The Houston Informer and Texas Freeman (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 15, No. 14, Ed. 1 Saturday, August 26, 1933 Page: 2 of 8
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EDITORIALS
MraHaH^^
THE HOUSTON INFORMER
AND
THE TEXAS FREEMAN
A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER FOR ALL THE PEOPLE
Published every Saturday by the Webster Publishing Company.
409-411 Smith Street, Houston, Texas____________
Entered as second-class matter May 28, 1919, at the post-office at Ho
Texas, under the Act of Congress, March 8, 1879.
B. B. WILLIAMS .......................
CARTER W. WESLEY ............
J. ALSTON ATKINS ..............-
L. D. EWING ......... -......-..-
C. N. LOVE
MISS HELEN TURNER .........
MRS. LILLIAN JOHNSON
GILBERT T. STOCKS .............
-_________m
---Contributing
.................Society Editor
Asst. Gen. Mgr.Circulation Mer.
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when obtained.
INTELLIGENCE AND INTEGRITY MAKE MEN
AND RACES GREAT
HOUSTON, TEXAS, SATURDAY, AUGUST 26, 1933
MINISTERS SUPPORT N. R. A.
The support given to the N. R. A. by the Negro ministers of
Houston, as indicated by the way they rallied to the NE A
school for ministers held last Saturday, shows how deeply our
preachers are interested in the welfare of their people, and also
shows that they can be depended upon for full cooperation fa
those movements which are likely to bring better times. Sev-
enty-two ministers registered in that school, a fine record for
ministerial cooperation in this community.
But it is not an unexpected record: our ministers will always
be found in the front rank of worthy causes submitted to them
for their consideration. The fact that they now give such um-
stinted cooperation to the N. R. A. movement makes its suc-
cess among- Negroes a foregone conclusion.
WIVES SHOOT IT OUT
It seems to The Informer that there ought to be some more
peaceful method of settling family rows between husbands and
wives than the primitive method under which wives shoot it
out. It would be so much better and reflect so much mere
credit upon the ancient institution of marriage, if these dif-
ferences (most of which are not as bad as they appear) cod
be adjusted without resorting to violence.
The fact that there seems to be a growing tendency far wives
to kill their mates is at least not the most encouraging thing im
the world. It shows that training and opportunity are often
misplaced.
WILEY PREDICTION COMES TRUE
The prediction which was made in The Informer not so Rome
ago that the Wiley singers would make good at the World’s Fair
has come true. Three times they were invited back to the Hall
of Religion to delight huge crowds with their inimitable music.
It proves that Wiley keeps on making progress.
NEGRO HISTORY IN SCHOOLS
The recent recommendation of a committee of white South-
ern educators in session at Peabody in Nashville that “a text-
book giving a faithful account of the American Negro to toe
life of our country” be placed in the curricula of al public
schools, white and colored, is a happy one.
Ignorance, more than anything else, is the basis of prejudice
among peoples of the earth; and the more that different races
learn and know of each other the more tolerant they will be.
And in this offense of intolerance based upon ignorance Negroes
are almost as great offenders as other races. We should wel-
come Negro history in our schools.
COOPERATIVE SUMMER SCHOOLS
The most encouraging thing which has happened among the
Negro colleges of Texas in recent years is the cooperative sum-
mer schools. Instead of conducting two summer schools each
in Marshall and Austin, respectively, the officials «f Wiley and
Bishop and of Samuel Huston and Tillotson have had the admir-
able good judgment of pooling their efforts. The result has
been a reduction' of duplication and an increase of efficient.
If this can be done to good effect in the summer school, why
can it not be done with greater success in toe regular session?
It can be and the sooner a practical plan for making this peesi-
ble is worked out the better it will be for the Negro college
and, what is more, the better it will be for the Negro communi-
ty from which the students come and into which they must so.
DR. MOTON REPLIES
In what seems to be a deliberate attempt to for DELE
Moton, principal of Tuskegee Institute, to take asenft I
crimination against Negroes in industrial codes submitted to N
R. A., the Montgomery Advertiser, white Alabama daily news
paper, recently published a bold, false news story to the effect
that Dr. Moton had in fact already taken such a stand. ___
Dr. Moton’s reply to questions about the truth of the stere
puts at rest any doubts as to his real attitude in the
He says that he made no such statement as that reported i
the Advertiser and further that Negroes should receive the
same consideration as others under N. RA The Tusksece
principal is to be commended for this straightforward stand for
justice to his people.
