LARGEST ACCREDITED NEGRO NEWSPAPER WEST OF CHICAGO AND NORTH OF KANSAS CITY —MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED NEGRO PRESS
~Effnejg A^SarehT Phl^wE. mfa’ Nebraska Saturday, Jan. 23, 1943 Our 15th Year, No. 50 City Edition, 5c Copy
“To Cool Off” F. E. P. C. Pending Re-Organization
«
Chicago’s
Political
Pot Boils
SEEKS TO ELIMINATE ALD
ERMAN EARL B. DICKERSON
WHO AIDED HIM IN NOV.
CHICAGO. Jan. 22 (ANP) —Pre
liminary skirmishes in Chicago's lo
cal political arena got under way
Immediately the new year was ush
ered in. The first repercussions,
however, came Wednesday night
when the Democratic organizations
of the famous Second ward met and
acting under the command of Con
gressman William L. Dawson, who
is also committeeman, did a near
throat slitting job on Alderman Earl
B. Dickerson by refusing to endorse
Dickerson for reelection to his post
in the Chicago City Council.
Instead Dawson put forward and
secured the aldermanic endorse
ment for one of his own lieutenants
young and little known William
Harvey. Harvey, who, has been a
city fireman for a year, has work
ed as a secretary in Mr. Dawson’s
political office for some time but
his advent into big time poiit*nb
with so large a plum packed within
his grasp has rather startled the
old regular politicians.
Congressman Dawson's action, a
climax to the long fight which he
and Dickerson have carried on. puts
a dimmer temporarily at least on
the brilliant career of the alderman
who was his opponent for nomin
ation as congressman on the demo
cratic ticket last spring, and gave
Dawson sweet reveneg for the de
feat which Dickerson handed hiuj
when the two were opponents tor
the job a salderman four years ago.
At that time Dawson was a Repub
lican and lost to Dickerson in a
four way primary.
Congressman Dawson, a power
i ful cog in the political machine led
® by Mayor Edward J. Kelly, and
Dickerson have been rivals for
years. Dickerson has never had
the Sympathy or cooperation of the
regular machine and has been con
sistently frowned upon by Mayor
Kelly but has made a remarkable
record in the Chicago city council.
He has been an active campaigner
iCont-nued on pagtJ5^=4)
MINISTERS DROP SUIT ‘GAINST
PENN ROAD AFTER JIM CROW
BAN
Chicago, Jan. 21 (ANP)—A suit
charging the Pennsylvania railroad
with discrimination in its seating
accommodations at Chicago was
dismissed this week after the com
pfeinants secured written assur
ances from the company that the
practices would end.
The suit grew out of charge3
brought by the Revs. Junius C.
Austin, pastor of Pilgrim Baptist
Church, and Rev. William McDow
ell. pastor of Monumental Baptist
Church, against E. M. Holt, general
passenger agent for the carrier.
The two charged that on Dec. 14
Holt denied them seats they had
paid for on the crack streamliner.
South Wind, running between Chi
cago and Miami, and assigned them
to seats in a jim crow coach behind
the engine. This, their petition
claimed, was in violation of Illinois
civil rights statutes.
Holt was subsequently arrested
on Dec. 31 an dfaced prosecution
along with the railroad on charges
of violation of the civil rights law.
When the case was called for hear
ing in the packed courtroom of
Municipal Judge Mason S. Sullivan
Atty- Oscar Lindstrand, counsel for
Holt and the rail company confer
red with the ministers and their
lawyer. A tty- George C. Adams and
announced the agreement
The agreement read in open court
stated that hereafter the Pennsyl
vania railroad would not jim crow
colord passengers on any Of its
trains bound for the South and part
icularly on the South Wind.
After the agreement was entered
into and approved by the court the
case was nolle pressed.
WEST POINT COMMISSIONS
TWO MORE NEGRO OFFICERS
WESTPOIXT, N. T., Jan. 21 (AN
P).... Before several thousand
guests, including prominent civil
ians and the highest ranking mil
itary officials, two Negro cadets re
ceived their commissions this week
from the hands of sec. of War Hen
ry L. Stints'*!!.
The cadets were Robert Bernard
Tresville. who received a second
lieutenancy in the United States
Army Air Forces, the first Negro to
be commissioned from the military
academy into it- and Clarence M.
Davenport, who was commissioned
a second lieutenant in the regular
army.
