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, . . EDITORIALS . . .
The Omaha Guide
Published every Saturday at 2418-20 Giant 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 Congress 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 of good citizenship in time
of peace, war and death.
_
Omaha, Nebraska, Saturday, April 13, 1935
managements want to wave the white flag and sur
render their economic position, that is their busi
Practical Projects for Relief
Expenditures
The sugges ion that a share of federal relief ex
penditures be allocated to railroad grade-crossing
elimination is meeting with much support. News
papers, business commentators, regulatory officials
and others have endorsed the plan for a variety of
reaons.
Reason number one lies in the fact that federal
relief expenditures are to be made on ;he basis of
obtaining the largest possible amount of employ
ment, both direct and indirect, for each dollar
spint. Grade crossing elimination, like road build
ing, would provide a tremendous number of jobs,
both at the scene of operations and in industries
supplying steel, cement, paint and other necessary
supplies.
Reason number two lies in the fact that money
spent for grade crossing elimination would not only
provide relief to thousands of unemployed, but
would give the lax payer, who is footing the bill,
something in return. At the present time, but a
relatively small percentage of the grade crossings
of the country are protected. Most of them lack
warning bells and adequate signals. The result is
that thousands of lives are lost each year in acci
dents at crossings—lives whict wrould be saved once
they were eliminated.
Reason number three lies in the fact that grade
crossing elimination is a necessary public obliga
tion. The states and railroad industry, which have
here.ofore horde the costs of this work, are unable
to pay the bill for more. Expenditure of federal
public relief funds for elimination of crossings is a
sound program in the public interest.
It is to be hoped that, when the relief ap
propriations bill is finally completed and passed,
those charged with selecting projects on which
money is to be spent will put down grade-crossing
elimination as a major item on the list.
Obstruction
Sou; hern Democrats in Congress, playing what
they thought was smart politics, last year blocked
a vote on the Costigan-Wagner anti-lynching bill by
delaying consideration until late in the session and
threatening a filibuster. Fortunately this session
that measure is before the Senate, with the unani
mous favor of the Judiciary Committee, in plenty
of time. Any similar trickery this year will be re
vealed for what it is—obstruction of the most ir
responsible variety.
This mild measure to hold counties responsible
financially for mob murder has widespread popular
support both in the North and South. Organiza
tions representing 42,000,000 Americans have urged
its passage. A giant petition containing the names
of 9 governors, 27 mayors, 60 clergymen and more
than 200 national organizations, asks the President
to support it. The administration is not unfriendly.
Only the false sentiment of local pride and a
misconception of state rights have prevented pas
sage of a Federal anti-lynching law for years.
Threat of this measure’s passage last year
seemed to check lynch horrors. While the bill was
pending between January 30th and June 8th not
one lynching oecured. When it appeared certain
the bill would be pigeon holed, lynehings began and
continued a the rate of one a week. Senators Cos
tigan, Van Xuys and Wagner think that at least a
half score of mob murderers were prevented by the
sobering effect of the bills threat. Last year there
were 16 lynehings, compared with 28 in 1933.
Obstructionist tactics by southeni senators killed
the Dyer anti-lynching bill 12 years ago after it had
passed the House overwhelmingly. If this sane and
humane measure is lynched again in the same way,
the people will know who did it and why.
Shall We Cure or Kill7
By E. Hofer.
For several years, the politicians of the country
have been working overtime in denouncing the
evils of the electric utility industry. Brandishing
the sword of eloquence, they stood bravely between
the public and the alleged economic monster which
sougth to devour them.
All of this amounted to a prelude to an attempt
to destroy he “monster” and it has come to frui
tion in the so-called Public Utility Act of 1935,
which is now under consideration in Congress. If
the act passes, practically every utility holding
company in the nation will be forced out of busi
ness by 1940.
It might not be a bad idea if the public were
given a chance to learn what holding companies are
for, why they were created and what they really
are, as dis inct from what the anti-power politicians
say they are, that they have been an important fact
or in practically every great industry, and that
they were developed long before an electric corn-!
pany existed.
It can be proven that the holding company was
the greatest single factor in bringing gas and
electric service in this eoun.ry to its present state
of efficiency, which is the highest in the world. Be
fore the holding company, each utility Cotlld serve
only i s little district. Outside of the large cities
of the country, where demand was sufficient to
justify the building of large, first class plan s, serv
ice was necessarily uncertain. Rates, were high.
Breakdowns were frequent. Management and en
gineering personnel was far from being of the best
type.
