516 Jones St.. Wednesday at 9:30 p.
m. on Jackson St., between 15th and
16th. Rosenfeld identified her as the
woman who met him shortly after he
came out of the Rome hotel, pressed
something that might have been a gun
against his chest and ordered him to
hand over his money.
Two Youths Arrested On Girl*s Charge
Mark Hel linger, N. Y.
Columnist Spends A
Couple of Hours
with Jack Johnson
New York City. (CNS) Mark Hel
linger the well known New York col
umnist writing for his column
“Broadways of the World” from Ber
lin, Germany, says last week: “I ran
into Jack Johnson this morning and
we spent a couple of hours together.”
“Jack, as I suppose almost every,
one knows, was the heavyweight
champion of the world from 1908 un
' til 1915. He’s in the fifties now, but
| he still thinks he can stand up with
any of our modern heavyweights for
! as long as they wish. And when I
| consider our modern heavyweights, I
I think so too.
“Jack’s over here with his white
wife at the present time, and, if the
proposed capital comes through, he
expects to open a Jack Johnson gymn
asium in Berlin. His plans seemed
a trifle indefinite when we talked,
| for he spoke vaguely of a huge bar
on one floor, a night club on the next
and the gymnasium on the third.
Spectacular Career
“As one of the most famous— or
; infamous—gentlemen that the colored
race has produced in America, John
j son has had a career that has few
; equals. He has been accused of prac
tically every crime on the calendar.
“They have said this about the i
man. And that. And the other At
one time in his career, he was barred
from almost every country in the
world. The colored race has repud
iated his actions time and time a
gain. He knows what the inside of a
prison looks like. He has admitted
that he took part in any number of
phony fights, and that he was no
more knocked out by Jess Willard
than you were.
^ ou may think of him as a scamp
and a rogue, but surely you can never
take away from him the fact that he
has lived hard, dangerously and well.
Neither can you take away his sense
of humor nor his unfailing optimism.
“If you could have seen him as I
did this morning, I’m quite certain
you would agree with me. I knew
there wasn’t any too much dough in
the family sock, I know the man was
growing older. All my common
sense told me that the end of the
game couldn’t be too far away
And yet—there sat Jack, reciting
amusing antecedotes by the carload.
His white wife—a decidedly keen-wit
ted and pretty woman—sat content
edly by his side. People strolled from
different directions to get a look at
him, and he loved it. His beret perch
ed jauntily upon his huge dome. His
tan coat, tan gloves, tan suit, tan
socks and tan shoes made the perfect
combination.
Big Dough
“He tapped my knee with the long
cigarette holder.
“ ‘Mark,’ he murmured, don’t you
ever go getting the idea that Jack
Johnson’s money days are over. Jim.
onelly, no! There’s big dough just a.
round the corner, brother. Big dough.
Could you spare me another cigar
ette?’ ^
“What a character!
“When I speak of Johnson and his
white wife, I trust that I offend no
one. It’s a dangerous subject to
tackle in America, and I have no in
tention of going into it at any length.
All I will tell you is that the woman
amazed me. I looked for a specific
type of woman—and I found instead
a wel.read damsel who knew exactly
what everything was all about.
“Over here, of course neither John
son nor his white wife suffer the
least embarrassment because of Jacks
color. They are welcomed to the best
hotels and the best restaurants and.
if anything, they receive a little bet
ter service than your average guest.
Just as Josephine Baker is catered
to by the finest Frenchmen in Paris,
so is Jack Johnson treated on this
side of the border.
“With which I now leave this tick
lish subject to other and more agile
hands. It’s not for me. Not in a
daily column at any rate.”
SWAP COWS AND COTTON FOK
EDUCATION IN DIXIE
Atlanta, Ga., (CNS) “From the
ground up” is the typical slogan of
many southern boys and girls who
perforce of conditions are swapping
cows and cotton for college educ
ation. It is reported that the Negro
State Normal School at Elizabeth, N.
C. accepts any kind of produce for
tuition.
Many Southern colleges have ac
cepted farm produce for students’
expenses for years, and now it’s quite
the thing to swap a shoat, some sweet
potatoes and maybe some spinach for
an education.
It is not unusual at some schools
to see a farmer and, his son drive up
in a truck or mule wagon loaded with
molasses, corn meal and cabbages.
Maybe there’s a yearling aboard. The
boy is fresh from the cotton furrows.
His hair has been trimmed by his
mother. His jeans are cut downs
from his father’s best suit. The fa
ther will have to wear overalls, but
his boy will have a chance to “git
some 1’armmg’.” Some fathers are
like that.
The school will accept the produce
as tuition for the student. Next month
the father will fetch some fresh wa
ter ground meal for the school, and
the mother will send a pound of her
best butter or a j'ar of fig preserves
for the teacher who has been good to
her boy.
