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LARGEST ACCREDITED NEGRO NEWSPAPER WEST OF CHICAGO AND NORTH OF KANSAS CITY —MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED NEGRO PRESS
Er Xetln,8l“ "Saturday, Feb. 13^943 Ourl6th Year, NoTcity Edition. 5c Copy
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for Your Valentine...
Give A WAR BOND ..$3 & up
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HOLD RITES FOR DR. PENN
NOTED CME. ECCLESIASTIC
Monroe La.. Feb. 11 (ANP) Fun
eral services were conducted from
the CME. church last week for tha
late Rev. I. Garland Penn, its pas
tor for more than five years. Rev
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.MRS. HIRIAM R. GREENFIELD
TO W RITE FOR THE GUIDE
Beginning with this we* k the
Omaha Guide has secured the serv
ices of Mrs. H. R. Greenfield who
has a wide experience in journal
ism ;.nd travel, to write short art
icles of her own choosing for this
paper.
Penn died at Hot Springs. Ark., on ;
January 23 after an illness of sev
eral months.
Dr. F. L. Lewis, a general offic
er of the CME church, officiating ,
at the rites. Resolutions from
church leaders in Jackson. Miss..
Memphis and the West Tennessee
conferences were rad by the Revs.
tV. A. Johnson, former pastor of
the CME church here, and Arthur
Womack, who received Dr. Penn
into the CME church in Chicago a
deade ago.
Ministers, educators and promin
! aid war bond drive
Todd Duncan and Etta Moten, stars of “Porgy and Bess," are making per
sonal appearances in all sections of the country doing their bit for the war
effort b> cooperating with the Treasury Department in promoting the sale of
War Bonds and Stamps. ' “
WSS 729B J C S 7V*a",r» D*pt.
"PORGY AND BESS" IN K. C.
KANSAS CITY. Ho.. Feb. 11 -
(ANP)—“Porg-y and Bess”, the Ger
shwin musical starring Todd Dun
can and Etta Moten opened in* the
Municipal auditorium theatre here
Wednesday coming via Wichita,
Kansas, from St. Louis where for
two weeks the show played to
packed houses. Next week after
a Sunday stop at Des Moines the
Play opens in Minneapolis. Minn.,
then to St- Paul with a week in
M-lwaukee. Wia., scheduled for
Feb. 15.
Critics have been uniformly en
thusiastic in praise of the perfor
mance of the cast. In many in
stances cities have been waiting
five years to see the play. Citiz
ens in the various centers have
been lavish in their hospitality.
Here on opening night the Alpha
Kappa Alpha sorority led the van
of entertainments by giving a tea
in honor of Soror Moten and the
entire cast, to which many citiz
ens of the community were invit
ed.
I
ent citizens of both the white and
Negro races were present in the
auditorium to pay tribute to the
Christian service Dr. Penn gave
his community.
The chairman of the community
chest declared that “for five years
during Dr. Penn’s pastorate in
Monroe, his humanitarian acts,
philanthropic spirit, untiring ser
vice and ability to bring about a
better spirit and cooperation be
tween all races makes him worthy
of the name, citizen Number one
regardless of color.’’
Rev. Penn was the son of the
prominent CME church layman,
late Dr. I. Garland Penn Sr., a
He was educated at Claflin univ
ersity and Gammon Theological
seminary. Later the minister took
courses at Boston university.
During World War 1, Dr. Penn
served as an army chaplain. Later
he held charges at Atlanta and
Washington. He also pastored at
; the R. E. Jones temple in Louis
j vDle and churches at Chicago.
Several years ago Dr. Penn trans
ferred from the Methodist-Epis^o
1 pal church to CME affiliation anc
| five years ago was assigned to the
! church here where he served un
j til the time of his deatb.
AMA MAKE
BOLD MOVE
Illllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
USE NEGRO
TROOPS
FOR SNOW
REMOVAL
NAACP PROTESTS
New York ,N. Y... Why were Ne
gro troops brought sixty miies
from Fort Lewis to clean snow in
downtown Seattle- Washington,
while none of the white soldiers
at nearby Fort Lawton was detail
ed for this work, the NAACP this
week asked Secretary of War
Stimson.
