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About The Omaha guide. (Omaha, Neb.) 1927-19?? | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 1935)
ViWi «v*v*V«J • 4 - 4 • . • » ill i ■ • • ■ ■ ■ ■ « ■ ■ ■ ■ 1 . . . EDI! ORIALS . . . ____ The Omaha Guide Published every Saturday at 2418-20 Grant St., Omaha, Neb. Phone WEbster 1750 GAINES T. BRADFORD. Editor and Manager Entered as Second Class Ma.ter March 15. 192» at the Post Office at Omaha, Neb., under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879. Terms of Subscription $2.00 per year ________JL Race prejudice must go- The Fatherhood oi God and the Brotherhood of Man must pre vail. These are the only principles which will stand the acid test of good citizenship m time of peace, war and death. Omaha, Nebraska. Saturday, SEPTEMBER 21, 1935 THE BAER-LOUIS FIGHT M*:iT Tuesday one Maxie Baer will climb into the ring to face one Joe ouLis, the idea be’.ng \ to see which can knock the other down and emerge as the “logical opponent for one James J. Brad dock for the so-called heavyweight championship. We call attention to the public that a radio broadcast of the fight will be dispatched over a nationwide hookup beg-nning at eight o’clock Cen tral time. We are no boxing experts but the Detroit Ne gro looks like a formidable antagonist and we would not be surprised if he managed to take the measure of Mr. Baer. There are many who will be intense ly interested but we see no cause for stirring up racial feel ng or fights. However here in Omaha the only fights will likely be between gentlemen of color over payment of the proverbial “bet”. ETHIOPIA MUST STAND ^THROUGHOUT 7000 years of history this ancient empire has withstood the assaults of would he invaders from the European continent and has never been conquered. The latest threat, an inva sion by Italy, causes alarm throughout the world | because it * s feared that the natives with all their fierceness and courage cannot wihstand the modern implements of war that Mussolini has imported for his East African campaign Mussolini s motives are well known but little sympathy can be found for this man and his nation. That Italy is overpopulated is a fact, but that is not due to any Ethiopian cause. The dictator made j this condition by encouraging the birthrate increase of the nation. Free theatre tickets and groceries were given to mothers. The marriage age of the girls was moved from 16 to 14. A tax on single men also was placed in effect. Knowing the bound ary limits of his country one can hardly understand why any nation should encourage au increasing I birthrate. England with her vast empire made up largely of darker races will never permit Italy to conquer Ethiopia. Her domination of India and parts of Africa would be threatened- Frane« is in a dilemma and is trying to play bail with both nations. She cannot afford to lose England's support against a German invasion and she dares not lose Italy's sup port im maintaining Austrian independence. The smaller nations with the support of England will come to Ethiopia’s assistance and a prolonged war against Italy will finally break down the determin ation of Italy’s man of destiny, Mussolini. In the meantime thousands of Amer.cans. white and color ed, are protesting the attack on Ethiopia and are picketing the Italian consulates in various cities throughout the country At the same time boycotts against Italian merchants have been started in many cities. All of which will be heipful but it is doubtful that anything eouid stop the power mad Dictator now. There may be history in the making. The next few months wili reveal the fate of world peace and the effect.veness of the League of Na tions. CAN THE WORLD SE CURE J>E ACE? /T'HE PEOPLE of Omaha .like millions of others throughout the United States, are intensely in terested in peaee. Undoubtedly most of them eon- j demn Japanese aggression in China, and look with I horror upon the approaching carnage in Ethiopia. We notice that various groups in the United j States are urging that something be done to pre vent slaughter. The Women’s Christian Temper ance Union recently heard an appeal from its pres ident who found rfc strange that Christian nations are “standing idly by while little Ethiopia is rav aged by great Italy*’, and she wonders why “in the name of humanity, cannot Italy be stopped.’’ Along this same line, the Negro Baptists of the l nited States deplored Italy s action, and a speaker called upon the U nited States government * to use its influence to prevent this war and help save Ethiopia. ’ Again, quite recently, the Women's Interna-* tional league for Peace and Freedom inaugurated a campaign to secure fifty million Signatures to a people’s mandate to governments” to end war. i he <>maha Guide is certain in sympathy with the aims of these organizations and others that have taken similar action, e.ther in specific eases of warfare or in the general effort to advance the cause of international peace- The problem, how <k c, is much greater than stirring up a sentiment ^^act, because its solution depends upon a wiil m guess on the part of people everywhere to remedy the causes of inter-nat.onai unrest ,whieh inevitably lead to warfare. In an attempt to make clearer what we mean, we call attention to a recent statement by M ss Pearl S. Buck, a well known auhor, who prefaced her remarks by saying that people are sick of war and denying that the worki is atune to the war spirit. She insisted, however, that war is again probable, not through ignorance of its terror and fut'.fity, but because “life is for too many people even more terrible than war.'" She contends that the next war will be “an escape' for these people, and suggests that “organizations for peace must begin their work in the very bowels of life. They must study the depressed classes. ’’ Pointing out how to avoid war. she insists^that this is to be accomplished by making “life better, sc that its security will be too precious to lose,’ and by remedying the cause “for such despiar in life as makes people willin gfor war." Along the same line comes an expression from the pen of Colonel Edward M. House, former close adviser of President Woodrow Wilson. In a recent article in Liberty Magazine, he declares that Great Britain, France, Russia and the United States, the four powers now possessing the world, must reveive Italy ,Germany and Japan on terms adjusted to present world conditions ,and see that they are giv en their proper part of eolorLal resources, Some years ago Premier Mussolini said that Italy must expend or explode. The same comment bas been made repeatedly in regards to Japan, anu for years Germany insisted that she must have hei place in the sun. If there is any truth to the con tention of these three nations, and there must be seme justification of their attitudes, it immediately oecomes apparent that the nations interested m maintaining world peace must be willing to permit them into enjoy a fuller share of the world's bounty The people of the world must study the ques tion of peace seriously. It involves much more than a w sh for peace. WATCH OUTFOR COLDS TPIIE XEAR approach of cold weather reminds us to warn readers against the common cold, thaf many people think unavoidable. It is nothing to be Lightly dismissed because it leads to serious complications very often. People catch colds but they can be avoided. Build up your system if it is run down, see vour doctor and take advantage of medical science in1 fighting the cold. If you have been susceptible to them in the past it might be a good idea to secure special treatment from your physician. Parents should not permit their children to run wild during the time they have eolds and should not mingle with other people themselves- If you want others to have your infection, if you wish to disregard the health of others and don’t care care whether somebody dies from your carelessness then when you catch a eold. forget ail precautions and spray your germs as you go. Otherwise care full yavoid infecting other people. NOTES ANDCOMMENTS it s about time for the new calenders to begin to appear. People st.li insist on trying to beat the en gines to the crossings. ^ a stiii maintain that payin geash is the best way to keep out of debt. ( >ne of these days the world will be more like vou want ‘.t but you wont be here. The idea of woman's superiority falls by the wayside when one considers the prerogatives that many of them get. The man or woman who thinks that a public question is as plain as mud probaiy knows little or nothing about it. Do jour part to build up Omaha and vou will i probably be surprised to find out how many people I are ready to do the same. Correct this sentence: “No thank you Daddy. I don 't want you to give me any jnoney because I have had enough eandy already/' The Omaha Guide ought to be in every home in this area and we hope to add new’ names to our sub scription list every week this fall t orward looking boys are now cautiously ap proaching their parents and finding out what the j prospects are for Christmas. Aduirs who criticize children for playing would j be better off if they did some playing themselves The get rich quick schemes that attract you has gotten the savings of better men than you are. Fast driving is said to be the cause of most automobile accidents, but you can hardly get a fast driver to admit it. KELLY MILLER ETHIOPIA STRETCHES FORTH HER HANDS Might met right on the archway which spans the roof of the worid. “Make way for me” said right. “I am the first born son of God”, “You might be his first son after his mar riage” responded might, “but I am '.he illegitimate son of his histy youth”. Thereupon might struck right in the forehead who fell sprawl ing headlong through the dome of re Cathedral of Rheims were he lays helpless until this very day. Thus wrote Elbert Hubbard in the last issue of the “Philistine” before he went down on the ill-fated Lusi tania. Does right make might or does might make right? Ask Mussolini and the League