Non-Discriminatingj
Posters Into Plants!
Into 12,000 defense plants thru-:
out the country this week went
posters calling atention to the
Government’s non-discrimination
policy in defense employment. Dr.
Robert C. Weaver (left) chief of
the Negro Employment and Train
ing Branch of OPM, and Lawrence
W. Cramer, Executive Secretary
of the President’s Committee on
Fair Employment Practice, are
shown examining the poster which
quotes the following section from
President Roosevelt’s Executive
Order No. 8802:
“.... I do hereby reaffirm the
policy of the United States that
there shall be no discrimination in
the employment of workers in de
fense industries or government be
cause of race, creed, color or na
tional origin, and I do hereby de
clare that it is the duty of em
ployers and of labor organizations
in furtherance of said policy and
of this order, to provide for the
full and equitable participation of
all workers in defense industries,
without discrimination because of
race, creed, color or national or
igin....”
in a letter to detense contractors
whch accompanied the posters,
Mr. Ethridge, chairman of the Fair
Employment Practice Committee
established by President Rosevelt
on June 25, 1941, stated:
“These posters were prepared
at the request of several defense
contractors who felt that the Gov
ernment’s policy should be brought
directly to the aenion of workers
in their plants.
‘ It is the wisli of the President’s
Committee on Fair Employment
Practice that these poster be prom
inently displayed in your personnel
and employment offices and on the
bulletin boards in the shops of
your establishments.
“We are sending these to fac:l
itate the cooperation of your wor
kers with you in your efforts to
carry out a program of full util
ization of all labor resources in
defense production.”
Althought nation-wide distribu
tion of the posters was inaugurat
ed this week, the first set of the
placards which bear the heading
“Fair Employment Practice in De
fense Industries,” were sent on
November 20, 1941, to the Colum
bus, Ohio, aircraft plant of the
Curtiss-Wright Corporation where
67 tool and die makers staged a I
walkout when a Negro youth was
employed in their department.
The Walkout was promptly set-;
tied through conference between
management, a committee of Cur
tiss-Wright workers, and repres
entatives of the Labor Relations
Branch of the Labor Division of
OPM, and the President’s Comm
ittee on Fair Employment Pract
ice. The agreement embodied the
following points:
(1) Qualified Negroes, include
ing clerical and engineering worx
ers, will be integrated into all div
isions of the Columbus plant.
(2) Management will place no
ticeh on bulletin boards through
out the plant calling attention to
Presiden Roosevelt’s Executive Or
der No. 8802 and signifying the
company’3 intention to abide by
the Federal non discrimination de
fense employment policy.
(3) The Curtiss Wright Cor
poration will continue to train and
employ Negro skilled workers in
keeping with this Federal policy
and its earlier commitments to
the Negro Employment and Train
ing Branch of OPM.
At the request of the Presid
ent’s Committee on Fair Employ
ment Pracice, John J. Corson, Di
rector of the Bureau of Employ
ment Security, this week sent cop
ies of the poster to all State Em
ployment Service offices for sim
ilar display in these offices. This
action is designed to expediate the
referral of workers of all minority
groups to defense plants through
approved governmental agencies.
NAACP HOLDS ELECTION OF
OFFICERS
The Omaha Branch of the Na
tional Association for the Advance
ment of Colored Peolple held its
annual election at the Urban Lea
gue Community Center 2213 Lake
Street, Sunday.
Reelected unanimously were:—■
President, Arthur B. McCaw, 1st
Vice President, Adam Lee, 2nd
erson. Secretary Mrs. John Albert
Vice President, Rev. C. Q. Hick
Williams, Treasurer, William L.
Myers.
Executive Committee: Senator
John Adams, Jr., Mrs. Gertrude
Lucus Craig, J. Dillard Crawford,
Goldie Davis, Edward R. Fletcher,
E. W. McCowan, L. F. McIntosh,
J. Westbrook McPherson, Mrs.
Hattie Moore, Charles Solomon,
H. W. Smith, Rev. George A.
Stams, Rev. F. C, Williams, Lee
Washington.
Newly elected members of the
Executive Committee: Dr. Wesley
Jones, J. Wendell Thomas, Mrs.
Olive Hawkins, Jesse Snell.
