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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 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, OCTOBER 19, 1935
ANGELO HERNDON’S
CASE
^PIJE United States Supreme Court this week up
'**■ held the decision of the courts of Georgia
sentencing young Angelo Herndon militant labor
organizer to 18 to 20 years on tlie chain gangs of
the state. The Supreme Court could not have upheld
this decision had the facts in the ease been con
sidered rather than the fear of offending this dem
ocratic state’s pride by reversing the decision. The
court had tlie same facts to consider in this case
as in the Scottsboro eases but the mass pressure
of the two cases differed. “Scottsboro” is known
over the world but not much interest has been ex
hibited in Herndon’s case as should have been be
cause it is more of a labor case.
The hundreds who Herndon organized to march
on the Pulton County authorities and demand bread
are now on the relief rolls and their martyr has
been forgotten. They dare not speak in his behalf
or they plight be cut off the relief rolls and there
may not be another Angelo to lay down his liberty
for the cause of the starved workers.
Georgia has a Governor who has aspirations to
be I resident ot the 1 n.ted States. Last month he
spoke in the state ot Nebraska to the farmers trying
to start a third political movement that would sup
plan the late Huey Long’s Share the Wealth Party.
This man could spend his time studying conditions
in his own state and improve them and then start
out with h.s ballyhoo. Using an ancient law to con
vict a man guilty of saying less radical words than
what he uttered to Nebraska farmers, Talmadge
stdl has nerve to parade his virtues before others
and ask nomination to the presidency. However
nothing will grow out of his speech and it is all
probably forgotten by now.
Those defending Herndon ask that all persons
interested in seeing justice done to this youth to
sign a post card, letter or wire to Governor Eugene
Talmadge, Atlanta, Georgia, demanding the release
of Herndon.
DIXIELAND GIVING
AWAY
SPHERE are certani things happening in that
1 section of the country called Dixieland, or just
plain Dixie, which indicate the stronghold of hate,
race prejudice and other handicaps to Dixieland
as well as to the Negro, is now seeing the light and
making progress. To be specific, Dixieland is now
forced to give away to justice and fair play, per
haps not so much through being overmuch in love
with so doing, but rather because she is forced to
do so.
W e read with some delight the big victory for
justice and fairplay won by the National Associa
tion for the Advancement of Colored People, in that
Donald G. Murray, a Negro, has been admitted to
the Law department of the University of Maryland.
Only the beclouded mind would contend that this
is an occurence of no particular importance to the
Negro m particular, and to the cause of Justice in
general throughout the nation.
There maybe those who will contend that
Maryland ls not in the socalled “Deep South ’’ but
she borders on the South and the social customs,
laws, et ceterea of Maryland differ very little from
those of other southern states.
Some will claim that only one person is involved
m this instance, but they should remember that
the victory of one person in t he cause of Justice
“ often taken as a criterion for others who seek
Justice 1 ourts in passing judgement take cogniz
ance of such cases and they have more bearing
than a lot of ballyhoo by unthinking people to the
contrary.
So the victory in admitting Murray to the Uni
versity of Maryland will go a long way in the mat
ter of getting equitable educational opportunities
m other states ,where Negroes are denied their con
stitutional rights to get an education as other racial
elements m the citizenry. The states of Missouri,
West Virginia and Virginia ,particularly, the first
two named, should be the next where such a fight
is made. Maryland has been forced to do her duty
to Donald G. Murray; she can now' be forced to do
her full duty by other Negro students as well, in
all departments of all her schools.
W hat has been done in the case in question,
should, can and ultimately will be done in West
"T‘ *inia, Kentucky, Missouri, other border states,
a* itimately in the socalled Deep South. It maybe
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a bitter pill for the Southland to swallow, but
swallowing time has come. Paraphrasing the state
ment of another we say: THE NATION CANNOT
LONG ENDURE WITH ONE ELEMENT OP ITS
CITIZEN/RY ENJOYING ‘FULL CITIZENSHIP
RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES WHILE ANOTHER
ELEMENT EQUALLY MERITORIOUS IS DE
NIED IDENTICAL RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES
AND YET SHARE IDENTICAL CITIZENSHIP
RESPONSIBILITY!
The most assuring thing of the whole situation
in the Maryland case is the attitude expressed by
the University faculty (at least reported so), to the
effect Donald G. Murray will be accorded every
courtesy and attention due any other student, how
ever white. That is as it should be. We hope they
mean what they say. If their acts belie their state
ments, they will stand forth in bold relief as colossal
jellyfishes and persons worthy of high seats in the
best Annanias club in the world. So Dixieland is
giving away.
