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LARGEST ACCREDITED NEGRO NEWSPAPER WEST OF CHICAGO AND NORTH OF KANSAS CITY —MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED NEGRO PRESS
npc. LiNEivii-i'* da rTLt - mivi, and snow- # INDUSTRY MAKES
DRIFTS IN KEEPING VITAL POWER LINES OPEN # ITS OWN SURVEY
STIRRING TRUE STORIES «
ABOUT OUR LINEMEN
READ LIKE A BOOK
While most folks were sleeping
after gay New Year’s Eve parlies
and later enjoying the New Yca>
holiday, linemen of the Nebraska
Power company were out in thi
storm bucking snowdrifts, climb
ing icy poles, and scraping ice
laden wires to restore electric ser
vice in a few widely scattered
hard to reach points over the com
pany’s system and late Saturday
night they were still at it.
First trouble call, received at 3
a. m. New Year’s Day, was assign
ed to Linemen Charles McMullen
and Delmer Whiteman. It was
out West Pacific street, somewhere
west of 114th street. Driving
west on Pacific, they were block
ed by deep snowdrifts at Nine
tieth. so drove south to Center but
again found the snow too deep for
th)eir service car. Abandoning
the car, they walked from Nine
tieth and Center to 115th and Pac
ific streets, but failed to find any
line trouble, so walked back to
their car at Ninetieth and Center.
In the meantime, Linemen Gai’
Blocker and Frank Shannon had
been set to aid them, but ordere:!
to try to reach the trouble zone
by another route. Going west of
Dodge street * they were stopped
by snowdrifts at 132nd street, so
went south to Pacific, but were
unable to come east. They re
turned to 72nd and Dodge an<j
then went south to Ninetieth and
Pacific streets.
A third pair of linemen, William
Baker and Jack Glantz, was dis
patched at 2 p. m. to try to reach'
the trouble spot. Abandoning'
their car at 114tb street, they
walked to 125th and Pacific where
they located a “floater” wire that
had whipped loose from She pole
and wrapped itself around another
wire breaking the circuit. Repaii
of the line was completed by 9:50
p. m., but on returning to their car
afoot, facing an icy wind, Glantz
suffered a frozen ear and Baker'
a frosted nose and cheek.
Bucking the snowdrifts ha;,
proved costly to McMullen and
Whiteman, stalled at Ninetieth an
Center without gasoline, so a
truck was dispatched to bring
them gas. They returned to Ser
vice Headquarters with McMul
len nursing a badly frost-bitten
face.
While these six linemen were
battling the storm west of Oma
ha, Linemen Frank O’Connell and
Grant Justice were having simil
ar tough going in locating trouble
on a line in the vicinity of Radio
Transmitters Stations of WOW
and KOWH northwest of Benson
Snowdrifts bogged down their car
at Forty second and Grand ave.,
so they walked through the drifts,
following the line through alleys
and across fields to the WOW sta
tion at 56th and Kansas avenue.
They failed to find the source ol
the trouble.
O’Connell then walked back to
the car in an attempt to bring ii.
to 56th and Kansas avenue. That’s
the last he saw of Justice that
day, as the car stuck twice in
snowdrifts when he tried various
routes to get through. The sec
ond time he had to call for help,
and a truck was sent out to pul
him in.
When Lyle Honaker and Art
Pakiser started for Florence at
11 a. m. to locate trouble on the
Fort Calhoun line, they met O’
Connell trying to dig his car out
ato Thirty seventh and Ames ave.
After locating and repairing the
line trouble near Forty second and
Grand, they reported in and clos
ed the circuit, restoring the serv
ice. Then they went on to Flor
ence to re-fuse the line serving the
government boat docks near Hum
mel park before heading north to
ward Fort Calhoun.
When they failed to rind me
trouble spot on that line, they re
turned to Omaha, to check the
line at 72nd street and Snyder
road, but unable to reach this
point by the direct route, they
drove from Florence to Benson,
then north on Seventy second st.
until again blocked by snowdrifts
Returning to Florence they ap
proached the scene of the trouble
by dint of several hours of shovel
ing, bucking the drifts and walk
ing. Service was restored on the
line at 7:40 p. m. nearly nine
hours after they had started on
the call.
