The Omaha guide. (Omaha, Neb.) 1927-19??, January 27, 1940, CITY EDITION, Image 1
CITY EDITION ' I |j 1g|||C^ Have You Read Price Five Cents j;| V^j ^ JP Pf^ * DOING the Stroll” /JUSTICE/EQUA iEWTO THtllNE^ LARGEST ACCREDITED NEGRO NEWSPAPER WEST OF CHICAGO AND NORTH OF KANSAS CITY -——----_--■— -■ —~ - --. ■ - -... -- . .„■; Entered u Second Cta» Matter at Poet Office, Omaha. Nrtr.. under Act of March 8, 1874 OlTiaha, Nebraska, SatUrdaV, JailUarV 27, 1940 Vol. 12„ NUHlber 45 Busmeee Phone WE. 1517 ’ 1 " 1 " 1 LYNCH BILL TO SENATE FEBRUARY 6 White House Conf. Asks Equality for All Children Unemployed Singer Thrills Audience BOUND OVER Charged with stealing eight tons of coal valued at $77 from the Un ion Pacific railroad, John Henry Lewis, 2525 Patrick avenue, and Nelson Littlejohn, 2121 Clark street Tuesday were bound over by Muni cipal Judge Perry Wheeler to dis trict court. Bond was set at one thousand dollars. S. C. JUDGE LASHES KLAN IN CHARGE TO GRAND JURY Greenville, S. C., Jan. (ANP) —* In a stern charge to the Greenville county grand jury Monday, at the opening of the first general sess ions court term of the year, Circuit Judge J. Strom Thurmond strongly condemned the activities of South Carolina KuKluxKlansmen. Many local colored residents con sider the Judge’s statement as a di rect step at Greenville Kluxers, since it is here that the Klan has played havoc in recent months in several Negro districts, without in terference by the constituted auth orities. Addressing the grand jurors, Judge Thurmond called attention to the statutes that make it a felony to intimidate any person while masked, then said: “Gentlemen, that statute means just what it says, when an individ ual goes out masked, takes a man from his home and theratens or as saults him, he violates the law of this statute. I am not in sympathy with any such doings—In my judge ment it is the most abominable type of lawlessness—Anyone convicted need expect no mercy at my hands.” FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PROBES ACTIVITIES OF SOUTH CAROLINA KLAN Greenville, S. C., Jan. (ANP) — The Federal government took of ficial notice of the South Carolina KuKluxKlan last Thursday when officials began an inquiry into last Fall’s night riding raids and other activities of the hooded mob. It was learned that among the documents taken recently from Fred V. Johnson, Klail leader, are a number of .records which report edly indicate that one of the chief objects of the Klan is to act as a spy service in the mills and indus trial plants of the state. The Southern Vigilant Intellig ence association, an espionage ser vice available in the south to indus trial plants is believed to be Klan fostered and sponsored. Such spy ing is in violation of the Wagner labor bill. Fred Johnson, chief of staff, Ku Klux Klan, a Realm of South Car olina, is being called by the colored folk here, “In again, out again, in again Johnson.” Arrested, among his effects were a number of color ed weeklies, which he was allowed to keep. Johnson was bailed out but one of his bondsmen withdrew, and again Johnson slept in jail un til a second bondsman arranged for his release. His other business undoubtedly is suffering in nearby Greenville. In addition to his Klan activities, Johnson conducts Johnson Agenc ies and Commercial Service Bur eau. He is district agent of a life insurance association, handles real estate, general insurance and rent als, and also conducts employment, collection and advertising services, STORY IN WHITE DAILY BRINGS LADY FORTUNE TO UNEMPLOYED SINGER Sings for Supper in P. R. R. Station Wins Offers and Contract By Arnold C. DeMille NEW YORK, (C) “New York is the City of Opportunity,” Parker Watkins, tenor extraordinary of Atlanta, Ga., was told over and ov er. But it took him fifteen years to find out for himself. For it was just fifteen years ago Parker Watkins, now thirty-five, came to New York full of ambition and boiling over with enthusiasm. He had a rich, powerful tenor voice that thrilled everybody who heard him, the ability to deliver, the per sonality to attract and later learn ed the art to hold. But somehow he coVild never find the magic that spells SUCCESS. It was the skill of Ted Poston, A merica’s number one Negro news paperman and writer for one of N. Y. dailies and the power (magic is the word) of the white press that