W.V.V.W.V.V.W.VW VtV.V.,i,.V.,AV.V.V/A,.,«V.ViVWW^W/Ar/AV»,^AW.V«Vi,.V.,i
. . . EDITORIALS . . .
1 »■■■■ III I »»»■ I •• IIII »»
The Omaha Guide
Published every Saturday at 2418-20 Grant St.,
Omaha, Neb.
Phone AVEbater 1750
GAINES T. BRADFORD, Editor and Manager
Entered as Second Class Matter March 15, 192 7
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, OCTOBER 5, 1935
CAN LOUIS “TAKE” IT
N the 14brown bomber” walked unscath
ed from the ring in the Yankee stadium,
he had shown that he could take the best that
MAX BEAR could hand him. The twenty-fifth
consecutive victory of the young Negro, his twen
tyfirst K. 0., was one of the finest performances
ever seen in a prize ring. LOUIS outpointed the
Californian in every way .and displayed a machine
gun rapidity of attack that overwhelmed his oppon
ent. One of the sports writers estimated this after
noon that JOE landed 500 blows in somehing over
eleven minutes of actual fighting. That probably
is a record in a contest between experienced ‘ ‘ pngs’ \
JOE will now seek a match with SCHMEUNG,
and if he gets it while he is in anything approach
ing hi3 present form, he is expected to dispose of
the German as readily as he laid out the big BAER
on the floor. Then, after JIM BRADDOCK has
eleaned up all the money he can hope to make be
fore the public demands that he defend the belt,
LOOS will face him. Unless BRADDOCK shows
himself a much better fighter than he appeared to
be when he took the title from MAX BAER, on
June 13, JOE LOUIS is almost certain to be heavy
weight champion by midsummer, 1936. And as he
will not then have reached his 23rd birthday, he
may hold the title for five years.
Ihere is only one pronso: It is that JOE can
* take the reign of dollars as sensibly as he took the
rain of punches. Last night he received $200.000—
more money than he could have dreamed three
years ago of earning in his whole lifetime. Although
he wras married just before the fight, he will be
tempted to every sort of folly and extravagance
that can be cooked up by men and women who want
to share in “easy money.” He will have to fight
those three baleful “PV that have worsted many
a man—publicity, power and prosperity. That trio
stopped old “JOHN L” when no fighter could.
They ruined poor JACK JOHNSON, the only Negro
who has ever wTorn the heavyweight belt. If JOE
ean beat them, he will prove himself more than a
great pugilist.
WHEN THE DARK AN
GEL RIDES
TMIE motor vehicle is no respector of persons.
*■> Hardly a week passes without newspaper
headlines telling of the sudden death of some states
man, industrial leader or other eelebrity.
A few recent names on the roster of those who
died because of carelessly or recklessly driven
motor vehicle, comes readily to mind. Not long
ago, Colonel T. T. Shaw, the famed ‘ Lawrence of
Arabia,” was killed when he fell from his motor
cycle. which was driving at 80 miles an hour.
Only a week or two ago the wife of the Secretary
of Interior perished when the car in which she was
riding at high speed skidded in loose gravel and
overturned. Just before, the beautiful Queen As
rid of Belgium met her death—when her husband,
driving the roaster in which she was riding, looked
away from the highway at a road map, and ran
headlong into a tree.
These tragedies become known in a million
households, because of the prominence of the vic
tims. But they are no worse, no more tragic, than
the thousands of similar deaths which occur annual
ly and make, instead of headlines, a mere item on
an inside page of the newspapers. Kecklessness,
carelessness, incompetence—these are the scarlet
trinity, which cause so much nedless grief, so much
unnecessary suffering, so great an economic waste.
^ hen one of them takes the wheel, death rides,
too. The Dark Angel does not always strike—but
i there is a limit to how long he can be withheld.
Care, caution, competence—these constitute the
trinity which can prevent automobile accidents,
major and minor ones alike. The issue must be put
squarely up to eaeh driver—it is purely an individ
ual problem, and will always remain so. Traffic
laws and enforcement can do nothing if the public
will not cooperate. Will you?