Financial Report of The Omaha
Branch of the NAACP.
Income
Balance 1940 .$ 15.00
Memberships .208.50
Hayride .13.55
Midnite show (incomplete) 168.00
Expenditures
To National Office for
Memberships and Assm’t $107.87
Office Expense:
Rent for 6 months at $10
.. per month .$60 U0
Lowering Ceiling in office
half of which is to apply
on rent.38.58
Inlaid linoleum .59.S0
Window sign . 2.50
Installation of heat .30.20
Drayage for Chairs .75
Venitian blinds .12.50
Total office expense .204.13
Postage and M. 0.12.44
Printing . .. 16.50
Miscellaneous:
Draft Book .50
Photostats, cuts and mats
“Curry Case”. .3.00
Community Clearing Council
Membership.50
Donation to Vernon Brown
Benefit.2.50
Total Miscellaneous .$6.50
Total income . $405.05
Total ejcpenditures.... $346.44
Balance.$ 58.61
RETIRE $7,500,000 IN BONDS
A milestone in governmental af
fairs was reached here in Omaha
on December 15 when the water
department of the Metropolitan
Utilities District retired the last
of $7,500,000 worth of water
bonds.
The bonds were issued back in
1912 when the district purchased
the water plant on July 1. Part
of the income was required legal
ly to be laid aside to provide rev
ehue for bond redemption and in
terest.
In addition to that requirement,
low rental rates, in comparison
with other cities ,and with low fire
hydrant rental rates has made it
impossible to put aside enough
money to carry on even adequate
maintenance, much less for expan
sion.
Revenue which formerly was
paid into the interest fund and
debt requirements can now be de
voted to modernization, sendee
improvements, maintenance, and
rehabilitation of the water plant
and system and replacement of
obsolete equipment.
The new expansion program can
now, because of the savings which
are attendant on the retirement of
bonded indebtness, be put into op
eration wihout any increase in
rates.
Those rates, incidentally, are a
mong the lowest in the nation and
are less than half as much as they
were in 1912 when the Utilities
district purchased the water plant.
All Negro ‘Streamlined’ Division Assembling
ENGINEERS START WORK ON
HOME OF NEGRO DIVISION
AT FORT HUACHUCA
To Add 11,309 Troops To 25th and
368th Regiments Now There;
Expanded Facilities May Be Com
pleted In Six Months
FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz., Dec.
19 (ANP)—Plans for the expan
sion of Fort Huachuca to accom
odate an extra 11,309 soldiers who
combined with the troops in the
25th and 368th infantry would
make a triangular division, are aef
initely underway and construction
when started, will be completed in
a maximum of six months. The
combined force here would be 17,
903 men.
I
This new streamlined division is
expected to be the Negro division
promised in Washington last week
f Monday) to a group of Negro
editors by Gen. George Marshall,
chief of staff of the United Stat
es army. It is understood that
auhorization by congress for this
radical departure from traditional
Negro troop formations is momen
tarily expected. The late Rooert
Vann, editor of the Pitted :rgh
Courier, campaigned in his col
umns for creation of an all Negro
division.
The 25th infantry, whose home
is at Fort Huachuca, is one of the
four colored regular army regi
ments authorized by congress dur
ing reconstruction. The other
three are the 24th infantry. Fort
Benning, Ga., and the 9th calvary
and 10th, at Fort Riley, Kansas
The 368th was recently formed
with the expansion of the armed
services.
Both units are officered by whit
e’ and it is conceded that the com
rrander of the Negro division
would also be white. A division
is headed by a major general,
highest office yet attained it: the
regular army is th it of brigadier
i • neral, * i . "en n O. Davis be '
ing the first and oi ly man to ur
so honored.
Coni jL 'ing the di nsiot. will U>
tirce i. t: „ry regiments quar'cr
mrtster am engineer; g oiBali.ir.s
a m* dieal battalion and artillery
and .service units. It is not known
whether u> \ of the fu t activated
national guard regim. • s a.; \vftb
f.egro cer perso i; •!, v. r *.<•
used
l.a.-t \ i eh Maj Kdnuuitd K.
Daley of the quartermaster gen
eral’s office in Washington arriv
ed and checked the site layout of;
the proposed new buildings to J
house the enlarged force.