The ovations were loudest whe t
these two men received their com
missions and became among the
first to graduate from West Point
in the accelerated wartime classes
in three and one half years instead
of the usual four
These youths were the sixth and
seventh Negroes to graduate from
the United States Military academy
Others were the late Henry Ossian
Flipper, the late John H. Alexander
the late Col. Charles Young. Lt
COl. Benjamin O. Davis. Jr., com
mander of the 99th Pursuit squad
ron. located at Tuskegee. and Lt
James D. Fowler, assistant plans
and training officer and officer in
charge of non- commissioned offic
ers school. 366th infantry, at Fort
Devens. Mass.
Immediately after the graduation
ceremonies Lt. Davenport left foi
his home city where he was married
the next day to Miss Yolande Eliz
abeth Bradfield. daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. George C. Bradfield Sr. of
that city of Detroit.
Neither Lts. Davenport or Tres
ville had been assigned to active
duty late this week. Their grad
uation leaves three other Negro ca
dets at the school among whom arc
Minton Francis of Washington, who
attended the University of Pennsyl
vania before his West Point ap
pointment.
Tobias Deplores
Attack On Press
Is He Oldest
Active Parson?
Presiding Elder J. D. Dowdell
Though in his ninth decade and
with 61 years in the ministry of the
Colored Methodist Episcopal Church
the Rev. J. D. Dowdell of Opelika.
Ala., still faithfully travels the
Tuskegee Mission District of the
East Alabama Conference, super
vising his preachers and inspiring
their congregations with his quar
terly meeting sermons.
According to Bishop W. Y. Bell of
Cordele, Ga., this 86-year old is the
senior presiding elder of the C. M. E.
[ Church nor does the Bishop know
of any other active pastor who has
served so long in the itinerancy.
Unlike most parsons Rev. Mr.
Dowdell will never need an old-age
pension. He collects rent from 38
houses and owns a fertile farm of
. 360 acres. He studied in Talladega
: College. Says his Bishop: “Brother
Dowdell is a good preacher and a
safe counselor.”
Peglers or other "quislings.” The
New Masses, he continued, consid
ered the question of Negro rights
as important as the opening up of
the "Second front" and for this rea
son put out special numbers on j >tn
of these topics.
The next Schomburg forum on
January 21, will take up the contro
versial book, "No Day of Triumph.”
Some critics have praised it as a
great book: others have condemned
it •._saying that it never should
have been written. J. Saunde-'S
Redding, the author, will debate
these issues with a southern white
liberal author. Harold Preece, ar.d
the managing editor of The Negro
Quarterly, Ralph Ellison.
PETITION PRESIDENT FOR
COMMUTATION OF DEATH
SENTENCE FOR SOLDIERS
Washington, D. C.Commutat
I ion of the death sentence of Sam
j mie Mickles, U. S. Army private
serving in Great Britain and con
victed of the murder of Jan Ciap
ciak, Polish seaman, was asked this
week of President Roosevelt by the
National Association far the Adv
ancement of Colored People.
I nthe ^communication to the
White oHuse, Walter White. NA
ACP. executive secretary, remind
ed the President:
'American race prejudice which
is being transplanted with the arm
ed forces to foreign countries is
! manifested by the frequency and
violence of unprovoked attacks on
Negro soldiers and Sailors. The
silence and indifference of the gov
ernment to the abuse of Negroes in
the armed forces by prejudiced
southern whites, is developing into
a standing invitation to the various
peoples of the world to adopt, with,
impunity, the same attitudes of con
tempt and aggression. In the light
of these conditions the case of Pri
vate Mickles is significant of a pat
tern which will tend to spread un
less definite steps are taken to
check it
According to the account carried
by the Associated Press, the deeas
ed provoked the altercation not only
in that he manhandled the young
woman accompanying Private Mic
kles. but to the extent that he as
saulted and wounded the defendant
with a ‘wood chisel.'
“It is our earnest belief and de
sire, which we know you share,
that even- possible doubt, with par
ticular reference to the element of
premeditation, be resolved in favCr
of this young man who was in the
service of his country abroad."
WHITE
RESIGNS
COUNCIL
FOR DEM.
POST
New York,. N. Y.Because of
the Council for Democracy's refusal
to accept responsibility for the pub
lication Of an article by Warren
Brown, one of its paid employees,
slandering the entire Negro press.
