The Michigan chronicle. [volume], April 21, 1945, Image 6

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

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INDEPENDENT
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Enlarad aa aacond data matter May 1. 1940 at iha Poat Otlica at
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IN MEMORIAM
Struck down by the swift hand of fate in a
quiet hour on the warm Georgia afternoon of April
12, 1945, the world leader and U. S. President,
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, joined the immortals
of world history.
Ranking officials of the U. S. Army that day
had announced to members of the U. S. Senate that
the “collapse of Nazi arms was imminent.” Thus
it was that the man who had fought with all of his
great heart to set the world forever free of organ
ized tyranny died on the eve of certain victory.
From Warm Springs, Georgia, around the
world and back again, men of many races, colors
and creeds joined in common sorrow at the news
of his passing. His Lincoln-like love for all man
kind had made of him a true world citizen. No
greater grief was felt anywhere than among the
millions of Negro Americans who had fought for
him and with him across the troubled years at home
and beyond the seas.
Words cannot give the measure of this man to
whom the poor, the humble and oppressed had
looked for help in the thin times of our depression
and for a just share in our recovery. The little
people of America and of foreign lands who eat the
crumbs in time of peace and spill the blood in times
of war loved him like a father. He carried their
trust as a sacred honor and held fast to the demo
cratic dream of opportunity for all without regard
to race or color.
To the rights which our Constitution calls un
alienable, he added one other—the right to work.
By executive order he unlocked old doors which
stood between us and economic opportunity. He
knew that jobless men cannot be free and without
freedom democracy must perish. By this action
he became in our eyes worthy of the mantle of Lin
coln and we called him an Emancipator.
We of the minorities, however, are not alone
indebted to his great vision, for upon his broad
shoulders rested the problems of the whole Ameri
can people and ultimately of all mankind. He saw
the menace of fascism to modern civilization and
he rallied the people of good - will everywhere
against it. With the gift of patience and infinite
skill, he forged a new unity among us and among all
those abroad who saw the common danger. The
obstacles to unity here at home he tackled one by
one. He fought the anti-democratic impulses of
our prejudice-ridden people and sought to drown
them in a larger loyalty. He tried to make us good
neighbors. He knew that it is brotherhood that
makes a democracy and that disunity is a fascist
weapon.
In the family of nations threatened by Nazi
tyranny, he made America an example of the good
neighbor. He translated the concept of the United
Nations into a living reality. On August 14, 19116,
before the dogs of war were unleashed upon the
world, he said with simple eloquence: “We believe
in democracy; we believe in freedom: we believe
in peace. We offer to every nation of the world the
handclasp of the good neighbor. Let those who
wish our friendship look us in the eye and take our
hand.”
Living as full and rich a life as has ever been
vouchsafed to man, he spent his gifts upon the peo
ple. A tear in the eye of a Mississippi Negro Share
cropper, a foreign diplomat, a soldier in France, a
Marine in Okinawa arouses no astonishment. His
death was as personal as the loss of a member of
one’s own family. Such love has been inspired by
few men in all our history.
He shall loom even greater in the future. Be
fore he died he left a blue-print for a brave new
world and we shall follow it because we/must. Pres
ident Harry S. Truman, in his first official state
ment, has pledged himself to the liberal course of
his great predecessor. Our fortune and this new
American President have been bound together by
an inscrutable fate. Now we must make our pledges
too.
We, as well as the new leader of our country
might well ponder the lines of a prayer given by
our late President on June 13, 1942.
“Our earth is but a small star in the great uni
verse. Yet of it we can make, if we choose, a planet
unvexed by war, untroubled by hunger or fear, un
divided by senseless distinctions of race, color or
theory. Grant us that courage and foreseeing to
begin this task today that our children and our
children’s children may be proud of the name of
man.”
