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About The Omaha guide. (Omaha, Neb.) 1927-19?? | View Entire Issue (Jan. 6, 1940)
city^'4 t tSir THE WEATHER __ _ ¥_¥ ^ ^ _ ^B IM M For Omaha and vicinity: Partly |^Tj j1 | |ly^y ^B cloudy tonight and Sat.: colder PRICE FIVE CENTS , ■■■■ —. . . /JUSTICE/EQUALITY IEW TO THELINE) LARGEST ACCREDITED NEGRO NEWSPAPER WEST OF CHICAGO AND NORTH OF KANSAS CITY Entered at 2nd Class Matter at Postoffice, Omaha, Nebr., under Act of March 8, 1874. Omaha, Guide-Jan. 6, 1940-Omaha, Nebl*. Web. 1517 Number 38 NEWS OF THE WEEK FROM COAST TO COAST by Hazel L. Griggs for the Associated Negro Press TWO CAA AIR SCHOOLS TO OPEN JANUARY 15 Washington, D. C.—The Civil Aeronautics Authority announced the opening on January 15 of two schools to train Negro air pilots, one in New York and one near Chi cago. The school at Harlem airport will be headed by Cornelius R. Cof fey while Col. John Robinson, Ill inois NYA aviation consultant, will be in charge of the ground school at Glenview Illinois. WAGE AND HOUR BOARD ASKED TO PROBE OUSTING OF TEXTILE WORKERS Durham, N. C.—A complaint, charging that textile mill owners are ousting Negro workers and substituting whites rather than pay Negroes the minimum of 32 and one-half cents an hour as re quired by the Fair labor Stan dards Act, was filed by the local NAACP with the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of La bor. FATHER DIVINE’S PROTEGE CHARGED WITH FRAUD Dallas, Tex.—James Robinson, a member of Father Divine’s Harlem Heaven, landed in jail here for at tempting to cash a fraudulent check. Robinson, bible in hand, pleaded guilty. JfENNY WASHINGTON NAMED ALL-AMERICAN / New York,—Kenny Washington, UCLA’s great halfback, polled more than any other player dur ing the past season to be selected a member of Liberty magazine’s All-Player All-American football team. $21,000 DAMAGE SUIT SETTLED BY COMPROMISE Newport News, Va.—The civil suit of Mr. and Mrs. Henry N. Jordan versus the James River Bridge System and three defen dants, for $21,000 damages because of injuries received by the couple in an automobile accident on the bridge last July 2, was settled by mutual consent of the parties. PAUL ROBINSON NAMED FOR HONORARY DEGREE Clinton, N. Y.—Hamilton college here announced that the degree of doctor of human letters would be conferred on Paul Robeson, famous actor, at the annual mid-winter convacation. Robeson’s name was presented by Alexander Woolcott, well-known writer and a trustee of the school. EDITOR HONORED IN PITTSBURGH Pittsburgh—Robert L. Vann, edi tor of the Pittsburgh Courier, was elected a member of the Pitts burgh Chamber of Commerce, the first colored man to be so honored. Mr. Vann received the appointment in recognition of dictinguished ser vice to the city. BIBLE STUDENT CONFESSES TO BE THRILL BANDIT Philadelphia—William Lane, 25, with a bible in his back pocket, ad mitted 35 gasoline station rob beries in the past year. Lane com mitted the robberies mornings en route to his job with a mid-town business firm. •WINGS OVER JORDAN’ TO C ELEBRATE 2ND ANNIVERSARY Cleveland—“Wings Over Jor dan,” the popular radio program heard each Sunday morning over the Columbus Broadcasting system will celebrate its second anniver sary on the air with a special 45 minute program, beginning at 9:15 Eastern Standard Time, Sunday Jan. 7. Guest spakers will be Har old H. Burton Mayor of Cleveland and Judge Armond W. Scott, Washington. DC. Citizens Ponder Negroes Place In Social Security Only Four Appointed So Far, To Administrative Posts Washington, Jan. 4 (ANP)— Taking issue with some of the re cent appointees to the Federal Se curity Bureau on the Social Se curity set-up as far as Negroes are concerned, many citizens here this week asked the question: “Where does the Negro stand in Social Security?” One of the “debators” said: “So cial Security, when viewed from the whole program as arranged and designed for the United States is a wonderful thing, and must be considered in the light of how much good it will do the majority of the people.” On the other hand, he continued, considering it from the minority standpoint, the theory is good, IF it is actually put into effect ac cording to the regulations as laid down by the government. N. C. GOVERNOR HOEY REPRIEVES ONE, DOOMS TWO CONDEMNED TO DIE Raleigh, N. C. Jan. 4 (ANP)— Governor Clyde