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About Portland inquirer. (Portland, Or.) 1944-194? | View Entire Issue (Nov. 30, 1945)
Àn Associated Negro Press Publication ftortlattii Ituiutm' Serving the Pacific Northwest Oregon’s atyegro Weekly PORTLAND. OREGON. NOVEMBER 30. 1945. VOLUME 2 PRICE 10c NUMBER 20 Truman K . Gibson Resigns Post As Civilian Aide to W ar Secretary Mr. Truman K. Gibson, Jr., for three years Civilian Aide to the Secretary of War, has resigned to return to the practice of law in Chicago, Illinois, the Honorable Robert P. Patterson, Secretary of War, announced today. In accepting Mr. Gibson’s resignation Mr. Patterson wrote him: “In view of your five years’ service you are entitled to have your resignation ac cepted, but I assure you that I regret to sej you leave. “You have served your country in a critical time with marked ability and with wholehearted devotion. In behalf of the War Department I express our deep apprecia tion for what you have achieved. I hope that we can count on your assistance as prob lems come up in the future. With your background of experience, your advice will be of particular value.” Mr. Gibson, in his letter of resignation, had commented as follows on the War De partment Negro policies: “As a result of the combined efforts of your and Mr. McCloy’s offices, reat progress has been m ade in the treatm ent and util ization of Negro personnel in the Arm y since the inception of the expansion program in 1940. This progress has produced profound changes in the attitudes of many field officers. However, t h i s progress and the attitude changes em phasize the rusty condition of the tools w ith which we began our work in 1940. Even now the situation is still far from being ideal. The Arm y’s inflexible Ne gro policy, developed shortly aft er 1915, had continued too long. This policy was based in a large part on the unscientific view that Negroes possessed traits and hab its that m ade the m inherently in ferior to whites and that there fore they could not and should not be used except in limited num bers as enlisted men and of ficers in the Army. “This inflexible policy and the attitudes held by m any about Ne groes m ade for a static condition in the Army. W hen the Selec tive Service and Training Act of 1940 required the utilization of large num bers of Negroes, many of them w ith superior education and training, the Army was un prepared to deal with the situa tion. As a result the W ar De partm ent has had to resort to various expediencies in order to cope with more tthan 700,000 Ne groes that have been in the’ serv ice since 1940. “There is every indication that the type of planning for Negroes that occurred prior to 1940 has been discarded. There is, there fore, much hope for the future. The approach to the problem of using Negroes is no longer based on the assum ption that they are inherently inferior to other sol diers. The approach now is to determ ine the best possible m ili tary usage of the lOg of our pop ulation that may be a determ in ing factor in any future w ar in which this country is engaged. The policies that will m ake for the best m ilitary usage will be supported by a nation united in the conviction that the burdens of m ilitary participation are be ing equitably distributed over all of our population and th at the responsibilities of m ilitary serv ice are being assigned on the basis of ability. “W hen policies are f i n a l l y adopted that will achieve the best possible m ilitary utilization of all segm ents'of our population, there will be little doubt in the minds of a m ajority of Negroes that a system of U niversal M i l i t a r y Training should be supported.” During his five years in the W ar Departm ent, Mr. Gibson in spected nearly every m ajor Army installation in the United States and in the M editerranean and European Theaters of Operation abroad. He was aw arded the m edal for M erit by President T ru m an in Septem ber, 1945. The Medal was presented to him by retiring Secretary of W ar Stim- son in a ceremony attended by W ar Departm ent officials who had worked v. ith him. Mr. Gibson is a graduate of the U niversity of Chicago where he obtained both his college and law degrees. THE JOLLY JOAN RESTAURANT POSTS SIGN BARRING NEGROES Large signs w ith the wording, about having these signs removed. “We Cater to W hite trade only” This was a few months ago. At have begun m aking their appear that time Mr. Riley stated that ance again following a short pe there was no law #to prevent such riod of absence when the Colored signs being posted. He was ask Tax