The Michigan chronicle. [volume], September 18, 1943, Image 1

About The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current

Image provided by: Central Michigan University, Clark Historical Library

                
HARDIN, SHEFFELD URGE NEW UAW POST
JOBS OF RACE
IN POST WAR
IS BIG ISSUE
Anti-Negro Bloc Among
Workers Must Be
Stopped
A new post on the Internationa!
Executive Board of the UAW-CIO
which will meet the needs of the
union in this emergency and stem
the tide of the anti-Negro move
ment which has resulted in serious
hate strikes in the auto industry
was advocated this week by the
veteran labor leader Walter Hardin
and Horace Sheffield of the Inter
national stafT.
A Million Members
Over a million members are
paying due* In the UAW-CIO today
and the role of the Negro worker
In the post war period Is expected
to depend upon the manner In
which racial problems are settled
now. The Importance of the issue Is
described in a formal statement
which was made to the Michigan
C hronicle last Tuesday by Messrs,
llardin and Sheffield. The com
plete statement follows:
The eighth annual convention of
the UAW-CIO. convening in
Buffalo, October 4. will unquestion
ably be the founding board affecting
the basic welfare o. mere w-orkers
than any rrcviouj labor gathering
in the history of America Negro
labor should at once begin the task
of making clear every issue that
will effect productive labor. Many
of these issues may appear insig
nificant on the surface and as it
atandr today, many of our Negro
delegates are expressing little con
cern about this cjming event. How
ever. there are a few of these issues
that seemingly have captured the
• ttention of an appreciative seg
ment of our membership. Tops
among these is the question of a
Negro being elected to some official
position in the coming convention
In rpite of the importance of
such a post already we are begin
ning to find this issue badly dis
torted Some are commenting upon
a board member-at-largc. Others
are suggesting that we have a
Negro vice president, while another
divisiea is engaged in trying lo
decide what person U beet qualiiied
ambitions.
Personally. I feel that there li a
n*ed for official representation on
the part of Negroes in our union.
May I further add. that the usual
accepted procedure of the organized
labor movement, in drafting its
leadership from the ranks, is ex
tremely remote, so far as Negroes
arc concerned. This circumstance is
based upon two vital conditions.
1 The increased tension of the race
evil caused by the war 2 The slow'
progress in the development of
Negro leadership in any of our
regions, make* it obvious that a
Negro will not be able to rise
through these conflicting and com
petitive difficulties for some time
to come This leads me to believe
that, if we are to develop a broader
leadership among minorities we
n.u-*t establish some provision with
in the constitution of our union, for
such development I am further of
the opinion, that if Negroes arc to
win official representation, we must
i* .mediately unite our interest in
the direction of a const.tutional
MTSee L A W . Page !
THE
FORWARD
MARCH
By JOHN EDWARDS
In his press conference at Wash
ington last Friday. Lieutenant Col
onel Benjamin Davis. Jr., who has
recently returned from Italy where
he was in command of the famed
P9th Pursuit Squadron, paid a lav
ish tribute to «hat darling of the
pre-war Paris stage, > Josephine
Baker. Colonel Daws slated that
•\Wisa Baker insisted on presenting
•cveral different groups our of
ficers to the prominent Frcneh and
Arab families in the town of Fez."
Miss Baker left Broadway ij. the
more liberal Paris an 4 then Hitler
came and she sought refuge in
North Africa. She knows intimately
what fascism really means, at home
and abroad.
* # *
WALTER DAVENPORT
In the current issue of Collier's
magazine, Walter ins.sts
that/ Negroes and whites are still
carrying chips on their shoulders
and unless the Federal government
takes cognizance of th<- racial de-
Jemna in America, there may be
tome more rioting before victory
comes. We agree with Mr. Dave i
port that government intervention
in the domestic situation i- ex
tremely important because racial
unrest is too great a threat to th;
war effort to permit it to solve
•elf.
ge * $
CLAIRE BOOTH LITE
We take our hat off again to
charming Claire Booth Luce who
despite her Tory background and
associates still manages to make a
•ane. democratic ap;...l to the
American people on occasion.
Mrs Luce annoyed us very mveh
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FFPC CW'TRMAN
Rt. Rev. Monslgnor Franela J.
