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About The Omaha guide. (Omaha, Neb.) 1927-19?? | View Entire Issue (Feb. 7, 1942)
I LINCOLN I I ■ HEW TO 1HEUHE\ I CHICAGO AND NORTH OF KANSAS CITY —MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED NEGRO PRESS 1809 — 1865 | BUdd» r,,Sr^T Ntbr,,t‘ Omaha. Nebraska, Saturday, February 7, 1942 OUR 14th YEAR—No!^7 City Edition, 5c Copy Nil Cf ' 1 T T 1 i I 1* • T1 /^V -\/T 1 c 1 C\ k NEGRO COMMITTEE NEEDED orth Dide xTeaith L-iimic 1 o CJpen iVlonday February 9 FOR WAR EMERGENCY fmmm———^^^—— -~ TA PAVC'i'D U ITU Miss Rowena Jones and Miss Eva Mae Stewart Will Greet You At the Roosevelt Post No. 30 With the cooperation of the O maha Health Department under the leadership of Dr. A. S. Pinto and the American Legion Post "No. 30, the northside of town will fin ally have a much needed clinic. This North Side Health Center to be located in the Legion Building at 24th and Burdette Streets will treat the medically indigent mem bers of the community for certain basic public health problems, not ably tuberculosis, vaccinations and immunizations, and venereal dis eases. The clinic space was contributed by the American Legion Post No. 30 and is furnished by the City and State Health Departments. It will be staffed by three physicians a clinic nurse, as well as a VNA. nurse. There will also be recept ionists, two north side girls, M»ss Eva Mae Stewart and Miss Row ena Jones, supplied by the Nation al Youth Administration. The clinic is to be maintained under the leadership of the Omaha Heal th Department. A mass blood test survey for the entire community, free of charge, will be held Monday evening, Feb. *9, 7 to 9 p. m., Tuesday afternoon, February 10, 1 to 3 p. m.f Thurs day evening, Feb. 12, 7 to 9 p m. and on Friday afternoon, Feb. 13 from 1 to 3 p. m. All north side residents are strongly urged to attend. A tuberculosis examinat ion for the medically indigent will be held every Tuesday evening from 7 to 9 p. m., and immuniz ation for diphtheria, and vaccin ations for smallpox will be give:} Saturday mornings, from 9 to 11 a. m. I t TRAINING SHOPS; 300 UNSKILLED; 20 SKILLED JOBS GAINED BY TULSA NAACP Tulsa, Oklahoma—Three hund red Negroes are employed at the gunpowder plant at Choteau, near here, and it is predicted that the number will approach a thousand within the next few days, accord-* ing to the local NAACP, which is responsible for opening of employ ment opportunity to Negroes in this area. Amos T. Hall, president of the branch .reports that the branch had a call last week for 20 carpen ters to work a tthe plant with sal aries of approximately $100 per week. The others, working as I common laborers, draw about $40 a week. The branch also reported that as a result of a conference in Washington with Senator Elmer Thomas of Oklahoma, it was suc cessful in geting a requisition for the opening of four shops to be set up here to train Negroes to work in national defense industr ies. The delegation to Washington included Mr. Hall, Professor U. T. A. West and Reverend William P. Mitchell. The Tulsa branch was also successful in November in get ting Negro carpenters employed ato the construction of the Doug las Aircraft bomber plant here. MOBILE, ALA., A. F. OF L. CENTRAL BODY POINTS WAY ON RACE DISCRIMINATION Chicago, Jan. 30, 1942—The Mo bile, Alabama Central Trades Council of the A. F of L. express ed a forthright position on the Ne gro in the following resolution sent to M. P. Webster, First In ternational Vice President of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Por ters and member of the Presid ent’s Fair Emploment Pratice Committee. This resolution is all the more important since it was framed and adopted in Mobile, Al abama. It reads as follows.— “BE IT FURTHER RESOLV ED, That the Central Trades Coun cil go on record as being in full accord and support of a training program for Negro workers, in order that their skill be best ap plied to the servives of the Nation in this time of crisis and that the Council stand ready to offer its personnel as instructors to the end that they be trained by the most highly skilled in the various trades encompassed by the Def ense Program; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this Council use every effort within its means to eliminate any discrimination which may exist to ward any race, creed, color or per son of national origin other than American; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this