Friday. March 22. 1946
PORTLAND INQUIRER
Pag« Four
PORTLAND INQUIRER
Published Each Friday
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STERN TEACHER
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WAR VETERAN
(Continued from page 3)
Against Slavery. Even in this
war Negroes were used by both
sides only in desperation, but
they proved themselves again in
the test of battle.
Bill Williams found the verd­
ict of history in a picture of the
Shaw monument at the head of
Boston Common. On that monu­
ment, cut in stone, were the
words: “The Black Rank and File
Volunteered
when
Disaster
Clouded the Union Cause— Serv­
ed without Pay for Eighteen
Months till Given that of White
Troops— Faced Threatened En­
slavement
if
Captured—Were
Brave in Action—Patient under
Dangerous and Heavy Labors and
Cheerful amid Hardships and Pri­
vations."
And the words spoken by Lin­
coln at Gettysburg began to ring
true: " ... a nation conceived in
liberty and dedicated to the pro­
position that all men are created
equal.”
During the Spanish-American
war in 1898, Negro troops were
among the first tn receive their
orders to proceed to Cuba. In the
Battle of Santiago, these troops
shared the charge up San Juan
Hill with Roosevelt’s Rough Rid­
ers.
Major General Wheeler, Com­
manding Officer of the Tenth
Cavalry wrote of the Negro sol­
diers in his volume of memoirs,
“The reports of all their com­
manders unite in commending the
Negro soldier.” After relating
their exploits, se asked, “Is it any
wonder that they returned from
Cuba’s bloodstained fields cover­
ed with glory?”
William Sanders didn’t have to
sit in the library to learn about
World War I. His Uncle Jules
went through that one and would
talk about it as long as Bill would
listen.
“Wanta know what it was like?
It wasn’t like nothin’ you’d
think,” he’d say. “We joined the
Army to fight the Germans and
they put us to doin' stevedore
work under white officers. Kept
us there most of the time, too.
Finally, they threw up a training
camp for Negro officers— then we
went overseas.
“Was it the same thing over­
seas?" Bill asked.
“No, it wasn’t,” Uncle Jule<=
said. “We went up front. We
Vanpori Community Church
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! fought like mad. Y'see, most of
J us were itchin’ for the chance to
j show we were soldiers, not steve-
I dorcs. Afterwards, some French-
| men kissed our Captain on both
| cheeks and gave out a lot of med­
als. And it was all over.”
“What happened when you
came back?"
“When we came back, we took
J off our uniforms and found out
j we weren’t soldiers anymore— we
were ‘niggers.” ’
That’s how Bill Sanders learned
about Negroes in American wars—
from his school, the library books
and his uncle.
William Jesse Sanders was
j fourteen when he graduated from
Pinehill’s grade school. The near­
est High School was ten miles
away and Bill wanted to go, but
there was trouble in the Sanders
household.
Bill’s father worked as a “night
I horse” for the railroad company.
I Every night Jonathan Sanders
j went to the engine yard, at the
outskirts of Pinehill, where the
giant locomotives puffed to a
stop and had to be refreshed be­
fore they continued on their jour­
ney.
Bill’s father would dump the
ashes out of the coal-burners,
clean the engines, water them,
and put sand in the pockets on
top of the engines.
But Jonathan Williams was
getting old. Each night, as he
dumped the heavy buckets of
ashes, his bones would ache and
his shoulders would drop lower.
Bill started going down to the
engine yard at night with his fa­
ther. At first it was to help a
little. But afterwards, as Bill
learned how to do the job, and as
Jonathan complained more and
more of his bones aching, the CHURCHILL GETS NO!
(Continued from page 1)
younger Sanders did all the work
while the older man sat by and ish government, but for the ad­
watched.
ministration of this country as
Since Bill was responsible for well.”
his father keeping his job, it was
impossible to think of school any War Mongering
To Raymond Pace Alexander,
more. Bill didn’t mind too much.
He liked the big engines. He was Philadelphia attorney, it was:“—
war-moqgeiing speech and an
proud of taking a tired-out .loco­
motive and sending it out fresh ¡^ifmmt to the American people
which could only mean that he
and ready for a long trip.
When he was fifteen, Bill’s fa­ wanted the US and Great Britain
ther died. Bill tried to keep the to align themselves against Rus­
job as a “nighthorse,” pointing sia.”
