EDITORIALS OF THE WEEK—
JAPANESE
ATTACK U. S.
POSSESSIONS
Last Sunday the Radio brought
the intelligence that Japan had
made attacks by bombers upon
the Hawaiian Islands and the Phii
lipine Islands and that naval craft
and submarines had also begun
their sea war on American and
British shipping.
Thus, the “War of the Pacific”
has begun, and thus too, the rea
Saburo Kurusu, special en
voy from Japan, who it is said
Japan had invested with great
(power for amicably settling
any major differences between
America and Japan.
son now arises to the surface as
to why we shall need ten million
soldiers, with ten men behind each
soldier in total war.
Regretable as this war is, all A
mericans have but one course open
to them,—UNITY of all the people
to prosecute this war with full
vigor to a speedy conclusion. And
in this effort, there must be blit
one color,—the OLIVE DRAB;
there must be but two parties, pa
triots and traitors.
The causes which have led to
war can no longer be debated;
war is here and all of us must sup
port the government to defend its
domain.
For this effort, millions of men
and women will be needed, and
loyal men and women alone will
be safe as soldiers and sailors and
workers in the war effort.
That Japan would make her
first attack in American waters
came as a great surprise; that she
would do so while her envoys were
pretending to discuss ways to
maintain the peace, if the envoys
were informed of the policy of the
government, marks the worst ex
ample of a nation’s conduct in the
story of the modern world.
♦he term which fully explains
the sets of Japan is TRICKERY.
Let us speedily put an end to Jap
anese prentensions.
LET US PROVE IT
. . Let us prove that we can put a
stop to the marauding “world
bandits” while at the same time
we maintain our democratic insti
tutions. For contructive criticsm
of the government in war time
may be as fine a service as can be
rendered by soldiers on the battle
field. Let us prove we can surv
ive and grow surrounded by enem
ies of our theory of government.
Our faith is that we can and will.
♦♦
GOOD WILL TOWARD MEN
Christmas will soon be here. It
is the period of “Good Will To
ward Men”. How tragic it must
be to Him whose birthday it com
memorates as He looks down up
on this troubled, mangled world.
No wonder, the ancients had many
gods; their tragedies and sorrows
made them feel one was not
enough.
And now we hope and pray *or
GOOD WILL TOWARD MEN.
THE SITUATION IN HARLEM
Harlem, New York City, is still
in the headlines. The charge is
made that there is a crime wave
there. They had a few of them
during the early days of the first
world war, but President Wilson
orderd all men of sound body aid
mind to work or fight. And may
we suggest that it might be a good
plan to “draft the energeic young
men of Harlem and permit them to
expend their energy on the Jap
anese or on work which will lead
to their undoing, the Japanese.
♦♦
WATCH FOR SABOTAGE
Sabotage is a real danger in
this country. We have been so
busy cultivating “sojourners” a
mong us who have no proper con
cept of our government and its
purposes as to expose ourselves to
ruin. In this respect we are the
most careless government in the
world. And we may wisely use
our Negro population in many
ways for our safety; as workers in
defense plants, as guards on all
property which is being used in
any way for defense purposes, as
well as in our armed forces.
I Richmond Daily Warns SALARIES MUST BE EQUALIZED
I GOOD
READING
The
OMAHA
GUIDE
■
at your
Dr- store
LARGEST . .iEEDITED NEGRO NEWSPAPER WEST OF CHICAGO AND NORTH OF KANSAS CITY —MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED NEGRO PRESS
j Nebraaka’Omaha, Nebraska, Saturday, December 13, 1941 OUR 14th YEAR-No. 39 City Edition, 5c Copy
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCcRN:
The present Pastor, Officers and
members of St. John AME. church
wish to make it known that, the
former Pastor, Rev. T. A. Sears,
is no longer connected with St.
Johns AME. Church, nor the AME.
connection in anyway, and that
the Church, Officers and Members
shall not be responsible for any
bills contracted by Rev. Sears,
henceforward, nor any personal
bills contracted heretofore or
hereafter.
Signed—
Rev. E. F. Ridley, Pastor,
Geo. Woods, Treas. Trustee
Board,
F. W. Starns, Sec.
Trustee Board
PRESIDENT’S FEPC. TO MEET
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12th
The President’s Committee on
Fair Employment Practice will
meet Friday, December 12, 1941 at
10 A. M., in the Social Security
Building, Washington, D. C. Mark
F. Ethridge, chairman of the com
mittee, announced today.
