Nebraska Newspapers

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THE OMAHA GUIDE
Published Evert Saturday at 2418-20 Grant Street,
Omaha. Nebraska
Phones: WEbster 1517 or 1518
Entered as Second Class Matter March 15. 1927, at the Postoffice at
Orcnna, N’ch., underAct of Congress of March 3, 1879.
IMS OF SUBSCRIPTION S2.00 PEE YEAR
Race prejudice must go. The Fatherhood of God aod the Brother
hood of Msn must prevail. These are the only principles which will
stand the acid test of good.
All News Cany of Churches and all Organizations must lie in our
affic# not later tnan 5sO0 p. m. Monday for current issue. All Adver
tising Copy or Paid Articles not latei than Wednesday noon, proceed
ing date of issue, to insure publication.
Have No Mercy On Drunken Drivers
Here is an pxeeUent thought from the Port Pmpquo, Ore
gon. Couri* r “If the Courier man were a judge in eour.s dis
pensing sentence upon drunken auto drivers, there would onlyj
be first, offenders. Regardless of race, color, erced or alleviat
ing circumstances, the person who lias so little consideration
for tflu* lives of infoeeut people as to drink iiitox’ennV before
or after placing himself h hind the h eering wheel of an auto
mobile should never be allowed to repeat the performance.
’In vocation of lieen-ics would he faital and final. Driving a car
is a Privilege- not a right.’’
It is impossible to prove exactly what percentage of auto
mobile accidents aye caused by drunken dr ying, for the reas
on that in many case- where liquor pi,ays a part, arresting of
ficer! and prosecutors are unable afterwards to produce suf
ficient evidence for a conviction. But al It Vie best estimates
say that alochol is the definite factor in much hi given propor
tion of mishaps than is generally realized. Furthermore, an |
accident ini which ai drunk is involved is more likely to be,
serious than once involving sober drivers.
Drunken drivers are often released after paying relative
ly small fines. Some juries ytre notoriously derelict in their
duty in bringing in conviction!. •
The drunken driver should never be allowed to pay a
fine a!nd he should be denied the right to use the public streets
and highways. If such a program were carried out through
out the country, one of the grayest menaces to life Would be
greatly minimized.
-O-—
Handwriting On The Wall
Unless labor unions and employers exercise self restraint
over their respective powers ami recognize the righ:s of the
public, the government will step in and take control, Dr. ltob
ert L. Sutherland of Bucknell, University, declared recently
when speaking on the Long drawn out Pacific Const ship strike
and the automobile striko in the East.
Dr.Sutherland said it was “only a maitter of time until
any group using power without responsibility will be eheck
cd,’1 and pointed out that ns a general rule this country never
veurbied power until it was abused.
When any group of leaders, no matter who, deliberately
plan to win their point at all costs, regardless of suffering of
workmen, or th|0 public, it is time to break their grip—that is
what government 'is for, to protect all the people.
If the day arrives when our government can be controll
ed by either labor oi^ industrial dictators, to the detriment of
the people,individual rights will be wiped out and labor wM
become a form of slavery.
Good Food At Low Cost
Consumption of lamb throughout the country is increas
ing as a result of the curent campaign conducted by 37,000
stores in 48 states to help market, at reasonable prices the sur
plus crop of nearly 3,000,000 lambs, a most palatable and
nourishing food.
Th*o campaign was inaugurated at the request of the Na
tional Lamb Producers’ and Feeders’ Committee when a laTge
increase over normal lamb production and a depressed market
threatened farmers and stock raisers with heavy losses. The
gravity of conditions in lamb areas preceeding the campaign
are shown in this statement from W. P. Wing, manager of the
California. Wool Growers’ Association, who pointed out that
there were 80 percent moTfe Jambs on feed in seven Western
states than there were a year ago. “In California,, our supply
of lambs is 130 percent greater than that of the last five year
period. We want to move these lambs without loss to the
growers and are greatly encouraged by the farmer-consumer
campaign that has been been instituted by the national food
chains.’’
Such campaigns, designed ns they are to prevent distress
price collapses, are in the interest of the consumer as well as
the producer because if surplus farm commodities were dump
ed on am unprepared market the loss would he appalling. The
economic welfare of all of us is directly related to the econo
mic welfare of- agriculture. The farm market absorbs a, very
high percentage of the products of our factories, and it is the
source of employment for millions of workers in all fields.
Collapse of the purchasing power of even a small segment of
thl- ju nket would hit us all.
Campaigns that move farm products are economically
and socially sound, and mark a definite forward step in at
taining stabilization.
