Friday. November 23. 1943
PORTLAND INQUIRER
LABOR VIEW
NIGHTLIFE IN NEW YORK
By George F. McCray for ANP
UL GREEN AND HER ORCHESTRA MAKES BOW ON SOUTHERN TOUR
NEGRO WORKERS WANT NEW TIEUP
By Alvin Mo*«*
V ery slowly N egro w orkers are com ing out
of th a t sense of secu rity v h ich they have
felt as th e resu lt of the charm ing personality
of Msr. Roosevelt an d of th e sm art politics
and statesm anship of the late P resid en t h im
self. S everal ugly realities stare N egro W ork
ers in the face. C om letely gone is th e soothing
th o u g h t of th e "great m an in the W hite
H ouse.”
A big factor in N egro uneasiness is the
T rum an fam ily. T he p ictu re of Mr. T rum an
w atching N egroes dig ditches on the W hite
House law n m ight have been idle curiosity
at seeing o th er people w ork, b u t it m ight
have indicated an in te re st in the problem s of
all labor. B ut th ere can be no m istake over
th e m eaning of Mrs. T ru m an ’s for th e labor
of H azel Scott. She is in sym pathy w ith dis
crim ination. Mrs. Roosevelt had set a high
stan ard of conduct for presidential wives,
and Mrs. T rum an failed to m easure up.
B ut w h at really w orries N egroes is Mr. T ru
m an’s inability to get an y th in g done w ith
congress and his adm inistrators. N ow here in
his, ad m in istratio n does he seem to have en
thusiastic and loyal support. P erh ap s labor
and N egroes long accustom ed to running to
the W hite House now need to realize th a t the
pow er is now in congress.
A nyw ay Mr. T rum an falls sh o rt of the
wise, able, soft-hearted "Mr. B ig” in the W hite
H ouse w ho som ehow sends hom e th e bacon
at the rig h t tim e. As for Mr. T ru m an ’s radio
speeches, well, honest and sincere as they
"DAW N PA TRO L NOTEBOOK-
NEW YORK, (ANP)—Come rtext Thursday, exactly 12
months will have passed since I brought to your attention
a condition existing in the section of Broadway and 52nd
street, called by me the “street of dreams” . . . I named it
so because it provided top salaries and classy notices in
the powerful white press for ranking colored performers
and entertainers like: Art Tatum, Billie Holiday, Maurice
Rocco, Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, et al . . . Our pre
diction, if you recall, stemmed from the assembling of
white and colored thrill-seekers and exhibitionists at the
Onyx club, Club Downbeat, and the Three Deuces.
As we write these lines, my “dream street” might
rightly be called, “padlock lane” for law enforcement of
ficials have clamped down upon them causing highly paid
entertainers to be temporarily out of work . . . On all sides
reports just don’t add up to make sense. One faction will
tell you that there is absolutely no truth in the statement
that these places were closed because of interracial mixing
on dance floor and at tables . . . Others who should know
the truth of it all say that the “close down” order came
for no other reason under the sun.
My investigation conducted on a strict reporter’s basis
leads me to theopinion that had not those “half-men and
mannish women” been encouraged to flock nitely to these
sin dens plying their nefarious thrade, the spots would
not be under police department surveillance and—that’s
that.
CREDIT AND DEBIT SIDE
We were amazed to look around in Elks Rendezvous
one nite last week and note a couple (black and tan) who
have created a rumpus in at least five of our better night
spots to <ny personal knowledge . . . Bistro owners, plain
saloon-keepers, tavern, nightclub, and “shoppe” owners,
listen to me while I proach this sermon this morning—
Keep your house clean under new Police Commissioner
Wallender and Mayor-elect O’Dwyer or—I predict we will
return to the cop in the corner of certain places which
characterized the last ten days of JEFF BLUNT, acclaimed
king of colored night club operators following death of
BARON WILKINS—think about this fellow Americans of
color.”
DICKIE WELLS and “HORSE” STEELE, chatting with
me for hours on a street corner 2 a. m. in the yawning . . .