Payers League of Multnomah ed if there was not a law rela County w ent into action a few tive to ‘inciting to riot’? After months ago. The most prom inent answ ering in the affirm ative, he of these signs is at present in the was asked if these insulting signs largest restaurant in Portland, the came under that law. He said he JOLLY JOAN restaturant locat would get an opinion from the ed in the heart of downtown Port city attorney but t h a t in the land at S. W. Broadway and meantime he would have the po- W ashington Streetts. This is not lice departm ent canvass places in the deep South but right here j having these signs and request in the largest city in the s ta te ; their removal. We have never of Oregon. heard w hat the city attorneys Rumors of other places of eating opinion was on the subject but in Portland having identical signs for a while the signs disappeared is going the rounds. In the past I from most of the places. Now two weeks there has been at least the signs are reappearing and it six different places. But the sign is tim e to get a decisive answ er in Jolly Joans is not a rumor. j from Mr. Riley or somebody. It was photographed by a staff photographer of the PORTLAND INQUIRER this week. S o m e m onths ago when a reporter for this paper turned in this story , it was given the lie by another A i l a f i f a | | \ F S publication in which it stated U JL nJ that the m anager of J O L L Y ATLANTA—(ANP) — Thirteen JOANS said that he would never Negroes took over duties U s t place such a sign in is es,a i wee|c as s^aff personnel in the lishment. To forestall any de office of service. the U nited States nial on the part of the manage- local Employment ment or any of his Jn en d s the The members of th staff had PORTLAND INQUIRER had the ^ for tWQ weekg for s‘gl1 p^otograp e ’ - their special duties under Capt. The Colored Tax Payers League Edward j Bryson who is now sent a delegation to see if Mayor ^ supervjsor for USES. Eail Riley wou a any i ^ Milton J. W hite, new m anager of the colored division, a graduate of Morehouse college, had been employed as interview er for Bell I A ircraft corporation during the war period. Two senior interview s are: G. W. Johnson, senior interview er in charge of placem ent a graduate of Am herst college, and Lawrence LONDON— (ANP)—T h e P a r . - Williams, a form er student of M or African congress which is being ris college, in charge of registra held in M anchester, England and tion. ' which has been widely adver Four em ploym ent interview ers tised in Negro newspapers in the responsible for and United States, has attracted but placem ent are: registration Thomas Massey little London either . ., atenion , in press - and Courtland Morehouse; from the daily nor . . . from . Grigsby, _ . , Green, .. the more . .. Joseph of Fisk, and G. representative Africans F. J R. 1 Key, - of £ Howard ; university, located here. er employe w ith the Ful A spokesman from the widely a ton form County D epartm ent of Pub- i said that the league _______ W elfare. Clerks include Miss pies was not . i lie • i j w ith the ° adventure nA Thelm a Beavers, of , . Morris . t associated _ . . . . he , . C „, “had , , been called „.I j i Brown; ’ Mrs. Lyons of which . Juanita , Mrs. * together .. , by said, „ Reid s Business college, and a group of left-wing ! „, , * . _ persons in the North of England Faustlnf, Sherar? ‘ ° Lewls Busl' who have not even put upon their ne)ls c0 veterans e®e’ e section ro1, ' . is manned propaganda leaflet the names of by The John R. Smith, of Morris the summoning organiations.” Brown, and W illiam Sullivan, This spokesman said further: “I Morehouse graduate. have seen only one reference to The section by the all the m eeting in the Daily Herald colored staff is served di and one in the News Chronicle. vision. Its duty not is a the claims offering O therw ise as far as I am able to of jobs and furnishing of appli say, the responsible press in this cants with blanks for unem ploy country has taken no notice there ment compensation benefits. of. “You will, no doubt,” he con tinued, “get flam ing news about it because George Pad more, well known correspondent, who is identified with those elements, is one of its moving lights. But the parties concerned have not so COLUMBIA, S. c. — (ANP) — far achieved the reputation for Thirteen year old Weldon DuBois sanity and balance in this coun Dixon, son of the Rev. and Mrs. try which are essential if their R. C. Dixon appeared in recital proceedings are to be taken seri before large audience in Carnegie ously. hall in New York City, the par New Lane President “I have no doubt they will do ents reported this week, m arking JACKSON, Tenn.