The Michigan chronicle. [volume], April 28, 1945, Image 6

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

Image provided by: Central Michigan University, Clark Historical Library

                
INDEPENDENT
littemsfpitfe
Published Every Thursday By
THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE PUBLISHING COMPANY
MAIN OFFICE: 2tl Eliot. Detroit 1. Mich. TEmple 1 48 T 7 i
LOUIS EMANUEL MARTIN. Editor
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Entered as second class matter May 1. 1940 at the Post Otlice at
Detroit. Michigan, under the act of March 3. 18 9
LET I S MAKE SI RE
The period of reconversion about which so
much has been said is staring us in the face and
bringing new problems to our doorstep. 1 hous
ands of workers in the Detroit industrial area were
fired last week and the cutbacks according to
government officials will continue. A great many
of our workers have sought to prepare themselves
to absorb the shock of the dislocations which to
some extent seem inevitable. Others not so wise
or fortunate have genuine cause for concern today.
While all workers, white and Negro, are ap
prehensive over the future, the Negro workers are
(specially anxious that the old discriminatory tra
dition of “first fired and last Hired” Will not pro
vail in this period. In most of the organized slants,
layoffs will doubtless be governed by seniority.
Even here, however, inequities may crop up if vigi
lance against discrimination is not maintained.
The greatest concern among Negro workers
who are being dismissed centers on the question of
fair employment practices. During the war period
the old discriminatory hiring policies of the manu
facturers were modified to some extent by govern
ment action and the shortage of manpower. Now
we seem headed toward a period of labor surplus
and there is increasing resistance in some quarters
to governmental “interference” in the employment
policies of industry.
While both the Republicans and Democrats
have pledged support to permanent Fair Employ
ment Practices legislation, the Congress has not
acted and from latest reports the FEP bill is bottled
up in the Rules Committee of the House. The state
FEP bill has been kicked around in Lansing and its
future is dark indeed.
Nevertheless, this is no time to succumb to de
featism. Today a great body of white opinion sup
ports the principles of fair employment practices
and the whites who are fighting the principals of
equality of opportunity arc being discredited in
many quarters. We, however, have a great respon
sibility and we must organize our effort to make
sure there will be no return to wanton discrimina
tion in employment.
All citizens should write or wire their Congress
man now and urge immediate action on FEP legis
lation in the Congress. Governor Kelly and our
state legislators must be made aware of the im
portance of an FEP law in Michigan. Every letter
counts and the reactionaries who are opposing 1 EP
legislation know’ this better than anyone else. These
reactionaries must not be permitted to win by de
fault. Let us make sure that the principle of equal
opportunity prevails in America as it should in a
true democracy.
SAN FRANCISCO AND BERLIN
t With a tragic period in world history coming
to a close its the battle of Berlin, a new period which
everyone hopes will be one of peace is beginning in
San Francisco. The United Nations which have
combined their resources to defeat fascism rec
ognize that achieving peace, like winning a war,
calls for unity and mutual understanding.
Any divisive factor which threatens unity must
be eliminated for the common good. Ihe racism of
Nazi Germany which has counterparts in other
countries is certainly a divisive factor. We hope
that the delegates at San Francisco will not be
afraid to face this issue. They must take a positive
and unequivocal stand against racism and denounce
racial myths which are a plague upon modern civili
zation. Unless they take such action they will miss
the highroad to world peace.
FOREMOST AMONG THE JACKASSES
Because they refused to sign an order barring
themselves from the OfTicwv*’ club at Freeman Field
in Indiana, over a hundred Negro officers of the
477th Bomber group were arrested last week ac
cording to news dispatches. Of all the fantastic
brasshat proposals this is by far the most incredible.
Asking Negro officers to admit that they ought
to be segregated and then arresting them because
they wouldn’t is the year’s prize example of as
ininitv. It is reported that the War Department is
investigating the case and well they might. The
brass-hat who thought up the Freeman Field trick
has certainly distinguished himself. Among all
the jackasses who are seeking to maintain a Jim
Crow fighting force, he is foremost.
