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fajgg ZfSuSjT jZfF' Nebra8kx' Omaha. Nebraska, Saturday, March 21, 1942_OUR 15 YEAR-No. 6 City Edition, 5c Copy
THE BRITISH IN INDIA
About 1600 A. D. Queen Eliza
beth granted a charter to the East
India Company- Its purpose was
to extend British trade and, as his
tory shows, to make of India a
British colony. By gradual steps
from "peaceful penetration” tnru
trade and commerce. India became
not only a British possession but
the richest one under the Crown.
During the years of British oc
cupancy of India and governmen
tal Administration, there have
been several rebellions against
British exploitation. Queen Vic
toria. two hundred ffty years af
ter the East India Company enter
ed India, issued a proclamation in
which it was declared to be the
purpose of the British Government
to admit freely Indian natives into
the government service- In the
same decree, Victoria proclaimed
herself t® he “Empress of India”
without consultation with or the
consent of the Indian people.
For two and a half centuries be
fore the Victorian Decree, British
agents had been carefully encour
aging division among the Peopie
of India. They subtly arrayed
Hindu against Moslem and Moslem
against Hindu and other lesser ele
ments of the population against
each other and against the Hindu
and Moslem elements of the pop
ulation. The British anticipated
that one day the cry would arise
for Freedom of India, and then
they would answer, we would like
to grant it, but “there is no unity
among the Indian People”. Thus
they are answering today as the
People of India demand a FREE
INDIA.
It is the old formula, “divide
and conquer”, which the British
are now using. But they cannot
escape the responsibility for con- j
ditions in the India of today. They
have been influential in India for
more than three centuries; they
have been dominant there for two
hundred years. During that time
the British have taken from India 1
hundreds of billions of Dollars in
wealth. But the per capita wealth
of the People of India is the least
to be found anywhere in a civilized i
land: here we find the highest per- !
centage of illiteracy and a larged I
number of human beings in the
throes of degradation than can be
found anywhere else on earth.
The present population of India
is 390.00p.000. Three-fourths of
them are Hindus, 77,000,000 are
Mohammedans.
For many years great Indian
leaders have agitated for Indian
freedom. Under the leadership
of Mohandoes Gandhi and Nehru,
Nationalism has become well nigh
irresistable. During World War
One the cry for Dominion Status
for India was strong and the Br-z
ish Government half heartedly
promised it. But after the war
was over the British leaders claim
ed that "Indian Factions cannot
get together and until they do,
Britain cannot grant Dominion
Status, or Independence.”
SIR STAFFORD CRIPPS
The British Government in the
last few weeks has appointed Sir
Stafford Cripps as a special Com
missioner to India to work out a
plan for Indian Freedom. The
British press, and the British
Prime Minister, however, points
out that the effort to achieve unity
of India faces the problem of
Hindu and Moslem enmity; the
enmity which the British have cul
tivated for the 340 years since the
chartering of the East India Com
pany.
Meanwhile, Japan knocks at the
gates of India.
Our sympathies go out to Sir
Stafford Cripps, an able and sin
cere man. who must undo in a
brief period, the mischief done by
Britain for more than three hund
red years.
India may not be free, but if she
is not, the day of British exploit
ation js over.
The British have had their
chance, the best of any Colon .al
power of history and they have
failed in the Orient; they are fail- I
ing in Africa, because they have
been blinded by “A Color Comp
lex"; "That all non-white races
are inferior, and therefore, must
always be the “mudsill" of the
races of mankind.
The lesson which the British are
learning in India may well be
learned by white men the world
over, including the Western hem
isphere in particular.
The darker races may also learn
a lesson from th_ tragic failure of
Britain in India. And if, in the
changing order , the darker races
shall be foremost once again, let
us make very sure that in sucn
a society, the strong shall no more
oppress and exploit the weak. May
the dark men rather teach that
strength is given to the strong
that they may help the weak and
helpless. If they pursue such a
course, and white men, in the cycle
of time, shall in the distant days,
again be clothed with power, civ
ilization will not suffer, because
the lessons mankind shall have
learned will be those of human
service. Britain lost such a chance
in India.