— <ANP)—Dr. some good in arousing the au the first such honor to come to D. H. Yarbrough is the new presi thorities to the fact that there are a youthful South Carolinian. dent of Lane college. He suc- agitators for a better deal for our Young Dixon, whose mastering ceens the late Dr. Jam es F. Lane, people and for this reason per of the piano has astounded citiz- son of the founder. Bishop Isaac haps the League of Colored peo- i ens here for some ime, is a spe Lane. pies and other more balanced or- cial student in the Caputo Con- Dr. Yarbough was a professor ganiations will g e t a better hear- servatory of Musical arts in New of sociology at W ilberforce uni- jng I therefore do not condemn York City, which sponsored his versity, on leave of absence with them and hope they will achieve appearances on Oct. 31 and Nov. the Red Cross service overseas, some reasonable findings which 4. His formal debut as a con- He is a doctor of philosophy from may even command attention by cert artist is scheduled for the the University of Pittsburgh. |th e powers that be.” , early part of 1946. 13 Employed with Says Pan-African Congress Not Representative S. C. Prodigy in Cernegie Reciial Southern Life RECORD CROWD EXPECTED L0CÀL RESIDENT RECEIVES Depends on TO SEE JOE LOUIS HERE IN AN INTIMIDATING LETTER Negro Workers EXHIRITION ON DECEMBER 11th ATLANTA— (ANP)—The toil of The appearance of H eavyw eight1 Next was to overcome a ‘bad Negro workers constitute the basis Champion Joe Louis in Portland decision’ he had received in a for the easy life whitesoutherners on the night of Tuesday, Decem previous fight with Ray Acosta enjoy. ber 11th is going to be a sellout by flooring Acosta for the count The story of the Negro worker’s if inquiries concerning seats is early in their scheduled ten- major role in southern economy to be considered. Already hun round melee. He then took on old was recently disclosed through dreds of people have tried to re ‘W ar Horse’ Leo“TheLion” T urn W. Hardin Hughes’ article. "Eco serve seats to see the champion al er and coralled a decision by giv nomic Value of the Negro to the though no opponent has b e e n ing Leo the boxing lesson of the South”, by the Southern Regional named as yet. Or rather oppon year. He has been mentioned as council. Hughes wrote: ents as Jhe champion is to box a possible opponent for Kahut, “For three centuries, the Negro two different leather pushers over but wily George Moore, Millers has been an im portant factor in a four round route each m aking manager has other plans for this the economic development and a total of eight rounds. It ap great little fighter who hails from m aintenance of the south. As a parently does not m atter who Joe Kansas City. Regardless who his slave, while occupying a status is to box as long as the public opponent is on the night of De little better than that of a beast sees him in action. But, there cember 11th we bet he will wish of burden, the Negro made pos is always the chance of some he was the little man who wasn't sible the development of the thing happening although t h a t there after coming in contact with southern plantation, the wealth chance is about 10,000 to one. The the lethal dukes of Mr. Roy Mil- and ease of the Southern gentle bouts are to be exhibition bouts | ler. man,” and, indirectly, contributed but, just suppose some am bitious , This will be one of the best fight to the m aterial prosperity of the young fighter gets a notion in ! cards of the year and a record entire nation. As a freedman, the his head to try to K.O. the breaking crowd will not be a sur- Negro continued to render an ‘Cham p’. We think we will see I prise. abundance of cheap physical labor the fur fly and also the am bitious j ---------------------------- without which even a partial re young fighter. However, there habilitation of the south would is always that possibility that the have been delayed. The old-time next heavyw eight champ may southern aristocracy, stripped of now be an ‘unknown’ and why it» power and influence by the couldn’t he be found in Portland. ‘w ar betw een the States,’ and Improbable? Yes, but not im holding to a m aster-slave ideology possible. WEISSENBURG, Germ any — of hum an labor, found its econom On the same card with Joe on (ANP)— The 969th Field Artillery ic problems most difficult. December 11th Portland fans will battalion, stationed here, was W hites Avoid Work see Roy M iller in action against scheduled to perform security "Only gradually, over a period an