SAM CALDWELL ADDRESSES
COMMUNITY iCIVIC IMPROVE.
MENT CLUB
On Monday night, Jan. 30th, the
Community Civic Improvement Club
met. Mr. Sam Caldwell, president of
the Douglas Motor Co., gave a won
derful address on the present econ
omic condition, his address was well
received by all.
The membership of this organiz
ation was brought up to the number
of 301. This is a remarkable record
with only two weeks campaigning.
The Community Civic Improvement
Club is contemplating a dance in the
near future for the purpose of rais
ing finances to foster civic better
ment and fostering jobs for our
groups. John B. Horton, Jr., pres.
Mrs. Shackelford, sec’y. Harry Le
land, Chairman of executive comm.
CONVICTED
Angelo Herndon
GEORGIA INVOKES OLD LAW
AND INVITES CRITICISM OF
THE WORLD
Atlanta, Ga., (CNS) Georgia’s re
suscitating of an old moss covered
law to facilitate the railroading to
prison of the young Cincinnati Ne
gro, Angelo Herndon, charged with
“incitin/? to insurrection,” again plac
es the State of notorious chain gangs,
in an unenviable light before the civ
ilized world.
The old carpet bag law converted
into a weapon against Communism
provides that a person guilty of at
tempting to incite insurrection shall
be punished by death or long im
prisonment.
Declaring the conviction of Hern
don, here last week on charges of
“inciting to insurrection” as “the
type of injustice which indicates we
live in a maze of corruption where
ever the courts and public sentiment
must deal with black people,” a group
of ministers representing several
colored churches have made public a
resolution deploring the long sent
ence of from 18 to 20 years given the
young man.
The resolution points out that “some
of the slayers of Dennis Hubert were
given shorter sentences for brutal
murder—to say nothng of the thous
ands of lynchers who roam at will
throughout the nation.” The resolu
tion opens with, “We as ministers and
American citizens desire to trust ouri
courts for absolute justice.”
Among the ministers signing the
resolution were: the Revs. A. F. Bail,
ey. pastor, Butler Street CME. church
J. A. Martin, editor Sunday school
periodicals, CME. Church; C. L. John,
son, district superintendent, ME.
church; N. J. Crolley, pastor, South
Atlanta ME. church; J. N. Peacock,
formerly pastor Rush Congregational
Church; J. H. Wiggins, presiding el
der, Atlanta district, CME. church
W. J. Thorpe, ME. church; W. B.
Wood, pastor, Fort street ME church
J. N. Newton. Griffin district ME.
Church; N. T. Bridges, Rome district
ME. Church; I. C. Nicholson, West
Mitchell CME. church; J. A. Barter
Central ME. church.
The State charged that Herndon
had attempted to incite insurrection
and he demanded an immediate trial
Literature identified as his advocat
ed self-determination of Negroes in
the “black belt’’ and the State used
that advocacy in its attempt to send
the man to his death.
Overthrow White Supremacy
The State said Communism by ad
vocating self-determination for Ne.
Irroes sought to overthrow white
supremacy in the South, abolish State
lines, confiscate property and make
the South a Negro republic with an
l*wo youths, LeRoy Gilliam, age 15.
3026 Lindsey St., and Earl Welberg,
age 17, 3015 Burdette St., were held
by Juvenile authorities last week on
charges of .improper intimacies with
a six year old girl, Loma Imogene
Bath of 2208 North 30th St.
Reports state that the boys were
arrested in the old brick yard at 30th
and Lake Streets by Detectives Mat
thews and Jenkins after neighbors
had complained. The school records
of the youngsters are being investi
gated and a hearing will be held this
morning at 10 o’clock. The doctor
said that the girl had not been injur
ed.
R. C. Price of the NAACP. is in
vestigating the case.
thority to secede from the union if
it so desired.
Herndon’s defense said his only
crime was his color and argued that
some of the literature in his posses
sion was considered classical and
found in the “great libraries of At
lanta.”
When the case came to trial, how
ever, it took only two hours for a
jury to convict Herndon. And with;
that case on the records, the State
is preparing to go forward with its
trial of the six other persons charged
with a similar offense. Herndon has
filed a motion for a new trial and
the International Labor Defense is
aiding him.
RUBY BATES NOW DENIES
AUTHORSHIP OF LETTER OF
DENIAL
Huntsville. Ala., (CNS) Ruby Bates
the 22 year old white textile operative
and one of the accusers of the nine
youths in the Scottsboro case, has a
gain reiterated previous denials that
she had written a letter repudiating
the testimony given in the trials in
April, 1931.
“I didn’t write any such letter, and
I don’t know who did,” the girl hotly
declared when questioned.
