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About The Omaha guide. (Omaha, Neb.) 1927-19?? | View Entire Issue (Feb. 24, 1940)
• v ^ % , ^ ^ H&jl « (ITY EDITION I 1q|J^ Have You Read— Price Five Cents M ■ .If “DOING the Stroll” dHftl ¥®Sb» r *"r- :t«Hr 1 /JUSTICE/EQUALITY JEW TO THtTlNE^ LARGEST ACCREDITED NEGRO NEWSPAPER WEST OF CHICAGO AND NORTH OF KANSAS CITY B?»*nttaphSonceonwil*”i“ltt*r “ Po,t OHice' °maha' Nebr"undCT Act of "arch 1874' Omaha, Nebraska, Saturday, February 24, 1940 Volume Twelve, Number 49— Texans Start Movement For Negro Air - Derby PIERCE REVEALS MORE DISCRIMINATION AGAINST COLORED SOLDIERS Chicago, Feb. 21 (ANP) Negro noncommiss ioned officers are detailed as military police but may arrest only Negro soldiers while white privates are namd militar police and can arrest colored noncomm sissioned officers or any other Negro, according to Levi Pierce, former university student and member of the 9th and 10th cavalry whose recent expose of discrimination against Negro soldiers in the regular army has rankled the war department in Washington. Mr. Pierce, who recently purch- ’ ased his discharged after 10 years of service, also said that despite federal statutes prohibiting the government from maintaining sol diers and detailing them as house orderlies and servants, those who rebel are courtmartialed. Since there are no Negro officers to plead such cases before the all white courtmartial, justice is seld om meted out to the colored sold ier. Each army post, said the former cavalryman, has from 40 men up detailed for police protection with two of these Negroes where color ed soldiers are stationed. These posts include Fort Riley and Fort Leavenworth, Kan., Fort Sill, Okla. Fort Benning, Ga., West Point and others. How black soldiers are victimiz ed was illustrated at Leavenworth in summer, 1931, shortly after Pierce was transferred there. Soon after his arrival the entire detach ment was ordered to line up in front of the barracks for a check by military police (known as MP.) to find if one had poisoned a colon el’s dog. Although there was only a suspicion that a Negro soldier might be guilty, the group was sub jected to exhaustive questioning without defense. When no culprit was discovered, the group was dis missed. No apology was ever made because, says Pierce, white officers always sustain white MP.s in their acts. Before Gen. Guy V. Henry was retired from service, there was a burglary in his home at Fort Riley Many 9th cavalrymen were lined up for identification although no white soldier was embarrassed in this fashion. Again no suspect could be found, but no apology was made. Presence of colored offic ers would remedy this, Mr. Pierce feels. “Supervision of military police units is solely by whites," he ex plained. “The provost marshall and his assistants being commiss ioned officers are of course white such as are all subordinate enlisted members. But the provost marsh all has no jurisdiction over colored M. P.’s who are responsible to the commanding officer of each resp ective unit. This entire setup is lopsided. It w’ould be just as easy for each unit or regiment to furn ish so many private soldiers and noncommissioned officers who would be given certain orders and by all means the right to quell any disturbance regardless of the color of the participants. Generally col ored noncommissioned officers se lected as M. P.’s are good stoolpig eons or men of limited intelligence and education.’’ HOLD SUSPECT IN CASE THAT COST LIFE OF PATROLMAN HOLT, FORMER RENS STAR NEW YORK, Feb. 21, (ANP)— Rudolph Commac, 31, a West In dian, was arrested Wednesday at his home as the burglar involved in the case in which Patrolman John : A. Holt, until recently a star with ' the famous world champion Ren naisance basketball team, was shot and killed by two fellow policemen. Holt, in civilian clothes, was at tempting Monday to arrest Com-1 mac in an apartment building. Two white officers, attracted by the commotion, joined in the chase. DK. CARVER GIVES $33,000 TO TUSKEGEE FOUNDATION Tuskegee Institute, Feb. 21 (A NP)—Dr. George W. Carver, ag ed scientist of Tuskegee Institute, made available Tuesday to a foun dation established in his name, $33,000 in cash and government bonds. The purpose of the foun dation is to perpetuate research in creative chemistry, to which Dr. Carver has developed a lifetime. Dr. Carver has been willing to give his whole life’s savings to the perpetuating of this work because he believes that experimentation a long the line of soil building and the