The holding company provided a means where
by every town, small or large, could enjoy the most
efficient and least expensive service. It joined
.he small plants into larger interconnected systems
and practically did away -with failures in service,
b. made available to operting companies the high
est calibre of management, engineering, legal and
other counsel. It was able to obtain the money for
improving facilities and extending opera.ions. In
.eturn it received fees, based on work done, from
the operating company.
It is an interesting commentary that the hold
ing company has been hear.ily endorsed by David
Lilienthal, head of the TVA, which is itself a hold
ing company, owned and operated by individual
holding companies but added that without the
services of good holding companies, electric and
gas service could never have reached present
peaks of efficiency.
The proponents of the present bill do not pre
tend to eliminate holding company evils or abuses
through sound, well considered regulation, wrhich
would protect the interest of uility investors, the
public and the government alike. Instead, they,
lump the wheat with the chaff, and propose to de
stroy the holding company entirely and to destroy
with it hundreds of millions of dollars which the
American people have invested in our large electric
systems. They are working, consciously or other
wise, on the supposition that the way to cure di
sease is to kill the patient. „
Public spirited utility executives, no less than
government officials, offer their sincere support to
legislative proposals which would remedy abuses
| and enable properly managed holding companies to
, destroy the companies, when that wrorks to the
! detriment of all who use light and power, who
have invested money in private utilities, or who
have an interest in forwarding sound policies in
both government and private business.
Hard Work Think Hard.
It is now feared that there will be another
wheat shortage, due to the dust drought storms
which have caused damage in the mid-west compara
ble to that done by last year’s drought.
Farmers producing other products likewise face
new and difficult problems, which have been caused
largely by the failure of the government’s farm
relief program to produce the results that were an
ticipated by the overly optimistic.
All of this emphasizes the fact that the American
farmer, if he is to work his way out of depression,
is going to have to work hard and think hard. He
cannot depend on outside agency for his economic
salvation. The whims of nature, and the ancient
laws of supply and demand cannot be controlled by
faiih.
The farmer’s best weapon lies in the agricultural \
| cooperative—cooperatives which are owned and:
controlled by their members, and which enlist the]
■ abilities and energies of thousands of producers in
order to work toward a common goal. One farmer,
faced with disorganized distributing machinery,
profitless prices, and chaotic markets, is powerless
ten thousand farmer, joined togehter in one organi
zation, can fight a winning battle.
The old saying that self help is ihe only worth
while kind of help, was never truer than in the case
of modern agriculture.
- I
Taxes Rob the Bread Basket
“It will do no harm to have us reminded that
when Congress passes laws requiring the expendi
ture of money, the people will have to pay it. When
a deficit exists, it must be met. Temporary bor
rowings by the Treasury may fake care of it for
the present, but finally the taxpayers will come to
a day of reckoning.
"Raising tax rates doc -;c seem popular. Im
posing a new levy on small incom.' is anathema to
those who vote large appropi.au .ns. But people
with small incomes will pay direct/ in all they buy
or use, even if they pay no direct tax tax. They
are the ones who suffer most from government ex
travagance.
"The present high rate of taxes, especially state
and local assessments, is one of the main reasons
small concerns are closing up and their business
is going to chain stores and other large corporations.!
The overhead of taxes is so large that a small busi-1
ness is at a serious disadvantage.”
° l
That was written three years ago—and its auth
or was the late President, Calvin Coolidge. Since
that time,'the tax problem has become critical_'
taxes levied by all units has soared to an undream
ed of peak. The people will eventually have to pay
the bill—every penny of it.
The Interracial Review
To Father Coughlin.
The last issue of the Interracial
Review carries an open letter to
Father Coughlin, asking him to
“appeal to his huge radio audi
ence, advocatTug the passage of
the Costigan-Wagner Anti-Lynch
ing BUi, which is now awaking
the action of Congress.”
“We recognize thta you have
awakened and stimulated the in
teres. and zeal of millions in
America, very many of whom had
been apathetic and indifferent to
the problems confronting the
structure of society.
“We refer to this particular
phase of your remarkable accom
plishment, because'- to a very
great extent vhe injustices con
fronting the Negro ill America
are due to the apathy and indif
ference of millions of our ckizens
whose attitude would be just and
fair if they were interested in this
grave nalional problem.
“The establishment of an era
of social justice to which you
have dedicated your splendid
talents can hardly be reposed up
on a sound foundation so long as
one-tenth of our population is de
nied the fundamental rights spe
cifically guaranteed by our con
stitution and decreed by Almigh
ty God as the heritage of all man
kind.