EDITORIAL PAGE OF THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE
HARRY SHIPPE TRUMAN
Everywhere today we hear the familiar ques
tions. Is Harry Truman big enough to be Presi
dent? Will he follow the liberal course of his pred
ecessor? Was he really ever a member of the
Klan? Indeed Harry Truman has become a national
and international question mark. x
In view of the tremendous responsibilities
which the tragic passing of President Roosevelt
has left upon the shoulders of our new leader, it
is natural that these questions should arise in the
minds of an anxious people. It is the nature of
things, however, that almost no one can now answer
them with finality.
The Klan charges hurled in the heat of the 1944
campaign by the Hearst press have been repudiated
by Truman himself and by those who know him
best. Radio commentator George Hamilton Combs
who was prosecuting attorney in Kansas City when
Truman turned to politics had this to say in the
campaign:
“When the unlovely Knights of the Ku Klux
Klan were riding in their ill-fitting and somewhat
obscene night-shirts I stood on a public platform
with Harry Truman while we were both deluged,
not only with Ku Klux Klan abuse, but with Ku
Klux Klan eggs.
“He was as bitterly fought by the Klan as any
man in public life, because he was an uncom
promising enemy of intolerance. ... I have known
some kind-hearted people in my life but never a
gentler guy than Truman. When the Klan eggs
used to congeal on our faces, we’d wipe them off
and laugh a little and go on some place else to give
the Klan hell again.”
Democratic Chairman Robert Hannegan point
ed out to newsmen during the campaign that Tru
man had seen many fierce political battles in
Missouri and said: “At no time during Senator
Truman’s political career has this question ever
been raised. And no one will believe it now.”
Many times in our history great emergencies
have produced great men. We believe that on the
basis of his record as a Judge and a Senator, Harry
Truman is qualified for national leadership. We
cannot now pass final judgment on his ability to
rise and meet the challenges of this emergency.
We cannot, however, withhold our support or suc
cumb to defeatism. < #
We know that our late President had set this
nation on a clear course and we can take comfort
in the fact that our new President, in his first of
ficial statement, has pledged himself to carry for
ward the principles of his predecessor. President
Roosevelt was gifted with the ability to choose ad
ministrators and aides capable of rendering great
service. Truman was the choice of the late Presi
dent as well as that of the American people. Now
the die is cast and we must go forward, in the words
of President Roosevelt, fearing nothing save fear
itself.
LABOR LOOKS AHEAD
By CEORCE W. CROCKETT
OUR THOUGHTS ON THE
DEATH OF PRESIDENT ROOSE*
VELT arc snrrn wfu 1, bitter
thoughts—sorrow over the death of
one who at each turn of the road
proved hiir.se'f a sincere fiiend of
Labor and oppressed people ev
erywhere; bitter over a seeming
politi ,d victory snatched from our
ur« sp by death after only four
short months of enjoyment.
For twelve years he guided the
destiny of. this nation; restored
it to the rommon man and wom
an to whom it was originally
dedicated; and gave to all so
called minorities a fighting
chance for the good things of
life.
Over our radio this evening there
pours forth vocal evidence from
the leaders of various submerged
n.d.onaLty and re uious' groups
hce in Detroit which t 11 of the
uerp sorrow of their followers; a
>, i row that emanates from hearts
stunned by a profound and sud
den grief.
The Polish, the Italians, the
Lithuanians, the Hungarians, the
Greeks, the Jews, the Germans, the
Catholics and the Negroes, all
speak the same thoughts tonight;
thopghts which are in unison with
these ,of the so-railed majority
group; thoughts which establish
all t o clearly the hitherto dimly
understood fact that in the person
f Franklin Delano Roosevelt there
was embodied the true unity of
the American people. For his pass
ing. therefore, we have deep sor
row for our country and for a
world which had grown to rely so
heuvilj upon his 1 adership.
• • # #
\VF HAVE SAID also that our
thoughts tonight are .bitter
thoughts. It is not the bitterness of
ill w ill or mistrust, b it the bit
terness of uncertainty. We are un
certain over what tne future may
bring. Momentous decisions face
r America suddenly made less
prepared to fare them. And th.s is
much nkore apparent on the do
med;:: front than on our fighting
f • W< r i that th* war
~.a.n.t f seism abroad will con
-1 r r to -ne pres rd w ith all the
poArr at our command Rut what
if the war against fascism here
at home?
