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About The Omaha guide. (Omaha, Neb.) 1927-19?? | View Entire Issue (Feb. 21, 1942)
GOOD READING El OMAHA GUIDE 5c , at y0lU LARGEST ACCREDITED NEGRO NEWSPAPER WEST OF CHICAGO AND NORTH OF KANSAS CITT —MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED NEGRO PRESS Drugstore _ _ , _ Entered as Second cuss ^a^g*^Tb's^‘hon^wE.^n'*’ NebraBka’ Omaha, Nebraska, Saturday, February 21, 1942 OUR 14th YEAR—No. 49 City Edition, 5c Copy Wins Major Bowes k* First Prize 0 DETROIT HOUSING FIGHT white presto suffers _ WALTER WHITE TELLS U. FLARES UP AGAIN: NOBODY On her way to bigger things is Dolly Bell, basso contralto, recent first prize winner on Major Bowes Amateur program over the coast tp noast network of the Columbia Broadcasting System. Dolly, whose home was Flint, Michigan, before she accepted a position in New York, had no idea that her solo ‘‘Deep River” would lead to first prize, a cash award of $150, and an engagement with one of Major Bowes’ Units. Dolly is one of the first winners in the new Amateur program com petition, which also awards a sec ond prize of $100. (ANP) HIGHER COURT UPHOLDS MARIE MANTELL TERM The state supreme court at Lin coln upheld the three year reform atory sentence given Marie Man tell, Omaha, on a charge of “shoot ing with intent to wound” her "sweetheart” when she found him with another woman. The boy friend, Herbert Tool, 27 of 2112 Grant Street, was struck in the chest, but the other shots directed at two women seated with him in a tavern June 21, 1940, went wild. RAN TAXI WITHOUT LICENSES, FINED $25 Charged with operating a taxi without a license. Horace Craw ford, 2525 Decatur Street, was fined $25 and costs today by Judge Perry Wheeler. Officers testified Crawford made three trips to tow.a in the morning, filling his car with paying passengers each trip. TO USE HOMES NOW; 32 VISIT WASHINGTON Washington, February 18 (AN P Thirty-two irate Detroiters storm ed on Washington early Wednes day morning, dissatisfied with the sudden turn taken in what had been considered the final impos ition of the Sojourner Truth De fense homes after bitter verbal battles had marked a previous vis it of a delegation to Washingtoxi resulting in what at that time seemed an apparent victory for tne Negroes. Officials in Washington learned that dissension in the Detroit council led to the latest flare up, when a councilman had the mat ter reopened after the mayor, the Detroit Housing commision, the defense housing coordinator an-1 the administrator of the PWa had agreed to a decision to permit Negroes to live in the houses. The nine man counc 1 was split I in a ,ie vote, four to fom-. wlun this councilman, who comes up for reelection this year, brought the council a proposal which it is al leged he had wrangled from the Ford management to the effect that Ford was giving gratis to the city a site he previously purchas ed for a tank proving ground. This site is or the side of che railroad tracks and far less desir&b'.a than any other site obtainable. The councilman, said -_o lie a graduate of Notre Dame .and de pending upon the T’olis'i v?te to return him to the council made his offer which threw a monkey wrench into the whole works. The mayor, put on well anew,; spot, debated what to do then with the Sojourner Truth homes since to all intents an dpurposes the new site was for the use of Negroe3. Feeling ran high in Detroit when the 32 delegates decided to com.,; direct to Washington to determine what is to be done and whether a local politician, anxious for re election, should dominate the scene or whether the federal government i as represented by Baird Snyder and Charles Palmer would have the final say as to who was to oc cupy the nearly ready defense houses. Wednesday at 4:30, the delegat ion held a conference in the audit orium of the old Interior building attended by Baird Snyder, III, Charles Palmer, defense housing coordinator; Leon S. Keyserling, acting United States Housing ad ministrator, and Col. Starr of the (Continued on page ^^3') SIX NEGRO CLERKS HIRED BY TELEPHONE COMPANY TO BE TRAIN IN DUTIES a FOR ONE MONTH— New YorK, Feb. 18 (ANPj Six Negro clerical employes w»re added to the staff of the New York Telephone company here last Mon day, following completion of throe years of negotiations with tne company by the New York Urban League, through Charles Collier, Jr., industrial Secretary. Thosu selected were Donald G .Damraond Miss Doris Foster, Miss Adelaide ! P. DeFrantz, Miss Yvonne G. Ma- ! son. Miss Emlaena Jones and Miss Amelia A. Cooper. The selectees are to undergo training until the m'ddle of March ; at which time they will take over i the company’s branch office lo cated at 126th St., and Lenox ave. Here they will take care of .all bun iness in the Harlem area, such as recording telephone orders, send-1 ing out and collecting bills and checking on change of addresses of subscriber’s. White employes1 in the Harlem branch are to bo transferred to branches in white districts, said George R. Duns paugh. manager. Aiding the Urban League in se curing the employment of these six colored workers were Councdman Stanley Isaacs, former chairman of the board of the league; Coun cilman Adam C. Powell, Jr., many individuals and organizations. In addition to placing the six in clerical postions, the league has also been instrumental in securing openings for several porters and garagemen with the company. The cooperation of the NYA, YMCA, and YWCA, in recommending1 many of the applicants to the lea gue and the company was also mentioned by the Urban League Secretary. ROGERS RECEIVES LIFE SENTENCE IN RITCHIE CASE ON APPEAL Friday the thirteenth brought good news to John Rogers. 24, O maha. sentenced to death on a mur der charge, when the state sup reme court at Lincoln directed his sentence be changed to life impris onment. Rogers pleaded guilty to killing Wallace Ritchie Negro chauffeur for Ford Hovey, former king of AkSarBen, August 5, 1940, in a quarrel over use of Ritchies auto, Rogers contended he shot Ritchie after the latter struck him. Justice E. F. Carter, writing the supreme court opinion, said. “Wc have come to the conclusion the interests of society do not demand the death penalty be inflicted. It seems to us a life sentence is ade j quate punishment when all the cir cumstances are considered.” In the appeal Rogers’ attorneys contended the death sentence re sulted from “prejudice and pass ion” of the jury. WE ARE FIGHTING FOR LIBERTY DECENCY AND MANHOOD SAYS M’LEISH > AT NATL. URBAN LEAGUE 31st ANNUAL MEETING DINNER IN NEW YORK New York, February 19 (ANP) "Americans have overcome the confused thinking and the disrupt ive influences that divided this na tion during the six years before Pearl Harbor, and while still hat ing war, today believe wholeheart edly in the war and will most cer tainly win it,” said Archibald Mac Leish .director of the Office of Facts and Figures, here Wednes day night. The occasion was the 31st annual meeting and dinner of the' National Urban League hold at the Aldine club following the annual Dusineas meeting oi tne league and round table discussion session held at Tussell Sage found ation. Speaking t° 400 government of ficials, army officers and private citizens assembled as members and guests of the Urban league, Mr Leish declared, “You can’t tell me .... and I don’t think you can tell many people in this country—that the American people are in any doubt as to what they are fighting for. And least of all can you make us believe that American Negroes are in doubt. “American Negroes realize, as we all realize, that the American dream is still, in many parts, a dream. They realize that there are imperfections in American de mocracy and that the efforts to: perfect it have been slow and dif ficult. Indeed, American Negroes realize both the imperfection and the difficulties with an especial sensitiveness for they have suffer ed much from both. But it is for this very reason that American Negroes have a particular under standing of the cause for which this war is fought. They under stand, as no other group in this country, perhaps, can understand, the inward meaning of this strug gle_the meaning carried so truly and so simply and so unfor gettable by the President’s mes sage on the tate of the union. “The American people under tand, and understand very we'.l, that it is liberty and decency and manhood we are fighting for and that we will most certainly, most questionably ,win all three.” Among other speakers at the dinner were Miss Pauline Red mond, associate director, division of youth activities, Office of Civil an Defense; Roy Wilkins, editor of the Crisis; Lester B. Granger, ex ecutive secretary. National Urban League; William H Baldwin. L Hollingsworth Wood, Commission ei Lawrence M. Orton of New York City Planning Commission; Elmer Anderson Carter, member Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, New York State Depart ment of Labor; Shelby Harrison, director Russell Sage foundation; Lt. Col. Edward O. Gourdin, 372nd infantry; Noah Walters, manager Laundry Workers’ Joint board and Dr. Sadie T. M. Alexander. OVER 3,000 JAM SAVOY FOR NAACP BIRTHDAY BALL New York—More than 3,000 persons jammed the Harlem's famed Savoy Ballroom Wednesday night, February 11, when the NA ACP Birthday Ball .with the bands of Lucky Millinder and the Savoy Sultans playing for one of the largest crowds ever to atie-ii , is being lessened in the world each day until the Japanese are defeat ; ed, Walter White, NAACP seere | tary told the convocation of stu dents and faculty members of the University of California at the ob ! 