Tentative plans call for an ad- j
ditional 741 hospital beds with all
auxiliary facilities such as operat
ing rooms, dental clinics, laborat
ory equipment, etc. It will also be
necessary to build a new air field,
artillery and rifle ranges, laundry
bakery, cold storage warehouses,
ordnance shop, fire house, five new
type chapels and possible two ad
ditional theatres.
Included in the buildings will be
an officers club at one end of a
6,000 by 3,000 feet parade and le
creational area, while at the other
end will be division headquarters
and an athletic field. The infan
try regiments will be arranged a
long one side of the parade
grounds and the proposed artil
lery, special battalions and divis
ion troops along the other. Motor
pools will be in the rear of eacn
organization.
The post at present has 36 com
pleted buildings, many of them
new, and accommodations for two
full war strength infantry regi
ments. The 25th and 368th which
occupy these buildings, have 3,325
men each.
REV. SEARS’
OP’N LTTERS
200 E Lexington St.,
Independence, Mo.
Nov. 12, 1941
Bishop Noah W. Williams,
4423 Enright St.,
St. Louis, Mo.
DEAR BISHOP:
I trust that you and Mrs. Will
iams are well. Baby Doll is not
well at all and seems to grow
more pessimistic every day, and as
for me, I have never had such an
experience as I am now having,
and I am in doubt as to whether
any wrong that I have committed!
would warrant the punishment
and suffering that we are now un
dergoing, in view of what I know
of other ministers who are much
better situated than I am. I have
never been a person to complain,
and would not now, were it not for
wife, who is sick and we have ab
solutely nothing to care for our
selves until I can get a footing
here. I have already lost my robe
to Rev. Carl Flipper for $35.00,
unless I should be able to redeem
it. $25.25 of this I used as one
payment on the car, $5.85 to Na
tional Life and Insurance Co., and
the other part pay for groceries
furnished by Rev. Williams. We
have completely lost our Life &
Casualty Insurance and Washing
ton National unless we are able
to redeem them during the four
weeks grace period.
My wife’s radio of $137.00 with
a balance of only $28.00. .unless it
is paid, or a part of it by the first
of the month, will be lost. They!
have it in Omaha. I am merely
making these statements in order
that you can at least sympathize
with me, in these conditions.
I have spent at least five hours
today in Independence, trying to
get on WPA. I made application
there and have been referred to
the office in Kansas City, Mo. I
will go there tomorrow, but the
way looks dark as to whether I
will get on at all. If I succeed, I
will trust the Lord and do my best
for the little church in Independ
ence. The people there are try
ing to fix a part of the parsonage
where we can move in it. If I do
not get on the WPA work, unless
you can make some changes, T
will be forced to go back to Om
aha, which I do not want to do.
First, because of the weather, sec
ond, because I love the church but
owe some bills there and do not
intend to finally make some of
the peoples word true, “that I will
not pay my debts." I know I have
some friends there, that will h'ip
me. If this is my only hope, no
one could blame me for trying to
save my life and the life of my
family. I am willing to go any
where, or follow suggestions,
where there is hope of life. I am
keeping a duplicate copy of this
letter for further reference, if
necessary.
Your humble servant,
T. A. Sears.
MY DEAR SEARS:
Your letter received. No one
more sorry than I about your
condition but I do hope you anu
your .vife can see my position. In
t'ie first place I was very much
criticized for placing a man, just
in our Church from another de
ncnjii ation as pastor of St. John
i’l Omaha, which I had no idea of
doing but found that Rev. Mc
Clure had lived in Omaha as a
boy and man, and I had no one
else on hand to send there at that
time. You did a fine work, but
should have remembered in what
a bad light you were placing me.
Now you know, or should know,
that no one is permitted to go un
punished who fails so completely
in conference claims as you did
in Omaha. In fact the last two
pastors of the Church you are
now in, were sent there for much
less crimes than you did. Can’t
you possibly see that one who
spends all but $315.00 or $325.00
of nearly $1000 of Conference
claims, and reports only that small
sum for everything, is bound to be
placed in a much smaller charge.
The conference had to take $300
you charged for entertainment
and pay it on your dollar money.