“The crime of lynching is a
violation and an outrage against
the entire colored race, our com
mon humanity and civilization. It
is indeed a master of national
shame that mob murder has even
today the sanction of many com
munities and counties in America.
“The Costigan-Wagner Bill is
regarded by the best students of
the subject as the most effecive
remedy thus far proposed to
stamp out this terrible outrage.
“The Bill is pending now and
this is the time for those who ap
prove of its enactment to lend
their suppor.
“We conclude by stating that
perhaps no other single influence
could do more to arouse ihe im
trest of millions of Americans
with which it is possible to secure
the passage of this excellent
law.”
The editors of The Catholic
Worker heartily second this ap
peal to Father Coughlin and beg
of him to point out to his listeners
the Catholic principles in regard
to interracial justice.
Negro Speakers
The Catholic Interracial Coun
cil, ihe officers of which are the
Hon. James J. Hoey, Elmo M.
Anderson, Dorothy Day, George
K. Hunton and Nicholas A. Don
nelly, publishes monthly the In
terracial Review from the office
of which, schools and colleges can
receive material and information
on all interracial questions. The
Council also sends out speakers,
Negro and white, to Newman
Clubs, communion breakfasts,
Holy Names meetings, K. of C.
meetings and to all other organi
zations which request their serv
ices.
Read the Review
We urge all our readers to help
the interracial cause by subscrib
ing to the review, the office of
which is at 11 west 42na Street.
New York City. The price of the
magazine is ten cents a copy and
a sample will be sent bn request.
Students.
A group of Catholic college
graduates are assisting the re
view, editing a youth section .0
which Catholic students all over
the country are invited to write.
Remember, Negroes from one
tenth of the population of Ameri
ca and only two per cent -of
them are Catholic. There is a
great work to be done here, in
combatting the Communist influ
ence which is making itself felt
in Negro communities.
The Catholic Worker.
Court Orders White
Firm to Close
Forrest City, Ark.,The Maidwell
Garment Co. will close indefinite
ly today. The decision was reach
ed this afternoon in Little Rock
when Ed Ash the proprietor
was denied a restraining order in
federal court against the enforce
ment of an order of the NRA,
calling for the surrender of the
Blue Eagle unless approximately
$5,000 alleged due to former Ne
gro employees was paid by today.
The order was issued in Dallas,
Texas, last week. It gave until
today for surrender of the em
blem or payment of the claims
of former Negro employees for
back wages.
Information is that agents of a
northern Negro organiztaion have
been busy in Forrest City for the
past several months, ferreting
out complaints of former local
employees that the garment com
pany had discriminated against j
them in retaining all white help
after the code for the cotton
garments industry became effect
ive. They were represented by
Scipio Jones, Negro attorney of
Little Rock, and two white as
sociate attorneys in the hearing
at Dallas.
When the code authorities de
clined to make a differential be
tween white and colored employ-(
ees and the business of the fac
tory dwindled, Mr. Ash let the
Negro help go and retained such
part of the white help as he could
give employment to.
No intmediate opening of thej
factory seems probably at this
time. *
Vultures of Peace.
“Let us have peace,” the general
said,
As he looked around at the fields
of his dead.
“My men have been, shot to bits
by war,
We’ve got to have pfeace. . and
grow some more.”
i “Let us have peace,” the bankers
cried,
“And put up a statute for those
who .died;
We’ve made the profit that war
could yield,
And Pe^ce is now our lucrative
ifeld.”
“Let us have peace,” the commu
nist roared.
“Its due to the system thta blood
has poured,
The workers will govern the
world, and thus
Only those will be shot who differ
with us.”
“Let us have peaee?” the staiem
man urged.
“This terrible slaughter has sure
ly purged
The world of further desire for
strife;
Kill was—if it won’t my political
life.”
|
“Let us have peace.” The nations
met
To have their armament quotas
set;
“We must have three if you have
two;
We’ll starve our people to out
arm you.”
“Let us have peace. A mother
moans
Over his blackened and battered
bones,
Over the baby she raised. . . for
what?
To sacrifice in the grisly pot
Of war? Then wrench a ghastly
grin
At guileful words of men of sin:
Let us have peace. The letters
squirm.
Fangs of a snake in the mouth of
a worm.
And peace, it will never come to
pass
By swinging a censer of poison
gas
Before an altar where greed and
graft
Are the cloven hoofs of the golden
calf.
Arnott J. White.
Rum
Rum is hell’s masterpiece.
High chief officials. Those who
are responsible for it in our fair
state, resent the dominant group.
Many of whom are leaders in so
cial, religious circles, and were
educated in Christian schools.