EDITORIAL PAGE OF THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE
The Facts In Our News
•y HORACE A. WHITE
Till: LOCAL POLITICAL
BOILIN'Ci POT . . . This little
plrrf today hu to do with the
loral Negro "political pot." It
It of nrtrtfily half-baked and
cannot at this early writing give
any indication of the part It i»
possible for our local Negro
population to plav in our coming
city election The personalities
and the organisations that are to
play a determining role have
not come forth to state their
positions.
There is a sreat deal of ch.ldish
d. ker.ng going nn among our*
>clvcs over trie Negro to be put
f ward b> the Negroes for a seat
our Common council One
,i up has already selected a can
didate and it has tiled his name
u.vr the city clerK Another group
is threatening to file another can
n dote to icpresent the Negros
tangible relationship to the coming
election.
Botn croups are elairring that
the;, represent the cir.urc.s of the
•: ib.-rs of Ncgrr>cs. Certainly the
group that has already filed its
il. late represents some of the
progressive opinions among Ne
lv cs. Some church organizations
a e definitely behind the candidate
of this group for the Common
council. Some labor people have
■idicated their desire to get be
hind the candidacy of the Rev.
Charles Hill The people sponsor
ing Rev. Hill are rais.ng money
and gathering up organizational
s jpport wherever they can.
The group that is threatening
to run Atty. Edward A. Simmons
maintains that rrrtain forces in
Detroit are opposed to the pres
ent Negro leadership. It main
tains further that some of these
forces are Negroes, and that
other of these forces opposed to
the Negro leadership are white
people. This group sponsoring
Mr. Simmons says that it has the
techniue necessary to put over
a political campaign, and that if
Negroes were considering run
ning a candidate, it should have
been consulted in the selection of
«the candidate. This group main
tains that since it was not con
sulted, it will put its own candi
date in the field to show who has
the following of the Negro peo
ple in Detroit.
This bickering over who's who
in Detroit would be something over
wnich we could laugh and dismiss
were it not that the whole thing
has implications that can be tragic
if not handled with astuteness and
with far-seeing understanding. If
the tning is badly handled, the
people in the city of Detroit, espe
cially Negro people, have a right
to say to the Negro leadership of
its legally constituted organiza
tions, "Plague on all of your
houses." No one group and no
one individual in Detroit can say
with assurance that the Negro vote
is going to be cast a certain way.
The Negro voter votes as an Amer
ican citizen. It is right and proper
for any individual and any group
to proceed to influence in what the
individual or the organization
thinks is the right directon.
If the great majority of the
people constituting the Negro
population in the city of Detroit
wants one candidate over against
the other for a member of the
Common council, it can easily do
so by going to the polls and vot
ing for that candidate. It ought
not to be stated that anybody
who proposes another candidate
BOOK NOTES
By GERTRUDE SCOTT MARTIN
j WHITE FOLKS* PRIMER
Bucklin Moon, author of “The
Darker Brother,” and now asso
• ciatc editor ;it Doubleday, Doran
Publishers, is editing an anthology
j of works by and about Negroes
from the slavery period to the
1 present. To be tailed ‘Primer for
1 White Folks,” the book will include
fiction and non-fiction. Richard
Wright, Wendell U Willkie, Lang
ston Hughes, Howard Fast and Roi
| Ottlcy are among those to be rep
! leaented m tne collection.
•SIXTY MILLION JOBS"
Henry Wallace's bonk, “Sixty
Million Jobs” is tentatively sched
uled for June publication. A biog
raphy of Mr. Wallace by Frank
Kungdort who wrote “That Man in
J the White House” was to have been
i published th.s week, April 25 to be
i exact. The title of Mr. Kingdon s
1 book is "An Uncommon Man:
! Henry Wallace and Sixt.' Million
Jobs.”
AUTHOR HONORED AGAIN
Gwethalyn Graham, author of
| the best seller, ' Earth and Huh
Heave,’’ and winner of the Ants
! field-W’oif award for the best
novel on lace relations published
.n JOl4 has also received the Gov
ernor General of Canadas 1944
award for the best novel by a
I Canadian writer. “Earth and High
j Heaven" tells the story of the love
of two French-Canadians, one a
Jew and tne other a Gentile. If you
haven't read it already, you have
a treat in store.
