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Drugstore largest accredited negro newspaper west of Chicago and north of Kansas city —member of the associated negro press
Under Act of March 8, 1874—Business Phone^WE.Nebraska. Qmaha Nebraska, Saturday, November 1, 1941 OUR 14th YEAR—No. 33 City Edition, 5c Copy
41 Leaders
Sign Statement
Repudiating
Request For
Jim-Crow
Training of Officers
MUTUAL SYSTEM NEWSCAST-*
ER SAYS EDGAR G. BROWN
AND OTHERS ASKED FOR
SEPARATE SCHOOLS
NEW YORK—Emphatically re
pudiating the appeal allegedly
made to President Roosevelt ex
pressing opposition to the Army's
present system of training Negro
and white officers in the same
schools, forty-one distinguished
Negro churchmen, editors, lawy
ers. business and porfessional nun
signed a statement to the Presid
ent today, urging him to resist any
‘ backward step.-’
The statement came after a
checkup on a broadcast by news
caster Fulton Lewis, Jr., on Octo
ber 20 over the Mutual Broadcas
ting system, during which he sa>d,
“A laige group of the most res
ponsih'c Ntgro leaders in the coun
try has appealed to President
Roosevelt m a formal, official let
ter opposing the present policy of
the Army whereby Negro officer*
are beinw: trained in the same
schools as white officers.”
The newscaster’s assistant, Da
vid Stick, in answer to an inquiry
from ihe XAACP. about the source
of his information, replied: “In
formation from Edgar G* Brown,
president, Ignited Government Em
ployees” a”d others.
Anti-Negro forces m Washing
ton and particularly in the War
Department are reported to be de
lighted at the request of Edgar G
Brown for Jim Crow officers’
training camps since it permits
them to justify segregation on tne
ground tl at Negroes themselves
have asked for it.
The statement opposing separ
ate officers’ training schools
reads: “We repudiate any and all
requests that the nresent success
ful method of training white and
Negro officers in the same camps
be changed and that Negro officers
be sent to segregated officers’
training schools. Segregation has
always led to discrimination and
widening of the chasm between
races whch menaces our country
in this hour of peril- We petition
you as Commander in Chief of the
Army and Navy to resist any back
ward step and to push forward in
the national defense program to
ward the truest democracy without
distinction of race, creed, color cr
national origin.”
Among the signers of the state
ment are A- Philip Randolph, in
ternational president of the Broth
erhood of Sleeping Car Porters,
New York City: Dr. Dorothy
Pou'dmg Ferebee, president, Al
pr.a Kappa Alpha seioity; Wash
ington, D. C-: T. G- Nutter. Char
leston, W. Va-, fraternal leader
and former West Virginia State
leg:slator; Euclid L. Taylor, presi
dent, National Bar Association,
Chicago, 111- Rayford W. Logan,
president, Alpha Phi Alpha frat
ernity, Washington, D- C.; J. E.
Smith, chairman of the executive
committee of the National Negro
Insurance Association, Louisville,
Ky; Leon A. Ransom, acting dean
Howard University Law school,
Washington, D. C.
Also, Bishop John A- Wegg, pre
siding bishcp of the Fourth Epis
ccpal District, African Methodist
'v scopal Church. Kansas City.
Kans.; Bishop W. J, Walls, of the
Chicago District,A frican Meth
odist Episcopal Zion Church, C .C
Spaulding, president, National
Negro Insurance Association, Dur
ham, N. C.; Roscoe Dunjee, editor
the Black Dispatch, Oklahoma
City. Okla-; W. Robert Ming, J1-,
professor, Howard University law
school, Washington, D. C.; Judge
Jane Bolin of the Domestic Rela
tions Court, New ork City; Frank
R. Crosswaithe, Chairman of the
Negro Labor Committee, New
York City; Fred R- Moore, editor
the New ork Age, New York Citp;
Dr- George Haynes, race relations
committee of the Federal Council
of Churches, New ork City: Judge
Charles E. Toney of the Municip
al Court, New York City; the Rev.
O- Clay Maxwell, Mt. Olivet Bap
tist Church, New' York City.