The Committee will give consid
eration to the dates for proposed
public hearings in Chicago and
New York City, and will further
deal with complaints received fr >m
job seekers who allege they havo
been barred from defense employ
ment because of their race, creed
color or national origin.
Mr. Ethridge also announced
the appointment of Daniel R. Don
ovan, of Lakewool, Ohio, as field
representative of the Committee.
Mr. Donovan has had long ex
perience in the labor movement,
and was a railroad worker, a mac
hinist, an organizer and a labor
editor before he assumed several
public posts. He was the labor
member of the Compliance Council
of the NR A; labor relations advis
or in WPA, and more recently
was the labor information repres
entative with the Social Security
Board in the Cleveland area.
Once a resident of Massachus
sets, Mr. Donovan was a member
of the Massachusssets Constit i
tional Convention of 1917-18. He
is a graduate of St. Joseph’s Aca
demy, North Brookfield, Mass.
Mr. Donovan is married and is
the father of two sons and a dau
ghter. One of the sons is in the
U. S. Naval Reserve.
MR. ADOLPHE HICKS
STRICKEN WITH HEART
ATTACK
Mr. Adolphe Hicks, husband of
Esther Hicks of 2422 Erskine was
stricken with a heart attack on
Thursday, Dec. 5. Dr. Margolin
heart specialist was called to Mr.
Hicks- bedside. He was given the
best of attention by Dr. Margolin
of the Medical Arts bldg. Short
ly after about a minute later he
was stricken again and the ambu
lance was called from Lincoln and
Mr. Hicks was rushed to the Vet
erans hospital there.
Mrs. Hicks was so stricken with
grief by her husband’s sudden ill
ness that she fainted by the side
of the ambulance as it drove off
and Dr. Margolin was called to
attend her.
Mr. Hicks is resting, but he is
very ill in the veterans hospital.
Mrs. Hicks has regained her nerv
es and is doing nicely. Mr. Hicks
has been in ill health for about a
year and a half before he was
employed at the Police Dept.
NAACP ANNUAL ELECTION
OF OFFICERS
The Omaha Branch of the NAA
CP. will hold its Annual Election
of Officers at the Urban League,
Sunday, December 14, at 3:15 p.
m.
All members are urged to be
present.
Arthur B. McCaw. President, J.
Westbrook McPherson, Program
Chairman.
fire damages home
The home of Mrs. L. Bryant,
2125 North 28th St., was badH
burned by fire Tuesday afternoor
Mrs. Bryant and family are now
residing in South Omaha while
repairs are being made on theii
home.
NEGRO PATRIOTS TRY TO ENLIST
IN UNITED STATES NAVY CORP.
♦♦ s
Last Tuesday a score of Negroes visited the Navy Recruiting
Station in Omaha and tried to enlist for service, but were advised
that there was no place where Negroes could be used in the navy at
this time, the Negro jobs in the mess section having already been
filled.
This curious development in recent years marks a backward
trend in this respect. In the war for American Independence, Ne
groes served as first-class seamen and gunners and as petty officers.
They served in the same capacities in the war of 1812 and in the Civil
War.
Such incidents will doubtless be used by enemy nations to prove
that even in war-time in America, loyal, patriotic citizens are refus
ed the right to serve their country on account of color. This matter
will be "played up” to our detriment.
Comparisons are being made now with the conditions prevail-,
ing in the first world war. In that war the navy policy was as it now
is, but more than a thousand colored commissioned officers were in
the armed forces. Now they are absent, except in token numbers.
The Axis powers cannot be beaten without national unity and
that cannot be achieved if color prejudice is to control the policy of
the armed forces of the nation.
^——i——"i——1—^
EMMETT CUNNINGHAM TALKS
CAUSES LATEST DETROIT ?
GRAFT PROEE
Detroit, Dec. 10 (By Robert
Chump for ANP) taxpayers of
this «-ity are st’M c:i'> ying th: lan
tern in search of ar honest man in
th? city goverment, for year af
ter year during *ue past several
years there comes >. sudden flare
up of charges of graft, corruption
e.nbezzlemnet of nulls, briber*,
and what not in one branch or.
aother of the government here.
