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About The Omaha guide. (Omaha, Neb.) 1927-19?? | View Entire Issue (Feb. 9, 1935)
EDITORIALS The Omaha Guide Published every Saturday at 2418-20 Grant St., Omaha, Neb. Phone WEbster 1750 Entered as Second Class Matter March 15, 1927 at the Post Office at Omaha, Neb., under the Act of Consress of March 3, 1879. Terms of Subscription $2.00 per year. Race prejudice must go. The Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man must pre vail. These are the only principles which will stand the acid test cf good citizenship in time of peace, war and death. Omaha, Nebraska, Saturday, FEBRUARY 9, 1935 “IMITATION OF LIFE-’ So much has been stfid and written about “Imitation of Life’’ tha* comment, in these columns comes as an anti-climax. It is doubt ful if so many Negroes have attended any other, All screen presentation wi h a mixed ca-t. The much-discussed motion picture has lured thousands to see it because to of the three most important roles are played by Ne groes, the central plot deals with the race problem and the acting of Louise Beavers as Auiu Delilah’ dominates the superb perfor mance. ; i, hat tlie cinema version is dlffer ent from rannie Iiur.it’s story in book form, i he producers, tenaciously adhering to Holly wood s unforgivable policy of eschewing real ism in depicting- Negro characters for fear of giving offenses to an element of thin-skinned wJij e people, fail in many instances to carry conviction to those familiar with interracial and interracial relationships. Two grieved wo men friends and partners in business, one white the other colored, leave on a mo: or trip to fiiiid the daughter of the latter, who has run away from college in a Southern ci v. They depart from their Northern home seated together in a limousine. Upon their return after finding the object of their search, the colored woman is photographed riding with the chauffeur and the white woman is en sconced in the back seat. In another scene the daughter of the white woman who is home from college, learns of the suffering of “Aunt Delilah” on account of “Peola’s” (Fredi Washington) truancy from home. The white child is seen just as she is about to put her arms aruond “Aunt Delilah” to comfort her. Then there is a blackout, for the director evidently felt that a continuation of the scene would have been bad taste. ” As for the character, “Aunt Delilah,” she is one of the bigges- “Uncle Tom’s” on record. She started her rubbing the feet of “Miss ilea,” (the charming Claudette Colbert) and was content to rub feet the rest of her days. When offered a share in the pancake business for which she was partly responsible, she re* fused to sign incorporation papers, consent ing to accept whatever money put in the bank for her. After accumulating a comfortable fortune, she voiced stubborn opposition to the suggestion that she buy a beautiful home for herself and daughter, preferring to keep “Peola” in an environment which only bred discontent, discouragement ami an inferiority complex. “Aunt Delilah” is not typical of the Negro mother, who since emancipation, has appeared in the most heroic role. To bring up and edu cate her children so they might live like “high •class white folks,” she has washed, ironed and literally worn off her finger-nails. Her ab sorbing ambition has been to better the con dition of her offspring. But “Aunt Delilah” who loved "Peola” dearly, made no effort to improve materially the lot of her daughter al though the possessor of a fat bank account. The character so admirably acted by Louise Beavers often failed to ring true. Nor does the heated declaration of “Peola” to “Miss Bea’ that: “You don’t know what it is to look white and be black.” Negroes of light complexion usually “pass for white” to hurdle economic equalities. Nothing prevent ed “Peola” from going wherever she pleased. M hy her mother failed to send her to a white college in the North instead of a colored col lege in the South, knowing her temperament and psychology is a bit puzzling. The producers of “Imitation of Life” are to be congratulated for giving Miss Beavers and Miss Washington featured roles, even if they were not featured in the billing. It is a big step forward from the narrow, restricted confines to which Negro actors have been kept in movieland. White Americans and foreign ers who know little or nothing of Negro life, and whose conception of it has been, formed very largely in watching the Negro in ster eotyped parts in the movies, are apt to con clude after seeing “Imitation of Life” that the Negro laughs, cries, loves and hates the same as other human beings. KB. MITCHELL IN CONGRESS