Labor the Negro and other un
derp: • ieged groups have growrt
to manhood in the past twelve
years under a nat.onal administra
tion which manifested some aware
ness of its social and economic re
litito to all of ’he people
Their maturity has brought with
:t a realism that persists even in
these trying moments of sorrow.
S.x months ago these groups lost
an important fight in Chicago
I when they failed to secure the
-omination of Henry A. Wallace.
Following that we went to the 1
polls and made a gamble, a realis
tic gamble. It was a gamble that
so long as we were assured of
Roosevelt, we would take a chance
on the Democratic candidate for
vice president, Mr. Truman. We
scoffed at the Republican argu
ments that in electing a vice presi
dent we might also be choosing a
president,
* • •
TODAY WE KNOW’ that out dis
appointment would be tempered
and our bitterness less severe had {
we won the back-stage fight in |
Chicago for the nomination of Vice
President Wallace. Our uncertain
ty over the future policies of the
Administration would be consid
erably logs. And we would not be
wondering, as we are now, about
the goal of sixty million peace
time jobs and the outcome of our
fight for permanent FEPC legis
lation and abolition of the poll tax.
These thoughts of ours tonight
are not meant to in anywise reflect
upon our new president, Mr. Tru
man. To paraphrase the English.
The President is dead, long live
the President."
But wo know so little of the
views of our now president on
these issues so vital to labor and
to the Negro and to America gen
erally.
There have been great men in
our times who achieved greatness
by living up to the dignity of the
office they unexpectedly attained.
A shining example of this in our
own country is Mr. Justice Hugo
Black of the United States Su
preme court. Wo can only hope
that President Truman, whose so
cial and economic consciousness
and background, so far as we
know, is no more auspicious than
w as that of Justice Black, will like
wise prove himself to he above the
petty political, social, and econom
ic prejudices of the section from
which he comes He, like Justice
Black, was Mr. Roosevelt's choice
for the position he now holds. A
whole nation is praying, therefore,
that that keen insight into essen
tia! humane character, which char
acterized so many of our departed
President's appointments. will
again manifest itself in his choice
for a successor.
Seven Buildings,
Postwar Plans
A $60,000,000 post-war program
by the Michigan Bell Telephone
company in the Detroit area,
which is expected to include the
erection of seven new central of
fice buildings and major additions
to flve existing buildings is vis
ualized bv W C. Fatterson, vice
president of the company.
THE FACTS
IN OUR NEWS
; By HORACE A. WHITI I
FEAR ITSELF BANISHED BY
MR. ROOSEVELT ... The late
President of the United States.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, had
the unique capacity of giving to
men assurance In themselves
and the future of their country.
When Mr. Roosevelt took oflHoa
as the President of the United
States, not only was our coun
try In the midst of a devastating
depression, but men and women
aa Individuals had lost confi
dence in themselves and In
their country's ability to inspire
them to achieve the good life
by their own efforts.
Mr. Roosevelt, in the face es
this situation, had to recapture
ttvs Imagination of the little
people If America was to be
saved. Mr. Roosevelt realised
that he had to really possess in
his own thinking and feeling
the confidence In individual
worth that he was asking other
people to have In the same
thing. Mr. Roosevelt embodied
In his own soul so completely
the thing that he asked other
people to embody in their souls
that men literally worshiped
him as they sought to achieve
the good life as promised by
the American Constitution.
Our late President felt so
deeply and keenlv the aspira
tions of the little people of
America until the little people
of America looked upon him as
their personal friend. He worked
at the problems of America In
the spirit of kinship with the
people of America. His very
frankness with the people of
America permitted many of us
to feel that Mr. Roosevelt was
a member of our household,
working out the problems of
the household—and indeed, that
Is the way American problems
are going to be solved.