Voicing the outrage of Negro
citizens throughout the country at
the exclusive use of Negro soldiers
for snow cleaning. Roy Wilkins.
NAACP Assistant executive sec
retary. asked in a letter to Stim
son:
“Is it the purpose of the War
Department to use Negro troOi>9
drawing a pay of $50 a month to
relieve municipalities of the legit
imate expenses for carryting on
the regular services tp the popu
lation of these cities? These men
could not protest. They are in
the Army and had to obey orders"
Wilkins pointed out to StimSon
a news story in the Washington.
D .C. Times Herald of January 51.
1943, under the heading, “Army
Won’t Clear Snow from District”
in which it is stated: “William
A. Xanten was informed that a
second appeal for assistance from
the Army in cleaning up the slush
....was futile. The Army, it was
said, did not wish to establish a
precedent by use of troops in the
situation." The story appeared
four days after Negro troops had
exchanged their guns for shovels
in Seattle.
"This Association,” said Wilk
ins. "and colored people genen.il>
are properly outraged that only
their troops should have been se;
ected for this duty. The respect
for the Negro soldier is not en
hanced in the minds of his fellow
white Americans by the fact that
commanding generals select him
for menial tasks in the downtown
section of a great American city.
The morale of Negro civilians and
their enthusiasm for the war ef
fort are not enhanced by the know
ledge that the War Department is
making such use of the men who
are supposed to be fighting for de
mocracy.”
Illlllllllllllllllllllllltllllllllllllllllllllll
Surviving are his widow, a da-i
gter. a senior at Atlanta univers
ity: five sisters and an aunt.
Start Campaign
Against Swingin’
the Spirituals
HOLLYWOOD. Feb. 1. (ANP> —
Because she is adept at transferr
ing her thoughts to the printed
page- Nadine Cole, clever young
dancer and wife of Nat Cole, lead
er of the famous King Cole trio, is
preparing a series of articles
meant to start a drive against
swinging the spirituals. Shocked
by the growing tendency by ar
rangers and composers in rewrit
ing some of the race's sweetest
[spirituals into dance tunes, she
'hopes to arouse radio listeners and
dance fans into greater respect
for these hymns.
Mrs. Cole declares that although
her husband submitted once to
Urgings to feature one of the
swing spirituals, he too is adverse
to its disrespect and has not erred
since. In fact when on one occas
ion a Jewish patron at the cafe
where he plays insisted on one he
, asked him. “Now how would you
like to hear yo'ur revered. ‘Eli, Eli
desecrated to swing music?"
► CONGREGATIONAL LEADER
ASSAYS NEW AM A PLAN
CHICAGO. Feb. 12 (AXP) —"he
American Missionary association
announcement that it will special
ize in the field of race relations
to the extent of keeping static or
reducing its present school policy
and diverting its vast funds into
the rather nebulous field of race
relations poses a most insistent
question to those interested in the
development and advancement of
the American Negro. The charac
ter as stated by the executive com
mittee is:
“That the American Missionary
division concentrate its attention
on the field of race relations, par
ticularly in the Negro-white trea:
and that, as funds become avail
able. the Association develop a
Don-institutional type of pioneer
ing work which would St-nd com
petent repersentatives into various
communities to work by such
methods as the local situation
shall suggest and make possible."
This is another combination
worked out in connection with
‘•vested interests", particularly the
Rosenwald Fund and Fisk univer
sity. a great concentration of mon
ey. experience and contacts. Thy
change of emphasis is so revolu
tionary that it is viewed with mis
giving in many quarters.
The ama. was definitely not a
planned organization. It was a
direct response to a dire luman
need, the Amistad incident: the
necessity for protecting these freed
slaves, educating them, sending
them back to their native coun
try. Subsequently it was found
that one could not stop with mere
ly rehabilitating and repatriating
these Africans but that there were
many tasks remaining yet to be
done__a never ending chain of
new responsibilities- The prog
ram of the AMA. has been simply
this: “wherever there is a dark
corner or an unredressed wrong,
there is a place for the AMA.”