What will they say when their
unfortunate black and white
neighbors fall under its mighty
yoke is a question yet to be an
i swered.
—Twin City Press
Defend Ethiopia!
Ever new and increased war
moves of the capitalist powers
pop with the frequency of a Rom
an, candle. Hardly was Mussoli
in through calling for the mobili
zation of new hundreds of thous
ands of soldiers for Europe serv
ice than the news breaks in Ethio
pia of a new Fascist war drive.
Mussolini is set in his determi
nation to enlave the last remain
ing independent Negro country
in Africa, Ethopia. And while
all eyes were turned to central
Europe, ■ Mussolini massed 75,000
armed men and over 200 bomb
ing planes in Eritrea and Italian;
Somaliland on the northern and
souther n borders iof Ethoia.
But the Ethiopian people, who
in 1896 kept their independence
by an epic and heroic defeat of
thejwould-be imperialist invaders
are today again massing their
forces for resistance to Italian
Fascism. /
The latest reports say that King
Haile Selassie is moving troops
for defene to the Ethiopian bord
ers. /
Every worker, every friend of;
the colonial masses and the peo-;
pie of Ethiopia, every enemy of
Fascism, will rallyt to the support
of the defensive actions of the
Ethiopian government.
Everything for the defeat of
Italian fascism and for the vict
ory of the Ethiopian people,
which will be the victory also of
the Italian masses.
Down with the war plans of;
Mussolini. Defend Ehtiopia.
ECONOMIC I
HIGHLIGHTS
Envr'a inps The/ Affoct Th?
Di -ner' Pails, Dividend Checks,
and Tax Bills of Every Indi
vidual. National and Interna
tional Problems Inseparable
From Local Welfare.
.
-*
Curing the first year of thle
Roosevelt Aunt in istration, the
spectre of inflation presented a
constant topic for conversation
and comment. Then it dropped
out of Jhe headlines, and h tie
was heard of it save the serious
economic reviews. Now inflata
fion has returned to ihe public
eyCj and promises to be a major
political aud economic issue.
There are two kinds of infla-j
tion. The most obvious is cur
rency inf]a ion, and it is never
never resorted to except when a;
government is in the direst fi-!
nancial strai.s. It consists of
turning the prin.ing presses
loose to produce paper money,
irrespective of gold backing o,
any other security. The result of
this kind of inflation is to dras
tically lower the value of money
—the prime modern example is
post-war Germany. The German
government, bankrupt because of
war costs, turned out currency
in unlimited quantities—and the
mark, which had been then
worth about 50 cents in foreign
exchange, depreciated to the
point where millions of marks
were required to purchase a loaf;
of bread. The sufferings of he j
German people particularly those
with investments, savings ac-[
counts and insurance policies were
almost indescribable.
More sub.le is credit inflation.!
This consists of constantly ex-!
panding the amount of business
credit available, and makes it
possible for industry, government
and individuals to spend more
than they earn for a long period
time.. The eventual consequence,
of course, is a financial explo
sion. In this coumry, the post
war years witnessed a tremend
ous amount of credit inflation—
and its culmination was the
crash of 1929, which heralded de
pression.
Now a number of economists
are forecasting that the United
S.ates is well on the road to
another credit inflation. The
group, believing this is led by
famed commentators, Willard
Kiplinger, who has published a
book on the subject, and his
camp is filled with other well
known experts. They think that
credit inflation will bring the
United States prosperity during
the next year or two, which will
be followed by a veritable boom,
similar to that of 1928. After
that—another crash.
Some businesses want inflation.
Retail tradie, for instance, would
benefit, inasmuch as there would
be much more money in circula
tion to spend for perishable
goods. Businesses and individuals
with fixed or regulated income
are bitterly opposed lo inflation.
A short time ago the Analyist
said that the recent general de
cline in wholesale prices casts
doubt on the theory that infla
tion is inevitable—observed that
the present movement in stocks
is of the “bear” variety, and
there had never been inflation
during the present generation
without a “bull” movement. One
of the inevitable results of any,
kind of inflation, of course, is to
force commodity and stock prices
upward.
Thus, there are two schools ol
thought on the subject—but the'
first school consisting of those
who forecast inflation next year
or the year afAr, is by far the j
largest. It is a notable fact that
many businessmen likewise be
long to this school, and are now
taking steps to prepare for in
flation as best they can.
—0O0—
Conservatives who think the
“Share-the-Wealth movement” is
merely a temporary example of
economic and social insanity
which will soon pass away, are
apt to be sadly mistaken.