PAMPHLET PRESS
| Reynal ar.d Hitchcock, the pub-
Ushers, have recently started a new
department called Pamphlet Press
which provides pamphlets for any
hoeral group. Joseph Gacr hearts
the bureau which will write, de
sign. illustrate, ar.d manufacture
pamphlets. Mr. Gaer wrote the
PAC pamphlets in the last elec
tion.
•DEEP RIVER”
BOOK CLUB CHOICE
! Henrietta Buckmaster's excellent
novel. 'D<cp River.” is the /*«:-
rent choice of the Book Find flub.
, \Lss Buck it aster is scheduled to
1 visit Detroit soon as principal
speaker for the d.nner honoring
Rev. Claude Williams early in
May.
• PREJUDICE: OCR
! POST-WAR BATTLE”
Look magazine in its May 1 issue
has published a series of pictures
with an accompanying article
called 'Prejud.ce: Our Post-war
Battle.” The article is based on
facts gathered by Wallace Stcgner
i who spent a year in travel and re
; search. A book based on his find
ings, and compiled by the editors
I of Look, wUI be published by
| Hmighton Mifflin this fall.
The article in Look traces brief
ly the situation which minority
1 groups in this country face It has
I this to sav of seg-egation: “In sup-
I porting *egi egai.ua « • • America
is a traitor to the rare, or that
by promulgating another candi
date, one is accused of trying to
split the Negro vote. No one ran
split the Negro vote if the Negro
voter is determined to do a cer
tain thing. The Negro people are
nn more childish in their under
standing of the problems that
confront them than any other
ritisrn In our population.
Therefore, it appears to be mere
idle chatter to be so protective in
ne'i utterances of the Negro peo
ple. Let us have as many candi
dates as anybody chooses to put
in the race If the majority of the
people is definitely for one can
didate. ail the others will matter
very little, and in many cases not
at all.
It will he tragic indeed if we
use our energies in throwing
verbal bricks at one another
rather than promulgate what we
believe in over against what
someone else believe* in. It is
much more economical in terms
of time and money for the poor
Negro community to work for a
positive program. In other words,
too often we proceed to solve
our problems In the general com
munity by a negativlstir process
rather than Irr- a positive pro
cess. This gets us little. It will
get us even less If in our own
intra-group life we follow the
same process.
We all know that it is dramatic
and attention-getting to call other
people drastic names. Sometimes
name-calling is necessary, but in
this instance now before us, name
calling only serves to divide and
waste our efforts. It wastes the
efforts of the name-caller, and
causes those who are called the
names to waste their efforts in
trying to retaliate.
We must also be sure in this
coming election that we get a
group of liberal men and women
running for the council. To con
centrate all of our efforts and
thinking at this time upon one
Negro will in the end defeat our
whole purpose. We have some
good men in the Common coun
cil. We must be aure that they
are awarded for their services.
We will have some good men to
run for the council. We must not
overlook them in trying to work
out a program for better govern
ment. It is easy to do this if we
get too emotional about one Ne
gro candidate. We need and we
must have a Negro member of
the Common council of Detroit,
but one Negro member of the
Common council without tome
liberal support will be compara
tively useless. The Negro vote,
if misguided by its emotionalism
in trying to get a Negro on the
Common council, can guarantee
that no changes of any kind will
ocrur in the Common council.
At this writing, it appears to
your columnist that we don’t
have a very good chance of
changing the personnel of our
council. Negroes at this time are
the most vocal for the change of
the personnel of the Common
council. Liberal whites, who feel
that we ought to have a change
in the Common council, have
placed their reasons for the
change entirely on the Negro is
sue. In other words, the reasons
the liberal whites are advancing
for a change in the Common
council are not inclusive enough
to make for any general change
in the general electorates’ minds.
is subsidizing social ills. When
diseases in slums break away and
become epidemic, when anti-social
behavior created by slum living
turns into a crime wave, or when
race tensions explode into riots and
bloodshed, the entire population
pays the bill.”
The final responsibility rests
with the individual citizens the ar
ticle points out and lists the fol
lowing things that can be done
about if:
1. Refute the moth-eaten labels,
libels, and worn-out club-car
jokes about members of minority
groups.