—From the Plaindealer.
DRAMA ART MUSIC
YfOURS truly knows of two very fashionable
Negro churches in this state where the min
isters and their families ride around in fine cars,
eat the finest foods, and wear the finest clothes.
It is true that the wealthiest Negroes in that partic
ular city do patronize the two churches of which I
write, yet it is the wash women who scrub their
; knuckles to the bone in order that their pastors
may live m luxury. The women and men who slave
for almost starvation wages in the hot, dusty, to
bacco factories, who are ashamed to send their
j children to school because they cannot afford to
I dress them in comfortable clothes, nor give them
proper food are the ones on whom these parasites of
religion prey. As for me, I think it is a damn
shame and am going to fight it every chance I get.
There is only one thing worse than white
Bourgeois and that is a black one. There are some
of us who are preparing to TEACH Workers’ Edu
cation and we often ask ourselves how we are so_
ing to get down to the workers level. To those let
me say this. Your problem is not how to get down
to the level of the working man, but torealize that
you are there already. People who have lived all
their lives in a pseudosocial atmosphere, and are
planning to treat the worker with the same con
tempt that he formerly did is doomed. It is a damn
able disgrace that we as Negroes should presume
to set ourselves apart and then criticize. We have
got to get in the water and fight like hell not only
to save our brothers but to save ourselves. Not one
of us is invulnerable. In the final reckoning we
are not judged as individuals, but as a race. So to
those of us who have been swimming in the mud
pond and have been “psyching” ourselves into be
lieving that wm were in Mr. Astor’s private pool,
let’s come to our senses before it’s too late.
You now are wondering what this article has
to do wtih Drama, Art and Music. Isn’t life a
stage? Aren’t we the actors? Don’t we sing?
Wrell I for one am advocating the need for a new
song. This it not the time for compromise. Of
iourse some of us are going to be. crucified by those
very individuals whom we are trying to save, but a
man who is a leader and has a principle and is not
willing to die for it is not fit to live for it. Let's
adopt this song as our theme; “Stand aside all
you petty Bourgeoise and let us the workers pass.”
Then after we have taken our rightful places in the
new social, political and economic order, we can
look back on our former “leaders” and' in the
words of that master fighter Pop Eye, and say,
“Pooey” to all of you from all of we.”
' 11II ill so far as the Negro is concerned is much
like the old fashioned melodramas. After the
\ illan has kicked Little Nell all over the place, has
broken both her legs, has tied her to the rail road
track in the face of an on rushing passenger train,
and lias even put her Ma and Pa out of their home,
this same villan looks lovingly and longingly at!
Little Nell and sighs; “Oh why don’t you have1
confidence in me?” But Little Nell continues to pipe I
bravely No! a Thousand Time No! AVhen every!
thing looks darkest, ji dashes the big strong hero'
and saves his darling in nick of time, and they live
happily ever after.
! Now my dear readers (that is if you have read
this far), you may ask; “What does such a
dumb simile have to do with the Negro? Just this.
We as Negroes are playing the role of Little Nell
in the real drama which is being enacted daily. We
are not only booted all over the stage by ruthless
white politicians, but by our very own preachers
and business men.
The politician comes to those of us who are
permitted to vote and tell us what intelligent
people we are; how he cried when poor old Uncle
Joe passed away; that Abe Lincoln was the Ne
groe’s best friend; that Booker Washington was the
ONLY educator; and then to add insult to injury
Ue looks bonignly over the audience and savs, “I
had rather hear you colored people sing your be
loved spirituals ” “I remember my dear old
black mammy.” Abe Lincoln .... “Booker
Washington ....’’ “Spirituals . . . .” “Vote for
me ....’’ We like fools vote for him. He like the
cheap political bag pipe that he is only mocks us
The Negro preacher has been one of the great
est if not the greatest handicap to us as a race. All
of them are exploiters. He has made us hope for
pie in the sky by and by, when all the time he has
been eating his right here.
A Guide Reader
Gives His Views
On Politics
Editor Omaha Guide:—
Colonel Theodore Roosevelt
should be nominated Republican
President in 1936. So said a com
mittee now organizing which is
planning to organize 100 Colonel
Theodore Roosevelt Republican
Clubs throughout the United
States. They are offering reasons
why he should have the Republi
can nomination in 1936. Colonel
Theodore Roosevelt for President,
is ...qualified, ...has ...the ...ability.