of Nations. Through cut the history of the world down to the year of our Lord 1935. no nation has heeded moral restraint in face of national necessity. This nation took America from the Indians, Hawaii trom the natives. Texas from Mexico. The Panama Canal Zone from Colum bia. Puerto Rica and the Phillipine .siands from Spam without any great heed to moral niceties. Woodrow Wil son sought to bring international con duct under moral control but the United States would not have it so. The moral condemnation of the world is now being focused against Musso lini and his imperial ambition for colonial expansion, in Africa. Musso lini's policy and purpose is as raw and ruthless as that of any pirate in ques- of the booty of innocent ship-. s not Italy a Christian nation, unde; ~H>rcl sway of the Pope who holds the key to Heaven? Is Christianity an effective influence in the practical onauct ot men and nations in the world today? Ask Adolph Hitler. Is England. France, or even the United ftates one* whit better than Germany or Italy if moral obstacles stand in the way of their imperial purpose? W ould we allow Mexico or Haiti to stand in our way in safeguarding the Panama (.anal? Has England showr any moral scruples in building up her lar flung empire ? Then with what moral consistency can these nations, with a brigand record condemn Italy for now attempting to repeat their record of conquest and slaughter to expand her own dominion? Let us give the devil his due, whereby Mussolini will be accorded all that he claims. Italy has restrict ed territory with 40.000.000 popula tion and a high birth rate. Mussolini has encouraged this birth rate by re ducing the age of rmrrage for men from IS to 16 and for women from 16 to 14. The Pope has put his ban upon birth control for all loyal, faithful Catholics. The population of Italy, therefore, must overflow its natural boundaries. Mussolini knows this and seeks an outlet in Africa. This has teen the method of verile and vigor ous peoples ever since Caesar's de scription of the Helvetians who over flowed their boundaries because they were too narrow and restricted for a people of such natural vigor and war ’ike propensities, it is not because of the race and visage of the Ab vssinians as the object of this attack, but because they are weak and their ountry- abounds in resources and raw materials' which Italy lacks and must have. There is probably not another nation but that would do the same thing or a similar thing if confront ed by the same national circumstance. Sir Henry Johnston, author of ‘‘Thu Negro and the New World”, states his belief that human slavery and all of its horrors of the past three hun dred years would be repeated today 1 if men and nations found it profit able to do so. And yet we commend the endeavor of the League of Nations to restrain Mussolini front his avaracious pur pose. “Politics” said Senator John G. Ingalls of Kansas, “is the metaphy sics of force”. The League of Nations is but a balance of power, the world must keep in stable equilibrum or a state of confusion will follow. Thus the nations of the world ihake mor ality of necessity. Virtue is dictated by practical consideration and not by abstract moral decree. Tennyson had , it right when, he said: “The common sense of most shall hold a fretful realm in ail And the Universe shall slumber lapped in universal law.” In the far flung purpose of things the continent of Africa must be re deemed from the chains of error and ignorance and lifted to the level of modern civilization. Is Marcus Gar vey or Mussolini the better prophet of the process of redemption? Gar vey believes, or believed, that the gathered fragments of the African race now scattered throughout the world should be reassembled upon their Mother continent and thus lift it to higher standards and nobler modes of life. On the other hand Mus solini the embodiment of selfish gorce. claims that the reclamation of Africa must come through her sub ordination and domination by Euro pean nations, in line with their poli cy of seif-expansion. It does not seem that Garvey and his philosophy will ever get a chance to function. The philosophy of Mussolini is already functioning on all the continent of Africa except Liberia. Will England, France or Holland lift Africa or will they drag her down? In pursuing their own selfish end it is likely that they will redeem the black race ? While we may not at present answer this question in the affirma tive it is nevertheless obvious that this process will he exploited. Musso mi will probably conquer Abyssinia and dispute with Great Britain for other areas in the African Continent. All of our moralizing will be impotent and yet moralize we must. We cannot help ourselves. Those who have not might, right is always extolled. Ethi opi?. stretches forth her hands unto God because those hands are impot ent, with an impotence upon which the moral advance of mankind de pends. WHAT GUIDE READERS Omaha. eN’oraska, September 18, 1935. Editor, Omaha Guide: Please