ATTENTION BOARD OF
DIRECTORS NAACP
The National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People
nas been one of the most service
able organizations to appear in
the field of human rights since the
Nfw England Abolition Society.
It has performed very- helpful ser
vice through legal means to hold
such ground as the Negro has and
to make additional gains. In
spite of all tha: has b en done,
Ivnchings still occur; mobs still
have their own sweet way in cit
ies North and South and the Uni
ted States Congress refuses to
pass an anti-mob law.
Progress has been made. We
have learned to organize a fight
for civil liberty; the fine art of
propaganda: how to utilize the le
gal means at hand for our defense
and protection, and we have learn
ed that THE SUPREME COURT
OF THE UNITED STATES, will
sustain the cause of Ciivl Liberty
when it is properly brought be
fore it.
These successes have been poss
ible only' because in the early
years of the Association, the lead
ership was able and sincerely de
voted to the cause which it es
poused. They set the example of
moral, intellectual and financial
integrity. And the people through
out the Nation supported them.
[ And thus the NAACP became re
i srected and feared all over Amer
j ica.
Its work m the various comm
unities has been carried on by un
paid workers who believe in its
cause. Upon such workers von
must depend through the cornin':
years, for they are giving the kind
of service which MONET CAN
NOT BUT. Therefore, more and
(Continued on page
Prominent Southerners
Support Anti»Poll Tax Bili
— —
WASHINGTON. D. C— A plea
for the protection of the federal
constitution, s othat “democracy
may not become a touchstone for
hypocrites.” was made before a
Senate Judiciary Subcommittee
Thursday, March 12th, by a group
of Southerners testifying in sup
port of a bill by Senator Pepper,
Democrat of Florida which would
outlaw payment of state poll tsx
es as a prerequisite to voting for
federal office holders.
Silliman Evans, edit >r of the
Nashville Tennessean, charge 1 that
“the poll tax permtjs mino.'ty
rule" and “cheating" of honest
voters in eight Southern States
and that in actual operation i‘
]>r« uces self-selected stiff rat c
He etstified that noil taxes h.v
enabled Ed Crump of Memphis "to
limb, up o political machine ti it
has no peer in the country,” and
that this machine “controls o* •
or about 80,000 of T-nnesst
400,000 voters,' He said that a.'
man “cant expect to defeat a1
Crump-supported candidate wh.i
goes into a race with about 20 per
cent of the votes in his pocket.”
The assistant editor of the Tenn
essean, Jennings Perry, stated that
“the republican form of govern
ment has been destroyed in all ths
poll tax states.” "Tennessee right
now has 100,000 more men regis
tered for military service—and in
it—(all of poll tax age) than she
has voters,” Mr. Perry said, add
ing that in Tennessee about 400 -
000 of the 1,800,000 citizens act
ually elect state and national oJ
ficials.
Miss Lucy Randolph Mason, So
uthern Pacific Relations Counsel
of the CIO .testified that the poll
tax represented a deliberate denial
of representation to the poor, a
denial “creating wrongs and in
justices of many types.” She
stated that the tax was an injus- j
tice to wage earners and destroy- j
ed their civil rights, because they 1
do not elect local sheriffs as well
as state and national officials.
“Elected representatives forget
the people who do not share in
their elections.” she said.
Appearing on behalf of the So- !
uthem Electoral Reform League,
the outstanding Southemo organ
ization fighting the poll tax, and j
its affiliate. the Virginia Electoral
Reform League. Moss Plunkett a>.
David George, both of Virginia,
gave factual evidence of the way *
in which political machines per
petuate themselves through the
purchase of “blocks of poll tax
receipts, and told of the organiz
ed Southern movement for the a
bolishing of the poll tax represent
ed by the Reform League
Mr. Plunkett told the subcom
mittee that an official report of
a subcommittee of the Virginia
legislature, appointed to make a
study of election reforms, male
a report strongly favoring abol
ishment of the poll tax, which had
been suppressed by the body that
had instructed it to make its stud;
Testifying concerning the pur
chase of poll tax receipts by or
ganizations or groups. Mr. George
claimed that authoritative public
statements have been made by pub
lie officials in Virginia that the
practice of such “block" payment
I of poll taxes is common in the
state.. He testified that an offic
I ial audit of the treasuries of 100
; counties of Virginia had shown
shortages in a majority. This is
due. he explained, to the practic
of the treasurer marking as .->-11:1
blocks of poll tax receipts purch
ased before payment was actual] v
made and then failing to collect.
