Nebraska Newspapers

    /JUSTICE/EQUALITY HEW TO THE LINE \
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY PHONE HA.0800
VOL. XXI—No. 23. OMAHA, NEBRASKA—THE OMAHA GUIDE— y, July 3rd, 1948 ONLY TEN CENTS FER COPY
FIRE
LOSS
TOTAL
tor 1947
$700
Million
From the point of view of
fire loss, last year was the-blac
kest in American history. The
total destruction was about
$700 million.
At the ame time, however,
it was a year of progress in fire
prevention ork. wAccording to
the National Board of Fire un
derwriters, there was material
improvement in the delivery of
new fire fighing equipment. 1
The number of cities adopting
the Board's model fire prevent
ion ordinance increased by 48
per cent Many cities made pro
gress in strengthening their
buidilng laws. The President’s
F'ire Prevention Conference in
itiated a long-term program
which has been felt to some
degree in most of the states.
And the Spring Clean-Ups at
tracted an unusual degree of
cooperation and eliminated
many hazards.
It may seem strangge that
we should have record fire los
ses along with such intensive
prevention work. That simply
indicates the extent of the fire
danger. The total number of
fires has been on the increase,
and in these days of hirh pric
es the average fire does much
more dollar damage than be
fore the war. And due to the
building shortage, many homes
and businesses are housed in s
ubstandard structures wher the
risks are abnormally great.
Last April was the first time
since March 1944, that month
ly losses declined below the
the same month in the preced
ing year. If that continues, we
will make a dent in fire’s rav
aees. It can be done if we keep
the fire prevention campaign
going and intensify it.
AMERICA’S GREATEST
SCANDAL SAYS NOTED
AUTHOR
New York—Dr. Gunnar My
rdal, author of “An American
Dilemma.” snoke before a dis
tinguished dinner gathering at
the W aldorf-Astoria Hotel la
st week.
The famous Swedish states,
man and social scientist appe
ared under the aupices of the
Committee of 100, fund raising
organization for the legal def
ense and educational fund of
the NAACP.
Sharing the program with
Dr. My rdal were Mrs. Frank
lyn D. Roosevelt, Bartley Cru
m, publisher of the newspaper
P. M. Dr Allan Knigth Chal
mers, Walter White and Roy
Wilkins.
“Negroes are constantly ga
ining” in their pursuit of liber
ty. Dr. Myrdal asserted. “They
have, always many of the best
whites fighting with them.
They can fight wholeheartedly
while their adversaries have a
split personality. They have
not only the law, but the nat
ional creed on their side.”
Gains are being made, Myr-’"
dal continued, in spite of the
fact “the treatment of the Neg
ro people is Americas great
est and most conspicious scan
dal-For the colored peoples
all over the world rising influ
ence is exiomatic this scandal
is salt in their wounds.”
In response to an appeal by
Mr. Wilkins, a total of $6,657.
50 was contributed to the legal
defense and educational fund
by organizations and persons
attending the dinner. The larg
est contribution, $2,000 came
from the AFL International
Ladies Garment Wrorkers un
ion. The Amagamated Cloth
ing Works of jWnerica, CIO,
contributed $1,000», Other large
contributions included $500
from the Anti-Defamation Lea
gue of B’nai B’rith and $250
from the Jewish Labor Com
mittee.
Contributions previosuy rai
sed and announced at the din
ner were $7,500 from the Ros
enwald Fund and $1,000 from
the CME Church.
Girls & Young Women iwith High School Diploma^Call
Marshall Holds News Conference
WASHINGTON. D. C.—(Soundphoto)—Secretary of State George C. Marshall invited Russia to
fond the “Cold War” by taking positive action to settle vital differences between the U.S. and the Soviet
! Union before existing agencies. The Secretary is shown as he issued a formal statement at a news;
.conference designed tc^end the confusion from Moscow’s announced “acceptance*^ of what it- called an,
(American proposal for discussions aimed at bettering U.S.-Ru8aian relations, f -
ESTILE TO WHITE
CHRISTIANS
By Fred D. Wentzel
CLOTH-$1.50" -
Do you remember how the
reading of the The Races df £
Mankind by Benedict and Wei
tfish was banned in our armed
services, and how the sale of
the pamphlet skyrocketed as
a result of thhe ban? The Am£
erican people have become in
creasingly aware of the fact
that a new way of interracial
fellowship must be found if Vce
are to justify democracy and
the Christian religion before ‘
the world.