Some years ago there were two
cases of embezzlement of thous
.*."ds of dollars of welfare funds,
one ,’ollowing hard on fie he^’s of
t:-.< o*hc.. Then came the consoi;
acy to obstruct ju. cc and graft
to protect the policy end clearing
house racket t- r vl ch some c.’.y
and county offciitis are n »* on
tr al. Later ‘. uiee councilor n
were convicted for accepting grot1
■ r ney for a (.•ueain type of < .n
st’uction of tp • :-*iment housing
projects and u 'w comes an inv si.
igrtion by the cc j? ty prosecu .or
in charges of irregularity, padded
payrolls and the use of county
funds for political purposes whicn !
flared forth a few days ago, which
involves several Negro men hold
ing prominent positions in the
Wayne county government setup.
This latest mess which grows
deeper day by day grew out of the
summary dismissal of six county
employes of the tract index depart
meat who were charged with
1 gross insubordination and unlirrt
, ited and unaccounted for absence
i without leave.
Emmett S. Cunningham, prom
inent political leader who headed
up political activities around the
county building and the only col
ored man among the six dismiss
ed employes, squealed loudest
when informed of his discharge.
Cunningham claimed that his days
of AWOL were when he was out
campaigning for reelection of
some of the official heads of the
county government and that he
had been given that permission by
those in authority to go the limit.
He charged further that he used
county funds given him by his
bosses with which to pay camp
aign expenses.
These statements made, it is be
lieved, in a boastful manner to the
] daily newspapers by Cunningham
| caused a stir in county circles and
j a search into the records is said
to have revaled irregularities, lax
ity in administration and paddmg
of payrolls. The money angle cf
the charges brought in the name
of Benjamin Pelham, 79, known as
| the boss of the county government
j and administrator of the $23,000.
000 a year county business.
No man alive knows more about
the Wayne county financial sta
tus, its revenue, its operation than
does Pelham. While listed as a
clerk in the auditor’s office, he is
, in truth, auditor himself. No pur
chases could be made, no approp
riations set aside, no appointments
made or money spent without the
consultation with the sanction of
1 Mr. Pelham. Yet no one believes
I
that a finger will be pointed at
him other than the fact that he
is a Negro holding down the big
gest job of the third richest county
in the nation. Pelham has carr
ied on the business of the county
for 40 years and was always hon
ored and respected by the hund
reds of county employes from top
to bottom and was instrumental
in placing so many Negroes in the
county setup.
This investigation which may go
to the grand jury as has other
cases of irregularities, is aimed
directly at the three county aud
itors who hold elective positions.
While the affair was being air
ed before the 32 members of the
board of county supervisors Mon
day, opinion was freely expressed
that Cunningham riled over his
discharge, stepped off on the
wrong foot and that he has sung
his political swan song.
YES, WE BELIEVE IN THE RED
CROSS BY GIVING $841.50 FOR
THIS WEEK
Employees of the Nebraska Po
wer Company set a new high re
cord in the 1942 Red Cross mem
bership roll call by subscribing a
total of $841.50.
This is revealed in a letter post
ed on all company bulletin boards
in which Mr. J. E. Davidson, com
pany president, thanks the em
ployes for their generous support!
CIO CONVENTION BACKS
DRIVES IN SOUTHLAND
WORK IN SOUTH SEEN AS AN
OUTSTANDING TASK FOR CIO
IN COMING YEAR
Detroit, Nov. 29—Organization
of the South is one of the outstand
ing tasks facing the CIO during
the coming year, CIO President
Philip Murray told delegates to
the CIO convention.
“I don't mind telling you” Mur
ray declared, “that in so far as the
CIO is concerned, nothing is go
ing to stand in our way of organ
izing the South during the current
year. We have to do it; we arc
going to do it. Let us pledge our
selves to see that this job is done
before your convention meets
next year.
In furtherance of this policy,
the convention adopted a resolu
tion urging CIO officials to form
ulate and put into affect plans in
conjunction -with all interested na
tional and international Unions de
signed to bring about organization
of all Southern workers into un
ions of the CIO.
Describe Problems
In the discssion on southern or
ganizing from the floor several del
i egates from Unions active in the
south spoke on the problems to be
fa cel in this drive and the progress
made so far.
