Nebraska Newspapers

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; LOCAL & NAT'L NEWS-lOc percop> “AND WORTH IT”
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Ac-Ac-★ “Largest Accredited Negro Newspaper West of Chicago and North of KC.” jfi.--y
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c*-r¥ Drk*v- ,,.nrn « in./: ' A in. v ». . , _ . Entered as 2nd class matter at Post-oftice. Omaha, Nebr., Under Act of
. VII RD.4T, MARCH 9. 1 96 Our 1 9h \ear No. D 'A' 10c - GP Copy Ac March 8, 1874. Publishing Offices at 2420 Grant Street, Omaha, Nebr.
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file Habeas Corpus Writs NAACP. Secures Release of
44 in TCMy Men Held on Charge of Riot
fyn M til i LRW. in Nashville,Tennessee
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f/lvi m y.ijLA
SOUGHT
Nashville, Term.—Writs of ha
beas corpus seeking the release
of 34 persons held in jail in con
nection with the rioting at Col
umbia. Term-, February 26, were
filed by Maurice Weaver, NAACP
attorney, on March 2. The writs
were prepared by Weaver and Z.
Alexander Looby, of thig city, who
is a member of the NAACP nat
ional legal committee.
Walter White, NAACP Secre
tary who flew here from New
York, stated that although the
Columbia situation is judged to
be tense enough for the State
Guardsmen on duty to be doubled
to a total strength of 1.000, 42
Negro prisoners who had been,
held in the Davidson County Jail'
here, were moved backed to Co
lumbia at 4 pm. March 1. This
movement took place after two
Negroes had been killed in the j
jail by state troopers Thursday i
afternoon, Feb. 28.
White? is working with Looby
and Weaver, planning for the le- I
gal defense of all persons under |
charges.
Defense Fund Sought
‘This is no ordinary case”, said
White, ”A firsthand look at the
situation reveals even more out
rageous handling than was indi
cated in newspaper stories. The
killing of two prisoners in the ja>l
and the wounding of another in
dicates what the Negro citizens
of the small community of Col
umbia are up against. Unless
they receive outside aid, unless
the country is aroussed to con
demn the kind of thing that took
place in Columbia, Negro citizens
of small communities throughout
the nation will be helpless.
“The NAACP intends to give I
the defendents complete and un- j
compromising legal defense, but |
because of the number involved j
and the broad issues, the fight •
will be an expensive one. We ap
pal for contributions to the de
fense of the Columbia, Tenn-, vic
tims from individuals and organ
izations throughout the country'.'
Money should be sent to the NA ‘
ACP Legal Defense and Educa-,
3 tional Fund, Inc., 20 West 40th
St.. NY 18, NY.
Doctor's Office Desstroved
White said that there was de
liberate vandalism by the militia
sent in supposedly to keep order.
The office of Dr F. L. Hawthorne
was wrecked. The troopers went
in and deliberately smashed all
the furniture and equipment in
the office of this respected phy
sician. The office of a Negfo in
surance company across the street1
from Dr. Hawthorne was com
pletely destroyed with its furni
ture broken and its files turned
over.
White revealed that there is a
plot now to place the responsibi
lity for the rioting entirely on the
Negroes White are claiming that
Negroes have been plotting “an
uprising" for about six months.
It was revealed that James Ste
phenson, son of Mrs. Gladys Ste
phenson who had the argument
with the white radio repairman,
is a navy veteran recently dis
charged. The repairman is also an
ex sailor.
R S. Hopkins, a prominent and
wealthy white lawyer in Nash
ville was one of the persons who
signed the bonds for the release
of Julius, Charles, and James
Morton, all colored.
AMERICA'S LEGIOy TO
CELEBRATE 27th
BIRTHDAY
In March of 1919 at Paris,
France, The American Legion
was bom. Roosevelt Post No- 30
will celebrate this memorial oc
casion with an openh ouse, on
Thursday Evening, March 14th,
beginning at 8 pm. Come out and
enjoy the best of entertainment
and refreshments
IF YOU ARE A VET OF WORLD
WAR II—THEN JOINING THE
legion is up to you.
“SUGAR RAY ROBINSON
OUTPOINTS SAMMY
ANGOTT 4th TIME
Sugar’ Ray Robinson again
outpointed Sammy Angott in a
ten round bout in Pittsburgh on
Monday, March 4th.