utilization of waste as well as the finding of new uses for native products represent an important approach to the solution of the ec onomic ills of the South and the nation. It will be the foundation’s responsibility also to preserve the Carver museum. This museum constitutes an extensive expedition of the uses of native materials in the construction of useful articles. Infinitive in variety, this museum will .also house about 100 paintings representing Dr. Carver’s handi work. Coming upon Holt ascending steps with gun drawn, they mistook him for the suspect, shooting and kill ing him. When arrested, Commac was suf fering from three bullet wounds in his leg and was taken to Harlem hospital. He admitted Holt woun ded him. Commac’s wife, Isabella 29, was also jailed on charges of receiving stolen goods. Loot from other burglaries, valued at from $500 to $1,000 was found in the a partment. Holt, 31, starred with the Rens for seven years. Fourteen months ago he gave up professional bas ketball for the “security” of a steady job with the police depart ment. Since then he played with the department team. PHILADELPHIA REPUBLICANS CELEBRATE LINCOLN’S BIRTHDAY Philadelphia, Feb. 21, (ANP) — Citing “Gone with the Wind” as a propanganda movie designed “to tear down all the principles for which Abraham Lincoln sacrificed his precious life,” and resolving to counter-attack such vehicles of hate, colored citizens of Philadel phia met last Monday in Catto au ditorium to celebrate the annivers ary of Lincoln’s birth and to renew allegiance to principles by which he lived. The celebration, sponsored by the Young Republican clubs of this city had Emmett J. Scott as principal speaker. Dr. Scott, directing his talk to youthful members of the audience, lauded the heritage left by Lincoln to the youth oif Amer ica. He stressed Lincoln’s life proof that “it is only by hard work rigid self discipline, untiring ener gy and ambition to rise in the world that success may be achieved.” Returning to such topics as the “Gone with the Wind” episode, the spea*ker said: “Now, as ever, we are called upon to fight for our place in the sun of untrammeled individual freedom, privilege and security.” > - Galveston, Feb. 21 (by H. B. Brady for ANP) —B. J. Strode, Texas’ only Negro air pilot, local business man and owner of the Strode Funeral home and Gold Bond Burial association, together with H. B. Brady, local newspaper correspondent and chairman of the citizen’s Aircraft Advisory comm ittee, have been studying the meth ods of a Texas to New York Air Derby, a prize contest flight term inating at the New York World’s Fair grounds and declared this week the derby has met the app roval of the air-commerce author ities and has received wide spread and favorable comment. He said Texas and national pub licity had already begun and he ex pected to receive applications from Negro air pilots from all over the country within a few weeks. He stated only licensed and qualified pilots with merit certificates grant ed by the United States Depart ment Bureau of Air Commerce would be considered as entrants. I GRAND ENTERTAINMENT PLANNED FOR CENTRAL STATES GOLFERS KANSAS CITY, MO., Feb. 23 Time marches on, and one peek at the old calendar is proof enough that in a few days the snow cover ed fairways will again become bat tlefields of golfing wars through out the entire country. The “Heart of America” Golf club of Kansas City, which is host to the Central States tournament for this year is going forward with rapid strides to make 1940 a banner year for that annual engagement. A new staff of officers have been carefully selected to assure the member clubs of the Central States I Association an unusual program j and a grand entertainment, j Douglas L. Doty, Director of | Publicity. MARYLAND GOVERNOR SAYS , STATE WILL GIVE EVERY | PROTECTION TO MOTHER, | DAUGHTER MOB VICTIMS Annapolis, Md.,—“You may be sure that in conjunction with law enforcing officials, I am determin ed to see that the law is respected i and the orderly processes are fol | lowed.” This was the statement made by Maryland’s Governor Herbert R. O’Conor in a letter to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People yesterday and made public by the Assocaition to day, in reply to a telegram urging that he use every precaution in pro tecting 31 year old Mrs. Martha Blake Collick and her fourteen year old daughter, Lillian, from a Stock ton, Md., lynch mob. Mrs. Collick, her daughter, her husband, Dave Collick, and George Selby, are all held in the death of Harvey