Hartford chronicle., March 01, 1947, Page PAGE ELEVEN, Image 11

About Hartford chronicle. (Hartford, Conn.) 194?-1947

Image provided by: Connecticut State Library, Hartford, CT

                
MARCH 1, 1947
Page Eleven
The Hartford Chronicle
STATE FEPC FOR OHIO
URGES CATHOLIC WEEKLY
Cincinnati, Ohio In a long
front-page .editorial, the Cin
cinnati Telegraph-Register, of
ficial newspaper of the Catholic
Arch-diocese of Cincinnati, has
urged the creation of a Fair
Employment Practices Com
mission for the State of Ohio.
The paper's support is expected
to play an important role in the
fight for passage when FEPC
legislation is considered soonby
the General Assembly of the
State.
"It is our sincere hope that
the Ohio legislature will enact
an FEPC bill similar to the one
New York has", the editorial
declares.
Reviewing the origin and his
tory of the temporary Federal
FEPC, of which Most Rev.
Franciis J, Hass, Bishop fof
Grand Rapids, was chairman,
the article terms "natural and
logical" the Negro's desire to
sare " in the ' advancement of
American civilization".
"The Negro in this country
has contributed and, as the
record shows, continues to con
tribute of his blood, brain and
brawn to the progress of Ameri
can civilization", the editorial
states. "That he has not given
more, and given more freely,
cannot be charged; to his un
willingness to give, so often as
it can to the unwillingness of
others to accept. American
civilization is the result of the
efforts of both the "Whites and
the Negroes. Both groups have
forced their civilization to offer
a higher standard" of economic
life. As a result of this coop
erative endeavor, the Negro has
a naural and logical reason to
expect a share in the advance
ment erf American civilization. "
Terming the Catholic teach
ing on race "as American as a
showboat on the Mississippi
River", the article condemns as
evil "that system of, life in
which goods above the minimum
necessity for decent living are
made attainable solely on the
basis of family association or
nationality".
"The Catholic Church in her
official teaching has always con
tended that man, black or white,
living in a land of great wealth
like . our own, has rights to
goods over and above those
necessary for the minimum re
quirements of life", the editori
al states. "Theirs is the right
to seek work in a variety of
businesses ; to seek promotions
that are honestly merited; to
seek higher remunerations when
, the qualifications for them have
been met; and to seek an edu
cation that will make for a full
er life. Arising from these
rights is the corresponding ob
ligation on the part of society
to free man from unfai and un
reasonable restrictions while he
legitimately pursues all lawful
goods. Unless these rights are
made attainable, hard bitter
ness is bound to creep in and
destroy peace and contentment,
so desirable to all."
The article reviews the dis
criminations against Negroes in
FEPC LEGISLATION
AS WELL AS EDUCATION
URGES CATHOLIC BISHOP
Lansing, Mich. "Let us not
delude ourselves by using edu
cation as a smoke screen for
doing nothing" to combat ra
cial and religious discrimina
tion, Bishop Francis J. Haas of
Grand Rapids urged in an ad
dress to the Michigan Council
for Fair Employment Legisla
tion here in which he empha
sized the need for legislation
in this field.
Bishop Haas, who is honorary
chairman of the Council, said:
"To those courses let us have
education, -and more and more
education . . . "We can educate
at the same time as we legist
late. And I doubt very much
whether in the field of job dis
crimination we can educate un
less we also legislate."
Pointing out that injustice to
minority groups was prevalent
not only in the South, but in
the North as well ; that it viti
ated the rights not only of Ne
groes, one-tenth of the nation's
population, but also of Mexi
cans, American Japanese and
Jews as well, Bishop Haas in
dicted the evil on human, on
American, on Catholic and
Christian grounds.
The Bishop cited American
constitutional provisions and.
laws and the spirit of American
fair play as violated by dis
crimination. He mentioned the
"blessings of liberty" in the
preamble of the Constitution,
the 14th and loth Amendments,
the draft law which commands
equal service and the Supreme
Court building's inscription,
"Equal Justice under the Law."