publish this letter in the next issue of the Omaha Guide. I am a subscriber to the Guide and I feel that the Negro popula tion of Omaha should support the Guide. With this support it would not take long for the paper to change fro ma weekly to a daily publication. If all of us would subscribe for the the paper we could learn more about what our people are doing and what other people are doing for our race, j We are not interested enough in our raee. We should wake up before it 'is too late. I have been a subscriber fori the Guide fo rthe past three months. T now think how much interesting news I have been missing all the years that I have j lived in Omaha and did not sub sribe for your paper. [ am well; pleased with the paper and T wish that it was a daily news paper instead of a weekly. I find so much news of interest to me We must unite before we can ever progress. In unity there is strength. Very truly yours, Mrs. A. L. Williams 2102 Chicago Street WEEKLYSHORT SERMON By Dr A. G Bearer For the Lrentry Service Bureau) Modern Despots 1 : 0, thou man of God, there is death in the pot.—II Kings 4:40. j • n this passage is found the record of one of the miracles of Elisha the "rochet and successor of Elijah. He had instructed some of his followers to prepare a meal for some guests. By mistake a poisoned herb was plac- ! ed in the pot. The eaters became sick and one cried “There is death in the ret ’. So, today there are many death "ots from which men and women are acing, but there is no prophet to work a miracle and save them, so they just die. 1 -The Rum Pot. There are many varieties of drink in the rum pot. Sorry times the foolish victims die suddenly, but. as a general thing, they die slowly, by degrees. The pro gress is so deceptive that they do not realize it. though they are dying all the while. There is certain death in the rum pot. 2. The Epicurean Pot. As did their ancient predecessors the epicures are crying. “Eat. Drink, and be merry'’. The effect of “Wine, women and song” is increased by indiscreet eat ing. There is a saying that many men dig their graves with their teeth. This is confirmed by the effect of glut tony characteristic of this reckless ig*- There is death in thousands of epicurean pots; but people still eat from them—and die. 3. The Pot of Sex Indulgence. The rex appetite is one of the moat in satiate of all. In it more have found death than in any other. Exhaustion caused by excess, and venereal di ases. play havoc with the unbridled sensualist. Thousands are killed by jealous rivals and thousands suffer severe penalties, including death be cause o.: commission of sex crimes. | les, there is death, certain, inevi table death in the pot of sex indulg ence. 4. No Excuse for Those Who Eat and Die. In the case recorded here he poison was put into the pot by mistake, but it is fully known what is in these modem death-pots. For tnat reason those who die in this way are responsible for their own undoing. It is to be hoped that this may influence young men to think seriously before they surrender to appetite and final death in the pot. Mothers—Let your boys be Guide newsboys. Send them to the Omaha Guide Office, 2418-20 Grant Street THE WAY OUT By Loren Miller TWO PLUS TWO Even the most devout follow ers of the Republican and Demo cratic parties are willing to ad mit, if you catch them outside of office hours, that the two part ies haven’t done right by the Negro people. Of course, the perfidies of the old parties are so plain that nobody is entitled to much credit for the admission; it s something like admitting that two plus two equals four. At that. I suppose there must be those people who have some preference in the matter and who much prefer to starve under the regime of. say. Mr. Hoover than under that of Mr .Roosevelt. Such things are not to be ac counted for and there will al ways be a minimum of voters who will ride the elephant or the donkey to the hitter end. I can remember thta my sainted grand mother always refused to eat tomatoes; she said that thev were poison and she stuck by her be lief to the last. NOT ORIGINAL ith the ease against the old parties as plain as it is, it seems to me that the thing to do is to look around and find more to our Kking. The idea isn t original with me at all. in fact it has al ready been done in Queens, New York, where a group of persons are supporting a Negro woman candidate for Alderman on an independent ticket- Newspaper reports have it that among her supporters are Republic a.n s Democrats, Communists and as sorted dissenters. The same idea is back of t h, e persistent agitation for a labor party. As I understand it. the Labor Party would include all who have grievances against the two old parties and who are op posed to things as they are. Basically the party's platform would include planks calling for adeqate social and unemploy ment insurance, against discrim ination and for a wide variety of reforms designed to ills from which poor Negroes and whites suffer. SWELL IDEA The idea is