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About The Omaha guide. (Omaha, Neb.) 1927-19?? | View Entire Issue (Oct. 23, 1937)
, THE OMAHA GUIDE Published Every Saturday at 2418-20 Grant Street, Omaha, Nebraska Phones: WEbster 1517 or 1518 Entered a7 Second Class Matter March 15. 1927. at the Postoffice at Omaha, Neb., underAct of Congress of March 3, 1879. ' TDK MS OF SUBSCRIPTION $2.00 PER YEAR Race prejadice must go. The Fatherhood of God and the Brother hood of Man must prevail. These are the only principles which will «tand the acid test of good. All News Copy of Churches and nil Organizations must be in our iffice not later tnan 6:00 p. m. Monday for current issue. All Adver tising Copy or Paid Articles not later than Wednesday noon, proceed ing date of issue, to insure publication. ('nidieil Atseriiaiis do lots of wishful thinking. They find tliems.Jlves in hot \va er and Mo often on the ’turns of dilema, that they like to imagine things are going to he <). K.—in spite of all natural laws. Some are pretending to hopp that lingo Black is going to change his fundamental character after near Jy half a century: tliat is .hey expect Judge Black to do some thing no other man tins ever done. Hugo Black joined the Ku Klux Klan wuen lie was a, matih* man, 36 years old, 16 years out of college, and often he had held various public, offices, tfluit is, lie knew what it was all about and joshed knowingly and ddliberatoly. I. was his character, lie may alter his tac tics on occasion, hut lie cannot change hischaracter now, even if he should vote to give Hie Scottsboro boys U break, wh.m their ease Pomes befoiP the Supreme Court, it will be only a Tacticrsjl gesture, to justify the greater d.eviltry of voting later against Negro suffrage and equal citizenship rights and of keeping him chained by inferior education and segregation. But why take my word for it ? Why not take Black s own words? Here’s what Black himself said on Feb. 19, 1930, when lii' was arguing in the Senate against the possibility that some other man could change his character. “] do not mean that, as an invariable rule, a man is so bent or has su<h „ triend that lie cannot alter his metih, od of thought, but I do mean to say that as a general rule a man follows in ih.e future the course ho has followed i/i past. Show me the kind of steps a man made in the sand five years ago, and 1 will show you the kind of s V-ps he isj likely to make in the same sand five years hmieo. Show me tii.o courap Le was pursuing then, and, unloss there lias been a cataclysm, lliat has absolutely .hanged his character, 1 will show you a course lie is going to follow' in the future. It is merely according to the law of nature. It is written on the human heart. It is in scribed on the tablets of the external government!-the gov ernment of nature.” So Senator Black1 agreed with us in 1930 that a man will wot change fundamentally. Senat.tr Black of 1930 and Judge Black of 1937 are the same person. MEDDLERS (By William Henry Huff for A. N. P.) They planted weeds among the flowers, Those crude and ugly weeds; They poured the|r venlom ou)t in| sihoiweHs, And reveled in their deeds. Tliey tried to turn sweet love to hate: Why would they do sudh thing? But Providence will compensate* Swift vengaulee will lie bring. They took' the truth and twisted it, If twist it will or bend; They tried so hard to make it fit Their base and evil end. They sprinkled tares among the grain, Its progress to impede, But, after all, what will tiiey gain, If all these tilings succeed EDITORIAL OF THE WEEK MOBS AND MEN from tjhe New1 York World Telegram Recently near Fort Walton, Fla., a group of aimed and hooded men stopped a sheriff, seized his 30 year old Negro prisoner on the eva of his trial pud riddled him with buck shot. It was Florida’s 3rd, and the South's 8th lynching this year. From Villa Rica, (la., comes another kind of story. Three men—one white and two blark—were in a railroad lank thirty feet deep, painting the walls witjh tor. Suddenly there was a crackle of flame which spread rapidly. A narrow one man ladder led to the top of the tank and safety. F. L. Hill, w|hjte foreman for the Soiuhern railroad, stood back and ordered bis Negro assistants up the ladder. They got out without injury. Foreman Hill was overcome by fumes and burned to death. There is a vast difference between men in mobs and as individuals . As mobs they are emotional, brutal, cowardly; as individuals they act like F. L. Hill, hero. That is why our country must have anti lynching and oth «r laws to punish mob anarchy. If ever this democracy is des troyed it will be by mobs. Economic Review President Roosevelt's speech on world affairs, in which he castigat ed dictatorships and proposed a virtual quarantine of bellicose powers, is perhaps the most im portant international event of many months. It was greeted with almost unanimous praise in this country, by papers of all political affilia tions. It charted a definite course which this government is apparent ly prepared to follow. It was direct, aggressive and, for the head of the government, extremely daring. In the view of the experts, it is be lieved certain that the British and possibly the French foreign offices were consulted before the speech was made, and that the plan of I action laid down by the