The Omaha guide. (Omaha, Neb.) 1927-19??, March 06, 1937, 673rd EDITION, Page SIX, Image 6
..EDITORIALS.. --- THE OMAHA GUIDE Published Every' Saturday at 2418-20 Grant Street, Omaha, Nebraska Phones: WEbster 1517 or 1618 Entered as Second Class Matter March 15, 1027, at the Postoffice at Omaha, Neb., underAct of Congress of March 3, 1879. TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION $2,00 PER YEAR Race prejudice must go. The Fatherhood of God and the Brother hood of Man must prevail. These are the only principles which will Stand the acid test of good. All News Capy of Churches and all Organisations must be in our sffice not later than 6:00 p. m. Monday for current issue. All Adver tising Copy or Paid Articles not later than Wednesday noon, preceed ing date of issue, te insure publication. The MASTER POLITICIAN THE RISE of Franklin Delano Roosevelt to the highest office of the land has caus'd his orinns and writers to specu late on the contributing factor?! to his success. The late Col. Jjouis McHenry Howe was one of tl<e President’s early backers to whom credit was given for the Roosevelt victory in 1932. In the recent campaign, much of the credit has gone to James A. Farley, Postmaster General and head of the Democratic Na tional Committee. While not trying to minimize the part these men and other able assistants plum'd in putting Roosevelt over the pub j lie, we would like to observe that the lYesitlent liiimjilf is a master politician a.nd is probably the hist executive at direct appeals to the public this country has had in recent years. Mr. Roosevelt likes nothing better than to make a gesture such as that made last week when he entertained an ex-sJave at the .White House. Upon hjearing that William Andrew Johnson, 79-year oldJ former servant of President Ami Jew Johnson, had expressed a desire to again visij the White House, the President saw an op portunity to gratify this desire ami sent a Secret Service mess enger to bring th Negro to visit him. This human gesture on the purl of the President did not mean anything to the Negro group as citizens, and yet it demonstrated the famed Roosevelt spirit of friendliness and proved good publicity. That particular stoiy was probably published in. more papers than any story on the President’s plan to increase the membership ofthe Supreme Court. It only bears out that the President is himself a master pol itical strategist. Those who oppose him arc depending too much, we think, on putting before the public in cold logical reasoning ments their position, which in this fashion niak,e8 dull reasoning The occasional personal and human touch ns President Roose velt has demonstrated is what makes the difference between the mediocre ad master politician.—New 'i ork Age. GOOD CITIZENS For the first time in tHe history of Nebraska, Two Omaha boys of the Knee are to bo commencement speakers at two of Nebraska's largest high schools. Tl^ese young men have won such distinction through their efforts as good students and out standing school citizens. They are held in. high est«em by hot \ the student body and faculty. This accomplishment, by Alphom SO Davis of Technical high school and Monrcjo Coleman of South high school, should and does offer a source of pleasant reflection on the part of the Negro parents and citizens of Omaha, While these worthwhile achievements do not necessar ly solve the many problems with which we are confronted; they do illustrate the democratic spirit prevailing within our public school system and indicate that talent and worthiness among the students is recognized wherever it may be displayed. SAFEGUARDS Don’t attempt to start fires in stovjes or furnaces with gaso line or kerosene. When using a kerosene or gasoline stove, always follow di rections of the manufacturer. Keep stove clean, extinguish flame ^fter use and allow to cool before filling. Store the supply can outside the house. Don’t smoke whil)e filling the stove. In order to be sure of your stove by only those listed as standard’’ by the Underwriters’ Laboratories. Don’t clean clothes with gasoline, naptha or benzine. ITuman life is our most precious possession; guard your own and your dear ones from this giant of destruction. Petroleum, properly handled, is one man’s most useful ser vants. Improperly handled, it can become a giant of destruction. Remember that—it may save your life. HERE AND THERE At a recent party of grown up where young people’s games were furnishing the amu&otoaent, one of the women was asked to tell “What would you do if you were president-”' Of course a humorous answer was ofxpected. But after a moment’s hesita tion the lady replied, “If I were president I would stop lynch ing of our people in these United States.” And for a brief mo ment there was complete silence, for all present realised that the answcd contained dynamite. It is updoubtedly true that if any Negro were president of this country that is