It was his 64th win out of 62
professional fights. Angott was a
£ame boy all through the fight
butn o match for the smooth Ray
Robinson. It is the opinion of the
writer that he showed compas
sion on Angott from the 4th
round on for he could have won
by a knockout easily but no one
actually knows that but Ray
To Observe Natl Urban League’s 14th Vocational
Opportunity Campaign W e e k, March 10-16
SPECIAL EMPHASIS TO RE PI T FORTH ON NEGRO
YOUTH IN PLANNING AND PREPARING FOR THE
FUTURE-JOB TRAINING, JOB CHOOSING. JOB
GETTING, AND JOB-KEEPING; ASK ALL AMERICA
TO HELm PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THESE
YOUTHS.
Nationwide participation in the National Urban League's
Fourteenth \ orational Opportunity Campaign « eek. Mar.
10-16, was announced this week by Alphonse Heningburs.
mrector oi the League s ed
ucation Services. Fifty-four
League cities located in 27
states, more than 50 colleges.
800 secondary schools, and
numerous agencies and or
ganizations are cooperating
in this annual effort to em
phasize to Negro youth the
importance of job-training,
job-choosing, job getting and
job keeping, and to ask the
nation to help provide oppor
tunities for these youth. A
special message endorsing
the 1 OC IS eek was sent by
Secretary of Commerce Hen
ry A. allace. Mr. Wallace
sounded the theme of the
Campaign slogan. ‘'The Fut
ure is lours-Plan and Pre
pare.” in calling upon Amer
ican Negroes to “take stock
of their abilities as individ
uals and then train themselv
es as well as possible to work
at the highest level of theii
talents.”
Special Concentration
in the South
Special Campaign effort:
will be made in the South,
Dr. Heningburg stated, where
75 percent of the Negro pop
ulation is concentrated. Spec
ial sessions to open the Cam
paign on March 10 will be
held at three southern colleg
es. Tuskegee Institute. Ala
bama. Hampton Institute,
5 irginia. and A&T College in
Greenslmro, North Carolina.
Julius A. Thomas, the Lea
gue's Industrial Relations Di
rector will open the Cam
paign at Tuskegee Institute.
Thomas will spend two days
lecturing and counselling on
the campus. He will visit
LcMoyne (College in Memphis
Tennes and Dillard Uni
versity in New Orleans. Le
Roy Jeffries. Assistant Indu —
trial Reltaions Director, will
open the Campaign at Hamj
ton Institute. Other YOC
visits wil hake him to high
schools in Norfolk. Virginia.
Philadelphia. Washington,
and to Lincoln University in
Pennsylvania.
Mr. C. C. Spaulding. Pres
ident of the North Carolina
Mutual Life Insurance Comp
any will inaugurate the Week
at the A&T. College. Pitts
burgh city schools will be
visited by Dr. Heningburg
who will spend several days
in Pittsburgh as lecturer and
vocational guidance counsel
lor.
Self-Rating Charts
Self-rating Charts, a new
feature of the Campaign,
have been designed by the
League's Education Services
Department, to help individ
ual students observe develop
ment of their own social at
titudes. The charts are devis
ed so that the student may
study his profile over a pei
iod of one or two months.
and with an advisor’s roun
S sel. make whatever adjusi
ments necessary to achieve
wholesome attitudes.
Other special literature for
the Campaign is a poem —
; “Lift Up Your Eyes.” writ
ten by Doris G. Chandlei.
! "Che piece was inspired bv
‘he author’s reading “Chal
lenge to Negro Youth.” z
commencement address made
at Howard University by Les
ter Granger, Executive Secre
tary of the National Urban
League.
A special Vocational Guid
ance issue of Opportunity
Magazine was released on
March 1. 15 mimeographed
pages of “Facts for Speak
ers’* have been compiled for
use by high school and col
lege speakers during VOC
Week.
Henry A. W all are
Sends Endorsement Letter
Secretary of Commerce,
Henry A. ^ allace sent the fol
lowing letter in endorsement
of the National Lrgan Lea
gue's \ ocational Opportunity
: Campaign W eek. March 10-.