Others are Ira F. Lewis, pub
WHERE TO GO TO
CHURCH
SUNDAY
• (See Page Three)
Usher, the Pittsburgh, Pa., Cour
ier; E- Washington Rhodes, pub
I lisher, the Philadelphia, Pa. Trib
une; C. A. Franklin, editor, the
Kansas City, Mo., Call; C- A- Scott
editor, the Atlanta, Ga. Daily
World; Carl Murphy, publisher
the Afro-American, Baltimore, Md
Walter White, executive secretary
National Association for the Ad
vancement of Colored People. Roy
Wilkins, editir of The Crisis mag
azine; Dr. Rufus E- Clement, pres
ident, Atlanta University, Ga.; A.
C. MaicNeal, editor, the Chicago,
111. Defender; Judge James C. Wat
sin of Ithe Municipal Court, New
irk City; Dr. Dwight O- W. Holmes
president, Morgan College, Balti
more, Md.; Miss Elsie Austin,
president, Delta Sigma Theta sor
ority, Washington, D- C.; Louis
Martin, editor, Michigan Chron
icle, Detroit, Mich.; Charles H.
Houston, attorney, Washington, D.
C.; Louis L. Redling, attorney, Wil
mington, Del.; Elmer A. Carter,
editor of Opportunity magazine,
NeW York City, Eugene Kinckle
Jones, executive secretary, Nat
ional Urban league, NeW York
City; James E. Scott, grand pole
march, Kappa Alpha Psi fratern
ity. Washington, D- C.; Earl J.
Dickerson, member of the Presi
dent’s Commitltee on Fair Employ
ment Practice, Chicago, 111.; John
W. Davis, president, West Virginia
State College, Institute, W. Va.
Among the (telegrams which
came into the New York office of
the NAACP-, endorsing the state
ment to President Roosevelt in re
pudiation of Ithe request for a Jim
Crow officer’s training school are
these.—
“You may have no misgivings a
bout where the Pittsburgh Cour
ier stands on the question of se
gregation in the entire defense
program. If Negro officers are
being trained in the same units as
white officers, it is reasonable to
assume that they are receiving bet
Iter training than it would be pos
sible to secure under any type of
segregated setup. You may use
my name to that effect-”
Ira F. Lewis,
The Pittsburgh Courier.
“You have full authority Ito sign
my name to the petition you pro
pose to present to the President of
the United States as outlined in
your telegram of today. Any such
mawkish diatribe from socaUcd
; Negro leaders is treasonable to the
equality and justice for which
sound Negro leaders have been
striving.”
Euclid Louis Taylor, President,
National Bar Assn
“I join enthusiastically with you
and others in statement set forth
in your telegram this day with ref
erence to training of Negro and
white officers in (the same camp
You may place my name as one of
the endorsers of such a statement”
Earl B- Dickerson.
“Will be glad to join you and
ethers in protest to the President
and Secretary of War against ail
foims of segregation of Negroes
in the Army, including training,
etc.”
Philip Randolph
"Repudiate emphatically any
suggestion Negro leaders in fav
or segregated officers’ training
camps. Use my name on your pro
posed petition. You know my
sentiment and can quote me as un
alterably oppose-i ”
L. A. Ransom.
“The orinciples expressed in 'he
proposed statement to the Presid
ent I gisdly endorse- They reflect
mv !i*e long attitude on the ques
tion. \ou may add my signature.”
Frank R. Crossw.v H
“S’gn my name twice to idte
mtrt opposing segregation in Ar
my diners’ training.”
Roscoe Dunjee
V
“You may sign my name to your
telegram. Present system of trod
leg in this section has prove a x
ru-’i ess. I am opposed to ?.
Ji an - c.’
C. A- Franklin,
The Kansas City Cail
“[ repudiate Jim Crow’s state
ment- Sign my name to protest
NEBB. POLITICS
The greatest American game, pol
itics, is now getting underway for 1942
Already, several senatorial candidates
have been mentioned; Kenneth Wherry
Republican State Chairman, who last
year brought the Republican pany
back to life in the state, Governor
Dwight Griswold, a product of the
“RESURRECTION”, and former Gov
ernor, Arthur J. Weaver.
Each man has his following xnd
—
hopes, but the decision will be made by
Mr. arid Mrs. Public, who let us fer
vently wish, will base their decision
on grounds best designed to advance
the highest interests of the state and
the nation.
Two of the candidates, Messrs.
Griswold and Weaver, are supporters
of the New Deal Domestic and Foreign
Policies, whereas Mr. Wherry, while
supporting some phases of the Foreign
Policy, points out that a $60,000,000,
000.00 ‘‘WAR DANCE” requires many
fiddlers, who must be paid. And he in
sists that much of this vast sum is be
ing spent merely for “fiddlers”, with
very little preparation for war or
peace.