exactly what he would first try to do. It is also tr^2 that all believe that if onr present executive made this objective of his “must” legislation an antilynch law would be enacted in this session of Congress. Officials here are amazed at the unexpected reaction to proposal® that the Ilarrison-Fletcher bill be modified so as to provide for equit able sharing by Negroes in the be nefits of the funds appropriated and apportioned under the bill to further education. Both the NAACP and the Na tional Conference on the Problems of the Negro recently wfent on record as favoring modification of this bill, contending that if it were passed in its present form, Negroes —especially" in ^he south—-would receive little benefit from it The proposed modification in cluded (1) making regular reports showing the distribution between ufhite ai |I Neplro sehoofc where separate schools are maintained ccompulsory, and (2) giving the Se (cretary of Interior authority to withhold payments to any state or territory where discriminatory practices are discovered. Within the past week, however, a number of “educators” from the south have come to the capitol to protest against any such amend ment to the bill. They claim that it isn’t necessary—that their local officials are perfectly honest, fair, and capable of appointing the money where it is most needed. They say, too, that such safeguards as have been proposed are value less, and that only through locnl supervision can fair distribution be carried out. The tragedy of the situation is tnat most of the Negroes making these protests would admit, under close questioning, that their rea sons for doing so is not that they d« not prefer Federal supervision of educational funds to itlhat of their local boards of education, but that their white superiors in the south have sent them to Washing ton for the purpose 0f killing a proposal designed expressly for their benefit, under penalty of los ing their jobs if they fail to carry out instructions. Negro officials in Wushinglton sen«o something of what is hap pening and intend to continue their fight for close Federal super vision of any new funds made av ailable by the government for edu cation- However, it will be difficult to erase from the minds of white politicians here the false impression these emissaries from the south have given them. PERMANENT RELIEFERS The biggest job of Negro offi cials in Washington today is that of finding some method of getting colored workers back into private industry. The need of some definite course of action grows day by day a« white workers leave the relief and work-projeat rolls, increasing the percentage of colored workers grad ually to a point where local officials and civic groups begin to protest against the seeming “special treat ment” accorded Negroes by “the relief.’ The logical bureau for carry ing out such a program i« the U. b. Employment bervice, wmcn ia under the Department of Lpboi and has branches in nearly every community. This agency, however, has found it difficult and at times almost impossible to reduce the Negro relief-load by finding jobs for colored workers, although steady pressure to this end has been exerted upon it both from the oultaide organizations and from within the Department itself. Lieutenant Lawrence A. Oxley, Secretary Perkins’ righthand man, hai been conducting a nation-wide sivvey to determine the extent to vhich U. S- E. S. is aiding Negroes to find private employment. He has insisted wherever possible that Ne gro workers be appointed to work in these Federal employmnt of fices, as he has found that most white workers have little under standing of the job problems of Negroes, and even less inclination to go «ut of their way to find de cent jobs for colored persons. The NYA is considering expan sion of its program of apprentice braining, whereby young people are allowed to work with skilled artisans while being paid by the government. If this expansion can be accomplished, the way may be opened for young colored boys and girls to find their place in the in dustrial world, first, by learning how to do a job well, and second, by showing tlie prospective em ployer that they are as capable of fine work as the boys and girls of other racial groups. * + # * * THE FORGOTTEN DOMESTIC Another employment problem which the Federal government is now being asked to solve is that of domestic workers in both rural and urban communities. The realization is general that domestics’ wages now are entire ly too low, their hours of work too long, and their standards of living too low. Congress is to be asked soon to provide adequate social security and workmen’s compensation legis lation for these workers, and to guarantee them the right to or ganize and bargain collectively. Meanwhile, existing agencies pro vided to asai*t these workers to find jobs are being urged to esta blish policies which will prevent assignment to domestic jobs 'at less