16:
“In the years immediately
ahead of us—which promise
I to be years of full employ
ment—the Negroes of this
country will have a better
! chance than ever before to
improve their abilities as in
dividuals and then train
themselves as well as psosiblc
to work at the highest level oi
their talents.
’‘This is easy to say. but
not so easy to accomplish.
Discriminatory practices have
made it extremely difficult
for Negroes to develop their
highest capabilities. Fair
Employment Practice legisla
tion would improve the lot of
the Negro decisively, by mak
ing jobs available to him on a
basis of merit. Whatever we
do to better the position of
the Negro in the political,
economic, and educational
spheres of our national life,
the most important contribu
tion towards the bettering of
his position will be made by
the Negro himself through
his determination to make
the most of the talents God
has given him.”
CLEMENCY PETITION
FILED
Washington, D. C—A petition
for clemency in hebalf of Arthur
Manns. Jr., convicted of a charge
of larceny by a military court at
Kelly Field, Texas, last December
was filed with the Secretary' of
War by attomys of the NAACP.
Manns was given a dishonorable
discharge and sentence^ to 10
years in prison.
ELKS GRAND TURNOUT
SET; BAND TO PLAY
COLORFUL ENSEMBLAGE TO M ARCH TO ST. JOHN
AME. CHURCH FOR ANNUAL SERMON
I -
The coming of the Elks Ensem- !
ble undej- the direction of Mr, H.
| L. Preston and presented by the
Minute Men and Women of St.
Johns ond Monday, March 18 at
8:15 pm. will be accompanied by
a full orchestra. Some of the per
! sonnel of the ct ghestra are as
'follows: Trumpets, Mr. C. Yan-,
cy, Mr Bill Coentee; Violins, Mr.
S. Turner, Mr. Herbert Clark;
Bass. Wm. Lewis, Mr. T. Adams,
I Mr. S. Turner. The singers and
orchestra are working extra hard f
in order that the program they
have in store for you will be one
i of the finest witnessed here for
sometime.
Mr. Preston the director, is due
a great deal of credit in the way
he has molded this group for the
type of program they plan to
bring to us this night, will truly
go down in history of Omaha as
one of the outstanding events of
the season. He urges all persons
attending this affair to please be
in your seats on time for plans
are to begin this concert at 8:15
feharp. Bring your friends aE your
guest. You will never regret the
excellent program. Remember the
date, time, and | lace—Monday ,
March 18th 8:15 pm. at St. Johns
Church, 22nd and Willis Ave.
Union Services
Union Services will be held at
Zion Baptist Church, 2215 Grant
Street, Sunday, March 10. Devo
tional services at 7:30 pm. Ser
mon at 8;:00 jpm. The speaker
will be Rev. C. C. Reynolds, Pas
tor of Clair Methodist Church.
| Music by Clair Church Choir.
...
H I il'ni 1 ill1 li i
JIM CROW TRAVEL CASE
TO BE ARGUED MAR. 6-7
Washington, D- C—The brief
in the Irene Morgan case which
will test the segregation of Ne
groes in interstate travel was fi
led March 2 in the United States
supreme court by NAaCP atty's.
It is expected that the court
j will hear the argument of atty’s.
; either on Wednesday afternoon,
| March 6, or Thursday afternoon,
I (Continued on p. 8)
U.S. Supreme Court Asked To
Declare Unconstitiona I Interstate
I
Travel Racial Segregation Laws
. The US Supreme Court is ask
ed to declare state laws providing
racial segregation in inter-state
l travel unconstitutional in a brief
1 by the American Civil Liberties
Union supporting the appeal of
Irene Morgan, scheduled for a
hearing March 7. M iss Morgan
is appealing through the NAACP
against a decision of the Virginia
Supreme Court last year uphold -
ing her conviction under a state
law providing racial segregation
on buses. The ACLU is asking
the Supreme Court to abandon as
unconstitutional its traditions!
ruling that segregation is legal
so long as there is no difference in
the accomodations provided for
the two races.
On the brief for theACLU arc
Gregory Hannekin, former Pub
District of Columbia; Victor Rot
nem, former Chief Civil Rights
. Section of the US Department of
Justice; and Arthur Garfield Hays
and Osmond K. Fraekel, counsel
for the ACLU.