The work done by the Textile
Workers Union in the South dur
ing the last four or five years was
'described by Delegates George
Baldanzi “As a result of our con
stant push forward”, he stated,
"we have raised the wages of
those workers considerably, but
there is a tremendous task to be
accomplished there, and it 'is go
ing to require a well coordinated
campaign by every international,
organization connected with the
CIO.
Effect On Poll Tax
Noel Beddon, of the Steel Work
ers Organization Committee in
Birmingham, Ala., told the dele
gates that since many of the Sou
thern workers were kept from vot
ing by poll tax requirements,
there were a lot of representativ
es from the South in Congress
that “we are not proud of.”
Among them he said, was Eu
gene Cox, “a little nincompoop
down in Georgia elected from a
district in which there are very
few people who till the land or
work in the factories that have
the right to vote.
Delegate Fred C. Pieper from
the Louisiana Industrial Union
Council said that the South is a
“frontier” where hundreds of thou
sands of workers look to the CIO
for help.
Ask Aid To Strike
Lewis Merril, president of the
United Office and Professional
Workers, describes some of the
brutal vigilantes activity whicn
has taken place in southern reg
ions and Milton Murray, newly el
JERS’Y POLICE
CHECK MOB
OF WHITE TENANTS IN
HOUSING PROJECT
Jersey City, N. J.—Attempted
mob action to prevent the first
colored family from moving into
the LaFayette Gardens, low cost
housing project here, was stopped
last week by Jersey City police
and the local Housing Authority,
the Reverend S. E. Ha^dge, local
head of the NAACP announced
Friday.
In spite of pronouncements by
federal officials. Mayor Frank
Hague of this city, and officials of
the Housing authority .white ten
ants held a mass meeting in pro
test against the moving in of the
colored family. The meeting was
broken up by the police, and a
petition to the Department of
Public Safety for permission to
stage a march on the office of
the Housing Authority was refus
ed.
The J. C. H. A. also issued a
statement that it is a federal pol
icy that there shall be no discrim
ination on account of race or color
in the U. S. public housing prog
ram and that it intends to follow
this policy.
A request to Mayor Hague and
the J. C. H. A. to evict any white
tenants who attempted to molest
or in anyway stop occupancy by
colored familys was considered at
an emergency meeting of NAAC
P. executive committee, Friday
night, Dcember 5.
In his letter he pr 'nts out that this
is a splendid contribution to a
very worthy cause.
In Omaha, 643 employes gave a
total of $720.50 and the 65 em
ployes living in Council Bluffs
contributed a dollar each by an
appropriation from their joint civ
ic contributions fund. The Coun
cil Bluffs employes handle all
their contributions to civic and pa
triotic activites through this fund
which is made up by voluntary
payroll deductions.
All of the 56 employes in th9
smaller communities the company
serves, contributed an average of
a little more than a dollar each in
their local Red Cross roll oalls.
EARL BROWDER (hat in hand
with friend visiting the remaining
Scottsboro boys in Kilby prison
while on a tour of the south prior
to his imprisonment in . Atlanta
penitentiary on charges of pass
port irregularities. Release of
Browder, who led in the fight to
save the lives of the Scottsbo-o
boys, is currently being sought by
nationally known Negro and white
leaders who consider the sentence
exorbitant and a form of perse
cution because of Browder’s affil
iation’s with the Communist party.
(ANP Photo)—
SOUTHERN AIRES OFFERED
LEGAL AID IN JIM CROW
AT AIRPORT DINING ROOM
ANDREW JACKSONS’
PRAISE FOR NEGRO
SOLDIERS RECALLED
Raleigh, N. C., Dec. 10 (ANP)
A historical reference in the radio
address delivered from this, the
papital city of North Catrolino,
last week by President James E.
Shepard of the North Carolina
College for Negroes who is also
grand master of the Masons of
the state, has attracted wide at
tention. President Shepard said:
“There was a great Democrat
who thought well of the Negro as
a soldier, and I use him now to
show what Andrew Jackson saw
so clearly, if in part, prophetically
Before the battle of New Orleans,
he issued the following circular:
“To the Men of Color: Soldiers
From the shores of Mobile, I call
ed you to arms. I invited you to
share in the perils and to divide
the glory with your white country
men. I expected much from you,
for I was not uninformed of those
qualities which must render you
so formidable to an invading foe.