But they were not yet through
work. Returning to Snyder’s tav
ern to phone headquarters, they
learned that the Fort Calhoun li.ie
had gone out again. Out they
went into the storm, and this timt
discovered a section of ice coated
wire being whipped by the wind a
gainst other wires. After scrap
ing the ice of this wire, service
was again restored permanently.
The two weary linemen return
ed to Service Headquarters to go
off duty at 11:30 p. m., 12 1.-2
'Continued on pagtj®=4)
KC.Lawyer N ew Kappa Head
DECLINES FOURTH TERM
Mr. James Scott, pole march, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. Mr. Scott
of Washington, D. C., addressing the joint session of the Kappa Alpha
Psi Fraternity and the Phi Delta Kappa Sorority at the joint defense
session, December 29, 1941, at the Indiana University Extension Build
ing, in Indianapolis, Ind. Mr. Scott expressed the need for unity and
cooperation in this time of emergency.
KAPPA MEN ARE READY
SAYS JAMES SCOTT
The National Conference on De-,
fense called by James Scott, Pole
March of the Kappa Phi Psi Frat
ernity, was the Key that lead to a
series of meetings beginning Dec
ember 29, 1941, jd In liiriapolis,
Ind.
• "ovoi nor I,< i ry F. Sehricker as
sembled Dr. T. Cable, who is Stale
Defense Adv'sr.r, Councilman B.
F. Ransome, Senator Lee 3rcken
burr, a member of the County and
City Defense . Councils, Chester
Hibbett, Editor of the Indianap
olis Recorder and Rev. John A.
Alexander for the first confer
ence. The Governor told William
D. Alexander, representative of |
Mrs. Crystal Bird Fauset, of tho
United Staes Office of Civilian Dc-1
fense, that the State of Indiana
had appointed Chester Allen, of
South Bend, as their State Negro
Defense Coordinator. Mr. Alien
was charged with the responsibil
ity of stimulating Negro partici
pation in the Defense Program.
The Governor also stated that ev
ery Negro in Indiana had shown
much cooperation and enthusiasm
in their response to his Defense
plans.
■ j
Similar |
in the offices of State Defense Co
ordinator Clarence A. Jackson and
Mayor Reginald L. Sullivan. Mr.
Alexander, representing Mrs. Fau- 1
set, found that in some twenty-*1
five cities in Indiana, Negroed
were participating as Defense
Council members an di nother cap
acities relating to Civilian Def
ense. Civilian Defense response
has been stimulated by the action
of Councilman Ransome, Senator
Brokenburr, Chester Hibbet and
Mr. DeFrantz.
The conferences pointed out!
that Chfester Allen had coordinat- j
ed every agency in the state be- j
hind Negro participation. The
last meeting on the program was
held by Mr. Scott at the Indiana
University Extension Building,
where a brief talk and movies
were shown concerning the Def
ense Program. i
At the close of this meeting res
olutions were wired to Mayor I-a
Guardia, U. S. Director* of Civilian
Defense, pledging cooperation and
unity for the Civilian Defense ef
forts with much enthusiasm.
Mrs. Robinson, national president of the Phi Delta Kappa Sorority, is
addressing the joint session of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity and the
* t Kappa Sorority at the joint defense session, December 29,1941,
in Indianapolis, Ind., and is stating that her organization will cooperate
i 100 percent with the Civilian Defense Program. J t
• ••
Indianapolis, Jan. 5 (ANP’ —
Carl Roman Johnson, militant at
torney of Kansas City, Mo., grad
uate of Howard and Boston univ
eEsities, fighting president of the
Kansas City NAACP, and promin
ent churchman, was elected grand j
polemarch of the Kappa Alpha
Psi Fraternity at the closing ses
sion of the 31st Grand Chapter
meeting held here at the Indiana
University Extension Center.
