Nebraska Newspapers

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THE OMAHA GUIDE
Published Every Saturday at 2418-20 Grant Street,
Omaha, Nebraska
Phones: WEbatar 1517 or 1518
v
Entered as Second Class Matter March 15. 1927, at the Postoffice at
Omaha. Neb., under Act of Congress of March 3, 1879.
TERMS OP SUBSCRIPTION $2.00 PER YEAR
Rare prejudice must go. The Fatherhood of God and the Brother
i
hood of Man must prevail. These are the only principles which will
Ctsi.d the acid test of good.
All News Capy of Churches and all Organization* must be in our
•Hire not later than 5:00 p. n*. Monday for current isaue. All Adver
tising Copy or Paid Articles not later than Wednesday n*on, proceed
ing date of issue, to insure publication.
DECADE OF SERVICE
In March, If>27, Tli,. Omaha Guide was established as a,
news publication, dedicated to the fulfillment of certainj
ideals which the founders believed essential to the upbuild*
mg of tbe community.
Today, after ten years of activity, replete wiih vuried
experiences, we pause to review our journalistic endeavors.
1 Miring t'his period, we mote, with a certain amount of gratdfi
cation, that many of the obstacles which we viewed in the dis
taince hav© been fully or partly overcome. We are appreheu
sive of the fact that these accomplishments are small in com
parison with the progress that we should, and hope to make
in the future. We have followed principles in preference to
personalities. We have always been sincere in our efforts to
Asais^ in making our hometown a fine, wholesome, and pros*
peroua community in which tolive.There has never been any
force or power, financial or otherwise, sufficiently enticing
to beckon u« away from the ideals embodied in our program
for the upbuilding of this community, and we can say with
complete confidence that as long as the present management
exists, the readers, subscriber*, and boosters of this publica*
tion can rest assured that the policy followed by The Guide
will always work toward the ideals of racial betterment. Our
efforts have beeJi prompted through the loyal cooperation of
thousands of subscribers whom we wish to thank for their faith
*nd support. This support has enabled n« to establsh the first
complete Negro publishing plant in the state of Nebraska,
making possible the employment of 15 race men and women
Although confronted at times with many discouragements,
The Guide has never failed to publish, during the ten years of
ita existence. And now, with the signs of better times, beeom*
ing more apparent, the staff of The Omaha Guide, Nebraska’s
colored newspaper, is determined to give this community a
weekly news publication second to non,e anywhere.
THE NEGRO GROUP
i
What the Annalist terms & ‘‘spectacular race between
wages and1 prices,” constitutes the most interesting arid import
ant recent business occurrence. *
Wage increase has followed wage increase in a multitude
of leading industries. In fany cases, wages are above the boom
timei level, and are at all—time peaks. However, labor heads
are still far from satisfied. The are in some instances, demand"
ing further wage boosts. In other instances they are demanding
shorter working wetks without wage decreases which, eonsti
tute wage raises, inasmuch as industry’s labor cost per unit
produced would be lifted.
Higher wages naturally mean higher prices for all ma!
ner of commodities and serviced. This i|s whefre the race refei
red! to by the Annalist, comets fci. Will wbges, on a perdejitage
basis, outrun prices! Will 1be income of the public at large! g<
ahead! along with rises in the price index! Will the consumer a
cept higher prices and not cut down his buying! These are vitu
questions, which only time can answer.
In the meantime, the readr may consider it certain thi
prices will continue to go up all along the line. Most comma
tat or* a1*0 regard it as certain that shorter hours and bight
wages are inevitably coming in most industries.
The Negro working groups in their various classifies
tions, are subject to be the chief victims of the backwash t
less they wage an unrelenting fight for the organization <
Negro workers into bonafide u don. free from race prejudic
T^iere has been little or no gain made by the spurious lab
unions foisted upon the group by soulless and prideless int
viduals seeking to make money out of the plight of the Neg
masses.