an excellent one last it is bound to be opposed by those who dwell under the illusion that the Republican or Democratic parties can be reformed to suit our needs. But it is well to re member that both old parties be long to those who put up the cash to run them and elect their nominees. They pay the piper and they call the tune. It's just as plain that Negroes and poor whites don't put up that cash. Henee they have to be satisfied with the crumbs. Senator Seward, one of the founders of the G. 0. P, re marked a long time ago t h a t a political party is like a joint stock company and that those who contribute most, get the most out of the party *s activities. What we need is a party to which we will contribute our share, *in votes and support, and trom which we can get our share of the proceeds. NO WASTE It goes without saying that the upbuilding of such a party is no simple task. It means sustained effort and sacrifices. But as the matter stands we do plenty of sacrificing and get nothing in the bargain. 'The United States is in such a shape that we’ve got to sacrifice whether we will it or not. As for me, I’m in favor of sacrificing to help ourselves. Nor is there much in that hoary old argument that a new party can’t win at the next elec tion or the next. No political party springs up full grown. And consistent -work and agitation for a party that has a platform for the best interests of the masses is iound to attarct them sooner ur later. The masses are the ma jority after all- Come to think of it. isn’t it better to vote for what you want and not get it im mediately than to vote for those who mean you no good’ There's no waste there. SMAI.T, TOWN STUFF The Los Angeles Y. M (j. A* gained a small measure of a peculiar kind of fame recently when it closed its doors to Lang ston Hughes who was scheduled to speak there for a quite respect able organization. It is easy to set this amazing episode down to provineiaLsni and let it go at that. The trouble is that that isn't the real store. «r I happen to be well acquainted with Mr. Baxter S. Scruggs, sec retary of the Los Angeles Y. M. C. A, and know that he is a nice enough fellow who prides himself on his liberality 1 sup pose that he must have read some of Mr. Hughes' work and that he was not particularly banned by them. As a matter of fact, my operatives report that he was quite abashed at having to ex clude the poet. Strange Company. The order itself came from two gentlemen who are fairly well known in the county. One of them Claude Hudson, once served as a national board member of the NJLACP. and the other, Albert Bauman, still graces the national board of the Urban League. Both of the men are quite ambitious members of the Los Angeles com munity and I am sure both of them pride themselves on their years of service to the Negro peo ple in their respective fields of endeavor. A little inquiry on the part of either of them would have reveal ed the fact that both the Urban League and the N. A. A C. P. are looked upon as ‘ * dangerous bodies in the wilds of Alabama. I have heard both men make state ments for which they might have been burned at the nearest stake in Mississippi. They are keep-ng strange company when they join forces to curtail free speech Who Owns Them? I have no doubt that both, had heard grumblings from the Big White Polks coupled with whisp ered warnings against rad’cais. There, I think, is the crux of the whole matter. The question is: to whom do Negro Y.M.C.A.’s be long to the community, it seems simple enough that the people of the community should have the right to hear any person they want at their own institution. Re ports have it that plenty of Los Angeles people were on hand to hear Mr. Hughes They were pre vented from doing so at the be quest of those who would control Negro opunon. OLD STORY There is plenty of reason for the desire of sinister forces to control Negro opinion, it is an open secret that Negroes axe pret ty well danatkfied with tne ex isting set-up- W hy ahoiudnt they be? W'e are the hardest hit by the mushroom bills oi the p^.. si* years, if there is any spark of struggle left, we ought to be plot ting ways and means o f bettering our own lot. x The effort to prevent Negroes exercising free speech is an old one. Frederick Douglass was bar red from some of our oest church es and “leading' Negroes shun ned John Brown like po son. in our own day DnBois was branded a dangerous radial. The point is that any semblance of thinking by Negroes is frowned upon by those who profit, directly or indirectly, out of “keeping the Negro In his place/’ Negroes, like Mr. Scruggs or Mr. Hudson or Mr. Bauman, who connive at these efforts are only preparing a halter for their own necks. If they aid in pre paring a Fascist America they can be pretty certain that they will occupy cells right close to that one assigned to Mr. Hughes Notice. Subscriber's: If too don’t get roar paper by Saturday. 2 p. m* call Webster 1730. No reduction in subscription unless request is com plied with.