Richmond planet. [volume], April 12, 1930, Image 1

About Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938

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* vo|L XLV„ N0 23 _(Vo Sections—16 Pages) RICHMOND, VIRGINIA; SATURDAY, APMIL12, 1930 PRICE- FIVE CENT-S
,
attorney Ghiies Dies
Enroute To Richmond
Attorney James Alexander CMies
dropped dead while boarding a tram,
in Lexington, Ky., to visit
here. Attorney Chiles had been
ill for some time and wanted to
come here for his health. He was
born January 8, I860. The son
of the late Richard C. and Martha
A. Chiles. , „ .
An incident worthy of recall in
the life of Richard Chiles, who was
* in the service of the war depart-j
ment of the Confederacy, is that
he delivered the letter to
son Davis on April 2, 1865, while
the latter was attending church ser-,
vices at St Paul. This letter was
written by General Lee notifying
Mr. Davis that Richmond must be
evacuated. ,
Attorney Chiles was a graduate
of Lincoln University and Univer
sity of Michigan Law School. At
the time of his death he was prac
ticing in Lexington, Ky., but was
formerly of Richmond.
In 1891 he married Miss tan
nie J. Barnes, a teacher from Phil
adelphia, Pa. He leaves, besides
his wife, one daughter, Mrs. Lil
lian Gilpin, of this city; two broth
ers, Richard Chiles, oi Washington,
D. C., and John R. Chiles, of this
city; five grandchildren and a num
ber of nieces and nephews. He
also leaves one sister, Mrs, Maggie
Gibson, of Tuskegee, Ala.
Funeral services were held at
Ebenezer Baptist Church, of which
the Rev. W. D. Stokes is pastor,
Monday afternoon, Apnl 7th. Ser-,
vices were conducted by Ej,(J*r 5*'
J. Grant, pastor of the Seventh
Day Adventist Church. The de
ceased was a member of the Sev
enth Day Adventist Church of I^x
ington, Ky. The many floral tn-J
* butes and telegraphic condolences
evidence the life of usefulness of
Attorney Chiles. , _
He was buried in Woodland Cem
etery Those who served as hon
orary and active pallbearers were
his friends: Attorneys George W.
Lewis, James T. Carter andl St.
Joseph Gilpin; Rev. J. J. Carter,
Prof. Charles T. Russell, Messrs.
Beni P. Vandervall, Edward K.
Carter, J. Milton Dabney, Miles
Debbress, C. F. Foster, W. A.
Kyles and Deacon K. U. koss.
Protest Growing in
North and South
New York, April "MCNA)—Two
hundred and fifty workers, 175 of
them Negroes, attended a mass
protest meeting in Birmingham,
Ala., yesterday. A resolution was
passed unanimously denouncing the
brutal police attacks upon the un
employed demonstrations on March
6 and demanding the immediate re
lease of the workers.
In Rochester, N. Y., 1.500 work
ers gathered yesterday at Conven
tion Hall to rotest the railroading
to prison of their delegates of the
Unemployed in New York, and lis
tened to the principal speaker, a
Negro worker, J. W. Ford, of the
Trade Union Unity League.
....Newark, N. J., April 7 -A dem
onstration protesting the eviction of
a Negro worker’s family for non
payment of rent was staged today
in front of the owners’ place the
Plumbing Supply Company. As soon
as the workers started their march,
with banners protesting against the
eviction and demanding “work or
wages,” police rushed in to break
up the demonstration. A mass!
meeting was held outside and the
workers resisted the cops. Jay
Rubin, TUUL organizer, Frank
Fisher, Albert Grenelli and Jack
Ballet were arrested and held on
$100 bail on the charge of loiter
ing and disorderly conduct. Another
demonstration si planned for Tues
day.
Four young Newark Communists
were sentenced to ninety days in
jail on charges of loitering and in
terfering in Newark police court
yesterday. The charges arose out
of a protest meeting over the evic
tion of a Negro family for non
payment of rent.
