The Omaha guide. (Omaha, Neb.) 1927-19??, January 11, 1941, City Edition, Image 1
"DOLLARS CANNOT BUY YESTERDAY” A journalist, looking back upon the year which has just closed, finds an infinity of matters about which to write. A great war, which is in essence a titanic struggle between two irreconcilable philosophies of life has steadily spread A whole continent has feH( the boot of a new conqueror with a plan for vqorld doming as vast that of NaP' oleon. The world’s economy has undergone violent change, and stab ility has been replaced by chaos. Here in our own country we have recently gone through the most tradition-shattering election in our history. The great issues of that election were three-fold. First, whether to elect a president for a third term. Second, how to keep America at peace, while aiding England with all steps short of war. Third, how to best build a mil itary and naval establishment unprecedented in our history. The second and third issues are the most vital this country fac es today. They are not partisan issues. It is obvious to anyone not blinded by false and baseless optim ism that the great plans of last summer for building an impregnable defense at once are not being realized- It is easy to appropriate gi gantic sums of money. It is easy to make blueprints of tanks and air planes and fighting ships. It is easy to have a great defense estab lishment “on order.” But dollars and blueprints do not worry potent ial invaders. The forces w(hich have again brought the world to Armageddon have respect only for preparedness. The weak are given no quarter. Moral principles, t nrtsuan teacnings, are scoinu »«. That is not pretty. But it is true. This America we know cannot be sure of existence unless it solves the problem of how to swiftly build our defenses—and to build them in keeping with the democratic tradition which they arie design ed to protect and to save. All the productjjvertssg of this nation is needed now—of capital, of industry, of government, of labor. The in dustrialist who seeks outrageous profits; the official who plays polit icg in time of danger; the labor leaner who foments unjustified strikes in vital defense industries—cannot be tolerated. We must never for get that we can be destroyed from within no less than from without.'; The American people cannot accept failure from any man— whether the man who fails holds a great title or \s a lowly worker Sn a factory. There is no excuse for failure. No nation in the world is potentially so productive as ours. None has a tithe of our riches— riches of manpower no less than riches of wealth and of natural re sources. In this crisis, we shall really learn the calibre of our people and our public men. It is said of France that, in preparing to resist aggression, her government, her industries and her workers did “too little—and did it too late.’’ We too are doing too little. But let us hope that we cor rect our errors before it is too late. When the head of our Navy ob served that “dollars cannot buy yesterdayhe stated a grim truth that every American must realize. _ , ^ In this gTeat national effort there can be no failure. The thought cannot be tolerated that Democracy here has fallen on such evil days that it cannot compete with the dictators In England wf< have a magnificent example of what free mem, fighting to retain that freedom, can accomplish against heartbreaking odds. It was Winston Churchill Vrho said on taking office that he could offer his people nothing save sacrifice and sweat and toil. Here we must absorb an ample measure of that spirit. No one else can make our sacrifices for us. The responsibility for the perpetuation of our way of life falls squarely and irrevocably on the shoulders of u*s all. No one can avoid it. To say that we have now entered on the most critical years mo dern Western civilization hag ever known, is to simply state the obv ious. We do not know how much time wie will have to make ourselv«% secure to guarantee peace in the only way possible in this disrupted modern world, which is by making ourselves so strong that no aggres sor or passible combination of aggressors will dare to try our strength We do not know that time, most precious of all elements, must no longer be lavishly wasted. To stay at peace—to become strong. Those are our national objectives. We have the great industries—we have the men—we have almost limited resources. To attain those vital goals demands the full and friendly cooperation of government, of labor, of industry, or agri culture. of all- We must not be tried and found wanting. Th >e t /JUSTICE/EQUALITY HEW ,T0 THELiNE\ LARGEST ACCREDITED NEGRO NEWSPAPER WEST OF CHICAGO AND NORTH OF KANSAS CITY —MEMBER OF TIIE ASSOCIATED NEGRO PRESS n Entered as Second-class Matter at The Post office, Omaha, Nebraska, Omaha, Nebraska, Saturday, January 11, 1941 OUR 13th YEAR—No. 43—Ciit^r Edition,, Copy 5c Under Act of March 8, 1874—Business Phone: WE. 1517 ^^ WANTED: 50 MECHANICS FOR U. S. SERVICE NEGRO IS STILL DEMOCRACY TEST SAYS NAACP REPORT a. ^ - - - — ■ r» i t- - - - ■ ■' ■ 1 —^ - New York—During 1940, the American Negro proved to be the surest standard for testing, in terms of concrete action, our Gov ernment’s oft repeated assertion that American democracy! gives full