Walter White, executive secretary
of the NAACP resigned this week
as a director of the Council. The
Brown article appeared simultan
eously on newstands last month in
the December, 19th Saturday Re
view of Literature and the January
j Reader’s Digest
Ernest Angell, president of the
Council for Democracy in answer to
White’s query as to whether the
position of the Council was “indic
ated” by the Brown article said:
j “The Council is not called upon
! either to endorse and adopt every
i statement made in its general con
'elusions, nor to repudiate the part
icular statements and general con
clusions. The article is not in the
formal sense an official Council
publication. It was written by a
regular member of our staff. We
knew it was being written, we saw
the piece before it was turned in for
publication. We did not see then
nor do we see now any reason to
disavow it or to modify it."
White charged that the Brown
article is not a well rounded pres
entation and would do "infinite
j harm" because of its immaturity
j and false emphases. He pointed
out also, that the appearance of a
reprint of the article in a recent
Texas daily newspaper alongside an
advertisement of the Klu Klux Klan
was an unpleasant coincidence. Ac
companying White’s resignation
was a statement by Roy Wilkins,
assistant XAACP executiev secre
tary. Crisis editor and veteran news
paper man. Wilkins asserted that
evidently there was a plan for this
article, perhaps before it was writ
' ten and that someone was very an v
; ious to place the 7 million circula
tion of the Reader’s Digest behind
Brown's statements. He said that
Information had reached him that
the Reader’s Digest had had this
article originally and had approach
ed several magazines including Op
portunity to get them to publish it
so that the Digest could "digest"
it- Finally if was placed with the
Saturday Review of Literature and
published simultaneously in the
LISTS FOUR '
TYPES OF
LEADERSHIP
(by Chester Hibbitt)
INDIANAPOLIS. Jan. 21 <ANP>—
(Thrusting aside camouflage and
, slicing through to the fates. Dr.
Charming H. Tobias, one of the
clearest and most respected minds
on the international scene as it em
braces the problems of the Negro,
democracy and world conflict, has
brought to the local community a
course for action during a series of
lectures and appearances here be
ginning with the famed TMCA meet
ing Sunday afternoon.
In considering the recent nation
wide and recurring attacks upon
the Negro press, outstanding Negro
figures and upon the Negro masses
Dr. Tobias saw a ready remedy
through sincere conference and pos
itive action by the government.
“There is conhiderable misdirect
ed energy on the part of white Am
erica in general and government in
particular in trying to check the
(Continued from page 3)
Farmers Called
Most Important
Negro Group
Washington. January 22 (A.N’P)—q
The most important group of Ne
groes in the United States is tho
agricultural group, say experts who
have sized up the situation. Own
ing a total acreage of 11.198,893.
this is enough land to form a strip
three miles wide stretching across
the country from Boston to San,
Francisco
However, the census figures of
1930 showed a decrease over th^se
of 1920. With no figures available
for the 1040 comparison it is inter
estiong to note some of the figures
Of a decade ago.
There were S82.850 farm operators
or 14 percent of the total in tho
United States. There were Negro
farmers in all states and in two
thirds of the countries in the entire
United States.
The average acreage for the Ne
gro farm was 42.6 acres. The val
ue of the land and buildings was
assessed at $1,402,945,790, all figur
es being considerably lower than
those of the previous lo years.
The average farm was valued at
$1,589 and the t°tal value of farm
products in the south was $646,641
216 or about $732 per farm.
Whether the figures for 1940
would show a further decrease is
problematical.
ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA
DIRECTORATE TO MEET
Detroit. January 22 (ANP) —The
directorate of the Alpha Kappa Al
pha sorority will meet in St. Louis
Feb. 20-23, Supreme Basileus Beulah,
T. Whitby announced this week.
The session will be a business one
as the body is not having a con
vention this year.
Among the directorate who will
! attend are; Ethel H. Lyle, Phila
delphia, Louise J- MacDonald. New
York City; Rosetta E. Nolan, Kan
sas City; Irma F. Clarke, Chicago;
Trussie Smothers, Kansas City;
Zatella R. Turner. Petersburg, Ya.
Zelma W. Duke. Los Angeles: Mary
C. Wright. Cambridge, Mass.: Mar
guerite M. Adams. Charlotte. X. C;
Laura T. Lovelace, Cincinnati;
Blanche L. Patterson. St. Louis;
Maude E. Brown, Louisville; Con
nie Yerwood Odom. Tyler. Tex.;
Manila Darden Hickman, Tulsa and
Manila Hudlin Smith. Phoenix. Am.