than decent wages In some communities relief or ganizations have begun carrying out the spirit of this recommendation by providing adequate relief for domestics who cannot secure jobs at wages sufficient to provide a decent standard of living. The rub lies in the fact that there is little inclination to do this in the case already excuse is provided by for someitime much lower than those for white workers. Here is a big problem for Con gress to consider- It affects count less thousands of Negro workers and even more white employees in domestic fields. Certainly it is one of vital importance, aind should have more than cursory attention. WORLD IN REVIEW Sen. Borah and the Supreme Court Senator William E- Borah of Idaho has introduced in Congress an extremely dangerous amend ment. The Republican “liberal,” of federal anti-lynching legislation and for that reason fought by col ored leaders when he offered him self as candidate for the presiden cy, may or may not have had re sentment in mjnd aga ifci^t their activities when he submitted a pro posed amendment calling for dras tic changes in the 14tih amend ment, a bulwark of Aframerican liberty. W'hile the Idaho senator says he does not wish to change the “due process of law” clause guarantee ing the right of hearing and a fair trial, under which the supreme court has rendered its Scottsboro and other decisions, he does want to give the various states more power than they have even today. He wants to give these states pow er to make whatever social and ec onomic legislation they desire with the supreme court powerless to interfere. merem me uanjrer. wim me south in the saddle at Washington, tjirere is no assurance that its re presentative* mifeht not change Borah’s due process of law clause to permit open discrimination against people of color on juries and before the law—actions now held illegal by the supreme court. When they begin tampering with te 14th amendment, there is no telling where fanatic Negrophobists will stop. What we need i» more centrali zation of government instead of less. The doctrine of state supre macy has increased the evils un der which this kaleidoscopic race struggles in Dixie. The Negro has no recourse except to the federal government and the U. S. supreme court. Give these states more power, a« advocated by Borah, with the supreme court barred by the con stitution from interference with a state's “social and economic legis lation” and there will be no bul wark left. Colored victims of dis criminatory “social and economic legislation” in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana or other southern states will no longer be able to raise hope fut eyes to the federal government and the supreme court but must plead only with the prejudiced, hate-filled legislators who passed such laws. This race cannot afford to have the powera of the supreme court curbed. Nor, for that matter, can we have it packed with six men chosen by a Democratic presided who is under obligation to the Democratic south and would be forced to reward southern friends who, while they might have keen minds on ordinary questions of state, come from a section of the country traditionally intolerant of ho citizens of color Calvin s Digest By Floyd J. Calvin > « • • «--»■■» g « -t > -t « 9 0 t > > • > » ■ » » > f ~ ROOSEVELT IN ACTION Not in many years has there been in the White House a presi dent who is ho completely a man of his word and of deed as is Pre sident Roosevelt. Before the news columns are dry on one progres sive move, he has made another; and before the editorial writers can praise him for one courage ous act, he has taken another. At this writing, there are three distinct acts on the part of the President for which colored citi zens may feel especially thankful and of which they may be justly proud. First, came the Farm Ten ancy Message to Congress, writ ten in typically Rooseveltian words, which still have a potent effect on thfe multitude “The ||igricul tural ladder, for these Americans, has become treadmill.’’ So writes the President of many colored and white citizens who have been cau ght in the net of evils which spread tentacle-like, over a vast part of our southern country. The President proposes a pro gram which looks toward an ami cable solution of the tenancy pro blem by not completely ignoring the land owner, by definitely aid ing the submerged tenants, and also by aiding the national plan of improving basically the economic life of the nation. Problems of fi nance, methods of guidance, and plans of education, are all a part of this progressive program. Our hope is that once the Congress enactsl the necessary legislation, a “wilful” Supreme Court may not circumvent the will of the major ity by scrapping the program as it did the NRA and the AAA. Second, the President acted quickly when Congressman Mit chell told him he had evidence of “skullduggery’' in the case of Mid shipman Johnson, who was