brought it to him. Watkins had been successful in securing some of the best teacher’s in the musical field- Sigmund Jaffa, Edgar Scofield, Eugent Davigneau, and Mme. Gerster-Gardini, former wife of Fritz Reiner. He was also successful in obtaining jobs with well established musical organiza tions such as the Psci and Aeolian Opera Companies; was soloist with the Hall Johnson’s Choir and the St. James Presbyterian Church in Harlem, and when his luck was at low ebb, with the WPA. Music pi’o ect. His luck was at its lowest ebb the afternoon the phenomenon be gan to take shape. It was the night before Christmas eve. The WPA. eighteen month ruling had deprived him of his jobs months a go, and he was broke and low in spirit. He, for no reason at all, idl ed into the main lobby of the Pen nsylvania Station. It was filled with organ music of Banks Kenn edy, RKO organist. watKins went over ana stooa closely by. Mr. Kennedy watched him from the side, and after awhile asked jokingly: “Why don’t you step up and sing a number?” Watkins was surprised, but ask ed, “How do you know I can sing?” “I know you can,” replied Mr Kennedy. Watkins stepped up, and Mr. Kennedy got his surprise. For the powerful tenor voice drowned out the notes of the giant organ and stopped the rushing travelers in their tracks. They put down their bags and missed trains to listen to the masterful voice. That was the beginning. The next evening Mr. Kennedy asked him to sing again. He did. He sang a half hour and gave his lis teners folk songs, spirituals and operatic arias in five languages. Before the half hour was up his au dience had grown from just a hand ful to almost a thousand. In the middle of the unrehearsed program he raised his hands, said, “If there’re any impresarios or mu sical agents here, I’d like to make a ; plea for employment. I’ve been at ] leisure since the WPA eighteen month ruling went into effect.” Just then someone took a hat and I passed it around. Fifteen dollars | was collected. | Every evening after Parker Wat Negro Leaders Active WASHINGTON, Jan. (ANP) — Discussing the dire situation which confronts minority groups in the U. S. members of the “White House Conference on Children in a Dem ocracy” placed the burden for bet tering these conditions squarely up on several existing national and state agencies labor and social or ganizations, which have refused to grant the full rights of American citizens to the children of citizens comprising minority groups. Poll taxes, failure to include dom estic and agricultural workers un der the social security benefits, la bor discriminations and other rac ial discriminations all are included as integral parts in the further de pression of minority group child ren according to the report heard by the body in session here Thurs day through Saturday. Called by Frances Perkins, sec retary of labor, at the direction of the president, the conference brot to Washington some of the coun try’s foremost experts and persons interested in the welfare of the na tion’s children. Delegates included many prom inent Negroes from all sections of the country, who were in attend ance at each of the conferences and tok part in the group discussions held Thursday. Friday the delegates were guests of Mrs. Roosevelt at a reception at the White House, following which they heard reports of the organiz ation and an address by President Roosevelt. kins went back and sang from six to six-thirty to a steady growing audience. He was heard by great artists, agents, producers and just people. Marjery Feilding, produc er, sent him to the Cotton Club with a note introducing him as the “Colored Caruso”. Josef G. Gei ger, dramatic director, who claims he remembers Watkins as the fel low he heard last summer singing in the back yards of West Seventy second Street, sent him to RKO Pictures and the National Broad casting Company. Watkins got all sorts of promises from people with big names. But they were just promises. Saturday, January toh, Ted Posten heard him. Monday noon his story appeared on the front page of the New York Post. Two hours lat«r agents, directors, producers and radio stations were calling the Penn Station. At five o-clock he was singing over WINS. Six o’ clock Penn was packed. Tuesday morning all of the big dailies followed up the story. Re porters and photographers were on the hunt for Parker