largest Accredited Negro Newspafi er West of Chicago and North of KC
Saturday, Oct. 21,1944 Our 17th Year—No. 37
Entered as 2nd class matter at Post-oftice, Omaha, Nebr., Under Act of
March 8, 1874, Publishing Offices at 2420 Grant Street, Omaha, Nebr.
NAACP. To Hold Mass Meeting, Elks Hall, Friday Eve., October 27th
RACE, NOT MUTINY
IS ISSUE IN TRIAL
OF 50 NEGRO SEAMEN
Did Not Commit
Collective Insubordin
ation says Marshall
Yerba, Benna Island, Calif-,—After
listening to three days’ testimony of
the 50 Negro seamen charged with
mutiny for refusal to load ammunit
ion at the Mare Island depot, Aug
ust 9, Special NAACP Counsel,
Thurgood Marshall declared, “These
men are being tried for mutiny sole
ly because of their race or color.”
Following an urgent telephone call
from Joseph James, president of the
local NAACP Branch, asking that
National Office assistance be given
the defendants immediately, Mr.
Marshall flew to San Francisco,
where he has been reviewing testi
mony and interviewing the men- In
his report of proceedings thus far he
charged:
“The last of the defendants was on
the stand today and the defense
might close its case tomorrow- The
Port Chicago explosion was on July
17th and many of the accused were
in Port Chicago at that time- Many
•of them were hurt. On August 9th
they were transferred to another Is
land and told to fall in for work,
meaning loading ammunition. They
-did not- Their officers including the
Admiral talked to them. Then their
officer asked them the following:—
‘All of you who are willing to obey
-all lawful orders stand fast. All
who are not fall out and give your
names to the officers’- Some stood
fast and others fell out- Those who
fell out were arrested- There were
'257 altogether but it ends up that
only 50 are charged with mutiny.
“The men take the position that
the above statement by the officer
was not considered by them to be an
order jnd what they meant by their
actions was that they did not want
to load ammunition. They die not
mean u> aisooey an oraer.
‘‘A typical euample of their testi
mony is that of Seaman Bordenave,
who is ust 17. He had enlisted when
he was 16. das released when they
■discovered his age and re-enlisted as
soon as he was 17- He had only
been handling ammunition a week
and w.i a ‘hatch tender’ which meant
that he was the one who directed the
operator of the winch as to how to
lower the ammunition into the hole
No wonder they were all afraid to
load ammunition. Every man testi
fied that since the Port Chicago af
fair tfev were ‘afraid to load am
munition.' Three of the accused men
handled winches, one had ten months
experience, two had two months ex
perience all experience with with
ammunition.
“Lieutenant James F. Coakley, for
mer assistant prosecutor of Alaineda
County, California, under the present
Governor Warren is the Judge Advo
cate. He asks each of the accused
who is from above the Mason and
Dixon line ‘where are you from ’ He
never asks any of the good southern
boys the uestion. Today he asked
one of the accused where he was
from and the man said, “Chicago”.
He asked him where he took boot
training, the boys replied, “Great
Lakes", whereupon Coakley said,
“Didn’t they teach you to address of
ficers as Sir? Why can’t you say,
Sir to me'"
There is no sufficient evidence of
mutiny or conspiracy.
There is no evidence of refusal to
obey a direct order.
These men are being tried for
MU PIXY solely because of their
race or color.
The meaning of MUTINY, under
which these men are being tried is—
“collective insubordination with in
tent to disobey a lawful command- In
order to find defendants guilty of
mutiny it is necessary for prosecu
tion to prove there was collective in
subordination which consists of ;
persistent and concerted refusal oi
omission to obey orders, or to d<
duty. None of these men appears t<
have conspired collectively to disobe;
or perform duty with insubordinati
intent.
1 our ISiAACP Card is on the way
> ^ .
: D“" Aagust 3 ’ ^ -No. B 69018 I
; Omaha, Neh. Branch ;
; Mrs. John A. Williams, 2lj.l8 Maple St. ;
; The National Association for the Advancement *,
of Colored People acknowledges with appreciation
’ receipt of $ 268 .50
for 537 memberships ;
hiadquartim, 60 FIFTH AVENUE
PLEASE BE PATIENT
WITH US.