Father of the movement is Huey
Long, who has dramatized an is
sue which is almost as old as time
itself. His theory is that the
trouble with the country is that
a small group of people have too
much money, and that they are
gradually starving out the rest of
us.
In opposition to Senator Long,
economises of all schools bring
forward graphs, statistics, charts,
which dispute his figures and
prove him to be entirely wrong.
However, not one American in a
thouand ever sees the work of the
economists—and the “share-the
wealth” advocates are masters at
reaching the multitude. In addi
tion, they have this great advant
age—some 10,000,000 people are
unemployed, and 20 odd million
are on relief. Many of these
people are desperate, worried, dis
gusted with matters as they now
exist. They are likely to turn
anyone who can promise them a
better day.
This is not to say that “Share
the-Wea!th” is going ,o take the
country by storm, and effect a
revolu ion in our social and eco
nomic order. But it seems cer
tain that it is going to be a pow
erful political and financial force
ior some .ime to come. If the
third party movement ac ually
comes to fruition, there will real
ly be fireworks in 11)36—and
“Share-theWcal.h” is nearly sure
to be the third party slogan.
—0O0—
Various European countries are
now looking to the Uni ed States
to give a hand in bringing order
our of the chaos created by Ger
many’s declaration to rearm.
These countries believe .hat we
will cooperate because of the
fact that we, in company with all
the powers involved in the World
War, signed the Versailles treaty.
One of The Church’s
Worse Enemy
By Rev. J. W. /Nelson, D. D.
Sta'o Representative.
Of the many enemies the church
must fight ignorance, supers ilion,
—wksikey is the greatest. JamesJ
Johnson said ‘‘Tne slave trade
has been to Africa a great evil,
but of the rum trade are tar
worse. 1 would rather my coun
trymen were in slavery and kept
away from drink, than that drink
should be let loose upon them.”
America’s greatest menace today
is the rum traffic. More homes
have been wrecked, more lives de
stroyed, moral decency dethroned
by the use of alcholic beverage
than any other one evil. It’s a
moral issue noi legislative. The
people must be educated away
from it by constant teaching.
This is the church’s big job. Lyn
ching and the curse of drink go
hand in hand; neither will ever
be stopped by legislative enact
ment, but by Christian teaching.
—Twin City Press.
A. S. Wells Should be
Congratulated
Attorney Wells, Dallas, Texas,
a race attorney, who entered the
race for state legislature in the
Lone Star State, Texas. The press
gives him sixth place in the race,
but we wish to lisi him as first
place, btcause he represented a
constituency that number about
one-tenth of the voting strengh.
He should be commended for
his courageous attitude, after
whi.e hoodlums—Ku Kluxs had
distributed fould propaganda of
race riots and lynching. Race
voters backed him 100 per cent.
There were 55 white candidates,
hence having stood sixth in this
number, with only race voters
numbering only about one-tenth,
was a second victory.
Sunday afternoon we visited
Dr. Nelson’s quarterly conferen
ce ,where Rev. Shaw is hording
the fort. They had a great con
ference. Dr. Quinn has on a
thousand dollar rally for Easter
Sunday.
—Twin City Press.
Better Race Relations
Education, the proper type and
the Christian Religion constitute
the chief requisites for better race
relation. Committee meetings,
legislative enactments will not ac
complish the task. As long as
men, groups, and races think dif
ferently and are widely divided
in their educational preparations,
particularly that type that pro
duces an inferior stamp, will they
remain apart. As long as a race
is ignorant and another one is
educated, we may expect trouble
and confusion unless one continu
es to be servant of the more for
tunate one. Arkansas can best
ameliorate these stubborn condi
tions by providing the proper fa
cilities for educating all its citi
zen's alike.
—Twin City Press.
Prejudice
Prejudice is the oldest child of
ignorance. The church’s worse
enemy is whiskey. These enemies.
The battle between the two B’s,
the Bible and the Bottle. Which ?
These three the greatest of man’s
enemies, prejudice, ignorance
and whiskey, should be destroy
ed.
—Twin City Press.
AFRICAN NATIVE SLAIN BY
BRITISH MAGISTRATE
WHITEWASHES CRIME
Pretoria, S. Africa—By mail to
(’^TA—The local magistrate white
washed the brutal police murder
of XLcodemus Mahaba, Native
workers who was suspected of
having stolen a coat. The magis
trate declared the killing justi
fiable.
Three Natives, who attempted
to prevent the murder, were sen
tenced to one month’s hard labor.
They are Alfred Fulela, Koos Kel
etsi and Amos Mokwena.