Central Trades Council do go on record as bitterly con demning any wage differential which may exist because of race, creed, color or national origin and that the Council will use all of its good offices to see to it that col ored workers doing the same type of work as white workers obtain the same compensation for their efforts. To all of this the Central Trades Council does subscribe and intends to put into active effect immediately the several Federal Agencies having to do with train Infantile Paralysis-unit Gets $40,000 WORK SUCCESSFUL BEYOND ALL EXPECTATIONS TO INTRODUCE SISTER KINNEY TREATMENT New York, February 2 (ANP) — —Basil O’Connor, president of the National Foundation for Infantile paralysis, paused long enough from his tremendous job of direct ing the “Mile of Dimes” campaign as well as the President’s Birthday Ball celebration, to announce that the National Foundation for In fantile Paralysis, which gave $175, 000 for the Infantile Paralysis unit which was dedicated last year at Tuskegee- was now giving $40,000 toward the maintenance of this unit during 1942. Mr. O’Connor was enthusiastic over the response which Negroes are making to the present cam paign. He stated, “While we did not make our contribution to the Tuskegee unit in any sense de pendent on the support which Ne groes give to our annual fund raising campaign, we are none the less greatly pleased at the increas ed response since this unit has been in operation.” The present capacity of the Tuskegee hospital has been ex ceeded during the past six months to such a point that two additional wards have been taken over in the main hospital. The unit has been successfully beyond all predictions Miss Lulu Mae Boswell, one of the head nurses, is now in Minneapolis at Mayo Clinic on a scholarship from the foundation. The Tuske gee unit wil lbe among the first to introduce the new Kinney treat ment which has revolutionized the care of infantile paralysis patients since Sister Kinney, an Australian nurse, has been demonstrating its value in this country. ing programs to chart the course. This Resolution spread upon the minute books of the Council as a matter of record on this the 21st day of January, 1942, and copies sent to all parties affected as an notated below. signed, F. O Jones, President, Ida Lee Merchant, Secy. WINS CARNEGIE HERO FUND AWARD FOR LIFE SAVING Pittsburgh, Febr. 2 (ANP)— The Carnegie Hero Fund commission anounced at its 38th annual meet ing here last Wednesday that out of the 18 awards made for acts of heroism, one went to a 21 year old Negro soldier, Pvt. Arthur King, Company C, Ninth Quartermas ter regiment, Camp Lee, Peters burg, Va., who saved Mrs. Ethel C. Johnson, 21, of Pittsburgh from drowning last year. The report of the commission states on last Sept. 21, Mrs. John son pulled herself upon a bridge railing, 43 feet above the Allegh eny river and dropped into deep water. King, observing her, re moved his clothing, dived from the railing and swam 1 Ofeet to Mrs. Johnson who took hold of his wrist. Supporting her with one arm, King swam 265 feet to shal low water. After the rescue, King was fatigued, his nose bled slight ly and his body was sore for a week. FOUR CONTRACTORS QUALIFY FOR FEDERAL JOBS Washington, Febr. 3 (ANP) — Four Negro contractors, qualified to get work from the government n the vast program of building now going on in the United States are the only ones of a group of 12 originally contacted who qualified under the rigid specifications set up for the awarding of contracts. All of them have had some part in the building program. The four are McKissack and Me Kissack of Nashville, Massiah of Philadelphia: Plato of Louisville and Alexander of Des Moines. The question was once raised a bout the use of Negro contractors on government projects and when the PWA sent out questionnaires, only four were available for work and qualified. 