3ervance of Lincoln’s birthday here. “The dark forces of greed, based on skin color, continue to work their evil way in the world," Mr. White said. "Part of Japan’s the ory as to the United States is due to our condescending and some times contemptuous attitude to ward the Japanese because their skins are yellow and not white. “After Pearl Harbor Negroes were ready to give their lives for their country. They were tol{l in a curt reply by the Navy that there could be no change in reg ulations which might have raised them from a position of menials.” Mr. White also lead a discussion group at me international nouss at the University of California here February 15, an don Febr uary 17, addressed the convocation of the University of California at Los Angeles in that city. He will continue his tour of the Pac ific Coast visiting NAACP bran ches and other groups. an anniversary dance. Theme of the Ball was “For E quality in National Defense” and parties came from Philadelphia, New Jersey and the entire state of of New York. A telegram of greeting from Walter White, NAACP secretary, who is in California, was read by Roy Wilkins, assistant secretary. Mr. White, expressing his regret at his inability to be present said “Your support will materially help the NAACP to do a better job dur ing tbe war crisis and the critical post-war period.” Other anniversary celebrations are being held by NAACP branch es throughout the country during the week. REV. CAREY CLARIFIES STATEMENT ON GAMBLING Chicago, February 20 (ANP) — The Rev. A. Archibald J. Carey, Jr., pastor of Woodlawn AMK. Church, attorney and son of the late Bishop Carey, who spoke at a mass meeting in Metropolitan Community church here last Sun day afternoon in which he made a stinging attack irpon gambling, the policy racket and vice, point ed out that the daily newspapers has misquoted him in saying that “It is not because of race preju dice that we are not wanted in ‘ some neighborhods—but because when Negroes move in, gambling and prostitution follow” “The statement attributed to me,” said Carey, “to the effect that ‘It is not because of race pre judice that we are not wanted in some neighborhoods, but because when Negores move in gambling, and prostitution follow.” was not made by me, but it was a construc tion placed upon what I said in quoting from the report of a white real estate firm. I stated at that time I was quoting from the report of a New York real estate syndi cate which said to its clients and lawyers in that report: “ ‘We advise that wherever new subdivisions are opened up that restrictive covenants barring Ne groes be incorporated immediately. This is not done because of race prejudice as claimed, but because it is the considered judgement of real estate experts that when Ne groes move into a community. Dr. L. A. Howell, of Tampa, Fla chairman executive board. Nation al Dental Assn-, who has called all board members and committee chairmen to meet at Meharry Den tal college in Nashville, Teun., February 23, to plan for forthcom ing convention and participation of dentists in armed forces. (ANP that community becomes quickly marked by widespread gambling and prostitution.’ ’ Continuing, Rev. Carey declar ed, “I then added that this was not a matter affecting a few peo ple but that 12,000,000 Negroes all over America were being shut out of new communities and condemn ed to live in restricted areas and squalid neighborhoods because real estate experts contend that we don’t keep clean that which we have. We ought to keep the south side clean because Negroes all ov er America will be affected by how we run it.” APPEAL IN OLKAHOMA MURDER CASE TO BE HEARD MARCH FOURTH Oklahoma City, Okla.,. .Trial on the appeal of W. D. Lyons from his conviction by the trial court at Hugo, January 31, 1941, will be held in the Criminal Court of Ap peals of this state here, March 4 Thurgood Marshall, special cour -sel for the NAACP, and the first Negro lawyer ever to appear in the Hugo, Okla., court, will handle Lyons’ case along with Stanley D. Belden. It is expected to be brought out that Lyons, accused of the murder of three whites, was seized and prosecuted for political reasons and that his alleged “confession” was obtained by torture. Lyons has been in jail for a year for a crime of which he claims to be innocent. Before his trial he was beaten and tortured with charred bones which he was t°ld were those of the dead people, dragged in and out of the county jail and grilled unmercifully. Al though he was accused of having brutally murdered a family of three, the trial court jury recom mended mercy for him, and public sentiment among the Negro and white population of the area is that Lyons is innocent. LOU SWARZ PRESENTS VARIED AND ENTERTAINING PROGRAM IN WICHITA Wichita, Kansas, February 20—1 1 f ANP)—Saturday evening Lott' Swaarz, nationally known Zeta artist, "in solo dramas and mono-, logues was presented by the Wich ita City Association of Colored. Women at Roosevelt Intermediate School auditorium and captivated her mixed audience with her clev er and intelligible presentations. I POPULATION BY RACE FOR THE UNITED STATES i»40-i9so j A minus sign (-) denotes decrease * RACE All Classes. White. Native .!. Foreign Born. Negro. Other Races. Indian . Chinese . . Japanese. .. Filipino .. . Hindu. Korean .... All Other. 1940 1930 131.669,275 122,775.046 118,214,870 1110,286,740 106,795,732 96,303.335 11,419,138 13,983,405 12,865,518 11,891,143 588,887 597,163 333,969 332,397 77,504 74,934 126,947 138,834 45,563 45.20S 2,405 3,130 1,711 1,860 788 780 Increase 1930 to 1940 Amount Percent 8,894,229 7.2 7,928,130 7.2 10,492,397 10.9 -2,564,267 -18.3 974,375 8.2 -8,276 -1.1 1,572 0.3 2,550 3.4 -11,887 -8.6 355 0.3 -725 -23.2 -149 -8.0 8 t.O ROBESON HITS KC. Segregation Kansas City, Mo., Feb. 17 Paul Robeson, Negro baritone, interrupt ed a concert here to tell the aud ience he was cintinuing his prog ram uhder protest because of rac ial segregation in the municipal auditorium. “I have made it a life long hab it to refuse to sing in southerr states or anywhere that audiences are segregated. “I accepted this engagement un der guarantee that there would be no segregation Since many local leaders of my own race have urg ed me to fill this engagement, I shall finish the cincert, but I am doing so under protest.” Robeson’s protest was based on the fact most Negroes in attend ance sat together in one section of the auditorium. Eugene Zachman, manager of the auditorium, denied there was any racial segregation in the usual hense. They also denied any con 't-actural obligation prohibiting! segregation. They said seats were available for Negroes in the boxes loges, the majn floor and balconies at all prices. SURVEY CINCY FOR FSA TRANSFER Washington, Feb. 20 (ANP)— Back from a three day trip to Cin cinnati where he went to inspect the housing, recreation and gener al living conditions for Negroes, a bout to be transferred to that city with Farm Security, Jerome Rob inson, assistant to Constance E. H. Daniels, submitted his report on Tuesday. Declaring conditions to be of the usual type generally given Ne groes, Mr. Robinson made a com prehensive survey of housing, transportation, recreation, relig ious features and covered them well in his analysis. He pointed out where Negroes could stay and how they would fare in their new homes, those who expect to accompany the bur eau in its shift, but offered little in the way of encouragement or improvement over conditions in Washington where the bureau is now located. Several members of FSA were sent to make the inspection, some three or four being white, Mr. Robinson representing the colored personnel. CIO AND AFL LAUNCH DRIVE FOR NEGRO WORKERS Chicago, February 19 (ANP). C tearing the decks for an intensi fied drive to organize all unorgan ized workers in the Negro com munity, the regional office of CIO United Construction Workers Or ganizing Committee announced this week the appointment of Hammond Sevier as full time or ganizer for the union. According to Sevier the Con struction Workers Organization Committee, headed by John L. Lewis’ brother Danny, is making careful survey of local business establishment to decide which cf them “need the benefit of organ-'Z ation the most.” “We shall pay absolutely no at tention to paper