At the same time, James E.
Scott, Washington, realtor, was
given a great ovation as he de
clined a “Draft Scott" nomination'
for a fourth year as national head
of the fraternity. No grand pole
march, except the first, has ever
served more than three years.
Besides Attorney Johnson, other
officers elected were Dr. I. Theo
dore Donaldson, New York dent
ist, vice grand polemarch; C. E.
McLeod, junior grand vice pole
march and student at Howrad un
iversity, Washington; Atty. J. Er
nest Wilkins, Sr., grand keeper of
records and exchequer, Chicago,
elected for the 20th year; Ernest
K. Jones, grand strategus, stud-t
ent at Southern university, Louis
iana; Thomas E. Rusan, grand
lieutenant strategus, student at
Lincoln university, Jefferson City,
Mo.; Girard T. Bryant, dean of the
Lincoln Junior college, Kansag
City, grand historian; Guy L.
Grant, Indianapolis dentist; Vict
or L. Hicks, Detroit coat* clerk,
James E. Anderson, Wichita, Kans
school teacher, and Card D. Hugh
es, student at West Virginia State
College, members of the national
board of directors.
The fraternity accepted a rec
ommendation from the board of
directors to buy $3,000 wortn of
U. S. Defense Bonds, and in the
next action passed a resolution,
calling on President Roosevelt to
end all discrimination, because of
race and color, in the armed forc
es, the Civil Service and defense
Industries. This resolution was
coupled with another pledging full
support to the nation’s all out ef
fort against Hitlerism.
Already, several chapters have
been enrolled nearly 100 percent
b ythe selective service, it was
pointed out, and steps were taken
to keep these units active as long
as possible, despite the emerg
ency. Steps were also taken to
insure publication of the Kappa
Alpha Psi Journal, as an imports
ant means of keeping the fratern
ity united, even under extreme war
time restraint. During World
War 1, th journal continued pub-i
lication.
The defense bonds authorized
fill be purchased with $2.2501
from the housing fund of the frat
ernity—a sum which will increase
to $3,000 after three years.
The appeal to President Roose
velt to end discriminations again
st Negroes because of their race
and color was made both in a joint
resolution by the Kappas and the
national sorority of Phi Delta,
Kappa, in a letter to the resident
and in a radio talk by James E.
Scott, over WFBM.
Scott called upon “men in posi
tions of power and control to real
ize that the success of war is de
pendent upon the spirit of good
will which permits every American
citizen to fulfill his obligations td
his country in time of grave dan
ger and emergency, shoulder to
shoulder with his fellowmen in all.
he protective branches of the arm
’d forces; that spirit of goodwill
vhich will permit every man to
3erve his country as part of the as
sembly line turning out any and
all the implements of defense re
gardless of union restrictions due
to race, and which guarantees all
citizens alike those rights privi'.eg
and immunities set forth in the
constitution of this the greatest
democracy on earth”.
In his final words, Scott reas
sured “the President and the peo
ple listening to this broadcast
that Kappa men stand ready, will
ing and able to answer the call to
MARTIN TO
BROADCAST
MONDAY, JAN. 12, 1942
t • • •
WILL DISCUSS NATIONAL
UNITY—
Representative Joseph W. Mart
in Jr., of Massachusetts, Repub
lican leader in the House of Rep
resentatives and Chairman of the
Republican National Committee,
will be heard over the National
Broadcasting Company Blue Net
work at 9:00 P. M., Eastern Stan
dard time, Monday, Jan. 12, 1942.
Chairman Martin will be speak
ing on the National Radio Forum'
and will discuss National Unity
and the Two Party System of
Government.
Please telephone your nearest1
NBC Blue radio station to urge
that this be broadcast locally ^tel
ephone your newspapers to insure
correct radio program listing and
ask your friends to listen in.
Republican Nat’l Committee.
arms”.