Jack Rubin, a Communist organ
izer of 271 Goldsmith Avenue, New
ark was sentenced by the bosses’
court to an additional ten days for
contempt of court, when he in
sisted on discussing the unemploy
ment situation out of which arose
the eviction, in court. The three
others were: 'Albert Goranelli, 48
Richmond street; Frank Fisher, 16
Wainwright street, and Jack Volic,
888 Avon avenue.
, **
Governmental Experts
And Racial Leaders
To Probe Facts
Durham, N. C., April 7. (By the
Associated Negro Press)—Dr. W.
E. B. DuBois, editor of the Crisis,
Dr. Mordecai W. Johnson, President
of Howard University; Professor
Paul Edwards of Fisk University,
C. C. Spaulding, banker; Professor
Gordon B. Hancock, well known
economist of Virginia Union Uni
versity; Albon L. Holsey, Karl
Phillips, Concilliator of . Labor;
James A. Jackson, business special
ist; and Jesse 0. Thomas, field sec
retary of the National Urban
League, are a few of the “Fact
Finders” who will address the Fact
finding Conference at Durham,
April 16-18.
In addition a departure from the
usual program has been made in
that the Department of Commerce
and the Department of Labor have
been asked to send special official
representatives, who will present
the views of the government of the
economic problems facing the nation
as a whole today. The Department
of Commerce has designated H. G.
Dunn, director of the Bureau of
Domestic Commerce, to deliver a
special message during the confer
ence. Secretary of Labor, James
(Continued on page 8.)
FIGHT JIM CROW
IN CLEVELAND
Cleveland, Ohio, April 4 (CNA)
—Chapin’s Restaurant, on Superior
avenue near Third street, which
Jim-Crows Negro workers, felt the
heavy weight of the union of white
and Negro workers yesterday, when
workers of both races picketed be
fore it under the leadersip of the
Young Communist League and the
American Negro Labor Congress.
Seven of the pickets were arrested,
and were later released on $500
bail each put up by the Internation
al Labor Defense.
Workers Protest
Eviction of Jobless
Newark, N. J., April 7 (CNA) —
A. Grant, a Negro worker with
five children, was evicted from his
home in Livingston street today
and his furniture scattered in the
yard because he was not able to
pay the rent. Grant has been out
of work since Christmas and has
the burden of both earning a liv
ing and keeping his household, as
his wife is dead.
Man Leaps 5
Stor’s To Death
REFUSED ADMISSION BY
HARLEM HOSPITAL, JOB
LESS SICK WORKER
COMMITS SUICIDE
New York, April 5 (CNA)—A
victim to Hoover's “prosperity” and
white ruling class race prejudice,
Waverly Burns, 34 years old, un
employed Negro worker, last Sat
urday afternoon climbed to the
roof of 301 W. 151st street, where
he roomed, and jumped five stories
to his death.
Burns had been despondent, hav
ing been out of a job and sick for
months. That very afternoon he
had been refused admission to the
Harlem Hospital and this proved
the final straw, and not being made
of stern enough stuff to fight the
capitalist system or perhaps lacking
correct guiadnce he returned home
bent on ending it all.
At the Harlem Hospital every
effort is being made by the authori
ties to cover up the fact that this
Negro worker was refused admis
sion. Dr. R. Rapp, superintendent
at the Harlem Hospital, cynically
denied that Burns had ever applied
for admission and gave out a fairy
tale that “an unidentified Negro
came to the institution seeking ad
mittance,” but refused “in any
way to be co-operative.”
Girl Reserves !
To Present i
Qomic Operetta
The Health Education and Girl
Reserve departments of the Phyllis
Wheatley Branch, Y. W. C. A.,
will present the comic operetta,
“Pocahontas,” on Friday evening,
May 2nd, at 8 o’clock, at True
Reformers’ Hall.
The operetta portrays the rom
ance of Captain John Smith, the
English explorer, and the Indian
maid Pocahontas. Interwoven with
the historical facts are clever bits
of comedy that add to its enjoy
ment.