Haas, Chairman of the Preaident’s
Committee on Fair Employment
Practice.
All The News Of
All'The People
PRICE 10c
VOLUME 8
SHOOTING COLONEL CONVICTED
TWO POLICEMEN
BATTLE CROWD
i* . *
%■■■ HIIKIIHIn
Woman’s C a 11 rorAld
Results In Bis:
Street Melee
A woman of striking appearance,
* 0
f3ir enough in complexion to pass
far white, well groomed and ex
hibiting a captivating smile, ap
peared before Recorder’s Judge
John P. Maher Monday morning
as one of the central figures In a
disturbance on Adams avenue, near
St. Antoine street, late Saturday
night.
Facing the court on a charge of
being drunk. Mrs Mabel Long R.ch
ardson. 38. of 639 Adams avenue
was fined SSO or the alternative of
spending 10 days in jail.
Starts Flareup
According to police, it was a
call from this comely woman which
led up to a fnreup that only was
terminated after the police had
frarled tear gas bombs to disperse
an estimated crowd of 500. most
of them n.ght club frequenters on
their way home.
Patrolmen Harry Chambers and
Guy Bliss, of the Accident Parti
tion Bureau, had been slopped by
a woman who is as yet unidentified,
and given a larceny complaint.
While they were talking to the
woman. Mrs. Richardwn, according
to the officers, called for help, say
ing she had been assaulted by her
husband. Sol Richardson, 38.
The officers said that when they
attempted to arrest Richardson, he
resisted. Meanwhile a crowd had
gathered and some one threw a
brick which struck Mrs. Richardson
on the head.
Resisted Officers
Police said an attempt was made
by someone to take Richardson
from the officers, but one of them
put In a call for reenforcement
The arrival of additional help, in
cluding the riot squad, caused the
crowd to disperse under a barrage
of tear gas bombs.
Police arrested Louis Curry, 24.
of 615 Adams avenue, charging hun
with jumping on top of an auto
mobile and urging the crowd to
take the prisoner from the off.cers.
Witnesses of the Hffa.r expressed
the belief that the policemen
thought Mrs Richardson was a
white w oman who had been assault
ed by a Ntegro.
Albert Harris. 18, of 318 Frederick
street, was also arrested after lie
,s alleged to have attempted to
run down Patrolman Frank Shana
han with an automobile.
Richardson appeared before Re
corder’s Judge John P. Scallen on
Monday on a writ procured by hts
attorney, Charles A. Roxborough
However, the court granted the off •
cers 24 hours to either bring a
charge against the prisoner or dn
tniss him He was placed on a SSOO
bond and two sureties.
While no warrant had been is
sued against cither Curry or Havr-J,
police said action was pending
against the two men.
RAILROAD HEARINGS BEGIN THIS WEEK IN WASHINGTON
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Official OWI photo fry Roger Smith
FEPC MEMBER
P. Bernard Yoang, Sr., publisher
of the Norfolk Jonrnal and Guide,
and Industry representative on the
President's Committee on Fair Em
ployment Practice.
Main Office: 268 Eliot Street
Negro Editors Greet
Lieut. Colonel Davis
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LT. COL DAVIS. JR.
Who has buun assigned lo the
332nd Air Group now stationed
at Selfridge Field. Lt. CoL
Davis has just returned from
Italy where he was in command
of the 99th Pursuit Squadron.
See story on him elsewhere in
this issue of the Michigan
Chronicle.
YOUNG WOMAN
DIES; LEAPED
TO HER DEATH
A 29-ycar-old woman, said to
have been ill for several lays leaped
to her death from the second story
window of her apartment last week
a few minutes before anxious
friends missed her.
Reported dead after she had
landed on her head was Mrs.
Averilo B McKim ev of 286 E. Can
field avenue. An autopsy report dis
closed that she had di.2 from the
effects of shock and hemorrhage
following a skull fracture and crush
ing injuries to the chest.
Police learned that she had been
ill and confined to her bed ‘or sev
eral days. She left her -droom
and went to a front room of the
apartment to get a handkerchief.