flunked and wass all packed up and ready to leave for home at Anapolis Na val Academy. Had this happend a race which is turning out a heal thy annual crop of M. A.’s and Ph. D ’s would have been quickly dis graced. But the President, hear ing the story, acted instantly, re opened the Johnson case, and we may now elpect ^sUce and a square deal for Young Johnson. Third, the President, without <‘fuss and feathers,” and without, even, the knowledge of some of his secretaries, quietly rceived Dr. Mary McCleod Bethune at the White House, accepted her report of the National Conference on Ne gro Problems, which was held recently, and chatted with her in such a way that she left the Execu tive Offices with complete confid ence in the man whom the Negroes broke party lines for a second time to return to power. The average colored citizen can rest assured that his interests are not being overlooked or side-track ed by the Chief Executive, and that I in addition to getting just con sideration, he will get action. LYNCHING FIGHT It is meet that the anti-lynching fight gain wide support at this time when other progressive measures are gaining a hearing before the bar of public opinion, and when it appears that a general program of social reform is in the making. Certainly no far-reaehing changes in the social and economic scheme can be effected without something very definitely being done to check mob violence, wtoich is the basic draw-back to inter-racial co-opera tion in this country. Negroes cannot co-operate fully in improving the national life so long as they know the country at large is not fully interested in their welfare to stop so humiliating and so degrading a practice as the meting out of summary punishment for any in fraction without due process of law It is largely because the co-op eration of a tenth of the popula tion of the nation is necessary to advance the general interests of all the people that the lynching problem will now be seriously con sidered, and in all probability, a law enactced to wipe it off the national scene. Currently we find “America,” powerful Catholic weekly, devoting its leading editorial to the Wag ner-Costigan anti-lynching bill, im ploring churchmen everywhere to line up against this evil_ A few days ago the New York Herald Tribune devoted its leading editori al to the proposition that the end of lynching is now in sight be cause so powerful a southern paper as the Richmond Times Dispatch has come out favoring an anti-ly cliing law. And just before that the Times Dispatch startled the country by placing the south on re cord as now being ready for the Federal Government to blot out the national crime which has claim ed more than five thousand vic tims since Reconstruction. With the forces which are re-mak ing America decreeing that lynch | ing must go because it has no place in the new country that is to be, we may confidently expect that enough agencies will join hands to stop this inhuman prac tice. The new Joe Louis kayo at Kan sas City Wednesday night has re lieved the feelings of many fans of the Brown Bomber. When Joe let Bob Pastor go ten rounds with him at Madison Square Garden re cently, bike or no bike, his stock sank with many of his most ardent admirers. Joe Louis is the Negro’s hope for a chance at the heavyweight boxing title. Harry Wills and oth ers were kept from even a try at this coveted prize. Now that one has been developed who has both youth and a punch, and who has a level head as well, Negroes are anxious that he have an oppor tunity to reach the top of his vo cation. With Jesse Owens supreme in three field events, and John Henry Lewis wearing the light heavy weight crown, it is not too much to expect from the Louis record, he may wear the highest crown in fistiana, thus giving to the Negro group additional inspiration and another concrete example of ach ievement that is sorely needed by the group. “Away” By James Whitcomb Riley I cannot say, and I will not say That he is detd, he is just away With a cheery smile and a wave of the hand He has wandered into an un known land And left us dreaming how very fair It needs must be since he lin gers there And you—0, you, who the wildest yearn For the old-time step and the glad return Think of him faring on, as dear In the love of there as the love of here Think of him still as the same, I say He is n.ot dead, he is just away. SHADYDALE By William Henry Huff (For ANP) --o They tell me down at Shadydale They like to put my kind in jail Because God made us black I’d surely tell them if I could How all that God has made is good But how would I get back? But God is down at Shadydale. He’s writing, too how could He fail? He’ll show His hand some day. O, Shadydale, I beg, I plead That you make haste, repent indeed For wrath is on the way. Passing Views By William Pickens Organized labor is reported to bo planning a “march” on Con gress to press them into turning the Supreme Court