THE LYNCHING CURVE
JTVHE lynching curve after its abrupt turn from
eleven victims in 1828 and ten in 1929 to twenty
one in 1930 Jell in 1931 to thirteen ,and in 1932 to
eight, the lowest recorded level. In 1933 without
apparent reason, it rose to twenty-eight, but in 1934
J i 1 1 « i 1 ■ ■
was down again to fourteen writh fifty five threat
ened lynehings averted by official vigilanee. These
figures in themselves are depressing enough but
their hopeful significance is seen when contrasted
with an average of 165 mob victim a year for fif
1 teen years beginning with 1882, and with 100 a year
over the forty year period ending in 1921. Geo
graphically also the habit is being pushed off the
map. While in 1892 no less than 33 states shared
the guilt of lynching, only eight states reported
lynehings in 1932 .and as fewr as five in 1928. A
determined purpose to end mob violence is growing
among officers of the law, as evidenced by increas
ing vigilance in the protection of prisoners and
the occasional use of force when mobs refuse to
j listen to reason.
Another significant factor in the situation is the
association of Southern Women for the'Prevention
of Lynching. Organized in 1930 by the Commission
on Interracial Cooperation .this association now has
branches throughout fifteen states and a member
ship of 23,OCX),0*30 women. Each of these women has
| signed personally a pledge repudiating lynching for
any cause whatever and pledging herself to do
everything possible for its suppression. Every im
portant newspaper is also consistently exercising its
influence to the same end. *
ANOTHER DREAM
npHE assassination of Senator Huey Long is hav
■*- ing the expected result—what Time character
izes as the “highest, most profitable political dom
inion that the nation has ever known’’ seems to be
1 rapidly breaking up, as lesser men fight for the lost
! leader’s place.
It has also caused a great change in the pol
itical future. It seems to have eliminated the
! chance of a radical third party next year—and to
have also elimniated the chance of a major split
in the Democratic party. Senator Long, according
to a book he completed just before his death, plan
ned to run in 1936; felt certain of election.
WHO OWES YOU A
LIVING?
•
■fcJTLLIONS of people are being educated in our
country today to believe that someone owes
! them a living. The laws of nature do not seem
to recognize this doctrine.
Just go out into primitive country and see who
owes a living—you will soon find that your exis
tence depends on your ingenuity and initiative.
Governments were organized to go nature one
better and make it a little easier to live and to take
care of the helpless whom nature would otherwise
unceremoniously remove.
But today millions of perfectly healthy, able
bodied people are being taught to loaf at the ex
pense of the savings of others, instead of to rustle
for themselves.
Such a system, can endure only so long as there
are stored-up savings to confiscate, then the inex
orable laws of nature will prevail.
An epidemic of pests completely devours a tree
or a field of grain ,and then the pests die. Nature
! does not owe them a living.
The same thing can happen to governments and
to the human beings who make the governments—
if they eat up their capital to maintain idleness,
they will eventually find that nature refuses to
hear their demands that “someone owes them a
living. ’’
This may not be a pleasant-sounding philos
oph^, bm it is a fact which honey-coated, political
i cure-alls try to hide.
BOOMERANGS
¥ AWS designed to give artificial aids to small
^ business, at the expense of large business, often
act as boomerang.
An example of thi is provided by an editorial
in the Corinth, Mississippi, which says: “Without
reference to the merits or demerits of chain store
tax law, independent retailers and others who have
I supported such laws in the past are beginning to
j feel misgivings.
•'They recall that retailers, as a class ,have
been exposed to perhaps more forms of special tax
ation in recent years than any other one group of
business men. Now they see Florida, for example,
in its latest chain tax law’ raising the license tax
j on a single store from $5 to $10 and imposing gross
receipts taxes on independents as well as chains.
Small wonder if these lonns of "chain store taxes
may not open the way to like levies upon them
selves. ’’
Thus does the boomerang work. Directed at
, the chain store, it returns and strikes the independ
'*ii v hen legislators search for still more revenue.