2. Support legislation, both local
and national, outlaw ing the evils
of intolerance.
3. Help open up equal employ
ment opportunity, in private in
dustry and government.
4. Participate, whenever possible,
in educational campaigns to com
bat prejudice.
5. Know your neighbor.
fl Help marshal public opinion
against intolerance.
Look is to be congratulated on
facing the problem of race preju
dice directly and suggesting con
crete things that can be done to
stamp it out. As the editors point
out:
The powder keg of prejudice
ami's the spark that may detonate
conflict. Wlpen restraints of war
ate off and demobilization, recon
vers.on ar.d lay-offs disrupt the na
tnr. trouble is expected. Minor
ities will mt easily accept ‘dis
crim nation discharges.* Mer
chants of hate will exploit the fric
tion.”
POETS 7 !
CORNER
IN LOVING MEMORY OF OL’R
PRESIDENT
We loved him. yes. we loved him.
But the angels loved him more.
And they have sweetly called him
To yonder shining t»hore.
The heavenly gates were opened
A tr.oTher'.s voice Come.” ‘
And with fareweui unspoken
Franklin calmly entered hom/.
W 'h deepest sympathy from the
Offett family.
IMMORTAL IS HIS GRACE
By Tandora Humphrey, 11A
Miller High School
Think not of h.m with grief in
tense.
Immortal is his grace.
Inside the grave lies evidence,
A pleasant, smiling face.
A man he was to his country dear,
All rich and poor the same
Roosevelt had naught to fear;
By deeds he earned his fame
God's purpose will be seen at last.
Easing every hour
There is a pilot at the mast,
For God hai ail the power.
LABOR
LOOKSAHEAD
By GEORGE W. CROCKETT
Executive Director
UAW Fair Practices
Committee
THE RECENT CODE initialed by
leaders of the AF of L. the
United States Chamber of Com
merce and the CIO is a high-sound
ing. perfectly well-meaning and
equally perfectly innocuous docu
ment.
Some have rrferred to It aa a
blue print for induatrlal peace in
the post-war period. It seems to
me that, aside from the obvious
window-dressing, the Cildexmere
ly binds Management to observe
Labor’s statutory right to orga
nize and bargain collectively
a right which is guaranteed and
enforced by law and does not
need the lip-service which Man
agement gives it in the proposed
Code.
On the other hand. Management's
desire for undisputed control over
the productive processes of Ameri
can industry would be assured un
der this Code by Labot's agree
ment to hold inviolate the prin
ciples of "free choice of ncti<|,
under a system of private competi
tive capitalism--free from unnec
essary governmental interference.”
If this is interpreted in the future
as it has been interpreted in the
past, it means that Labor concedes
to Management the unrestricted
right to refuse employment to
whomever it pleases and for what
ever reasons it pleases.
IT THUS APPEARS that Labor
is making the major concessions
while Management merely con
cedes that which by law it cannot
refuse.
I had always thought that the
essence of any voluntary undertak
ing was that each party gave up
to the other some right or peroga
tive which he otherwise was at
liberty to retain. If this be true
then the question persists what has
Management conceded that Labor
did not already possess?
Two of the basic disrupting in
fluences in employer-employee re
lations during the war are not re
solved by the proposed Code. The
first is Management's refusal to
permit Labor a more equitable
share in the profits of industry
through increased wages. The sec
ond is Management’s refusal to
hire and upgrade qualified work
ers without regard to race, creed,
color and nationality.
The proposed Code would seem
to approve a continuation of the
first policy. No where does it men
tion a guaranteed annual wage. No
where does it speak of job security-
And no where does it provide a
formula or yardstick by which
wages n>ey be geared to corporate
profits. Instead it would commit
Labor to support wholeheartedly
Management’s dtsire for "free
competitive capit ilism."