Monday afternoon, the entire
delegation of Phi Delta Kappa left
their meeting place in the Phyilis
Wheatley YWCA, and held a joint
program with the fraternity. The
joint session heard a talk on pre
paration for civilian defense by
Will Alexander, of the office of
Civilian Defense, Washington, and
later passed the resolution to Ma
yor F. H. LaGuardia and Mrs.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, director
and assistant director of OCD,
pledging full support to that pro
gram.
Sunday afternoon, every seat
was taken when Aid. Earl B. Dick
erson of Chicago, member of the
President’s Committee on Fair
Employment Practice, gave a rou3
ing address on “The Negro, His
Economic Security and Democ
racy” in which he analyzed the
Negro’s present plight and offer
ed hints as to its solution.
“As long as the Negro must ex
ist on the poorest paying jobs, as
long as he is the last hired and the
first fired, as long as he is denied
the primary liberties of citizenship
we cannot hope to advance" he
said.
He pointed to the steps taken by
the government to integrate Ne
groes in the National defense pro
gram and urged that more power
be given to the President’s Comm
ittee on Fair Employment Pract
ice, in order that its decisions may
have the power of law, similar to
the Natonal Labor Relations board
The convention opened Sunday
morning with a worship servico
at Philips Temple Memoral CMC.
Church, with the Rev. Charles T.
H. Watkins delivering the sermon
to his fellow kappamen, while the
Rev. O. A. Cunnngham, pastor of
the church, presided. Dr. Wat-<
kins has recently been named
chaplain at Fort Huachuca.
During the sessions, delegations
of Kappas called on Mayor Regin
ald H. Sullivan and Governor Se
hricker, both of whom had prev
iously sent official messages of
welcome to the fraternity.
On the lighter side, the visiting
delegates met local citizens Sun-<
day evenng at a recepton at the
Walker casino, sponsored by the
Silhouettes, the wives and sweet
hearts of Kaptpamen; Monday af
ternoon visiting women were
guests at a fashion show at the
Northwestern Community center
and in the evening the joint open
dance was held with the Phi Delta
Kappas and the Omega Phi Psi
fraternity at Murat temple; Tues
day, the women were guests at a
card party, luncheon and talent
show, with the Kappas holding
their closed banquet in the even
ing at Jordan hall of the YWCA,
with Atty. Lawrence O. Payne,
Cleveland City councilman, as prin
cipal speaker. The 1942 conclave
will be held in Columbus, O.
CORRECTION
It was erroneously stated in on*'
last week’s paper ‘Mother Finds
Daughter Dead in Bed’—Common
Law Husband Found Unconscious
On Floor.’ Mrs. Hazel Jones is
Army Death Penalty for
Race - Mixing Order
Withdrawn
New York-A protest to the Wars
Department by the NAACP over
an order issued by Lieutenant
Lewis A. Bonifay of the 77th
Coast Artillery asking for the
death penalty for “relations be
tween white and colored males and
females whether voluntary or not”
caused the order to be withdrawn
the Association announced this
week.
The order was issued by Lieut.
Bonifay, allegedly because “rep
orts have been received that white
women in the vicinity have been
accosted by colored soldiers.” Dea
ember 22, the Association wired
Secretary of War Stimson to re
move Bonifay if the order was
found to be in excess of his auth
ority.
December 31, according to a re
port from the War Department to
the NAACP, “the order was found
to be contrary to the purport of
verbal orders of the regimental
commander who has caused the
order to be withdrawn."
not the mother of Miss Ann Stev
enson. She is the mother of Ven
tor Hazelton. Mrs. Jones was in
the Guide office and she stated
WEEKLY
EDITORIALS
THE BLACK HERO OF
PEARL HARBOR
The story recently came out of
Hawaii of a Negro messman who,
seeing the Battleship o nwhich he
served attacked, manned a machn
ine gun and fired it at the Japan
ese enemy until all his ammunit
ion was exhausted and then went
to his watery grive with his white
comrades. His government would
not permit him to enlist as a gun
ner on the ship, but as a cook, on
ly; yet when white gunners had
been blasted away .by .Japanese!
shells and bombs, the Negro mess
man stepped to the front to fight
and die, as Negroes have done in
crisis throughout our .country’s
history.