Dr. bred L). VVentzel, author
of our new publication, ESPIS
TLE TO WHITE CHRIST
IANS, has worked for twenty
years in the interracial field.
He has devoted a great deal of
effort to the elimination of seg
regation in churches, offices,
colleges an-d seminaries. He
helped organize the Philadel
phia Interracial Fellowship in
1931. Since 1941, when this
group was incorporated as Fel
lowship House, he has been pre
sident of the board of directors 1
He is one of the presiding min
isters of the monthly commun
ity services sponsored by the
Religious Fellowship of Fel
lowship house and chairman of
the executive committee of the
Religious Fellowship.
With this background of ex
perience and his long acknow
ledged ability in writing both
poetry and prose. Dr. Wentzel
is well qualified to state the
case of the Negro and the ch
urch. He offers a frank apprais
al of the “long and dreary siiy
ning" of the white Christians.
Not content merely to point a'
what is wrong, lie proposes a
simple, undamental remedy for
what we call “the race prob
lem.”
This is nit a book for faint
hearts, or for people who are
content to drift. It is for those
who are willing to take the gos
pel seriously. Jacket and end
paper, by Harold Minton of
Philadelphia, strongly suggest
the force and honety of the
book’s contents.
There is much strife and
worry in the world which ma
ny people feel they can do not
hing to alleviate but the in
justice of segregation is the co
mmon sin of white Christians,
and this unhappiness, at least,
can be wiped out if we will.
May we count on vour cooper
ation in bringing ESPISTLE
TO WHITE CHRISTIANS
to the attention of Negro and
white Americans? We believe
this book will heln to give real
ity to the conviction of the Fed
eral Council of the Churches of
Christ in America that the pat
tern of segregation in race rel
ations is “unnessary and undes
irable, and a violation of the go
SDel of love and human brother
hood.”
The Christian Education Press
—TRAFFIC NEWS—
Douglas Lounty suttered an ec
onomic loss of $107,340 during
March 1948 according to figu
jes released todav by the Nebr.
State Safety Council. n : ■
For the same eriod in 1947,
tl?e county’s loss was $138,160.
This represents a 81 per cent
decrease (increase dver this
year’s cost.
Included in the 1948 sum
was tme following analysis as
provided by the Accident Re
cords Bureau of the Depart
ment of Roads and Irrigation :
1 fatalities, 81 personal injur
ies. This is compared to the
1W which showed 1 fatality,
82 personal injuries, and 13816
property damage accidents.
The economic loss for the
state during March 1948 was
$653,260 or a 30 per cent de
crease over the same period in
1947. The state is also realiz
ing a 30 per cent decrease in
loss for the year to date.
“With an estimate 94 person
destined to date to die in Neb.
due to traffic accidents during
the summer vacations, as an
nounced last week bv the coun
cil.
I HENRY WALLACE AND THE NEGRO PEOPLE ■ I
.i
DUT irM
WALLACE GOT HIS FIRST
KNOWLEDGE OF GROWING
THINGS FROM GEORGE
ISHMSTON CARVER
A STUDENT AT IOWA
STATE UNIVERSITY
-=4
__' -=—>
WASWNGTW
CARVER
5LULSJS
WALLACE SAYS
* THOSE WHO KEEP
JIM CROW ALIVE
ARE CRIMINALS. I
PLEOBE YOU 1 WILL
FIGHT THEM WITH ,,
EVERYTHING 1 ha/e/'
I
WALLACE INSISTS *
n iai i"a^6 rvrVa aiuhc j ..—-- i -t. , A PER^AANKHT
WALLACE DEMANDS ACTION TO EMPLOYIsAENT PRACTICES
OUTLAW THE POLL TAX, LYNCH- Cfvu^mvTtrii
LAW AND SEGREGATION.
Getting the drop on the campaigns of the other parties, the i
National Wallace for President Committee has begun iss'*:ng ■
informational material to Negro newspapers from its i^ew t
York headquarters, where George B. Murphy, formerly with [
the NAACP, is assistant campaign manager. This cartoon was I
drawn for the Wallace group by Owen !V§hldleton, well-known j
Negro Cartoonist,
“Y” TO ERECT $225,000
BUILDING FOR ARMED
FORCES IN GUAM
Construction of a $225,000
\ MCA buildin to serve Am
erican military and civilian
personnel on the island of Gu
am will be undertaken immedi
ately, \\in. H. Mead, general
secretary of the Omaha Y M C
A announced today.
The building will be a one
floor structure of reinforced
concrete covering 14,000 s.u
are feet and will contain an
auditorium, clubrooms, rest
aurant. longe, game rooms, sn
ack bar and an outdoor patio.