THE WHOLE CONCEPT of "free
..competitive capitalism," immune
from any form of government su
pervision. is opposed to ideals the
workers in the plants seek to at
tain. "Free competitive capital
ism" American style as we have
come to know it means for the
overwhelming majority of Ameri
can workers, that when and if the
Company permits, you have free
dom to sweat and toil your life
away: gamble on a million to one
chance that maybe one day you too
will become Vice President of a
General Motors Corporation and
receive a hundred thousand dollars
a year plus bonuses!
if I sense correctly the tempera
ment of the rank and file workers
in Detroit, for example, they are
scared stiff over eminent cut-backs
and lay-offs. They are fed up with
high-sounding ejonomic philoso
phy. They want positive guaran
tees of steady employment at re
munerative wages and some leisure
time to enjoy the fruits of their
labors. The proposed Code does
not assure this.
On the second"basis cause of In
dustrial turmoil in our plants,
namely, discrimination and the
playing off of one racial, religious
or nationality group against the
other, the proposed Code is ab
solutely silent; a silence which
might well be interpreted by some
employers as an approval of their
present discriminatory policies-
We need not comment on the
AF of L’s failure lo raise this is
sue. Its actions aa distinguished
from its words are too well
known to us here In the Detroit
area where the Teamsters Union
still proves dally, despite FEPC’s
conrflliatory efforts, that it Is
more powerful than the Presi
dent's Executive Order.
But. hnw the CIO can be a party
to a proposed Code with industry
which impliedly at least sanctions
continued violation of that Order
by Management, is difficult to ex
plain. My own confusion is all the
more baffling when I recall that
at its last convention in Chicago,
the CIO unanimously resolved that
all of its affiliates should include
in their collective bargaining agree
ments a clause prohibiting Man
agement from discriminating
against any employee or prospec
tive employee because of race,
creed, color or national origin. The
International UAW-CIO has in
structed all of its local unions and
departments to insist on the in
clusion of such an undertaking in
earh collective bargaining agree
ment it negotiates. If this proposed
Code already initialed by the lead
ers of Labor and Management is
not in essence—if not in form—a
collective bargaining agreement,
than that term is sadly in need of
re-definition.
Walt Whitman
Exhibit Shown
In ctl Oration of tfe ffOth anni*
versary of ihe publication of Walt
Whitman's "Leaves of Grass" and
in recognition of Whitman's
n.flrance as war poet and as in
terpreter of American democracy,
the Friends of the Detroit Public
Library. Inr . is sponsoring a Walt
Whitman Exhibition to be held at
the Main Library. Woodward and
Kirby, April 28 through May 31.
This exhibition will feature Whit
man manuscripts, autograph let
ters, first editions, presentation
and association copies and por
traits.
Items to he displayed will be
obtained from all parts of the
country: from great libraries and
from private collections. Among
others, the Pierpont Morgan Li
brary the Library of Congress.
Rutgers university, the University
of Mirh ’an and The University of
California are lending Whitman
treasure*. It i* hoped that the cit-
(Encourage the discharged veteran
TO ACCEPT EMPLOYMENT IN CQITICAL WAR
PRODUCTION. A REPRESENTATIVE OF USES
IS LOCATED IN EACH ARMY SEPARATION
CENTER TO PROVIDE INFORMATION AND
HELP HIM FIND A JOB THAT FULLY
UTILIZES HIS SKILLS.*
RtWf ITiff
./*'«*) *■« * ’jU..
’THE USES CAN PLACE HIS SKILL *
Enquiring Reporter j
Question: Ai your opinion, what
was Roosevelt's greatest con
tribution to the Negro?
William Sypert, Proprietor. Qual
ity Market. 4256 Rivard.
I think that Roosevelt's greatest
contribution was the acknowiedg
m K , ment and co-op
y >, v > eration he gave
has
||cld and given
_economic equal
ity is what we
Wm. Sypert are after. Edu
cational facilities arc also more
available to us
Emanuel Hudson, Machinist,
Ford's, 947 Medbury.
I think that slum clearance was
the greatest contribution. The
housing projects that were built
have proved a
help to
needed good
living condi- : /$T BHh
tions above jsin
everything else
but we were |
not given the Jj^B
opportunity to :
improve "
conditions be
fore Roosevelt. " |
Then he gave 'yH. *
us rent control -mP’
to keep us from *
being exploited E. Hudson
He was a great man.