Hoey last Wed nesday granted a 30-day reprieve to Sheprose Holland, scheduled to die on Friday for the murder of his stepson. The Governor, how ever refused to halt the execution of two other condemned men—Na thaniel Bryant and William Young. They were put to death Friday. Bryant and Young were con victed of enterting the room of John Maultsby, stealing some money, and then killing Thomas Moore. Although the Governor made no official statement, he said: “the men deliberately broke into a filling station, got some money and when the boy woke up, they shot him.” Parole Commissioner Edwin Gill said the stay was granted Holland . to permit further investigation of his case. The new death date was set for Feb. 16th. CONGRESS ASKED TO HOLD UP DIES COMMITTEE FUNDS FOR FAILURE TO PROBE LYNCHING New York, Jan. 4—Because the House Committee investigating un American activities, under the chairmanship o f Representative Martin Dies, of Texas has been conducting hearings for “more than a year, but has willfully failed to investigate the Ku Klux Klan, the Black Legion, or the question of lynching and mob violence by or ganized groups,” the National As sociation for the Advancement of Colored People has asked Congress to consider this phase of the Com mittee’s laxity before determing whether to vote funds for its con tinuance for another year. 158 CONGRESSMEN BACK ANTI-LYNCHING BILL; NEGRO VOTE WILL BE FACTOR. WRITERS SAY New York, Jan. 4—With Con gressmen from seven states adding their names to the roster this week, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People an nounced today that a total of 158 members of the House have indi cated that they will be on the floor when the Gavagan-Fish federal Anti-lynching bill comes up for a vote January 8. The total to date including the names of Gavagan and Fish co sponsors of the bill, includes 84 Republicans, 73 democrats, and 1 member of the American Labor Party. The list of additional Con gressmen is as follows: DISEASE, INSANITY, SUICIDE MENACE CLEVELAND HUNGRY Cleveland, O. Jan. 4 (CNA)— Stark hunger, widespread disease, mental breakdowns and attempted suicide were reported haunting Cleveland’s Negro and white job less according to a study made public this week by the Cleveland Chapter of the American Asso- J ciation of Social Workers, assisted by twenty-nine other social agen cies. Covering 374 cases selected at random the survey, undertaken at the request of City Welfare Di rector Fred W. Ramsey, found that since November 5, when the city callously slashed 8,000 persons from the relief rolls and reduced 40,000 others to a starvation sub sistence, hundreds have gone with out food for days. Others were reported to have rooted out meals from garbage cans, and serious illnesses have increased. While the illnesses covered a wide field, it was found that pneu monia, influenia and pleurisy cases are most numerous, and that tuber cular, diabetic and heart conditions were aggravated seriously. The study revealed that among the 374 persons examined, ten had threatened suicide and sixteen have approached mental break i downs. UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION By Judge Lawrence Welch In the last article the term ac cident was explained and as set forth it mean an event which hap pened suddenly and violently. Likewise the term occupational di sease was explained. There are certain class of cases which from all the appearances are occupational diseases in nature but which the courts have held to be accidents within the meaning of the law if certain other condi tions are present. These cases are freezing cases, heat stroke or sun stroke cases and pneumonia cases. In 1931 a man was working on a county road fore an outstate county. Suddenly he was overcome by the heat and died that same day from a heat stroke. He was work ing a slight depression and there were obstacles such as piles of sand, bricks, etc., piled all around the place where he was working so that the breeze which was blow ing, was cut off from him. The Supreme Court, in holding that this was an accident within the meaning of the law, said, “Heat prostration may be a compensable accident under the workmen's compensation law, if the workman is subjected to a greater hazard from the heat than that to which the public generally in that locali ty is subject.” In 1936 a workman was em ployed by