KELLY MILLER
SAYS
THE BLACK CABINET
—THEN AND NOW
The Block Cabinet Is supposed
to consist of high colored office
holders at the national capltol who
have the oar of th<* administration
in matter touching the welfare of
race. These celebrities were suppos
ed to exert Rfreat influence and were
held In high esteem In the go<>d
old days of the years gone by.
Frederick Douglass, John M I King
ston, B K. Bruce, Governor pinch
beck and John R. Lynch stood our
pre-eminently like great Colussl In
the golden age of the Grand O'd
Party, The term Black, however,
was not applied until these old re
construction war horses had passed
front the scene and Hooker T.
Washington had risen t° political
ascendency. The Black Cabinet is
essentially a Republican institution
nrtd does not flourish und‘-r a
Democratic regime. The two non
consecutive administration of Gro
ver Cleveland almost wiped the in
stitution out of existence. The few
n], red nu n who were appointed
to high siationa under this liberal
minded Democrat, such as William
Trotter and C. H- J. Taylor, exert
ed on'y Individual and personal In
fluence upon their great sponsor
and did not attain mu«’h favor or
following among their own race.
The Black Cabinet readied its cli
max in the administrations of
Roosevelt and Taft. Such outstand
ing figures as A. P. Cheatham,
Judson Lyons, Lincoln Johnson,
William H. Lewis, John C- Daneey,
W. T. Vernon and Ralph Tyler oc
cupied the front seats In Booker
Washington’s band wagon. What
ever Influence they exerted on. the
administration was through the
master hand of the great Tuskgee
an who after all is said and d°ne,
was the only commanding political
leader of the race as a whole, who,
has yet appeared. His political fol
lowing flocked to Washington from
east and west north and south to
sit down in the kingdom of their
great leader and eat sugar out of
his hand. Booker T- Washington
was recognized by Roosevelt and
Taff as the unchallenged spokes
man for his race, whatever patron
age they accorded to the race was
dispensed by Him. The Black Cabin
et knew its leader as the ass know
eth his master’s crib. There usid
to bo held at the national < apitol a
banquet for the Register of some
thing, the Recorder of something
else, or the minister to somewhere.
Two inaugural bad were held for
the administration of President Taft
who visited the capltol with a h°pe
of swelling the ranks of the Black
Cabinet. Although many of them
fell by the wayside still hope
sprang eternal in the politician’s
breast.
But alas, times have changed. In
the dministration of President Taft
the influence and fame of the B'ack
Cabinet began to dwindle. With the
coming of Woodrow Wilson and the
passing of Booker T- Washington,
it faded completely out of sight. The
eight consecutive Democratic years
of Woodrow Wilson put the Institu
tion entirely out of commission and
only the Judge of the Municipal
Court was left to tel’ the tale of
departed glory. Under the admin
istrations of Harding Coolige, and
Hoover, the Recorder of Deeds,
perry W. Howard and a Municipal
Judge were about the only ones
left. There was some faint attempt
at reviving the Black Cabinet but
tho lily white Republican spirit
which invaded these administrations
hardly encouraged its revival. There
were not left enough office holders
to keep alive the spirit of the Black
Cabinet which, under the leadership
of Booker T- Washington, flourished
like a green bay tree.
I had intended to include in this
release the substitute for the Black
Cabinet under the New Deal, but
perhaps I had better reserve this
for another story.
Kelly Miller
Hasn’t Seen Husband
In 12 Years; Woman
Wins Divorce Suit
Cleveland, 0., F*'b. 6 (.\NP)—
A marriage that took place In Bill
ings, Montana in December 1921,
and lasted until June 1925, at which
time tho husbant was accused of
wilful desertion, came to end last
week in Commons picas court when
Mrs, Meta Wilson filed suit through
Atty. Lavelle asking for a divorce
fr<>m her "husband whom she has
not seen for 12 years. Tht husband,
Leo Wlson, is still A. W. O. L.. she
says. Mra. Wilson asked permission
to resume her miaden name, Meta
Armstead.
STRAIGHT m
CAPITAL^*
BY
EDWARD LAWSON
xWashlngtotn, D. ■Cv Fleo. ti—
despite loud howls’from Negroes in
all parts of the country, the blank
space for designation of “color” on
application for Social Security bene
fits probably will not be removed
at any time soon.
Social Security Board members
; say the designation of color Is nec
essary for “identification"—obvious
ly a subterfuge, since few Negroes
are really black and many cannot
bo distinguished from white per
sons. Since there is no sharp divid
ing line between the pigmentation
of white and colored persons, the
knowledge of a person’s race does
riot necessarily aid in his identifica
tion
The truth is that the SSB wrants
a record of the race of its benefie
aries for statistical purposes. It
wants to know just how much Ne
groes are getting from its various
programs. How this knowledge will
be used depends upon the men in
power. Statistics may work distinct
ly to the advantage of Negroes in
bringing cases of discrimination to
light. At the same time, they can
be manhandled in such a way ns to
rob the race of many intended bene
fits.