Nearly one month has elapsed since Repre sentative Arthur W. Mitchell took his seat as a member of Congress from Illinois. No headlines have given disturbing accounts in the daily press of any unpleasantries either in the House of Representatives or in the unpre cedented presence among other Democratic legislators, nor has a line of unfavorable comment been published. Influential Southern dailies, such as the Chatanooga Times and the Daily Journal of Dallas, lex., discuss Mr. Mitchell’s debut as a Congressman sanely and unemotionally. They take the sensible position that the spec tacle of a Negro Congressman seated on the Democratic side of the House of Representa tives cannot properly be taken as raising the question of social equality; that a man chooses his own table companions but not his fellow occupants of public places. Is is obvious that the South is beginning to take a broader view on the social equality issue, which for many years was one of its chief bugaboos. Before two persons can hob nob both must evince a mutual preference for the other’s society. In the pas. alarmists took the untenable viewpoint that every Negro was eager to socialize with whi.e people. Mr. Mit chell goes to \\ ashington to represent the first Illinois District, not to seek “social equality. Of course, there are a few who prefer that he inconvenience himself and for the sane of their peace of mind patronize o.ker than the House Restaurant. But the wealthiest Congressional District in Illinois did not elect a “Jim Crow Congressman but one who possesses the manhood to enjoy all the preroga ivcs to which a Congressman is entitled. Representative Mitchell has come in for severe criticism for having refused an assign ment as a member of the Dis;rict of Columbia Committee. He is quoted as saying he did not accept the committeeship because he did not want to be swamped by job-hungry color ed office-seekers living in the district. Such an excuse, if given, is not a good one. It is not convincig. Mr. Mitchell is the only Ne gro in Congress. Whether he wants to be or not, he is generally looked upon as the Con gressman-at'large of his race. His first con sideration is his Illinois constituency, but be cause of the unique position he holds his duty is to render service t0 the best of his ability to Negroes throughout the United States. Arthur W. Mitchell will not make friends in Congress if he goes about with a chip on his shoulder, is too commanding and self-as sertive and given to bombast. While it is ex pected that he perform his duties tactfully and unostentatiously, the colored and white voters who put him in office and the mem bers of his race in all sections of the country expect him to maintain a dignified attitude at all times. It is a human trait to want to be well-liked. Popularity is an ethereal, transi tory something. It is for the respect of his colleagues and his people that a Representa tive should strive for most. WHISKEY TAKES THE STEERING WHEEL In a recent series of graphic bulletins, the Nation.il Safety Council points to a tremen dous increase in drunken driving the past year —and to a sustantial gain in the number of deaths and injuries due to mixing alcohol and gasoline. The first twelve months of repeal may have been beneficial in some respects— but it left a devastating trail of death behind it. Severe as the drunken driving problem was during prohibition, it has become doubly severe now. The best obtainable statistics indicate that five to ten per cent of both drivers and pedes strains involved in traffic accidents are under the influence of liquor. These statistics, how e\er, in the belief of the Council, understate matters, inasmuch as a multitude of accidents occur in which drinking is a factor but is not reported for one reason or another. A short time ago a thorough survey was made of 119 accidents involving 116 injuries and fatali ties and it showed that in 60 per cent of the accidents the alcohol factor was involved. According to the authority making this sur vey, as little as one ounce of whiskey will cause a measurable loss of driving efficiency in the average person. Keports from traffic departments through out the nation thoroughly back up the fact that drunken driving is showing an atsound ing gain. Drunken driving arrests amount to from 20 to 100 per cent more than they did a year ago, and police authorities likewise state that a rising percentage of accidents can be ascribed to the “little black bottle.” Here is a problem that involves the health, life and property of every citizen. It is a problem that must be fought by us all, drys and wets alike. L nder the best of conditions, highways and