J ^ strixes back at the consumer, by increasing prices
special Laxes, levied againt either chain or inde
pendent stores must be passed on to the buyer. And
^ strike^ a hundred other industries .a conumer
purchaing power is reduced by every dollar of taxes
levied.
The tax gatherers are never satisfied. Let them
get their gnp on one business ,or one branch of a
business ,through special taxes and they will never
stop until they have gone farther. And those who
were supposed to benefit will be the worst sufferers.
THE WAY OUT
(By Loren Miller)
(Special to CNA)
PEACE AT ANY PRICE
Fourteen Missouri farmers who
blocked a federal mortgage fore
closure sale have just been sen
tenced to from one day to three ■
years imprisonment. “Your ac
tion is dangerously near to treas-!
on. and certainly rebellion and
insurrection, “Judge Albert Reev
es told the men.
Nor did the fact that they had
banded together to save a neigh
bor from dispossession and ruin I
excuse their conduct in the eyes
of the judge who asserted that !
he had “sought in vain for some;
amelioration circumstances.”
The sentence and the senti
ments of the judge are in in pass
nig contrast to the sentiments of'
a Mississippi judge who happen
ed to be trying a Negro farmer
at about the same time. While
the jury was deliberating a mob
seized the defendant and hanged
him.
The southern jurist simply re
marked that the sheriff hadn’t
reeognized any of the lynchers1
and indicated that he might call
the grand jury some time next
spring. There are judges and
judges ,it seems.
FARMERS AND FARMERS
But the difference in sentiment j
goes far deeper than personal
differences between northern and
southern judges. It's my guess i
that much the same things would ;
have happened had the judges
changed benches for the day.
MOBS AND COURTS
There will ''be those who will
object violently to these conclu
sions on the ground that the Miss
issippi lynchers were alting as a
mob while Judges Reeves was
enforcing law and order. The dis
tinction is too easy. Some times
it is pretty hard to tell where the
mob leaves off and where the I
courts begin.
For example, there is little
doubt that the southern judge and
the sheriff were working hand in
glove with the mob. In effect, the
judge passed a sentence of death
on Higginbotham an handed him
over to the lynchers instead of to
the regular hangman.
Whether farmers are checkmat
ed by a mob or by prison sen
tences is a little beside the point
It makes no difference to a man
fighting for his home and his
right to earn a living whether he
prevented from doing so with or
without benefit of the statutes
made and provided .as the law
yers say. Either way, he is out of
luck.
NO DIFFERENCE
This is a lesson that it's pretty
hard for Americans to learn. Most
of us have pathetic belief in the
courts and in the theory* that they
are fair and impartial But be
hind every law lurks the fact that
somebody wrote it and somebody
has to enforce it. Common sense
is enough to let us in on the fact
that laws in the south are made
by and for the benefit of the land
owning el ass.
That same common sense ought
to lead us to see that northern
t laws are made by and for the bet
I efit of the rich corporations and
: mortgage holders. The South has
a tradition of enforcing laws out
1 side the courts; the process is
| more gentle in the north where
the courts carry on without much
[ outside interference.
Mississippi farmers get lyneh
jed; Missouri farmers go to jail
And all the while the few gobble
;up the land in both sections and
I leave the farmers’ families to
(starve. There is a distriction in
methods but in difference in re
sults.
Metal mgs have been invented to
be placed on top of kettles to hold
other cooking utensils so that two or
more articles of food can be cooked
at the same time on a single gas
range burner.
With the exception of marches
and a limited amount of pharma
ceutical and toilet preparations the
Philippine Islands depend entirely on
foreign countries for chemicals and
allied products.
BULLETS FELL
ON ALABAMA
By BRUCE CRAWFORD
Out committee that went into Ala
bama to investigate abuses of civil
liberties really was shot at, though
Governor Bibb Graves asserts the
contrary. We were not seeking pub
licity for ourselves, as the Governor ;
told the press; we were seeking pub- i
licity for conditions which Alabama ■
doesn’t want uncovered.