The aboye photostatic copi repres
ents the receipt of monies for the
number of members who paid for
memberships in the local branch of
the; National Association for the Ad
vancement of Colored People. The
delal in members not receiving their
cards was largely due to a shortage
of clerical help, also a prompt report
ing of workers. This has been the
experience of all the local branches,
in almost every state.
We do request patience and may
we assure cou that you have been
given full credit- »
Your card should reach you very
soon.
Thank you,
J. E. Blackmorc, President•
Clark, Rotnem
Cause Protest
Both Refered to. Negro
as ‘Nigger
(from Continental Features )
NEW YORK (CF)— A storm of
protest is gathering here over the
way the Civil Liberties Unit of the
Department of Justice at Washington
is handing the cold-blooded murder
of a 66-year old Negro minister at
Jerusalem, Miss last March 28 by
four white men who wanted to chase
him off his 225 acres of rich farm
and timber land- The attitude of
Victor Rotnem, head of the Civil Lib
erties Unit of the Department of
Justice, is being catigated on all sid
es after the Newspaper PM revealed
that Rotnem, in discussing the case
with a PM reporter, had made the
remark: “These niggers tell you one
thing in an investigation and some
thing else on the witness stand-”
. lizabeth Wilson, white, the PM
reporter, also wrote in her story on
the action of justice in the murder of
the Rev. Isaac Simmons, that Tom
Clark, Assistant Attorney General
under Francis Biddle, and head of
the Criminal Division of the Depart
ment of Justice had told her when
asked about the case, “I always turn
these Southern cases over to Rotnem
cause people say i m prejudiced and
don't prosecute them”.. . Miss Wil
son said that when Clark took her in
to Rotnem’s office and introduced her
he said “here's a little girl from PM
who wants to talk to you about that
Nigger who was killed down in Mis
sissippi.”
The four white men released in
bail in the murder and believed by
PM as good as cleared of the charg
es—are Harper Dawson and the three
Ryder Brothers. . ldridge Simmons,
48, son of the slain minister, witness
ed his father's death, according to
his sworn statement before the Am
ite County Grand Jury at Jackson,
Miss. He told how he was forced to
accompany the killers who beat him
severely. He said he witnessed one
of the white men blast away at his
fathei’s back with a shotgun. Eld
ridge Simmons’ story involved six
men in the killing, but Sheriff Wiley
Smith arrested only four.
The Simmons property is located in
a Negro community, about seven mil
’ es south of Liberty, Miss., and coun
ty seat of Anjito County. All but 25
acres of the land was sold to the
State of Mississippi for delinquent
Victor Rotnem, Head of Civil
Liberties Division, U. S. Attornej
General’s Office
“These Niggers will tell you one
thing and you find out something
else from the 'law'.
t
Tom Clerk, Assistant U- S
Attorney General
“Here’s a tattle girl from PM irho
wants to talk to you about that
Nigger lynched in Miss.
taxes in 19931. The Rev. Simmons,
early this year, thinknig the sale was
llegal. hired a lawyer to clear his
tite to the and. Nobe Ryder, one of
the men accused of the murder, had,
in the meantime, bought part of the
property and tried to sel mineral
and oil rights, but didn't push through
the attempt because of some doubt as
to *h? title to the property.
Eldridge Simmons fled to New Or
leans for safety after the murder of
his father. Small and crippled, he
told the story of his father’s murder
in that city. He described how on
Sunday moring, March 26, he was at
his nephew’s home a short distance
from his own, when Willie Huff, a
To Hold Natl. Electrical
| CIO. Union Office_
New York—First Negro ever elec
ted to a national office of the Unit
ed Electrical, Radio and Machine
Workers of America, third largest
CIO union, is Philip Jones of Saint
Louis, elected at the recently conclud
ed intednational convention of the
union, held here
Mr. Jones, chief steward at the U
S. Cartridge Company in St. Louis,
is one of the leading members of UE
local 825. He was one of three elec
ted trustees chosen at the convention.
Mr. Jones is one of some 3,000
Negroes working at the St- Louis
plant. Before the UE-CIO organiz
ed the shop, according to Mr- Jones,
there were only 300 Negroes employ
ed there.
A native of Natches, Miss., the
mew union official is a strong believ
er in education as a means of better
ing the welfare of the people.
I
tenant on the land, told him that
some white men in a gray car were
looking for him. He was ordered by
the men to show them where the
property line ran. Noble Ryder, one
ofj the white men, beat and kicked
Eldriage Simmons after he told him
that his father, the preacher, was the
owner.