The reason the request for design
ation of color will remain on the
application cards is that Negro
readers will not support a fight to
have it removed- If this fight were
won, they point out h«w could any
one tell whether Negroes are parti
cipating in the program as they
should? Without stastics, what bas
is would there be for concrete pre
sentation of complaints against dis
crimna^ion?
There the Issue stands today.
Undoubtedly many colored per
sons will suffer as a result of the
designation of their color on social
security cards, Those who swing
back and forth ‘‘across the line” in
their efforts, to find decent jobs
may be the hardest hit.
But on the other hand, if there
is no racial breakdown in the So
cial Security Board’s statistics, the
Negro, as a minority group, will
find it harder than ever to put a fin
ger on any actual or imagined dis
crimination
In the choice between two evils,
leaders of the race claim it is bet
ter at this stage to have the racial
“breakdown” in stasties, so that
the faults in he program can be ob
jectively pointed out.
For the time at least, then,, it
looks as though “color” blank will
stay.
Incidentlly, it might be interest
ing to ask the Social Security
Board just how It defines "Negro”
—where it draws the line between
white and black.
* * * *
Interesting news In the housing
field is that, of five PWA low-rent
projects Opened to date, three are
to be occupied predomlnently by col
ored tenants.
These projects are Liberty Squ
are, Miami, Fla.; William Patter
son Courts, Montgomery, Ala.; and
University Homo:, A Wan i a, Ga.
PWA Advisor Robert C. Weaver
says that on these three projects
Negro labor received more than 20
percent of all money paid for skill
ed work, and more than 60 per cent
of all money paid for unskilled work.
The percentages are significant
because they showed that I>r. Wea
ver’s scheme, by which special pre
cautions are being taken to pre
vent diecrimination against Negro
skilled and unskilled labor on hous
ing projects, is really working
Secretary of Agriculture Wall
ace, in his recent address t« the
National Conference on the Pro
blems of Negroes, said some things
about the farm tenancy problem
that would have made front page
headlines but for the fact that he
was overshadowed by the presence
of Mrs. Roosevelt and dozens of
other dignitaries on the same pro
gram.
Much of his speech, lost in the
shufflo by the press, was of efinite
interest to Negroes all over the
country. It bears resurrecting now.
A keen-minded ex-dirt farmer,
Wallace told of a recent trip he
made Into the south to study the
tenancy problem. He said he had
found that of 1,200,000 tenants, two
■thirds were white and one-third c«l
ored—contrary to the usual assump
tion that there are more colored
tenants than white. The number of
white and c&lored sharecroppers, he
said, was about even—approximate
ly 350,000 of each.
' i\o matter what the government
does," he said, “all of the tenants
in the south cannot be land-owners
in the next ten <*r even twenty
years. Some of them, even if they
were o become land-owners, would
net be able to hold their land.
“We .have to recognize that It is
not merely « matter of coming into
possession of the land, but a mat
ter also of coming Into possession
of certain training.It is a mat
ter of developing in the minds of
hundreds of thousands new habits of
thought and better health As
long as bad habits and bad health
and the results of insufficient edu
cation and under-nutrition aren’t
corrected, putting a man into pos
session of land won’t cure the sit
uation.’’
Apparently Wallace, with the Re
settlement Admlnisration now in hie
charge, will tackle the tenancy pro
blem at its roots rather than at
tempting an over night Solution
Experts agree this is the only way.
But meanwhile, tenant 'armers
want immediate relief. Undoubtedly!
the growing strength of their un
ions wdi force the government to
give it to them. Negro farmers
would do well to jointhese unions)
or to form unions of their own.
Otherwise they may find themselvej
a few years from, left out in the
cold.
U. * Ik
Many strange tales come to the
desk of Alfred Edgar Smith, WPA
administrative assistant- One
Southern woman wrote to Com
plain that she had been firfied while
two of her closest friends remain
ed on the job—although both list
ed the same man as their depend
endl
From Alabama cam© a yarn con
cerning a 90 year old ex-slave who
was enrolled in a WPA Education
course. A reporter and a photo
grapher were sent out to get the
ex-slave’s story. They reached the
schoolhouse and found the teacher,
but the old man was not there.
‘‘Where’s Jim Walker?” the re
porter asked.
