Minneapolis spokesman. [volume], November 06, 1942, Image 1

About Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000

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Majorities must recognize
that minorities have rights
which ought not be extin
guished and they must re
member that history can be
written as the record of the
follies of the majority.—
Lindsay Rogers.
VOL. 9, NO. 13
Federal Cartridge
Names Woman To
Industrial Staff
Arms Plant Gives Another Negro
Important Job
Charles L. Horn, president of
Federal Cartridge Corporation, an
nounced Tuesday the appointment
of Ethel Maxwell Williams of St.
Paul to the Industrial Relations Di
vision of the Twin Cities Ordnance
Ethel Maxwell Williams
Plant at New Brighton, Minn.
She will serve as assistant to
Cecil Newman, director of Negro
personnel.
Mrs. Williams is a graduate of
the University of Minnesota with a
M.A. degree and has been in social
work in the Twin Cities for many
years. Her most recent post was
as a member of the faculty of the
Atlanta School of Social Work in
Atlanta, Ga.
Mrs. Williams is married and has
one son in the armed services. . . .
She is a member of various civic
organizations and Eta chapter
Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
Mrs. Williams’ position is one of
the several responsible posts held
by Negro citizens at Twin Cities
Ordnance plant.
Band Stand
Behavior Ellington
Crew Rapped
By JOHN ESQUIRE
One word describes the music of
Duke Ellington’s orchestra which
played for two dances at the St.
Paul auditorium last week. That
word is excellent. One word de
scribes the band stand decorum of
the same outfit and that word is
the old barroom now polite society
word “lousy."
Ellington’s band offered as good
example of what musicians paid to
entertain the public should not do.
They loafed all over the band stand.
They drank what was obviously
liquor from paper cups. A trom
bone soloist was glassy-eyed from
drink or something else.
They visited with the crowd con
stantly and several times the stand
was only half full of band members
when Duke began to tickle the
piano.
The attractive little bronze
skinned singer was pleasing until
she sang a risque off-color song
which was completely bad taste in
view of the large number of young
sters present.
Such poor taste and conduct from
one of the acknowledged top bands
-of the country is strange to behold.
One explanation offered the
writer is that when these bands
come to the Twin Cities they are
made so welcome that they lose
control.
Mitchell Attends
Sister’s Funeral
Hobart T. Mitchell, 3612 Elliot
Ave., left Tuesday, November 3, for
Detroit, Mich., to attend the fu
neral of his sister, Mrs. Edith Rich
ardson.
Mrs. Richardson passed away
Monday, November 2.
WALTER McFARLAND MADE
FOREMAN AT ROSEMOUNT
Walter McFarland, 1016 Rondo
Ave., was made foreman of the day
service crew at the Gopher Ord
nance Plant at Rosemount, Minne
sota, in line with a reported new
Rosemount policy of a fairer atti
tude toward the colored employes.
Mr. Gillespie, a newcomer to the
city and a former Dupont employe,
was made foreman of the night
crew of janitors.
“Play Bridge for Hallie" Nov. 19.
Hallie’s New Gym. 30c.—Advt.
More than a million pounds of
scrap was rounded up in Holyoke,
Mass., city of 55,000 population.
Horseshoes of Kentucky Derby
winners for the past 18 years have
been contributed to scrap.
—i.
B Ridgeport 3595
BLACKBURNS
LOSE MATTRESS
Some person who has evidently
been reading the swap ads in a
local advertising sheet decided to
swap a mattress, but without the
owner’s permission. W. G. Black
burn, 547 W. Central avenue, re
ported to police that when he went
to his garage Tuesday, October 27,
he found the garage door lock
broken and a practically new mat
tress was gone. In its place was
an old bedraggled one.
It wasn’t even Hallowe’en and
Blackbum isn't at all satisfied with
the swap or with the humor of the
thief.
Gopher Lodge
Entertains New
U.S. Soldiers
Elks, Gopher Lodge, I. B. P. O.