Frank McCallister of Atlanta.
Georgia. Southern secretary of the
Workers Defense League, includ
ed two main points in his testi
mony. He stated that Southern
states now requiring the poll tax
as a prerequisite to voting are viol
-ating the terms of their readmis
sion to the union after the war
since that act of Congress rea l
mitting them provided “that their
constitutions never be so amended
LINCOLN URBAN LEAGUE TO
HOLD STATE WIDE MEETING
The Lincoln Urban League ,in-|
nounces a Statewide Conference
on Interracial Social Action and
Negro Participation In War and
Past Wars.
The Program will be held at the
new Urban League Community
Center 2030 T St. Prominent
men and women throughout tb..
state will participate.
The program is as follows:
ONE DAY NEBR. CONFAB
SATURDAY, MARCH 28, 1942
AGENDA
9:00-9:30—Millard T. Woods,.
Lincoln, presiding Executive Sec
retary, Lincoln Urban League.
Prayer,.... Rev. L. S Goolsby
President Lincoln Ministerial Al
liance.
Greetings.Dr. Arthur L.
Weatherly, President Emeritu-,
Lincoln Urban League.
THE REASONS FOR
THE CONFERENCE
by Trago T. McWilliams Indus
trial Secretary, Lincoln Urban
League
9:30-10:15 (a)
WOMEN’S PLACE IN
THIS WAR
Mrs. Mary Jones Gamble, grad
uate University of Nebraska, Nor
folk. Nebraska Presiding.
Discussants: Mrs. Blackburn.
General Secretary Northside
Branch, YWCA, Omaha, Nebraska |
Mrs. Vyola W. Miller, Lincoln Case
worker, Lancaster County Relief
Bureau. Mrs. Katherine Moore,
Lincoln Civic and Church worker
10:15-11:15 (b)
THE PART OF THE
or changed as t<> deprive any cit
izen or class of citizens of the
United States of the right to vote
who are entitled to vote by the
cnstitution herein recognized.”
That constitution, he said, con
tained a provision that "all citiz
ens of the state are hereby declar
ed to possess equal civil and politic
al rights and public privileges.”
His second point was that the
poll tax as a prerequisite t° vot
ing “is an institution which is dis
criminatory and was meant to lie
so by those who enacted such leg
islation.” In support of this pojnt
he quoted a speech made by Car
ter Glass. Senator from Virginia,
a tthe constitutional convention «*f
Virginia which adopted the Vir
ginia Constitution of 1902. G'ats
declared then: "The chief purpose
of this convention is to amend the
suffrage clause of the existing
constitution. It does not require
much prescience to foretell that
the alterations which we shall
make will not apply to ‘all persons
and classes without distinction.’
We were sent here to make distinc
-tions. Wo expect to make dis
tinctions. We will make dis*in'
tions.”
Also testifying in support of the
Pepper bill were Mrs. Sherwood
Anderson, of Marion, Va., repres
enting the National YWCA, and
Mrs. Kate Bradford Stockton, of
Allardt, Tenn., who said she rep
resented the “dirt farmers" of tht
Tennessee hills. A statement sent
by the Southern Tenant Farmer'
Union, the organization represent
ing Southern sharecroppers and
farm tenants, was received and
placed in the record.
Dr. Will Alexander .former ad
ministrator of the Farm Security
Adminjstration. and Dr. Frank
Graham, president of the Univers
ity of North Carolina, presents '
written statements to the sub
committee
Phillip Murray, president of the
, CIO: William Green, president of
the AFL; representatives of +h
raileay brotherhoods: Benjamin
Marsh, of Peoples Lobby: and Al
bert Hamilton, of the Socialist
Party, were expected to testify
before the end of the four day
i hearing.
iNEGRO PRESS
Burt F. Newton. Teacher A'iu t i
Education Department, Linecin
Public Schools presiding.