President | is approved by the three, great dem ocrneies of the world. Mr. Roosevelt’s suggestion is as simple as it is revolutionary. In ef feet, he said that it might be. nec essary to place a towering commer cial wall around the nations which are responsible for today’s war scares and war prospects. Peaceful j nations would ret use to export to the.so countries, and they would not import from them. Little tjy little, as supplies on hand dwindled, the belligerent powers would find themselves lacking in the raw and finished materials which are essen- i tial to life both in peace and in I war. Thus, faced with want and privation, they would find it im possible to pursue their dreams of conquest. The president did not mention any country by name. But it was obvious that he was referring to three powers: Japan, Italy, Ger many. Italy has taken over Abys sinia, in disregard of all treaties, by nrnigd force. Japan is attempt ing to achieve a similar victory in rich North China. And Germany with Hitler ns its spokesman makes no secret of the fact that it regards colonial expansion as essential. The world effect of such a de claration of potenial policy would have been nowhere near as great had it come from tho head of any other country. We are remote from all other major powers. We are peacefully inclined. We are one of the two nations which nre economi cally self contained-that is, which possess within their territor ial borders the resources needed to provide every necessity and most of the luxuries of modern life. And, for the past few years, we have been the great question mark in international affairs—we have mov ed slowly, said little and have, kept aloof from participation in world events. The President’s attitude, rough ly described, is that we could not escape being involved in a major war, that we must therefore coop rate to prevent war. He gave ap proval to American cooperation with the League of Nations— which, significantly, is shunned by Germany, Italy and Japan. Out of this has come the belief that in the immediate future the world will be divided into two camps—the demo cracies and the dictatorships. On the side of the democracies there will also be the only dictatorship Calvin’s Digest § By Floyd J, Calvin (j Klansman Back It is no longer Mr, Justice Black It is Klansman Black! “Justice” Black and “Klansman” Black are not harmonious terms, and since Mr. Black himself as serted over the radio, ‘ I joined the Klan,” there is no doubt about who he is. Klansman Black has been loaded down with a Catholic secretary, a Jewish law clerk, and a colored messenger. No matter. All waters of the Atlantic and the Pacific can not wash away his oath to Ku Klux terrorism, taken after he reached his majority. Had Mr. Black been charged with something for which ho was not responsible, there might be some room for a charitable at titude toward him, but such is not the case. Of course Mr. Black now says, he is not in sympathy with the* Klan. A great many people would drop the Ku Klux Klan, and many other ties and affiliations, if by so doing they might win grtteter ap probation from their fellows, not to mention important salary in creases. It is now eight Supreme. Court Justices, and one Klansman. We’re sorry. U. G. E. Anniversary The first anniversary of the Un ited Government Employees is soon to be appropriately celebrated, and on the record, there is something to celebrate for. This organization has accomplished the remarkable feat of getting “more than $200, 000 in pay increases for low paid government employees” of the Cap itol, War and Interior departments. Also, “in New York, Chicago and Baltimore the UGE gained per manent Civil Service appointments for 70 colored clerks with the Social which is economically self suffici ent—Russia. The strengath of an alliance be tween the democracies of U. S. S. I!, is impossible to exaggerate. From either economic or military standpoint, they are immensely su- ( perior to the dictatorships. Japan Italy and Grmany must importe tremendous quantities of the basic commodities in order to exist. They must export their own specialities, such as silk and olive oil and wine, in order to obtain foreign credits. Close the world’s markets to them, and at the same time forbid them to buy in democracies, and they would be ruined. And, should they elect to fight, every recognized mil itary expert is certain that they would be doomed to quick and crushing defeat. The U. S. and England have the greatest navies afloat. Russia the largest and best equipped standing army in the world. The dictatorships have no thing to match these instruments of force. Summing up, a union of the de mocracies is designed to achieve two ends. One, to maintain peace. Second, if that fails, to make sure that the ensuing war will be swift and ruinous to the dictatorships. Vummaz. Mf KINNEY INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN [)ff NIGHTCLUB STAGE AND SCREEN 1V f / riflR—i NOW TOURING \ x AuSTRHLlRN VARIEIY CIRCUIT. I ca^cUeimi IWAtHINGION . Dynamic BAknoNE-nowAl&«*0 limits IHCHKACO FOUOWWCi asuassFui KEWYORK^I cnx ConONCtUB EN^OEMU^I MIN It f C».S. COLORED SW-IHQ / SlKStUVOM.fKCOMVHKT >*ai V ATIKPIBNO *nMWSO*« \ pwnhtic svm. CCHOPHOW \ 74aa#rt»«ci(x>aof k HOU.YWOOO.CmJFOOMM-' Security Board.” In the investigations which pre ceded the actual