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About The Omaha guide. (Omaha, Neb.) 1927-19?? | View Entire Issue (Feb. 22, 1941)
‘ LARGEST ACCREDITED NEGRO NEWSPAPER WEST OF CHICAGO AND NORTH OF KANSAS CITY —MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED NEGRO PRESS Entered as Second-Class Matter at The Post office, Omaha, Nebraska, Omaha, Nebraska, Saturday, February 22, 1941 OUR 13th YEAR—No. 19, City Editi»:n, 5c Copy Under Act of March 8, 1874—Business Phone: WE. 1517_* ’ _.J * __ * Attv-Gen. Jackson Orders Bar Library Open To Negroes “This Actual Mingling Together In Work Is Real Democracy, Not Lip Service To Democracy ’’...Lockwood Address of Paul E. Lockwood, Executive Assistant District Attorney on The Staff of Thomas E. Dewey, At the Third Annual Line. ln and Douglas Commun ity Program of the New York City Branch of Nat'l Alliance of Postal Employees at the Abyssinian Bap tist Chucrh, 132 West 138th Street, New York City, on Sunday, February 9,1941. It is a real privilege fo®* me to come here and meet with so manv »n and women of the postal ser vice. I mean mat very sincerely. My father spent forty-five years of his life in the New York Post of fice. So the fine spirit of the postal service is in my blood. My earliest recollections of the New York Post Office date back nearly thirty-five years. My fath er's office was Room 5 in the old General Post office on Park Row. Among his associates and fellow work ers in that room were three men. One was Billy Greene, a Negro. Another was an American Indian. The third was Henry Lippman, a Jew. At that time I was too young to realize that each of them repres ented one of the great minorities in American life. In the tradition of the postal service, they worked to gether in harmony andlfriendship and understand ing. After my father’s passing, I lost track of these men. Some years later, my name was published in a long list of those who had passed the ibar examina tion in this state. I received one letter of congratu lation. It was frtm Billy Greene, the colored Postal employee who had worked beside my father for so long. I treasure that letter. So when your president, Mr. Evans ,invited me to speak here on this Lincoln-Douglas Day, I thought of the lesson in practical democracy that I learned in the old post office building. It was—that under our American system, men of every race and color and creed can and do wiork together for their well-being and happiness. In fact, the rich traditions ot the Postal bervice have given it an outstanding position among govern mental agencies. The fact that members of all races work together without friction in the Postal Service disproves one thing conclusively. It destroys the claim of certain elements in America that Negroes cantnot be -given fair .opportunity in our industrial life because persons of other r^ces do not wish to work beside the colored man. The lesson of the post al service must be taught everyone. This actual mingling together in work is real democracy, not lip service to democracy. freedom means more than political freedom. Today we realize more than ever that it means eco nomic freedom as well. And the problem of economic freedom for the colored American citizen is one of the gravest problems of our times. Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas whom we honor today, fought mightily for the full freedom of all American citizens. If we would be faithful to the ideals of these men symbolizes we must insure to all our citizens, colored as well as white, full econom ic freedom and opportunity. I do not need to outine the problem. Each of you knows it better than I do. What is most important is the attitude of all our people in reaching its solution. Industrial employment is moving upward. Un happily this is due to a great international tragedy. Industries are expanding with a rush. Factories are being put up almost over night. Shipyards are re-op ening. Mechanics and technicians are being trained on every side. All this while a great nation seeks to re-arm and protect itself against totalitarian aggrcs sion. This drive to achieve maximum preparedness (Continued on page 2 ! ELECTED Rev. Wendell C. Somerville, who was elected full time executive j secretary of the Lott Carey Bap tist Foreign Mission convention at the recent convention in Washing ton, D. C-, A graduate of Shaw and Oberlin he will have his head I quarters in the capitol city. (ANP Photo)— COFFEY SAYS PROPOSED BLACK SQUADRON AT TUSKEGEE NOTHING MORE THAN A GLORIFIED CIVIL TRAIN ING COURSE CHICAGO—The plan to set up a jim -crow air squadron which would exclude Negroes from train ng offered at Kelly Field, popular ly known as the “Wset Point of Air” is even more ridiculous than the policy which calls for separate units in the army and navy, yet permits Negroes to attend either West Point or Annapolis. This was the substance of re marks made this week by Co'mel ius R. Coffey, president of the Na tional Airmen’s association after » he had been informed of the stand taken by Walter White, executive secretary of the National Associa tion for the Advancement of Col ored People in support of the nit men’s position. Coffey, president of the associat ion which has consistently fought for the integration of Negroes in to the air corps without regard to race, declared that the proposed black squadron at Tuskegee as outlined can be nothing more than a glorifiedcivi 1 training course. According to Coffey, Negroes under the proposed setup will be required to finance themselves during certain periods of their training, whereas white youths are not only given subsistence by the government, but are paid $75 mon thly from enrollment to complet ion of course. Secondly, he pointed out( that in spite of statements by the War department to the contrary, it is Impossible to train at Tuskcgee, even though beter facilities are provided, flyers who can compare with the graduates