Wells telling me how he introduced columnists Walter
Winchell and Louie Sobol to Harlem nitelife many moons
ago; intimate highlights on his personal friend Tallulah
Bankhead, etc., etc. . . . Steele telling me about a chat he
had the other evening with writer ROI OTTLEY, and
commenting on his AMSTERDAM NEWS column of a
decade ago called “The Coal Bin”, et al, et al . . . It was
great fun, and provided me with rich material for future
talks between . . . YOU, and ME . . . So long for now folks.
M
A U N T Í T E L IA
^
r
I
SR€ KNOW S ÏVERYTHINû/
I ALU R i o m s RESERVED R.E flTZ-GIBBON
The Delphian Oracle held forth in Greece and was the most famous
of the ancient world. Revelations were dished up by a priestess who—
seated on a gulden grum ble-seat, over a chasm from which issued
poisonous and smelly vapors—m uttered as if drunk with sleep. But
modern oracles work different. The m ost fam ous is none other than
A unt Stella herself—the unseen priestess now exercising such a benign
influence over the m em bers of this com m unity. And this Gifted L ittle
Lady does not operate out of Delphi while the fum es, if any, that
unlock the m ysterious recesses of her all-know ing mind, issue not from
some m ephitic chasm . On the c ontrary, they m ight come from bottles
bearing revenue stam ps. But who a re we to criticise? After^ all,
A m erica's Favorite Advisor does lot stu tte r. And one needs no p riest
ly in te rp re te r to reveal a hidden m eaning in her speech! Our readers
are invited to bare th eir secret souls to her. H er answ ers—invariably
pat, p ertinent and pithy. But send no box tops. E ditor.
Dear Aunt Stella: The Colonel’s
rich widow is a man-handler and
I love it, but w hat’ll I say when
she discovers th at I wear a toupe?
Small But Ambitious.
Small But Ambitious: Explain
that you’re an under-cover man.
Aunt (Secret Service) Stella.
*
*
*
Dear Aunt Stella: My boy
friend’s awfully good-looking but
the heck of it is that he knows it.
Do you think th at time will tone
down this handicap? No Man’s
Slavey.
No Man’s Slavey: I wouldn’t
worry too much about the male
animal with too much Vitamin I
in his system: if tirrie doesn’t tone
him down, his contacts will. Aunt
(Dust To Dust) Stella.
* • •
Dear Aunt Stella: I’d like to
m arry and settle down but the
eligibles I’ve met all are assertive,
selfish or thoughtless. At what
age do men begin to get good?
Home-maker.
Home-maker: Men don’t get
good—they ju st get old. Aunt
(Live & Learn) Stella.
*
•
*
Dear Aunt Stella: It is said
th at man seems to be the only
creature that does not co-operate
with his kind. Do wild animals
ever work together? Library Lout.
Library Lout: Certainly! Take
the wolf and the stork, for in
stance; don't they usually work in
Ihe same neighborhood? Aunt (Un
derprivileged) Stella.
•
*
•
Dear /»unt Stella: My wife is so
extravagant that she’s driving me
to bankruptcy. What can I do to
keep my head above w ater?
Harassed.
Harassed: Why not take up deep
sea diving? Then you don’t have
to keep your head above water!
Aunt (Turntable) Stella.
•
•
•
Dear Aunt Stella: Where is the
capital of the USA? Teacher’s Pet.
Teacher's Pet: Loaned to Eng
land, Russia, China, et al. Aunt
(Long Time No See) Stella.
« • •
Dear Aunt Stella: Your idioms
are awful! What's the meaning of
“from nuts to soup?” Lord Helpus.
Lord Helpus: Getting the wom
en out of war plants and into
kitchens.
Aunt
(Reconversion)
Stella.
*
•
*
Dear Aunt Stella: I’m very
anxious to make my debut in
society but Mother counsels post
ponement and insists th at patience
has its own reward. Ju st what
can she mean by th a t? Almost
Mature.
Almost M ature: Perhaps she
knows of a girl who waited sev
eral years for a man and then
found one with a lot more money.
Aunt (B argainer) Stella.
•
*
*
Dear Aunt Stella: My teen-aged
son, in love for the first time, has
been given the air and now th reat
ens to kill himself. What on earth
shall I do? Distracted Mother.