When any pastor takes his con
ference claims for his own use
and spends it, there is absolutely
nothing I, or any other Bishop in
the African Methodist Episcopal
Church can do but what I did in
your case. Now you may do as
you choose about going back to
Omaha as Bishop. I have spoken
and do not intend to change my
decision, however sorry I may be.
Cordially,
Bishop Noah W. Williams
A Letter from Sears to
Dr. F. D. L.McDonald,
District Presiding Elder
2230 Ruby Avenue, [
Kansas City, Kansas
Nov. 19, 1941
Dr. F. D. L. McDonald
2309 Olive St.,
Kansas City, Mo.
Dear Dr. McDonald:
Greetings to you and wife. T
trust this will find you both well.
This leaves us fairly well. Now,
it is with regret that I say that
unless something terminates, I
shall be forced to give up the
work at Independence, as we are
not able materially to go through
what one must necessary under
go there, in order to put the pro
gram over
There is a young man in Kan
sas City, Rev. Edward Martin —
(111 N 11th St„ Phone LO 5206
Kansas City, Mo.) who works in
Lakeview and desires to live in
Independence. He is a member of
Gregg Tabernacle Church, his
wife is a minister and they both
sing. To my mind he would be
the very one for the place, and it
may be the working of providence
if you see it so.
I will gladly welcome any sug
gestions that you may give. If
you have any ministers in your
district or any other district, or
any friends that I may do revival
meetings for, I shall be very glad
to assist in any vay I can.
They are a very fine little peo
ple in Independence, and it breaks
my heart to give them up, but un
less something can be done, I
will be forced to.
Your humble servant,
T. A. Sears.
WEEKLY
EDITORIALS
Last Monday a nrtion wide cele
bration of the adoption of the Bill
of Rights was held to remind Am
ericans once again of the value
and meaning of the FOUR FREE
DOMS; Freedom of Speech, Free
dom of the Press, Freedom of
Worship and Freedom of Assem
bly, which the Bill of Rights was
designed to Guarantee.
Their adoption came as a result
of the insistence of opponents of
the Federal Constitution, feeling
as they did that the original in
strument gave no safeguard to in
dividual liberty for which Amer
icans had fought the War of In
dependence.
Among the opponents of the or
I iginal Constitution was Patrick.
Henry, four times governor of Vir
ginia. James Madison of Virginia
kr.own as the father of the Consti
tution, sought Patrick Henry’s
support for ratification of the con
stitution of the United States, but
Henry withheld his consent. Mad
ison then proposed to him that if
he would support ratification, he
could count on Madisonw’s sup
port of the ten amendments prev
iously proposed in the “Virginia
Plan” in the constitutional conven
tion. Of this Henry was skeptic
al and observed to Madison; how
can you support a Bill of Rights,
providing for liberty of the indiv
idual while you own six hundred
slaves? . .Such a deal was made by
Madison, the Bill of Rights was
adopted and Madison kept his
black slaves.
The Bill of Rights, therefore,
when adapted, did not refer to or
! include the Negro slave populat
ion, which at the time constituted
19.5 percent of the total popula
tion. They had no rights at all
Therefore, when the slave holding
Chief Justice Roger B. Taney de
clared in the Dred Scott case in
the United States Supreme Court,
that “Negroes have no righs which
white men are bound to respect”
he was stating an opinion held by
a large majority of the people of
the United States.
Although the Negroes of the
country do not enjoy full liberty,
even now, their position has been
greatly improved since the First
Ten Amendments to the Constitu
tion were adopted in 1791, they
have been followed by others, in
cluding the 13th, 14th, and 15th
Amendments to the same instru
ment. And trhough them, the
Bill of Rights is made applicable
to the Negro. And we now have
a Supreme Court of the United
States which holds that the guar
antees of personal liberty apply to
Negroes as fully as to anybody
else.
The Bill of Rights, like Magna
Charta, states an ideal. Magna
Charta gave to Englishmen the
right of trial by jury in 1215. Yet
after 726 years since its adoption
men and women within British
Dominions do not enjoy the bene
fits of its guarantees. But more
members of the human race enjoy
individual liberty today than en
joyed it before Magna Charta;
and many more Americans enjoy
liberty here in America today than
enjoyed it when we adopted our
Bill of Rights.