The committee—myself from Vir- j
ginia. Jack- Conroy from Missouri,
Emmett Gowen from Tennessee, Shir
ley Hopkins from Massachusetts and
Alfred H. Hirsch of New York, sec
retary of the National Committee for
the Defense of Political Prisoners,
which organized the trip—went first
to Birmingham to test the constitu
tionality of the Downs literature or
dinance. This city law makes it a
crime punishable by $100 fine and
six months’ imprisonment to possess
more than one copy of a radical pub
lication. We distributed copies of The
Nation, the New Republic, the New
Theatre, the Labor Defender, the
New Masses, and the Daily Worker
in front of the City Hall. For posses
sing copies of these publications more
than sixty persons, white and Negro
workers and their friends, had been
arrested. Many, after being released,
had been kidnapped by vigilantes and
beaten up. The vigilantes are mainly
corporation “dicks” who capitalize
the race prejudice and hundred-per
centism of the ignorant population.
Although the press reported that
Chief of Police- Hokums “received” us
with “measured courtesy” three of
our group, myself included, were seiz
ed by city detectives and forcibly
ushered into the City Hall. Miss Hop
kins and Mr. Hirsch were finger
printed and photographed. An officer
struck Hirsch on the ear when he re
fused to answer a question But we
“weren’t arrested”!
Chief Hollums sidestepped a test
of the ordinance. “This literature does
not violate our law”, he said, flip
ping the pages and barely noting
headlines. I sat before him for an
hour, asking as wt.l as a- swcring
auestions. Officers, reporters and
hostile onlookers crowded around. “If
this literature doesn't violate your or
dinance,” I ventured, “why do you
arrest people for merely possessing
it?”
“But we turn them loose,” he hasti
ly assured me with a smile.
“Yet such arrests break up their
perfectly legal activities,” I returned,
“and after you do release them they
are kidnapped and beaten. Can’t you
discourage these arrests?”
“Well,” replied the chief, painful
ly smiling, “we have a certain ele
ment here, some anti-radicals, that
do things we don’t always approve
of. This literature isn’t unlawful, but
it contains what offends some people.
Besides, the ignorant working people
shouldn’t be allowed to read such li-J
terature. It stirs them up. Why, be
fore these radicals began scattering
such stuff, the nigger would come
holding up his hands when a white
man called to him. Now the niggers
are uppity.”
“Nobody, white or black, should
have to come holding up his hands”,
I said. This sounded crazy to him.
“They're too ignorant to have this
stuff,” he added. When asked why
they were ignorant, he guessed it
was because they didn’t read. When
asked why they didn’t read, he allow
ed it was “because they are too ig
norant.”
In came a detective with two type
written sheets. “J toot these out of
thar woman’s hand/bag, Chief,” he
said, dutifully.
fne chiel ran his eves down a page,
but it was clear he didn’t intend to
find any unlawful dynamite. "Miss
Hopkins had volunteered to carry
two circulars which went even far
ther in a revolutionary way than the
publications. “They won’t put a wo
man on the chain gang,” she said.
The circular was my composition, ad
dressed to “Workers of Birming
ham. white and Negro.” It urged
them to resist and war in which the
rich would profit and the workers
would do the fighting. It contained
an obscure passage from Daniel Web
ster to the effect that liberties for
the many vanish when wealth con
centrates. No quotes were used, nor
was Webster’s name mentioned. Like
wise a buried statement was lifted
from Lincoln—this was also passed
off as ours—to the effect that when
government ceases to serve the ma
jority of the people, they have not
only the constitutional right to
change it but even the revolutionary
right to overthrow it. This made a
hot circular—provocative enough to
land a Birmingham steel "worker in
jail for life. But Chief Hollums’ face
reflected no red when he looked at
it.
“You’ll have to go stronger than
this,” he said to me, handing the
sheets bank to the detective. “Who
ever wrote that was a shrewd con
stitutional lawyer.”
Then with a giinty eye, “But if
you continue to distribute such lit
erature here, I won’t be responsible
for what may happen to you. You
better not do it. I’ve known all about
you every hour since your arrival
, yesterday.”
I suggested that since he had us
under surveillance and admitted we
were in danger, he might protect as
well as shadow us.