For the first time since the
struggles of the Civil War pe
riod. the American Negro felt a
part of America's problems. The
Negro people, through the Pres
ident of the United States, felt
that whatever America was
they were a part of it. and
whatever the destiny of Amer
ica was to he, the American Ne
gro was a part of that. too.
This point can best be illus
trated hv a Negro farmer in the
state of Mississippi who was
about to lose his farm. This Ne
gro farmer knew that Mr.
Roosevelt was his friend, so on
the eve of losing his farm, he
goes into a pay station and asks
the operator to give him the
White House. The secretaries
of the President were confused
and stunned by the boldness of
this American who dared to call
the President on what seemed
to he a trivial matter. Mr.
Roosevelt felt otherwise. He
asked the secretary to put the
Negro on his'line. Mr. Roose
velt talked with the farmer
about his problem, and relief
was given at the behest of the
President of the United States.
Yes, Mr. Roosevelt had the gen
uine capacity to he a friend. He
was unafraid to be a friend to
any American.
There Is nothing in all this
world more sll mula ti ng and
that has the power to banish
fear than to meet someone who
is unafraid to be a friend. When
one meets a friend, his fears
vanish and his confidence in
himself surges anew. Mr. Roose
velt had the power to be a
friend to the common man. Mr.
Roosevelt, because lv* had that
power, could banish fear in the
breast of the common man and
give him hope and inspiration
for the future of his country.
When we look at it in this
light, we can see how th? Amer
ican people feel that thev have
lost someone in their families In
the passing of President Roose
velt. . Indeed, he was a member
of their families in the real
sense of the word. He embodied
their hopes, their aspirations
and their longings as their lead
er. Other men have been great,
hut few of them have been
friends to the rommon people
in their greatness. Mr. Roose
velt was a friend to the Ameri
can people, and to the people
who struggle for righteousness
the world over, no matter what
their race, their creed and their
color.
Wayne Conducts
Health Classes
In Labor Series
Classes on industrial health and
safety are being conducted under
the supervision of Dr. Morris Ras
kin, director of the Health Insti
tute of the UAW-CIO, as a part of
the Wayne University labor cours
es.
Held each Thursday for six
weeks between 7 and 9 p.m., the
classes start April 19 at 474
Warren. They are designed to
help workers become aware of
methods by which their work
environments can become
and through which their general
health standards can be raised.
• • •
SUBJECTS TO be discussed in
clude industrial health problems,
how to recognize them, and what
to do about them: industrial acci
dent and industrial disease pre
vention; rights under the Michigan
workman's compensation law; the
techniques for joint labor-manage
ment health and safety activities;
and community health facilities
and how to use them.
The classes will be of particular
interest to members of health and
safety committees, educational
committees, shop stewards and
committeemen, local union offi
cers. as well as shop workers gen
erally. Further information ran he
obtained by telephoning Melrose
4000.
Benjamin Brantly
Promoted In ETO
WITH THE 94TH ENGINEER
REGIMENT IN FR ANCE-Renja
min Brantley, son of Mr. and Mrs
Benjamin Brantley. 7904 Richmont,
Detroit. Michigan, recently was
promoted to staff sergeant. Sgt.
Brantley is with the Medical De
tachment. 94th Engineer Regiment,
an outstanding colored unit of the
Continental Advance Section in
France He has been in the Army
48 months and overseas 2.7 months,
serving in North Africa, Italy and
Trance.
A RAY OF LIGHT TO A MOURNING WORLD
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iv# skpi { WBrv^y.iu,
jj Enquiring Reporter
QUESTION: Do you think Tru
man is capable of taking Roose
velt's place in the White House?
A. D. McLENDON, estate man
ager: As Presidents go he can car
ry on. but I d<> not believe that he
can fill the job
as well 'as $
Roosevelt.