Watkins. Big time managers were looking for him, including Marion Anderson’s manager who had his picture taken with Watkins and contracts and bids were pouring in from every where. The “concert” came to a close on Wednesday, January 10th, and the Pennsylvania Station was packed and jamedm with reporters, photo graphers, lensmen, opera stars, ducers, conductors and spectators. And after fifteen years, Parker Watkins, with the aid of a colored ace reporter, found out that Amer ica isn’t so bad after all. Parker Watkins was heard last , Tuesday on radio program “The f Voice of the People” over which he related the facts of the story. CONN ALL Y DEMANDS hEARING CATHOLIC INTfeRRACIAL COUNCIL CELEBRATES FIFTH ANNIVERSARY White Priest Flays ‘Un-Catholic’ Attitude Towards Negroes by Arnold C. DeMille -|— New York, (C) “The Church’s Apostolate to the American Negro is being hindered by the un-Catholic attitude of many white Catholics towards Negroes,” declared the Rev. William J. Walsh, pastor of St. Ignatius Church of Philadelphia Pa., in an address to several hun dred priests and laymen attending the fifth anniversary celebration of the Catholic Interracial Council held here last week. Father Walsh pointed out that the educated Catholic must first of all face the interracial problems ex isting in the Catholic church and recognise them in a statesmanlike and Catholic manner. They must j change their own attitude towards the Negro, and then help to change that of other Catholics. “Until Catholic as a whole change their attitude towards the Negro,” the priest continued, “until they see the Negro not as a Parish, but the flesh of their flesh and the bone of their bone, the Negro Apostolate shall continue along in a half-heart ed manner, with little augumenta tion of Negroes within the fold of Christ.” The indifference and at times ev en intolerance of so many white Catholics, Father Walsh explained, have caused the Negroes to suffer many disabilities and handicaps in the practice of their religious life in the church. Although there are about 7,000 000 American Negroes with little or no religious faith,” he said, this fer tile missionary field has not been developed more rapidly by the Ca tholic Church partly because of the failure of the Catholic educators to permit the training of Negro Ca tholic leaders in their schools and colleges. The church teaches that Catholic education is open to all Catholics, regardless of race or creed. The Interracial Council was founded in 1935 by a group of white and colored Catholic for the purpose of prow/ting spiritual and material w*Jf'nni of the American Negro. Among the speakers at the cele bration was the well known Negro Priest, the Rev. Gladstone O. Wil son, vice-Chancellor of the Diocese of Kingston, Jamaica. He spoke on the “Liturgy and the Interracial Movement,” and said that where Catholics adequately appreciate the Mass is where discrimination does not exist. EMINENT HAITIAN SCHOLAR TO BE GUEST PROFESSOR AT ATLANTA UNIVERSITY FOR SECOND SEMESTER Atlanta, Georgia, January Spec ial—According to an announcement from the office of President Rufus E. Clement of Atlanta University, M. Dantes Bollegarde, former Hai tian Minister to France and one time Minister to the United States, will join the faculty of the Univer sity system as guest professor of French for the second semester of the present academic year. M. Bollegarde is no stranger to Atlanta University. He made a special trip from Haiti to Atlanta in May, 1937, to give a series of lectures at this institution. In addition to representing Haiti in France and in the United States, he was his nation’s special envoy to the League of Nations. It was his brilliant speech before the As sembly of the League that brought to the attention of the world the brutal treatment of South African natives by the government of the Union of South Africa. Difficulties In Fire Dept. An “airing” on February 9 of internal conditions in the Colored fire company housed on sixteenth street near Nicholas was decided upon today by the city council. Fire Commissioner Korisko ask ed the hearing after the council heard affidavits of two non-firemen One said in June, 1938, he lost $80 while asleep at the station. The other said that on August 23, 1936 a fireman knocked out two teeth. Fire Chief Olsen said he was a ware there had been some “minor