"GET RICH QUICK” _..
In the long run the age old game of getting something fer
nothing just can not be beaten. Those who urtratis
game sooner or later come to grief. That is the real basis of
the “pigeon dropping” racket; and that is why as many *
parently innocent people, especially Negroes, have been the vic-
tims of that racket.
We should condemn the pigeon-dropper, of course; but these
of us who have those “get rich quick” bugs in our hats, which
make as always want to get something for nothing, should try
to control this weakness. When we do, we shall avoid the
pitfall which the Sandy Point gentleman fell toto last week,
when he lost his only $28.25 by trying to get three times that
much for nothing. Honest toil is the secret of permanent smo-
cess..
THE HOUSTON INFORMER
AND
THE TEXAS FREEMAN
A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER FOR ALL THE PEOPLE
WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN?
It is a horrifying thing that thirteen year old boys are put-
timg themselves in the class of those who voluntarily kill. Not
al boys are fa this class, of course, but the fact that one in Hous-
tom killed his chum in an argument over a deck of cards last
week, shows that the home, church, and school have a serious
patoblem on their hands. Boys are the men of tomorrow.
THE MAN AND THE QUESTION
If there is any more important question facing the Baptists
of Texas and the nation than the question of unity, what is it?
What has done more to wreck the hopes and the plans of the
Baptists of Texas and the nation than the application of the
principle that “divided we fall?” There is little disagreement
compenming the answer to these questions.
Since, therefore, the all important question is the question
of unity, does it not seem reasonable that a man should be se-
lected as president of the Baptists who believes wholehearted-
ly im unity? Certainly it would not be a wise step to select a
mam who is opposed to solving the most vital question which
faces the millions of this denomination.
It would seem to follow, then, that since the most vital ques-
tiom is the question of unity, and since the wise thing to do is
to select for president the man who has by both words and
deeds dome the most to promote the cause of unity, there is
hardly anything else for the National Baptist Convention, Un-
imcosporated, to do but elect Dr. S. R. Prince as its president.
For mo man has been more vigorous and effective in his stand
for unity than has Dr. Prince. A vote against Dr. Prince is a
a vote against unity.
THE BREAD BONDS
This is the day that we have an opportunity to vote for the
bread bonds. This is the day we have a chance to express our
real le for our fellowmen. This is the day when we must
choose between letting hungry children continue to be hungry
(and possibly letting them die from undernourishment) and let-
ting them have bread and milk to help sustain and build their
Etule innocent bodies.
Let me Negre who professes belief in the principles of Jesus
Christ return from the polls today after having cast a vote
against the bread bonds amendment. For Jesus said “Suffer
Title children to come unto me and forbid them not, for of such
is the kingdom of heaven;” and He also said of those who wrong
Eitle children that “it were better for him to have a millstone
tied about his neck and he be cast into the sea.”
NEGRO GROCERS
ft is only through dose organization that Negro grocers have
any chance of staying in business as a permanent proposition.
AI other small grocery units have found this necessary and
Negroes will, too. The fact that the Negro grocers of the fifth
ward have made a start in this direction is encouraging.
G. A. (Duke) Crawford and his associates are to be congrat-
ulated upon their foresight in getting together while they can.
For this is an age when truly “united we stand, but divided we
fall”
THE NEW WOODMEN LEADERSHIP
“New occasions teach new duties; time makes ancient good
umoouth.” No truer thing could be said of the situation in
which Negro fraternal orders now find themselves. All of them
are faced with new problems, with new perplexities, and with
new difficulties. The old way of doing things is no longer suf-
ficient. There must be a new vision or Negro fraternal orders
must perish.
Thanks to the wisdom of the people a few of these orders
are entrusting their affairs in the hands of a new type of lead-
ship. Old leadership has been trying, but, as President Roose-
velt said of the old leadership of the American government,
“their efforts have been cast in the pattern of an out-worn tra-
dittion.”