Discussant: R. C. Price, Repr - j
sentative Associated Negro Press
Omaha, Nebraska.
11:15-12:00 (c)
NEGRO YOUTHS
VIEWPOINT
Miss Pomona Banks, I incoln
Student University of Nebraska.
Presiding.
Discussants: Miss Jane C Ma”,
Falls City Senior Wesleyan Univ
ersity: J. Westbrook McPherson.
Record Clerk, Douglas County
Court. Omaha.
12:00-1:30—LUNCH.
Piano music. .John McWTHamj,
Clyde W. Malone B'arti - ember
Lincoln Urban League. Presiding
REMARKS: Dr. M. F. Arnhc.it, i
President Lincoln Urban L ague. !
Dr. J, M. P^einhardt, University
of Nebraska Past President, Lin
coln Urban League.
1:30-2:00—RECESS
2:00-3:30 (dl
EMPLOYMENT PROBLEMS
PECULIAR TO THE
NEGRO WORKER
Rev. Charles G. Blooah. Hon
ings, presiding.
Discussants: (10 minutes eicM
Willard Duncan. Beatrice: A. B.
McCaw, Omaha: Henry Black, O
maha, Retired Postal Department,
Employee. Wiliam Patrick. Grand
Island: Miss Lois Anne Herr; ’cn.
Fremont.
3:30-4:15 fc>
THE CIVILIAN DEFENSE
PROGRAM
Dr. Ca.~e~co Simr’e^'m Omab \
Member Selective Service Board,
presiding.
Discussants: Ray L. Williams.
Omaha. Attorney at Law. Mem
ber Nebraska Advisory Council;
John Adams. Jr. Omaha, Attorney
at Law, Member Nebraska Legia
ROOSEVELT POST TO GIVE
FREE LUNCHEON TO BOMBER
PUNT EMPLOYEES SUNDAY
All employees at the Bomber
plant are invited to a Free Lun
cheon at the American Legion
Post No. 30 Hall, 24th and Burd
ette Sts., Sunday March 22, at 1
P. M.Good food and plenty of
Free Beer.
GREATER SHARE IN WAR
PROGRAM URGED FOR
NEGRO CITIZENS
Lester B. Grainger, executive
secretary of the National Urban
League of New York City, was e
Lincoln viditjor Monday. Mr.
Grainger vice president of the 4
merican Association of Social
Work, a former Dartmouth ath
lete and veteran of World War I
In which he was an artillery offic
er, spoke to a group of Univers
ity students at thr- Urban League
in the afternoon. He addressed
the members of the Urban League
board in an evening session held
iature
4:15-5:15—
POST WAR PROBLEMS
Mr. Thomas Mahammitt, Om
aha. Volunteer Worker, presiding.
Discussants: Raymond R. Brown
Executive Secretary Omaha Urb
an League: Dr. G. B. Lennox O
maha Medical Association, Past
president Omaha Negro Chamber
of Commerce.
Benediction: Rev. C. A. Shaw.
Lincoln, Pastor Newman ME.
Church.
5:15-6:00—RECESS
6:00-7:30—DINNER.
Rev. O. J. Burkhardt, Lincoln
Pioneer Nebraska Civic Worker,
presiding.
Remarks: Charles Davis, Ex
alted Ruler. Omaha Elks.
Summary of Conference: Rev.
John Adams Sr., Omaha, Presid
ing Elder AME. Church.
8:00-10:00—SOCIAL RECRE
ATION.
CITY AUDITORIUM MARCH 27-8:15 P. M.
LOCAL OMAIIAN TO OPEN
CAFE ON NORTH SIDE
New Tophatter Cafe To Be One Of Oud Showplaces
The Tophatter’s Cafe, destined
to be one of Omaha's leading din
ing places, is to be formally open
ed Thursday night. March 26. 1942
at 9:00 o'clock, at 24th and Ersk
ine Street. This Cafe is to have
a luxurious lounge, beautiful wall
paintings, which have won schol
at the YMCA.