E. W. No. 105, St. Paul, will enter
tain members of the organization
who will be inducted into the
United States Army on November
14 at a party Sunday afternoon,
November 8, at three p. m. at Pio
neer Hall, 588 Rondo Ave.
This party is the third in a series
given by Gopher Lodge for in
ductees. All Twin City service
men in any branch of the service
are invited to attend and a special
invitation is being extended to
mothers of all men now in the
armed forces.
Sam Swanson, field representa
tive of the United Electrical and
Radio Machine Workers, C. I. 0.,
will be the principal speaker on the
program. Dancing and refresh
ments will be free.
America’s Lynchers
Help Hitler Win War
Evansville Startling facts of
how Axis powers are using stories
of mob violence, lynchings, rape,
discrimination and segregation of
American Negroes to convince
South Americans they cannot ex
pect justice from the American
white man have just been released
by the People’s Institute of Applied
Religion, Rev. Claude C. Williams,
director.
This report of action and for ac
tion under the caption Fifth Col
umnist states that only the United
States, Canada, Argentina and
Chile in the Americas have a ma
jority of white population. These
have large minorities of non-whites.
White people who cannot behave
civilly toward their non-white
brothers and minority groups are
the real fifth columnists in Amer
ica.
The writers prove it by relating
incidents printed in Spanish and
French by Axis powers and distrib
uted in pamphlets of 200,000 lots to
pro-Axis agents in South America
as work of fifth columnists in
America. They include the riot
over the Sojourner Truth Housing
Project, Detroit; failure to com
plete the Sugar Tree Project for
Negroes along with the one for
whites, at Southeastern Missouri;
and the lynching of Cleo Wright
due to a charge of rape which cre
ated high sentiment.
The institute declares these fifth
columnist activities comprise the
gravest problem in America today,
and calls upon religious leaders to
work together to oppose anti-
Semitism and jimcrowism from
platform and pulpit; stand against
every act based upon religious or
racial prejudice, and calmly correct
every intolerant statement.
Remains of
Mrs. Hill
to Arkansas
Lenora Hill, 40, 518 Fremont
Ave. N., died October 30 at Minne
apolis General hospital. The body
was shipped to Pine Bluff, Ark., for
burial.
Mrs. Hill is survived by her hus
band, Master Hill, Minneapolis,
Mrs. Julia Rabling of Pine Bluff
and other relatives there. Wood
ard Funeral Home was in charge.
Marian Anderson
Here in Recital
Marian Anderson, world-famed
contralto, will be presented in re
cital in the Concert Bowl of the
Minneapolis auditorium on Tuesday
evening, November 24. This con
cert will be the highlight of the en
tertainment in the Twin Cities for
Thanksgiving week. She is appear
ing on the University Artists’
Course, under the direction of Mrs.
Carlyle Scott.
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St Paul War Relief
and Community
Chest Successful
The St. Paul Community War
Relief Chest collected a total of
¥1,172,130.43, exclusive of the $60,-
000 received from the sale of scrap
iron collected on Sunday, Oct. 18.
The quota was set at $1,100,000.
Harold A. Ames was general chair
man of the drive.
Team 16, Mary D. McFarland,
captain, went over the top with a
grand total of $1,000.33. The fol
lowing solicitors reported: Mary
Bradley, S4O; Bernice Duke, s4l;
Oppie Emerson, $3; Cora Belle
Banks, $32.00; Frederick Williams,
$27.00; Mary Rogers Eddings,
$156.00; Viola Munson, $16.00;
Claretta Jackson, $72.00; Louise
Hargrave, $43.00; Evalyn Kelly,
$11; Leah Mae Minor, $60.00; Wan
da Owens, $75.25; Hazeldel War
ricks, $78.00; Josie Williams,
$78.65; Kitty Taylor, $11.00; Ade
laide Sykes, $3.75; and Mary D.
McFarland, the captain, reported
$251.68, making a total of $1,000.33.