Distracted Mother: Speed his
departure. Lovesickness is but a
temporary m a l a d y ; marriage
makes it malignant. Aunt (Spare
The Child) Stella.
• • ♦
Dear Aunt Stella: How can 1
discover who the dame is th at my
husband is going with while 1
stick a t home and take care of the
kids ? All I know about her is
th a t she’s bow-legged and skinny
—but wait till I get my hands on
her! Cyclone Annie.
Cyclone Annie: I’m sure that
you must be mistaken: I ’m not
bow-legged and my shape is as
ood as yours! Aunt (Include Me
u t) Stella.
S
*
*
*
Dear Aunt Stella: The keeper
told me to dig a hole then had
me put
the dirt back in — but
th ere’s too much dirt. Now what’ll
I do? Not Nuts.
Not N uts: Dig the hole deeper.
Aunt (Me, Too!) Stella.
* • *
Dear Aunt Stella: I make a liv
ing writing murder mysteries and
have run out of soap. Can you
suggest a new plot situation?
Brain’s Numb.
Brain's Numb: Why not sta rt
off with the victim and the vil
lain in a graveyard at midnight?
When she resists him in the
mausoleum, he knocks her for a
ghoul. Aunt (Dead End) Stella.
No, Freckles, the best time for picking apples is not on Sunday
when the adults are all in church.
\ \ ^ " Y)v
*>°
-•«I4
o°
IPS Photo Exclusive to T ed Yates Publications
L
IL GREEN, the blues queen, one of the top ranking
Bluebird and Decca recording a rtis ts who on her
Initial appearance In New York played the popularly
frequented Blue Angel nitery. She w as held over for
six w eeks and since th a t tim e has been a sensational
singing sta r. The sta r debuts with H er 15 K hythm as
te rs—playing key southern cities com m encing Octo
ber 26—going on location at the celebrated W illie
Davis "hot" spot in Miami, Florida, for ten days
enroute. A fter playing the Deep S outh Lil will lead
her m usical m en through the Southw est playing
Texas, and O klahom a on a one-nlghtei jau n t th a t
should prove highly en tertain in g to m usic and dance
lovers. Itinerary calls for d ates In Asheville. N. C.;
Macon, Ga.; A tlanta. Ga.; Columbus, Ga.; Columbia,
S. C .; Birm ingham , Ala.; Panam a City, Fla.; Mobile.
Ala.; Pensacola, Fla.; Jackson, Miss.; and Monroe.
I-ouislana. O ther da te s call for appearances In
Shreveport, Pa.; Baton Rouge, La.; Biloxi, Miss.;
and A lexandria, Louisiana.
BETWEEN THE LINES
DEGREEISM DECLINES
In today’s mail came the Fall catalog of the Columbia
University Press. Coming as it did from Columbia Uni
versity, not only one of the top-flight universities but one
of the world’s largest, it was of considerable size. One of
the most striking features of the publication was the absence
of degrees after the authors’ name. .
For a long time in this country we have laid special
emphasis on an author’s degree, which in many instances
overawed us into believing that the author could speak no
wrong. It came about that for quite two generations, we
have been under a degree spell that so bound us as to
make us seek after a man’s degrees rather than seek after
his character. The man with a degree has hitherto been
the man of the hour. In spite of the fact that this nation’s
foundations were laid by men who were long on vision
and character and short on degrees, we have virtually sold
ourselves into a kind of degree slavery.
A kind of degreeism has bound us in mighty thrall
from which we are crying for deliverance. It is not a fact
that our men of degrees are invariably our principal men.
There are too many degreed failures and too many un
degreed success for a lack of degrees to ever mean certain
failure or the possession of a degree to ever mean certain
success. Today as always character is the determining fac
tor in life and character is in no way correlated with de
grees. The present generation of world administrators has
the benefits of the men of degrees as was never true before
of world administrators; but it cannot be said that the world
affairs are better administered.
The white race dominates the 20th century world and
degrees abound among them. But the claim to superb moral
leadership of the world cannot be claimed by a race that
twice within a quarter of a century has deluged the world
in blood in two of the most terrible wars of history. These
wars were not brought on because the leaders were white,
but because they were human; but this fact in no way
vitiates the conclusion that degreeism does not contain the
germs of infallibility.