So it was with the American Woodmen, and it is gratfying to
The Informer that the people have had the vision and the wis-
dom to try a new leadership. We have no doubt that L. H.
Lightner, the new supreme commander, will promulgate a con-
structive and progressive program; and Texas should be espe-
cially proud to have J. E. Robinson as the new vice supreme
commander.
THE BARBERS AND THE N. R. A.
Nobody should object to the Negro barbers when they add to
the prices of hair cuts and shares the added cost of diving up
to the reemployment agreement of President Roosevelt. That
agreement is designed primarily to put people back to work and
to raise the pay of people already working.
But everybody objects when Negro barbers raise the prices
of baar cuts and shaves without putting anybody else on their
pay rolls and without adding anything to the amount of present
pay rolls. Especially is this true when they use the same old
duty towels that they have been using all the while at the low-
er price. It does seem that, if they are going to raise the price
of a hair cut from thirty-five cents to fifty cents, they could
at last use clean linen on every customer who pays the extra
fifteen cents.
Most Negro barbers are just renting their chairs and there-
fore they get only what they make and are no extra expense to
PEN ttiwhie they work. Why then the increased
A WISE NEGRO VOTE
“Negro vote saves city supplement,” is the streamer headline
in a recent issue of the Caroline Times, which begins its news
“Durham.—A check-up of the two largest precincts in
which Negroes vote revealed that the election held here to de-
termime whether the state appropriation for the schools of the
city should be supplemented by the levying of a 20 cents tax
during the fiscal year had been saved by the Negro vote which
went almost solid in favor of the plan.”
The Informer in not now interested in the merits or the de-
merits of the educational supplement law of North Carolina,
but we do think it is a significant thing that Negroes are found
re tinm Somthera state voting in favor instead of against more
WHAT WISE SPENDING WILL DO
In Philadelphia early in this month one of the big grocery
chaims appointed a Negro an manager of one of its stores in a
Negro neighborhood. While it wasn’t put just that way it is
clear from the facts that the wise spending of the Negroes who
live im that neighborhood was the cause of this appointment.
The millions of dollars which Negroes spend in Texas for
groceries could do a lot of things for Texas Negroes, if it was
spent as wisely as this. But these millions will only add to our
misery if we spend them with such stores as those which say
that they don’t have to do anything to get their Negro trade,
became they “will get that anyway.”
OPINIONS
CIMBEE’S
RAMBLES >
By 8. B. WILLIAMS
My time is growing very short up
here. It won’t be long now before I
must hit the long, long trail through
New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland,
Virginia, Tennessee and Arkansas. I
think m disappoint the state of Ala-
bama by dodging all those toll bridges
they detour you over, trying to col-
lect enough toll to get the bridges
paid for before they finish the high-
ways.
Well, I made a short trip down in
Jersey this week to Long Branch.
This is a lovely country to drive
through, but the inhabitants are not
so polite as the New Yorkers. In fact,
if I had to choose between Alabama
and New Jersey, I would readily se-
lect Alabama. If it is one thing that
New York Negroes hate, it is a drive
through New Jersey.
I can’t get accustomed to the cold-
ness existing in this city between our
people. You know down home, it is
customary for everybody to greet
you whether they know you or not,
with a “how-de-do” or good morning.
But up here you are stared at but
never spoken to. You come nearer
getting a bow or a greeting out of the
whites than you do from your own
race. This seems to me to be overdo-
ing the thing. If it’s one thing the
Negro needs, it is a better understand-
ing and closer relationship, not so
much aping the white man’s eti-
quette.
Everywhere 1 go, I am impressed
with the stupendous outlay of money
made by the different municipalities
for the convenience of the people. For
instance, there is a highway ten or
more miles long, built above the main
streets of New Jersey, making it pos-
sible for tourists to pass through or
rather over this city at the rate of
40 miles per hour. And running from
Canal street down near East River, in
New York City, there is such a high-
way above the mad and rushing traf-
fic on the city streets, which carries
you over this congested area all the
way up to 72nd street and Riverside
Drive. This speeds up traffic through
the city remarkably. You are per-
mitted 35 miles per hour on this
drive, and of course you know that
means that cars make from 45 to 50
miles per hour. In truth there seems
to be no limit on speed in the city
streets. You just make all you can
as long as you can,- which isn’t for
long at a time.