I knew that you could endure
hunger, thirst and all the hard
ships of war. I knew that you
loved the land of your activity,
and like ourselves you had to de
fend all that is dear to man. But
you surpass my hopes. I have
found you united to these qualit
ies, that noble enthusiasm which
impels to great deeds. Soldiers,
the President of the United States
shall be informed of your conduct
on the present occasion and the
voice of the representatives of the
American nation shall applauds
your ardor.. . The enemy is near.
His sails cover the lakes. But the
brave are united, and if he finds
us contending among ourselves, it
will be only for the prize of valor
and fame, its noblest reward.”
“That was written on the Negro
and dated from Mobile, Sept. 21,
1814. It was signed ‘Andrew Jack
son, Major Genral Commanding.’
This was the superlative tribute
of a great American to the soldiers
of a race, most of whom were in
slavery. Look at the date, near
ly 127 years ago, when very much
the same sort of government try
anny was being resisted as we now
| meet in November, 1941. I ap
I ected president of the American
Newspaper Guide, told of the H
weeks strike against a Scripns
Howard paper in Birmingham and
asked the cooperation of other CIO
unions in Birmingham and other
cities where the guide is organiz
ing.
The sorry role played by the A.
F. of L. in its feeble attempts to
organize the South was mentioned
by Paul Christopher, regional dir
ector in Tennessee. “As frequent
ly as the years rolled around,”
Christopher lecalled, the AF of L.
used to say, “We are going to or
ganize the South.” but it was nev
er done.
John Schulter, delegate from tne
Alabama Council urged interna
tioral Unions to send organizers
into th£ South to aid in a task
that is “a matter of fundamental
importance to every Union in this
country.”
i Washigton, D. C.—The District
of Columbia branch of the Nation
al Association for the Advance
ment of Colored People has pledg
ed to aid the famed radio quartet.
The Southemaires, in any action
the group may take against the
Washington airport for its refusal
to serve them with white patrons
in the dining room of the airport
last week. Although the.
airport serves the District of Col
umbia, it is located within the
state boundary of Virginia.
The singers had just returned
from Williamsburg, Va., where
they were guests of John D. Rock
efeller, Jr., and were enroute to
Cincinnati, Ohio. According to
the manager, the airport is oper
ated by the Air Terminal Servic
es, Inc., of Virginia.
The Southernaires were served
at the Williamsburg, Va., Inn al
ong with other guests.
At the airport dining room, the
singers were told after an hour’s
wait, that arrangements had been
made for them to be served in the
main dining room upstairs. They
were to be waited on by colored
kitchen help and the room was
not to be occupied by any other
person.
As an alternative, they were ad
vised that they could eat down
stairs in the eating place for col
ored help. Pictures were taken
by a staff photographer of the
Baltimore Afro-American show
ing the basement dining room, the
entrance to which was littered
with debris and dirty scrub buck
ets.
A reporter from a local while
daily questioned the NAACP rep
resentative on his plans for legal
action and was told that further
investigation will have to be made
before a satement can be issued.
There is a quesion as to whether
the dining room is under the jur
isdiction of the District of Colum
bia or the state of Virginia.
peal to the liberal-minded white
people of North Carolina and the
south to band themselves together
to see that the injustices done the
Negro in the army, in the navy
and in economic fields of endeavor
te changed, so that all can stand
together in defense of a real de
mocracy. The Negro has never
failed his country, and it would be
unconscionable wrong if his coun
try failed him. The south is pow
erful enough to lead in this, and
especially could our own great
state.”
DUKE ENDOWMENT FUND
LISTS 13 HOSPITALS AIDED
DURING 1939
New York, Dec. 3 (ANP) —The
annual Duke Endowment fund
1939 report issued recently lis+s
10 hospitals and three special hos
pitals in North Carolina which re
ceived assistance during 1939. A
total of $82,479 was contributed to
the 13 institutions.