He ..is ...a .Diplomat,... a -business
man and a Republican.... Capable
of filling the office of the Presi
dent of the United States.
First. He is all American, born
in Oyster Bay, New York, 48 years
ago. He is 100 percent for Amer
ica and the Constitution of the
United States. He was sentenced
duty in service from 6 years old
school age to 48 years to Septem
ber 1935. He is a man with a
family, having taken a wife at an
early age. Reared one daughter
and three sons. He was 21 years
old when he finished Harvard in
1908 B. A.
Second. In 1908 he gave his ser
vices to several business enter
prises. He was author of a book
‘The Average Man’, with his
brother he wrote a book ‘East of
the Sun and West of the Moon’ in
1916.
Third. He was soldier commis
sioned Major 25th Inf. U. S. A.
April 20, 1917. At France 1917
with division, First army A. E. F.
(Wounded in Battle) participated
in battles at Cantigny, Sessons,
Argonne-Muse, and at St. Michiel.
Fourth. He was trustee of the
Howard University at Washing
ton, D. C., and one of the heads
of the Boy Scouts of America. He
was organizer of the American
Legion in 1919. Member of Roval
Geographical Society of London,
England.
Fifth. Prior to his entering as
Assistant Secretary of the United
States Navy in the year of 1921
he gave valuable service to the
Republican party.
Sixth. He was candidate for
Republican Governor of New York
going up against Tammany pol
itics in 1924 and sacrificing him
self for the Republican party.
Seventh. Chairman of the New
York states convention in 1927.
Explorer to Asia in 1928, 1929
and leader of the James Simpson
Roosevelt-Field museum.
Eighth. Governor of Porto Rico
1929 to 1932.
Ninth. Governor General of the
Phillippine Island 1932, 1933 ser
ving the people so faithful that
the people asked the Democratic
Administration to retain him.
Tenth. Since 1933 he was asso
ciated with business and has give
vigirous service on aiding the re
turn of the Republican party to
power in the U. S. Government.
Eleventh. The life of Colonel
Theodore Roosevelt of Oyster
Bay, New York, He has known
nothing but service and duty and
having been always around loyal
Americanism. Good government.
With America Liberty and Free
dom also being a son of a wise
leader and one of the late pres
idents of the United States makes
him capable of being president of
the United States. In following
his life very closely we find him
walking in the narrow straight
paths and fighting for American
Liberty and standing 100 percent
for the constitution of the United
States of America. We can not
see why every loyal Republican
any many wise Democrats could
not stand for a great character
for president of the United States.
The committee now informing
is asking each individual voter
who reads this circular letter and
see the great character we are of
fering the American people for
president of the United States.
Will deem it a pleasure if they
so desire and make a fac-simile
typewriter copy and send foth
one or more to voters.
You can form a club and head
it yourself if you so desire. There*
is no finance to foster this move
ment. It is volunteer and free will
offed. You are at liberty to send j
THE WAY OUT
(By Loren Miller)
(Special to CNA)
NOT FIT TO PRINT
The man from whom I bought the
morning paper said that he had made
up his mind not to have any more
dealings, commercial or social, with
Italians in this country. He was pret
ty angry at Mussolini too and this
is no place to put down his remarks;
they simply don’t fit into a family
journal of this kind.
My friend argued that many Ital
ians were supporting the invasion of
Ethiopia and he made it profanely
plain that he wouldn’t risk having
anything to do with supporters of a
robber war in Africa.
The argument sounds plausible
enough, the only trouble it that it
plays right into the hands of Musso
lini. After all, the Italian dictator and
his high-up fascist pals don’t intend
to do any fighting in Africa.
They’re going to leave the dirty
Work to the Italian workers and
farmers. On the other hand, the av
erage resident of Rome isn’t mad at
the man in the Addis Ababa streets.
Ssame iactics
If the war is to be popular, the
Italian war lords have got to stir
up hatred among Italians for all
Ethiopians, a process already well
under way. Ethiopia is being painted
in Italian papers as a bloodthirsty
nation of slaveholders bent on wreck
ing civilization.
I remember the same business dur
ing the World War when the Ger
mans were pointed to as baby-kill
ers and ho me-wreckers. There was a
time when I actually believed that I
hated the “Huns” wholesale, al
though I knew that our German
neighbors were nice people.
Once you get this national hatred
business going, you have laid the
basis for popular support for war.
Let it go far enough and you lose
sight of the real causes of the war,
any war.