KELLY MILLER
SAYS
THE HARRISON-BLACK
EDUCATION BILL
The Harrison-Black Education
bill is but a revival of the Blair
Education bill, which was intended
to extend Ftuderal aid to supple
ment local educational provision"
in the mo"t needy states
Thu main purpose of this mea
sure was to furnish better edu
cational advantages for southern
Negroes whose scholastic facilities
at that time were lamentably in
adequate. iSince then the south has
rrfMty* remarkable strides in the
improvement of its public schools.
Th« Negro schools have partici
pated largely in this advance. Com
oarison of flhat day, with thi" day
indicate* the appalling state of ig
norance among the black population
of the south. Then, as now, the
southern status operated a dual j
system of education for the two
races- Because of the general po
verty of this section the, school
system would rank far below that
of the north and west had the
system been unified.
Education provisions for the |
white child were far inferior to the j
national standard, while that for,
the Negro fell a little short of the j
scandalous- While the discrepancy j
betweeen the two rncial system” j
ha” been ”o me what evened up by
the more enlightened educational
statesnmnfdiip of the south, yet
tho Negro school” still cry loudest
for national aid.
No measure of that day received
a larger share of public attention
and interest than the Blair Educa
tion Bill. iSenator Henry W. Blair
of New Hampshire, author of the
bill which bore his name, belonged
to the old line of philanthropists
who sought the uplift and reclama
tion of the Negro race through
education. He advocated his mea
sure with all the energy, ardor and
enthusiasm of his nature- He was
an eloquent and fluent speaker,
and was so obossed with the bene
volent intent of hi” bill thnt he for
ced its consideration upon the Sen
ate and the public in and out of
season.
It was said that the Greeks be
came bored with the eloquence of
Aristides, the just that he was bnn
iulfr'd from his country. The Sen
ato became so fed up with the Blair
Education Bill that it was rejected
out of sheer weariness and the Sen
ator’s tiresome reiteration. It was
said that the bill was talked to
doabh by its oveflva'Ment author
After the defeat of his measure,
iSenator Blair was not returned to
the Senate by the voters of his
stabs, but hi» belief in the state»
minship and efficiency of hih mea
sure was not whit abated.
The Southern state* oppoaed the
Calvin?s Digest
By Floyd J. Calvin
Southern Economics
We note an article in the current
Virginia Quarterly Review, publish
ed at the University of Virginia,
on "The iSouth's Unbalanced Bud
|get," by David Cushman Coyle, in
which tfhe.se irrt^vre*«ting observa
tions are made:
“The south is losing money. The
qditor of a leading southern news
paper makes a rough guess that
the South is paying out a billion
dollars a year beyond its yearly
iiiccorry’. Whtfre does it get the
billion dollars? By selling its pro
perty to investors in other parts
of the country, by borrowing money
Blair Education bill on the ground
that it was outside meddling with
purely local affairs. Inc doctrine
of states’ right still dominated sou
thern opinion of that day. But the
general attitude is different in this
day of the New Deal, whose bene
fire.nt program does not balk at
state lines. We hear nothing of
(States’ rights when legislation is
proposed for the relief of farmers,
from drought and flood, the con
trol of labor or the checking of
disease.
Altahougjh Che wealthier states
of the north and west were perfect
ly willing to vote the needed ap
propriations out of the national
treasury, the south interposed ob
stinate and persistent and objection.
The north was more willing to give
than the south was ready to re
ceive. If it i» the national purpose
to regulato agriculture, industry
and business, and to provide sec
urity and look out for the health
of the whole population, then why
not be equally concerned with
stamping out ignorance, the great
est plague which afflicts the na
tion?
This purpose is reflected in the
, Harrison- Bla<’k bill, whidh goes
far beyond the Blair Education
bill in meeting the educational
needs of the country as a whole.
Thn Blair bill called for only ten
million dollars, annual appropria
tion- The Harrison-Black bill calls
, for three hundred miilion dollars.
If the south becomes its chief bene
ficiary, it is merely because it
stands inmost in need of such bene
faction. If the Negro race becomes
chief recipient of its blessing, it
is simply because it bears the hea
viest brunt of ignorance. The great
er the disease the louder the de
mand for treatment
Thte sponsors of this bill, the
distinguished Senators from Miss
issippi and Alabama, clearly show
how far this nation has travelled
toward a larger national spirit
since the days of Senator B lair.