With an impatient smile he replied
“I haven’t sufficient police force to
guarantee you protection against
certain elements here. There may be i
what
you are saying. If you pursue your
activity here, I can’t protect you, I’m i
sorry to admit.”
A fellow standing near put in, j
“Chief, I heard a man down the
street say he’d like to punch this fel- j
ler right then.”
“Yes, they won't tolerate your ac
tivities. Our workers and niggers
are satisfied. We don’t approve of this
kind of writing, though it’s not un
lawful. Now if you had advocated the
assassination of myself or President
Roosevelt we might have accommo
dated you in your test of the ordi
nance.”
I started to leave—tentatively. He
reached out a cordial hand. Others
left. Reporters rushed out to peck
out their afternoon stories. Chief
Hollums became confidential. “You
and I both know we have a wonder
ful country here, with radios and
bathtubs in every home. Why. Roose
velt has brought about a revolution.”
I hadn’t come to argue politics or
economics. “Chief Hollums, I’m in
terested at this time in the abuse of
civil liberties. This Downs ordinance
is used to stifle militant labor ac
tivity.”
Hollums ignored the remark and
went on about our wonderful country
—where workers are so ignorant they
can’t be trusted with just any kind
of literature. “Why, I was in Russia,
and you don’t know the poverty they
have there!”
I inquired when he was in Russia.
His answer was “in 1912”. I observ
ed that there had been a revolution
since then and some changes, but he
interrupted me to say that Birming
ham workers were too well off to be
affected by agitators.
Although Hollums had admitted he
couldn’t protect us—an open invit&t- ,
tion to violence such as we feared—
Governor Graves next day pretend- ;
ed that we were in no danger and
refused us police protection when we
reported that our car had been fired
upon five or six times, two bullets
hitting the fender. “A frame-up for
publicity,” he told the press, and of- I
fered as proof the fact that we could
n.t give the license numJbc:- of our
assailant’s car or other details. When
you see a man pumping lead in your
direction, you don’t take out a pen
cil and pad to jot down license num
ber, make of car, or color of the eyes
of the men in it. Instead, you are
hypnotized by the murderous mein
of the individual with the gun in his
hand. The Governor investigated us
rather than the lawless vigilantes re
sponsible for the shooting. His dis
trict attorney and highway patrol
men held us for eight hours in a
small-town hotel lobby while a crowd
gathered to eye us malevolently. Af
ter being denied protection, we left
our own car to be broughtt on.by an
attorney and took bus, taxis and a
train until we had crossed into Ten
nessee.
We had been on our way to Mont
gomery to ask Governor Graves to
veto the Alabama anti-sedition bill
that lay on his desk. This measure
made it unlawful, among other
things, for two or more persons to
congregate on the street under cer- '
tain circumstances, or for anyone to
have in his possession literature ad
vocating the overthrow of the gov- ,
ernment by force or violence. Simi
lar bills have been patterned after it
in other states. On the next day after I
the shooting Governor Graves veto- 1
ed the measure, declaring, “We have j
sufficient laws to curb radicals now”. ;
But he vetoed it one day too late, and
it became a law.
By this time the suppression of
civil liberties in Alabama had been
given a lot of publicity. Most of the
newspapers of the state, while not
concerned about the rights of work
ers, denounced the gag measure. The
American Legion, which had had the
bill introduced, piped down. Chagrin
i ed the iegslators repealed the law.
Proverbs and Parables
By A. B. Mann
(For the Literary Service Bureau)
A Fool and His Money
There is reason in the adage. “A
| fool and his money soon part.” This
. is because a fool, or a foolish indi
vidual will not know the real value
of money, will not know how to use
it nor how to keep it. And always
there are those who will toke ad
vantage of such and individual and
deprive him of what he possesses.
The condition of the world today is
due to the actions of the people who
made money and had money, and
spent it foolishly. This connotes that
ability to make money will avail lit
tle unless people have the wisdom to
save and spend judiciously.
Striving: for Mastery
By R. A. ADAMS
(For the Literary Service Bureau)
All who for mastery may strive,
Must oftentimes themselves deprive
And fond desires must sacrifice,
For mastery demands such price. .