The public should hear all of
them and ascertain what they know a
bout DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN
PROBLEMS, rather than their agree
ment or disagreement with Roosevelt,
for the time is coming when men and
women in American Public Life will
have to stand on their own feet; when
a mere “me too” will be unavailing.
It will be remembered that Neb
raska in 1940, even with a candidate
like Wendell Willkie, voted against
Roosevelt and the New Deal. What
will happen in this respect in 1942?
Will the fact that we are at war change
the political picture? Will the moth
ers and fathers in Nebraska be more
willing in 1942 to send their sons to
foreign lands to fight and die than
they were in 1940?
We have an opinion on this mas
ter, but will withhold it for the pres
ent. Which shall it be: Wherry, Wea
ver or Griswold for United States Sen
ator in 1942.
Nebraska Politics are “humm
ing” again. Watch out.
MRS. BETHUNE SAYS NEGRO
YOUTH CONFERENCE COMES
AT JUST THE RIGHT TIME
Washington, D. C.—Describing
the present crucial period as one
in which our country may well re
gard as an “asset a militant youth
able to keep its feet on the ground’
in the fight to defend democracy,
Dr. Mary McCleod Bethune, dir
ector of the NY
A’s Office of Ne
gro Affairs, char
acterized the
forthcoming Na
tional Conference
of Negro Youth
as "timely, pert
inent and neces
sary”.
More than one
*
thousand repres
entatives of Ne
gro youth groups
throughout the
country are ex
pec-tea to attend gjA.N.F.
the three day eon m*ry m. bethune
ference which opens in Washing
ton Friday November 14th, at the
Metropolitan Baptist Church, ac
cording to Miss Marie Richardson,
acting secretary of the local init
iating committee. The committee
has opened offices at 903 You St.
Northwest.
“The call for the convening of
a National Conference of Neg,o
Youth, seems to meet these three
challenges,” Dr. Bethune said. “It
is timely, pertinent and necessary
“A militant youth, able to ke°p
its feet on the ground, but its head
high and its eyes clear, will be an
asset to America as our country
bears itself to the rapid tempo re
quired for the defense of democ
racy- Today it is just as true as
when Lincoln spoke these immort
al words: “A house divided against
itself cannot stand.”
‘‘Inasmuch as I understand the
purpose of this conference is to
point the way toward greater unity
by integration of the Negro into
all the practical aspects of demo
cracy—not just in theory—I be
lieve it will serve a real purpose.”
The conference will give special
attention to the problems facing
two million Negro youth in the Un
ited States, approximately eighty
thousand of whom are in the army
as regards their integration in na
tional defense industries, the var
ious branches of the armed forc
es, and civilian defense activities.
More than eight hundred thousand
Negro young people between the
ages of 20 and 24 years, are un
employed, according to govern
ment statistics, despite the dire
need for workers in defense in
dustries.
A cultural iestivai will be one
of the highlights of the confer
ence. Thomas Richardson, author
of “Pace: America”, a dramatic
history of the National Associat
ion for the Advancement of Color
ed People; and Waring Cuney, col
laborator with Joshua White on
the new blues album, titled “Sou
thern Exposure”, will direct the
festival.
W C Handy, famos author of
do 'umtnt. Am with you one hun
dred percent.”
W- J. Walls.
‘‘The Negroes of Michigan wi’l
repudiate any effort to further
jim-erowism in the armed forces
of the nation. Will gladly sign
your statement.”
Louis Martin
the St. Louis Blues, whose 58th
birthday occurs on the date of the
festival, is scheduled to appear.
Duke Ellington, famous Orchestra
leader and a sponsor of the confer
ence, is also scheduled to appear.
Other artists who are also sponsors
of the conference include 01 Har
rington, famous cartoonist, aud
Aaron Douglass, well known mural
painter.
NAACP BRANCH HELPS FREE
MAN ON MURDER CHARGE
San Bernadino, Cal-,—Because
they were able to prove that John
Oscar Hayes, picked up in San Di
ego, California ,and brought to San
Pernadino as suspect in the com
mission of a murder in that town,
was a victim of mistaken identity
attorneys Marshall Denton, Jr,
and William Guthrie, retained in
Hayes’ behalf by the local branch
of the NAACP- secured his release
here on October 14th.