9 Failure to Let American hegroes help In This “All-Out” Crisis... MIGHT BE U. S. BIGGEST BLUNDER - N- MORRIS • •• 5 FOUNDATION DAY ADDRESS BY NEWBOLD MORRIS AT HAMPTON INSTITUTE SUNDAY MORNING, FEB. 1 Newbold Morris, President of the Council of the City of New York and a Trustee of Hampton Institute, delivered the Founder’s Day address at the Hampton (Vir ginia) College for Negro studen'3 on Sunday morning, February 1st. Mr. Morris, in speaking to the trustees, faculty and students at the Founder’ Day exercise stated: "The only hope of survival for democracies subjected to surprise attack under modem conditions of ‘total’ war is in ‘total’ prepared ness. When the lightning struck at Pearl Harbor and then in the Phillipines, we found ourselves only part of the way toward the goal of ‘total’ preparedness. "Being taken by surprise is not peculiar to America,’’ he continu ed. "Democracies are at a disad vantage, for the democratic pro cess does not develop in men a de sire to dominate the world by force. They are not adequately prepared even for effctive defense. "In ordinary times of world peace, we make mistakes, for we follow a process of trial and er ror. But, because of our recuper ative vitality we can recover from the effect of those mistakes. I submit today that in this emerg ency of unprecedented seriousness we cannot afford to err again. One tenth of our American population is of the Negro race. In my op inion, that improtaat cross sec tion of our people must be mobil ized to the fullest extent of its capacity. The potential earning power and purchasing power of the Negroes of America have been ov erlooked in peace time. Their ac tual and potential industrial and fighting power must not be left out of our war effort. To over look this factor in war time would be a colossal blunder. Right now, today, may be the last chance of democracy for survival. Whether the American Negro gets his chance to contribute to the strength of America today mav very well mean the difference be tween a lone war and a short war. Let us hope that the projected spring drives of the Axis powers will not make the struggle so close that the failure to enlist the ‘total’ strength of one-tenth of our populaion would make the differ ence between victory and defeat. "The American Negro has nev er been suspected of sabotage; his loyalty to the United States has never been questioned; his pass ionate desire for service in peace or in war, are only some of the reasons why the minority of white people who are striving to secure real opportunity for the Negro is constantly growing. They are the reasons why the President of the United States, the Governor of New York State, the Mayor of N. Y. City by words and official acts, are attempting to broaden thn scope of Negro participation in cun economic life.” Mr. Morns, in the course ot his remarks, praised the administra tion of Hampton under the presid ency of Dr. McLean: •In Dr. MacLean we have one of the outstanding progressive educ ators in the entire United States. His farsighted leadership has plae ed Hampton in the front line of national defense. Hampton is now graduating young men and wom en fitted by training and charac ter to take their places in the war effort. Every graduate from Hampton ought to be able to find his or her place in the gigantic program for the safety, health and welfare of all of our people. America has o merged from adolescence. Prej udice should not be allowed to stand in the way of complete mat 1 urity and the full meaning of dem » TO OPEN “Green Lantern” MR. DAVIS WATCH FOR THE OPENING DATE OF THE “GREEN LANTERN" For some time I have wanted to operate a place where the young er set of Omaha would be enter tained with clean, wholesome fun and good food to eat. Now the time has come “The Green Lan tern” is the place at 2116 North 24th St. Never before has Oma ha offered anything of this kind. Make the Green Lantern your meeting place. A place wneie mother and dad will approve of. I wish to thank the public fir their support in my present busi ness, The Omaha Outfitting Co., and I also want you to know that my untiring efforts to please you in the past will be doubled in the future. These two places “The Green Lantern” and The Omaha Outfitting Co., are yours-cine in and see us. For something new and differ ent make "The Green Lantern” your place of recreation CM and young are welcome. PROPOSE REWARD OF $5,000 FOR SIKESTON LYNCHING A reward of $5,000 for inform ation leading to the speedy pun ishment of those responsible for the gruesome lynching of C'.eo Wright in Sikeston, Missouri, on January 25, was proposed today* by the National Federation for Constitutional Liberties. In a wire to Governor Forrest Donnell, of Missouri, George Marshall, vice Chairman of the-Federation, com mended the Governor’s denuncia tion of the crime and suggested the reward, towards which the Federation itself pledged $500. t-oinung out mac me lyncnmg “too closely parallels events in Nazi Germany and Hitler occupied Europe”, the wire stated: “Only by the swift punishment of tha criminals responsible can the con fidence of Negro America in Am erican justice be fully restored and the damage done to national morale and national unity repair ed.” “We commend your vigorous de nunciation of this crime and hope that it will be followed by equally vigorous action”, the Federation’s wire said. “The National Feder ation for Constitutional Liberties believes that an amount of not less ocratic institutions. Management and labor must recognize this fact. The American people must recog nize this fact. Dr. MacLean is training young people for leader ship an dnot to be detoured into the kind of work where their skill and training will be of no avail. “We are fighting against a vile Nazi doctrine of race superior ity,” Mr, Morris further declared, “Let us live what we are fighting for and avoid the practice of any (Continued on page ISPS) POLL TAX ISSUE TO BE BROUGHT BEFORE SUPREME COURT IN WALLER CASE CASE OF SHARECROPPER WALLER TO GO BEFORE U. S. SUPREME COURT The Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia, in a decision without opinion, has denied the petition of Odell Waller, Negro sharecrop-t per of Gretna, Va., for a writ of habeas corpus, which his attorn eys had requested principally on the grounds that the barring of non-payers of poll taxes from jury service in Virginia made his indict ment and conviction unconstitu tional under federal and state law Waller has been sentenced to be executed March 20 for the slaying of his white landlord, Oscar Davis. John F. Finerty, attorney for Wal ler, has announced that an appeal to the United States Supreme Court would be made, thus plac ing the poll tax isue before the nation’s highest court. In ' the meantime, a further stay of exe cution will be sought from newly elected Colgate W. Darden of Vir ginia. According to Mr. Finerty, Wal ler’s petition to the Virginia court was based on sworn statements showing that non-payers of poll taxes are systematically barred from grand and petit jury service In Pittsylvania County, Virginia, and probably throughout the state and were so barred in Waller's case. It also showed that Waller himself was unable to pay poll taxes. Waller wil lnow immediate iy exercise his right to ask for a writ of certiorari from the Su preme Court of the United States to review the denial of habeas corpus, for which no grounds were stated, by the Supreme Court of Virginia. The poll tax issue was raised because Odell Waller, who shot his farmer landlord in self defense in a dispute over crop shares was tried by a jury composed exclusi ively of payers of Virginia’s $1 50 cumulative poll tax. Professor Carl Raushenbush of New York University, chairman of the board of the Workers Defense League, declared that a favorable decision of the United States Su preme Court on the Waller c&!:e might "weaken the entire poll tax system” and would at least move toward "a democratic jury system in the South.” If Scheiderman Can Be Deprived of His Citizenship ALL NATURALIZED ALIENS CITIZENSHIP IS IN DANGER -SAYS WENDELL WILLKIE WILLKIE TAKES CASE TO UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT Wendell L. Willkie in filing a. brief with the United States Su preme Court on the case of Will iam Schneiderman this week stat ed, “If Scheidnerman can be de prived of his citizenship on the basis of these imputed views the citizenship of every naturalized citizen in the United States is in j I than $5,000 should be pledged as a reward to any person or persons furnishing information and evi dence which will lead to the ar rest, conviction, and punishment of those responsible for the lynch ing. The Federation hereby pledg es the payment of $500 of such re ward if other responsible organiz ations or persons will pledge the balance.” Mr. Marshall and Mr. A. J. Is serman, Counsel for the Federat ion, in a letter to Governor Don nell, confirmed the wire and offer ed to supplement the Federation’s pledge of $500 by helping to raise the required balace. They urged the Governor to cooperate in this drive. State Senator Charles Diggs of the Third District of Michigan, commenting on the offer of a re ward, said today: “As an elected official of the state of Michigan, I believe that in commending the Federation for its action, I express the sentiment of all patriotic peo ple of America. The American people recognize the crushing ef fect on national unity and morale of such crimes as this ruthless lynching and