Nebraska Newspapers

    VOL. XXI—No. 28. OMAHA, NEBRASKA—THE OMAHA GUIDE—Saturday, August 7th, 1948 ONLY TEN CENTS PER COPY
ICharles P. Howard of Des Moines, Iowa was selected to deliver
rthe keynote address at the new party convention nominating
I Henry Wallace for President in Philadelphia July 23-26. An
attorney, newspaper publisher and prominent Iowan Repub
i lican leader for the past 25 years, he resigned his Republican
| posts to support Wallace. He is a member of the American
Legion, Elks and Shriners and has served as parliamentarian
i 1 at national conventions of the NAACP in recent years.
PROGRESSIVE PARTY
New York—“The best keynote speech delivered at a
major political convention in many years.” .
That’s what New York newspapermen, speaking off the
record, said about the address given by Charles P. Howard,
Negro attorney, editor and former leading Iowa Republican,
at the founding convention of the Progressive Party in Phila
delphia.
Ten days after the convention, newspapermen and polit
ical observers were still talking about the hard-hitting charges
and eloquent phrasing of Howard’s keynote address in which
he declared that ‘the plain fact that I stand here before you
tonight defines our party. For the first, ime in my life, I am
experiencing human digniy.”
Declaring that “I see no delegate who will rise to speak
for the Klu Klux Klan . . . the Hague machine ... or the
House of Morgan,” Howard said that “this is really only the
second convention to meet in this election—the Republicans
and Democrats were merely two sectids of the same con
vention.
Howard charged that the killing of the anti-lynch, anti
poll tax and FEPC bills in the last session of Congress “was
the joint handiwork of Republicans and Democrats, plotting
together in a Congressional Murder Incorporated.”
He charged that the Republicans and Democrats “have
never once relinquished the idea of human slavery.”
“Slavery has always been a profitable business,” he said.
“What was once the slave quarter and the auction block has
become the Jim Crow coach and the starvation wage. This
slavery of the Negro people is not o thing to be wiped out
by campaign oratory or a passing promise. It is a sickness
deep in the very bone of the country. Its fever sores are the
ghettoes of Harlm and the South Side of Chicago, the thous
and cities and towns acrosstheland where a Negro cannot
eat in a restaurant, sleep in a otel, go to a movie, be treated
in a hospital—where even children’s games are Jim Crow.
“We have heard the civil rights promises of the old part
ies, but we have learned to read between th lines—and be
tween th lines w read btrayal. What else can we expect from
the men who years after year ruled tjiis country with a nation
al policy of Jim Crow—backed by the nightstick and the
hangman’s rope?
“We have been blinded with promises for too many years.
Our eves are open now. We believe only what we see. We
have seen Henry Wallac go into the South and insist on
speaking—and speak—to non-segregated audiences. We
have seen Glen Taylor, a United States Senator, defy Jim
Crow in Alabahama and go to jail—arrested by a police chief
who later turned up as a delegate to the Democratic National
Convention.
“But most of all, we of the new party see ourselves. We
see ourselves not picking up political crumbs, but helping to
make political policies. The Progressive Jarty says to the
Negro people—‘Come help us to make this nation what you
would have it.’ *
“The plain fact that I stand here before you tonight de
fines our party.”
PROGRESSIVE PARTY
New York—More than a mil
lion copies of the Progressive
Party platform as adopted at
the new political organizations
founding convention in Philade
lphia July 26th — including
what is believed to be the
strongest plank on civil rights
for Negroes ever adopted by a
major political party—will be
circulated throughout the nat
ion within the next two weeks,
it was announced this week by
Albert J. Fitzgerald and Paul
Robeson, co-chairman of the
Progressive Party.
In addition to demanding “a
bolition of Jim Crow in the
armed forces,” the platform
contains a detailed, 350 word
plank on freedom, all of it af
fecting American Negroes.
The full text of the Progres
sive Party freedom plank as
follows:
“The Progressive Party con
demns segregation and discrim
ination in all of its forms and
in all places.
“We demand full equality
for the Negro people, the Jew
ish people, Spanish speaking
Americans, Italian Americans,
Japanese Americans, and all
other nationality groups.