The attainment of individual
liberty is the result of evolution,
although the movement toward it
may sometimes be hastened by rev
olution.
The Bill of Rights, like Christ
ianity, declares an ideal. Both
must be defended and enlarged
until they become realities and
embrace the human race. The
war lords of Europe and Asia
challenge and would destroy these
ideals, which must not be destroy
ed. They must not be destroyed
by their enemies here at home by
subversive action through color
prejudice during our struggle to
preserve them.
Of one thing we are very sure,
the Negroes of America have qiv
en more and received less than
any other racial stock in America.
And for the perpetuation of in
dividual liberty in the world, they
must insist that whereas they
must fight for the opportunity to
fight for it, that they shall fully
share its blessings, when the
world returns once again to the
Arts of Peace.
THE NEGRO AND
THE NAVY
In many places throughout the
country colored applicants for
Navy enlistment have been advis
ed that the present time no pro
vision exists for them except in
the limited field of mess attend
ants. This situation in this branch
cf the National service is a part
of our comparatively recent his
tory.
During the American Revolut
ion colored men served on such
boats as we had, and they were
prominent and efficient as seamen
and gunners in the war of 1812 to
1814. Indeed, colored men had
been sailors and mariners under
many flags for many centuries be
fore the wars mentioned. In our
Civil War, Negroes served as sea
men and gunners and petty offic
ers, at least one of them rising to
the rank of captain in our Mer
cnant Marine.
From the close of the Civil War,
onward, colored seamen were grad
ually eliminated, except as mess
attendants on American ships.
Even now many of them are to
be seen on British ships and on
ships of all sea-faring powers, ex
1 cept ours. Many of them served
| In the German Navy and the Ital
ian Navy before Hitlerism came
to power in Germany and Italy.
Some things defy explanation a
mong countries and governments
and peoples, and this is one of
them.
Things will be better In the
Navy bye and bye.
WORLD WAR NUMBER TWO
World War Number Two is here
and plans are being made to reg
ister all men between the ages of
18 and 64. In this way the gov
ernment may ascertain in what
positions each citizen may best
serve in this war to end this war,
and let us hope, all wars.
it is our hope that the govern
ment will a^eeo'iiy provide means
whereby Negro citiiens may enlist
freely in all the armed services of
the Nation. This action would de
prive Propaganda Minister Goeb
bels of the only weapon he has left
having any basis of truth.
We think we face a serious sit
uation, the most serious our coun
try has ever faced. We think the
Negro is needed now in every
phase of defense effort as he ha9
not been needed in our country’9
wars. And we urge his employ
ment solely in the National inter
est.
America, when all the facts are
presented, will defend the right,
and we believe their Commander
in Chief fully comprehends these
questions and will live up to his
GREAT and GRACE responsibil
ities, neither forgetting nor neg
lecting any part of our population.
Loyalty now is a very important
quality. Let us join hands and
make an all out effort to win this
war, quickly and afterward est
ablish a just and lasting peace a
mong our selves and other nations.
SOUTHARD APPOINTS J. W.
McPherson to care for
RECORDS
County Judge Charles J. South
ard has placed full charge and
complete responsibility for all pro
bate, Guardianship, Adoption and
Trust Estate Files in J. Westbrook
McPherson, race employee, whose
title hereafter will be known as
Record Clerk, effective as of Dec.
1, 1941. Approximately 50,000
records of County Cases are cov
ered by this assignment.
Mr. McPherson commented, “I
was pleased that the Judge saw
fit to entrust this type of respon
sibility to my care”.
WEDDING BELLS ARE
ABOUT TO RING
Mr. James Jones Jr., of Los An
geles, California and Miss Mable
Longmire, will be married soon
and will make their home in Los
Angeles, California.
SUFFERS SLIGHT STROKE
Mr. J. C. Carey suffered a slight
stroke and was carried to the Vet
eran’s hospital at Lincoln, Nebr
aska, a few days ago.
Dark Laughter .... by ol harrington
YOU BIG BABOON, YOU THINK YOU CAN MAKE ME QUIT YOU DONT'CHA? WELL, I
AINT—NOT 'TIL AFTER CHRISTMAS