This release is by no means an attempt to disparge
degrees; but it is designed to warn against degreeism, a
belief in the omnipotence of degrees detached from whole
some character. Character is the thing that puts degreed
men over and not the degrees.
Why then do we not
stress character with some of the enthusiasm with which
we subscribe to degreeism?
Nor is this article designed to disparge education and
learning. What we are trying to get across is the fact that
education will get greatest chance in this country in propor
tion as degreeism declines. When we arrive at the point
where he will not feel certain of success because he has at
tained unto one, then the deck will have been cleared for
an era of real intellectual achievement.
It is mor than passing thrange that at the very height
of degreeism among Negroes, the dominant whites are
breaking away from its bondage. When degreeism has
sufficiently declined, poor parents will no longer enslave
themselves to get their worthless sons and daughters de
greed to do nothing but become degreed failures. When de-
greeism’s spell has been broken in this country we will
not longer measure a man’s stature by his degree but
by his contribution to the public weal. When degreeism is
subordinated to its proper place, then a man will not feel
that he is a failure when he rears a robust honest brood
of fine American citizens of undegreed usefulness.
It has come about that the man who brings up one
degreed child is proclaimed a “howling success”; but
when his neighbor brings up 10 honest but undegreed
citizens who work with their hands for an honest living
he is regarded as a failure. This very notion is one of the
most damnable things in the social life of our times. It is
degreeism reduced to its last analysis.
Degreeism hides the righteous ruggedness so beautifully
portrayed in the Village Blacksmith of yesteryear:
His hair is crisp and black and long
His face is like the tan;
His brow is wet with honest sweat
He earns whatever he can,
And looks the whole world in the face
For he owes "hot any man.”
I*Iay the passion for knowledge never assuage; but may
degreeism rapidly decline!
are, he really should lay off. N ot th a t th e
P resident doesn’t have qualities of a » . . t
As Negro w orkers discover th e y can no
longer look to W ashington w ith an y hope of
effective action, they a re com ing face to face
w ith tw o old enemies. T hey see em ployers and
big daily papers com plain co nstantly about
the tens of thousands of job openings an d th e
refusal of w orkers to accept “decent jo b s a t
reasonabl w ages.” Negroes know th a t the real
story behind these so called job openings is
not only low wages, b u t the stubborn, p re ju
diced refusal of m any em ployers to h ire N e
groes or to increase th eir present n u m b er of
Negro em ployes.
T he lily-w hite independent and A FL u n
ions are again openly opposing job e q u ality
for N egroes. T he A FL 's In tern atio n al A ssocia
tion of M achinists and various A FL build in g
trades unions are e ith e r b arring N egroes o u t
right or is telling th em to w ait u n til all th e
“m em bers” are p u t to w ork. In m any of these
unions N egroes rarely becom e a n y th in g m u t
tem porary “p e rm it” m em bers, though h ere
and th ere n o table eceptions can be found.
All of this adds up to th e fact th a t th e
Negro w orkers are m uch m ore uneasy about
the fu tu re th a n o th er A m erican citizens.
N egro reaction to th e ir p resent situ atio n v a ry
from n ear panic to cool, d eterm in ed anger.
S trikes in w hich they share th e lead e rsh ip
as in th e case of the K elsey H ayes strik e in
D etroit are p articu larly b itter. W hat th e ir new
affiliations w ill be now th a t th e R oosevelt’s
are no longer a p a rt of things in W ashington
rem ain to be seen.
Registration Up
InSiate of Georgia THE VETERANS LIGHTHOUSE
ATLANTA— (A NP) — S purred
j by rep o rts of unprecedented reg
istration of N egroes in v irtu ally
lish the rig h t of q ualified N egroes
every G eorgia com m unity, t h e
G eorgia A ssociation of C itizens
D em ocratic c l u b s re-enforced
CHICAGO— (ANP)—The local
th e ir efforts last w eek to estab-
public school system here has
to vote in all elections th ro u g h
launched a fight against racism
out th e state.
by the introduction of a 44-page
R egistration by N egroes in
guidebook, en titled “G oing Aloflg
G eorgia counties show s as high
T ogether—L iteratu re P oints t h e
as 750% increase, th e gains being
W ay,” to teachers.