The Rev. Ben Richardson, ed­
out that he actually had been do­
ing the work for some time, but itor of the Protestant, found it:
an undisguised declaration
the company said he was too “
of war against the Soviet Union
young.
The Sanders family had to eat which was made with the full
and Bill was now one of the main knowledge and consent of the
bread winners, so he got himself President and the State Dep’t.”
Charles Collins. Ameiican Fed­
a job laying track on a railroad
section crew. His muscles began eration of Labor vice-president
to ripple and strengthen under of the Hotel and Club Employes’
his dark skin with each stroke of Union, thought “----- it represents
a sledge hammer. But Bill wasn’t the British Tories’ frantic efforts
happy. He’d pause in his work to to bolster their tottering empire
watch a steam engine roar by, by launching World War III a-
and he wanted to be near engines gainst the Soviet Union.”
again, working with the mach­ Imperialism Condemned
ines.
Roscoe Dunjee, editor of the
Young Sanders sweated out the
track job for a year. Then he Black Dispatch (Okla.), saw Chur­
packed up and went to Hunting- chill as “a carpetbagger in Amer­
ton, West Virginia, where he hop­ ica___ If America joins hands
ed to find better opportunity. In with England as proposed, it
Huntington, he found work as a means we oppose freedom for
helper in a garage. The pay was India..... and propose to finance
not much, but it was a chance to the British shooting the Greeks
down in the streets of their home­
work with machines.
Bill stuck to the job in the gar­ land...... and object to the self-
age for over two years while he determination of subject peoples
picked up wrecks with a tow car, everywhere.” The NAACP said
helped to straighten out smashed that the proposal “would virtually
fenders, and patched up motors. insure the continuation of im­
He learned how to handle a perialism. It would have disas­
greasegun, change a battery, lift trous effects upon the fate and
a cylinder block and see what fortunes of colored peoples."
Charles Houston. Washington at­
made it tick.
Then, one day, he paused to torney, labeled it “___ an appeal
look around at the other work­ by Churchill for US to bail out
ers. There were mechanics and the British Empire and preserve
helper- in the garage. All the the old imperialism.”
Even more sinister designs
mechanics were white. All the
helpers were colored. Some of the i were seen in the Churchill speech
colored helpers had worked in the by Herman Osborne of the West
garage for twelve years or more. Indies Nat! Council: “British im­
They were doing the work of perialism is insanely jealous of
mechanics. Just the same they the mounting influence and pow-
were paid and treated as helpers. ! er of both America and Soviet
Russia in the modern world. It
Bill wondered about the equal­
will never tire of working to
ity of man. He had seen men,
bring about war between the peo-
with all the abilities and skills of
I pies of these two peaceloving
mechanics, remain helpers be­
countries." Dr. Charles A. Pe-
cause they were black. That fact
lioni. chairman of the Council,
burned a brand o f anger Into
j warned that “Churchill is not
to be trusted..... Britain wants to
(Contniued on page 7)
keep a hold on her colonial em­ overwhelming protest and scorn
from the Negro people,” Revels
pire.”
Cayton, executive secretary of
Complete Repudiation
the National Negro Congress,
“Anglo-American-Soviet team­ stated.
work must repudiate the sugges­
“Churchill is attacking the So­
tion of Churchill if we are to
viet Union because it is the one
have a world at peace.” was the
country where there are no im­
view of Mrs. Ada B. Jackson, perialists and no oppression of
Brooklyn civic worker. “Labor minority peoples,” said Benjamin
will oppose its might against Davis, City Councilman. “But we
imperialist war and exploitation,” will not spill the blood of Negro
despite Churchill's appeal, ob­
and white Americans to save the
served James Ford, Communist rotting British empire with its
leader. Ernie Critchlow, artist,
vicious enslavement of Africans.
suggested: “The American people
West Indians, Indians and other
should take a hint from the Brit­ colonials.”
ish—get rid of him.” “Our com­
bined front is against Mr. Chur­
chill,” said Elisabeth Catlett, WALKER and ROACH
sculptress.
R O O F IN G C O N T R A C T O R S
“Churchill’s international jun­
E lR ey S la te S u rfa ced S h in g le«
ket to save the decaying British
and Siding*
empire under the guise of fight­
1515 N . E 33rd A y e .
O A . 2942
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ENNIS WHALEY. Pastor
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