What annoys strangers driving
through New York is the various sys-
terns of traffic lights. In one section
the lights are situated in the center
of the street, and motorists must stop
at whatever corner the light catches
him, no matter how far the red light
is from him. This makes it rather
difficult to watch traffic and keep
your eyes on the light several blocks
ahead of you. In other sections the
lights are on the corners half hidden
under some elevated railway pillar,
Which if you don’t know it is there
you are more than likely to not see
it. In still another section they have
what is called the “stagger” system
of lights, which is the best. Here you
can see the lights very distinctly and
gauge your pace to keep going con-
tinuously at about 25 miles per hour.
I had an occasion this week to see
why so many of our southern immi-
grants to the North are so pronounc-
ed in their denunciation of their old
home, the Southland. My son, who
has been treating me, sent me to a
stomach specialist. Instead of being
shunted off to some dark obscure
room in the rear, I was rushed into
the waiting room where all patients
are sent. The lady assistant was as
courteous as if I had been Rockefeller
himself. The doctor was more than
courteous. Nothing was said or hint-
ed at, which would cause me to think
on my color. Such little things as
this, and numerous other things which
the southerner hasn’t been accustomed
to, make the North and East appear
as a second heaven. You will find Ne-
groes in Harlem, who haven’t a bed
on which to sleep, nor clothes with
which to make a change, who would
rather meet St. Peter than to go
South again. Poor fellows, they have
my extreme sympathy.
Brooklyn and New York City, to
the stranger, appear to be literally
overrun with children. The casual ob-
server would conclude that there
didn’t exist a single family in all this
section which was childless. This
comes about, no doubt, from the fact
that there are no yards, scarcely, in
which children may play. The homes
are apartments, often with widows,
only in the front and back, making it
entirely unsuitable for a growing
child. Thus, the streets and sidewalks
are jammed with kids of all sixes,
colors and descriptions, running, skat-
ing, playing ball and doing everything
else they can get away with. During
the hot days certain Hoeks in every
section are given over to children to
enjoy gutter bathing, in water drawn
from the city's fire plugs. This is a
sight worth seeing. Seeing such on
the streets you wouldn’t imagine that
every beach within 20 miles of the
city was covered with little kids. They
are here, brother, believe me.
In this city, and I mean by that,
Greater New York, politics rule su-
preme. The politicians never rest be-
tween campaigns. The Republican and
Democratic clubs are permanent fix-
tures, holding their meetings regu-
larly and sustaining permanent
headquarters. Tammany, the power-
ful Democratic organisation which has
New York by the nose, keeps a
motherly eye over its supporters. No
loyal Tamanite must go hungry, or
without shelter. His children must be
cared for, father and mother
must have jobs, even if the city
treasury goes in the red millions of
dollars. I have often wondered how
such an organisation which is de-
nounced by the entire country as Tam-
many is, could still exist and hold the
reins of government. But one can
easily see how they work it Paid
workers, the year round, visit the de-
serving, studiously avoiding the de-
flection of the least from the ranks.
REVIEWS AND COMMENTS
By UHLAN nouso
FROM A SOUTHERN
NEWSPAPERMAN
Despite its length, we quote the fol.
lowing editorial from the Houston
Press in toto, without apology:
MURDER’S OTHER NAME
For the lynching of two negroes in
Alabama and the serious wounding of
a third, the officials seem to have
been partly responsible. According to
the reports, the sheriff was moving
the prisoners from Tuscaloosa to
Birmingham without the knowledge of
the judge. A lonely road was chosen
by the sheriff, and after proceeding
a few miles one car with deputies
turned back, leaving only the sheriff
and two deputies to protect the three
prisoners. When two cars carrying
lynchers appeared and demanded the
prisoners, the sheriff gave them *
In the old days this was a common
occurrence. Fortunately it is not so
frequent now. More and more offi-
cers of the law are acting re their
oath to protect prisoners. This ac-
counts in large part for the decline in
lynching. In 1931 the figure fell to
14, and last year to 10.
A mob is made up of cowards. Not
many mobs will go through with a
lynching without the active or tadt
co-operation of the law officers who
are paid to combat mobs.