jurisdictions,” Se •,’iei declared, “we are going after those workers who need us.” Meanwhile Mary Redmond, fiery organizer for the Garment Work ers Union, AFL, continued to hold lively organizing meetings at Forum hall to organize workers of H. A. Satin and Co., one of the largest unorganized garment shops in the city. “Most of the 425 sewing mach | ine operators at Satin’s are coior | ed ’’ Miss Redmond declared. "We are trying to make them realize that the stronger Negroes become in the union the more we can break down discrimination in var ious shops ” STOP LYNCHING PROBE OR FACE RACE RIOT IS SIKESTON, MO. THREAT NAACP. Investigators Find No (< Whites Who Saw Lynching Will Testify Town ‘Closed to Out siders’ ST. LOUIS, Mo.White cit izens in Sikeston, will not testify against each other in any prosecu tor guilt in the lynching of Cleo Wright there January 25, and they use the threat of a race riot to ELKS CIVIL LIBERTIES DEPT INVESTIGATES LYNCHING ROBSON R. REYNOLDS GRAND DIRECTOR MAKES TRIP, INCOGNITO. TO SCENE— ST. LOUIS, Feb. 18 (ANP) — Hobson R, Reynolds, grand direc tor of civil liberties IBPOEW., conducted his own investigation last week into the lynching at Si keston, last January 25. Reynolds whose appearance in no way re flects his racial identity, quietly entered the sleepy little southern town located in Missouri’s “boot heel” cotton section, secured quar ters and as quietly proceeded to gather evidence and faats from the townspeople. When asked how long he remain -ed in Sikeston, Reynolds stated, “I was there long eough to discov er what I wanted to know_that the real cause behind Cleo Wrights tynch-buming was the determin ation of a prejudiced minority to intimidate and scare our people so that their efforts at securing their civil liberties and economic free dom guaranteed by the constitu tion and laws of the land would be discouraged, and in order to for ever frighten them out of their natural yearnings to stand forth fearlessly as American citizens” As to his racial identity being dicovered by the whites, Reynolds rejoined, “Nobody asked me what I was, and I certainly didn’t go a round with any sign on my back. They will find out soon enough, and most likely to their own em barrassed surprise and constern ation” . Mr. Reynolds conferred official ly with the civil lbertes depart ment of Greater St- Lous Lodge No. 1012 whose four co-drectors Attys. Davd M. Grant, George L. Vaughn, John A. Davis, and Sidney R. Redmond, are outstanding mem bers of the Missouri bar. Attys. Grant, Vaughn and Redmond, hold official positions On the staffs of the circuit attorney, attorney gen eral and city counselor, respect ively. At this conference, also attended by A. Oliver Thornton, exalted ruler, and Dr. L. B. How ell, medical director, the question of presenting the facts uncovered at Sikeston to the department of justice at Washington was discus sed While in St. Louis, Mr. Reyn olds also joined in conferences with officials of the NAACP and along with Dr. G. B. Key, grand district deputy, pledged the coop eration of Elkdom throughout greater St. Louis in supporting a silent parade to be held in that city Feb. 22 in protest of the Sik-f eston lynching. SEGREGATION PROMPTS AWVS OFFIQIAL TO RESIGN New York... .Because the Am erican Women’s Voluntary Serv ice maintained a segregated unit for Negro women here, and ignor ed plans for the establishment of geographical divisions, one of its most active members, Mrs. John Hope, former administrative as sistant in the division of program and extension, has resigned. The AWVS, many of whose members are social registerites, lists on its national sponsoring committee Mrs. Mary McLeod. Bethune and Mrs. James Weldon Johnson, but Mrs Hope says in her letter of resignation sent to Mrs. Alice T. MacLean, president, dated February 10: "Imagine my dismay when they report they have at no time been called to at tend a Sponsors Meeting. I was even more distressed to hear from you that there had been no meet 1 ing of the national sponsoring com mittee.” Mrs. Hope states that a geogra phical unit plan was submitted by her to insure a cross section rep resentation and active participat ion in the AWVS by all groups, but that the plan was rejected “without adequate study.” “Instead,” her letter sets forth, “a segregated unit has been set up to serve the section, loosely called Harlem, but in reality, the] ’2th and 16th Fire Battalion area. Mrs. Hope closed her letter by saying that she did not ^ee' shi