justice to all citizens of the United States, according to a re port made by Walter White at the annual meeting of the National Associated for the Advancement of Colored People, held here Mon day_ January 6. Four Supreme Court Victorier On the credit side of the NAAC P. secretary pointed to four dec isions won before the United States Supreme Court, affecting the rights of Negro citizens. The first of these decisions, read by Justice Hugo L. Black, last Febr uary 12, denied the right of Flor ida courts to obtain confession^ from four Negro youths, through torture, and termed conviction af ter such action> unconstitutional. The cases of Dave Canty, in Ala bama, and Bob White in Texas, were also reversed on similar grounds. The fourth decision de nied the right of persons to bar Negroes from buying or living on property in areas of a city res tricted by agreement among pro perty owners. The Association also won a not able case in its six year fight to equalize the salaries of Negro and white teachers in southern and border states, wihen the U'. S. Su preme Court refused to review a Circuit Court of Appeals decision denying the right of the Norfolk Va , schoolboard to pay lower sal aries to Negro teachers solely on the basis of color. This victoiy added $129,000 to the salaries of Negro teachers in Norfolk. Pointing out that 1940 marked the most crucial period in our country’s history, the NAACP. ex ecutive secretary said it was nev ertheless true that the Adminis tration muffed a great opportun ity to prove how democracy can work in times of stress to preserve civil liberties for 14,000,000 Amer ican Negroes who have suffered more than any other group in our country from the denial of even basic citizenship rights. Chief among the happenings, Mr White listed was the failure of Congress to pass a federal anti lynching law at a time when the majority of American citizens in the South as well as the North be lieve such a law should be passed. He declared this demonstrated that there are men in our Con gress who are willing for Hitler (Continued on page USr1 2) MID-WESTERN CONFERENCE ON BUSINESS, NAT’L DEFENSE TO BE HELD IN OMAHA, JANUARY 29th _ MARIAN ANDERSON CHOSEN As 1 Of 10 Outstanding Wfomen of 1940 Babson Park, Fla-, (C) Marian Anderson, number 1 songbird, had another honor bestowed upon her when she was chosen here this week as one of 1940’s 10 outstand ing women by a committee of ed ucators headed by Dean Helena Watts of Webber College, a fin ancial school for women. Without betraying ages, the lists included such headliners as Deanna Durbin motion picture actress; Clare Boothe, author; Helen Hayes, act ress; Alice Marble, tennis playei; Carson McCallers, whose debut book had a Negro as the main character; Dr. Helen Dunbar, of the Columbia U. faculty; and tie President of Wellesley, aristocrat ic school for girls; Dr. Mildred Me Afee; and Anne Lindbergh. SHORTAGE OF SKILLED WORKERS REVEALED Washington, Jan. 10 (ANP) — the supply of available workers in a number of skilled defense occu pations almost exhausted in some localities, Paul V. McNutt, FSA administrator, admitted that there was a scarcity of machinists( tool and die makers, skilled metal workers and aircraft and shipbuild ing craftsmen- Semi-skilled and unskilled workers were reported to be adequate in most localities where huge defense programs are under way. Significant indeed was the) re port which showed a general shift ing of workers to centers of de fense activity; development of housing shortages in communities where there has been a great in flux of workers; and some delays in production because of inability (continued on pagejjgr^) V -- “Speeding the defense program and preserving a sound economy” is the double-barrelled theme of 8 Mid-Western Conference on Busi ness and National Defense which will be held in Omaha January 29, under auspices of the United Stat ss Chamber of Commerce. Three forum sessions, led by of ficials of the United States Cham ber of Commerce, Washington, will highlight the conference. The first will be devoted to agriculture, live stock and agricul tural legislation. Elmer H- Sex auer, Brookings, S. D.t a director and chairman of the U. S. Cham ber’s agricultural committee, will serve as chairman. Delos L. Jam es, Washington, D. C., manager of .he agricultural department, Uni ted States Chamber of Commerce will serve as discussion leader. President L .E- Hurtzi Fairmont Creamery Co., Omaha, will be chairman of the second forum on manufacturing and food process ing. Discussion leader will be Henry P. Fowler, Washington, D C., manager, manufacturing dep artment, U. S. Chamber of Com merce. WJth Francis P. Matthews, board chairman, Securities Accep tance Corporation, Omaha, presid ing, the third forum will consider problems of fiscal policy, taxation and finance. Finance Manager John J. O’Connor, Washington, U. S- Chamber of Commerce will be discussion leader. Sponsored by the Omaha Cham ber of Commerce and the U. S Chamber, the conference will open with an address on ‘‘A Concept of National Defense’’, by John W. O' Leary, chairman^ executive com mittee, U. S. Chamber. James S. Kemper, Chicago, pres ident of the National Chamber, Will be featured speaker at a lun cheon meeting His subject will be ‘'What’s