streets are potentially danger ous—and they become slaughterhouses when whiskey takes the steering wheel. TALKING IT OVER BY MILDRED J. BRONSON HOW CAN YOU TELL YOUR FRIEND? ' Dear Friends: — I am sure you read my story on Friendship, and it made many new readers for my column, and I can say that it brought more mail to me than any of my writ ings, except “Smiles." I must admit that this surely must have j been my masterpiece, because no ; Inter than yesterday I received five letters on it. I guess I wrote “Smiles” from the heart and soul, and I hope to get another one like it over soon. Now the topic is asking you and me a very serious question and it is requested by Mr. Thel S. Mitchell of Detroit, Mich. Well Mr. Mitchell, this topic you sel ected 10 speak upon may bring you lots of comments and it may not. Rut stick strictly to the truth and maybe the truth will right j.self. As I see it, I can say that it would be almost impossible to tell them when ii comes to man. It has been proven, by the dog, who stayed by man or his master un til death took him. proving real ly a triend until death. To do this seems to be more than man can do. Only yesterday all papers car ried a headline like this “Baby Face Nelson Slain.” We read where lie had two with him. and we don’t know if his friends left him before death came or not, but we do know that they did not take any chances with or near the body, it meant their freedom j or death. Yet we must give man credit for having more sense than a dog and after man is dead, in i hat game, he is useless. Because it is just one true fact, and it is man or men against law, and the law regards such as better off dead than alive. So you see 1117 friends, in cases like this, it is hard to say how to tell a real friend, but 1 would say this right here that any man that takes the law in his hands and does every thing that the law of this coun try forbids, and asks you to join him is no friend to you and if you are foolish or weak enough to join him, you can’t be a true friend to him. Have you ever been at a place and your friend didn’t know you were there? This is a way to tell ihem, sometimes. In 1932, my last 3’ear in High school, I had three girl friends in my class. One day I selected a small room off of one of our study rooms to write a piece and these three friends came into study, aud did they pan me. I say they did, and if I could have gone out some other I way, 1 would have been happy. ! But J had to come out face to face wi h them, and if you ever saw the face on Judas when Christ said “One of you will be tray me,” It was a reproduction of it on their faces. But friends, you can cure tnese eases with kind treatments, and real sportsmanship. Yet it hurts you. There were 3t>5 in my class, and there were only seven colored girls and no boys. So you see out of seven, three had to talk about the other. You can he the Judge. I happened to listen to one of Bert Williams’ records today and it really explained a friend. Here is what it said, ’’Let mo have 10 cents, won’t you, Friend? The reply “haven’t got but $20.00 dime of it to anybody.” Isn’t this a small way of finding out a friend? And then was turned down.So you see it is really hard to tell you friend until they are put to a test. But remember this: they are few and far between: No matter how much faith you have in any one there are some things you should keep to yourself and it may save you a great deal of trouble. Did you read what Mrs. Hollis said about her son, who is credited with killing Dillinger? He never even told her of his plans and activities, and lots of his close friends didn’t even know he was in this kind of service. So, my friends, take a lesson from this man, and you will be much safer and feel freerer to act as you wish, for to tell a friend, may sometimes cause your life. It has happened in almost every one of the outlaw’s killings. And it seems to me, that women is the most, dangerous Friend. Take all cases, and see if I am not right. Did you see the picture, I am A Fugitive From A Chain Gang.” After all he went through and to get revenge or put him under her thumb, she betrayed him to the Law. But one Governor who had a Heart, would not stand it an> longer. So, my Friends, you see from pictures, where you can re ceive great lessons, if you look at it in the right light, and from the press that they are hard to tell. Yet we cannot live all alone There are some things we would like to intrust in someone, but take this from me. To tell a friend it’s hard to do No matter how hard you try, To tell a friend that’s loyal and true \ ou must add, substract, and multiply And then maybe when the answer comes