difficulties” at the station but that so far as he knew both the employ es named were good firemen. SURVEY OF RECENT MORE HOUSE GRADUATES FINDS ONLY ONE UNEMPLOYED Atlanta, Georgia, January 20 — Special—What happens to More house students after graduation ? A very fitting answer to this ques tion may be found in the interest ing survey of the 67 students of Morehouse who were graduated in the Class of ’89. The survey ap pears in the January, 1940 issue of the Morehouse Alumnus, and was made in the office of Dean B. R. i Brazeal. Out of one of the largest classes to finish in recent years, only one member is reported as unemploy ed. Six members of the cTass fail ed to respond to the questionnaire. Twenty-six members of the class reported that they were working for advanced degrees in graduate and professional schools and six- j teen in this group have matriculat ed at Atlanta University. One graduate is at the Atlanta Univers ity School of Social Work, one is at the Atlanta School of Embalming, and four are working toward the M. D. degree at Meharry Medical College. Those doing advanced work in northern universities are at the Columbia University Library School, Union Theological Semin ary, and Andover-Newton Theolo gical Seminary. Of the thirty-five graduates who are gainfully employed, eighteen have chosen the teaching field. Three of this number are teaching principals, and two teacher-coach es. Seven have gone into the insur ance business and three are work ing on newspapers and in the real estate business. Of the remainder three are in governmnt service, one is with a local NAACP. unit, and three are railroad, hotel and restau rant employees. NEGRO PHYSICIAN’S IN FDR’s NEW HOSPITAL PLAN CHICAGO, Jan. (ANP)— In an open letter to President Roosevelt last week, Carl G. Roberts, chair man of the commission on legisla tion of the National Medical assoc iation, deplored the fact that the association was ignored in the con ference held subsequent to the President’s proposal for the estab lishment of hospitals in needed a reas throughout the country. The American hospital association, the Catholic Hospital association and the American Medical association were represented. Dr. Roberts’ letter reads in part: “While it is true that the American Medical association includes in its ranks the majority of physicians throughout the country, may we re spectfully call to your attention that there are many Negro physic ians who, through no fault of their own, are not eligible to membership Sharecroppers Visit Capitol SHARECROPPERS TELL PLIGHT AT D. C. CONFER ENCE. Both Races Tell Federal Official of Boss Cruelty and Terrorism — Washington, Jan. (ANP) Stories of unbelievable cruelty, unjust treatment, hardships usually asso ciated with pioneers in a barren land, were the stories told Tuesday night when some 25 sharecroppers, here for a two day conference with government officials, met at Pierce hall so they could further plan for the betterment of their fellows in the benighted and Klux-ridden Southland. White and black, they stood to gether and sang the songs which they have transcribed into labor songs, the old Negro shouts and hymns which now exhort workers to organize and unionize against a common enemy, the farmer-land lord. Confronted with these hardy un fortunates, their stories rang true as one after another, they recount ed highlights of their miserable ex istence for the benefit of those who had never seen a sharecropper. And until you see a sharecropper and hear his humorous pathetic story, no amount of reading can adequate ly express the plight of these folk. Don Henderson, International President of the UCAPAWA said: “People have to learn to lead themselves in the South," he said. “This is the first time in the history of the country any delegation of this kind and size has been to Washington. And it is not an ef fort to put the government on the spot. Government officials as a whole have been fine with one ex ception. in the association and, therefore, have no direct representation thru its chosen delegates. “There is no group to whom the needs of such a timely program as the one you have proposed, is more vital or urgent than the underpriv ileged twelve million Negroes whose health needs are the major concern of the physicians of their own race. These physicians are qualified, ethical practitioners who