“We call for a Presidential
proclamation ending segrega
tion and all forms of discrim- i
ination in the armed services i
and Federal employment.
“We demand Federal anti
lynch, anti?discrimination, and
fair employment practices leg
islation, and legislation abol
ishing segregation in interstate
travel.
“We call for immediate pas
sage of anti-poll tax legisla
tion, enactment of a yniversal
suffrage law which would per
mit all citizens to vote in Fed:
eral elections, and the full use
(Continued on page. 4)
WOMAN WHO KILL
ED HER WIFE
PLEADS GUILTY
Los Angeles, Calif. (Special)
—The final chanter was writ
ten on the “husband-wife” re
lationship between two women
with the sentencing Tuesday
morning in Superior Court of
Miss Ruth Mae Foster, 28, for
the fatal stabing of Mrs. Vir
ginia Louise Ford, 48, refer
red to as the “man’ ’in the Af
fair. The stabbing ocTured dur
ing a fight between the two
women on the night of May
19th, at 4445 Avalon boulevard
where both lived.
The manslaughter verdict
which was handed down by
Walter S. Gates, judge of
Superior Court, department 46
makes a sentence of one to 10
years mandatory. Miss Foster
was ordered committed to the
state prison of women at Te
hachapi.
Changes Plea
Shirtly after the trial open
ed upon advice of Attorney
Gordon, Miss Foster changed
her plea from “guilty by vir
tue of insanity,” to that of
guilty of manslaughter. A trial
by jury was waived by the de
fense.
A packed courtroom heard
the defendent relate a sorrid
tale of the illicit romance that
existed between herself and the
slain woman which she testi
fied amounted to a virtual “man
•wife” relationship. Mrs. Ford
she stated first approached her
five years ago while she was
working as a waitress in a lun
chroom on Central avenue
and asked her to go on dates to
which the defendent admitted
the witness stand, she agreed.
When asked by Prosecutor
Meyers as to why she contin
ued the relationship, Miss Fos
ter said she had fallen in love
with the slain woman and for
this reason she worked and
supported her and her six
children.
ARGUE OVER WOMAN
In summing up his examin
ation Prosecutor Meyers told
the court that in all the many
years of his caeer as prosecutor
he had never heard a more sor
did tale than that told by Miss
Foster. He further stated that
ujst as it is the prosecutors du
ty to prosecute it likewise is his
duty to defend when he thinks
the circumstances merit such
action. The evidence presented
in this trial, he stated, made it
impossible for him to ask the
death sentence usually asked in
a murder trial of this nature.
Berating the moral conduct of
the two women. Meyers expres
sed his doubt of existence of
the element of pretnediation
and upon this basis recommend
ed that Judge Gates return a
verdict of guilty of second de
gree murder or manslaughter.
In her testimony of incid
ents leading to the fatal stab
bing, Miss Foster stated she
had come home about 11 o’
clock on the night of the kil
ling and had gone to bed when
Mrs. Foster began an argu
ment which resulted when she
said she had found another
woman whom she referred ti as
Bernice Hall, to take her olace
and that she would have to
get out. Following the argu
ment, Miss Foster said the
slain voman struck her se\feral
times and it was during this
fight that she somehow rained
possession of a knife and began
stabbing her friend. The first
time she knew her victim had
died she said, was following
her arest when informed by
police officers.
Throughout the examinat
ion ’by both attorneys Miss Fos
ter insisted that in the heat of
the fight her mind became
blank and that she didn’t know
what she had done.
The romance the defendant
said, was frequently interrup
ted by fights and quarrels of
which she stated Mrs. Ford al
ways started after they had
gone to bed.
When asked by Prosecutor
Meyers whether Mrs. Ford’s
husband Lawrence, knew of
husband Lawrence, knew of
their relationship, Miss Foster
admitted he did know about
it and that the three slept in
the same bed. Ford, she said,
later demanded his wife to
choose between himself and
(Continued on page 3)
•
■IIIIIIIIIIIIIM
News
from
BREAK THE FILIBUSTER
ORGANIZATIONS URGE
Washington, July 30—The
51 Republican and 19 northern
Democratic senators were cal
led upon “to proceed forth
with to break the filibuster”
against the anti-poll tax bill in
a statement released today by
the Conference on Civil Rights
Legislation composed of 19
national civil rights, labor, and
church, Negro, Jewish, profes-|
sional, and trade organizations.