H" ae\ (: , -A .::> T‘.\. s.fe;' v‘*f't /'p*
t.ie :ulp ■ ' -hr |nMH»
him
ington and with ft *|H
careful plan- I
ning, there
no reason that lyA
he should not jp|||« A*
do a creditable - »■'
job. McLendon
WENDELL MURPHY. 1210 Jos
Camnau housin'* manager: No one
as did Roose
f velt. A great
the
mvi>t act
i
j hups with help
sM H he will come
aiR ... through all
W. Murphy right.
MACRO CRUTCHER. MIR May
bury, Gd , real rslato broker:
otherwise he •< '
would not have Kite:. Wy
been nominated
National
n ll
he had some .
points over ex mr>- %
Vice President “.. J
Wallace. Yet it
remains to be CflUeher
seen as to whether he can do as
well as Roosevelt in the post.
ERNESTINE ROSEMOND. 618
Josepnine, stenographer: I doubt ,
gt he job as well
as Roosevel’
Anyone would ]
have a difficult
'ime following
in his footsteps,
for he had the
personality and
ability which
helped him to
do a magnifi
cent job I do
Truman has the
E. Rosemnnd strength or the
diplomacy to do the job success
fully.
REV. CHARLES A. lIILL. 1680
W. Grand Blvd. minister: If he
promise
ry on ii Rnn-r- -^u
for minority if-&.
groups. C. Hill
To Inquiring Reporter:
In regards to your question, of a
Negro being elected to the Detroit
Common Council. I would like to
make a statement. Having served
as clerk on the election board since
1922 and being in a position to see
the ballot of our people after it has
been cast. I believe the only way
we can place a Negro m office is to
run one candidate, and vote solid
ly for our candidate, not giving a
single vote to any other candidate,
white or colored. That is the only
way wc can ever place a Negro in
office.
Very truly.
i Helena C. Ecclcston.
THE CHRONICLER
w By CONFUCIUS
Our President, to whom we
looked for so much so often is
dead. As the hard 'ears of his
tetm in office passed, our f.oth in
hum giew stronger with the pass
ing time. And if we look back,
how often have we not had the
thought down deep—"it will come
out all right ..he's there - ' and cop.
signed greater burdens to the
shoulders of that valiant, weary
man.
Now in this critical hour death
has come to test our democracy's
strength. Not alone must the lit
tle man incarnate, who must now
lead us. carry the burden of our
national policy. If we have
grown dependent on a great n?“n
in office, we must now bestir
ourselves. As President Truman ,
learns a lesson in statesrraft. we
must learn too: as he thinks how
to provide jobs, we must o.*n
sidcr too: as his resolves grow
straight and sure, so must our
own. Our tragic national be
reavement has thrust a heavy
responsibility on each of i*a as
on the new national leader. The
BOOK NOTES
By GERTRUDE SCOTT MARTIN
FREEDOM IS MORE
THAN A WORD'
We ail know it to be true b it
seldom do we find a man in Mar
shall Field's c.• cumstanccs re
peating and enlarging upon it a
he does in his rev book of the
above title, rccetr’y published by
the University es Chcago Pre.ss
Grandson of the i. i and fabulous
tycoon of the •«. r n name, Mar
shall Field repeals himself as
gravely con c e . nod about the
meaning cf our ri» ly lives
The flisi pa.', i of the short
book (180 pages* s devoted to an
analysis rs freedom, democracy
and the tel.v on of the .-tate to
the indu d.ia'. Fearing both an
'over-all statism" and anarchy,
Mr. Field hr! eves, "Men can nt
ta.n pros:css. no* along the line*
of any a p- o;j pattern, but by
means of an endless senes of
group dccis'on* . . This docs
not mean tea* Mr Field discards
planning; h " tha' the planning
be of a general na tire devoted to
a few aVeed-upon goals The
same type of po’ :ic.it pragmatism
of trial and cr. or, he advocates,
was used effectively by President
Roosevelt.
Mr. Field alio vs himself to be
counted amorg the full employ
ment advocates ari scoff-, at the
Manchesterian economic theory
that there is r.e.er enough for a'i.
