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About The Omaha guide. (Omaha, Neb.) 1927-19?? | View Entire Issue (Aug. 6, 1938)
THE OMAHA GUIDE Published Every Saturday at 2418-20 Grant St. Omaha, Nebraska Phone WEhster 1517 Entered as Second Class Matter March 15, 1927, at the Post Office at Omaha, Nebr., under Act of Congress of March 3, 1879. TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION $2.00 PER YEAR Race prejudice mast go. The Fatherho«>d of God and the Brotherhood of Man must prevail. These are the only principles whil will stand the acid test of good._ editorials SIGNIFICANCE IN THE — POLITICAL LIFE OF THE | , — NEGRO _ By Rayford W. Logan The recent death of Justice Car dozo of the United States Supreme Court may have a significance in the political life of the. Negro that has generally escaped notice, according to a report from the office of Ur- Ray* ford W Logan, director of education of the Alpha Phi Fraternity. “Great Liberal as the late Justice was”, Pro fessor Logan pointed put, “he agreed with the other members of th United States Supreme Court that the Demo cratic party has the right to exclude Negroes from its primaries. Three of those nine members have left the court since that decision was rendered. As soon as two other changes have been made Negroes should prepare a new case and endeavor to have that deci sion reversed. The United States Su_ preme court has reversed itself before. Abraham Lincoln’s criticism of the Dred Scott decision helped to make him president Negroes should not cease similarly to denounce the deci sion in the Grovey vs. Townsend case which has made the south as Fascist as Italy or Germany” the report con tinued. Dr. Logan first made the suggest ion of preparing a new case as a part df he Alpha Phi Alpha campagn of education for citizenship. The idea is now being studed by some of the most distinguished lawyers in the country. “The Negro is more effectively dis frachised in the South than at any time since 1867. For this reason the political views of future appointees to the United States Supreme Court should be carefully scrutinized,” the report concluded. -oo° THE STORY OF “C. A.” By Homer L. Kyle Secretary, Soren sen for Chief Justice Committee i Lincoln I 1 No office in that State of Nebras ka is of greater importance than that of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The voter's therefore ought to know the history and qualifications of the candidates. I undertake the pleasant task of telling briefly the story of one of them. I am qualified for that task. For I knew him well as a fellow stu den in the University of Nebraska and for ten of the twenty-two years he has practiced law I have been his associate. FEARLESS AND PARTIAL The work had to be well done. The iron clad instructions were to treat all farly but with absolute impartiality. To have mentioned politics in connec tion with a lawsuit would have meant instant dismissal. He was immune to “influence”. As the representative of the State insisted that every ci tizen be treated on an equal basis without regard to his politics, religion color or social standing. Ajid as the • peoole of the state know, he carried through this program with vigor and courage. Under his direction fifteen gang ers, who could not leave other people's money alone, were prosecuted. WHAT LAW SHOULD HU — “Law Js-houd be the best lessons learned from the experience of the ages. It should be a force to blister fraud expose hypocrisy, rout corrupt ion, and dethrone tyranny.” QUALIFICATIONS OF A JUDGE: “Entrusted as he is with the pro tection the property, liberty and life of the people the qualifications of a judge should be extensive legal ex pereince, knowledge of the law, ndus try, impartiality fearlessness and cha racter and integrity. The arbitrary judge who will not listen and the judge who counts heads before deciding are equally obnoxioois. The effective admi nistration of justice requires judges with the ability and temperment to thoughtfully examine and weight all the evidence and then the will and the courage to render a decision which squares with the facts and the law without regard to where the chips may fall.” C. A. SORENSEN SAYS: Criticism of Courts: — , Some of the criticism of the courts is obviously without justification in spired in paid by men whose pet oxen have been gored. But judges and law yers need to take a heart what Chief Justice Hughes of the Supreme Court of the United States said recently in an address to the American Law in stitute : “The law has lacked clarity, has maintained an unnecessarily complex procedure and has permitted obstacles to be interposed to the prompt disposi tion of controversies.” NO FAVORNTISM: “Nebraskans above everything else want justice without favoritism. Thqy want such confidence in lawyers and judges that can go into court with the calm belief that cause will receive able, fearless humane, and utterly im partial consideration.” COURTS ARE SACRED PLACES: “To the people the courts are sac red places, the last place of refuge when ther rights are threatened. They look to the courts to protect them from the sharp practices of the cunning and the fraud of the greedy. To the courts they run for protection from tyranny and abuse of power.” A GOOD JUDGE “A good judge mixes with each cupful of technical law a tablespoonful of human understanding and sympa thy. He recognizes that equality before the law demands that the poor when in court shall not be a disadvantage mere ly because they are poor.” FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND RELIGION: “The right of free speech, the right to worship God without governmental interference, and the right to freely print the news and comment hereon have flckered out in many parts of the world. It has happened in part at vari out times in the United States. For these rights are not prizes that can be wcjn once.” ' ■ ~VJ W u I FIRST A FEW OF THE MANY __ REASON Boasting the lowest manufactured gas rate in America, the Metrpolitan Utilities District is considered by mun icipal authorities as the country’s most efficient publicly owned utility. A bi-partizan board composed of three democrats and three republicans has been responsible for the fine non political record of Omaha’s gas and water departments. Omaha’s leading business and pro fessional men have long been proud to be entrusted with the successful di rection of this great $22,000,000 pub lic utility. In a survey made recently by a nationally known firm of efficiency en gineers the Utilities District board of directors were praised for the