Immediately after Hayes’ arrest
in March, the branch investigated
the case and was convinced that
Hayes was not the criminal. His
case was first put on the calender
for September 10, and because he
had no funds, two ‘‘inexperienced”
lawyers were appointed by tne
court to defend him
Alton-Oys Denton and Guthrie
after healing the facts and at the
request of the NAACP, took over
the case a» d proved conclusively
that Hayes was mistakenly identi
fied as the murderer. As a result
of their defense the Mai resmteu
in a hung jury. A retrial was ses
for November 18, but on October
14th the case was dismissed .
FORMER CIVIL SERVICE
EMPLOYES MAY GET WORK
Washington, Oct. 22 (ANP)—
A new* ruling of the civil service
commission paves the way for
hundreds of veteran employes of
the government to reenter the ser
vice, regardless of their age or
length of time since they were
separated from the civil service
rolls. Any worker who was on the
payrolls and had civil service sta
tus during the last was is eligible
for reinstatement and should make
application immediately for such
work as he is qualified to do, pro
vided he is already in possesion of
civil service status.
COMMANDANT SAYS NAVY
ORDERED “N” BADGES FOR
PHILADELPHIA YARD
WORKERS
Philadelphia—According to Rear
Admiral A- E. Watson. Command
ant of the Philadelphia Navy Yard
the order to use the leter ‘‘W” for
white employees and “N” for Ne
gro Employes on identification
badges at the Navy yard, came
from the Navy department at
Washington. The Rear Admiral
made this known after a strong
protest against the practice from
Theodort Spauding, president of
the Philadelphia branch of the N
AACP
But the Washington Navy De
partment in answer to a report on
the race-labeling from the nation
al office of the NAACP replied
simply that it would make “ap-'
propriate inquiry”. The NAACP
letter was addressed to Secretary
of the Navy Frank Knox and was
answered by Ralph A. Bard of the
Office of the Assistant Secretary.
The identification badges which
label workers according to race
are new ones. The NAACP- com
pared them to the labels used by
IN SEARCH FOR MISSING GIRLS.
POLICE UNCOVER VICE - DEN
3 LOS ANGELES PLANTS DENY DIS
CRIMINATION AT OPM PROBE- BUT
ADMIT FEW NEGROES HIRED
the Nazis to single out Jews in
Germany and occupied countries.
PRES^ ASKED
PROSECUTION
OF ARK STATE
TO DIRECT
TROOPERS
New York—President Roosevelt
has been asked to settle the dis
pute between the War Department
and the Department of Justice ov
er jurisdiction in prosecuting Ark
ansas state troopers who threaten
ed and insulted members of the
94th Engineers division last Aug
ust 10, and slapped Lieutenant
Donald Curry, an officer in com
mand
In a letter to the Chief Execu
tive Friday, October 24, the Nat
ion Association for the Advance
ment of Colored People declared:
“There seems to be no dispute
as to the fact that a crime has
been committed. If it is true that
the state troopers were deputized
by the military authorities and if
CURRIER CO, DENIED
CONTRACT, CLAIMS 60
RACE WORKERS •
Detroit, Mich.,—The P- J. Curr
ier Lumber Company here which
was denied a defense housing con
tract etspite its low< bid, is an em
ployer of Negro labor without dis
tinction as to types of jobs- This
cl;.im is contained in a letter to
the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People
frcm Donald F. Currier, treasurer.
Denial of the contract to the
Currier company by Sidney Hill
man, Co-Director of the Office of
Production Management, in favor
of A- F. of L- building trades un
ions means that the huge housing
job will be done by unions whiefy
generally bar Negroes from mem
bership.
Hillman stirred a storm of j.re
test by his so-called stabilization
agreement with the A. F- of L. un
ions. It has been charged that
this gave the A. F- of L. a virtual
monopoly in defense construction.
The letter from the Currier com
pany to the NAACP- dated Octo
ber 22 states: “At the present time
we have approximately 60 Negro
employees. These men do the
same type of work at the same
rate of pay as any other employee
Some of them are employed as
truck,drivers, operators of cement
block machinery, cement block stor
age plant workers, masons and
any other capacity for which their
talents fit them.”
It also states that this is not
a new policy with the company and
+hat Negro workers are said to re
ceive all benefits such as group
, insurance, and membership in cred^
it unions on a basis of strict equal
ity.
they acted as military police, then
they violated the articles of War,
especially section 1536 of title 10
of the United States Code.