What the Negro did in the bat
tle of Hawaii millions of Negroes
in America stand ready to do, if
given the chance. Enlightened
self-interest would seem to dict
ate that that chance be given now.
. • !
MR. WINSTON CHURCHILL
The Right Honorable Winston
Churchill, British Prime Minister,
has been in the United States for
many days conferring with Pres
ident Roosevelt on matters affect
ing the prosecution of the war a
gainst the Axis powers.
During his stay he has deliver
ed two public addresses which
were heard all over the world
through radio transmission. Both
addresses were dynamic and inspir
ing battle cries, as became the
foremost orator of the world.
In closing his address to the A
merican Congress, Mr. Churchill
declared: The Two great English
speaking {peoples shall walk toget
her in majesty, in justice and in
peace.”
Our hope is that dark men may
be in the company of them who
shall walk with them, also in like
pride and dignity. And we would
fain believe that there can be no
! just and lasting peace, unless dark
men within our birders and in the
British Dominions shall be includ
ed in it. .
We appreciate the fair attitude
Mr. Churchill has maintained to
ward Abyssinia. He and Anthony
Eden opposed the invasion of that
country by Italy. And since Mr.
Churchill has been Prime Minis
ter and Anthony Eden has been
Secretary for Foreign Affairs, un
der their direction, Italy has been
OMAH/ '^Y
WITH ; E
When Duke E igs his
famous band to mland
Monday night, J -v ±zth, he
will have Junior Raglund of Om
aha on bass fiddle. Duke used
young Raglund on his last date lor
Victor in Hollywood, Dec. 2nd on
which he recorded two Bill Stray
horn originals, “Raincheck” and
“Chelsa Bridge”, and “What Good
Would It Do?" and a Duke orig
inal, “I Don’t Know What Kind of
Blues”. They’ll be issued in Feb
ruady. Jimmy Blanton, Dukes
regular bassist is ill and is temp
orarily out of the band.
that Ventor Hazelton was not the
Common law husband of Miss Ann'
Stevenson. She said that Miss1
Stevenson lived across the street
in another apartment. It was
true that they had been keeping
company with each other but they
had some disagreement that end
ed up in court and were instructed
by the Municipal Judge to remain
apart.
driven out and the Emperor Hailie.
Selassie has been restored to the
Abyssinian throne.
Let us all pull together and end
this war in 1942.
THE RAILROADS
I
The railroads of the United Stat
es have met every requirement of
transportation during the present
war effort. No other agency in
side or outside of the government
has equalled them. They have
demonstrated what private own
ership and management can do in
serving the nation in a most vital
field of national effirt. Indeed,
we wish all private and public en
terprises would take a leaf from
the railroad book and “carry the
ball’’ as they have done.
They might have been great
sinners in the past, but saint or
sinners, we need a lot more like
them.
WORK AND SACRIFICE
The victory in the peaceful
years soon to be must be won by
work and sacrifice. There is no
other way for mortals here below.
Sometimes we think there is but
we learn at great cost that we
were mistaken.
For several years we have had
nationwide experiments in ‘•social
justice”, the beneficiaries being led
to believe that life in this old
world will always be like that.
But it isn’t. We have been trying
in recent years to prove that gov
ernment is the parent of the peo
ple, and that from it all blessings
flow. Now, we know we were
wrong. We know now, as our fa
thers before us knew, that in the
long view of life as it is, he who
would wear the crown, must bear
the cross. To believe and teach'
that there is accomplishment with
out effort is a dream which will
not and cannot come true.
Work and sacrifice will be our
salvation now as in the past.
I
THE JAPANESE
The Japanese claim that their*
country has been on a stable basis!
as a state for .more .than .2600
years... Its place in the “Family
of Nations” is comparatively rec
ent. The racial origin of the Jap
anese, like that of other racial
stocks upon the earth, is obscure.