However, a few minutes late,
friends anxious over her aUerce
from the bedroom arrived in the
front room just in time to see her
leap from the second story window
of the apartment.
She was dead on admittance to
Receiving hospital, whore her body
was later identified by William Mc-
Kinney of the above address.
Two others whom police say at
tempted suicide la.-rt week were "s
--telle Evans. 21, of 2451 St. Aubin,
who reportedly took liniment fol
lowing an argument with her hus
band
The other suicide attempts were
that of Johnnie Mac Harris. 20. of
1337 Livingstone, taken to get aid
by her husband. Edd.e. Police say
she took L*oi.
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Official OWI photo fry Roger South
FEPC MEMBER
Samuel Zemurray, president of the
United Fruit Company, and industry
representative on the Preaident’s
Committee oa Fair Employment
Practice.
WEEK
At the Invitation of tferffetASli
who has just returned Cross North
Africa where he was the Command
ing Officer of the famed Pur
suit Squadron which bombed the
island stepping stones to Italy out
of the war.
Meeting in the press conference
room of the Secretary of War, Col
onel Davis. Jr., who was accompan
ied by his distinguished father.
Brigadier General Davis, Sr., thrilled
the editors with his account of his
experiences aj leader of the first
Negro flying unit i.\ the history of
the United Stales Army.
GOES TO SELFRIDGE
Wear.ng the Oak Leaf Cluster
which was awarded aim in North
Africa on August 20. 1943. Colonel
Davis, in a modest but assured man
ner. related the highlights of his
experiences in combat with the
Nazi a.rmcn and paid a glowing
tribute to hr? men who lived up to
the highest expectations of the Ne
gro people. The Wc:t Point grad
uate revealed that he had been as
signed to the 332nd Air Group now
training at Selfridgo Field and
stated that he expected to join the
group within a few days.
800 SORTIES
Following the rending of a pre
pared statement which appears else
where in this issue of the Michigan
Chronicle, the Colonel was ques
tioned at length by the Negro news
papermen. He stated that his men
had averaged 800 sorties each
against the enemy since being sta
tioned in North Aftica
When asked about the fighting
ability cf the enemy airmen, the
young Colonel stated that the Nazi*
were tougher than the Italians but
none of them seem to have any
desire to fight it o with the Amer
ican flyers. He denied that he had
been wounded and related one in
cident in which he ran afoul a
ditch and cracked up but without
injury to himself.
GOOD RELATIONS
The editors were anxious to learn
of the relations between the Negro
airmen and their fellow country
men and Colonel Davis stated with
out hesitation that their relation
ship with the white? were of the
finest. At first, the whites were cu
rious and as tffey came to know
them, this curiosity turned to real
friendship, the Colonel declared.
The prepared text of the Colonel's
speech appears elsewhere in this
issue of the Chronicle.
Among the editors and publishers
attending the War Department con
ference were. Carl Murphy. Ro.«*coc
Dungee. C. A. Franklin. Louis Mar
tin. Eustace Gay. J E. Mitchell,
Carter Wesley. Olive Diggs. Harry
McAlgin, Charles Browning, P. L.
Prattis. William Walker, Frank
Stanley. Ludlow Werner, Julius
Adams, P B. Young. Fred Williams.
Truman Templeton and Claude Bar
nett.
Truman Gibson, the Civilian
Aide to the Secretary of War. Cap
tain Homer Roberts and Lieutenant
Daniel Day. represented the War
Department at the conference .long
i with Major Genciai Surld.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 1943
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Official OWI photo kg Sopor SmUth
FEPC MEMBER
Miss Sara E. Southall, Supervisor
of Employtnent and Service, Inter*
national Harvester Company, and
Industry representative on the Pres
ident's Committee on Fair Employ
ment Practice.
TAPPES RIPS
EIDORSHH
*. a- . * v * t
And Charges Direct
Violations
The following statement was re
leased lo? publication today by
Shelton Tappcs, recording secretary
of Ford Local No. 600. whose 154
delegates to the UAW s Buffalo
Convention are the object of a
sharp struggle:
"Percy Llewellyn's endorsement
of R. T. Leonard for secretary
treasurer of the UAW T is not the of
ficial stand of Local No. 600, its
executive board or its General
Council, and it is in direct viola
tion of a resolution recently adopt
ed unanimously by the General
Council, highest body of our local,
condemning factionalism of every
k.nd and calling for unity among
oil workers in order that we may
win this war and build the labor
movement. Unity in our local was
not fostered when Leonard made
his dicker with Brother Llewellyn.