of Kelly Field in Texas. Before the army will commis sion an air cadet, he said a candi date must go through a period of rigid training at Kely Field which is perhaps the best equipped train ing field in the world. If Negro es are denied access to its facilit ies, and they will be under the present plan, it will be impossible for them to compete with the whites. SABU NEXT IN KIPLIN'S “JUNGLE BOOK” Hollywood, Calif., (C' That en ticing youngster( Sabu, is to be starred in Alexander Korda’s for thcoming production of Rudyacd Kiplings ’“Jungle Book”, (the fav Date Set For Texas “White Primary” Case Conference ARMY TO PLACE FORTY FIVE NEGRO CHAPLAINS Washington, Feb. 17 (ANP) —( Forty-five Negro chaplains will bo needed in the army when *he full strength of our fighting forc es are placed afield, said Col. W'l liam R. Arnold, chief of chaplains in an exclusive interview with the Associated Negro Press Thursday morning. Ranking as first lieutenants, with pay rate at $2,000 per year for the duration of the emergency tjiese positions offer an excellent opportunity for the right kind of man, Col. Arnold said. One of the innovations instituted in the new army is a chaplain and a chapel for every 2,000 men or regiment- In one of the huge army cantonemeuts, there are 55 chapels—where almost every re ligious denomination in the army can find spiritual comfort. Selection of the chaplains will necessarily be based upon the ap plicant's physical fitness to stay with the troops and to actually serve the men under wartime con ditions. “The job, as we see it," said Col. Arnold, himself a Catholic with 27 years army experience to his cred it, ‘‘means more than just holding a service of an hour on Sunday. It neans daily gatherings and work ing closely with the men giving them the advice they need and the encouragement they demand. “I am happy,” he continued ihat we got the w'ar department to sep arate the morale division work from the religious work. True, no person is better fitted to carry on welfare work than a chaplait^ but why saddle him with the responsi bility of entertainments, recreution and religious activities, when he can be a greater asset as a work er with the welfare man than as a welfare man. “One of the things a number oi citizens can do in their communit ies, which will be of help to the army, especially those ministers who are over the age limit of 42 years, is to help clean up the com munities adjacent to the camps where so much harm is done the army- The army itself never harm ed a man, but many a man has come into the army who was not fit to be in it And the commun ities adjacent to the army camps are the spots where missionary work needs to be done.” When the information first seep ed out through letters to various institutions concerning the avail ability of well trained men to fill these jobs different denominat ions immediately got busy to see if their group would be called upon to supply the necessary chaplains. According to a religious survey made by the census bureau, some 70 percent of the Negroes survey ed were Baptists, with the remain ing 30 percent distributed among 31 denominations, excluding Cath olics, who are said to have some 600,000 included in their midst. This makes an interesting prob lem for the chief of chaplains, who will beseiged with letters from re ligious ednominations asking for apportionment according to their representation in the census. However, Col. Arnold emphatic ally declared that if a sufficient number of Catholics were found in; a division (several regiments,) a Catholic chapel would be built for them and a Catholic priest provid ed. And that well may happen In other instances, he said, es pecially among the Protestants, orite with the kiddies- Lawrence Stallings and Zoltan Korda ave nearly done with the screen play I there is a division there, where one group uses a ritual and another group does not. The minister of the ritualistic group can conduct services for the informal group, but the minister of the informal group cannot conduct services for the ritualistic group, although he can go part way in giving talks and preaching sermons, but he cannot administer communion and such other beliefs of the creed. One commanding officer said the colonel, in a big southern camp has askt'd that no northern chap lain be sent for the colored troops in his outfit. There is a general misunderstanding created when this is done and the northern chap lains do not fit into the scheme with the men as do the southern chaplains who according to the be lief, are well schooled i nthe rac ial aspects in their sections. At present in the regular army there are three colored chaplains and from the reserves there cam« four chaplains, leaving a big de ficit to be supplied. Quietly, but effciiently Col. Ar nold is working with the religious Institutions seeking the type of men they need for this work in the army, and although he deplores the fact that most of the men will be new in the work, he feels that great good will be done when the final selections are made and ’he men are placed in their respective camps with their respective units BLEDSOE, FRIEND OF It VCE, NEW ASST. SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE Washington, Febr. 17 (ANP) — Back in 1939 when the ANP was establishing a foothold in Wash ington, one of the finest friends the organization had, and one of the finest friends the Negro rate had in agricult ure( was Samuel Bledsoe, a native of Memphis. It was Mr. Bledsoe who arranged bhe first interview with a presi dential possibility that the ANP. secured when he managed this with the now vice president, Henry A. Wallace. As a member of the department of information in agriculture, Mr. Bledsoe had his finger on the pulse of a great many things. And thru his outstanding efficiency In that organization, and the great work he did on his job, his many friends are happy to know that be ginning April 