Pilchard, white well to do farmer, on Sunday, February 13, Pilchard’s wife is said to have i dentified Collick as one of two Ne gro men who entered her home Sunday night, shot and killed her husband and then shot her. Unable to find Collick, who was said to be hiding in a swamp, a mob of 1,000 whites converged on Snow Hill, Maryland, and dragged Mrs. Blake and her daughter from the jail, wheie they had been held. The mob placed the mother and child in an automobile and took them out of town. Followed closely by state troopers sent out by Governor O’ Conor, the mob was forced to give up their prisoners, who were unin jured, after a pitched battle with the troops. The mother and dau ghter screamed repeatedly through out their ordeal with the mob, wit nesses to the kidnapping said. SMASHING BURGLARS A small quantity of merchandise was taken Sunday night by window smashing burglars who broke into Mrs- Roosevelt favors Anti Lynch Law WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 (ANP) Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt, con fronted with the direct question for her views on anti-lynch legis lation during the recent American Youth congress, told that body, “I have always wanted it to pass, but I would like to have it apply to the whole of the United States. I do not like to see one section singled out. the Variety shop 2208V4 North twenty-fourth street, and the Ne braska Produce company, 2208 N. twenty-fourth street. GENEROI8ITY OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS’ WIDOW REVEAL ED AT MEMORIAL EXERCISES Washington, D. C., Feb. 21 (AN P)—At last week’s memorial pro gram held in honor of Frederick Douglass, famed orator and abol itionist, Mrs. Sllie W. Stewart, present of the Frederick Douglass Memorial and Historical associat ion detailed the history of the as sociation and pleaded that Negro es take a renewed interest in the shrine here at Cedar Hill in the Na tion’s capital. Highlights of this year’s prog ram was the recounting of the per sistent effort of Mr. Douglass’ wi dow, Mrs. Helen Pitts Douglass, to have the home at Cedar Hill, made into a national shrine. Mrs. Douglass desired to make Cedar Hill for the colored people what Mount Vernon is to the whit es; to gather into it all the memen toes connected with Mr. Douglass’ life and all matters pertaining to the history of the Negro race in America; and to exhibit within the home the pictures or busts of the Nation’s Negro men and women leaders. Rev. Francis J. Grimke, a mem ber of Douglass’ association’s first boai’d of trustees, in a statement which showed what obstacles Mrs. Douglass had to overcome, said: “Mr. Douglass left in his will, Cedar Hill, to Mrs. Douglass, but neglected to have this will witness ed by three witnesses, which is nec essary under the District Code to pass real estate. After his death, Mrs. Douglass tried to get the heirs to agree with her to relinquish all their rights to Cedar Hill in oi'der to make it a National Monument and Memorial to the memory of Mr. Douglass. The heirs refused to do so. In consequence, Mrs. Douglass was obliged to buy the in terest of the heirs for $10,000 in cash, which she paid. This, there fore, placed Cedar Hill entirely in her hands to dispose of as she de sired. “In the same will Mr. Douglass also devised to Mrs. Douglass a U nited States bond of $10,000, but after his death it appeared that he had sold the bond and, therefore, was no bond to devise under the will. The courts decided that a devise of $10,000 bond was not a devise of $10,000, but that it was a specific devise of this bond and when no bond was found among his effects the legacy, therefore, laps ed. Mrs. Douglass, it will be seen, now had, under Mr. Douglass’ will, lost at least $25,000, which left her in embarrassed circumstances. She was in need of funds to support herself and also *o maintain Ceruir Hill during her life time. She was thereby compelled to put a mort gage on Cedar Hill for the sum of $5,500. This accounts for the mort gage upon the home of Mr. Doug lass.” In her will Mrs. Douglass left Cedar Hill to the Frederick Doug lass Memorial and Historiical As sociation to be kept forever as a Memorial and monument to her il lustrious husband. Before she di ed she succeeded in getting this As sociation incorporated by act of Congress and the home and estate JUDGE BANISHES STUDENTS FROM COURT WHEN THEY CHEER NEGRO’S RIGHT TO ATTEND UNIVERSITY Columbia, Mo.,—More than 125 teen age white girls, students at the exclusive Stephens College here, were ordered from the Boone