The conference also outlined
a progam of action for the loc
al units of the constituent or
ganizations. This program dir
ected the local units to form
joint committees to mobilize
grassroots support of civil
rights legislation through mass
meetings, calls upon local and
state political leaders of both
parties, enlistment of support
of local newspapers and radio
stations, and sending of letters
and telegrams to their respect
ive senators urging a vote for
cloture.
Denouncing the filibuster as
a “transparent sham," the con
ference statement charged tha
[ “the Republican leadership pro
poses to use southern poll tax
Democratic opposition for the
purpose of blocking all legis
lation.” It warned that “the
“the American people who des
control sky-rocketing prices, to
provide an adequate supply of
housing within the reach of the
average purchaser or renter,
and to insure basic human rig
hts, will not stand for a polit
ical deal that prevents enact
ment of such legislation.” »
, The conference, organized
here, July 22, on call of the
NAACP, is composed of del
egated representatives of the
following organizations :
National Council of Negro
Women; Congress of Indust
rial Organizations; Odd Fel
lows, Beauty Culture League,
United Automobile Workers,
CIO; Alha Kappa Alpha Sor
ority, American Jewish Com
mittee, National Association
of Colored Graduate Nurses,
Friends Committee on Nation
al Legislation, American Vet
erans Committee, American
Civil Liberties Union, Nation
al Council for Permanent FE
PC, Anti-Defamation League,
B’nai B’rith, National Assoc
iation Negro Milliners, Hair
Stylists and Dress Designers,
National Alliance Postal Em
ployees, National Medical As
sociation, International Ladies
Garment Workers Union, AFL
American Jewish Congress,
and the National Association
for the Advancement of Color
ed People.
The full text of the Confer
ence statement follows:
It is appalling that respon
sible members of the Congress
of both parties are contempla
ting at this critical hour of
human history such synical,
political trickery as is reported
in connection with the civil
rights legislation.
Southern Democratic Sen
ators privately admit that the>
cannot defeat cloture if Repub
lican and northern Democrat
ic Senators insist on a cloture
vote to stop a filibuster. But
in the foce of this admission by
a southern minority of the"
Senate, it has been reported
that the Republicans do not
intend even to file a cloture
petition, much fess support a
motion to invoke cloture.
They apparently have agr
eed to make no attempt to
throttl endless and meaning
less talk amending the Journal
or opposing the motion to con
sider the bill, although no Sen
ate rule forbids limitation of
debate of these points. Senate
precedent alone has permitted
unlimited debate on such mot
ions. The alleged impotence of
the Republician and northern
Democratic majority to stop
this filibuster demonstrates a
new the necessity for amend
ment of the Senate rules to per
mit limitation of debate by
majority vote and to prohibit
filibusters on technicalities.
We denounce the transpar
ent sham of this “gentleman’s
agreement” where by the Re
publican Senate leadership pro
poses to use southern poll tax
Democratic opposition for the
purpose of blocking all legisla
tion. As the plans have been
announced, this will be a fil
ibuster in name only. The Re
publican leadership proposes
to keep bankes hours, conduc
ting Senate sessions only from
noon to six p. m., installing a
six hour day at a time when
the national welfare and sec
urity would require a twenty
four hour working day to break
a filibuster.
This use of a fake filibuster
on a civil Rights Bill is a fraud
The Republician majority, un
der the announced plan, becom
es the silent partner in a fili
buster against all legislation, in
eluding civil rights.
We reject as needlessly dila
tory the proposal to ban the
poll tax by Constitutional a
mendment as a substitute for
legislation. There is no reason
to believe the so-called states
righters wou,ld not oppose rat
ification of the amendment.
Congress has the power to act
and must do so now.
The American people, who
desparately need legislation to
control sky-rocketing prices, to
provide an adequate supply of
housing within the reach of the
average purchaser or renter,
and to assure basic human rig
hst to all citizens, will not sta
nd for a political deal that pre
vents enactment of $uch legis
lation.