It may be as true as one plus one is two The person you call the closet one Is not at all a Friend to you Keep some of your secrets for keep sakes. DOINGS AMONG THE DINING GAR AND HOTEL WAITERS By Hopie Dear Readers: I would like to call your attention to a statement made by some one last week, to the effect that the wait-1 ers who served a banquet at Zion Bap tist Church recently, was from the Waiters’ Association and that they were poorly served. We would like it | known that the Association hasn’t met since last July, and whoever made the statement surely did not know where the waiters came from or who ihey were, and should be more careful when making such remarks. I investi- i fated and found that the said party had about three hundred guests ' and four boys from the young waiters’ class, who are under the most compe tent head waiter, Mr. C. Branch, and eight so-called waiters who are un known to me. Had these people em ployed twelve of the best waiters in the city, the party would have been a very poorly served affair. Even at the hotel where they are prepared to serve, the;: only expect one waiter to serve twelve to fifteen guests, and if it is a real nice party, we give cno from eight to ten guests. There should have been from fifteen to twentj-two waiters to serve 300 guests, especially if they were not prepared for such a party. .! visited the class Friday night, and I must say that the young men are doing a nice job of it, and I am sure that if you use these young men, and be sure i. at they are sent to you by Captain Blanch, your party will be served just as w'ell as if we served it for you. And if it is so classy that Mr. Branch would happen to doubt his boys, he will send some of us out with the boys. And if it is too classy for us to serve, it is really too much class for Omaha. We serve the Cream of the c.ty daily, but my people, some time, may be “double whip.” Oh, me! Well, here are the names of the four boys who happened to be the victims of the party, Calvin Bradley, Bichard Howard, Jesse Covington and William Davis. Last Friday night they showed me that they can, at least j serve beef, chicken and steaks; so I am sorry to say that the mistake made at the party wras too many peo ple. But we will gladly assist these young men should you wish their ser vices in the future. Here we are: A good looking suit or a good looking girl or man always attracts the eye, and believe me, Mr. D. Overton has seen many. But last week Mr. Overton was struck dead by the sight of a blue suit hanging by So a test came up a3 to the value of the suits when one of the bus boys, w'ho stood Omaha on its head last summer when he put the sky on the ground with his electric blue, and made a perfect background for the moon at night wdien he strutted Oma ha streets, told the price of his suit. But the owner of the suit quickly put ten dollars up that this suit wrould hold its own anywhere, even though didn’t come from Brandeis, Brown ing-King or Nebraska Clothing. Mon ey talks, so the bus boy shut up. Have you ever gone to see an All Star” team play? Well, they lose more than they win, don’t they? Didn’t the Kansas City Monarchs beat the All Stars last fall with the great Deans pitching? Why? Too many stars and no team to back them. Am I right? Well, this also goes for the dining rooms. No mat ter how many star waiters you have unless thdy team up, assist each oth er, take care of the ones who can’t take care of themselves, they can’t win, or serve the people. It is the united strength and not stardom that gets results. Team work will get it. Try it and see the result. While »I am speaking of waiters and the dining room, I must say to Mr. Porter that he had better move or ad just his timer, or use a better gas, and remove all of his alcohol so as not to over heat, and get a better pick-up, because Mr. Branch is surely putting together a real fast young crew, and the old ones who could run the track in one flat, and who are now going on the old “Trade Mark”, must step aside as speed is taking the day. Ask any auto dealer or the U- P. Don’t for get, “An old motor must be petted”. No matter how far they go from home, Spain, France or Iowa, there is no place like home. Last week Mr. J. Fisher, after getting twelve biscuits and a cereal dish full of syrup, he and Raymond Davis really went back. Twenty-eight biseuits and half a gal lon of syrup were distroyed in less than ten minutes, and believe me, I couldn’t help joining them way down the road. Good? Did I say ‘No’? Last week the president of the Ho tel said that H. Shearron was the best bus boy he ever saw, and you can bet he has seen many. I can say that this young man