Miss I. Myrtle Carden, Director
of the Hallie Q. Brown Commu
nity House, and Mr. S. Vincent
Owens, Executive Secretary of the
St. Paul Urban League, donated
their cars to several of the solici
tors to assist with the speedy col
lection of pledges.
Another group of workers, cap
tained by Mrs. Harry Brown,
brought in the following amount
of moneys: Ardelia Allen, $136.90;
Junauld Brown, $61.50; Susie N.
Tudos, $57.25; Viola Alsup, $49.00;
Carrie Stokes, $43.25; Emily Har
grave, $31.00; Aldonia Anderson,
$27.25; Allie Balenger, $24.00;
John M. Whitaker, $17.50; Hazel
R. Butler, $16.35; Margaret Go
dette, $14.00; Viola Butler, $12.50.
Negro Greek
Letter Societies
Trail Rest
TRAILING IN
SCHOLASTIC AVERAGES
Due to the boys going off to war
or some similar reason, the Negro
fraternities on the University of
Minnesota campus are trailing way
behind in the “C” average set as
an average for the academic fra
ternities.
In years past one or sometimes
two of our fraternity groups were
at or near the top. This year the
Omega Psi Phi fraternity is on the
bottom of the list and the Alpha
Phi fraternity was only several
places from the bottom. The Kap
pas were not listed at all.
Camphor Church
‘Mother’ Dies
MOTHER OF CAMPHOR M. E.
CHURCH DIES
Mrs. Tena Thomas, who is known
as the Mother of Camphor M. E.
Church, Fuller and Kent Streets,
died on Sunday, November 1, at
Ancker hospital where she has been
a patient for the past six months.
Born in Louisville, Kentucky, in
1851, Mrs. Thomas to St. Paul
to make her home with her daugh
ter, Mrs. Julia Douglas, in 1909.
She is one of the original founders
of Camphor M. E. Church and is
known as the mother of the church.
She was a member of the Com
munion Stewardess Board ever
since its inception.
Funeral services were held Wed
nesday, November 4, at 2 p. m.
from Camphor M. E. Church with
Rev. Clarence T. R. Nelson, the
pastor, preaching the sermon from
the theme “Thank God for a Well
Spent Life," which was very ap
propriate. The Choir of Camphor
beautifully sang “Lead Kindly
Light” and “Rock of Ages.” Mrs.
Roberta Davis, Soloist, sang “His
Eye Is On the Sparrow.” Resolu
tions were read from the various
organizations of the church.
Survivors include two children,
one daughter, Mrs. Julia Douglas
Lewis, 689 Carroll Avenue, and one
son, Ed Thomas, 994 Rondo avenue;
seven grandchildren, Bertram Shan
non and Mrs. Inez Bruce of St.
Paul, Mrs. Louise Johnson of Min
neapolis, Mrs. Lucille Shannon
Headley of Long Island, New York,
Mrs. Mabel Hardeway, Mrs. Althea
Brent and John Douglas of Chi
cago. She had one sister, Miss
Nora Scott of St. Louis, Mo., and
eight great-grandchildren.
Interment was in Elmhurst ceme
tery. Brooks Funeral Home in
charge of arrangements.
If all U. S. drivers of passenger
autos in 1940 had cut down their
driving by 10 per cent, they would
have saved 160,000 years of round
the-clock travel time at a rate of
35 miles an hour.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN., FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1942
Women on the Job in War Plants
lip „ ywr
WHS
WOMANPOWER FOR WAR PLANTS—American women of many racial groups are man
ning machines for our war production needs. This Negro girl is turning out small parts
for final assembly as a machine operator in the aircraft factory of a large eastern Navy
Yard.
Mixed Brigade
Subject of Youth
Rally Nov. 6
A discussion on a mixed Negro
and White Brigade in the Army
and how it can help to break down
discrimination in the armed forces
will be the feature of a rally spon
sored by the Victory Youth Club of
the Young Communist League Fri
day night, Nov. 6, to be held at
2860 Chicago avenue, at 8 o’clock.
This rally will be the opening
gun in a campaign of the Minne
sota YCL to collect 5,000 signa
tures on petitions to be sent to the
War Department requesting the
setting up of a mixed brigade.