County Circuit court room by Judge W. M. Dinwiddie, February 10, after they had openly expressed their sentiments, in favor of Ngro citizens attending the University of Miss ouri, with loud chers. me youtniui students gave the demonstration when Miss Lucille Bluford, 28 year old managing ed itor of the Kansas City Call, re fused to reveal contents of several letters between herself and her counsel, Charles H. Houston, in connection with her filing for en trance to the University of Miss ouri School of Journalism. Wil liam S. Hogsett, attorney for S. W. Canada, registrar of the University of Missouri, who barred Miss Blu ford from the school of journalism because of her color, had cought to make the newspaper editor tell the contents of the letter. Miss Blu ford said the letters were personal. The young college girls, who crowded the courtroom during the two day trial, occupying every a vailable inch of floor space in the front and back of the courtroom, followed the testimony carefully. exempted from taxation. The property at her death, therefore, came into possession of the trust ees with a mortgage of $6,600 up on it. This mortgage the trustees were able to reduce to $4,000." I hey were attending the hearing as a class project in their course in social problems. At the end of the Trial Judge Dinwiddie reserved decision. Miss Bluford, represented by NAACP. attorneys: Charles H. Houston and Sidney Redmond, the latter of St. Louis, Mo., is suing for a writ of mandamus to compel the Univers ity of Missouri to admit her for graduate work in its school of journalism. She contends that twice, once when she appeared on the campus of the school January 30, 1939 and again on September 14, 1939, she has been denied adm ission to the school solely on the ground that she is a Negro* She contends that the univers ity’s failure to admit her, is a den ial of her full right as a citizen un der the fourteenth amendment to the Constitution. The University contends that her action is not brought in good faith, and that she should bring her action against Lincoln University, a Negro school at Jefferson City, Mo., to force that school to set up a school of journalism. REMARKS OF HON. ARTHUR W. MITCHELL IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Mr. Mitchell. Mr. Speaker, ladies and gentle men of the House, hardly a day passes that some per son in high authority, either in this House or in offic ial capacity elsewhere, does not request of me inform ation of some kind with reference to th achievement of the American Negro. Perhaps there is less actu ally known about the historical background of Amer ica’s largest minority group—the Negro—than about any other minority group in this country. One searches our textbooks and literary records in vain for the real facts of Negro achievement, even in Am erica. Little or no real facts concerning the Negro prior to the introduction of slavery in the American Colonies can be found in our books and periodicals used in our schools and colleges. About a quarter of a century ago Dr. Cartel1 G. Woodson, a scholar and historian of recognized ab ility, founded the Association for' the Study of Negro Life and His tory. The beginning was modest, but through the years this has be come the outstanding organization of the world for the discovery, pre servation, teaching, and diffusion of important historical data and facts giving the true picture of Ne gro life in the past. Among the outstanding things which this or ganization is now doing, I wish to mention the following: Publishes magazines, researches in Negro history, directs studies in clubs and schools, promotes the home study of the Negro by mail, produces texts on the Negro for schools and colleges, collects and preserves the valuable documents of Negro hist ory, supplies libraries with special collections of rare books on the Ne gro, educates promising and enter prising young men for service in historical research, and for the last 15 years has developed Negro His tory Week. GOTHAM JUDGE CALLS FATH ER DIVINE “MENACE TO THE COMMUNITY New York City, Feb. 21 (ANP)— One of the first judicial setbacks i received thus far by Father Divine was given by the clutist last week, when Justice Jacob Panken in Do mestic Relations Court denounced him as a “menace to the commun ity” and particularly to the welfare of the children of his followers. In a decision committing Roy Ferris, 15, to the State Training School at Warwick, N, Y. the court blamed Divine for breaking up the child\ home by instructing his par ents to live apart. After telling of the neglect suffered by the boy, 1 I Justice Panken attacked the Divine religious creed, declaring: “To worship a god who is hum an, with all the frailities of a hu man being, with all the possibilit ies of committing the errors, of a human being is not what the Bill of Rights kuarantees. No more does the Bill of Rights guarantee that short of worship than, for in stance, to worship a god which would justify human sacrifices or a multiplicity of marriages.” 