opponent as yet unnamed also. guard at the trial of the Germ an of 75 years, has the southerner's Roy M iller has m a d e himself war criminals starting at N ürn conception of work been modified. popular with Portland fight fans berg, Nov. 20. The belief thaVJDhysica 1 labor is by winning every bout that he The 969th distinguished itself an affliction a n c ^ di ïrace to be has had here. First by handing at St. Lo, a turning point in the avoided*, whilo- nc.' a Irviag r- Tbv.U<. i Proctor a teqtfl mh allied _ offensive from the weit, held as formerly, is stffl a retard-1 round K.O. after er outboxing and land again at Bastogne, stonewall ing hangover from the days of outfighting Proctor all the way. | in the B attle of the Bulge. slavery. Even now, were the Negro’s physical services suddenly removed from the south and the colored people ‘sent back’ to some distant region designated by the race-baiting politicians, a chaotic condition of affairs would certain PHILADELPH1A — (ANP) —- sorship of future legitim ate pro ly fojlow. Millions of w hite folk, Charging that the play, “Strange ductions here. confronted with the necessity of Fruit", is an “open attack on the Vice president of the M inisterial physical toil, would, no doubt, evangelical church” the Rev. M el union of Philadelphia and vi throw up their hands in despair vin M. Forney, pastor of the Third cinity, an interdenominatoional and pray for the return of the Baptist church here, declared group, and successor to his father, Negro. The ‘grandeur’ of living Sunday that he would ask Mayor who died, in 1943, as general sec and the much-boasted ‘southern Bernard Samuel to band the Pro retary of the Loar’s Day alliance, hospitality’ would, w ithout the duction here. he indicated that his stand in re assistance of the Negro, become "I hope that an aroused Christ gard to the play would b e 'su p events of the past. ian conscience will d r i v e this ported at the weekly meeting of “Not only the south, but the show out of Philadelphia t h i s the Baptist and M ethodist con entire nation, is the recipient of week” Rev. Forney said in a ferences here. essential benefits from the Ne sermon at his church. “I intend gro's participation in the economic to call this m atter to the atten life of America. T hirteen million tion of M ayor Samuel, and know people, one-lOth of our produc ing the m ayor as I do, I be tive labor and consuming a some lieve he w ill act in his official w hat sm aller proportion of our to capacity and close the show”. tal production, must be considered The play opened last Monday WASHINGTON—(ANP)— Two an economic asset. The purchasing at the Forrest theatre, and is famous institutions, Carver hall power of the Negro population, scheduled to continue through and Slowe hall, again are on the in spite of relatively low stndards this coming week prior to its New m arket for sale, according to in formation from the Federal P ub of living is enormous. York premiere. “As long as 1920, the Negro Mr. Forney, son of the late Rev. lic Housing authority, which purchasing power in this country, j Dr. William B. Forney, militant moved last week to liquidate its as estim ated by the U nited States leader of th eLords Day alliance $53,000,000 Defense Homes corp departm ent of commerce, was $2,- 0f Pennsylvania, asserted t h a t oration holdings, six huge modern 000,000,000. At that time, the Ne “we allow too many of the de projects in W ashington. gro population was approxim ately praved minds of moral degene Reported for sale prior to this 10 and a half million. In 1942, the rates to affect our t h i n k i n g last announcement, several in 13,000,000 Negroes in the United through their books and plays. terested groups had looked over States spent in the neighborhood “We m ust put a stop to this Carver and Slowe halls, both of of $4,500,000,000 for consumers practice,” he said, “for if we listen which have national reputations. goods and services, an am ount to depraved minds we will have a But neither group was satisf:»d two and a half tim es as great as depraved society and a moral de- with the layouts for commercial the total exports to all South greneracy, which we are danger ventures and they were reluctant to acquire either as a hotel, or American countries. ously close to today”. Negroes and City M arket Support | In his sermon, he contended the latter purposes, both would “Even with conditions as they that “Phijladelphia has sunk to have to be remodeled, since ac are, the city m arkets of the south a new low in allowing the pres comodations in each are limited are positively