freedom from political influence and the effici ency of management that has made possible an increase of $9,000,000 in net value of the district, and a decrease of $5,000,000 in the District’s debt” dur ing the 12 years ending in 1936. The present board is representa tive of the traditional high quality and public spirit which has always govern ed the selection of board members. W. B. Millard, republican and Francis P. Matthews, democrat, are seekng reelection to the board of di rectors in the primary Tuesdajy, Aug. 9. All voters will be given the small, special utilities ballot Mr. Matthews, prominent Omaha attorney has served as chairman of the Metropolitan Utilities board’s judi ciary committee. His experience as an attorney, as legal counsel for the RFC chairman of the Douglas county demo cratic, and his active leadership in ci vic affairs have qualified him for ef fective work in the administration of the affairs of the district. He has been dilignt in pursuit of the district’s pro gram to retire its final outstanding bonded debt in 1941 when these bonds, totalling $3500,000 mature. He also has constantly guarded the best inter ests of he public in all matters per taining to service rates. Although he has had shorter ex perience than Mr. Matthews as a mem ber of the Utilities board, W. B. Mil lard, republican candidate for reelect ion to the board can point to a record of efficient pubic ervice during the past year. H was appointed to the board by unanimous vote of its mem bers in July 1937 followng the resign nation of Mr. C. M. Wilhelm, For the past year, Mr. Millard has given able and conscientious service as chairman of the board’s finance com mittee. His financial trainng and posi tion as vice president of the Omeha National bank, and his active leader ship in many civic projects qualify him for effective participation in the management of Omaha’s public utili ties. -UV SOUTHERN FEUDAL SURVIVALS The Nation’s No. 1 Economic Problem —By William L. Patterson— Twenty-five Southern leaders met under the auspices of the National E mergency Council to discuss the ur gent need of the rehabilitation of the Southern states. The Council is one of the instruments fashioned by the Ro se velt administration to draft plans for the economic restoration of the South. This is a task of gigantic pro porions. In his message to the Council the President put the question more sharp ly than he has yet placed any other question concerning our economic and political life. “It is my conviction,” said he, “that the South presents now the na tion’s No. 1. economic problem, not merely the South’s. For we have an economic unbalance in the nation as a whole, due to this very condition of the South.” The South is “now the nation’s No. 1 economic problem.” It is not difficult to agree with this conclusion when we are clear as to the angle from which the President approches the question: The South with tremendous economic potentialities and vast natural resourc es does no contribute its share to the material well being of the country as a whole. Its vast natural resources are neglected or wasted. It is a drag upon natural development. But the most important capital of the South is its human resources. The millions on the land, in the factories and mills, among its proportionately over-large number of unemployed; constitute the basic wealth of the South. The poverty of these masses of beggars description. White and black alike are at the fdot of the social lad der. How can they contribute to the nation’s well being? Approximately one-third of the population of the South is Negro. These people are in many respects still slaves. T he remnants of slavery are to be found in the social antagonisms whicH are artificially and arbitrarily created and fostered and continually sharpen* ed. They are sustained through share cropping, peonage, debt, slaveity forc ed labor onthe roads though vagrancy laws and corrupt court procedure and* lynch law “justice” Here is the kernel of the economic problem of the South: the economic, political and social position of the Southern Negro. It is a held-over from chattel slavery. It is the albatross around the neck of the “poor white” of the Sc^uth. This one of the major pro* blems before the Council: The position of the black South. ^ et there was not a Negro among those 25 men who were called to the National Emergency Council. The pre sence of one or more would have added greatly to the morale of the Negro people who will be one of the chief 1 sources with which the reformation of the South is carried out. The calling of the Council was a tremendous forward step. I could not see if otherwise. A real program for the rehabilitation of the South would mean that President had carried the fight into the heart of the enemies* camp. It is no accident that the press rad played down this phase of the New Deal program. It is a blow aimed at the life line of economic royalism. The South is a source of its greatest strength—it is easy its weakest link. A program worth its weight in the paper upon which it is written must be a pi ogram that reveals the common in terests of the Negro people and the masses of whites in the South. It must be a struggle against absentee land loidship and industrial ownership. It is when such a program as this is formulated and steps are taken to carry it out that the Roosevelt Admin itsration will virtually take on the pro portions of war. ihe remnants of slavery yet re maining in the South which are akin to iascism are a drawi-back to recovery on a nation wide scale. The North can not free iself from the clutches of Wall Street without freeing the South. The South cannot be freed without freeing the Negro. In one respect, 1938 returns to 1861. Labor in the white skin cannot be emancipated while labor in the black skin is enslaved. The settings up of the Southern C ouncil is in preparation for a major assault upon the heights occupied by the “Rulers of America.” It is to be eply regretted that no Negro was placed on the Council. But the Council will find a stimulus in its search for a solution in the struggles that are de veloping for Negro Rights. We must go forward at an increa ing tempo to make the significance of the Anti-Lyching Bill clear to the en tire country. This is the main before the Negroes and thier friends nation ally. And on a local scale a stubborn struggle to defeat segregation, to se cure relief, to obtain adequate housing, to beat back police terror and to real ize that full and complete equality must be carried out. The President has given the impetus to the struggle.