because of the circumstances in many states which bar them from membership in the American Medi cal association, have organized the National Medical association, a na tional recognized organization with an honorable record of over 40 years standing.” Dr. Roberts, a well known Chic ago physician, said that he hoped his communication to the President would result in an equitable repre sentation for Negroes in the nation al health program. GARNER FAVORS ANTI LYNCHING BILL BECAUSE NEGROES WANT IT’ WASHINGTON, Jan. (ANP) — Information is seeping through cir cles close to Vice-President John Nance Garner that the Texan, who is a candidate for the democratic presidential nomination, is in favor of letting the anti-lynch bill come to a vote in the senate. This is said to be true even though Garner has fought the bill viciously in for mer years and though it is certain , the measure will be passed if it comes to a vote in the upper cham ber. It already has passed the house. Drew Pearson of the “Merry -Go Round”, widely read column, spill ed this information during a visit to Chicago last week. It is not Tom Connally of Texas Hopes To Block Bill in Hearings By Bringing Witnesses from the South WASHINGTON, D. C., Jan. Hearings on the federal anti-lynch ing bill which passed the House on January 10, will begin before a Sen ate sub-committee of the judiciary on February 6, it was announced here today. The following sena tors will make up the sub-commit tee of the Senate judiciary commit tee: Frederick Van Nuys, Indiana, chairman: Matthew M. Neeley, West Virginia, Alexander Wiley, Wisconsin, Tom Connally, Texas, and Warren Austin, Vermont. Connally Demands Hearing Although the facts about lynch ing are well known and sponsors of the bill felt it would be a waste of time to hold hearings, Senator Con nolly of Texas demanded hearings on the bill. Connally says he is go ing to ask for an appropriation from the Senate to bring witnesses to testify against the bill. The Texas senator, who led the 7 week filibuster against the bill two years ago hopes to be able to block it in hearings. Predictions are made that he will bring up “stooges,” in cluding some “Uncle Tom’” Negro es from Texas, who will declare the anti-lynching bill is not needed in the South. r riends ot the bill will try to have some of the Senate appropria tion for witnesses applied to their witnesses also, but it was pointed out by Walter White, NAACP. sec retary here this week that colored people must raise their own money to pay expenses of witnesses for their side, “We know Senator Connolly is not demanding a hearing to help the bill,” said White. “He hopes to kill it in committee. We have got to raise money to bring our own witnesses to Washington to see that his scheme is blocked.” news to colored readers, however, because this paper carried an “off the record” interview with Garner several weeks ago; in which he told an ANP reporter his attitude to ward the anti-lynching bill. Garner’s views at that time was that he was willing to let the meas ure be put upon the statute books because, as he said, “the colored people want it." He insisted that he did not believe in the bill as it is drawn nor in its efficiency. Gar ner declared he felt the NAACP. was pushing the bill because it gave that organization a chance to continue before its membership and the public in the role of “saviour of the race.” He said the leadership were sincere that it would develope a bill which southern leaders could | support but that the NAACP. had become so controversial in the minds of the South that anything it advocatecl met opposition. Gar ner insisted that a southern senate could be found who would introduce such a measure though he did not explain why he had never done so. LANE TRIUMPHS OVER MORE HOUSE, 30 to 26 Atlanta, Georgia, January 20 — Special—An inexperienced Lane College quintet sparked brilliance intermittently throughout forty minutes of dribble and pass basxet ball on Friday night (January 19) in the Morehouse gymnasium to de feat the Maroon Tigers by a 30 to 26 score. Despite the accurate shooting a , bility which was exhibited in this contest, the game lagged. Each ! squad sacrificed team work for in dividual play. The players were spending a good part of the time dribbling from one end of the floor to the other only to have the ball knocked out of bounds.