Invited speakers include the Rev.
Clarence T. R. Nelson, pastor of
the Camphor M. E. church, St.
Paul, Swan Asserson, Organizer of
Hotel and Restaurant Workers No.
665, and R. Augustine Skinner,
President, Minneapolis NAACP.
Collection of signatures for a
Mixed Regiment is part of the
Minneapolis YCL’s War Services
program for the young people
which includes such activities as
blood doning, collection of books
and records for the USO, sending
of Christmas gifts for the boys in
service, collection of money for
Russian War Relief and other ac
tivities.
The public is invited.
U. S. Army helmets are of non
magnetic steel and don’t affect
compasses carried by troops.
A 65-year-old Michigander gath
ered 150 pounds of scrap metal and
wheeled it by barrow to the village
collection center five miles away.
The money spent for every hour
of Nazi occupation to France would
support 500 French families of
three people for a year.
MODERN BETSY ROSS WORKS ON‘OLD GLORY’
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TARTERMASTE The ‘ Bet- kept alive in thii
QU -R DEPOT- tradition of stay Ross is being -.epi js quar-
termaster corps depot where this young woman worker assists in the creation of American
flags for military activities.
Urban League
Auxiliary Sponsors
Radio Broadcast
Mrs. E. L. Sims and Mrs. N. J.
Hunter, Co-chairmen of the Minne
apolis Urban League Bond and
Stamp Drive Committee of the" aux
iliary, are appearing on- a radio
program sponsored by the Auxili
ary of the Minneapolis Urban
League, Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 4:15
p. m., on radio station WCCO. This
committee is now urging friends
and members of the organization
to purchase bonds during the com
ing week and will press the sale
during the radio broadcast. Infor
mation concerning the sale of
bonds and stamps can be obtained
by calling the two chairmen, Mrs.
Sims, Pleasant 2835, or Mrs. Hun
ter, Colfax 1216, or the League’s
office, Atlantic 6917.
Mrs. Frank Edmonds, vice chair
man, Minneapolis War Savings
Committee, Civilian Defense Pro
gram, addressed the Auxiliary of
the Minneapolis Urban League at
its regular meeting Tuesday, Nov.
3, 1942. Mrs. Edmonds, who is en
thusiastically interested in the sale
of bonds and stamps, spoke of the
urgent need for the promotion of
these sales and explained the man
ner in which clubs and organiza
tions could help in this vital en
deavor.
On Sunday, Nov. 22, the Auxili
ary will sponsor a Bond and Stamp
Rally at Phyllis Wheatley House.
Mrs. Wendell Jones, newly ap
pointed member of the Minneapolis
War Savings Committee will assist
in this rally.
Traveling 10 miles at 35 miles
an hour takes two minutes longer
than at 40, but two miles of extra
tire life are saved at the slower
speed.
Coffee consumption in the U. S.
in the past 30 years has more than
doubled, while the population in
crease has been only about 45 per
cent.
V ■'
T’ Public Affairs
Com. Endorses
Poll Tax Repeal
After listening to an address by
C. W. Washington, executive sec
retary of the Minneapolis Urban
League, on November 2, the Pub
lic Affairs committee of the Min
neapolis YWCA took action to
write Minnesota Senators urging
them to support the Pepper Bill,
now up before the United States
Senate.
Mr. Washington stressed the im
portance of outlawing the poll-tax
as a qualification for voting in
eight southern states.
On October 28, Mr. Washington
spoke to the Household Employees
club of the YWCA on the subject,
“Recent Trends in Negro Employ
ment in Minneapolis.”
White Class
Elects Negro
As President
Washington, D. C., Nov. 5
(ANP) —The election of a colored
youth as president of the Senior
class by his white classmates of the
Rock Island (Illinois) high school
was lauded this week by John W.