the state to shovel snow off of a highway and in doing so he froze one of his hands. His em ployer failed to provide a place for him to warm himself when he got cold and he was shoveling this snow on the top of the hill where the cold wind hit him. The court held, “that the employee’s exposure to cold was special, peculiar danger, greater than that of the general public in the same locality, so that freezing of his hand consti tuted an accident arising out of and in the course of his employ ment. Pneumonia cases may be consid- j ered compensable if an employee received an accident and by reason of lowered resistance from the ac cident he contracted pneumonia. COAST EDITOR PUTS GOV. OLSON ON SPOT WHEN K. WASHINGTON IGNORED Los Angeles, Jan. 4 (ANP)— While Kenny Washington was pre paring to go professional in a game at Gilmore field Sunday, labor unions, student organizations and public figures renewed their criti cism of the committee and the coaches responsible for barring the great All-American from the East West football game in San Fran cisco on New Year's Day. Forthright in his denunciation of the injustice was Lieut. Gover nor Ellis E. Patterson who as an “old football player” said in a ^ letter to the Sentinel, a local week ly, that failure to name Washing ton was “not the sentiment of the majority of people. Such prejudice is un-American. If we believe in Democracy there must be equal justice to all people irrespective of color or creed.” Less direct and a little evasive was Governor Culbert L. Olson who in response to an appeal for his aid by the Sentinel hedged by say ing through his son and secretary, Richard Olson, that he lacked all of the facts and that he had been advised that “Kenny Washington, probably would not have accepted” because of a desire to play colle giate baseball this spring. This statement by the governor is at odds with the fact that Washing ton declared openly before the in vitation was denied him that he would not play collegiate baseball. While the governor’s secretary did say that “the reaction of the governor, to the failure to appoint Kfcnny Washington as one to parti cipate in the East-West football game was that the outstanding football player on the Pacific Coast has been eliminated," he claimed that the fact that the two coaches, Babe Hollinberry and Percy Locey, reside out of the state prevented the governor from criticising the committee for its action. In concision the governor’s sec retary said he did not feel that he could “honestly question the mo tives of the committee, but in vites presentation of additional facts before passing judgment up on the committee’s action.” Far less doubtful that the com mittee making the selection de served criticism were thousands of fans and sports writers everywhere as well as the student council at UCLA the Maiitime Federation of the Pacific and various student or ganizations who branded the fail ure to name Washington as a dis grace and a travesty on fair play and good sportsmanship. 55 INVOLVED IN ALABAMA ILLICIT LIQUOR RING Anniston, Ala., Jan. 4 (ANP)—. Agents of the Federal Alcohol Tax Unit here, this week renewed their efforts to break up an illicit liquor ring involving 56 Negroes. Inves tigation of the alleged syndicate began in 1936, when a colored man was arrested with a carload of whiskey. His arrest ‘broke open’ the ring’s activities, involving both whites and Negroes and the fed eral investigation widened. Ten members of the reputed ring have been sentenced by Federal Judge T. A. Murphree. Fourteen new arrests were made over last weekend and operatives said they expected to have the remaining 31 suspects under arrest within a few days. --- VIRGINIA UNION PROFESSOR ADDRESS CIVIC GROUP IN MOTOR CITY Detroit, Jan. 4 (ANP)—Dr. Gor don B. Hancock, widely known lecturer and writer, and head of the department of economics and sociology at Richmond’s Virginia Union university, was the Emanci pation Day speaker here on Jan. 1. He appeared under auspices of the Detroit Civic Association and federated organizations. His sub ject: “The New Emancipation for the New Slavery.” FOUR NEGROES WIN IN DOWN BEAT’S BAND POLL Harry James Trumpet Winner, Says Satehmo, Nosed Out Far Greater Chicago, Jan. 4 (By Harold Jo vien for ANP)—Four internation ally known swing music stars were elected to positions on Down Beat magazine’s 1939 