will give their whole hearted support to this effort to bring toe Missouri lynch mob to justice.” WIFE CHARGES HUSBAND 73 WOMAN CHASER Maria Mills, who is 91 years old stated in her testimony in Detroit, Michigan, that her 73 year oM husband was a woman chaser and wanted a divorce They have been separated fourteen months and the judge granted her a divorce. danger.” Brought to ths country by his j parents when but three years of age Scheidnerman grew up as any American boy. At the age of twelve he began selling newspap ers and worked his way through high school and two and one half years of college. When twenty one, Scheidnerman, after comply ing with every naturalization law became a citizen. Twelve years after becoming a citizen of the United States Att orney General brought a civil suit to cancel Scheidnerman’s citizen ship. On June 12, 1940 Federal Judge Michael Roche of San Fran cisco ordered Scheiderman’s citiz enship revoked. An appeal was made and the findings of the low er court were upheld. Willkiu emphasized the fact that in these hearings there was no evidence in dicating that Scheiderman was not a good citizen or that at any time had he been “arrested or censur ed by any law enforcement a gency.” Scheiderman both before and af ter becoming a citizen has been a Communist. Willkie indicated that this constitutes no bar to cit izenship n contending, “Congress alone can make active member ship in the Communist Party of America a bar to naturalization. It has not done so.” Terming the case “a vital test of fundamental principles of civil liberties,” Willkie declares the lower court decisions, "constitute a drastic abridgement of freedom of political belief and thought, of free speech and freedom of the press.... in every respect contrary to the fundamental concepts of freedom of thought and impartial justice, upon which the very basis of our Constitutional democratic form of government rests.” “Free institutions,” the brief maintains, “can only be preserved by the free expression of popular will. They will perish from total itarian methods. Their danger lies in repression and in insidious and unseen attacks rather than in open advocacy of change by con stitutional methods.” NEGRO HISTORY WEEK FEBRUARY 8-15 PUBLIC INVITED TO NEGRO HISTORY PROGRAM Special from the Dept, of Adult Education: Invites you to a spec ial Negro History Program Mon day, February 9, 8 o’clock at the Urban League. The program will consist of a re view of the Negroes’ contribution to American life, minic and a mo vie. Admission free. THIS WEEK IN RELIGION AND THOUGHT —by Robert L. Moody— A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE NEGRO IN AMERICAN HISTORY— The seventeenth annual cele bration of Negro History will be the week of February 8-15, 1942. This date covers the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas and it is used because these men are to be remembered as advocates of freedom for the Negro. Africa is regarded as the home of the Negro. Little is known a bout Africa and the origin of its people because “Africa, with few harbors and navigable rivers run ning into the sea, did not permit the coming and going of people as easily as elsewhere; but there was sufficient movement of the peo ple to claim our attention. “—1 Asiatics were the first to make contacts witfe the Africans. Much that Europeans learned came from the contact of Christian Crusaders with the highly civilized Arabs in Asia. Africans were the first to learn how to smelt iron. Egypt and Abyssinia were the first coun tries to make contact with Asia. The first people of these two coun tries were Negroes. “The Negro probably acquired his dark skin in the tropical reg ions of the Old World, where the intensity of the heat and glare made it necessary for him to pro tect himself by developing a thick pigmentation of skin.” 2 The Negroes that were brought to America as slaves came from Central and West Africa. They came from the region as far north as the Senegal River and as far south as the Congo River. The center of the colonial slave trade was the African coast for about two hundred miles east of the great Niger River. From this comparatively small region came as many slaves as from all the rest of Africa, altogether. Many of them were of entirely different stock”. 