Studebaker, U. S. Commissioner of
Education, as a concrete demon
stration of democracy at work.
The election of the youth, James
Holland, one of six colored students
in a class of 402, was called to Dr.
Studebaker’s attention by Earl
Hanson, superintendent of the Rock
Island public schools, in a letter
which stated, “The faculty, I have
been assured by a principal, had
nothing to do with the election. It
was purely a democratic act on the
part of the students.”
PRICE $2.50 A YEAR—7 CENTS A COPY
Vow Non-Stop Fight to
Jail Mississippians Who
Lynched 14-Year-Old Boys
Rev. S. A. Douglas,
Adventist Leader,
Going to Arkansas
S. A. Douglas, for six years pas
tor of Beacon Light Seventh Day
Adventist church. North Minneapo
lis, will leave Monday, Nov. 9, for
Little Rock, Arkansas.
Rev. Douglas was called by the
church conference to do evangelis
tic work in Kansas and Louisiana.
Delinquency and
the War, Forum
Topic at Hallie
Though the city of St. Paul had
a lower rate of delinquency than
any city in the country during the
first eight months of war, delin
quency among Negroes has in
creased.
Reasons for this rise in delin
quency will be given at the Hallie
Q. Brown House Forum, Sunday,
Nov. 8, at four p. m., during a
panel discussion on the subject
“Delinquency and the War.”
Because this is a common com
munity problem, every parent and
older boy and girl is urged to hear
this discussion.
Mr. Maceo Littlejohn will pre
side. Others participating will be,
John Doyle, Chief Probation Offi
cer; John Patton, Public Welfare
worker; James Griffen, Negro po
liceman; Miss M. Stone, Commu
nity Service for children.
Baptist Women
Hold Meeting
The Women’s Convention of the
Minnesota Baptist Association met
October 29 at Pilgrim Rest, Minne
apolis, for its first quarterly board
meeting with Mrs. A. B. Lewis
leading the devotional period.
Mrs. Martha J. Lee described a
model Missionary Society; The Red
Circle Girls, junior missionary so
ciety, had an active part in the
meeting under the direction of Mrs.
C. Griffin. Other highlights of the
program were echoes from the Sun
day School Congress by Mrs. R.
Glanton and a report of the Na
tional Baptist Convention made by
Mrs. Mamie Burrell, president of
the Women’s department, and Mrs.
U. Botts, State director. Mrs.
Susan Gaylord and Mrs. Dessa Gre
sham sang several gospel solos and
Miss Gwendolyn Schoffield played
a piano solo.
Mrs. M. J. Lee was elected to in
struct a course in Missionary lead
ership. Mrs. Mary Crump will as
sist her.
lola Young
Is Buried
lola Young, 47, 423 Colfax Ave.
N., died October 28 at Minneapolis
General hospital.
Funeral services were held Mon
day, November 2, at Woodard Fu
neral Home with Father Thomas
officiating, assisted by Rev. T. B.
Stovall. Interment at Crystal Lake
cemetery.
“No Jim-Crow
In Britain,” Says
Padmore
London, Nov. 5 (Censored) —
The following incidents are typical
of the varied sociological problems
with which colored troops on this
side of the Atlantic are confronted.
They are mostly concerned with
inter-racial relations between
themselves and their own white
compatriots. The British, with
their traditional tolerance and
skill at compromise, are doing
their best to bring about harmoni
ous relations between the two ra
cial groups while they are in the
British Isles.
Example of British Tactfulness
When there were differences be
tween white and black U. S. troops
at a dance hall in Derby, the pro
prietor, Mr. S. Ramsden, went to
the microphone and explained to
the white Americans that it was
not customary in England to dis
criminate between races.
A British visitor to the U. S., he
said, would not think of interrupt
ing the procedure adopted at the
dances there. Ramsden expressed
the hope that the white troops
would not try to influence the con
duct of the dances in England. We
respected all visiting troops and
were fighting for the same cause.