Kelly Miller
and going bankrupt, by destroying
land and forest to make products
for sal*.
“The south is losing phyical and
human. Forests are cut and not
replanted. Coal and iron ore are
mined and the steel shipped away
for others to use. The land is be
ing washed into the »ea- The peo
ple are being allowed to suffer
poor health and poor education,
which «o dee-ply concerns the lead
ers of the south, are involved in the
problem of economic unbalance
which concerns the leaders of the
nation. Not only is the south a£ a
whole spending more than its in
come, most of its local units are
running a local deficit. And any
geographic unit that is spending
more than its income is in a peril
ous condition.”
We are accustomed to hearing
stock reasons for the backward
ness of the south, many of which
'•enter their viowpoint. Mr. Coyle
asserts:
“The c.aus§s of this economic
drain can be found, for oratorical
purposes, in the evil days of Re
construction, But in hunting for a
remedy, we mjay as well recognize
that the evil of economic drain is
found in many parts of the north
and west. It has various causes,
many of them connected with the
difference between agriculture and
industry. Ahy remedy that will
help the soifth will be likely to
j help the depressed areas in all parts
of the country.■”
Mr. Coyle is oonvinced that the
south neefls federal aid, and says:
“Education is probably the most
practical avenue of Feeral subsidy
to be further developed in the im
mdiate future. For one thing, the
custom of subsidizing education is
of long standind and high respect
ability. The voters are not so eas
ily ho<ked by a program that is
merely an extension of a century
old system.”
But when it comes to the Negro
Mr. Coyle, while showing some li
beral tendencies, finally curves—
away from complete equality. He
says:
“In the south it would be unfor
tunate if the race question should
be allow'ed to interfere with the
Federal government either to dis
criminate between races or on the
other hand to interfere with domes
tic arrangement' of the states."
“Congress may properly grant
an equal subsidy to be expended
on each child of school age,, and
may require the local authorities
to match the Federal grant with
out discrimination. If the states
or counties w-ant to supply extra
funds for white schools that is no
body’s business but their own-’
T t , , t , 1 1 » t t ■ t ■ ■ t
An Echo
i
From My Den
By 8. E. Gilbert
■»■>■>»>< 9 m m m ■ »'»' •
As I ait here in my “DEN" with
pen in hand, meditating as it were,
there trickles through the. chan
nels of mcy mind tlhat old age state
ment made by John Otis, the emin
ent lawyer of the pre-re volutionary
da,ys, before the supreme court of
Massachusetts, quote; ‘Taxation
without representation i* tyranny."
In Omaha we find a condition of
tyranny going unnoticed by 16,000
black Americans. No County Doctor
no city doctor, no city teachers.
Yet thousands of us are paying
taxcf?, yes, heavy taxes and for
our good and unspotted American
dollar, we are receiving aside from
NO COUNTY DOCTOR! NO
CITY DOCTOR! and NO city tea
chers, inadequate school buildings,
due to the failure on the part of
the school government to equal
ize the appropriation alloted to the
60 schools in the city of Omaha,
leaving the four schools located in
that section largely populated by
N’ogroos, without funds to meet the
necessary improvements needed to
rectify the overcrowded condition
that now exisfts. For example we
find assembly being held in
the hall which is also used for en
trance and exit for the. children.
At Long school, we find an
j equally Aleplona^e condition, so,
crowded that is neqeesary to hold
clasaos in the basement. HOW
LONG, OH HOW LONG, will we
we black America, 16,000 strong
stand by and allow this calamitous
condition to last. Will we start the
same war cry made famous prior
to the revoutionary war and ulti
mately bringing independence to
the colonies: “Taxation without
representation’’ coupled with an
unequaled distribution of fundis and
continue our battle until our child
ren are not subjected to over crowd
i ed rooms, fire hazard buildings,
that may result in a repetition of
the New Londfon, Texas disaster
in OMaha, or will we remain in a
state of lethargy and let tht rest
of the world go by?