"But I dare go further," he
continued. "Anything that has
any remote resemblance to dis
crimination is not only Anti
American, but Anti-Christian
as well. Jesus Christ, the Son
of God, declared that second
only to the supreme law bind
ing us to love our God is the
law binding us to love our
neighbor."
employment during the war,
and points out that men willing
to die for their country in bat
tle should be give nequal op
portunities to work in peace.
"If America is to be consider
ed by the other nations of the
world as the defender of demo
cracy and Ohio is not to be con
sidered backward, then it is
wise that we shape Ohio prac
tices in the true mold of demo
cratic living. If our State con
stitution grants us equality of
opportunity in words and we,
as a state, refuse to make this
constitutional pledge a reality,
then we should cease calling
ourselves democratic. This, of
course, will imply that we are
fostering the "concept of race
superiority" and will proclaim
that those who have died to rid
the world of Nazism have died
in vain. Ohio needs an FEPC",
the editorial concludes.
S. C. SCHEME CHALLENGED
(Cont. from Page 10)
"If these statutes are re-
COLOR BAR BROKEN
IN BALTIMORE THEATER
New York Negroes sat in
the orchestra and the first bal
cony of the Maryland Theater,
in Baltimore, for the first time
in that city, at the Lincoln's
Birthday performance of "A
Flag Is Born." as the result of
a tradition-shattering victory
won by the NAACP against the
rigid discriminatory practice
followed by all theaters in the
South of relegating Negro.es to
inferior seats in the second
balcony.
Notified by the Baltimore
branch of the Association that
Negroes were not receiving the
same treatment in the purchase
of tickets for Ben Hecht's play
dealinsr with prejudice, the
NAACP national office took the
matter up with the American
League for a Free Palestine,
sponsoring the production, who
instructed the theater's man
agement to drop their color
bars or face unfavorable pub
licity on the anniversary of the
birthday of The Great Emanci
pator, Abraham Lincoln.
Walter "White, executive sec
retary, NAACP, hailed the co
operation given in the fight
against segregation in the na
tion's theaters in a. telegram to
the American League for a
Free Palestine. Mr. White
stated:
"Our Baltimore branch wires
that, as a result of your inter
vention, orchestra seats were
sold last night to colored citi
zens ,for 'A Flag Is Born.'
Thanks and congratulations'for
your prompt action."
The Baltimore branch is fol
lowing up its gains against dis
crimination on either side of the
footlights, and will picket all
shows which do not take a stand
against this unconstitutional
practice of penalizing one set
of American citizens solely on
the basis of their color.
HEALTH FOR ALL
(Continued from Page 10)
culosls and insure healthy fu
ture. These rules will help to avoid
TB: Sleep at least eight hours
every night. Get plenty of fresh
aid and exercise. Eat plenty
of meat, milk, greens, fruits and
cereals, bathe often, and wash
hands before eating. As far
as possible, stay away from peo
ple you know are sick with TB.
Have a yearly physical exami
nation and a chest X-ray as of
ten as your doctor advises.
By Ersa Hines
pealed, in my opinion, we will
have done everything within
our power to guarantee white
supremacy in the primaries of
our state insofar as legislation
is concerned. Should this prove
inadequate, we South Carolin
lians will ulse the necessary
methods to retain white supre
macy in our primaries and to
safeguard the homes and hap
.piness of our people. "White
supremaej' will be maintained
in our primaries. Let the chips
fall where they may!"
ANTI-FILIBUSTER
RESOLUTION BACKED
IN SENATE BY NAACP
New York Testimony in
support of two anti-filibuster
resolutions was presented, on
February 4th, before the Senate
Subcommittee of the Committee
on Rules and Administration
for "Walter "White, executive
secretary, NAACP, on . behalf
of the Association and twenty
one national organizatinos on
the National Committee Against
Mob Violence. Mr. "White 's tes
timony was presented by Leslie
Perry, NAACP administrative
assistant.