There were 35 white U. S. soldiers
at the dance; three black soldiers.
™—l
I deny that the United
itates do not contain suffi-
cient brainpower simulta
neously to fight the war and
, plan the peace. Post-war
tanning is not only settled
ovemment policy, it is good
jrse sense. Phillip C.
essup.
New York.—A pledge to continue
the fight to secure punishment of
those responsible for the lynching
of three Negroes in Mississippi two
weeks ago, until success is achieved
was made last week by Representa
tive Vito Marcantonio, president of
the International Labor Defense,
and chairman of the National
Emergency Committee to Stop
Lynching.
The pledge was made before an
audience of more than 1,000 in
Salem Methodist Church, at a meet
ing under the auspices of the Emer
gency Committee, the National Ne
gro Congress, and the church
lyceum.
“We will not accept any an
nouncement, nor any recommenda
tion, nor any report, as an answer,”
the fiery Harlem representative
said. “The only way to fight lynch
ing is through action. We intend
to get action. We will not stop its
efforts for a single day until the
perpetrators of these three Missis
sippi lynchings are actually pun
ished.”
Only two of four candidates for
the Governorship in New York have
answered telegrams sent out by the
Emergency Committee asking each
of them whether, if elected, he
would immediately move to have
the Conference of State Governors
convened at once to take action
against lynching, Mr. Marcantonio
revealed today. The two are Dean
Alfange running on the American
Labor Party ticket, and Israel
Amter, Communist Party candi
date. Both answered in the affirm
ative. Thomas E. Dewey, Republi
can candidate, and John J. Bennett,
Democrat, did not answer.
Outlining the purposes of the Na
tional Emergency Committee,
which came into being only two
weeks ago at a meeting called by
him, Mr. Marcantonio said:
“This fight will be taken to Mis
sissippi. It will be taken to the
White House, to Attorney General
Biddle, to everyone in a position
of authority. We intend to get
action.
“These lynchings are a challenge
not only to government in the
States, but to the constitutional
government at Washington. The
poll-tax, lynchings, and Jim Crow
are doing more harm to the United
Nations’ cause than 200 tanks and
a score of battalions of Hitler’s
army. It is precisely because we
are at war that we insist on federal
action against these lynchers.
“It is time for the Federal Gov
ernment to step into every State
where a lynching takes place, and
take over the prosecution. If they
can't get jurors who will convict
these lynchers, then let them take
them to other jurisdictions where
juries will convict them.
“The gang behind the lynchers is
the same gang that was responsible
for the rape of Ethopia and Re
publican Spain. It is the same
gang that is responsible for hold
ing up supplies to Africa, for keep
ing India and Africa in chains. It
is the same gang that is holding
back the opening of a second front
to win the war.
“In this fight against lynching
we must expose and destroy those
who wear the American flag, and
carry the sign of Hitler in their
hearts.”
“WASP” CASUALTIES MOSTLY
NEGROES
San Francisco, Nov. 5
copyrighted press statement to Roy
J. Gibbons for the San Francisco
Chronicle Tuesday, October 27,
Kline Irwin, white, Seaman, First
Class, said he learned most of the
casualties on the Wasp, U. S. air
plane carrier torpedoed by Japa
nese in the Solomon Islands near
Guadalcanal Sept. 15, were colored
stewards. He said he learned, too,
that all but about 200 of the Wasp
crew were saved.
Of 79 colored stewards, to his
knowledge, a final check-up re
vealed but seven survivors, Irwin
told The Chronicle.
If each of the 31 million U. S.
families bought one less can of
canned goods per week, the steel
saved would meet steel require
ments of 5,000 medium tanks, there
would be tin for 360,000 75mm.
howitzers, rubber for 2,000 jeeps.
New York’s movie organs have
played their tunes, except for Hit
ler. Turned in to the scrap drive,
one of them yielded 2,300 pounds
of war metals.
Keep off of date Nov. 26. Dance
given by the New Brighton B-shift
e tn ploy ees.—Advt.