affected by the entation of “Strange F ruit”, which to single occupancy and for sep num erous Negro consumers. In he said he saw at last Saturday’s arate accomodation of males and 1943, for example, the 149,119 matinee “after its n a t u r e was females. They were built for dorm itories and could only be colored people of New Orleans drawn to' my attention”. spent the m ajor portion of their “The play”, he said, “could be useful as adjuncts to the present $75,000, 000 income in the m arkets construed as being a direct at facilities of Howard university of that city. In Memphis, a Negro tack upon the Evangelical C hrist or for use by the YMCA or the population of 121,498 spent a cor ian church. The most im portant YWCA. Only recently, the YWCA respondingly large part of their experiences of our Christian life acquired additional dorm itory approxim ately $70,000,000 inebme. are held up to ridicule. Conver space through the removal of a Similar facts could be presented sion is smeared, salvation is white group from a colored for the other cities of the south. smeared, salvation is mocked, and neighborhood. Operation as an adjunct to the present institu “In the cities of the north where church m embership is a joke. discrim ination against colored “One of the characters in the tions would serve an area rem ote people is less severe, the income play — and a rotter, at that — from either of the present insti- of Negroes and their expenditures ¿peaks of joining the church while 1 tutioins. for consumers’ goods and services he is drinking. Then, as he is However, in looking over the are somewhat greater. The 188,- playing the part of a miserable buildings, one New York opera- 843 Negroes of Baltimore, one- sinnet doing one of the lowest acts tor said that too much spate was fifth of that city’s population in of life, he states that he is going devoted to recreational facilities 1940, owned homes valued at to join the church, and infers that in both buildings to m ake them $8,598,100. A som ewhat larger he is going to live the decent life profitable from a hotel standpoint. Negro population in 1942 made This is, of course, a farce”. Specifications of the properties, consumer purchase estim ated at After his sermon, Mr. Forney income, m aintenance costs and $89,800,000. indicated that he would not only other data concerning them will “The largest Negro m arket in seek a ban on the play, but would be published and bids solicited (Continued on Page 2.) ¡lead a campain for stricter cen-¡w ithin a few days. Battalion Now Doing Guard Duty Philadelphia Pasinr Asks Mayor To Put Ban on "Strange Fruit" Carver, Slowe Halls for Sale Mr. R. A. Lindley, 103 N. Mc- Millen Street received an intim i dating letter on Monday of this week from a Vancouver resident who signs himself J. C. Conners, in which he stated in part w hat would happen to Mr. Lindley if he w as in Waycross in the state of Georgia. Previously Mr. L ind ley had sent a letter to the ed itor of the Oregonian, daily new s paper in which he referred to Portland as the “City of Thorns”. Conners letter was in answ er to Mr. Lindley and was mailed to Mr. Lindley and not the new s paper. he original letter sent by Mr. Lindley follows: Race Discrimination To the Editor: Why is it such a glaring fact that the people of Portland or "The Rose City" are so intent on ‘ denying jobs to colored peo ple? There are thousands of them willing and able to do different jobs, but every time they apply for them they are told, "I'm sorry, we want whites." It should be called "The City of Thorns." I have several men in my house who are nice, decent fellows, who get up every morning looking in the pa pers and running all over the city in quest of jobs, only to get the same an swer. That is most discour aging and when six months haven't passed since tip great war was ended to abolish such an e v tt pnc> tice. . Surely this thing can't keep on. The people m ust surely see that if they are not given jobs soon there will be an awful big job of caring for these people and instead of getting w o r k done they will be paying money out of their earnings for people to stand around and do nothing. For after all people have to live and somebody is going to pay. We are not asking for charity or pity. All we ask is a chance lo earn a decent living. R. A. LINDLEY, 103 N. McMillen St. The intim idating ansker he re ceived was dated November 23rd and was mailed from Vancouver, W ashington on November 24th. It read: Just read your article in today's Oregonian. Who in Hell brought you out here anyway. It's a dam cinch no one outside of Kaiser