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PRICE—5 CENTS Per Copy
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THE WEATHER
Weather Outlook for the Period
April 8 to April 13.
Upper Mississippi Valley and
Northern Great Plains, generally
fair after Monday until latter part
of week when precipitation period
likely; temperatures will average
near seasonal normals.
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LARGEST ACCREDITED NEGRO NEWSPAPER WEST OF CHICAGO AND NORTH OF KANSAS CITY
Entered as Second CUas Matter at Poet Office. Omaha. Nebr., under Act of March 8. 1874. SATCRDAY. APRIL l.'l, 19+0 OUR 13th YEAR-NlllTlber 4
Busmens Phone WE. 1S17
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EDITORIAL OPINION OF THE
Negro
I Press
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RAW DEAL BY THE
NEW DEALERS
Postmaster General James A.
Farley, Chairman of the Democra
tic National Committee and a can
didate for the Democratic nomina
tion for President, made a St. Pat
rick’s Day radio address, one para
graph of which has attracted wide
attention and comment. Mr. Farley
said:
“We have never permitted the
ideals of this Republic to sink to a
point where any father and mother
regardless of race, color or creed
cannot look proudly into the cradle
of their new-born babe and see a
future President of the United
States.”
Fine talk, indeed; but here in
Washington, Postmaster Burke
laughs to scorn when Negro post
office employees call on him in per
son for preferment or promotion.
Along the same lines, the New
York Age this week makes editor
ial comment as follows:
NEGROES IN THE POST
OFFICE
A group of prominent Chica
goans held a conference recently
with Postmaster Ernest
gen, of the Windy City, to lay be
fore him a bill of particulars point
ing out numerous instances in
which Negroes in the local postal
service have been denied merited
advancement and promotion as
clerks and carriers, also that Ne
groes are not being added to the
service in the same proportion as
other racial groups. The Chica
goans claim that they have lost
four foreman and men in supervi
sory positions in the last ten years,
and these men have not been re
placed.
There is a similar situation in
New York. A veteran employee of
the General Post Office here told
the Age recently that there had
been very few, if any, promotions
of Negroes in the past few years,
and that when a Negro employee
who is in a supervisory capacity
dies, resigns, or is fired, he is us
ually replaced by an employee of
some other racial group.
Knowing Postmaster Albert
Goldman as we have for a number
of years and of his fairness in the
Negro, we cannot believe that he
is responsible for this policy of the
Post Office Department in gradu
ally eliminating the Negro. We
are forced to the conclusion that
the Postmaster General and some
of his Southern executives in
Washington are responsible.
Negro leaders in all parts of the
country would do well to check on
the number of postal employees of
their race in the service eight years
ago, as compared with those now
employed, and if our impression
is correct that there has been a
substantial decrease, the matter
should be called to the attention of
authorities at Washington.
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How, we ask, can Mr. Farley be
sincere in his lofty and democratic
ideal that every baby—regardless
of race, creed or color—is a poten
tial President of the United States,
when in Mr. Farley’s own depart
ment—the Post Office—discrimin
ation and prejudice are allowed to
run riot?
GENERAL EDUCATION BOARD
APPROPRIATES $1,250 FOR
RURAL EDUCATION
Prairie View, Texas, April 11
(ANP)—In a recent telegram, W.
W. Brierly advised Principal W.
R. Banks that $1,350 has been ap
propriated to Prairie View State
college by the General Education
board, for training 50 teachers in
rural education.
Courses of instruction have been
planned at the college to be offer
ed during the summer session be
Biggest Crowd
In History
Nears Tuskegee Exercises
-0
ACE SALESWOMAN CAN
NEITHER HEAR OR TALK
Miss Verneda Wells, a living
example of “It Can Be Done.” Al
though deaf and itnmb slnefc the
age of 5, Miss Wells, 24, earns an
independent living for herself
through her ability as representa
tive of the Fuller Products com
pany, Chicago, where she is top
saleswoman, earning more than
$100 per month. Rising from a $5
a week factory job to her present
position, Miss Wells’ life is an in
spiration of individual triumph
over seemingly insurmountable ob
stacles. (ANP)
ginning June 3.
The courses will be offered to
promising rural teachers from four
southern states as follows Arkan
sas 10; Louisiana 10; Oklahoma 8;
and Texas 22.
The courses in rural Education
will include orientation, community
forum, rural confmunity, health
and recreation.
Principal Banks is carefull plan
ning the schedules so as to meet
the needs of teachers in active ser
vice in rural public schools of the
southern states, on graduate and
undergraduate levels.
LEWIS MAKES BID FOR SUP
PORT OF NATIONAL NEGRO
CONGRESS IN THIRD PARTY
MOVEMENT
Mononghala, West Va.—John L.