His topic was. “The Current
Program of the National Urban
League”. Mr. Grainger in an in
spiring talk t°ld of the National
Urban League’s program in the
present day crisis. He stated that
the Negro should insist upon full
participation in defense activities
and the military effort.
Specal guests were Louis W.
Horne, executive secretary of th*
Lincoln Community Chest, and
Mr. and Mrs. Raymond R. Brown
of Omaha. Mr. Browi, ex eutive
secretary of the Omaha Urban
League introduced Mr. Grainger.
Millard T. Woods executive secre
tary of the -Lincoln Urban League,
presided.
WALLER EXECUTION STAYED
TO MAY 19 BY GOV. DARDEN
Governor Colgate W. Darden Jr.
of Virginia has granted a stay of
execution to Odell Waller. 24 year
old sharecropper of Gretna, Vir
ginia. who had been sentenced' to
die March 20th for the shooting
of his planter landlord in a dispute
over crop shares. The stay was to
May 19th.
The stay was granted by Gov.
Darden on March 11th. after he
had received the printer’s proofs
of attorney John F. Finerty’s pet
ition to the Supreme Court of the
United Stotes for a writ of Cert
iorari. The governor was warmly
thanked for his action by tho
Workers Defense League, national
labor defense agency with head
quarters at 112 East 19th Street,
New York City, which is handling
the sharecropper’s appeal for a
new trial.
astic awards and first prizes in
national art contests; a spac*o-is
floor lined with palms, and an en
tire wall devoted to modernistic
art work. Its staff of waitresses
will be neat and courteous in ser
vice to the patron, and the kitchen
staff will consist of experienced
cooks and helpers.
The Cafe will specialize in chick
en, steak, roast beef and roast
pork dinners, and also a variety
in sandwiches A well balanced
program will feature the opening
night’s ceremonies.
Manager of this Cafe is William
L. Davis, formerly a student cf
Fisk University and a former din
ing car employee of the Union
Pacific Railroad and co-managers
with him are Mr. Delmar Burris,
and Mr. Dewey Matthews, two
popular young men and adept at
the art of business methods.
Mr. Davis urges ail of 1 is
friends to be present at the open
ing.
The paintings On the walls of
The Tophatetr Cafe, to be opened
up soon have been valued at $1500.
This is the only Cafe on the North
side with art murals of value. This
work 33 the credit of Mr. Paul Gib
son, the artist.
Says Attorney John Adams. Si1.,
quote: “This painting is & monu- M
ment to any great artist’s work.”
The tender fried chicken in this
Cafe is a choice product and the
favorite of several families.
Th ewaitresses and help have ie
ceived special training in servicq
so that the patron may be pleased
at all times.
The Tophatters Cafe shall be
opened daily from 11:00 a. m. to
6:00 a. m. of the next day.
The beautiful lounge in the Top
Hatters Cafe and take to fit has
been the skilled work of Mr. Mel
vin Curren the carpenter, and Mr.
Samyeul Mitchell, the upholsterer.
The managers and employees of
the Cafe invite your patronage
daily.
GRADUATE NEGRO PILOTS
NEGRO PILOTS ARE
GRADUATED
Tb • rirst class of N-'gro pilot'
in the history of th? U. S. Array
Air Corps was graduated at Lh:
Advanced Flying School Tu.sk:
gee. Ala.. March 7, when “wings’’
and commissions as second lieu:
enants in the Air Corps Were pre
sented by Mjor General George E.
Stratemeyer, commanding too
Southeast Air Corps Training
Center.
Among the members of the class
shown here listening to one of
their instructors. Liput R. M. Long
left are: G.S. Roberts, of London,
W, Va.; Capt. B. O. Davis of Wash
ington;.. C, H. DeBow of Indiana
poljs, Ind.: Mac Ross of Dayton,
j Ohio, and L. R. Curtis of New
Rochelle, N. Y. It is expected
that they will br assigned to the
99th Pursuit Squadron. Other
Negro aviation cadets now in train
ing are expected to be commiss
ioned in the near futui .