TO SUSPEND FOOD STAMP ON
MARCH 1
I Washington. Jan. 22 (ANP) —The
food stamp program will be suspend
ed March 1, probably for the dur
ation of the war, acording to an
announcement made last week by
the V. S. Department of Agriculture
However, it also was announced at
the same time that the Departments
program of providing foods foj*
community school lynches and child
day care centers will be continued.
At its Peak in 1941. the food
stamp program gave assistance to
4.000.000 people, of which nearly a
|million were Negroes, and served to
| move large quantities of agricultur
i *1 commodities. School lunches are
'now reaching 2.700.000 youngsters,
! including nearly a half million col
lored children.
>iimiiiimmiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimm
EDITORS SAY
NEGRO RIGHT*
ESSENTIAL
TO VICTORY
NEW YORK. Jan. 22 (ANP) .. .
Before one of the largest crowds
of the season, editors of The Sur
vey Graphic, New Masses, Annals
of the American Academy of Pol
itical and Social Science and The
Chicago Defender debated “the col
or question and the war,” last Thurs
day at the book forum of the Sch
omburg collection of Negro liter
ature of the New York Public Libr
ary. These publications have all
put out special issues on this ques
tion. The audience expressed amaze
ment an dgratification that four
periodicals with greatly different
points of view and political tend
encies agreed so completely that
the extension of full rights to the
NegTo and other minorities was es
sential to victory in the war and a
real peace afterwards.
Dr. Alain Locke, who spoke for
The Survey Graphic, said that his
magazine represented “constructive!
liberalism" and that their special
ceived wide circulation outside of
number of last November had re
the United States as well as in this
country. Dr. J. P. Shalloo spoke
for The Annals. He said that their
special number of last September
was barred from shipment abroad
on the grounds that axis propagan
dists would pounce upon the uc
c nt® .1 C'ScrUn-'u? ■ i, in t j.
country. Dr. Shalloo insisted that
scholarly, sober, restrained articles
in The Annals did the most good
Harry McAlpin, chief 0f the Wash
ington bureau of the Chicago De
fender, said that the Defender’s
special number of Sept. 26, ‘ The
j Negro and Victory,” was designed
i to unite all elements in the coun
| try—even the Westbrook Peglers
and the governors of Georgia and
Alabama. This assertion started a
cross-fire of questions and comm
ents from the audience and other
editors.
A. B. Magil of The New Masses
disagreed. He held that there could
not be any worthwhile unity with
ALLEN ON CONCERT TOl'R
| Greensboro, N. C., January 22 (A
I NP). .William Allen, talented con
cert pianist of the music school
staff of Fisk university-, played a
delightful concert at Bennett col
lege here Friday evening. Mr. Al
len has developed a program dem
ocratic in its structure for this tour.
It opens and closes with compos
itions by native Americans of all
colors. Chopin. Brahms. Schum
ann. Rachmaninoff. Shostakovich
and Still are among the composers
whose works are featured.
Mr. Allen plays at Barber-Scotia
college. Jan. 22. at Howard univer
sity. Jan. 23. and then returns to
Fisk where he gave the introduc
tory program last Sunday.
WASHINGTON. Jan. 22 (ANP) —
i The War .Manpower commission s
Fair Kmployment Practice Commit
tee is slated for a thorough over
hauling and until this is perfected,
its functions are to be subjected to
a "cooling off" period, it was re
ported around Washington early
this week
A decision to reorganize the com
mittee. which has been investigat
ing war industries believed pract
'cing discrimnatory methods, is said
to have emanated from the White
House.
It is said the committee's recent
adamant stand against the Capital
Transit company and its extensive
and thorough preparations for the
now defunct railroad hearings caus
ed the White House considerable
concern.
Considerable speculation has aris
en over the action of the commit
tee when it meets next. The com
plexion of the committee is due for
a change because of the attitudes
of certain members. However, to
date, none has tendered his resign
ation.
At the next meeting, the members
will be told that their functions will
be shelved pending a reorganization
Paul McNutt has made no addit
ional statements as to the future of
the committee, nor has he implem
ented his initial statement on the
calling off of the railroad hearings.
The shock of the announcement
has not fully subsided in Washing
ton yet and there are those who are
hopeful of reviving the issue later.
What the governor meant when
he said the manpower commission
would have the opportunity to test
its power to the fullest now and
that the problem would be solved
in a normal manner leaves plenty
to the imagination as to what trans
pired behind the scenes.