The new building is expected
to be in operation by next sp
ring, Mead said.
The decision to construct
the building was made in res
ponse to requests from the arm
ed forces that the Y extend its
ervices to Guam, he declared.
“The leiuiie-time problems
of American military and civ
ilian personnel in’ Guam is
particularly acute,” he said,
“Because the island contains
no sizable town and the Am
erican population there now
outnumbers the natives. Guam
is the ‘civilization' that men
aboard ship wait months to
reach. What they find is one
main highway that parallels
the beach, leads to nowhere,
and already is populated with
thousands of soldiers and mar
ines looking in vain for some
thing to do.”
A unique feature of the new
Guam ^ MCA building. Mead
said, will be its service to the
families of military personnel
and civilian service and con
tractors’ employees. Armed
Services Y M C A ’s, he ex
plained, ordinarily limit them
selves to military personnel
but because the recreational
facilities on Guam are sa limit
ed a special effort will be made
to provide activities for civil
ians.
Funds for the constructio 1
of the new building Mead stat
ed, were obtained from the
sale of Armed Services Y. M.
C. A. properties located in ar
eas no longer having strategic
value to the Army or Navy. To
carry out its contemplated pro
gram in 1949 the YMCA’s Ar
med Service Department bud
get will total $4 million. Of
this, $155,000 must still be rai
sed.
Neil Scott and His Service to Mankind
Neil Scott, forward thinking young publicist of New York I
City, has announced the 1948 Amsterdam News Welfare Fund
Music Festival will do honor to three truly greot Americans,
well known and loved as the bit of americana Uself, music,
which has made them famous, and visa versa. These three great
American’s are W. C. Handy, “The Father of the Blues,”,
Irving Berlin, America’s greotest composer of popular tunes,
and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, who started the world to tap
dancing. Mr. Scott acclaimed that too much honor cannot be
given Mr. Handy, Mr. Berlin and Mr. Robinson, who have
done^ so much to gladden the hearts of people the world over
through their many contributions to the world of music enter
tainment.
Mr. Scott, who is executive director of the Festival, will
be remembered for his many outstanding achievements in the
fields of public relations, publicity, and race relations. Joining
Columbia Pictures Corpooration in 1944 as assistant exploi
tation director, Scott has forged ahead in the field of public
relations in unpresedented fashion, and is responsible for many
“firsts" in the field. He was the first Negro to be engaged to
act as consultant and advisor to a major movie corporation,
the Sjool Cotton Company, which he joined in 1946, and is re
cognized throughout the country as one of the ablest leaders
among the race in the never ending fight for better conditions
and improved relations. In the race relations field, Mr. Scott
has taken the lead in many militant movements in behalf of the
race. Notable dmong his mony efforts was his lightening-like
attack against the merchants ot IZoth street m Harlem last
fall. Using sound trucks, picket lines, and conferences he bro
ught the discontinuance of many malpractices by cerain un
scrupulous merchants on the street. Such practices as over
charging, pulling-in of window shopers, use of epithets, insult
ing women customers, etc. Again and again, with his radio
campaign of o few Saturday nights ago to quell a threatened
race roit which would have caused the loss of many, lives and
thousands ofw dollars worth of property damage in the com
munity as a result of vicious rumors concerning a policeman
'civilian incident in one of the large stores in Harlem; with
his ceaseless efforts in behalf of the opressed and the weak,
his sound truck campaign to secure funds for the New York
City Cancer Committee, Mr. Scott has proved that he is a
true! leader, and a champion of the many mistreated, exploited
members of his race.
Mr. Scott, realizing thewonderful work which the Amster
dam News Welfare Fund is carrying on. through its president,
Dr. C. B. Powell, accepted the executive directorship of the
Festival to raise needed funds to further this cause, which
benefits all, regardless of race, creed or color. Since its found
"ation, the Amsterdam News Conference Fund has contributed
;to; the Riverdale Children’s Associotion, The African Academy
of Arts and Research, Hope Day Nursery, The American
Red Cross, Disabled American Veteran Committee, Wiltwick
School for Boys, Urban League Service Fund, Harlem Coun
cil of_ Social Hvgeine, Friendship house, Katy Ferguson Home
ior Unwed Mother’s, St. Phillips Home for the Aged, Syden
ham Hospital, and scores of other worthy individuals and
organizations that profited as a result of the existance of the
Amsterdam News Welfare Fund. In honoring Mr. Handy, Mr.