•'As secretary of Local 600. it is
my position that the Buffalo Con
vention must be united, and that
delegates must be free to speak their
own minds, choose their candidates
on the basis of principle and not on
the basis of cheap power politics
such as Leonard is attempting in
,;ur local. We must avoid factional
b.ckering at ail costs, and emerge
from the convention united with R.
J Thomas and the support for CIO
policies and President Roosevelt
which ho personifies.
•'On the question of George Ad
dcs. I agree with Bill Grant, our
financial secretary, that a vast rn>
jority of Ford workers know he has
done an able job. carrying out his
duties faithfully and efficiently. We
do not propose to sacrifice his
splendid record of performance on
the tarnished altar of the job-seek
ing program of the ambitious Leon
ard-Reuthcr clique.'*
(signedj SHELTON TAPfES
Race Bombardiers
Will Get Training
WASHINGTON Negro cadets
will be Sent to Fort Dodge. -Kans.,
or Del Rio. Texas, to commence
training in a B-26 transition school
with the objective the command of
B-26 bombers
The War Department made it
clear that these cadets will iccc.ve
all their training along with white
students, and that crews for this
bombardment group are now study
ing radio, aviation mechanics, elec
trical work and armor at Lincoln.
Chanute. and Lowry Fields.
SgG Carter Transferred
FORT DES MOINES. la.—Sgt
Vera Carter, 9118 John R. Detro.t.
M.eh.. is included in the group of
Negro members of the Womens
Army Auxiliary Corps a>> gned to
duty at Camp S.bcrt, Ala She re
ceived her WAC training at F.rst
WAC Ti uining Center, Fort Des
Moines, la.
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Official OWI photo kg Roger Smith
FEPC MEMBER
Boris Shishkin, American Federa
tion of Labor, labor representative oa
the President’a Committee on Fair
Employment Practice.
HONORED IN MUSKEGON
•» • (
John L Fraxier. 31, of 81 East Muskegon avenue. Muskegon, Mich,
president of the International Molder and Foundry workers union,
receiving the Army-Navy "E" award. Frasier, a graduate of
Bishop college. Marshall. Texas in 1937 has for the past six years
resided in Muskegon, where he has taken a very active part in all
civic and community affairs. He is president of the local NA.
A.C.P. The West Michigan Steel Foundry where Frasier is presi
dent of the union hires approximately 600 workers; about 100 of
that number are Negroes.
Race Relations Good At
UAW-CIO Field Day Meet
Concrete evidence that there can
be a democratic relationship be
tween Negroes and white# wa# of
fered at the field day meet sp m
sored Sunday by Ford Local 600.
UAW-CIO.
Because of the harmonious vela*
, tioaship with no d.(Acuities marring
the enjoyment of the l..rce crowd
, which had. gathered on Belle Lie.
| the following statement was issued
1 by the field day committee, const#*-
| mg of Andy Do war, chairman: Rob
ert Berg, secretary; Thoma* Spew
art. Ruth Schwartz. J ->hn Gallo.
Peter Kasper. John Judge. R -coc
i Lewis, Pat Hamilton, and A 1 Leg
gat;
"We want the general public M
know about our Belie Isle Tied
day on Sunday (Sept. 12> because
( wo believe t is the bcrt pos.-ible
' refutation of the Dow ling re v:t on
, the June not*. Wo bel,r\c it prove#
1 once that the CIOs approach
l to the question of racial minorities
is absolutely correct: no d.scnmi
j nation.
"Although there Vere 25 000 men,
women and children. Negroes and
whites, at the athletic field for our
I program of events, there was not
a single untoward 'incident to mar
the day.
j “Pol.ce on duty In the pa;k re
ceded not a single c.«ll to deal with
| fight# There was absolutely re
! spirit of hostility manifested at any
i time between groups,
t' "W« had btiU warned repeatedly
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Official OWI photo kg Sagoo Smith
FEPC MEMBEL
Milton P. Webster, International
Vice President of the Brotherhood
of Sleeping Car Portera, and labor
representative of the President a
Committee on Fair Employment
Practice.