is good and regardless whether you admit it or not, you know THE WAY OUT By Loren Miller NO SURPRISE TO ME Although there has been a great ; deal made of it I must confess that 1 was not at all surprised when the widely heralded anti-crime confer ence failed to take a positive stand aganst lynching. In fact, it take? quite a stretch of the imagination to believe that the men who attended it were concerned about real crime to any extent. Of course there is no doubt that most of them are bitterly opposed to kidnapping, petty theft and shoplift ing. Their deepc and abiding concern with these matters springs from the -act that they are property holders and lawyers for property holders and hence quite averse to permitting at large any person who threatens to disturb property rights. On the other hand it is a pretty safe guess that ou can call on all of them at any time of the day and night and get them to fight tooth and toe nail for :he right of any industrialist to close his factory and let the workers who have made his millions starve. ACCESSORIES Or should the workers in ajiy par ticular factory strike, these same law yers and their ilk—many of them were prosecuting attcrne n—would be quite ready to help the boss rally all sorts of legal trickery to prevent the strike from becoming successful. Or carry the matter a step further: you can be just as sure that in event of industrial strife such lawyers will line up solidly with the v.gilantes an < strike breakers. What I am trying to get at is that these men devote their talents to helping to mainta.n a sys tem that breeds poverty out of which j grows crime. They are, o use legal terminology, accessories after the fact to the great majority of crimes. Few of them are unconscious of the ; oart that lynching plays in sustaining private property rights. They are pretty well aware of the fact that it is one 01 he most potent means in the country for “keeping the Negro in his it. Let’s give credit to whom credit is due. Keep the good work up, Shear ron. After all, it is this kind of men that make it possible for you, Be l.eve me. Oh, boy, Listen to this one!! Judge not, for jou may be judged by the same judgment”. But there is no law against thinking. So think any way you like. Last Saturday night a guest walked over and easily made Charlie Andrews dance with him while twenty couples danced to Art Randall's Missouri Waltz. And they tell me Andrews put a real surprise on the boys who didn’t know he could dance so nicely\ And boy, we ma. soon see a stag dance on Saturday afternoon instead of a Tea dance. Anyway, the man didn’t make any mistake, as he saw Charlie’s waiter suit, and one of the waiters remarked, “How long has this been going on?” Whee, Wheel Say, wasn’t Saturday night a funny 1 night? I am asking you. Here it is red hot. A guest from Iowa walked up to Captain Booth, and just as of it were his duty, took Booth’s pencil and wrote all over his dickey. No don’t put that on me. The man didn’t know it was a paper dickey, in fact it w*as linen paper, and should be written on with a pen. But he did it, and Mr. Booth said, “Man, dese here dickeys cost money”, and the man gave him enough to buy ten dozen dickeys. What? That’s his own business if he never wears anything but paper dic keys. Ask him, you can talk. The U. P. boys are doing nicely and. as a body, may get somewhere. Any way, they are trying. Remember my little poem: There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done, There are thousands to prophesy failure, There are thousands to point out to you, one by one, The dangers that wait to assail you. Bdt just buckle right in with a bit of a grin, Just take off your hat and go to it, And start out to sing as you tackle that thing, That can not be done, and you’ll do it. So true! But it takes more than a pair of pants and a breathing body to do it. Will Power, Self Confidence, back bone, and that bomb in the veins of Man, not human, but the man that God intended to master the roaring lion, the sneaky snake and the most powerful beast of the woods to step forward and demand and stand pat until he gets ft. God likes this kind of man to represent Hm, and we like them to represent us. Last Saturday Mr. Chas. McWhar ter made good in his first attempt at the Paxton, and he was put to work. When he received his badge, he polished it and said, “Class, Hopie”. I’ll say it is. Very few can jump from a club and then to the C. of C. and right into a regular job at one of those first class dining rooms. Oh, well! Chas. has the class anyway, and with his nerve and gab, he will likely stick to the waiting upon the table and if Mr. Kitchen ever decides to put in