Soon you drift into the belief that
there are natural enmities between
people that underly large-scale mur
der by trained soldiers.
It’s A Racket
For the moment the record is fair
ly straight; there are few who do
not understand that the invasion of
Ethiopia is a racket, a put-up job by
Mussolini and Italian industrialists
to cover up conditions at home.
Italy is facing a food shortage,
prices are rising, wages are drop
ping and the people are grumbling.
But war will bring a little flurry of
prosperity and if the people can be
doped on phony patriotism they will
forget their grievances for a time.
A campaign of hate directed
against all Italian people will only
drive them closer to Mussolini and
aid him and his war-buddies. That’s
what he wants.
If we really want to cripple him
we ought to put our energies on try
ing to point out to Italians, here and
abroad—many of whom hate fascism
—that they have nothing to gain
through the success of the African
plunder drive. If Mussolini is to be
defeated the job will have to be done
as much through discontent at home
as through defeats on the battle
field.
Watch the Bankers
Ethiopia needs war supplies and
there is much to be done in that
direction. Collections for the purpose
of medical supplies and other aids
will help much more than emotional
attacks on the ice man who happens
to be an Italian and who is probably
as hard up as the next man.
It’s a safe guess too that Ameri
can bankers who have $400,000,000
in investments in Italy will soon be
sending faw and finished war ma
terials to Mussolini unless we start
a campagn against them mighty
soon.
None of these things can be done
alone; Negroes will have to put in j
with other enemies of fascism. If all
the anti-war sentiment that exists i
in the world can be got together the
Italian fascists can be defeated*
The easiest thing to do is to hate
all Italians indiscriminately, the wis
est thing to do is to see the war for
what it is and seek means to cripple
the Italian war-makers.
Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, Oyst
er Bay, New York, your good
wishes and success, for the nomin
ation of the Republican party and
that you are forming a colored
Theodore Roosevelt Republican
Club to aid him in getting the
nomination for the Republican
presidency in 1936.
To aid the cause Colonel Theo
dore Roosevelt to be nominated
to be Republican nomination for
president, the people have a man
that is qualified, have the ability,
is a diplomat, a business man and
a Republican capable of filling the
office of president of the United
States.
Success and best wishes. A voter
for Colonel Theodore Roosevelt.
KELLY MILLER
SAYS:
UNION OF AME, AMEZ
AND CME DENOMINATIONS
A denomination, is a body oi
Christians united by a common
faith and form of worship and
discipline. There are over two
hundred denominations of Chris
tians differentiated by creed or
ritual.
The Methodist Episcopal church
was organized by John Wesley in
America in 1784. Since then it
has split into six separate denom
inations—three white and three
colored. The proposal to unite the
three white bodies is now receiv
ing wide discussion.
The AME and the AMEZ de
nominations split off from the
parent body at about the same
time and for practically the same
reason—race prejudice. The CME
was later set apart by the ME
church South. There never has
been any creedal or ritual differ
ence in these Negro denominations.
These three denominations copied
their confession faith and form of
worship from the Mother Church.
I remember the first time that
I saw Dr.Price , President of Liv
ingston College, was in 1881 when
he was visiting Washington as a
member of a commission to cbn_
soljdate these denominations. I
recall that he expressed the hope
that the union would take place
as the result of the pending delib
erations. For more than fifty
years there has been repeated ef
fort to bring about this result,
but all without success. There
never has been, and is not now,
any reason why these denomina
tions should not unite except the
practical difficulty of eccleastical
consolidation. Experience shows
that it is exceedingly difficult to
have separate church organiza
tions, of the same faith and order,
united into one congregation with
one set of officers, purely for
reasons of eccleastical and per
sonal jealously. Neither congrega
tion is willing to give up its own
name, pastor and set of officers, ;
One often finds several struggling
congregations of the same denom
ination in a given community
whereas, if they were consolidat
ed into one organization the work
of the Master could [be carried on
with half the expense and thrice
the efficiency. But human na
ture, with its petty jealousies and
narrow prepossessions, is a stub
born force which must be reckon
ed with in all practical dealings.
These denominations for many
years have been operating in the
same field and among the same
class of people. Each of them
is ambitious to cover the entire
Negro race; but the field is verv
imperfectly covered and too often
the work is inefficiently done.