Whc’d wwni in life’s exciting race,
Or would ascend to highest place.
Must lay aside all that would tend
To hinder when they would ascend.
All who would make of life, the best,
In purity and helpfulness.
Must exercise complete control
Over the body, mind, and soul.
And, only those who vict’ry win,
Over all selfishness and sin,
Can others help,who , striving, would
Attain unto the “greatest good.”
MAXIE
MILLER
WRITES
(For the Literary Service Bureau)
(For advice, write to Maxie Mil
ler, care of Literary Service Bureau
516 Minnesota Ave., Kansas City,
Kansas. For personal reply, send
self-addressed, stamped envelope.)
Woman 40, Never Been Married,
Lonesome—Wants Companionship
—Don’t Marry Without Love. Cure
Miffht Prove Worse Tha*» the Di
sease.
Maxie Miller: I am a woman forty
and never been married. I am lone
some and want some companionship.
A man is coming to see me and has
asked that we get married. I don’t
love him. In fact, J loved one man
and lost him and that's why I never
married anybody. Do you think I
ought to marry* this man?—Old GitI.
Old Girl: Again, I must emphasize
that marriage without love is a sin.
It s a sin aganst both of the “high
contracting parties". How can you ex
pect to be happy? And if you can’t
have happiness you’d better remain
as you are and continue to be lone
some. There is not much to this thing
of learning to love after marriage,
so you’d better be careful lest your
cure prove worse than the disease.—
Maxie Miller.
altTvesta
A GIRL’S PROBLEMS
By Videtta Ish
(For the Literary Service Bureau)
Alta Vesta from her Father—No. 18
Dear Alta Vesta:
Some things in your letter were
very* amusing and others were very
serious. I am sure they are more
serious than my little girl knows. I
shall try* to give you light on some
of these subjects or some of these
problems, for really all such are
problems which tax us to solve.
To begin with, Jesus was a man.
He had human parents. He was born
much as are all other children. He
was a little baby- and grew up to be
a big boy and finally a man. He had
flesh and blood; He got hungry and
thirsty; He became weary, we would
say physically weary, meaning his
body got tired. All these show He
was a man.
Then. Jesus was more than a man.
Hewas the son of God. This nobody
can explain or understand. But, re
ligion is not founded on what we
know, what we can prove, but on
faith, what we believe.
The Bible tells us Jesus died, was
crucified on the cross, to save the
world. We cannot understand this,
so we just believe it and go on. This
Jesus who died on the cross and was
buried arose again on Easter Day, the
Easter Day we have been writing and
talking about.
Well, this has been a long letter,
and a very* serious one. Lots of love
to you and Aunt Cornelia.
Your Dad
WEEKLY SHORT
SERMON
By Dr. A. G. Bearer
(For the Literary Service Bureau)
Lessons from the Ant
Text; Go to the ant thou sluggard;
consider her ways and be wise—Pro
verbs 6:6.
The ant is a small insect. It has
meagre strength. As far as known
its span of life is short. But, it sets
an example worthy of consideration
and its activities are worthy of emu
lation.
Industry is one of the ant's strong
points. Look at a bed of these little
insects and note their ceaseless ac
tivities. Did you ever discover an ant
sitting or lying down? Who ever saw
an ant otherwise than busy? So
theirs is a lesson of industry—activi
ty.
This work of the ant has a pur
pose. The little insect is securing and
storing food for tseJf and its family,
such to be used during the long, cold
winter.
There are thousands of men and
women who are indolent. Children of
today are very much given to slug
gishness. There are thousands like
the sluggard mentioned who, in the
morning plead for “just a little more
sleep.”
Becau.se of the government help
given during the depression, thou
sands of people will never be willing
to work hard and regularly again. So
this necessary" boon to the people will
prove a bane, in many cases. To all
the classes mentioned in this article
is commended the words of this text
Go to the ant, thou sluggard, con
sider her ways and be wise.
Notice, Subscribers: If you don’t
get your paper by Saturday, 2 p. m.,
call Webster 1750. No reduction in
subscription.- unless request is com
plied with.