attrib u te d in p a rt to th e in v ali
F irst copies of the book w ere
dation of the D em ocratic w hite
issued to teachers and principals
p rim ary by M iddle G eorgia F ed
of 39 elem entary schools last
eral D istrict Ju d g e T. H oyt Davis.
w eek during a literatu re confer
G athered a t Macon for th e ir
ence, presided over by Miss N el
sem i-annual session, G eorgia A s
lie R yan, a t Moose E lem entary
sociation of citizens D em ocratic
school. The teaching of to le r
clb m em bers listened to a com
ance should begin in k in d erg ar
prehensive rep o rt on th e progress
ten, Miss R yan believes.
of court action over th e p ast year
“C hildren do not have p re ju
and h eard an outlining of new
dices,” she said. "Prejudices are
plans for continuing objectives
p lanted by adults, and it is the
and a re p o rt on th e financial
responsibility of th e schools to
strength of the organization to
lead in creating a new w orld.”
date.
The book aim s to instill in the
C. R. A lexander, p resid en t of
pupil a ttitu d es of respect, tru st,
the Savannah D em ocrats, re p o rt
and u nderstanding tow ard all ra
ed reg istratio n of n early 2,000 a d
cial and religious groups; to ac
ditional N egroes since Ju ly , 1944.
q u ain t him through lite ra tu re
H. D. H eath, of Fitzgerald, re
w ith th e contributions m ade by
ported m ore th a n 200 registered
various groups; to lead him to
N egroes as com pared to only 12
w ard closer cooperation w i t h
in 1944.
these groups, and to develop in
J. M. A rkinson rep o rted th a t
him pride in his own heritage.
w here there w ere only 175 N e
The recen t anti-N egro school
groes reg istered in B runsw ick in
strikes caused Miss H elen P. Bull,
1944, th ere are today over 800
president of the YWCA, to w rite
registered.
M ayor E dw ard J. K elly a letter,
The N egro D em ocrats endorsed
urging com plete reorganization of
objectives calling for infiltration
the school board to “establish
of th eir organization in to every
dem ocratic practices and highest
com m unity of the state and m ade
educational stan d ard s.”
plans for an anual F ra n k lin D.
R oosevelt dinner, the first of
“HAVE YOU DONATED TO w hich w ill tak e place in A tlanta
THE UNITED NEGRO COLLEGE on the late P resid en t’s b irthday,
Jan u a ry 30.
FU ND ?”
School System
Against Racism
N ote to v eteran s seeking em
ploym ent w ith V eteran s a d m in
istratio n : G et y o u r civil serv ice
ra tin g im m deiately. A ll e x a m
inations m ust be reopened to v e t
erans. (A dditional note: B ran ch
offices are located in th e follow
ing cities: Boston, N ew Y ork,
P hiladelphia, R ichm ond, A tlan ta,
C incinnati, Chicago, M inneapol
is, St. Louis, D allas, S eattle, S an
Francisco and D enver. E ach
b ran ch office has its reg io n al
and sub-regional offices.) F o r
fu rth e r inform ation consult y o u r
C ontact R epresentative in y o u r
• * •
n e arest V eterans ad m in istratio n
In a recent address, Gen. B rad office, or your n e arest civil serv
ley clearly pointed out th e im ice facility.
* * *
portance of com m unity effort in
T he V eterans of F oreign W ars
veteran s rehabilitation. C ertain
ly no one w ill qu arrel w ith this organiation is asking congress to
statem ent. As this colum n has do som etihng a b o u t th e social se
rep eatedly stated, in th e final cu rity benefits lost to v eteran s
analysis any satisfactory tra n si w hile in service. T his is a tim ely
tion from m ilitary life to civilian- intercession in our behalf, and
ship w ill becom e th e com bined one upon w hich congress seem s
responsibility of the fam ily and disposed to ta k e favorable ac
th e neighbors of the discharged. tion.
• * *
The obvious logic of th is s ta te
S till only a trick le of su rp us
m ent should be too ap p aren t to
pro p erties g ettin g into v ete ra n s’
m erit fu rth e r com m ent.