On behali ot the national
church, labor, civic and other
groups of all races and creeds
whom we represent, we call up
on the 51 Republician and the
19 northern Democratic Senat
ors to proceed forthwith to
break this menacing filibuster
by maintaining conttnuous ses
sions of Congress and by unam
ous support of a motion to in
voke cloture.
We call upon decent Amer
icans to let their senators know
in no uncertain terms, by tele
grams, letters, petitions, tele
phone, and personal visits whe
re possible, that the Senate
must stop any and all filibust
ers by invoking cloture,
The following program of
action was agreed upon:
1. Cooperating organizations
to send each of their local un
ts a statement of the issues
with direction for mobilizing
grassroots support of the civ
il rights legislation.
2. Oragnization in each com
munity of joint committees to
call on local editors and rad
io stations managers in an ef
fort to enlist their support.
3. Oragnizations of delegations
to call of both parties to gain
their support.
4. Arrangement of joint mass
meetings under auspices of the
cobperating organizations.
5. Delegations from the nation
al organizations to call upon
the Senate and House leaders
and dliairman of the National
Democratic and Republician
Committees.
ASKS SENATE TO CEN
SURE JOHNSON I
Washington, July29—Charg
ing that Senator Olin D. John
ston (D., S.C.), in a speech on
the floor of the Senate, threat
ened “to risk plunging the na
tion and the entire world into
obliterative germ and atomic
warfare rather than to permit
enactment of civil rights legis
lation, Walter White, Secret
ary of the NAACP, today wir
ed Senator Arthur Vandenburg
(Continued on page 4)
Billie Holiday on her arrival
at Grand Central Station to ful
fill her Broadway theatre en
gagement at the Strand Thea
tre. Miss Holiday, pictured a
rare occasion when she wears
a hat is shown wearing one of
the latest creations in chape
aux, set off by a luxurious
Blue Mink Stole.
Photo by Leo Fuchs .
BILLIE HOLIDAY, NATION’S NUMBER
ONE RECORD BREAKER I
New York—The so-called slump that is supposed to hit I
the attendance market due to the soaring heat wave is no
deterrent where Billie Holiday is concerned, according to
recent performance.
Miss Holiday, the Nation’s Number One Song Stylist
is breaking long standing attendance records everywhere she
has appeared.
Going on tour after seven record breaking weeks at Club
Et)ony on Broadway, Miss Holiday appeared three capacity
weeks* at the exclusive Blue Note Cafe, in Chicago, where she
excelled all predecesors and even outdrew the record of the
famous Louis (Satchmo) Armstrong and bulged over the
attendance fark of all other attractions who previously blaz
ed the trial and left behind the tops of the top, figuratively
speaking.
Simultaneously a week at the swank Tia Juana Club in
Cleveland, Miss Holiday attracted the largest crowds of all
time there, surpassing the record established by the King
Cole Trio an<J the songstress Nellie Lutcher.
During her stay there, Miss Holidaay was in such great
demand and her services so highly appreciated that she was
given the luxurious persenal suite belonging to Miss Cath
erine Drake, owner of the Club, where she resided during
her stay.
Open Letter
The Omaha Guide
I hope your paper prints the
article every week in your pap
er about Terry Carpenter who
is running for Senator from Sc
otts bluff, Nebraska. He said
the Civil Rights Bill stinks
and said people should be al
lowed their own associates and
he was certainly against the
Civli Rights. So let every Neg
ro in Omaha know this a«d
that if Terry Carpenter is ever
elected Nebraska Senator, the
Negro in Nebraska is doomed.
He is unning as Democrat Sen
ator.
Terry Carpenter made this st
atement about three weeks ago.
Reporter M Cordie
Blind Lincoln Mother Wins'
Electric Range in Contest
LINCOLN, NEBR.—“Oh, Isn’t it beautiful!” exclaimed Mrs. Alda
! M. Smith, 1743 J Street, blind homemaker, as she ran her fingers
! over the new Gibson Kookall electric range which she won as grand
prize in a radio contest just completed. Mrs. Smith, mother of two
j eons, submitted the winning entry on “Why I want a Gibson Kookall
Automatic Electric Range.” The many safety features were among
the reasons pointed out in her prize-winning letter.