over to Mr. Roosevelt. Many times in human history the masses of men have help ed to destroy their own liberties. It is dangerous to grasp a present good at the risk of eternal losses; to fulfill a present desire, heed less of tomorrow. Mr. Roosevelt may be a relatively safe man t° be given so much dictatorial power —but who knows what sort of a human animal will follow Roose velt four years from today? Or if they make Roosevelt dictator for life, how long may a life like his last,—and who next? The American people, dumb as many of them are, will more safely keep dictatorial powers in their own handlB, Changing their own con stitution when and if they can get majority to do so— rather than to allow Roosevelt or anybody else to dictate changes in basic law throu gh a puppet “Supreme” Court An Echo From My Den By S. E. Gilbert As I sit here in my “DEN” with pen in hand, meditating, as it were inspired by the encouraging thou ght that from the walls of Oma ha’s institutions of knowledge come this month many Negro youth who in accordance to the wonderful re- \ cord made by them in their res pective schools are destined to make a mark in life that which shall make all proud, I write. The Omaha Guide wishes to congratulate these men and women of tomorrow, youth who undoubtedly look upon edu cation; as the one way out. Any one w’ho would attempt to answer the posed question would appear rather presumptuous, and yet I am forced to agree with the poet who said: “For every evil under the sun, there is a remedy or there is none, If there is one try to find it, if there is none never mind it.” In my humble opinion, education is the panacea for our racial ills. By education I do not mean mas tery of Greek, Latin, or Hebrew, but rather that training of the heart, head and hand which will fit an individual for useful and happy living. The Negro race, like other races, is composed of individuals, and the intelligence of the masses of our people, rather than that of the more fortunate few, will be the yard stick by which the worth of the entire group will always be measured. Education for the masses of the < black Americans is the way out be cause (1) the intelligent man re cognizes the importance of being a citizen, keeping himself armed at all times with that most effec tive of all weapons—the ballot. (2) The intelligent man now realizes that the Negro purchasing power is tremendous force in breaking down economic barriers and! wiljl uj3e this power to a good advantage. Furthermore, he is aware of the fact that the owning and efficient operation of various businesses will unlock the door to a greater economic freedom (3) The intelli gent man will have some know ledge of the achievements of his forebearers, consequently he will have not only a just pride in the accomplishments of the members of his race, but a well grounded fait in the future triumphs. (4) The educated rrfm shojuld be a co-operative being. Racial and in terracial 'co-operation will dhar acterize him. And (5) education should cause one to interpret more clearly the purpose and design of the Creator and to live closer to Him. There can be no real freedom for black Americans until the masses have been liberated from the throes of ignorance, that breed er of crime, superstition, envy, hatred and jealousy. To the men and women of today, 1 say, that the men and women of toorrow stand patiently by, asking that you do your part in opening the avenues of economic freedom. Thus I commend to you to dedicate your lives to their getting an edu- f cation, an education that trains tho heart, head and hand, thereby pre paring them to be able to accept that inevitable opportunity that comes to all who are prepared. I furtfher commjend that you turn your vast spending power into the avenue that will build places in which your boy and girl may find an economic out-let, in doing this you shall have made it possible for the future citizens of our race to take their rightful place as Amer ican citizens. CHAINGANG PICTURE By Floyd X. Calvin Recently there appeared in many newspapers throughout the coun try a picture of colored members of the chaingang fighting the Miss issippi flood. The picture, humil iating at best, showing human be ings on errands of mercy working under slave conditions, was present ed from different viewpoints in different sections of the nation. In New York the picture was given a legend which subtly criticized a social order that, for any reason, publicly forces men to wear a chain In Oklahoma City colored citizens are incensed because a local daily paper published the same picture with an opproprious caption—one which catered to the ancient stereo type of colored men working on a levee. v Suffice to say, however, that in f spite of these untoward incidents, out of the scourage of the flood there came this: The unmistakable attempt, on the part of relief of ficials, to give succor without dis crimination. * ■»