The brief points out that discri
mination is outlawedb y the 14th
Amendment to the Constitution,
and advances the novel argument
that segregation itself is a form of
discrimination regardless of the
accomodations provided It points
out that the terms ‘white’ and
colored’ are used by many per
' song as terms of value, having
the same meaning as superior
and inferior, and therefore when
there is segregation members of
the colored race are erposed to
I abuse and humiliation.
“Segregation is the very thing
lie Utilities Commissioner for tfc
that makes the service unequal
and discriminatory, by far more
so than differences in the comfort
of the seats, the amount of con
gestion, etc. Many persons would
rather submit to physical discom
fort than to abuse because of
j their race, which is treated as it
' it were a social stigma. If, as a |
i part of a transportation service
some passengers are enabled to
ride in comfort, while others are |
is discrimination; and it is of
little importance whether the dis
comfort arises from a hard seat,
or being stamped with the label
of inferiority.’, said the ACLU.
The ACLU also attacks the
Virginia law on the ground that
it is an unconstitutional interfer
ence by a state with interstate
commerce, and because it gives
to bus drivers charged with main
taining segregation unconstitu
tional powers over the conduct of
MM
their passengers.
Miss Morgan's appeal will be
argued before the Supreme Court
by William H. Hastie, recently
appointed governor of the Virgin
Islands, and Thurgoo^ Marshall,
both as counsel for the KAACP.
W ILL RELEASE SOLDIER
New York—Clarence W. Hard
ing in whose behalf NAACP law
yers filed a petition for clemency
will be releasd early in March the
Association was advised by the
War Department last week.
I__ _ " ■ '
STRIKERS RIOT AT GENERAL
ELECTRIC PLANT
Fhilapelphia, Pa., Soundphoto—
3.000 marches broke through po
lice lines in a renewal of violence
at the strikebound General Elec
tric Company last week. The
marches bowleg over several pol
ice motorcycles cars and fights
broke out between the strikers
and police. Photo shows police
putting arrested picket in motor
cycle side car to take him to the
station.
REPORT FROM SCENE REV LALS TROlRLE STARTED
WHEN RADIO REPAIRMAN SLAPPED WOMAN AND
SON KNOCKED HIM DOW N; PAIR TAKEN TO NASH
VILLE AFTER LYNCH THREAT
Nashville, Tenn.— Investi
galion by the NaACP into tin
rioting in Columbia, 42 mil
es from here, eariy February
26 reveals that there Mas a
real threat of lyncanig, that a
mob actually called at the jaii
seking a colored woman and
her son. that the shooting m
Mhich ten persons Merc
Mounded resulted from the
tear of Negroes that a lynching
party was to be staged.
An attorney for the NAA^i',
Maurice Weaver, white, a return
ed serviceman now practicing ia
Chattanooga, secured the release
an bond of A. J. Morton, leading
Negro undertaker, and Sol Blair
i barber, who were arrested am
charged at fist wi‘„h attempted
muder. The two men with Wea
ker and Donald Jones NAACP
assistant field secretary, confer
red here with Z. Alexander Loobj
member of the NAACP national
legal committee.
The NAACP offered legal de
fense to the Columbia citizen:
who were arrested. In addition it
wired both Governor Jim Me
Cord and Attorney General Clark
in Washington demanding th<
safeguarding of the civil rights of
the colored people. The Clark
wire asked Federal intervention.
REAL LYNCHING THREAT
Most newspaper accounts of the
rioting omitted the events which
started the trouble, and none told
of the visit of a mob to the jail,
presumably to lynch a coioreu
woman and her son.
The trouble started when Will
iam Fleming, a white radio re
pairman, slapped, struck or kick
ed Mrs. Gladys Stephenson about
11 am Monday, February 25, and
was promptly knocked through a
plate glass window by her son,
James Stephenson.
Morton, regarded as the leading
Negro citizen of Columbia, and
Blair heard rumors of mob viol
ence and are said to have persu
aded the sheriff to release James
on bond. He and hig mother were
brought to Nashville about 4 pm.
Monday for safekeeping.