This has taken in all races of pea
pie in every part of the world
mountain whites. Negroes. Porto
Ricans. Indians. Japanese. Chin
ese. Alaskans and a hundred years
ago. even Koreans and Africans.
CHANGED SCHOOL POLICY
At the turn of the century the
AMA. had more than 40 secondary
schools and Colleges There re
main of this vast group only- Tal
ladega college. Tougaloo college.
Tillotson college and LeMoy-ne
Junior college, and Lincoln school.
Marion. Ala.: Trinity school. Ath
ens. Ala.: Cotton Valley school.
Fort Davis. Ala-. Lincoln academy j
King's Mountain. X. C.: Avery in
stitute .Charleston. S. C.; Fossen
den academy. Martin. Fla.: Brick ]
Rural Life school. Enfield. X. C.:
and Dorchester academy. Dorches
ter, Ga. "When the AMA. began
cutting down on its secondary i
schools and concentrating on col- :
leges a generation ago. a great
cry wet up from the Xegro grad
uates and former students in the
south. However, it was plainiy
manifest that new conditions teach
new duties: that there was a grow
ing sense of responsibility on the
part of southern whites for the
education of all citizens .including
Xegroes; that the public school
work of the south could not be
| done perpetually by a misSiOnary
I organization.
After passing this hurdle the A
MA began the painful and labor
-ous process of standardizing the
| colelges upon which it was con
centrating. raising endowments
and Securing the t ype of equip
ment and teachers necessary fcr
“A" 'classification. These proces
ses of elimination and standardiz
ation have been about completed,
and now the AMA faces another
changing world. Its experience
goes to show the difficulty of en
tailing property, gifts or funds for
some perpetual use. In this de
parture the AMA faces the hurdl
es of 1. the imputation of nebul
osity; 2. the reaction against race
(Continued page 3)
» WASHINGTON, (ANP) Singl
ing out Dean William Pickens as
the one of 39 to be denied pay for
alleged communistic affiliations,
the house committee as a whole
voted 163 to HI Friday to amend
the billion dollar Treasury Post
Office Apprpriation bill to provide
that no money in it should be used
to pay the dean—top Negro em
ploye on the bond sales division.
It refused to amend the bill to
bar payment to the 39 named on
the Dies list, but voted later on
to bar Pickens alone—one of the
Negroes named:
INFLUENCED
BY DIES
COMMITTEE
DIES TELLS CONGRESS HIS
FRIENDSHIP FOR NEGROES
THEN PINS RED LABEL
ON PICKENS, BETHI NK
CHARGES A. CLAYTON
POWELL WANTS HIM
ASSASSINATED
_
WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 <ANP>—
Martin Dies, representative from
Texas who is at the capital help
ing Hitler fight Red Russia, des
cribed himself as a “friend of the
Negro” before Congress Monday
before listing 40 “Communist crack
pots.” among them Dean William
Pickens and Mrs. Mary McLeod
Bethune. This is the second time
that the head of the Dies commit
tee has singled out the two dis
tinguished leaders as "dangerous
Red radicals.”
Dies painted himself as pro-Ne
gro when he told of defending a
Negro named Ben Wilkes in Tex
as when no other lawyer would go
into court for him. Wilkes had
been indicted as an accessory t.o
crime after his son had killed 3
white men and Dies defended him
and “protected him against any
possibility of lynching,” according
to the story.
The Texan also claims to be one
of the few men in his state to
fight the Ku Klux Klan when the
hooded tribe was in power there
He said e stumped against the
Klan throughout the state and for
his fight against it was burned in
effigy and his law firm boycotted
by that group.
Dies also took a shot at Negro
newspapers and their fights for
social equality. Speaking of one
New York newspaper, he said:
“In the Peoples' Voice not long
ago. A. Clayton Powell, a Negro
Communist, advocated that I be
assissinated—that my death was as
desirable as Hitler's Immediately
other publications took it up and
throughout the Negro press there
was a most vicious denunciation
not only of me but of congress.
"V'hat do they hope to gain by
that? We in our country live in
peace with the Negro: we respect
him. for he has contributed much
to the progress of the country. I
have made hundreds of speeches in
this country, and in many speeches
I have said to the American peo
ple that the great majority of the
Negroes are loyal .patriotic Amer
ican citizens.”