Mrs. Bernice Avery, Waitress,
54% Northfle Id.
I think that Roosevelt's greatest
contribution to the Negro was the
institution of fair employment
mm practices. Ne
her ■: ,i!.« rd to
'■ V ■' tor.'
IIK* "*r an v i'O-,' 01 in -
■r w m dud.ng
mm 4‘ „ /afl wa r work
|H Housing has
fIBL been improved
through proj
\' ects. too. 1 feel
that the Ne
groes will miss
him to the
greatest ex-
Bernice Avery tent.
Charles A. Martin, Tool and Die
Maker, 635 E. Eliaabeth.
His greatest contribution was
Order 8802. 1 know that this par
ticular legisla- r «
tion has touched
whenever I am W~"
looking for em- t* • . *:■• H
plovment as a
maker. The
agencies under
hindered B|M^B|.
many employ
ers who would
otherwise have e \ .
d l scriminated
against me 1 ~
think we will .
all remember C. A. Martin
Roosevelt as a very great man.
Ben Earl Morgan, Machinist,
Ford's, 56 Englewood.
I think that Roosevelt was chief
m ly' instrumental
* he made it pos-
B. E. Morgan ~(*>l* for Ne
gro girls to go into the WAVES
and Marines, too.
izcn« of Detroit will enjoy the
exhibition and will gain from it
increased appreciation of Walt
Whitmans contribution to Ameri
i can letters. Admission is fiee.
THE CHRONICLER
By CONFUCIUS
President Truman’s speeches last
week were reassuring all around.
In the speech to Congress, hope
you noted his twice-repeated ref
erence and appeal to all of us re
gardless of “race or color." Some
of the boys have been wondering
about a “Southerner" In the While
House. In a speech on 'foreign pol
icy,’ we think that the Missourian
did all right as he didn't have to
mention race at all. Keep your
shirts on. kids, and give the man
a chance!
• • •
I ' Mama Mary Beihuiic is taking
FDR's death like a real trouper,
j although it was a mighty shock to
that aging soul. She is asking all
her people to carry on. That's a
real lady for you!
• • •
I Tilings «eems to be looking up
' on the military home front: whit
with three marines training to be
possible officers in that exclusive
corps: and Seaber C O Mcßean
thrown out in the state of Wash
ington for his treatment of seabees
who Anally struck in desperation.
• • •
The WMC Anally came through
and took Detroit <<it of the critical
I labor lis'ings, after labor has been
yelling for months that there was
j a surplus both of woman and Ne
! gro labor.
• • •
Tragedr stalked this land again
on Ernie Pyle's death. America has
lost untold human resources in
the past twelve months: FDR. Wen
dell Willkie. Ernie Pyle. Al Smith.
Walter White in his “Rising
Wind’’ tells how Negro correspond
ents abroad wondered if Ernie
Pyle could not have more items on
Negro fighters. So Ollie Harring
ton, correspondent and cartoonist,
on seeing Pyle one day In Italy,
asked him about it. Ernie was sur
prised and said he'd just never
thought to include copy on Negro
servicemen. He told Ollie he'd try
from then on to show a little of
their life overseas, too. Did you ever
notice in the past year, how often
he.'d write about Negro service
men? They’ll mlvs him as much as
anybody.
• • •
The change in the Chief Execu
tive of thjs land will not affect
most Negroes in government posts.
People like Frank Horne in Hous
ing, Ted Poston in the OWI, Fran
ces Williams in OPA have done
good jobs and will be there. Even
the cabinet will remain in the same
for a while. Sumner Welles has
been rumored a possible new un
der-secretary of State. He'd make
a good Secretary for our money.
• • •
.lames F. Byrnes who has been
bruited about as new Secretary of
State despite President Truman's
denial of any government post for
him. has gone home to Carolina
for a while. Some wit In print said
Seek Bill Of Rights
At Security Parley
NEW YORK. A world Bill of
Rights "which will include un
equivocal affirmation of equality
of all peoples and races" will be
a primary goal of Walter White
and I>r. W. E B Dußois of the
National Association for the Ad
vancement of Colored People at
the World Security conference in
San Francisco which opened April
25 th.