Stating that "One of the most
visious manifestations of the
lynching spirit is to be found
on the floor of the United States
Senate itself, where a majority
of the Senate has brazenly and
unashamedly lynch democratic
procedure by refusing to per
mit an overwhelming majority
of the Senate to vote aye or
nay on anti-lynching, anti-poll
tax, fair employment practice
and othre legislation desperate
ly needed to insure justice and
opportunity to American citi
zens,' ' Mr. White stated that
the NAACP favor Senate Reso
lutions 25 and 30 above, other
anti-filibustering resolutions, as
they provide for not more than
one for each senator to discuss
any pending bill after cloture
has been voted. v
Citing the costs to govern
ment of filibusters, Mr. White
estimated that days and money
wasted in filibusters during the
past decade resulted in a cost
to the American tax payer of
about $1,080,000, adding that
"the monetary loss, great as it
has been, is but a small part
of the price which filibustering
has made us pay. No single
American practice has done
more to discredit orderly gov
ernment throughout the world
than filibustering. . We have
been held up to ridicule thru
out the world . . . Human lives
have been lost because the ab
ject surrender by the Senate to
filibusters against such legisla
tion as has been proposed to
permit the federal government
to protect the lives of its citi
zens from lynching mobs when
states refused, failed or neglect
ed to provide such protection."
Mr. White stated that during
the past twenty-five jrears, hun
dreds of lives have been lost
in the Unietd States through
lynchings, "nearly every one
of which could have been pre
vented had there not been sur
der to filibuster which prevent
ed adequate federal legislation
against this crime. . . "
Stating that "the rights of
each of our citizens must be pro
tected to the hilt 'or soon the
rights of no citizen will be safe,"
Mr. White charged that Con
gressional beneficiaries of the
disfranchisement of nearly 6,
000,0Q0 white and 4,000,000
Negro citizens by the poll tax
will try to "stage the longest
filibuster in history against any
filibuster resolution.' Mr. White
urged that that challenge must
CONNECTICUT GOVERNOR
OPPOSES JIM CROW IN
NATIONAL GUARD
New York, N. .Y. The posi
tion of open and forthright op
position to segregrated units in
state National Guards taken by
Governor James McConaughy,
of Connecticut, was hailed by
Walter Whit, executive secre
tary of NAACP, as "one of the
most magnificent and hearten
ing steps which has been taken
during recent years.'
In response to a request from
the Brdgeport-Stratford branch
of the Association that Gover
nor McConaughy demand the
reactivation of the federalized
National Guard on a basis of
complete integration of the
races upon every level, the Gov
ernor immediately wired the
following telegram to the Gov
ernors of the three states asso
ciated with Connecticut in its
National Guard set-up i
4 'Ahe you satisfied with Army
policy of segregating into spe
cial units Negro soldiers of
your State who desire to serve
in the National Guard t I am
not. I have just learned of this
practice. I know the Navy has
ended discrimination. I do not
want to see it in Connecticut
Army units. " "
The issue was brought to a
head in Connecticut when Geo.
Carter, a Negro . vetera, who
wears the Purple Heart and five '
battle stars, had his application
for enlistment in the Connecti
cut National Guard rejected be
cause at the tmie there were no
provisions made for segregated
units.
Stating of Governor McCon-
aughys action to end discrimi
nation "We belieVe that, no
other Governor who claims to
be enlightened can do otherwise
than to follow your example,"
Mr. White said: "We have been
bringing this situation which
exists in the New York Nation
al Guard, to the attention of
Governor Thomas E. Dewey for
some months, and have receivea
no indication from him as yet
of his opposition to this discrim
inatory practice.
"The NAACP is unalterably
opposed to segregation in any
form, particularly in the man
ner in which a man may serve
his state and his country. We
will contnue to fight against
thiscriminatory bar in New
York State and elsewhere until
all qualified Negro citizens have,
the opportunity to serve in the
National Guard on a basis of
equality with other citizens."
1
he met, if not by the Senate,
"then the members of what has
often been called the greatest
deliberate body in the world
wil covict themselves of shame
les ssurrender to mob violence
on the floor of the United
States Senate itself, The dem
ocratic process today is on trial
in the United States as it has
never been before in human his
tory. If filibusters and threats
of filibuster succeed, then dem
ocracy will most assuredly be
destroyed.