Telephone TEmple 1-8878
by the fearful that we wore bor-'
rowing trouble after it became
known that Belle Isle, where the 1
June riots were reported to have (
started, was to be the scene of the
field day program.
% Rut trouble simply did not ap
pear. Negro workers and white
workers, their wives and their k:d#
played together, watched together.
P cricked together, marched to
gether.
"We arc proud of this record be
cause wo believe it is -still another
demonstration of the intelligent,
realistic approach our anion has. It
underlines effectively President R.
J. Thomas' 8-point program, on.'red
the c ty a*, the time of the riots.
And it is the most effe ti\e answer
possible to the bascioss inferences
in the Dowling neport that the Ne
gio people are irresponsible who
deliberately seize every opportun
ity to incite violence.**
Dewey Appoints Negro
City Court Justiee
ALBANY. N Y.-A former senior
asa.slant d.strict*attorney of New
York County was appointed justice
of the city court by Gov. Thomas
E. Dowtv, this week. The appoin
tee to the 817.300 job is Francis
EU.s Rivers. 30. of New York City,
well known lawyer and e»vic and
fraternal leader. The anointment
i wflj anpojncci by Gov. Dewey's
t ofltce Mjnl*y mufiung.
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FEPC MEMBER
John Brophy, forgress of Indues
trial Organizations, labor represent
ative on the President's Committee
on Fair Employment Practice.
WE
Are Americans Too
COURT MARTIAL
REDUCES RANK
Captain; Fried Of
Other Chargee
BULLETIN
WASHINGTON The army
court martial action in the case
of Col. William T. Caiman was
denounced Tuesday by Rep. Paul
W. Sharer (RJCkh.) aa ‘‘disgust
ingly inadequate.’* Shafer said he
will reopen his own investigation
of Kolfridge Field irregularities
i unless the army goes ahead with
a further inquiry. Shafer asked
how people can have faith in oar
military “when that hind of a
sentence is dealt to an officer who
j has shot a private under his com
mand.”
By. JOHN T. WOODS
SELFRIDGE FIELD Found
guilty of “assault upon Private
William R. Mcßae with intent to
do him bodily harm." but guilty of
carelessly discharging a pistol by
reason of which Mcßae wa#
wounded on the early morning of
last May 5. Col. William T. Col
man. former commander of Sel
fridge Field, was reduced to tho
rank of captain and denied eligi
bility to promotions for three year*
by a court martial Tuesday.
The shooting of Mcßae wa s one of
the five violations of five articles
of war from which the former corn*
manding officer at the air base wat
convicted. He was also found guilty
of four charges of drurtkenness. but
not of conduct unbecoming art
officer, since, according to the find
ings of tlie courtomartiai, he wa#
not on duty as commander of the
air base w hile under the influence
of liquor.
Starts Investigation
Colman. whose shooting of Mc-
Rae touched off an investigation of
alleced irregularities at Seifridgo
Field, was tried on 29 charges of
violation* of the five articles of war.
He wa# found rot guilty on 23
jCha.geSj guilty of five, and one wa*
nolle prosseß, that being the charge
of being drunk and disorderly at
j the Oscoda air ba. ; c. April 20. All
[charges of which he w.is convicted
were violations of the 93th arUclh
of war.
Had he been convicted of the 96t!l
article, di.-honorable d.scharge from
Mr See COL-VAN. Page 8
DETROIT
This Week
Tuesday—Every Week: Commit
tee of Racial meeting. Central
Y W C..V, at 8 p.m.
Wednesday—Every Week; Book
er T Washington Trade Association
Luncheon. YWCA.. 13 o'clock. '
Saturday. Sept 18 Ford Worker#
Progressive club dance, M.irof
Ballroom, from • pm. to I aJi.
Wednesday. September B: Boy
ard Rustm of Fellowship of Ro*
'conciliation, to spook at tt Anton*
Blanch Y M.C.A. hi U# |Jh
NUMBER 25