A11-American swing band this week. In the select list, chosen by nearly 14,000 musi cians, are Ella Fitzgerald, Fletcher Henderson, Coleman Hawkins, and Charlie Christian. Miss Fitzgerald, who is one of the world’s youngest band leaders, swept the girl vocalist competition and defeated Mildred Bailey, Billie Holiday, Bea Wain and a host of others. Henderson, arranger for Benny Goodman, had it easy win ning over Glen Miller, Duke El lington, Will Hudson and Larry Clinton. Duke garnered third place. But the sensational Hawkins and young Charlie Christian of Okla homa provided the biggest upsets of the contest. Down Beat readers, 95 per cent of them musicians, chose Hawkins as the greatest tenor sax player in the world to day. He is a St. Joseph, Mo., boy who worker with Mamie Smith and Fletcher Henderson before go ing to Europe five weeks ago to work solo. He arrived back in the States last Agust and organized a small jam combination, and still is in New York, recording for Vic tor and playing ballrooms and night spots. Christian, a guitarist, was un known six months ago. Then John Hammond discovered him and plac ed him with the Goodman band and sextet. Now Charlie rates as the greatest exponent of the swing guitar. He defeated such greats as Carmen Mastren, Freddy Green, Allan Reuss, Django Reinhardt, and A1 Avola. SOUTHERNER STABBED TO DEATH IN QUARREL WITH WOMAN Columbia, S. C. Jan. 4 (ANP)— Henry Rabb, 24-year-old laborer, was fatally stabbed last Wednes day afternoon in front of his home during an altercation with a wom an and police named Mary Holliday also 24, as his assailant. Rabb was stabbed in the heart and was rushed to Columbia hospi tal, but pronounced dead on ar rival. It was not immediately learn ed whether his alleged assailant had been apprehended, but the testimony of witnesses agreed that the woman had been slapped by Rabb prior to the stabbing. Acting Coroner Knox said police had re covered the knife used in the slay ing several hours later under a matress in the woman’s home. LOAN SHARKS EXACT BLOOD MONEY TRIBUTE New York, Jan. 4-—The manner in which illegal money lenders prey on as many as a fourth of the families in states which lack ade quate protective legislation, is re vealed in a pamphlet “Loan Sharks and Their Victims,” published to day by the Public Affairs Com mittee, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York City. The pamphlet is written by Wil liam Trufant Foster, director of the Poliak Foundation for Econo mic Research. FARLEY TO SPEAK AT TUSKEGEE Tuskegee, Jan. 4 (ANP)—Dr. F. D. Patterson, president of Tuske gee institute, announced last week of formal notice from the United States Post Office department in Washington that April 7, will be the official date for the first day’s issue of the Booker T. Washington Commemorative stamp and that the Tuskegee institute post office will be the official office for the first day’s sale. The stamps will go on sale in all other post offices on April 8. Randolph, Webster Condemn Discrim ination COOPERATE IN TAKING CEN SUS. PRESIDENT OF BUSINESS LEAGUE ADVISES NEGRO TRADESMEN Memphis, Tenn. Jan. 4—The vit al importance, socially and econo mically, of obtaining a new and up to-date measurement of the ex tent and importance of the distri bution industries was emphasized in an appeal issued this week by Dr. J. E. Walker, President of the National Negro Business League and of the Universal Life Insur ance Company. Dr. Walker called upon all Negro wholesalers, re tailers, and other service groups to cooperate with the Business Census beginning January 2. — HARLEM LEADERS ASSAIL ‘GONE WITH THE WIND’ New York, Jan. 4 (CNA)—Har lem leaders this week joined in condemning the Hollywood produc tion “Gone With the Wind” as a subtle attempt to revive the ter ror campaigns of the Ku Klux Klan and to fan the flames of racial hatred as a screen for the growing drive of reactionary forces to shove America into the European war and to throttle de mocracy at home. James H. Hubert, head of the New York Urban League charact erized the film as “a distortion of the truth. It justifies the acts of the Southern Confederacy and makes heroes out of rebels who are still fighting to win the war." “The South," he continued, “has been re-winning the war all along through subtle anti-Negro propa ganda which is noto being brought out more openly. It has done this