• * •
hands. T he rum blings of p ro
V eterans housing has becom e tests a re grow ing louder by the
a n ational problem w hich is de- m inute.
• • •
man(jjn g
im m ediate atten tio n ,
T he m an n er in w hich v eteran s
and w hich w ill not aw ait m uch
m ore delay in providing a solu a re tak in g ad v an ta g e of the ed u
tion. To allow this u rg en t m a tte r cational fe a tu re s of th e G I B ill
to d rift along w ill be b u t to in of R ights is h ig h ly encouraging.
vite a national scandal. V eterans A nd w h at is even m ore g ratify in g
organiations, and groups in te r is th e success w ith w hich these
ested in veterans w elfare, are v eteran s a re handling th e ir e d u
“tu rn in g on the h e a t” to such a cational assignm ents.
• • »
degree th a t congress w ill soon be
G et in on th e victo ry loan drive.
forced to take rem edial m easures
for correction of this problem in T hese bonds w ill s e r v e as a
b ehalf of veterans.
Look for m ig h ty fine shock ab so rb er d u r
those m easures to evidence th e m ing th e financial re a d ju stm e n t p e
riod w hich is ce rta in to come.
selves soon.
VETS CONFAB LIVELY
The N AA CP V eterans conven
tion, held last w eek in W ash
ington, w as a p re tty lively affair.
Perhaps, aside from the objective,
v a l u a b l e inform ation gleaned
from the sessions, th e m ost sig
nificant featu re of th e conclave
w as th e b lu n t m an n er in w hich
vets stated th e ir gripes, and the
equally fo rth rig h t w ay in w hich
they called for adju stm en ts. A l
together, w hen considered in the
light of accom plishm ents, th e
conclave w as w ell w orth the e f
fort.
A New Rate
fo r the A LL-ELEC T R IC Home
4t Now PGE makes it easier than ever before to go “all-electric.”
PGE customers using electricity for cooking and water heating will
get this new rate upon application. Others can apply as soon as they
install both an electric range and water heater. The new rate provides
300 kilowatt hours of electricity for a minimum charge o f only
$4.50 and another 700 for 6 mills per kllowalt-hour. Excess kilowatt
hours beyond 1,000 per month cost 8j mills.
HOW
IT B E N E F I T S
w
im
b
YOU
A custom er with an electric range
1 now w ill pay only 95c a m onth for
average w ater heating use.
O A custom er w ith an electric w ater
* * heater may actually save money by
installing an electric range.
O A custom er w ho is an average
^ "all-electric” user now can save
about $1.39 a m onth.
A A custom er with n eith er electric
^ co o k in g n o r w ater heatin g will
pay only $2.94 ad d itional for average
use o f both.
Examples given here apply to homes a n d farm s now billed
under our Schedule 8, which applies to most PG E territory.
*
I f y o u q u a lif y , be s u ra to a p p ly fo r fh o n o w " A ll- U o c t r lc " ro to
PORTLAND GENERAL
ELECTRIC COMPANY
TRAVERS and RLAGG
CLIPPER SERVICE STATION
General Overhauling by Expert Mechanic
We Specialize in . . .
BRAKE SERVICE . . . WASHING . . . POLISHING
LUBRICATION . . . WAXING
WE N E V E R
>1
Do you know what’s missing
from this picture?
If you’re w aiting for a telephone, what isn’t
in this picture may be far more important
than what you see.
For although we are now getting and in
stalling thousands of new telephone instru
ments, even more orders for service are being
held up (and this may be the case with you)
by a shortage of other facilities that take
longer to build.
In many places, for example, we will have to
build complicated new switchboards before we
can provide telephone service . . . in others,
we will even have to put up new buildings to
house those switchboards.
But we arc working full speed ahead, and
no matter what the conditions are that are
holding up your telephone, you can be certain
we are doing everything we can to get to your
name on the waiting list just as swiftly as
possible.
THE PACIFIC TELEPHONE AND TELEGRAPH CO.
CLOSE
— 24 HOUR SERVICE -
For Service Calls Phone TRinity 1446
Now Open Under New Management
2707 N. VANCOUVER AVE.
o
They finished their |e b ...le t’s finish ours. IUY VICTORY RONDS!
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