The cast of characters are: Miss
Lucille Williams, Pocahontas; Miss
Annette Eaton, Ah Meek; Miss
Mary Lucas, Wa-wa-taysee; Miss
Charlotte Jackson, Queen Anne;
Miss Geraldine Wilson, Lady Byrd;
Messrs. Joseph Ransome, Powha
tan; Paul Morton, John Rolfe; Jo
seph Forrester, John Smith; Fred
Savage, Ah Hum; Ira Kyles, Usher.
The following Girl Reserves form
the chorus: Maxine Miles, Florine
Davenport, Geraldine Archer, Mat
tie Ware, Mildred Daughtry, Lil
lian Swann, Lenora Thomas, Ger
aldine Wilson, Thelma Jones,
Mary Giles, Fannie Austin, Rosan
na Haris, Edna Smith, Alberta
Grant, Ethel Peters, Olnette Dab
ney, Isabelle Neal, Sarah Mines,
Berthell Burnette, Eva West, Edna
Bradford, Carlotta Brockington,
Mary Jones, Helen Johnson, Lillie
Drummond, Estelle Britton, Carrie
Carter, Ethel McDaniel, Obera
Early, Edna Smith, Geraldine Mat
thews, Robinette Bell.
The Boy Scouts who will take
the part of Indian braves are Jas.
Johnson, Walter Carter, Daniel
Brown, Fred Brown, Ellis Taylor,
Charles Bailey, Linwood Smith,
Clarence Johnson, Joseph Carter,
Reginald Dyson.
The dances in the play will be
given by the classes of the Health
Education Department and the La
Petite Club. Misses Laura Westry,
Obera Earley and Ethel McDaniel
will give several specialty dances
between the acts.
Mrs. Cordelia A. Winn, national
city secretary, will visit the Branch
on Saturday, April 12th, at which
time the committee of manage
ment will meet with Mrs. Winn to
discuss issues pertinent to the local
and national work.
The Girl Reserve Advisors Con
Preparing
Annual Meet.
Plans and preparations for the
8th annual convention of the Grand
Lodge and Grand Chapter B. P.
D. Reindeer to be held in Richmond,
Va., September 14 to 17, 1930, in
clusive, are well under way. Com
mittees in charge of the many ac
tivities of the convention are thor
oughly organized and are on the
jjjojb. Bro. Jas. W. Loundes, Gen
eral chairman, states that it is the
intentions of the men who are at
the helm to make this the greatest
convention in history of the Rein
deer. Bro. W. M. Grant, chairman
of publicity and advertising com
mittee, states that while it is a
little early to give out details yet,
the 1930 convention promises to
exceed even the great convention
of 1929 held in Newark, N. J.
Bro. Wirt R. Jones, chairman of
the entertainment committee, states
that an unusual good program is
being arranged with special fea
tures for the entertainment of the
Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter.
An educational program of particu
lar worth is also being arranged.
The social element, however, will
not be forgo ten.
The city of Richmond and its
surroundings contains much of in
terest to the Reindeer of America
and their guests; it is also easily
accessible either by train or auto
mobile. At Newark, N. J., a high
water mark was set for enthusiasm
and attendance, judging from the
plans that are maturing and the
tenor of enthusiastic messages re
ceived at headquarters of the com
mittee from all over the country
this year’s convention promises to
surpass that of 1929.
(Mrs Sallie S. Cephas, of 912 N. First St
died in Montclair, New .’Jersey, Friday
morning at nine o’clock, while visiting
her sister, Mrs S. L. M. Scott.)
(Chauvinist
(Kttack
Fil/ipinos
Los Angeles, Calif., April 7(CNA)
—More fascist white chauvinist vi
olence started by the American Le
gion in California, came to a head
in a dance hall when white hooli
gans attacked Filipinos at a dance
hall under the excuse that Filipinos
were dancing with white girls. A
lieutenant of detectives, G. P.