Poor congregations and poorly
prepared ministers are struggling
as best they can in the spirit of
rivalry rather than Christian un
ion and cooperation. It is pathetic
to go through a small town and
see a little AME church on one
corner, an AMEZ on the other and
a CME on still another, whose
combined congregations could
barely support a competent min
ister and carry on up-to-date
church activities. If there were
any reasonable hope or promise
for growth or enlargement in the
early future, this wasteful dupli- ,
cation of effort might not be so
inexcusable. But for the past
thirty or forty years neither of
these denominations have very
greatly augmented its member
ship. In the large cities the mem- 1
bership of each denomination is
concentrated in a few large
churches with little or no promise ;
of church extension. I 'doubt ■
whether there are many more Ne- (
i?ro Methodist in Washington to
day than there were when I came ,
to the ctiy fifty-five years ago.
Whatever increase may have tak- 1
en place has arisen from immigra- *
tion rather than by fresh recruits. 1
It is pathetic to say that these
churches are waning rather than
waxing as a potent religious and
social factor in the life of the
race. There is need of fresh im
pulse and incentive. This it seems,
might be brought about by the
union of the dhree bodies into
one solid phalanx of Christian
endeavor. Where there are no dic
trinal differences, nothing but ec-p
cleastical pride and jealousy can
■ keep denominations apart. Natur
ally enough, each church has a
number of ambitious men for the
higher orders and is zealous to re
tain its traditional name. Consol
' idation means devising a new
name, reduction in the number of
Bishops and general officers. No
candidate wants the door of hope
shut in his face by consolidation.
The consolidation of denomina
tional schools, colleges and other
properties ought not to occasion
any insuperable difficulty.
This is a strategic moment for
such consolidation to take place.
It so happens that there are a
number of vacancies on the bench
in the three bodies and funds are
not sufficient to pay the full
staff of general officers. Should
these denominations be willing to
forego any further election of
Bishops or general officers for the
next two or three General Confer
ences ,the number would natural
ly reduce itself to the require
ments of the Consolidated Church
and funds would be adequate for
proper compensation.
By ertecting such union at this
time, Negro Methodist would pre
sent to their white co-religionists
a noble example in Christian
brotherhood and unity. The three
white Methodist bodies are tied
up in a tangle over what to do
with the Negro membership in
their household of faith. They con
fess their lack of the sufficiency
of grace to assimilate them into
one Christian fellowship with
themselves and are confronted
with embarrassment of setting
them apart in a semi-separate ec
cleastical body. The white Chris
tian is perfectly willing to accept
the colored member on the basis
of brotherhood but not of fellow
ship. It is reserved for the Negro
Methodist to point out the way of
Christian unidn among all peo
ples of the same faith and order.
Let us hope that this long defer
red consolidation will speedily be
brought to pass. When tins has
been accompolished, the colored
members of the Mother Methodist
Episcopal Church, however they
may be adjusted in the mean time
by the exegoncies or race preju
dice within the parent body, will
in all probability find it easy and
agreeable to unite with their col
ored brethern in consolidated Ne
gro Methodism.
Ideally, all Methodist should
unite in one body without regard
to race or color, but the practical
will preceed the ideal. The Ne
gro must become one with him
self before he can reasonably hope
to become one with his white
brethern.
Who Are the
Barbarians?
By R. A. Adams
(For the Literary Service Bureau)
As an excuse for its rape of
Ethiopia Italy makes the contention
that these black people are uncivil
ized, they are savage, are barbar
ians, and it is necessary to force
civilization on them. But facts dis
credit this contention.
The emperor of Ethiopia has
proved himself to be one of the most
cultured men in the world. He has
made every effort and offered every
honorable concession in order to
maintain peace. His language has
been as temperate as it has been
cultural. And these “barbarian” na
tives have been easily restrained by
their emperor when otherwise they
would have massacred the Italians
in Africa long ago.
In contrast, Mussolini has openly
boasted of his intention to invade
the territory of a peaceable and un
armed nation and force his will on
them. His airplanes have bombarded
lefenceless cities, destroyed hos
pitals, killed non-combatants, includ
ng women and children, and tho
varfare against these people is ruth
ess in the extreme. Under these
nrcumstances it is not difficult to
ietermine who are the barbarians.
For these depredations Italy has
nerited and received the condemna
tion of the civilized world and
Ethiopia has been acquitted of
dame. And this verdict sustains the
sontention that Italians are barbar
ans rather than Ethiopians.
A New York chemist while seek
ng a pure dry cleaning fluid by
:hance discovered a process for mak
ng ordinary gasoline virtually fire
proof.
Notice, Subscribers: If you don’t
get your paper by Saturday, 2 p. m.,
call Webster 1750. No reduction in
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