“Regardless of whether the
state troopers were deputized or
not,” the NAACP said, ‘‘they viol
ated Section 54 of Title 18 of the
United States Code which provid
es:
“If two or more persons in any
State. Territory or District con
spire to prevent, by force, intimid
ation, or threat, any person from
accepting or holding any office,
trust, or place of confidence und
er the United States, or from dis
charging any duties thereof; or to
induce by like means any officer
of the United States to leave any
State. Territory, District, or place,
where his duties as an officer are
required to be performed, or to in
jure him in his person or property
on account of his lawful discharge
of the duties of his office or while
engaged in the lawful discharge
thereof, or to injure his property
so as to molest, interrupt, hinder
or impede him in the discharge of
his official duties, each of such
persons shall be fined not more
than $5,000 or imprisoned not
more than six years or both.”
The Association pointed out
that failure by officials to take af
firmative action when Negroes had
(Continued on pagej^’2)
1 Los Angeles, Oct. 27 (ANP) —
Defense industry personnel chiefs
Tuesday testified that no racial
barriers exist at their plants but
admitted that only a decimal per
centage of “minority races” are on.
their payrolls.
The testimony was given at the
first daj’s session of the comm
ittee appointed by President Roose
velt to investigate charges of rac
ial discrimination in the hiring of
workers for national defense in
dustries.
Personnel officers of aircraft
and shipbuilding stands accounted
for the scarcity of Negro workers
on their payrolls in several ways.
One executive said his company
hired through union hiring hails
and that no Negroes were sent
when his company called for men.
Another testified that white
workmen had threatened to go
strike if Negroes or Mexicans were
promoted from lower labor brack
ets
Still another said his company
received very few applications
from the so-called “minority races’
Barry A- Neal, personnel man
ager of Douglas Aircraft Co., said
that out of 33,000 persons, his
company had hired 10 Negroes, 10
to 25 Mexicans, several hundred
Jews, four of five Japanese, five
Chinese and several Indians.
Neal said that at no time had
his company practiced ny discrim
(Continued on page jp^3)
V
2 MISSING GIRLS FOUND
DISROBED IN MARIJUANA
HIDEOUT; BRILLIANT
POLICE WORK DONE
BY WOMAN—
Chicago, Oct. 25 (ANF) Police
men of the fourth district made a
raid upon two vice dens on the
south side last week in seirch of
two girls who had been missing
from their homes for over a fort
right. The two girls whom the
officers were searching for were
Yvonne Jean ReChard, 14 and Jan
ith Reese, 18. Yvonne had been
missing from home snce October
15. The parents of Janith had
not seen her since the latter part
of September.
Both girls were found Wednes
day lying across a bed in a one
room apartment in company with
Isaac Byed 19, and John Earl 19.
All were disrobed The finding of
the girls climaxed a three day
search carried on by Policewoman
Rachael Brght, who, accompanied
by Officers Thomas and McGuire,
went to the apartment and threat
ened to break in the door when no
response was made to their first
knocks Lieut. Robert Harness
had assigned Mrs. Bright to the
case with instructions to see it
through.
The first raid, also led by Pol
icewoman Bright, accompanied by
Detectives Krisan and Michael
Brennan, was made Tuesday on
the roach-infested two-room apart
ment of Charles Montgomery, 22.
Here policemen found marijuana
weed and $200 worth of morphine
pellets cached about the place.
Montgomery was placed under ar
rest for violating the narcotic act.
A policeman was kept posted in
the flat to answer the door and ad
(Continued on page 15^*3)
BUY $25,000 IN DEFENSE BONDS
ill I Wl—ii"l1 --- " 1 i'll III ■■ ' '■
Officials of the Afro-American
Life Insurance Co., Jacksonville,
Fla., shown last week as they pur
chased $25,000 in defense bonds
through officials of the Barnett
National Bank in Jacksonville. In
the picture, left to right, are A. L
Lewis, chairman of the board and
Janies H- Lewis, president, Ai'ro
American Life and C. S. L’Engle
and Powers Williams, vice presid
ents, Barnett Bank. The Afro
also owns nearly $200,000 in fed
eral government bonds previously
purchased. (ANP photo*
Louis Armstrong, Mid-nite show,SMS*"!m
.