Lewis, president of the United
Mines Workers of America and
leader of more than four million
organized workers under the ban
ner of the CIO in a militant ad
dress delivered here last week to
more than 20,000 Negro and white
coal miners made a definite bid
for the ^support of the National
Negro Congress and other Negro
organizations in an effort to launch
a Third Party in the 1940 elec
tions if both the Republicans and
Democratic Parties fail to nomin
ate candidates acceptable to the
Negro and labor vote.
Commenting on the breakdown
of vital social services during the
past year Mr. Lewis declared that
labor, youth, the small farmer
and the Negro People had a com
mon need to unite their forces to
insist that the federal government
take effective means to solve the
problem of unemployment and
other pressing social problems,
such as health, housing, and edu
cation.
The labor leader in a vigorous
speech lashed out against increased
appropriations for the Federal
Bureau of Investigation of the
Department of Justice. He called
attention to the fact that this in
creased appropriation was being
used to develop an oppressive labor
spy system under the leadership
I' .
150.00 PIECES OF MAIL SER
VICED AND CANCELLED AS
WASHINGTON STAMP GOES
ON SALE WITH STIRRING
EXERCISES
Tuskegee Institute, Aprli 11—
(ANP)—Before the largest crowd
of visitors which has attended an
event at Tuskegee institute since
the 50th anniversary celebration
years ago, Postmaster General
James A. Farley, delivered the an
nual Founder’s Day address here
Sunday, and launched the first day
sale of Booker T. Washington
stamps. Notables from every sec
tion of the country, white and col
ored, were in attendance during
the crowded two days of ceremon
ies which included, besides the
Founder’s Day celenration, the an
nal meeting of the Board of Trus
tees, the dedication of the new U.
S. Extension Service building and
the opening of the John A. Andrew
clinic which brought 200 physicians
to Tuskegee.
A coast to coast broadcast heard
the Founder’s Day exercises when
President F. D. Patterson spoke,
Roland Hayes sang, the famous
Cont. on p. 3
ROOSEVELT HAILS
OBJECTIVE OF
NAT’L NEGRO CONGRESS
Washington, April 11—In a let
ter addressed to A. Philip Ran
dolph, president of the National
Negro Congress, President Frank
lin D. Roosevelt hailed the forth
coming Third National Negro Con
gress to be held here in the United
States Department of Labor Au
ditorium April 26-28.
The complete text of the Presi
dent’s letter follows:
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
March 29, 1940
Deal- Mr. Randolph:
It gives me pleasure to send
greetings to another great and
representative gathering of Ne
gro citizens at the Third Nation
al Negro Congress. This is a
time in the history of the world
and in the history of our own na
tion when the wisdom of the whole
people is more than ever needed
if common problems are to be
solved.
Because of confusion and un
rest it is now more than ever
important that the place of a
minority group in a democracy
not be obscured by ignorance and
prejudice. It is important that
members of a minority group con
sider together their special prob
lems in order that these prob
lems may find expression for the
benefit of all. It is of even great
er importance that the whole peo
ple consider with open and sym
pathetic mind these problems of
the minority in order that the
processes of democracy may work
to bring about their solution. For
it is obvious that the political,
social and economic well-being
of the whole people depends upon
the achievement of that well-be
ing for all sections of the popu
lation of color, creed or geogra
phy.
Very sincerely yours,
Franklin Roosevelt
Mr. A. Philip Randolph,
President Nat’l Negro Congress
717 Florida Avenue, N. W.
Washington, D. C.
of G-man Edgar Hoover.
Referring to his previous offer
to the American Youth Congress
for unity with the CIO, Mr. Lewis
indicated that he would make the
same offer for close cooperation
with the National Negro Con
gress which he is to address in
Washington on April 26 at the
Third National Negro Congress
meeting.
Nebraska's Choice For
Republican Standard Bearer
Thomas E. Dewey
New York City—The position of Thomas E. Dewey, Republican candidate for the President, on an
ti-lynching legislation is contained in a letter he wrote to the National Association of Colored people last
year. In it he declared, addressing Mr. Walter White, Secretary of the Association:
“Your determined campaign to end lynching would aid our government in fulfilling its obligation
to secure to all citizens the right to life.”
The same letter contains Mr. Dewey’s stand on the color issue in American life.
“Your efforts,” he wrote to Mr. White, “to effect those changes in our social and economic organi
zation which will ultimately bring about true racial equality will lessen the constant need for special leg
islation and obviate the necessity for creating by statute a special category for those of different color or
race.”
An even more definite and fearless stand on the Negro was taken by Mr. Dewey during March
of this year when he was interviewed in Washingon. Asked to comment on his stand in reference to segre
gation in Washington he asserted:
“I have no fear of Washington prejudice and I would not abandon my policy of making appoint
ments regardless of race, creed or color if elected to the Presidency. The world is growing more open mind
ed and the intolerant man is eventually destroyed by his own intolerance.”
In the same interview Mr. Dewey added :
“When I took office as special prosecutor (in New York) colored people had been used from time
to time, but had been called deputy assistants. But I found no reason to use these petty subterfuges as
long as they could do the work.”