Their advancement as a socalledl
civilized state has been astound
ingly rapid in recent years, during
which they have become the lead
ers of the Orient.
When Europeans first came into
(Continued on pagejggr^)
SlN PREPARATION FOR
EMPLOYMENT OF THOUS
ANDS OF NEGRO WORKERS
Needed To Speed Up Production
Washington, D. C.;_A repre
sentative segment of American
industry .engaged in manufactur
ing war materials, is now giving
serious thought to how thousand?
of Negro workers “can be utilized
in semi-skilled and skilled occupa
tions" in order to speed up war
production.
On the basis of their experience
these employers express the be
lief that Negro skilled and semi
skilled workers measure up equal
ly with skilled and semi-skilled
white workers in ability, skill, pro
duction, regularity in attendance,
accident record, and general Intel
ligence. They also express their
belief that white workers, with few
exceptions, have no objection to
working with Negro workers, and
hat the overwhelming majority of
labor unions do not discriminate
against Negro workers and wel
come them within their member
ship.
The attitude of these employers
is set forth in an article publish
ed in the December, 1941 issue of
“Management Record”, official or
gan of the National Industrial Con
ference Board, one of the oldest
and most respected research insti
tutions ofAmerican business in the
country.
The article gives the results of
a survey conducted by the Board
among 402 representative manu
facturing establishments located
mainly in the New England, Mid
dle Atlantic, North Central and
Southern states.
The survey shows that, despite
the business-as-usual attitude ex
pressed by many employers who
continue to refuse employment to
Negro workers despite the Presi
dent’s Fair Employment Practices
Committee, a growing number are
expressing agreement with Gov
ernment Officials, that the num
ber of Negro workers in war in
dustry during 1942 will have in
creased by scores of thousands.
The following statistics present
ed by the survey are significant;
in their revelation of the attitude
of 102 employers toward the rank
ing of colored and white employ
ees on comparable skilled and semi
skilled work.
Seventy said the Negro work
er’s ability and skill equalled that
of his white fellow workers; ore
said he had found it better. Eigh
ty-five said production levels were
equal for Negro and white work
ers. Five Said the production of
Negro workers was higher. Sixty
four said the regularity of attend
ance for both groups of workeis,
was the same; five gave Negro
workers a higher rating.
Eighty-seven said accident rec
ords for both groups were the
same; three said that of whites
was below Negroes. From ninety
nine replies to the question on gen
eral intelligence, forty-nine said
there was no difference; one said
the Negro worker was better.
Before the defense emergency,
the survey revealed, 295 firms us
ed Negroes only as janitors or
common laborers, while 107 comp
anies used them in certain skilled
occupations. Since the emerg
ency thirteen companies have in
creased the number of skilled oc
cupations open to Negroes; and
seven more reporting have opened
up skilled occupations to Negro
workers for the first time.
The survey article concludes
with this significant statement:
“As a thought in the direction
of a solution to the entire colored
employment situation, a manufac
turer of fair size, situated in an
area with a considerable colored
population proposes that all firms
having suitable work of any nat
ure should make an honest effort
to hire colored persons in propor
tion to the total population of the
area.”
An indication of the importance
of the survey in the eyes of the
National Industrial Conference
Board, is seen in an editorial sign
ed by Harold B. Browne, direct
or of the Board’s management re
search division, which appears in
the same issue of the magazine.
NO PLACE FOR JIM CROW—
The editorial says in part:
.. “Equality of opportunity is gen
erally lsted as one of the essent
ials of democracy. Discriminat
ion on the ground of race, color
! or creed supposedly has no place
j in liberal society. And yet 3uch
l^discriminatons are commonplace
and are accepted as more or less
inevitable, until, perhaps, some e
niergency demonstrates that there
is no sound basis for them.
“With skilled labor becoming
more and more scarce because of
defense requrements, new sources
are being sought. One such
j source is colored labor, which, gen
erally speaking, has in the past
| been restrcted in industry to a ell
defined occupational levels, main
(Continued on pagejtgr^)