Moore, who mixed in to help the
thugs, emerged with a serious
wound and landed in a hospital.
Magnate Says Young
Negroes Unwilling to
Start at Bottom
“Negro business languishes, not
because of the scarcity of young
men with the training and charac
ter necessary to become successful
business men and to pilot Negro
business enterprises to success,”
says Prof. W. G. Pearson, reputed
to be Durham’s wealthiest colored
citizen. "Young men may be found
with technical business training, but
who, most usually, want to imme
diately take over the President’s
job and salary, or lack in moral
fitness for positions of trust and
responsibility,” and untrained men
are unwilling to start at the bot
tom and acquire the training which
results from experience and which
has been the making of countless
thousands of successful white busi
ness executives. Manpower, not cap
ital, is the primary need of Negro
business.”
Prof. Pearson is known in Dur
ham as “Dean of Negro Business
Men,” because of his activities in
the field of business as an organi
zer-over a long period of years.
g—aag «i ■-.!,!=■= » umjEgg
ference will convene Saturday,
April 12th, and Sunday, the 13th.
Mrs. Winn, Miss Brownie L*»c
Jones, Prof. R. B. Daniel, Mr. W.
A. Jordan and others will lead
the discussions of the conference.
A special service of worship,
entitled “Sweet Hour of Prayer,”
will be featured as the dosing
hour of the conference. This ser
vice will be conducted by the P.
E. P. Club at the usual vesper
hour, 5 P. M. The public is in
vited to attend.
s
OFFICER
WHO SHOT
eOLORED
GIRL MUST
DIE
NEW ORLEANS POLICEMAN
SENTENCED TO DEATH
Said to be First Such Sentence of
White Man for Killing Negro
New York, April 7.—What is
Baid to be the first verdict carrying
with it the penalty of death on the
gallows, against a white man for
killing a Negro, has been returned
by a New Orleans jury against
Charles Guerand, former emergency
policeman who shot and killed Hat
tie McCray, fourteen-year-old col
ored girl who resisted his advances.
Chandler C. Luzenberg, Sr., was
employed by the New Orleans
branch of the N. A. A. C. P., of
which Dr. George W. Lucas is pres
ident, to assist the district attorney
in prosecuting the police officer,
and Dr. Lucas reports:
"Mr. Luzenberg, assisting the
prosecution was employed by the
New Orleans branch of the N. A.
A. C. P. and the public sentiment
was created by our fight We re
gard it as a signal victory, yet it
is not all over. We intend to go
to the court of last resort if neces
sary to hold our victory.”
The New Orleans Times-Picayune,
reporting on the outcome of the
trial, states that the verdict, brought
in after forty-five minutes deliber
ation, “was received with stunned
silence by the crowded court room,”
and later says:
“Veteran jurists and attorneys
declared Guerand’s case was the
first in their memory of New Or
leans criminal history where a
white man had been sentenced to
die for the slaying of a Negro.
Several verdicts stipulating guilty
without capital punishment have
been returned, but never the death
penalty, they said.”
Witnesses at the trial testified to
previous advances made by the po
lice officer against the girl, and
also riddled his contention that the
girl had attacked him with a bread
knife in resisting his advances.
National Ideal Benefit
Society in Good Condition
A. W. Holmes Founder Makes
A Remarkable Report
The Executive Committee of the
Board of Directors of the National
Ideal Benefit Society held its regu
lar monthly meeting Thursday.
April 3, 1930. The reports of the
Supreme Secretary, Mrs. S. B. Cog
bill, and Supreme Treasurer, Mr.
T. L. Beverly, shows a steady in
crease of members and finance.
Mr. Holmes stressed the fact that
in eighteen years there has been
only one month that the disburse
ments were greater than the re
ceipts. This, he said, is due to
safe management. Those present
from out of town were Rev. W.
L. Anderson, of Beaver Dam, Va.;
Mrs. L. G. Carter, of Glen Allen,
Va., and Mrs. M. E. Overton, of
City Point, Va.