Berlin, and Mr. Robinson, the motto of the fund is available
for needy purposes, regardless of the race creed, or color of the
recipients. Mr. Handy is now 75 years old, as a successful
composer. Anyone wishing to contribute to this great cause
please contact Mr. Neil Scott, Academy 2-7800 or by writing to
the Amsterdam News Welfare Fund,' 2340 8th Avenue, New
York City, New York.
BLACKJACKER SHAR
CROPPER SUES LAND
LORD FOR $100,000 DAM
AGES
Little rock, Ark—James Ha
wkins, Xegro sharecropper
was beaten, robbed and threat
ened with death by the oper
ator of Cox Brothers planta
tion and some of his friends.
As a result he has just bro
ught suit in U. S. district court
here for $100,000. The Work
ers Defense League has placed
the case in the hands of Ross
Robley. leading Little Rock
attorney.
In addition Hawkins and
his stepfather, William Hend
erson, have sued for $3,000, the
value of their crop, livestock
and nersonal nnsse^sinns
When cotton-plowing time
:atne, the operator had warned
Hawkins and Henderson not
to use their mules, asserting he
would do the job with his tra
ctor. His motive was to raise
his share of the crop from the
customery 25 per cent to 40
per cent. But a month passed
ind no plowing was done. Fin
ally the two sharecroppers
told the operator they would
have to go ahead with the plo
wing.
On that afternoon the oper
ator and some of his friends,
armed with shotguns, headed
for the shack. Meeting Haw
kins accompanied by his wife
an the road, they hauled him
off the wagon and slugged him
anconscience with blackjacks,
rhey told, him they would kill
him if he left the plantation for
medical aid.
Hawkins lay bleeding in his
shack. \\ hen he tried to work
ae lost unconscience Two days
later overcoming his fear, he
went to a doctor. When the
aperator learned of this, he
:hrew Hawkins and Henderson
aff the plantation, confiscating
heir share of the crop. These
acts were verified by WDL
ield investigators. •
To insure Hawkins and Hen
derson against reprisals, the
V DL removed them from the
the area. Hawkins, his wife and
his two children are now in
Chicago. Henderson is on a co
operative farm near Elmira, N.
Y.
‘“This is not the only case of
its kind on the WDL docket.”
commented Rowland Watts, of
the national WDL ecretary.
“WDL field workers have un
earthed evidence of other grav
es injustices in this and other
areas where men and 'women
are still held in Peonage and
slavery. Vigilant investigation
of all such evidence and immed
iate legal action as soon as vie
tem are removed to safety are
the answer to violence and ter
ror. peonage and slavery.
Fortune Hunter
CHICAGO — Disabled American
Veterans National Service Founda
tion puzzle contest draws pretty
Carol Benson as one of contestants
that may get rich for life while
helping DaV maintain its free re
habilitation and service program.
Fifty thousand dollars will be won
by 270 top scorers in DAV word
puzzle quiz.
Police: “Did you knock do
wn this pedestrian ?”
Motorist: “No, I nulled un to
him, stoped the car so he could
cross the street, and he fainted.
Mr. Taylor R-416
Karback Bldg.
NURSE TRAINING FACIL
ITIES DISCOVERED IN
IN DENVER
Omaha Girls have opportunit
ies also, local Urban League
officials advise.
Friday, June 25th, 1948—An
invitation was given the Oma
ha Urban League this month
to refer Negro girls, who are
desireous and qualified for nur
se training. The information
came from Mr. W. Miller Bar
bour. Executive Secretary of
the Denper Urban League, of
Denver Colorado. Mr. Barbour
revealed in a letter addressed
to Mr. M. Leo Bohanon, Exec
utive Secretary ofthe Omaha
Urban League, that bis health
and Welfare Committee learn
eil of five nurse training school
with doors ajar for Negro en
try. This knoledge was the cul
initiation of the committee’s
project in Denver, which was
togather facts and seek opport
unities for nurse training, it
was further disclosed by Mr.
Barbour. Interested girls and
young women, having a high
school diploma are requested
to contact Mr. Taylor of the
Omaha Urban League for add
itional information.
THEIR PROPHET AND HIS COMMANDMENTS
r ■ "■ — -PTT> I >I.Tn\ i. If- MJ ---—
I HATE HI
H CHEAT jJit
HI DISHONOR. Ill11
IV E i i SLAV E ||
L.6 If
STEAL'
VII WRECK I
VIII TORTURE |l
rx KILL jl
X LOVE THY C0MMIS5AR I) ?
yj i • • /v —
Reprinted by permission of The Chicago Tribun*
i The strength of a civilisation is measured always by the scope aal
tenacity of its obstructions to lareeny. Those obstructions range from
laws against your neighbor picking your pockets to statufcs that forbid
his counterfeiting your registered trade-marks and stealing your pat
ented inventions, says American Fair Trade Council.