The men, with EJdridge Simmons
a prisoner in the car, drove to Isaac
Simmons’ house where they kidnap
ped him, drove to a pine thicket and
fired two barrels of buckshot into his
back.
The Department of Justice at Was
hington whose Criminal Division is
headed by Tom Clark a native of
Texas, and by Victor Rotnem, head
of the Civil Liberties Unit, has been
“investigating” the case for two
months, but still hasn’t discovered
whether the department has jurisdic
Gov. Griswold Urges
Importance of Nebr.
State Problems
Dewey Flays
Roosevelt
On Voting and Social
Security Proscription
(from Republican Natl. Committee,
by Arthur B. McCaw)
Charleston, West Virginia—Gov
ernor Thomas E. Dewey came to
this southern state and bearded the
lion of colorphobia in his den and to
expose the hypocrisy of his opponent
on that issue. He was given one of
the greatest ovations of the campaign
before and after addressing an over
flow throng at the Municipal Audit
orium, where he was wildly applaud
ed when he spoke in part as follows:
“Beyond victory, what kind of a
country will our American men and
women come home to? This elect
ion will decide that question. We
have a fateful decision to make but
that decision must be made, not on
vague and irresponsible discussion,
but on the facts. On Thursday night
of a few weeks ago my opponent re
peated his charge that “there are
politicians and other who quite open
ly worked to restrict the use of the
ballot in this election.”
“Now I do not know who Mr.
Roosevelt means because he seems to
lack the courage to name names and
say what he means. So let’s look at
the facts.
“He sadly complained that not e
ough people vote- Bue he pointed
with pdide to the fact that in 1940,
62 Vs percent of the eligible voters of
this nation went to the polls.
“And let me point out, my oppon
ent is relying for his main support
upon solid block of votes in states
where millions of American citzens
are deprived of their right to vote
by the poll tax and by intimidation.
Not once in 12 years has my oppon
ent lifted a finger to correct this,
and his platform is cynically silent
on the subject.
“We ade pledged to an expanding
social security for the people of this
country. Twenty million Americans
have been forgotten by this Admin
istration in the nine long years the
old age pension laws have been on
the books.
“We are pledged that our govern- '
ment shall not again use its powers
to set race against race, creed against
creed, or class against class. We are
pledged to a government which has
equal respect for the rights of agri
culture, labor and business, and for
every race, creed and color.
“I say there is a better way. I
have outlined much of that way in
detail. Ten million returning heroes
will demand that better way under
the freedom they have fought to win
Under divine guidance they will have
here a land of security with freedom
and opportunity for all-”
I
tion, PM reported- Rotnem claimed
PM said, that “we’ve had some dif
ficulty because one of the men we
wanted to talk to was away-”
“The Negro press, has caller this
a lynching, and it’s not,” he said
“It’s cold-blooded murder. I think
it’s very important for the public to
know the difference between lynch
ing and murder.”
DC. Mass Meeting For
Permanent F. E. P. C.
ATTRACTS NATL. RESPONSE
Washington, DC,—Permanent sta
tus for the Fair Employment Prac
tice Committee is the theme of a
mass meeting scheduled for 4 pm.
Sunday, October 22nd at Metropolit
I an AME- Church, 1518 “M” Street,
I N.W., Speakers will include Walt
l er White, Execeutive Secretary of
the XAACP, and Philip Randolph,
President. International Brotherhood
of Sleeping Car Porters
Leading civic, fraternal, religious,
Wendell Willkie’s Passing Great Blow to
American Liberialism, World Peace-Randolnh
New York, October 16 —At the
International Headquarters of the
Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Por
ters, A- Philip Randolph, Internation
al President stated that he consider
ed the passing of Wendell Willkie as
a definite blow to American liberal
ism and world peace.
The influence of Mr. Willkie ob
served Mr- Randolph on the liberal
j ization of the policies of both the Re
j publican and Democratic parties on
domestic, racial and international
questions was constructive and also
becomnig increasingly more effect
ive- Ry virtue of his frank, honest,
and broad outlook on the problems
of color, war and social reform, Mr.
Willkie’s stature and pubic life has
become increasingly commanding and
challenging. He is no one of the best
white friends the Negro people have
ever liad in this country.