His accusations against the two
leaders were stated as follows:
‘‘Now. take the case of William
Pickens, who is principal securit
ies promotion specialist for the
treasury- department at a salary
of *5.600. Pickens signed a mani
fest in defense of the notorious
Communist Sam Darcy. Pickens
was vice chairman of the Ameri- (
can League Against War and Fas
cism, which the attorney general
branded as subversive. He was al
so a contributor to the Commun
ist party's New Masses. He was
a sponsor of the Greater New York
Emergency Conference on Inalien
able Rights, a section of the Na
tional Federation for Constitution
al Liberties which the attorney
general also found to be subvers
ive. Pickens was a sponsor of the
American Committee for Prop < t
ion of Foreign-Bom. a speaker for
the L'nited States Congress a
gainst war. and a sponsor of the
American Committee for DemOe- 1
racy and Intellectual Freedom.
“Here is the case of Mary Me-:
Leod Bethunp who is employed by
the National Youth administration
at a salary of *6.250. Mary Mc
Leod Bethune was publicly and
prominently affiliated with four
of the organizations which the at
torney general has branded as sub
versive. She was national vice
chairman of the American League
for Peace and Democracy. The
other three subversive Organizat
ions with which she was affiliated
were the American Youth congress
the National Negro congress and
the Washington Committee for De
imocratic Action.”
On the occasion of a previous
attack both Dean Pickens and Mir..
Bethune issued statements deny
ing all allegations made by the
Texan.
The other attacks were levelled
at some 38 other persons white,
holding important government pos
itions.
RESTORE
F-E-P-C
...Says Roosevelt
RAILROAD HEARINGS
TO BE HELD
WASHINGTON, <ANP)-Presi
dent Roosevelt ordered Paul V.
McNutt, chairman of the War Man
power Commission, on Thursday.
February 4. to call a conference to
revise and strengthen the power
and scope of the President’s Fair
Employment Practice Committee.
To the confernce. the President
suggested, would be caled persons
opposed to discriminatory practac
es in war industries.
The President also stated that
• when the machinery has been es
tablished to meet the problems,”
the committee would hold hearing
on discrimnations practiced by the
rialroad companies of the nation.
He said that other cases that have
been delayed also would be con
tinued.
The railroad hearings, scheduled
for Jan. 26 were ordered postpoh
(continued on pag’elngr'2)
Georgia Has First
Lynching of 1943
SHERIFF BLAMED IN MID <j
NIGHT ABDUCTION;
DEATH OF MAN
ALBANY. Feb. 12 (AXPI After an
absence of two years the state of
Georgia swung back into the lynch
column, earning with the brutal
beating to death of youthful Rob
ert Hall the dubious distinction of
providing the first illegal execut
ion of 1943, it was learned thi-;
week.
Behind the death of Hall was a
■tory of white hot hatred, the mis
use of police authority, the forg
ing of a warrant, a midnight ab
duction and a fictionlike conspir
acy to take the life of a human
being, that is so often told in the
south.
Hall was arrested Friday, Jan.
29, after he had been forced out of
bed on automobile theft charges
in a fake warrant served by Sher
iff Claude Screws of Baker count'
accompanied by Policeman Frank
Jones.
Positive proof that the warrant
was a fake came to light this week
with the testimony of John C.
Derm, owner of the truck from
which the tire was allegedly .-tol
en. that no tire had been removed
from the vehicle and that he had
preferred no charges against
young Hall. Derm's testimony was
corroborated by his brother George
C. Derm, both of whom den'ed
that they had signed any warrant.
Placed under arrest after the
midnight visit by the minions of
the law. Hall was at first thought
to have been lodged in the Rtker
county jail.
It was not until 2:30 o'clock Sat
urday morning. Jan. 30. that what
had really happened to Hall came
to light- It was at that hour that
employes of an Albany funeral j
home received an ambulance call
to come to Newton, Ga., about 15
miles away and get a “nigger I
had to beat up.”