granting of pay increases to the lowest paid group of government workers, it was dis covered that some had served the government for 34 years without an increase. Other classes of work ers, which are better organized, have secured increase after increa se. But not so the class which needed it most. The UGE, Edgar G. Brown, pre sident, stands for a SI,500 minimum wage for all government employees in the Federal and Districct of Col umbia service; equal pay for the same work regardless of race, crd d or color; and appointment of a Negro to an administrative post in the U. S. Civil Service Commis sion. The UGE is doing a fine job of education among a class of our people who need it badly. They hold regular meetings every Friday night and every third Sunday af ternoon, where labor questions and issues are discussed, and the work ers are kept informed on their con dition, and their relation to other workers in the changing labor sit uation. Quite properly, the UGE quotes Congressman Glenn Griswold of Indiana, in its campaign for an enlarged membership, as follows: “Whateverclass you are in, get into an organigation and stay there. Unless you do, you are not carry ing your share of the responsibility. These organizations cost money to mainain and operate. The cost is neglible in comparison to the bene fits derived by the workers. You want to carry your own responsi bility and bear own your own bur den of expense. If you are not a member of some organization you are living off the charity of those who do belong and bear the costs. You are an object of charity. You are accepting benefits you did not pay for. You and your family ] are spending money that was pro cured for you by other persons’ j money and effort.... That is why [ I say I am a bit ashamed to think ( that some do not belong. I am sure j that you never gave it serious I thought. You never realized what | your organization means to you." ! Durham Bank Recently we had occasion to talk with Mr. R. L. McDougald, vice president and cashier of the Me chanics and Farmers Bank of Dur ham, N. C. As we talked, we could see white men and women in line, marching to the teller’s window to make deposits or withdrawls, in the routine of the day. It is Mr. McDougald’s belief that a bank run by colored people can just as well do business with white people, and maintain the same rules of efficiency, courtesy and safety for all. At first this Idea was somewhat novel for the South, but the Durham bank has quietly gone ahead, and now its policy is being more widely accepted and approved by both races. The white banks ac cept the bank run by colored peo ple as another financial institution of the city, which means the Me chanics Bank is given a good rating along with all other banks of the city. Backing up this new spirit is the coming in of accounts from public service corporations, and municipal county and state governments. As a further indication of what successful bank management can bring to the group, this year the Durham colored bank executives were invited to attend the bankers institute at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. If the Me chanics Bank is to be accepted as a part of the financial community, then it follows that the executives i of the bank should have an oppor tunity to get the latest and best information on policies and pract ices in bank management. Hence, the invitation. The Mechanics ex ecutives, of course,, readily accept ed the invitation, attended all ses sions of the institute for a week, and were greatly benefitted. The Durham bank, however, is not by any means getting away from its own group. Since the de pression, emphasis has been placed on character rather than collateral and much good in the community has been donp 'by adopting this policy. Also, opportunity is sought to foster worthwhile enterprises and responsible individuals, in ren dering economic and social service to the community. Is The Danger Of War Real? By DAYTON E. HECKMAN, • Assistant Professor in Government, University of Omaha 1 1 f Do you believe that there is any immediate danger of war? Concern about this increasingly frequent question is natural. We Americans hope for peace, but we regard war as inevitable. I The ease with which a cam paign of devil n aking can be conducted in the 1 contempo r a r y I world makes it | dangerous to be I dogmatic about | the possibilities I of war. Aware Dayton E. Heckman '*■ power 01 the manipulators of public opinion and their persuasiveness, it still seems unlikely that we American people face th*- likelihood of immed iate, formal war The fact that we discuss the possibility of war in such dispassionate tones is prima facie evidence of the absence of any war hysteria. But there is even greater reason to hope for peact. Popular support of any major war it essential. Such support can be ntcured only when the public is persuaded that its ma terial well-being is about to be de stroyed, its strategic interests threatened, or its sentimental val ues annihilated. All Usually Needed Any one of these may create pop ular hostility. Usually all three have been required to provoke the contagion which leads to war. The Spanish situation in the American mind is little more than further evidf nee of the characteris tic quarrelsomeness of European states. The Sino-Japanese controversy