He thinks that frlsc conccpls ac
count for rru.h of our race and
creed prrjud ce.s. In a chapter on
minorities as part of the "under
privileged.” he denounces segre
gation. Unaccountably, in view
of his outlook, be presents no spe
cific future act on to strengthen
race relations He seems satisfied
with the FEPC gnu the va
I inter-!anal con rr..:'ee? It must be
i remembered ‘hat he is a bicker
j of the new An.eiican Coun il on
i Race Relailons, whose leaders do
i not voice the more urgent de
mands for federal action
Mr. Field, w r.o owns the new
Chicago Sun. ai d is chief backer
of PM. a New York daily without
advertising. . desciibes his battle
with the Associated Press for AP
membership. Disturbing arc the
statistics he gives on ihe .nci
dence of newspaper monopoly,
and its relationship to the AP. In
j 1942 of 1.403 cities having daily
' newspapers. 1 276 were cities w ith
lineal monopolies 'single owner-
I ship of one or more dalies*. and
. 1.100 of the total weie cities with
! only one daily. Ownership is
| growing increasingly monopolistic;
land the facilities for complete
news coverage in such associations
as the Av arc becoming more dif
ficult of attainment for a new
daily.
Mr Field cl iims objectivity for
■ himself and his papers, which is
I xxo« v*rv u"* qi P2J desr t* it*
SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 1945
little men of us must be
we must be vigilant: the donth
of our greatest war casualty
fused with those of our fighting
men everywhere roust not be in
vain.
The very he ng and meaning of
these United Stat< bouiM up
with our 1 i.v; «.r,d me prcf.-ing ne
cessity for unity now and contri
bution by all our crti/cns. In a
f.isci.'t state, the death of a leader
would only mean the elevation and
domination of another. President
Roosevelt’s death means that all
of us mist lead his successor and
allow him to bravely lead u*.
Onr late President wa* not
only a great man and a great
champion, but our widespread
grief demonstrates our instinc
tive knowledge of his meaning to
the warp and woof of our na
tional life. He raught our imagi
nations because he personified
the American dream of human!-
tv and lose for all. He was that
dream We must ne'er lose
sight of it or allow It to he used
fhr little ends Ours Is the Job
now to be finished
journalist.c worth. Yet. he and
his papers have performed a
great service to this country in
exposing freedom s enemies wher
ever they may !>e found A sligtt
ton h of complacency may lie ex
(u.-cd Mr F ( Id. for he may take
hi.- ( lace m the long lme of Amer
icans wno believe in the people
and who were not afraid to uv
.-o. Freedom is more than a
word, and as he says, it is action
by the people for their goalt.
FREEDOM IS MORE THAN A
WORD, bv Marshall Field: Uni
versity of ( hiragn Press, C hi
cago; April. 1915: 12.50.
Calls Defeat Of
Manpower Bill
Labor's Victory
NEW \ORK The defeat of the
so-called "compromise manpower
bill” in the Senate was a victory
for labor ;nd the common people,
stated the Rev. Aron S Gilmartin,
national chairman of the Workers
' Defense league last week.
The WDI. chairman praised the
mobilization of labor opposition
which he felt accounted in large
measure for the defeat of all the
bills previously characterized by
the W'DL as ‘labor draft slav
ery.”
"This definitely marked the end
of attempts to fasten a labor draft
upon Americans who have
achieved so marvelous a miracle of
war production through the rree
labor system,” declared Gilmartin
Home Owners In
Organizing Meet
The Negro Home Owners Loan
and Property Management Associa
tion met Sunday at 3 00 p. m. at
the Lucy Thurman YWCA with
the Rev. .1 H McLaurm as chair
man A. S Wright was the guest
speaker. Also participating on the
program was Elder John Roberts,
; Jr.
Reading of the charter, constitu
tion. by-laws, purposes and pro
gram of the .association were the
highlights of the order of business
I The Rev Mr. Mcl.aurin was
elected president with Elder Rob-
I rrts bring elected vice-president
The next meeting of the associa
tion will he May 8 at the YWCA
k a P Q 3