so effectively that in States like Connecticut and others, the Negro is treated just as bad as in the South.” JANITOR CONFESS TO "GANGSTER” MURDER OVER NEGRO GIRL New York, Jan. 4 (ANP)— Bloodstains noticed on a suspects clothing by an alert detectice while questioning him, led to the solving this week of a murder which police had termed a "gangster” slaying. Major Greenfield, 34 year old a partment house superintendent, I made a full confession to police af ter being confronted with evidence found near his basement apart ment. The slain man was Vincent Can gro, white, 45, ex-convict and policy runner whose record dated back to 1917. Greenfield told police that he killed the ex-con after they quarrelled over a colored girl who was in his apartment. LA GUARDIA ANNOUNCES ELEVATION OF MAGISTRATE PAIGE AT OMEGA CONCLAVE TO JUSTICE First Negro to Sit in Special Ses sions Court; Salary Upped Eunice Carter Already Prosecutor New York, Jan. 4 (ANP)—Myles A. Paige, New York’s first Negro magistrate, has been elevated to the court of special sessions ef fective Jan. 1 and is the first mem ber of his race to sit in any part of special sessions in this city. Announcement of the appoint ment was made by Mayor La Guar dia during an address of welcome Wednesday at the Harlem YMGA where the Omega Psi Phi frater nity is holding its 28th annual conclave attended by 150 delegates from 37 states. Condemnation of discrimination barring any persons of civil and political rights because of their race or color wks expressed by the 1939 convention of the American Federation of Labor at Cincinnati, Ohio. The subject of racial discrimin ation was brought to the attention of the convention in a resolution introduced by Delegates A. Philip Randolph and Milton P. Webster of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. The resolution said: “The Negro people are the victims of varied forms of dis crimination which result in limiting their rights in the purchase and use of Property. “Race discrimination serves to deny their rights to certain types of employment, thereby creating the unfair and un-American prac tice known as ‘white man’s jobs’ regardless of merit and ability, which makes for the economic Im poverishment of the Negro people. SOCIAL SECURITY BOARD PAMPHLET EXPLAINS INSURANCE BENEFITS » - Chicago, Jan. 4 (ANP)— The yieisi^svc-jr’ty Vxk&rd. Ut'.rf ise'ied a t pamphlet, ^'Monthly Benefits fee- | gin in 1940,” explaining payments to be made to wage earners reach ing the age of 65 and to certain surviving members of familes of workers who die after Dec. 31, 1939. H. L. McCarthy, regional director of the social security board for the State of Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, announced that copies of the new pamphlet may be obtained free at any of the board offices. > SIX MEN HURT AS I. C. TRAIN DERAILS IN LOUISIANA Shreveport, La. Jan. 4 (ANP)— Six colored men, not immediately identified, were slightly injured last Thursday when six coaches of an Illinois Central passenger train were derailed at Bedcaw station, six miles east of Shreveport. Offi cials said the coaches tore up the track for 1000 feet but did not overturn. SCHOOL BOARD DISMISSES PRINCIPAL AFTER ARREST Chattanooga, Tenn., Jan. 4 (AN ] P)—John P. Greer, principal of the Park City school, last week was dismissed from his position by action of the school board, upheld by city commissioners, because of conviction on a charge of public drunkeness. — ST. LOUIS YOUTH ADMITS 4 HOLDUPS, 3 OF SAME FIRM St. Louis, Jan. 4 (ANP)—A youth who identified himself as Theodore Washington, 19 years old admitted to police after his arrest last Wednesday that he has staged four holdups, netting him a total of $108 in cash. Police said their attention was attracted to the youth when they observed him spending money free ly in the colored district. Arrested for questioning, he was booked as suspected of armed robbery after his victims had identified him. Officers said Washington’s hold ups included three of the same firm. Last March, they said, he held up Herman Schaefer, liquor store proprietor, and took $19. A month later he returned and took $38 from Schaefer; then on Dec. 11 he held up Schaefer’s wife at their new Jefferson avenue store, took $30. Last Tuesday night, according to police, Washington held up Wal ter Street, clerk in a drug store and took $21.