is more significant. Will it nurture a new crop of war hysteria ? We have shown an amazing lack of concern about the refusal of the government to protect American property rights in China. Millions of American dollars are invested there. But while these investments may be lost, they do not threaten the material well-being of the gen eral public. « Limit to Propaganda Neither is t likely that even the most adept iroppgandist could per suade us tha- this if true. After all, there are limits t< the efficacy of propaganda. Even more difficult is it to en visage the conviction that any out come of the Chinese difficulty will rebound to the detriment of our strategic interests in the Pacific. Are oui sentimental loyalities threatened ? Japanese bombings of civilians have upset us—but there is some uncertainty whether the killing of non-combatants is fundamentally worse than the killing of anyone else. True, Japan has violated its treaty obligations; but the convic tion that treaties are not “mere scraps of paper" has not been dis sipated by recent world history. Attachments Not Strong We have no specific sentimental attachment to China; we find it dif ficult to see her nominal republic as an examplar of democracy fight ing autocracy. At most, we sympafhize with China because of our disposition to favor the underdog. But, whatever uncertainty our conscience may cause us, we defend our lethargy by persuading ourselves that while China may be defeated she will not be conquered. Upon such ground it would be difficult to compose a new song of hate. Another column of discus sion by a member of the Uni versity of Omaha faculty will appear in this space next week. I I As I sit here in my den, with pen in hand meditating as it were; I turn my mind to one, very import ant national bill, referred to as the Wage and Hour Bill. Why the fight? President Roosevelt recently an nounced his intention to call an ex tra session of Congress at which time this all important bill will be listed among the must bills. Negroes throughout the country should be 100 per cent behind the passage of this bill for the enact ment of this bill means that mil lions of Negroes in the South who are now working from sunup to sun down for $5 and $6 a week would be receiving a minimum of $16.00 for a 40 hour week. Little enough to be sure, but far better than they are now getting. Behind the opposition to the < wages and hour bill stands the shadow of exploited southern Ne gro labor. The backbone of the opposition is the South. The fight, whatever its outcome is in essence a new struggle between the North and the South, and as on a previous occasion knowh to every school the Negro is the Casus bellum. The South is becoming rapidly industralized as factory after fac tory moves from northern localities to the South. The reason for this shift Is not due to the markets affoi’ded by the land of Dixie, but because that section is a hot bed for starvation wages, political terrorism, abroga tion of basic civil rights, void of all facilities that make for advanc ed civilization in every other part of this country. These backward conditions in the South are directable to the long historic policy of Ngro supression and ruthless exploitation. It is axiomatic that wages paid the lowest paid workers, determine the standard for the rest of the workers. When black American svorkers are paid scarcely enough to keep body and soul together, it stands to reason that white labor cannot expect to get more. With such a true axiom pene trating the horizon, something must be done, and thus comes the Wages and Hour Bill, which would set a minimum wage of 40 cents an bou^h and limit the work day to reasonA able and humane limits. This means that southern wages would for the first time in history appro ximate wages in the more civilized North. This means that the South would no longer be preserved for indus trial exploiters, which means that given an even wage scale North and South, it would be impossible to endure factory and mill owners to move out of the North, and the* South’s drive for industrialisation would come up against a blank wall. Thus, is the why of the rave on the part of southern statesmen against the Wages and Hour Bill. The only sound solution is the organization everywhere of white and black abor. There is increas ing evidence that white labor is be ginning to understand this truth and beginning to put it into pract ice, Striking confirmation of this belief is found in the rapid growth of mixed unions and the changed attitude of organized labor toward black Americans and unskilled workers. Therein lies the. greatest hope for a higher standard of liv ing for all Americans. Black and white bond together and fight for the passage of the Wages ana Hour Pill. JNUTK:—ttach weeK your corres pondent takes his pen in hand and writes on local issues as he sees it. Written comments on these Echos will be welcomed. Just address - your letters to ‘'An Edho From My Den” Omaha Guide, 2418 Grant Street, Omaha, Nebr. DELINQUENT SUBSCRIBERS—PLEASE NOTICE The postoffice department does not permit the delivery of papers to delinquent subscribers. If your payments axe not up to date, please mail or bring amount due to The Guide offi^ , or call WEB1517 for representative: Your cooperation wil?4 jf Teatly appreciated* The Management