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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.