With the general election a little
more than two weeks away, Governor
Dwight Griswold urged Nebraskans
to study the qualifications of state
legislative candidates and give the
unicameral “an intelligent and cap
able” membership to attack the “tre
mendously important probems of the
next two years.”
The Governor made his p'ea for
careful voting in a radio interview
broadcast on a statewide basis.
“I hope”, he said, “our people re
member that under the one-house
legislative system, we have the en
tire law-making power concentrated
in the hands of 43 state senators and
the governor”.
Of his own candidacy, Governor
Griswold added, “I have been before
the people of Nebraska several tim
es as a candidate and I have now
served as their governor for four
years. My guess is that by this time
the voters know whether or not I
have made good and if they want
me to continue in office they will
vote that way. I know I've made
some mistakes, but certainly I have
tried to do the best I can”.
Governor Griswold listed education
as one of the prime subjects involv
ing probleds for Nebraska during the
next two years. Financial problems
of many school districts, he explained
have been made more difficult by the
wartime teacher shortage and by the
reflection in Nebraska of the general
upward trend in education cost.
Since most school districts are op
posed to increasing local school tax
es, the governor said, “there is a
growing demand for increased fin
ancial help either from the state or
federal government”
"To be right honest,” Governor
Griswold said, “I have not made up
my own mind on this problem be
cause I don’t yet have all the infor
mation I need but it is a problem
Nebraskans should be thinking about.
“I don’t want to have our local
schools run from Washington, or
from Lincoln, I want the real con
trol left right at home”, he continu
ed- “The important thing, however,
is that we see* to it that the school
boys and girls, in the outlying coni
munities, have a decent chance at
education, just as the boys and girls
from the more populated centers
have”.
Predicting a general enrollment in
crease in colleges and universities,
the governor said new buidings will
be needed at the University of Ne
braska and the Norcal schools when
wartime restrictions are lifted.
He proposed that the neld State
Historical Society Building, for
which the legislature is already pro
viding funds, be erected on the Uni
versity of Nebraska campus.
Governor Griswold reported that
the state general fund now has a $3,
500,000 surplus of which $2,500,000
could be used by the legislature to*
start a state institutional—hospital as
wel as school—building program with
out a building tax levy.
While victory at the polls for ei
ther the lroposed highway gas tax or
the prohibition amendments would
necessitate adjustments in financing
of the state assistance program, the
governor said he does not believe
there is danger of the assistance pro
gram being discontinued. Old age
assistance payments average $26.29
per recipient in September this year
compared with $16-61 for the same
month four years ago.
and iabor organizations are numbered
among the thirty co-sponsors lending
support to the significant mass meet
ing. Telegrams and communicat
ions! revealing nation-wide interest in
the creation of a permanent FEPC.
are be ng received daily by the DC.
NAACP- Mrs. Bertha Lomack is
chairnnn of the Special Arrange
ments Committee.
Designation of October 22nd as
| “FEPC Sundaf” with special dis
cussion of postwar jobs for Negroes
was voted this week by the Interde
nominational Ministerial Alliance,
the Baptist and Methodist Minister’s
Conferences respectively. Churches
throughout the city have pledged
thir cooeperation in putting over the
drive for funds and legislation for a
Permanent FEPC.
Other members on the Committee
of arrangements are: Earl Amedee,
Mrs- Muriel Alexander, Miss Portia
Bullock, Spurgeon Burke, Mrs. Con
stance Daniel, Dutton Ferguson, Mis;
Ida bob, Emmer Lancaster, A. L
Lindsay, Mrs. Olya Margolin, Mis:
C. J. Mays, George Rycraw, Pau
Sefton, Mrs. Gertrude B. Stone anc
Reverend Samuel A. Young.
(by H. W. Smith)
The Omaha Branch of the Naacp,
of which the Rev. J. E. Blackmore,
is President, will hold a mass meet
ing at the Elks Hall, 2420 Lake St.,
on Friday, October 27. Come on out
and bring a friend.
American Legion Ladies’
Auxiliary Win Traveling
G-aval Membership award
(by Mrs. Pearl Thomas)
Oct. 18, 1944—Thirteen ladies from
Unit Number 30, American Legion,
attended the Eighth District Conven
tion of the American Legion, October
12 at Papillion, Nebr.
It was a beautiful October day and
the ride by bus through the country
side was enjoyed by all who attended.