Ahead for Business’-’’ Winding up the day’s activities, Secretary Ralph Bradford of the U. S. Chamber of Commerce, will address a dinner meeting on “The Challenge to Business”. Business men and farm repres entatives from four states are in vited to attend the January 29th meeting in Omaha. COLORED STAFF IN POSTAL OFFICE Company Opens New Branch In Washington, D. C. Decemebrt 19t 1940 marked the official opening of a branch office of the Postal Telegraph Company at 1011 U- Street, Northwest, Washington, D. C., manned and operated by an all-colored staff Hosea Lindsey, Who first got his taste of the business in Akron Ohio, years ago, is the office man ager. After spending sometime in the telegraph field) he decided that Washington was the place where he could raise his millions After looking over the field there, Mr. Lindsey sought the as sistance of the Washington Urban League, through its executive sec retary, George W. Goodman. In measuring work possibilities of Negroes in Washington, the league has assembled information on the colored population concen tration in the Northwest section, attending information concerning their businesses, and the distribu tion of telegraph offices. Armed with a base map indicat ing these features, Mr- Lindsey descended upon the local telegraph officials and presented his cred entials. The officials were im pressed and forwarded the infor mation to New York City where the main office confirmed the project. BOY QUADRUPULETS ARE BORN BUT ONE DIES Barnwell, S. C., Jan- 6 (ANP) A midwife revealed today that on Christmas day she delivered quad ruplets, one of which died soon af ter birth. The quads were boys. The three living were reported to be doing nicely. The mother is Ada Way, of Red Oak district. MAYBE ROCHESTER SHOULD BE CARMICHAEL Hollywood, Jan. 7 (ANP) Clad in a raccoon overcoat, Eddie Ander son, screen and radio comedian better known as Jack Benny’s man Rochester, emerged from a trap door on a Hal Roach set. He was dripping wet. Eddie wag supposed to be com ing out of the sea, and before each take of the scene the coat was soaked in water. “Let’s get it this time’’, said Roy Del Ruth- director. “We don't wjint to ruin that coat”. “Don’t \v|orry about the coat”, Eddie said. “Worry about me. You never heard of a raccoon car rying an umbrella”. RACE GROUP MUST EQUAL Or Be Superior To The Majority Group If They Would Solve Their Problems Says Shaw In recognition of the week of prayer, Rev. Alexander P. Shaw, resident bishop of the Baltimore area of the central jurisdiction of the ME. church gave two address es Thursday night in this city. His first address was given at the First Methodist Church at 20th and Davenport street, where he delivered a stirring lecture on the subject “Thy Kingdom Come.” In his second address of the ev ening at the Clair Chapel ME. Church, 22nd and Miami streets, the eminent bishop told a repres entative race group that the best and surest way that he knew of for the Negro race as a whole to solve their problems was to heed the council of a jewish speaker whom he had once heard to say: ‘‘That the only way that a minor ity group, living within a majoiity group, could ever hope to have •quality, |W!m» by / the minority group rising above the average of the majority group by their sheer excellence of superiority”. 'ALL IN FUN’ STARRING BILL ROBINSON FOLDS UP New York City, N. Y. (C) The Bill Robinson show “All in Fun’’ did a complete fadeout at the Ma jestic theatre after only 3 perfor mances. Theatre goers and crit ic alike were not in the least sur prised over the foldup as the com edy was really no good. The plot was flimsy and not a bit humorous though the cast did their best to see it through. Bill Robinson was the only thing of the Leonard Sill man production worth paying $3-30 top price for. An expensive investment, the show represented about $65,000 being twide financed. Now1 with only three showings to its credit, “AH In Fun’’ ties with two other vehicles as 1940 briefest Broadway | runs. --- 369th REGIMENT IS EX-RAYED New York (C) Harlem’s 369th regiment is being ex-rayed all this week by the WPA T. B. Service Directly following the examinat ions, the Regiment will be feder alized and then packed off for training. All told preliminaries will take about two weeks 50 COLORED MECHANICS NEEDED FOR OMAHA AND LINCOLN QUOTA Headquarters Nebraska Recruiting Building 224 Post Office Building Secretary t Urban League, 2213 I^ake Street, Omaha, Nebraska. Dear Sir: The United States Army is now offering single colored men be tween the ages of 18 and 35' of good moral character and who have had at least two y»‘arB high school education and some exper ience as motor mechanics, an op portunity to assist in the defense of their country by enlisting in the regular army for a period of three years. We have had to turn away many qualified colored men in the past because we had no organiza tion to which they might be sent and I have therefore been able to obtain a quota of 50 men for 0 maha and Lincoln. Thi^ quota must be filled as rapidly as pos sible and I am therefore calling upon you for as much assist rnce as you can give me. Prospective applicants who meet the above requirements should be instructed to report to Room 225, Post Office