Dr Dußois and Mr. White are
ronsultants to the American
delegation at San Francisco, of
ficially designated as such hy the
State Department. The NAACP
Is one of 42 organisations, and
the only Negro organisation. In
vited bv the State Department.
• • •
IN A STATEMENT be
fore boarding a special tram in
New’ York April 19, Mr. White
said:
"It Is our hope as consultants to
the American delegation, to induce
the San Francisco conference to
face what is one of the most se
rious problems of the twentieth
century—the question of race and
color. We are particularly con
cerned with what is done about
colonial empires and the well-be
ing of colonial people.*; around the
world. Most of these rolonial peo
ples are colored. What hanpens
to even the most exploited of these
has direct bearing upon the fu
ture of Negroes in the United
States.
"It is disturbing to read on the
eve of the conferenc*'’ the state
ment bv Secretary of State Edward
R Stettinius. Jr.. that the position
of the United States government on
the question ol assignment vl trus
SATURDAY, APRIL 28, 1945
after the curfew lifts, curfew-au
thor Jimmie B. will open a Caro
lina night club to occupy his twid
dling thumbs
• • •
Did you register yet??’ It only
takes a quick minute You don't
even have to write your address
down—some guy does it for you!
Speaking of voting and such, some
of the hr ght boys a:e going to split
the Negro vote again. Seems like
well never learn that all of one
candidate is better than half of
tw0....
• • •
With apologies to the fellows
who first made up "Working on a
Railroad." and dedicated to those
Negro lads who wait till another
Negro’s in the race and then 'choose
to run':
I always run each election
Every time I hear.
That another guy's decided:
To run himself this year!
Don't sou worry 'bout election-
I’ve got the other guy fixed.
What the hell if I'm not chosen—
If the other guv's licked!
• • •
Well, folks. < since we've gone in
for a ministrcl flavor) that ties it
up. Keep fightin! And together..
NOT Each other!
NAACP In Radio
Tribute To Late
President Sunday
NEW YORK.—Tribute to the late
President Roosevelt was paid by
the NAACP in a half-hour radio
program April 15 over station
WNYC here. Speakers were Ar
thur B. Spingarn, president: Roy
Wilkins,- assistant secretary, and
Herman Taylor of the legal staff
Said Mr. Spingarn: “The vast ma
jority of colored people felt a per
se nal eloseness to Mr. Roosevelt
and they trusted him: they felt
safe with him :r the White House:
and til >ugh there was much still
to be corrected, thev knew that
under his administration the great
est advances for the race had been
made.
“If we are to have in this coun
try anything bearing a resemblance
to that democracy which he so
confidently hoped for and so pas
sionately desired, the NAACP
work n ust go on w ith ever in
e: easing strength. All of us know
that democracy must be main
tained ard bulwarked here for
if democracy fails in America,
there is no hope for democracy
anywhere in. the world. Nor is
the-e ary hope for peace In the
world."
teeships for Pacific islancfs and
former mandated territories has
not been determined upon. The
army, ihe navy and other forces,
including the Hearst press, are
waging a determined campaign
against the American delegation
approving any formula for former
mandates and island possessions
which would interfere with the
United States retaining as military
bases certain Pacific islands which
have been wrested from the Japa
nese. It is reported thut powerful
fnf.es in the United Slates are
willing to permit colonial powers
like the British, Dutch and French,
to do whatever thev choose in
colonies they held before the war
if in rehirn the United States is
i<* hold on to the islands
It Wiv
• • •
"EQUALLY IMPORTANT is the
adoption by the conference of a
world bill of rights which will in
clude unequivocal affirmation of
the equality of all peoples and
races. Such a resolution was intro
duced at Dumbarton Oaks hy the
Chinese but was quietly smothered.
It is our hope that there will be
no repetition of such suppression
at San Francisco, since that would
be merely an affirmation of deter
mination to perpetuaie 'white su
premacy.’ ”
At the last moment Mrs. Mary
Method Bethune, president of tho
National Council of Negro women,
w’as added to the NAACP delega
tion with the permission of tlies
Slale Department, but she will not
be rerngnized as representing her
organization She is one of the vice
president* ul the NAACP.