The full committee is expected to
meet on January 25 at which time
action will be taken as to what it
intends doing and how it expects
to function in the future.
Digest. “I think,” Wilkins con
eluded, “that the publication of this
i indictment of practically the entire
j press of a minority of 13 million
people is indicative of misjudge
i ment of and contempt for the abii
1 ity, aspirations and feelings of the
great masses of Negro citizens.
BARBER INVESTS PENNY BANK
SAVINGS IN W AR BONDS
Camden, N. C., Jan. 22 (ANP) —
O] ating under the theory that if
you: “save the pennies the dollars
will take care of themselves" Dess
Kennedy, a local barber bega.it
saving the "coppers" several years
ago
Patrons to his small barber shop
often ribbed the tonsorial artist for
his penury, but Kennedy's frugal
ity was to bear fruit
This was evidenced last week,
when, accompanied by his wife,
Kennedy walked into the Commer
cial bank here and deposited a sack
holding 8,000 pennies on the cotm
tet. When the couple departed
they carried with them $80 worth
HUMANITY KEE
CONGRESS A!
Washington, January 23 (ANP) —
According to a noted Washington
writer. Frances Payne Bolton, con
gTesmai from Cleveland, was slat
ed for a "purge" by the Democrat
ic opponents of her district. Had
this occurred, humanity would have
lost a champion in congress. For
as Marcia Winn points out. much
of the progress made in recent
years in army nursing came as a
result of Congressman Bolton's per
sonal efforts back in 1917, when
■he first came to Washington wit a
her husband who had just received
§*lllllfllllllllllllllllll!iiiiiili!lltllll!!llll
HASTIE
TEHDERS
HIS RES
IGNATION
ASKS LAITIER, GIBSON
TO REMAIN AT I*OSTS
In a statement issued to the Ne
gro press. January- 16th, Judge Wm.
H. Hastie, Civilian Aide to the Sec
retary of War, notifies us that he
has tendered his resignation from
his job, to them.
I The statement is as follows:
WAR DEPARTMENT
Washington, D. C.
January 16. 1943
In the past, replying to inquiries
prompted by rumors and specula
tion, I have stated that, if and when
I should leave the War Department
I the press would receive direct and
authoritative information. Aceord
j ingly, the press is now advised that
I have submitted my resignation as
Civilian Aide to the Secretary of
War. effective at the end of Jan
uary, 1943.
I have asked Mr. Louis Lautie-.
Administrative Assistant in this of
fice ,who has been dealing effect
vely with' matters involving civil
ian personnel to remain at his post
It is my belief that he can contir
Ue to contribute substantially to
gains already represented by the
placement and advancement of thou
sands of Negroes and the satisfac
tory adjustment of many employe®
grievances.
I have also asked Mr. Truman K.
Gibson, Jr.. Assistant Civilian Aide
to remain at his post, at least thru
such transitional period as may be
necessary to prevent and discon
tinuity of effort in matters which
have been undertaken by this office
I wish to state.my sincere apprec
iation for the measure of friendly
support and cooperation which my
office has received from the press.
I shall have no further or ampli
fying statement to make until after
my officials duties shall have term
inated.
WILLIAM H. HASTIE,
Civilian Aide to the Sec
retary of War
of war bonds.
RANDOLPH TO BE RACE
RELATIONS SPEAKER
CHICAGO, Jan. 21 (ANP)—Tir.
Preston Bradley, white, pastor of
the People's church of Chicago, has
announced that the annual race re
lations program will be held Sunday
Feb. 14, immediately after Lincoln s
birthday and that A. Philip Rand
olph. president of the Brotherhood
of Sleeping Car Porters, will speak
on the subject, “America and Glob
al Justice Now.”
PS FRIEND IN
5 PURGE FAILS
an important war assignment.
A member of the important for
eign affairs committee of the houae
she still continues her active inter
est in nursing and through her ef
forts, in 1940 a fund was inserted in
to the budget whereby student nurs
es would recive aid and in 1942. she
was instrumental in the passage of
a bill equalizing the pay of army
nurses with that of officers of sim
ilar rank. The discrepancy long
has been a detriment to the recruit
ing of nurses for the service.
f in m\it'
RAWS IS
..—-a
Mi
'.HELP me WIN fc4Y VICTORY!!~ JOIN THE MARCH Of DIMES 1"