a colored band, I will tell place"—that is, in poverty and hence a victim of discrimination. KIDNAPPER'S FOE Take Attorney General Cummings for instance. He was one of the con ference’s guiding lights. He is a sworn foe of kidnappers when they snatch rich men’s chldren. But all attempts to get him to take a stand and prosecute the lynchers of Claude Neal ended in dismal failure. He is also sworn to prosecute violators of the collective barga ning provisions of the N. R. A. But the big factory owners are still at large despi’e their open flouting of all workex-s’ x-ights. But let one of these workers get tired because of union activities and rob a national bank and you’ll see just how bold our attorna,- general can be. That’s the burden of my case. Such men as the crime conferees aren't go ing to protect our rights in court or out, in conference or out. That’s not what they get paid for. EVERY DAY TASKS It’s all very well to p cket such con ferences and let Mr. Cummings and his henchmen know that we under stand their racket. It does something to dramatize out fight. But that’s only one side of the picture. It is also necessary to take positive action on our own behalf. I haven’t kept track of it but I venture the guess that there have been two dozen anti-1 ,nch conferences in the cotm'r - in the past three years. Many of them were poorly supported. I know that it isn’t nearl; so dra matic to attend an anii-lynch confer ence ans lay plans for a day to day struggle as t is to flare into the open with spectacular protests. But lynch ing will end on] ' when we get down to brass tacks and set about the task of building up an anti-1 nch mass movement among our own friends, supporters and neighbors. Such peo ple can be depended on to struggle against mob v.olence because they suffer from it. They don’t get paid to uphold it. him about you. This is just a friend ly piece of advice, Charles. Yet we who know you, really believe you can beat Jack singing, and if you could get a chance to show them, there wouldn’t be standing room in the din ing room down there. Take it from me, because I know. But $30.00 per would be scabbing on Jack; so let him do the singing and you wait upon the table, and I truly believe that a few six for a quarter’, will make you sing enough. Believe me. Now men, I can’t see how some of us can be so low, and then walk, talk, and maybe, drink with a man and then steal from him. Last Tuesday Mr. A. Fisher hung up his pants and before he could look around good, some one stole six or seven dollars from him. This is indeed low, and if possible, I would like for every paper in the U. S. to carry it in big headlines like this, “Petty Thief Among Pax ton Waiters”. Yet this wouldn’t do any good. Any man that will steal from a fellow-worker is too low to even think of anything Ike that. In fact, he is too low to grasp the mean ng of all of it. But some day, he will be caught and nothing could be too good for him. They got Dillinger, and he was far better than this thief. He did at least pass up his friends. So we must forget, but watch. This man is likely to do anythng. Remem ber, this Mr. Thief, “He that robs me, robs me of that which not enriches him, but makes me poor indeed”. This is all a waste of time. This • type of person is just Ike a rat. You must catch him if you ever expect him to stop cutting your walls. Listen to this: A certain little wait er at Paxton Hotel had such a time last week. Now, I thought you had your stable of women trained. Well before you start making back doors at a certain cafe, look first. There might be one waiting in the alley. Grant Street is a little too fast for you. Oh, Boy, she is nobody’s fool. Think twice before you leap. When you pick a good horse, why not make good. You don’t find them every day like her. Stick to the one on Grant Street. She’s good. P_ NEGRO BEATEN IN RAID ON HOME Birmingham, Ala.—(CNA)—Forced by the mass pressure of Negro and white workers here, two city police men, T. E. Lindsey and A. J. Bry&nt were reported suspended indefinitely from the police force for “conduct unbecoming officers”. The suspension follows the officers’ unwarranted invasion of the home of Steve Simmons, a worker, last week. The officers were operating illegally and outside the.r rightful territory. These suspensions are the first actions the workers have forced the city offi cials to take against the terroristic activities of the police in the North Birmingham area. Steve Simmons’ home has been raided three times during the past two months. During the first raid, Simmons was brutally whipped. Up on the second invasion Simmons fired a gun and frightened the terrorists away.