The call relayed from a hospital
in Albany was reported to have
been sent by Sheriff Screws. The
ambulance attendants got the bad
ly battered and bruised man from
the jail .where the jailer asserted
that he had not been touched since
his arrival, and that the victim
was brought to the jail in the con
dition in which he was found.
Hall, rushed to an Albany hos
pital .died a few minutes after he
bad been admitted.
The body bore 21 abrasions and
contusions .and deep cuts in the J
v.-rists. lending observors to be-1
lieve that he had been tied behind
an automobile and dragged over
rough ground.
The back of his head had been j
beaten so badly, it was described
as being as “soft as a ripe tomato"
The clothes were tom to shreds
and the entire body was covered'
with dirt further evidence that he
had been dragged behind a speed
ing car.
Motive for the attack was suppl
ied by several white Baker countv
residents after they had viewed
£he yduth's remains. Sheriff -
Screws, it was disclosed, had be
come angry with Hall after th.
lynch victim had appeared before
the grand jury seeking to recover
a pistol which had been removed
from the pocket of his car by Sher
iff Screws.
An expert mechanic. Hall enjoy
ed the respect of both races of cit
izens in Baker county. He helped
repair al] of tbe tractors and farm
implements in this section.
At the funeral was his brother.
Pvt. Howard Hall, who obtained
leave from the army fighting for
democracy to attend. His father
a farmer, and land owner, sat
grief stricken throughout the ser
vices held ednesday. Feb. 3.
Besides his parents, the victim
is survived by his widow. a young
son. three sisters and four broth
ers. all of whom reside in Baker
county.
Thus far no charges have been
filed against Sheriff Screws, who
for several days was strangely ab
sent from the community. Re
>)iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimmiiiiiimiiiiiiiii
INTRODUCES LEGISLATIVE
BILL 263
HARRY A. FOSTER
A Bill introduced in the Legis
lature of Nebraska's Fiifty sixth
session, that may affect the Negro
People of this state was introduced
by Harry A. Foster and Sam Klu
ver of Douglas County.
The Bill Legislative Bill 263 is
as 'follow#'’ -~w--.
FOR AN ACT relating to dis
crimination in the employment of
labor; to provide that it shall lie
unlawful to refuse employment to
any person in the production of
military or naval material, equip
ment or supplies on acount of race
color, creed religion or national
origin of such person; and to pro
vide a penalty. Be It Enacted by
the people of the state of Nebras
ka.
WHHBHIBIlinHKiA a m
turning Wednesday, he was placed
under the care of a physician and
reports have been spread that he
is suffering with a "nervous break
down."
PLAN FIRST NEGRO MARINE
BAND
WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 (ANP>—
A cracker jack band, unusual in ur.
its the size of the 5lst Composite
Defense battalion, U. S. Mar ne
corps, is being organized at the
New River Training base in North
Carolina. The musical unit will
soon be ready for public appear
ance .it is announced. A varied
program is being planned for the
frist Negro Marine band.
DETROIT GETS FIRST
P. O. SUPERINTENDENT
DETROIT. Feb. 12 (AXP)—Sam
uel Russell, the new superintend
ent or the Alfred Street Post Of
fice branch station, began his dut
ies Feb. l. it js the first time
that a Negro postal employe h'-^
attained that rank in the service
here. Air. Russell is a veteran
having been in the postal servi e
in Detroit for 45 years, postmis
ter Roscoe B. Hueston jomei
many friends and fellow workers
in wishing him success in his new
assignment
DINAH SHORE LIKES
HltCHlTA
FT.H UACHUCA, Ariz.. Feb. 11
(AXP)—Dinah Shore, popular Ten
nessee born radio star, was a re
cent visitor to Fort Huachuca and
sang for the 93d Division soldiers
in the field house here. Showing
herself to be entirely democratic,
Miss Shore had her photo taken
with a Negro MP as soon as sho
entered the gate and wrote aut-v
graphs graciously for hundreds of
soldiers.
As she was leaving Miss Shor »
said, “The 93d division soldiers are
j one of the grandest audiences I
I have ever sung before. I hope I
j van come back soon and that I can
stay just a little longer than I did
this time.
