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
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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