The William E. Wise Male
Chorus, of Philadeluhia, Pa., will
render a great musical program at
the City Auditorium on April 29th
at 8 oVsiock P. M., under the au
spices of the Richmond District of
the National Ideal Society, at which
time thousands of people are plan
ning to hear these wonderful sing
ers as they return from their
Southern tour, where they have
delighted large audiences in the
far South.
Richmond Ideal lodges are put
ting forth special effort in adding
many new members. Much inter
est is created and much success is
expected in the near future.
A very enthusiastic meeting of
(Continued on page 8.)
STATE HIGH SCHOOL ORA
TORICAL CONTEST AT VA.
UNION, APRIL 18
The Annual State High School
Oratorical Contest for the J
Raymond Henderson Trophy
will take place at Virgina Union
University, Friday night, April
18th- Last year the cup was
won by the Armstrong High
School of Richmond, which has
won two contests, a third vic
tory will leave the trophy in the
permanent possession of the
school.
Urban League
) So acute has become the prob
lem of unemployment among Ne
groes, that the National Urban Lea
gue, has called upon its branches
located in more than forty cities in
the country to cooperate in the obser
vation of a Vocational Opportunity
campaign during the week of April
20-27.
The local campaign will be under
the direction of the Richmond Urban
League, with the cooperation of the
Industrial Department of the Y. W.
C. A. and the two local chapters of
the Alpha Kanpa Alpha Sorority. Dr.
Joseph T. Hill has been selected as
general chpirman.
i
_>
WALTER WHITE PRO
TESTS CONFIRMATION
OF JUDGE PARKER
l -—--'
I
Gold Star Mothers
Assured Equal Treatment
I
N. A. A. C. P. Inquire* If Thi*
Mean* No Segregation
New York, April 4.—In response
to a letter sent by the National
Association for the Advancement of
Colored People to Congressmen urg
ing opospition to the War Depart
ment’s plan to segregate colored
gold star mothers on the pilgrimage
to their sons’ graves in France, the
N. A. A. C. P. is assured of “equal
accomodations, care and considera
tion,’’ for the colored mothers.
The assurance comes in a letter
from congresman Robert L. Bacon,
of New York, of whom the N. A.
A. C. P. thereupon telegraphed
inquiring whether the War Depart
ment’s assurance of “no discrimi
nation,’’ meant there would be no
segregation. . In reply the N. A. A.
C. P. today received the following
telegram from Congressman Bacon:
Uuderstand there is no discrim
ination but so you may be ad
vised direct official, am transmit
ting your wire to War Department
with request they respond promptly
to you.”
i At the moment of going to press
the War Department had not com
municated with the N. A. A. C. P.
Meanwhile the same assurances
of “no discrimination’ and of “equal
accommodations, care and considera
tion” were given the Jamaica
branch of the N. A. A. C. P.,
j which, through its president, Dr.
Charles M. Reid, had protested di
rectly to the War Department
against segregation of gold star
mothers.
| Other replies expressing interest
in the situation have been received
by the National Office and the Ja
maica branch from Congressman
Hamilton Fish, Jr., Charles Brand
and Sol Bloom of New York; Sam
!uel S. Arentz of Nevada; James M.
1 Beck of Pennsylvania; Franklin W.
Fort of New Jersey; and Senators
j Robert Wagner, and Royal S. Cope
land of New York.
Judge (former Congressman)
John F. Carew writes the N. A. A.
P. C. that he is strongly opposed to
segregation of colored gold star
mothers but owing to his being on
the bench is unable to take action
against it.
Labor Jury
Barred By Gourt
New York, April 7 (CNA)—Five
Negro and seven white workers,
elected on the Labor Jury yb unions
and unemployed councils, were barr
ed by Tammany police from attend
ing the trial of the Unemployment
Delegation, elected by 110,000 work
ers oi New York.