Chief of Police H. C. Blakemore
said the letter in question, wdiich was
take from Danny Dundee, a puglist
the night of January 5, 1932, had
been sent to court officials in Birm
ingham, where habeas corpus pro
ceedings are pending in behalf of
Roy Wright, 14, one of the nine de
fendants.
The girl signed an affidavit Jan
uary 6, 1932, repudiating the letter
and declaring if she had signed such
a document “it was when I was so
drunk I did not know what I was do
ing.” She reiterated her testimony
against the boys was true.
FLORIDA WHITE GIRL SAVES
NEGRO BOY’S LIFE—GETS
CAREGIE MEDAL
Pittsburgh, Pa.( fCNS) Ten year
old Evelyn E. Overstreet, of Panama
City, Fla., has been awarded a bronze
medal of Carnegie here fund com
mission.
Evelyn saved Willie S. Hides, a 12
year old Negro, much larger and
heavier than herself, from drowning
at Panama City, July 25, 1931. Ig
noring warnings of an older sister,
the girl leaped into Saint Andrews
bay and saved Willie by having him
to on» of her feet while she swam,
towing him 20 feet to wadable wa
ter.
MARYLAND SPINSTER LEAVING
$2,000 BEQUEST TO COLORED
SERVANTS
I
—
Leonardtown, Md. (CNS) Miss Ida
Kirk, the 73 year old spinster of Chap
tico, Maryland, who was recently kill
ed by a bomb planted in her automo
bile, January 6. left among other be
quests, $2,000 each to two colored ser
vants John and Mary Shade.
Iowa Atty. To Speak On
Race Relation Program
at Northside “Y”
The Pubic Affairs Committee of
the Northside YWCA, is planning an
all day Interracial Institute for Feb
ruary 16th. The guest speaker for
the day will be Atty. S. Joe Brown
of DesMoines, Iowa, who will ad
dress a laivre meeting in the evening
from the subject, “Recent Develop
ments in the Interracial Movement”.
Attorney Brown, besides being an
outstanding character in his profes
sional field, has been aligned for a
number of years with National In
terracial Conferences, having held the
office of President of the DesMoines
Interracial Commission for a number
of years. The meeting begins at 10:.
30 in the morning with luncheon and
dinner sessions. Some of the city’s
best thinkers on interracial prob
lems will address meetings and lead
discussions during the day. All
meetings, with the exception of the
luncheon and dinner meetings, will be
free. The next week’s issue of this
paper will carry a more detailed ac
count of the day's program. Mrs.
lone Hanger, Chairman; Mrs. J. A.
Williams, Chairman of Public Af
fairs Committee.
CHICAGO GETS 1933 MEETING OF
NATIONAL BAPTIST CONGRESS
Lsuisville, Ky. (CNS) The execu
tive board of the National Sunday
School and Baptist Young People
People Union Congress met here last
week and cancelled St. Paul, Minne
sota as the place of meeting for the
1933 sessions of the congress
Six other places invited the con
gress to meet in their cities next
June, but after a prolonged discus
sion Chicago was finally selected for
the next annual meeting of the Young
People. Dr. W. H. Jernagin, presi
dent of the congress, announces that
“the Baptists will put on the greatest
demonstration in the history of the
denomination, at the World’s Fair in
religious education at Chicago next
Summer beginning June 21.
SEC’Y OF ALABAMA INTER
RACIAL COMMISSION CHARGES
ATTEMPT TO SOW RACIAL
DISCORD
Tuskegee, Ala. (CNS) The annual
meeting of the Alabama Interracial
Commission met here last week in
annual session and James D. Burton,
its secretary reported an attempt by
“sinister alien influences” to sow
seeds of discord between white and
Negroes.
The influences, Burton charged,
were working among Alabama Negro
es “seemingly with deliberate purpos
es” to bring about “discord and sus
picion” between the two races. Bur
ton handed in his resignation as in
terstate secretary of the commission
point to a lack of funds to carry on
the work.
STUDENTS OF AFRICA VISIT
HAMPTON INSTITUTE
Hampton, Va, (CNS) Last week,
Friday, a group of twenty-five white
students visited Hampton Institute.
The visitors, consising of six men and
nineteen women,' representing the
leading universities of South Africa,
under Miss Helen Donnon, of the Na
tional Student's Federation of Amer
ica, arrived at Old Point by steam
er.
They were met by Representatives
from Hampton Institute and brought
to the school grounds, where break
fast was served. Following this the
visitors were shown over the school
and were permitted to see the classes
at work. Luncheon was served by
the home economic class and the vis
itors were received by Dr. and Mrs.
Howe at a reception at the "Mansion
house.” The visitors said that they
had selected Hampton Institute as the
leading Negro institute in America.