Listed in the report as receiving
£ ranis for hospitalization of pat
ients are Community hospital, Wil
! migton. $7,724; Gaston County
Negro hospital, Gastonia, $1,793;
Good Samaritan hospital, Charl
otte, $12,640; Good Shepherd hos
pital, New Bern, $3,242; Jubilee
Complete Equalization Through
out South Will Cost $43,000,000
Richmond, Va.,—That the South
now realizes it can no longer a
void paying equal salaries to col
ored and white school teachers is
brought out in a recent editorial
in the widely-circulated daily, the
Richmond News Leader which
states that the local school board
will lose if it goes to court in the
equal pay action begun here, the
NAACP announced this week.
Richmond teachers have petit
ioned the school board for immed
iate adjustment of their salaries
to the level of that of whites with
equal training and experience.
The News Leader says that “pay
ought to be equalized” and places
the cost of the increase at $22,000
per annum. The NAACP is as
sisting Richmond teachers at their
request.
From the United States Office
of Education, the NAACP learned,
this week that approximately $43 -
000,000 annually would be needed;
to bring educational standards for
Negroes in the South into parity
with the standards for whites.
This figure includes $26,036,421
in additional funds needed to equal
ize colored and white teachers sal
aries; about $8,000,000 to bring
supplies to Negro schools into ap
proximately equality with whites,
and $9,000,000 for additional Ne
gro teachers to make the ratio of
pupils per teacher equal with that
in white schools. The ratio as it
now stands is 29 pupils per white
teacher and 39 pupils per Negro.
URBAN LEAGUE, BUILDING
TRADE COUNCIL TO SPONSOR
A PANEL DISCUSSION
A panel discussion sponsored by
the Urban League and the Nortn
side Building and Trades Council
and arranged by Workers Service
will be held December 18, 1941 at
the Urban League auditorium.
Members of the panel will bo
Chester Adams, State Supervisor*
of Workers Service as chairman;
Mr. Ballard of CIO.; Mr. Brewer
Of the AF. of L.; Mr. Farland, Mr.
Greger; Mr. Briston; and Mr. Hob
ert Rucker. The subject discuss
ed will be —how can we speed up
defense production and at the
same time preserve free labor.
The Gospelteers will sing. There
vj > be no admission charged and
the' public is cordially invited.
PHILADELPHIA NAVY YARD
"GIVES THE GATE” TO
DRAFTSMAN APPLICANT
Philadelphia, Pa.,—“Take him
to the Gate".
This was the only comment cf
the personnel officer at the naval
aircraft factory in the Philadelph
ia Navy Yard after looking over
the application of James S. Mos
ley, seeking employment as engin
eering draftsman.
Mosley is a former student of
Hampton Institute, Va., with spec
ialties in drafting and machine
shop practice. He is on the civil
service list as apprentice engin
eering draftsman with a grade cf
91.6. He told his story last week
to the Philadelphia NAACP.
Mosley went to the na'vy yard
December 2, after having receiv
ed a card from the chief clerk re
questing him to report for an in
terview in connection with a job.
He was interviewed “by a man
who appeared to be the chief
clerk,” and was told by this man:
“From the appearance of this,
your qualifications are more than
necessary for the job.” The clerk
then took Mosley to the office of
the personnel officer who came
out and without speaking to Mos
ely, handed his application to an
attendant with the remark, “Take
him to the gate.”
Mosley has made formal com
plaint in affidavit form, to the
Committee on Fair Employment
Practice. Mosley’s complaint
states that he questioned the per
sonnel man and was told that he
had “almost no chance at all” of
appointment because "some appli
cants with higher grades were to
be interviewed and they could un
doubtedly do better work.” Mos
ley wanted to know if he would be
notified by mail if he got the ap
pointment.
The officer said Mosley was “al
most certain not to get it” and
volunteered to state that it was
not because at his color and that
“you people seem to have a chip
on your shoulders.”
hospital, Henderson, $5,7770; Lin
coln hospital, Durham, $14,932;
Mercy Hospital, Wilson, $5,960;
Richardson hospital, Greensboro,
$6,794; St. Agnes’ hospital, Ral
eigh, $16,458 and Susie Cheatham
Memorial hospital, Oxford, $2,072.
The three special hospitals i:i
; eluded in the report are Juvenile
; Research association, Winston -
Salem, $1,309; Roaring Gap hos
pital, Roaring Gap, $1,881; and
Spartanburg Baby hospital, Salu
da, $2,714.