Building, Omaha, Nebraska. Your assistance in this matter will be greatly appreciated by the government. Very truly yours, Palmer McGrew> Captain Infantry, Acting Rctg. Officer ILLINOIS TRAIN PORTERS NEGOTIATE AGREEMENT Conferences to negotiate the revision of the existing agreement concerning rates of pay and rules governing working conditions for Train Porters in the employ of the Illinois Central Railroad will be gin in Chicago, January 8th, in the offices of the Carrier, statey, A. Philip Randolph, International President of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. M. P. Webster, 1st International Vice President will lead the Agree ment Committee composed of Sam Johnson, local grievance commit tee chairman of the Chicago area, and Train Porter representatives from other division of the Illinois Central System. Train Porters of this railroad wbre transferred to the jurisdict ion of the Brotherhood by the A merican Federation of Labor in 1939. NATCHEZ FIRE WORST IN 1941 Natchez, MisB^ Jna. 6 (ANP;— The Safety Research Institute, re porting on the fire losses through out the nation during 1949, declar ed last week that the worst holo caust of the year was the dance hall fire in wihich 207 Negroes were burned to death here last April. Total fire losses in the country were more than 390 mil I lion- No figure has been announc I ed on the monetary loss in the | Natchez fire. Most of the victims l were not covered by insurance. THREE NOTABLE ADDRESSES by Emmett J. Scott Washington, D. C., Jan. 5—'Three ratable address es were made here in Washington last week. Each sought to stress and more definitely, to define this thing we call demo cracy. They each came from high quar ters—from the President of the United States, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, and a high-ranking mem ber of the United States Senate. la substance and form and elo quence of statement, the three ad cresses rank high, ve>y high. Coming from such high quarters (h' y deservedly challenge the at l' ntion of the country and the world. They dealt with ths fund omental concept^ of our democ .acy, and were surcharged with patriotic purpose and social vision. J They set forth ideas and idealsj^^ which, if lived up to, would I riaf$ about in this country of oura philosophy of living, a of peace, and( in truth andfln fact, a ' government dedicates to th© proposition that the/Wvh and the poor alike stand ,4f>on common ground: that each has eoual rightj as veil as equal opportunities and that, each’is entitled to the full protectirfi/of his government in the preservation of the price less righwand privileges of cif:: cnsliip.” E' racial prejudices AND BIGOTRIES— The realization of thevi in America is at pi flsent prevent oi mainly by racial ^ ejudice3 and bigotries- These prey,.’dicc3 aD" bigotries fall with at'^atenlng impact day by day, year\ in and year out, upon the hapless - Head3 of the great masses of one pa-tie ular group of our Americail\it kenship—the Negro group. V Chief Justice Hughes apok^, with unaccustomed bluntneis ^ when, in his address,' calling for ^ the improvement of human rela^ tiens in America, he said( that “liberty cannot be preserved by majority rule unless the majority hold sacred basic individual rights of race or creed’’, so that there maybe “an abiding sense of hu man dignity and worth—and friendly cooperation in pursuit of common ideals of justice.’ In further comment, and follow ing up this thought, h® emphasiz ed the fact that “rancor and big otry, racial animosity and intoler ance are wholly incompatible with that cooperation because they undermine the very founda tions of democratic effort.’’ THE CONSENT OF THE GOVERNED— In his address to the nation, Mr. Roosevelt referred to the totalit arian dictators as seeking to set up a “new order”, andf by implic ation, spoke of our country as hav ng a government “based upon the consent of the governed." Senator Burton K. Wheeler, the third notable to speak during the week, declared that “while we sympathize with the oppressed and persecuted peoples of the world, we realize that we have great problems at home: that one third of our population is ill-fed, ill housed and ill-lad. We have oeen told repeatedly", he said( “upon the highest authority that unless and until this situation is correct ed our democracy id endanger-d.“ The thesis of his remarks rev tlvei aromd the sentiment that we rfiould settle our own problems before we undertake to settle the problems o.' Asia, Africa, Austial ia, South America and Europe. He decided that the best way to safeguard our independence and freedom in America is to set our own house in order. COLORED AMERICANS BAFFLED AND CONFUSSED Colored Americans who have read these speeches, and hund reds of others like them, are oaf fled and confused. They know that thousands and thousands, yea millions of their fellow^ are ill fed, ill-housed, and ill-clad in this rich country of ours, and that they remain so after years and years of Billion-DoUar spendings. They are kept from employment in industry with regular wage3, and that their color alone con demns them to the lower and iow est levels of living. They know that in some eleven States of our Union, the so caUrd Solid-South, the principle of gov (Continued on page £^”3)