In the morning, Memorial Services
were held. They were very beauti
ful and impressive.
At 12 o’clock, noon, a delicious
dinner was served. Red, white and'
blue colors, with fall garden flowers,
and ripe, red field com, graduated in
size, decorated the tables, all of which
made a very beautiful setting.
Mrs. Margaret was our charming
and gracious hostess.
There were many new and inspir
ing thoughts for service sent our way
by the distinguished Presidents and
guests.
Auxiliary Unit of Post No. 30, A
merican Legion, received the gaval
this year, for the largest percentage
of membership gain since the last
District confab
"IF 1 MARRY AGAIN, IT'LL BE
DR. SCHLEY BROWN”
DECLARES MARVA LOUIS
New York City (PPNS) Marva
Louis, the lovely wife of Sgt. Joe
Louis world’s heavyweight champ
ion, put an end to rumors this week
that she intends to divorce Joe, when
she stated that possibilities for a re
conciliation with her estranged hus
band still exists, but if divorce pro
ceedings were to take place, she
would seek custody of their daught
er, Jacqueline. However, Marva
further stated, “If Joe and I are di
vorced, it is likely that I will marry
Dr. Schley Brown of Washington,
DC-, whom I met and am quite fond
of.’’
St. John to Hold
Monthly All Request
Song Program
Sunday Eve., October 22nd
The monthly All-Request program
of favorite songs, spirituals and an
thems will be rendered by St- John’s
Senior Choir Sunday night, October
22, at 8:00 pm., in the Church.
Mrs. Pearl Gibson, the directress,
promises a lovely program assisted by
the orchestra.
The muic-loving public has a warm
invitat’on to come and enjoy the ren
.
Hear...
* Oscar Stanton
DePriest, Jr.
WHO WILL SPEAK AT
Dreamland Hall
Fri. Eve., Nov. 3
SOMETHING FOR THE BOYS.
A Camp Ellis, Illinois’ Quarter
master unit ahs selected dimple cheek
Bessie Loraine Williams as “Miss
October,” the pin-up queen of the
month. Miss Williams is the 18 year
old daughter of Claude and Mrs- Wil
liams, of 4443 Indiana Avenue, Chi
cago, Illinois- She is a Tennesseean
by birth and was an honor grad last
June from Wendell Phillips High
School. Miss W'illiams is making
plans to enroll as a U. S. Cadet
Ntrrse and hopes to take her basic
training at Provident Hospital.
OMAHANS PURCHASE
HOMES IN NEW
BEDFORD ADDITION
Fifty new homes now, sixty-one
new homes, thirty-seven new homes,
making the total of one hundred and
forty-eight—yes, built according to
your request in the Bedford Park
new addition. The following are a
few of the new purchases in this new
addition:
Mr- and Mrs. U. S- Matthews,
Mr. and Mrs. W'alter J- Trice; Mr
and Mrs. Warren M. Alston; Mr
and Mrs- J- Dillard Crawford; Mr.
and Mrs. Saybert C- Hanger.
See the advertisement elsewhere in
this paper and watch the columns in
The Omaha Guide for new neighbors
in this beautiful new addition.
ditions of this very able choir.
The Pastor, Rev. E- F- Ridley,
will preach Sunday morning from
the subject, “THE CHRISTIAN
MOTIVE FOR LIVING.”
Ryland E. Melford New
State Health Staff Member
Ryland E. Melford, of Omaha has
been appointed State Director, Negro
Health Education, Division of Ven
eral Control for Nebraska with of
fices in Omaha- The first Negro to
hold such a position with the State
Department of Health, Mr. Melford
is also the only Negro holding that
position in the Seventh Service Com
mand- The new director of Negro
Health Education, who is a profes*
sional chemist, enters the fielt of Pub
lie Health Service after having had
special training in Veneral Control.
Mr. Melford, resides at 2916 North
28th Street, and is married to the
former Geraldine Smith, prominent
young matron of our city. They have
one son, Ryland E. Melford, Jr.,
Mr. Melford is a member of the A
merican Social Hygiene Association
and attends St. Philips Episcopal
I Church.
Ryland E. Melford
To The
Unconcerned
VOTER, - - -
Thousands would vote in the South if they
could; —thousands could vote in the North if
they would.
•
MR. READER! What are You going to
do on or before October 27?
Well, you just cannot vote if you do not
Register! People are funny that way.