About 6 pm., according to the
NAACP investigators, a mob of
whites went to the jail looking
"or the Stephensons and was told
by the sheriff that the couple was
lot there
Meanwhile, Negro citizens be
anie alarmed at seeing an arm
jd white mob and a scant block
away from their district. Rumors
if a lynching spread like wildfire.
The mink Slide Negro business
district was barricaded and the
peaple prepared to defend them
selves.
The best information is that th«
white mob did not attack Negro
es, but the demonstration before
:he jail was sufficient to convince
colored citizens that trouble was
n the air. An idea of the feeling
'an be gained from the statement
if Cal Lockridge, a colore^ man
accused of being a 'leader' in the
:rouble.
Said he to police:
“We heard that a white mac
walked into a store and bought
some rope. When the clerk asked
what he wanted it for, he sa*d
We are going to hang some Ne
groes tonight. We didn’t like it.
We didn’t want to get killed. We
ieard that two Negroes had been
ranged not long ago”.
:OUR POLICEMEN SHOT
The rioting, if it can be called
hat, seems to have been entirely
Detween police, state troopers,
state guardsmen and Negroes.
White civilians took little or no
Dart, althoughm any of them did
■oam the streets armed
Four city policemen -went into
he Negro district which was
fully convinced a lynching war
ibout to be staged. The policemen
were, shot This brought on the
state guard, a total of 500 men
ixmed in all.
The state troopers went to town
n the Negro district', describing
he action, the Nashville Banner
said:
“As the highway patrolmen
noved into the Mink Slide or
31ack Bottom section this mom
ng they blasted a number of Ne
gro business establishments with
machine guns and carbines. Some
places which were wrecked by
machine gun from the patrolmen
were_”
*RMED WHITES NOT
BOTHERED
While the troopers and guards
men were busy searching Negro
“THE POLICY KHSG”
AUTHOR—Lewis A. H. Cald
well, 6032 St. Lawrence Ave.
Chicago, 111., whose sensa
tional hook. ‘*The Policy
King,” has received enthus
iastic reviews from America's
critics. Caldwell's novel, di>
picting the history of the well
knowm numbers game, was
released this week by New
Mstas Publishing House of
Chicago.
(Allan /Vetrx - & Photo )
homes and individuals for arms,
scores of armed white civilians
roamed the streets and were not
challenged, searched or disarm
ed.
U. S ACTION URGED
After having wired the Depart
ment of Justice urging action
from Washington to safeguard
civil rights, the NAACP learned
that Washington had delegated
action to US Attorney Horace
Frierson, whose office is here,
but who is a native of Columbia.
Pointing out that many Negroes
were st;ill held in jail in violation
of their constitutional rights, and
that a Negro newspaperman had
also been arrested and jailed,,
Thurgood Marshall, chief counsel
of t_:e NAACP in New York again
telephoned Attorney Gen. Clark
“If Department of Justice to be
effective in this most serious
challenge it is imperative you
send representative from Wash
ington to take over immediately”.
Within a few hours after the
reports of the riot came over the
radio, WTalter White, NAACP
secretary, wired Gov. McCord
urging him to restrain peace of
ficers who are ‘following predic
ted pattern of using their auth
ority and weapons sole against
Negroes’.
Gov. McCord answere^ that all
law enforlement officers ’have
been definitely instructed that in
th course of their duties there is
to be no discrimination because
of race or color'.
Continuing the exchange While
pointed out that only two whites
had been arrested, that Negro
homes had beer, invade^ without
warrants, and called upon McCord
to take all possiule steps to cor
rect injustices.
The NAACP wag able to act in
the Columbia matter because a
Donald Jones, one of its field
secretaries, was in Chattanooga.
By long distaneee telephone the
NY office arranged through Jones
for Attorney Weaver to go to
Columbia. It likewise arranged
for Attorney Looby in Nashville
to act.
FIRST LADLE OF STEEL
POURED AT FORD PLANT
Detroit, Mich., Soundphoto_
The first ladle of steel is shown
being poured at the open hearth
building of the Rouge plant of the
Ford Motor Company since pro
duction was suspended on Janu
ary 25th because of the steel shor
tage
Bedford Park’s Beautiful Lots Are on the Market F or Sale Now! “ ' --
Call Realty'Improvemenf Company 342 Electric Bldg. JA-7718 or JA-1620 “Small Down Payment Will Do the Job”.