' y
Enslave and Beat
Negro Farm Workers
New Orleans, April 7 (CNA) —
Negro farme workers were held in
virtual slavery, chained to trees and
beaten, it was revealed here yes
terday at the trial of James E. Pi
gott, a rich farm owner of Boga
lusa, who was charged with holding
Negro farm workers in peonage.
Biggott admitted before Judge
Wayne G. Borah that he beat the
Negro farm workers with heavy
chains. He chained one runaway to
a tree. However, he said he work
ed his help “just the same as any
one in this country does," indicat
ing that these conditions are general i
throughout the South. He used|
the sheriffs to catch workers who
ran away from his farm. The sher
iffs helped him very willingly.
be a mass meeting on Thursday, April
The chief feature of the week will
24th at 8:15 at the Sixth Mt. Zion
Baptist Church. The principal speak
er will be Ira De. A. Reid, Director of
Research, National Urban League.
Senate Committee Hears Walter
White Protest Confirmation of
Judge Parker
New York, April 7.—-Walter
White, Acting Secretary of the
National Association for the Ad
vancement of Colored People ap
peared before the sab-committee of
the Senate Committee in the Judi
ciary on Saturday, to voice the
Association’s protest against the ele
vation to the U. S. Supreme Court
of Judge John J. Parker of North
Carolina.
air. wmte read a prepared state
ment, which set forth that Judge
Parker, while a candidate for Gov
ernor of North Carolina in 1920,
delivered an address in the course
of which he characterized the Negro
as unfit to participate in political
life and said the Republican party
did not desire the Negro to enter
politics. In his address, according
1° w® N«r \ C* P* brief fead
by Mr. White, Judge Parker also
clearly indicated that measures to
disfranchise the Negro embodied in
the North Carolina State constitu
tion, had his approval.
Judge Parker's utterances of 1920
were characterized by the N. A. A.
C. P. as "shameless flouting” of
the Fourteenth and Fifteenth
Amendments to the Federal Con
stitution. The statement continues:
"If Judge Parker, for political
advantage, can flout two amend
ments to the Federal Constitution
to pander to base race prejudice,
we respectively submit that he is
not of the calibre which loyal, in
telligent Americans have the right
to expect of justices of the nation's
highest Court.
"Attached is a memorandum of
some of the impportant cases in
volving the enforcement of the
Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amend
ments so far as the citizenship
rights of Negroes are concerned,
which have been presented to the
U. S. Supreme Court within the
past fifteen years. With the econ
omic, educational, political and oth
er progress which the Negro is
making, and with the growing con
sciousness on the part of intelligent
Americans as to the importance of
the settlement of the race problem
upon a basis of even-handed justice,
it seems probable that even more
cases of similar nature and equal
importance will be presented to the
Supreme Court for decision in the
near future.
Ji.niertaining such views as he
expressed in 1920 when he sought
election to the governorship of
North Carolina, we are strongly
convinced that it would be improper
to place such a man as Judge Par
ker upon the bench of the U. S.
Supreme Court.”
Upon request of Senator Borah,
a member of the sub-committee,
Mr. White read for the record the
names of officers and members of
the Board of Directors of the N.
A. A. C. P. Questioned by Senator
Overman, of North Carolina, con
cerning the disfranchisement of
Negroes in the South, Mr. White
offered to procure for the record
of this hearing, instances of such
disfranchisement in Senator Over
man’s own State of North Carolina.
This offer Senator Overman de
clined to avail himself of|.
On his return to New York, Mr.
White said of the hearing:
“The protest on behalf of Ne
groes against the confirmation of
Judge Parker, registered in Wash
ington. It helped to crystallize the
opposition to Judge Parker in the
Senate. Moreover, the fact that an
utterance made ten yean ago was
recalled and used by the N. A. A.
C. P., emphasized its long memory;
and will make other southerners
with political aspirations, more
guarded in their utterances in fu
ture than was Judge Parker in the
past.
“It is to be regretted that a
North Carolina Negro educator saw
fit to write a fulsome letter of
praise of Judge Parker in the face
of Parker’s derogatory and insult
ing statement concerning colored
people.”