-”
GLARING DEFECTS EXPOSED
IN HARRISON - BLACK
EDUCATION BILL
W;c,hington., March 21—In a
smashing drive to have the Harri
son-Black bill for federal aid to
education amended in the interest
of the Negro, the National Co-or
dinating Committee for equitable
distribution of federal started a
pamphlet agitation this week cal
culation to reach 20,000 organized
agencies hroughout the United
States.
SohscrifceK^ Frieilds
'^laha Guide
Attend^t?llyInVlted lo
6 ftTe? •KBS?
F"»n 3 to «*. “*Y
Our Coneern
By Charles F, Davis
Vital concern of the community
is in legislation affecting our po
blio schools and also in the type
of education afforded our chilren
as well as the conditions under
which they are forced to study.
’ Legislative Bill No. 314, introdu
ced by Senator Walter Johnson
■sad the searchlight of public scru
tiny turned on it during a hearing
held before the Revenue Commit
tee of the fState Senate last Thurs
day. The bill pirovides for a two
mill increase to the school maxi
mum levy in the city of Omaha.
Under the prepent law, the maxi
mum levy is now 13 nulls- This
increase to 15 mills is calculated
bo bring ap ^Iditional $445,000
into the school fund annually.
The hearing disclosed a few un
deniable facts; to wit: That annual
school revenue has decreased $1,
134,00 since 1926, due to a decrease
in assessed valuation of property
in Omaha, resulting in forced econ
omy. This forced economy has
caused a gradual and appalling re
duction in expenditures per pupil
according to the following table:
OMAHA PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Coat Per Pupil Based On Average
JDaily Attendance Over A
Period of Years
Yr. Elem. H- School Total
1925- 26 $93.35 $168.93 $106 97
1926- 27 84.85 146.91 99 13
1927- 28 85.34 140.69 98 69
1928- 29 85.15 145.68 10060
1929- 30 83.54 142.47 9902
1930- 31 83.79 144.60 9946
1931- 32 80.01 131.75 94-68
1932- 33 69.36 118.28 8299
1933- 34 59.23 101.98 7049
1934- 36 60.91 99.46 71 43
That notwithstanding the de
crease in annual revenue of over
$1,000,000 there has been added
to the school enrollment over 3,200
rrsor« students than were enrolled
in 1925-26. The reduction in revenue
and increase in enrollment has
caused a bqfily overcrowding of
school, improper maintenance of
school, property has impaired the
morale of teaching staff and re
duced needed service to pupils;
further that equipment of pupils
with elementary .necessities, vi*.
pen; pencil; paper and books have
been reduced to the point wherein
the lack of the# necessities are
seriously reflecting in the educa
tion of these children.
Reviewing these facts is for the
purpose of enlightening the com
munity on the tme situation of the
public schools, the opportunity of
oud children to obtain an abundant
education, sanitation of the build
ing where they are in attendance
and the physical safety of the
children
Progress of a people is in Mi
abundance of education easily ob
tained. In Lake, Long, Kellom and
Howard Kennedy schools, an
abundance of education is not easily
obtained, due to conditions. Thero
is a serious shortage of text books.
One class at Kellom, for an ex
ample, has 65 pupils and 20 geo
graphy book". One class at Long
school has 1 history book far
each 3 students and classes a*»
now enlarged to 65 students per
room.
Long School is by far in a eondl
tion to cause alarm. It is recogn
ized by fire authorities to be a fir*
trap, without fire exits. Yet class
es are held in the basement of this
school on cement floors. The exits
from this basement is a narrow
staiPca^s. Children in this base
ment would not have a/ chanoa
were a serious fira to occur. In fact
all the children in Long school aje
in extreme peril.
It is the intention to report the
condition of each of these schools
individually in future articles.
However, enough information is
contained, to awaken the commun
ity to the urgent need of the pu
blic school afnd the necessity for
immediate action by the legislature
on Legislative Bill No. 314, provid
ing additional school revenue.
Community and individual actio*
should be taken- Letter or cards
addressed to your state senator
requesting support of L. B. 814.
Further the Board of Education
should be taken. Letters or cards
conditions at Long school. Economy
will not compensate for a disaster
similar .to that of Neiw London,
Texas. The board must take any
available funds and insure the livee
and safety of our children.