‘‘Lordy, that man’s gone good
ness knwtV wbeifle,” the teacher
answered. “He waited for you all,
but he just gave out-”
“Can he really read and write?”
she was a ski'd.
“Yes sir, he can read and write
all right. Jim’s got a good mind,
but you know, he just can’t keep
his mind on his business.”
“You mean he’s slow?”
“Slow nothing. He wants to court
all the time. And what’s more you
can't keep him from courtin! In
school and out of school yu.’H find
Jim always trying to catch up with
his courtin-’ ”
“I see,” said the reporter, ‘‘may
be he’s in his second childhood."
“No sir,” declared the teacher,
‘he passed that long ago. That Ne
gro’s in his second manhood-”
* * * *
The rain that fell in torrents
while Roosevelt’s second inaugural
parade was marching down Penn
sylvania Avenue made the spa
cious wooden stands, erected to ac
commodate thousands of specta
tors, practically worthless to those
who had paid as much as $10 a
seat to occupy them.
But to about 200 colored men
who were employed In the process
of erecting and tearing down the
structures, they were a godsend,
furnishing employment over a per
iod of several weeks.
Many of those employed on the
job said they hadn’t worked reg
uladyfor months. All seemed to
wish that inauguration day came
oftener.
TAKE THIS TIP FROM ME
By WilHam Henry Huff
If happiness you’d not defeat
You’d better take this tip,
And marry not for bread and meat
But for companionship.
I know a girl who took the vow
To get a coat of fur
But she has heen deserted now
And no one cares for her.
I know a man who married too
For where to hang his hat,
A place to park and food to chew
And all such things as that;
i Eat soon she kiaked him out of doors
Where all such men should be
Now d° not let this lot be yours—
Just take this tip from me.
A MODERN CANUTE
(bv Frank R. Crosswnih)
N'ew York. an. 25. 1917
ENGLISH LIERATURE
TELLS THE fascinating story
of a by-gone Danish King
named Canute who became so
drunk with power that on one
occasion he invited a group of
noblemen to the seashore to
watch him wave his regal wand
and command the waves to
“cease rolliiig!’. However,
the record informs us that the
waves defied the King and
kept on roling. A recent des
patch from Rome, Italy, tells
us that that cheap imitation of
Canute (Benito Mussolini, the
Castor Oil Statesman) has is
sued a decree forbidding Ital
ians in Ethiopia from entering
into “sexual relations with nar
tive women’’, in order to in
sure “the purity of the white
race”.
AFTER ALL THE FUA1LE
EFFORTS BY THE 1DIOES
of the WORLD SINCE ADAM
and EYE. to establish as a
fact the myth about a “pure
race’’, one would suspect thatj
even such a glorified Interna
Fonal burglar as Benito would
have heard something about
these failures. Ls it really pos
sible that all of the accumu
lated scientific works of emin
ent biologists and anthropolo
gists have escaped the notice
of this Italian Dictator? Some
body ought to relate to Musso
lini the remarkable success a
chieved by Dixie in its efforts
to keep the South “pure”. So
much success have attended
those efforts that today about
80 percent of the mulatto pop
ulation of the United States
originate in the Southland
where “purity of race"’ is a
religion and where the lynch
ing of a Negro takes on the
fervor and frivolity of a Rom
an holiday. *
AFTER MARCHING UPON
ROME with his black shirted
minions and subjecting the
trade unionists and Socialists
of Italy to liberal doses of Cas
tor Oil, blackjack, murder et
al, Benito next turned his at
tention 1/) the burglatmaition
of Ethiopia. With the covert
support an dencouragement of
other imperialistic vultures
and w’'lth the aid of poison gas,
aeroplanes and other divine in
struments of a “superior race”
he has sueeedied fo rthe present
at least, in raping Abyssinia
and harnessing her “inferior”
peoples to the chariot wheels
of Italian Fascism.
ALBEIT, WE WHO HAVE
rend history wdth an intelli
gent eye and a, retentative
memory, are satisfied that the
day of reckoning for all the
Mussolinis, the Hitlers and
others of thei r'ilk, is bound to
come sooner or later. Such
evils as Fascism, Klu Kluxism,
and Nazism canot last forever.