could be true to her 'belief in the true democratic principle if she remains with an organization which from her point of view has violated basic democratic con cepts. prevent further investigation and publicity. These facts came out in an in vestigation for an report to the NAACP made last week by Mr. and Mrs. L. Benoist Tompkins of this city who spent 24 hours in Sikeston, Mo., four days after the lynching, questioning leading whit es in the community and leading Negroes in Sunset Addition, the Negro ghetto. MOB WAS "JUST FOLKS’* The make-up of the mob was described as being “just folks_ not like our last lynching.. . .done by the upper clases.” Southeast Missouri’s last lynching was in Mississippi County, December 18, 1924, when a mob stormed the jail and took out a Negro accused of raping a white girl. Fear of Negroes, the need to “keep the Negro in his place” and the feudal nature of southeast Mis souri, where a very few people own all the land and the rest are vas sals, are behind the story of the brutal lynching, the Tompkins re ported. "Along with this feeling runs a genuine fear of the Negro’s phys ical violence. ‘Negroes are natur ally vicious,’ they said, ‘with less control over their emotions.’ It follows that ‘violence is necessary to keep them subservient’. It al so follows that killing a Negro is not a crime like killing a whito man, because the Negro is closer* to brute than to an independent human individual with human rights. There is a carry-over feeling in Sikeston today that go es back to the old-time southern idea that ‘every white man had to have several colored girls, and kill one nigger, before he became a man indeed.’ ” The investigators said: “We were given the definite impression that the lynchers would not be os tracized by the community; on the other hand those who might test ify against the lynchers would be ostracized. Even the most liberal man to whom we spoke said that had he witnessed the crime (which he had not) hP would ‘not be in clined to testify.’ ” Negroes themselves are afraid to identify any of the mob even though they saw the entire pro ceedings and know those respon sible. One wan in the Su-iaet Addition, ©n being questioned by the Tomp kins was terrified and said he would not talk "to white folks". “We did not ask him to talk,” the investigators stated, “because it is clear that he does not have po lice protection in Sikeston.” NEGROES “TOO COCKY" “One person suggested that the tension between poor white and Negro labor might have some bearing on the lynching. The poor whites object to equality with the Negro even more than the wealthy ones. Racial feeings are more bitter among the poor, be cause ‘if they can’t feel supeiior to the Negro, what would they feel superior about?” Many of this class of workers were in the lynch ing crowd.” The report also revealed that the lynching of Cleo Wright was not an isolated incident, but that ten sion had been growing over a per iod of time. Feeling had beeni growing that Negroes were gett ing “too cocky”. "There is increasing feeling a gainst labor unions organizing Ne groes,” the investigators said. Ne gro labor is less subservient than white labor at present and em ployers do not expect this. With the threat of a labor shortage looming close, employers res<-nt any encouragement to labor to be come too courageous and demand ing. Negroes have been the beasts of burden in southeast Missouri an since it is important to the econ omic set up that they remain in this status, they are not encour aged t° develop. The white peo ple of southeast Missouri do not ijke independent Negroes. Therij was a growing feeling that they should be put back in the place where they belong.” In commenting on their report Mr. and Mrs. Tompkins observed: “The Sikeston incident points to certain breakdowns in our legal system: Under our present laws, lynching, which is defined as mur der, goes unpunished, because the crime is judged in local courts by those who themselves believe in lynching. Young Prosecut'ng' Attorney Blanton will hardly sac rifice both his career and personal friends by prosecuting those friends who elected him to office. Even the most liberal of the plan ! ters said he would ‘not be inclined to testify.’ A local grand jury cannot be expected to indict, wnen ito may have on it some of those who were in the lynch mob. Not until prosecution and judgement are taken out of the local courts will there be any chance of ex acting justice.” | CALLS DENTISTS