3 The story of life on the slave ship is very sad. These poor peo ple were tricked on board slave vessels by being offered gay cloth, cheap ornaments and whiskey. Sometimes they were captured and forced to go on these ships. They were chained together two by two and were kept in low, dark and crowded cabins. Many died from diseases which were the result of half rotten or poorly cooked food, lack of eribugh water or injuries received as punishment for rebel lion. Some jumped overboard and others became hysterical or insane “On deck they were forced to dance by lash and also they were, forced to sing. Thus were bom the sorrow songs, the last cry of those who saw their homeland vanish behind them—forever.” 4 There were many * Negroes in Spain by 1492, therefore it is be lieved to be accurately stated that Negroes were with Columbus on his voyages. Pedro Alonzo Nino, a Negro pilot with Columbus on. his third voyage in 1496. It was about 1526 that Negroes were first introduced within the present lim its of the United States. These were brought by the Spanish. Es tevanico was one of the four sur vivors of the ill-fated expedition of DeNarvaez. (to be continued next week) I » V Vi. ^ JL T » M. M. M.M. THE PRESIDENT SAYS NOTED LEADER A. Philip Randolph ^ Chicago, Jan. 30, 1942—"The Fort Bragg military killing; the racial military riot in Alexandria, Lousiana in which Negro soldiers were shot by white military and civilian police; the outrageous and wide spread dicriminations a gainst Negro workers in govern ment departments and defense in dustries; and the horrible lynch ing of a Negro, Cleo Wright, at Sikeston, Missouri create a state of inter-and intra-racial temper that is definitely unhealthy and threatening from both the point of view of the Negro people and the Government and requires funda mental action,” says A. Philip Randolph, International President of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and National Direct or of the March on Washington Movement. "Action in behalf of the Negro should not only be curative but al so prophlactic. Because of the confused and chaotic manner in which questions relating to Ne groes are approached by the Gov ernment, there is ample reason to believe that riots, lynchings and discriminations affecting Negroes in miltary and civilian life will increase during the war,” states the Labor Leader Randolph. "If the Negro people and the Govern ment do not move to plan the a doption of policies and machinery that can effectively grapple with these wild outbursts of racial hat red and studied forms of discrim inations the forces of racial prej udice will soon get entirely out of hand." further observed Randolph in the mid-western headquarters of the Brotherhood. To the end of meeting this dan gerous situation, Randolph sug gests that President Roosevelt set up a small representative Negro Citizens’ Committee, which is non paid, to advise and consult with him personally at various times on matters concerning the integrat ion and equal participation of Negroes in war industries, the armed forces, including the Navy, Air Corps, Marine, Army and the various war agencies and depart ments of the Government, and on matters of legislation and execu tive orders that may make for tha safeguarding of the Negro’s con stitutional rights so as to give them a feeling that they have something to fight for in the pres ent war. “Such a Committee would fol low in pattern and purpose the Labor Committee of the A, F. of L. and CIO. the President recently established to confer with him on problems affecting labor,” con cluded Randolph. MASTER SERGEANT PHILIP LETCHER PASSES Sergeant Philip Letcher, 3005 North 30th Street, age 83 years, died Saturday January 31 at a lo cal hospital. Sergeant Letcher had been a resident of Omaha for forty years. He enlisted in 1379 Troop F—7th Calvary and spent 27 years in the United States Army. After retirement he wa.s employed in the Postal Service for 23 years. He became affiliated with the Episcopal Church a num ber of years ago and was a thirty second degree Mason. He is survived by his wife Mrs. Tillie Letcher, Funeral services were held Wednesday afternoon from The Thomas Mortuary with Rev. C. C. Reynolds and Rev. J. E Blackmore officiating. Burial Prospect Hill Cemetery. MR. FOSTER NELSON, DIES Mr. Foster Nelson, real estate broker of 2601 Wirt St., died. He was well known locally and in the real estate business. He leaves to mourn his loss his wl low Mrs. Nelson, children, Dorothy Abner, Dora, Katherine, Adela.de, Foster, Leonard, Eddie, Ed jar, Freddie, Richard, Lonnie, and Jackie and a host of other relativ es and friends.