sent for you, and if you happened to be in Way- crosse. Ga.. you would be taken care of properly for signing your nam e to an article like you wrote. (signed) J. C. Conners Vancouver, Wash. This is not the first tim e that this J. C. Conners wrote intim i dating letters. He w r o t e a threatening letter to the editor of the Portland Inquirer some time ago. This letter was read into the m inutes of the Tax P ay ers League. It is not k n o w n w hether J. C. Conners is a man or a woman or a psuedonym used to throw the Postal A uthorities off the track. The first letter sent by Conners was sent to the Postal Authorities as this one will be to. No evidence of any other letters have been received by this publication but, if and when we find others, they will be pub lished. Full Employment Bill Rewritten WASHINGTON—(ANP)— W ith the “leak” that the adm inistra tion’s full-em ploym ent bill has been rew ritten by House m em bers Carter Manasco of Alabama, and W illiam W hittington of Mis sissippi, liberal forces in tthe na tion’s capital are saying th a t the reactionary farm bloc is in the ¿addle. It is pointed out that Manasco and W hittington, inhibited by their fears of deeont wages for cotton p ie k e rs^ n d dom estic aer-,» ykndFin -the s J tb . l£ve visu ally rendered the bill im potent to deal with unemploym ent. Coupled w ith the behlnd-the- scene butchery of the full em ploym ent bill is back-to-the-states move of the U. S. Employment service, liberals are saying. The first is in process and the lat ter has been accomplished. In addition to carrying an in nocuous cersioi* of full em ploy ment, the new ly w ritten bill is believed to include these provi sions: 1. An annual "economic report” by the President to congress, set ting forth his recom m endations for norm al public w o r k s and loans. If conditions w arranted, em ergency public works would be proposed to help relieve the em ploym ent slack. This annual re port would take the place of the job "budget” proposed in the original W agner-M urray-Patm an bills. The original “budget” plan contem plated attem pted estim ates in advance of any rise or fall in em ploym ent w ith recom m enda tions for federal spending gauged accordingly. 2. A board of economic advis ers to assist the President in gath- (Continued on Page 2.) Kentucky lo Be First Dixie State Hit in Equal Education Fight LEXINGTON, Ky. — (ANP) — be expected in the very near fu The Negro’s all-out a t t a c k to ture and I cannot see how any crack Dixie’s unequal jim crow court can do anything other than educational system is expected to follow the suprem e court’s ruling in the Gaines case.” begin in this state. That prediction was made here He reported th at one librarian last week by Dr. W. D. Funk- at a Negro college testified that houser, dean of the graduate less than 25,000 titles were in the school at the University of K en school library. No college can tucky, in a report' to the univer be expected to do creditable un sity faculty on graduate work in dergraduate work, much l e s s Negro institutions in the south. graduate work, “unless it had at A dram atic appeal was made on least 25,000 to 30,000 titles in the Oct. 17 by Dr. R. B. Atwood, presi library,” the librarian said. There dent of Kentucky State college at is not a single Negro institution Frankfort, before legislative coun in the U nited States in which a cil to adm it Negro students to student can secure a doctor’s de state-supported colleges for pro gree, Dr. Funkhouser added. fessional and graduate courses, H. L. Donovan, president of the not available at Negro schools of University of Kentucky, put the higher learning. m atter in the hands of state leg Dr. Funkhouser included in his islators. report a series of m eetings this “The responsibility for any ac sum m er in Durham for the states tion along this line lies with the of North Carolina, M aryland, V ir legislature,” he commented. “It’s ginia and the District of Colum entirely up to that group." bia when Negro educators pic M eanwhile, Negro educators tured by facts and figures the have expressed confidence that unequal jim crow educational sys the courts will base a favorable tem in the south. ruling on the celebrated Gaines “K entucky is a border state case, which m eans that the state and is one of the first in which will have to provide equal edu Negroes will make an attem pt to cational opportunities for Ne secure admission to w hite insti groes, or throw open the doors tutions,” he said. "There is no of white tax-supported institu question but that test cases may tions to Negro students.