Incentive to individual enterprise springs primarily from assurances
that the fruits of that enterprise will not be stolen. Men seldom plant
gardens where thieves abound and police protection is Inadequate. Thus
our Trade-Mark Laws, our Fair-Trade Laws and our Patent Laws have
been the strongest factors in persuading our people to that extraor
dinary effort to create and produce which marks the difference between
• static and a dynamic economy.
Collectivism, by whatever name, is but organised lareeny, aggrandis
ing and enriching a cunning few—out of declining productivity of the
many. Therefore, Communism hates, and seeks to destroy, our laws
against larceny. Henry Wallace, long before he so openly embraced hi*
natural allies, said of our Patent System that it is wrong and that every
body should be permitted, without restraint, to make any and all pat
ented products. Naturally, no one then would have much inducement
to invent anything. Industrial momentum in America, and our strength
■for defense, would be destroyed.
Picket Movie'
.-NEW YORK — (Soundphoto) —}
One of the pickets is down on the
pavement in the riot which broke
out last night in front of the Roxy
theatpe here at the scheduled open
ing of the picture "The Iron Cur
tain." a Opposing pickets lines, one"
against the movie showing and the
other, consisting of Catholic .War
Veterans, for it tangled in a me-?
lee that required .toe ese of police
reserves to quell, ' -
CAMP HOWARD
Camp Howard at Paoli, Fla.,
west of Sanford, for Negro
boys in the Boy Scout Mover
ment, demonstrates both the
growth of the organization in
that area and the practical help
given by white leaders in be
half of colored youths.
The 105-acre site was pur
:hased by William E. Howard
retired New York business
man and the late Joshua Coffin
Chase, cjtrus grower and ship
per of Sanford, Fla.
Mr. Howard is a member of
the Section on Negro Work of
the Boy Scouts National Com
mittee on Interracial Service.
His winter home in near San
tdor.
The late M. Chase was born
in Germantown, Pa. 90 years
igo and spent more than half
i century in the citrus business
n Florida. He helped to obtain
the site of Memorial Park in
Jacksonville and was a Direct
or of the Children’s Home Soc
iety in Florida. The Central
Florida Council of the Boy Sc
outs presented to him the Sil
ver Beaver Award “for dist
inguished service to boyhood”.
Camp Howard, a woodland
SEES YELLOW STREAK
IN SCHUYLER COLUMN
To the Editor:
The column of George Sch
uyler May 15th, had a large
yellow treak in it. He says,
“After all there are worse thi
ngs than serving in a jim-crow
Army.” It seems as though he
fdars annihilation—then he
mentions the Jews. But if he
will take a good look around
him in all parts of this world
he will see that there are a go
od many proud Jews left des
pite what they have been thro
ugh.
I onder what could be worse
than going thousands of miles
to kill people who have treated
you much better than the aver
age American white? What
could be worse than fighting
for rour country and your civ
il rights and when it comes to
claiming these same rights it
threatens the life of you, your
family and even innocent part
ies? \\ hat could be worse than
facing enemy fire of Japanese
and Germans, fighting for the
cause of democracy,only to re
hurn to your home and be han
ged burned or blinded by one
of your white countrymen ?
Schyler should take a g >od
look at all of the Negro graves
that have accumulated over the
years of fighting for demo
cracy and come back and write
a good column—something
that the Negro can read and
hold his head high in praise for
Mr Schyler.
William Richardson
Pueblo Colo.
- -
area at Island Lake, is admin
istered by the Central Florida
Council of the Boy Scouts whi
ch had headquarters at Orlan
do, Fla. Nearly 100 Scout Cam
pers can be accommodated at
one time in the six Troop Ca
mp sites.
Dr. C. L. Eccleston, Negro
dentist, who contributed much
to the new' camp, presided at
the dedication exercises. He
is the Council’s Divisional Ch
airman. The Council’s first Ne
gro Troop w'as organized in
June 1936 ith 12 Scouts. Today
there are 705 Negro boys enrol
led in 35 Troops, 3 Cub Packs
and 2 Senior Units. This pro
gress is attributed to the work
of the 300 Negro adult volun
teer leaders in the Council.