1, Mr. Bledsoe will be assistant secretary of agricult ure. This promotion insures the continuance of the many benefits Negroes have had through agricul ture and further assures them a “friend in court.” NORTH CAROLINIAN OBTAINS AWARD OF $14,000 DAMAGES Goldsboro, N. C., Feb. 17 (ANP A $14,000 judgement was awarded Jesse W. Jackson against his land lord, Will Parks, for allegedly twice wrongfully placing hint in the State Hospital for the Colored Insane and for prosecuting hint for larceny without probable cause Jackson sued for $50,000. The jury which awarded the judgement against Parks deliber ated for two hours after hearing the case for an entire week- The plaintiff presented numerous wit nesses who testified that Jackson appeared mentally normal before, during, and after his stay in the hospital- The defendant offered witnesses who testified that Jack son spoke of hearing voices, that he could turn the Little River in to blood, that he had peanuts he claimed he could sell for $50 a 5 Houston, Texas—Acting under the new federal rules of civil pro cedure, Judge T. M- Kennerly, of the United States District Court here has set February 24 as the date for holding a preliminary | conference in the forthcoming court action against the Texas I “white Primary,’’ which is being fought by the National Associat ion for the Adavancement of Col ored People. The NAACP. on January 16, fil ed a case here on behalf of Sidney Hasgett, a Negro voter who was denied the right to vote in the De mocratic primary last year. The association seeks $10,000 damages on the ground that the 16th am endment to the Constitution has been violated. Thurgood Marshall special NAACP. counsel is expect ed to come here in time for the opening of the case. Other NAA CP. lawyers working in the case include: W. J. Durham, of Sherm an, Texas; William H. Hastie, Leon A. Ransom, James N. NuL rit, and Robert Ming, Jr., ail mem bers of the association’s national legal committee. / piece, and that he ofered high-sal aried jobs to officials of the state, hospital. ASSAIL CITY FOR POLICY RACKETS Chicago, Feb. 18 (ANP) ‘‘Policy is milking the community of mil lions of dollars annually’^ declar ed Frazier T. Lane, spokesman for the Law Enforcement committee, ai group of South Side citizens rep resenting 160 business, civic and religious organizations participat ing in the drive against policy. City authorities were charged with failing to curb vice and law lessness on the South Side, and Lane said that “members of the commission have made plans for carrying the fight, if necessary, to the United States attorney gener al.” The spokesman said too, that complaints aired at the latest con ference of the commission charged the police with laxity and the judges with too much leniency in handling gambling cases. He al so announced that a mass meeting and luncheon will take place Feb 28 to press the campaign against policy. Washington, Feb. 17 (ANP) — Atty.. Gen. Robert Jackson last week warned the District Bar as sociation white, that its library's closed doors were to be open to Negro lawyers beginning April 1. Mr. Jackson acted after the bar association last December had re jected a compromise giving Ne groes the usd of separate rooms ;n the U. S. District Court building, where the library is located- The bar association, immediately upon receiving Jackson’s orders, called a meet, ig of its ooard of directors Mr. Jackson wrote President Francis W. HUI of the bar associa tion that the association’s court house space and facilities must be made available to all members of the bar” without discrimination on account of race, color, religion or sex.’’ Colored attorneys have long been working to breakdown the library handicap. Judges who have rec ognized the handicap often have sent for books needed by Negro trial lawyers Last year, Huver L. Brown, a col ored lawyer^ filed a formal com plaint charging that the ban was unconstitutional, only to lose the case- However, it brought atten tion to the situation and as a result Jackson issued the order eliminat ing a closed library for whites only in the District Court building. FIRST LADY WILL TESTIFY AT SENATE HEARING ON DISCRIMINATION IN NATL. DEFENSE New York—Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Philip Murray, presid ent of the Congress of Industrial Organizations, A. Philip Randolph, president of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, and Lester Granger, assistant executive sec retary of the National Urban Lea gue wil be among the prominent witnesses to testify at a prelimin ary Senate hearing to investigate discrimination against Negroes in National Defense, the National As sociatfon for the Advanacement of Colored People announced today. The hearing, according to the NAACP^ia scheduled to take place In Washington, D. C. just prior to ♦ he introduction of a resolution in the Senate calling for an investi gation of discrimination against the Negro in the government’s na tional defense program. Introduc tion of the resolution which is be ing sponsored by several senators has been held up because of the illness of Senator Robert Wagner of New York, Who with Senator Warren Barbour, of New Jersey, is taking the lead in organizing the plans for pushing the resolu tion. INK SPOTS TO BE GUESTS OF BING CROSBY New York (C) The Ink Spots, one of Bing Crosbys pet guests are going to appear on the crooner’s broadcast, Feb. 27th. But just now, Bing is a little worried as to what to have them sing. Witn ASCAP-BMI war, still raging, the foursome can’t do any of their best known hits, as ‘‘If I Did Not Care” and “Melancholy Bab|r’\ Guess they’ll have to swing “Jeanie vi!th the Light Brown Hair”. One more time won’t hurt!! This map shows how Eire is on the alert for Nazi invasion should Germany wish to use Ireland as a jumping: off place for an attack on England- Since the bombing of Dublin the tension has been in creased throughout Ireland.