Control knobs on the range have been specially notched by Hardy
Furniture Company, one of the Gibson dealers in Lincoln, to further !
aid Mrs. Smith’s sensitive touch. Mr. Smith, also blind-, is employed
teaching other blind persons to read by the BraiUe system.
D. J. Townsend, appliance sales manager of the Omaha Appliance
Co., Gibson distributors for Nebraska and Western Iowa, and F. H.
Aarvig, regional manager for the Gibson Refrigerator Company,
whose organizations co-sponsored the contest, made the presentation
to Mrs. Smith. Kenneth and Harold Smith, 5 and 3 year old sone of j
the winner, seem to be enjoying the little ceremony. Left to fight,
a'bove, are C. O. Swanson, Omaha Appliance representative, Mr. Aar
i vig, Mrs. Smith, D, A. Wetzel, Hardy Furniture Company, and Mr,
l Townsend, _ _ _
COMMUNITY
I CHEST NEWS
Mrs. John Albert Williams,
widow of one of the founders
of the Omaha Community
Chest, who has been elected
to the Chest’s Board of Gov
ernors.
"" " ' "" '
Mrs. John Albert Williams.
2418 Maple Street, president
for the last several years of the
Colored Old Folks Home, has
been elected to the Board of
Governors of the Omaha Com
munity Chest, according to an
announcement by Chest Pres
ident V. J. Skutt.
The Colored Old Folks
I Home is an agency of the
Chest and is located at 933
North Twenty-fifth Street.
In being elected to the Chest
board, Mrs. Williams fills the
unexpired term of Mrs. D. W.
Campbell, who resigned.
Mrs. Williams is the widow
of the former rector of the
Church of St. Philip the Dea
con, 1121 North Twenty-first
Street. The Rev. Mr. Williams
was one of the original incor
porators of the Omaha Cum
munity Chest and was on its
Board of Governors.
Mrs. Williams has been an
active solicitor in practically
i every annual campaign that
has 'been conducted by the
Commuity Chest since its in
' ception.
The election of Mrs. Will
iams to Chest board member
ship followed the recommend
ation of the Citizens’ Service
Committee that Omaha’s larg
est minority group be given
representation on the board.
This is particularly fitting be
cause of the many activities
that Community Chest agen
cies carry out in behalf of Ne
groes.
The Community Chest sup
ports the Urban League which
is actively engaged in efforts
to improve the health and wel
fare of the Race. The Colored
Old Folks Home provides a
clean, comfortable residence
for the aged. Woodson Center
serves a wide South Omaha
neighborhood. A branch of the
YWCA at 2306 North Twen
ty-second Street provides a
Northside community service.
In addition to the above Red
Feather agencies of the Chest,
others such as the Visiting
Nurse Association provide ser
vice. The VNA conducts child
health conferences at the
YWCA building as well as
providing for bedside nursing.
Similarly, the Boy Scouts,
Camp Fire Girls and the Girl
Scouts have units operating
within the neighborhoods.
The Neighborhood house of
the Omaha City Mission at
2201 Cass Street, Family Ser
vice of Omaha, Child Saving
Institute and others identified
with the Chest serve our peo
ple.
Mrs. Williams’ invitation to
board membership was extend
ed by James L. Paxton, Jjr.,
vice president of the Chest and
chairman of the Chest’s Bud
get committee, during the
course of his annual review of
agencies’ budget requests for
the coming year.
“The budget committee has
always been extremely impres
sed with the cleanliness, econ
omical and efficient operations
of the Colored Old Folks Home
which bespeaks well its man
agement,” Mr. Paxton com
mented.
“I am confident Mrs. Wil
liams will bring to the Com
munity Chest board the same
efficient leadership.”
Mrs. Williams was the first
Negro to be employed by the
Omaha public schools as a
teacher. Strangely enough, her
fist teaching assignment was
in the old Dodge school in the
vey same classroom she attend
ed' when she started school.
Mrs. Williams has two dau
ghters. One lives at Cleveland,
the other at Tulsa. A son died
three yeas ago. Mrs. Williams,
has three gandchildren.
i
Nothing New Help
In 1904 the Pierce-Arrow had a
gearshift lever on steering column
and a single levej eontrdrpd the
Gaa-au-lec.