Their baneful influences upon
the world will wane and finally
disappear, as the common peo
ple of every so-called race and
color in every land learn the
wholesome lesson of class soli
darity and thus un’lte to rid
the world of these evils, that
now so boldly stand between
mankind an da more abundant
and enjoyable life. Every Ne
gro should set his heart, head
and hands in the struggle a
gainst these orges of imperial
ism and with courage and de
votion oppose them until they
peoples everywhere. The
are no more. This is aspecial
ly the task of the “inferior”
soner we realize this truth and
act upon it, the sooner will the
day dawn, when the insip'.d
braying of a Musolini, a Hitler
or any of their tribe will no
longer disturb the world’s pro
gress towad human brother
hood an dhappines.
i
Pig Latin and Dog Latin
Are Entirely Different
Pig Latin, which la perhaps a
| modern version of back slang, does
1 not depend solely on the reversing
of spelling or position of syllables
, to cause the desired change Id pro
nunciatlon, advises a writer in the
Kansas City Star. The modern use
usually centers around one syllable
words beginning with one or more
I consonants. The initial consonant
! or consonant group is dropped from
; the beginning of the word and added
to the end with the further addition
of “ay.” Thus “scram” becomes
"amscray," “nix" becomes “ixnay”
and “dough" becomes “oday." In
the examples given, the difficulty of
understanding is doubled by the fact
that not only Is the pronunciation
of the word entirely changed, but
also the use of this system on a
slang word necessitates for proper
interpretation a listener who is con
versant with the original slang
word.
Dog Latin does not retain its
original implication of a corrupt
Latin, but is the name given to un
other system of distorting English
words for the sake of secrecy. In
dog Latin “olie” is to be disguised,
and "g” placed before the remain
der of the word. Following this
system, “let me go" becomes “lo
Ileget moliege goliego." If the list
ener makes the proper allowance
for the sound of the inserted “olie
g" and if the speaker does not talk
too fast, there Is little difficulty in
understanding dog Latin.
Many Irish People Died
When Potato Crop Failed
Year after year, beginning about
vs to, the potato crops of Europe
and North America suffered terrible
losses. So discouraged did the grow
ers of New York state become that
each five-year census showed a drop
in production till only 6,447,394
bushels were grown In 1860,
Worst of all was the terrible Irish
famine of 1845, 1846 and 1847. Be
fore potatoes became generally used
for fond In Ireland the population
was estimated at about 850,000 In
1630. By 1845 It had Increased to
8.295,061. More than 4 per cent of
the land of Ireland was planted to
potatoes. So complete and disastrous
was the loss of the potato crop
by blight and rot, and so great was
the dependence of the Irish people
upon their staff of life that between
200.000 and 300,000 persons perished
of starvation or of diseases brought
on by Insufficient food. Literally
millions of the IrlBh race emigrated
iill the population fell to about half
hat In 1845.—Rural New-Yorker.
Wicked Fruit
i' there is one really wicked fruit,
.1 is the durian, which weighs mor*
limn 10 pounds and Is covered with
slmrp, steel-Hke spikes, says Tit
Hits Magazine. It grows on trees
well over 80 feet high, and often
falls on those who gather It, Inflict
ing terrible wounds and sometimes
‘•nosing death. Although It smells
like a mixture of bad meat and pu
trid onions, the natives of Malaya
like it so much that they give It re
sounding titles and their poets glor
ify It in verse. Europeans can sel
dom bring themselves to eat it be
i cause of its odor, but those who
have declare It to be the most de
licious fruit on earth.
Derivation of Term "OK”
tine writer says that the terra
“OK” dates hack to Martin Van
Daren's race for the Presidency, In
IStli A coin of that time, they say,
was ... that bore the Inscription,
“The sober thought of the people is
OK." Another theory traces "OK”
to the days when Andrew Jackson
found that the Choctaw Indians, in
their bartering with other tribes,
used the word “Okeh" to designate
a piece of merchandise or livestock
as tit and good. Still another theory
Is that years ago a customs In
spector whose initials were “6. K."
stamped them on bales of goods that
he passed.
Opportunity and Grit
Many great merchants have found
<neir opportunity In sweeping the
floors of the very stores they owned
later. Push, determination and grit
are great opportunity makers. A
robust physique, a good education,
Integrity, are the best of opportu
nity makers. Life, Itself, as an op
portunity to broaden, deepen, height
en the God giving faculties wltnln.
and to round out one's whole being
Into symmetry, harmony, beauty,
power.
No Cow'i Dejlh
According to a Viking belief, no
one could enter the hulls of Odin,
the Viking heaven, unless he hud
died in battle or in quest of noble
adventure. To die In bed from old
age or disease, says Agnes Rotherv
In “Sweden," was a “cow’s death,”
and warriors who entered Valhalla,
with white shield unscarred in baL
tle were to be pitied.
Ver*ati!e Ti Plant
The ti plant of Hawaii has al
ways played an Important part In
Island life, even before the Islands
became a section of the United
States. The leaves made whistles,
raincoats and today hula skirts.
They also serve ns plates for native
foods. From the tuberous root Is
made okolehao, the historic Ha
wlian liquor.