178 COLORED PERSONS EM PLOYED IN WASHINGTON OFFICE OF CENSUS BUREAU Washington, D. C., February — A total of 178 colored workers are employed in the Census Bureau in Washington at the present time, according to the Chief of the Bur eau’s Divfsion of Appointments. These persons are engaged in work preparatory to the taking of the gigantic Census which will begin in April 1. Colored persons are employed in nearly every type of work done by the Census Bureau, the report in dicates. A recapitulation by types of employment shows; 1 Legal Research Aid, 1 Junior Administrative Asst. 2 Supervising Clerks, 6 Draftsmen, 58 Clerks, 2 Clerk-Stenographers, 16 Clerk-typists, 1 Clerk-operative, 1 Photstat Operator, 1 Minor Mechanic, 7 Card Punch Operators, 28 Messengers, 54 Laborers. “Apologies To Judge Hugo Black” (by William Pickens) According to the news of today, President Roosevelt asks us news papermen to “apologize” to Judge Hugo Black. That is an unusually bad choice of word, for one so astute as Roose J velt. If he had said “praise” S “congratulate”, it would be (M E sible statement, but needs no apology for fig._.„ gainst having a KuKluxer to come on to its court of last resort. Judge u Black himself owes the only apolo- \ gy that is due. He should apolo- j gize to the country—first for hav- 5 ing ever been a KuKluxer, second } for being so false as to permit den ial of that fact in order to sneak into the people’s court, third, for i his very unbecoming and unchival- ' rous conduct in running and dodg ing disgracefully, before he finally yielded and admitted (what was al ready proven) that he had been a member of the uncivilizable organ ization. He is the party to offer apolog ies. We are those to congratulate him on his present conduct, in spite of his very shady past. Either he was once a KuKluxer at heart or he was double-crossing the ignorant Klansmen. In either case, no a pology is due him. We cannot a pologize. for calling an outlaw an outlaw; and we cannot apologize to one who pretends to be an outlaw in order to enjoy their lawless sup port. No! Mr. Roosevelt, we owe no apologies to Black, or to you, for our attitude in the matter when you against warning, appointed him to the Supreme Court. If he has changed, perhaps the outcry made against him helped to change him. If he has not changed, then he was a hypocrite when he was on the Klan records. We do not apolog ize to a sinner when he repents or reverses his course. If he changed we praise and congratulate him. Even if he was once a hypocrite and has now, with a $20,000 a year security, decided to stop all hypo crisy, we still congratulate him, at least on his good fortune. Long before Black joined the Court, the Court had decided that torture of a witness invalidates the decision of an American court a gainst that witness. Now we are happy to see that the court sticks to its own precedents, and we con gratulate Hugo Black on having the honor of voting with that maj ority and reading the decision. .V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.V.WJ THE LOW DOWN FROM HICKORY GROVE I do not know just how it is done but the oil companies, they seem to have the knack of picking out the up-and-coming young fellers to run their service stations. You don’t anymore than get your foot off the brake, at the gasoline pump, till there i sa cheerful kind of young duck cornin’ on the run. Boy they are salesmen. You like ’em. If you are in a 1940 super 12 or if you limp in with a Model T, it is all the same. They act like they had been waiting around there all day, just to wait on you, personal. If you buy 15 gallons or one gal lon or just want some air—it don’t make an iota of difference—they are tickled to see you. They don’t overdo it though, but they make business fun—but it is still busi ness. But there is no patent on wide awake, courteous service—any lit tle outfit can use it. Most big busi ness today was a pee-wee one time. People harping about all big bus iness being pompous and arrogant —they are talking through their hat. yours with the low down, JO SERRA.