=-=
Amite tabi creo fame •
beery has • *•
-HS-REE
**■“• DAT Tamke:
The “Lo
the
“IME SHHE
msm
Her Owenils 1
UP She a no
miletely trans
and lowing
Sk You
h
off 1
It would be unfair to blame Ala-
bama for these new crimes Public
opinion in the state is against lynch-
ing. Responsible groups of citizens
are trying to stamp out this barbar-
ism. They are supported by many
judges and law officers. Last year
there were no lynchings in Alabama.
But, of course, the test here is
whether the state of Alabama catches
and convicts the lynchers, and punish- .__A--
esthe sheriff and his deputies for motM =
lanure to defend the prisoners.
1 lining
ou
9 --= ’
By punishing the guilty, Alabama
can help in solution of this nation-
wide problem. Despite misinformalire
on the subject, lynching is not limit-
ed to the South, or to negroes, or to
alleged sex crimes. Last year two of
the 10 lynchings were in the North-
ern states of Kansas and Ohio, and
two of the victims were white men.
Of the alleged offenses—not proved
but merely alleged offenses of the
mob victims, only one of the !• was
for attempted attack on a white wom-
an.
The least offense is sufficent ex-
cuse for lynchers or officers who put
themselves above the law. On Sun-
day morning the lynchers killed two
negro prisoners, and that same after-
noon near Tuscaloosa officers shot to
death another negro for alleged resist-
ance of arrest on a charge of stealing
chickens.
silly. Tr H =
E==RE
3-2=1,E
ga State Bank and Amtiiny Out
one time amanrere and cmmetie mag-
are mo. He w m=E EL
that misery loves cnyumy cis i
Pams *""" - de =
_____etto
MISS CARNET ON RED
The -iy afaqpette -ms off
gro education fa rite too* any
G
a survey fa eiluciin
=3* = *
tirdly to name ire the ----- —
ditioms which mesil in its eirstio-
no other civilized country fa the 2=
world is murder by lynchers and rac-loe * = -
keteers a menace as in the United ----------= W E
‘States. It will -continue until we
realise that these forms of murder are
not a menace to one region alone but
a menace to the nation.
And on the same day that these
three citizens were murdered in Ala-
bama without protection of law, the
president of the United States ordered
warships to Cuba to protect Ameri-
can lives if necessary.
In - “' *
0O
Although we enjoy Mr. Foster’s
writings always, there have been sev-
eral instances where we thought his
viewpoint was very narrow and small
and unduly prejudiced. We do not
in the above editorial agree with him
in his opinion of Alabama, but he
has gone a long way and since he is
a true son of the South, his editorial
is all the more worthy of commenda-
tion.
oCo
THE OPEN COUNTER
The basic fact of the following com-
ment from the Afro American is an
example of things which happen about
us daily, but which we seldom think
about:
Baltimore drug stores find that the
only way to keep down losses from
shoplifting is to put goods into glass
containers.
Woolworth’s Five and Ten Cent
Stores, whose sales policy is built re
open counter display of all articles,
are said to allow $100,000 a year for
losses by theft
A. and P. American Stares also
must write off tremendous sums for
the same reason, despite the fact that
ninety-eight per cent of buyers are
honest
The stores do not lose. The public
pays the bill. Cash customers pay a
fraction of a cent more far each
purchase, so that the goods stolen by
the petty thief and the bad debtor are
paid for.
oOo
NEGRO DAY AT THE FAIR
Local reports from Chicago, where
the World’s Fair is now in progress,
are to the effect that Negro Day was
a “flop.” According to actual statis-
ties, less than one-tenth of the ex-
, pected attendance were actually on
hand. To make matters worse, mo
money was reported to hare here on
the project, and the expense entailed
is said to have exceeded the returns
anire *.==="
to one mimith -rteioh
in mine out of eleven Suf
“The average comment e
Sud =s .uuie a’e
WUt per child, rite sere
me yueseemr" Ite
children the oumpoaifiive firm
* a
dtfahrid^Ufah
#EE mma^lE?^*
Prof. Carmey’ss survey show
the rale of ihliimary fa
Ration was 153 per ondt, as me
with 15 per omit far mudlie whi
#tim and 29 per ot for 1
In his erilum "Thy ly no
==-===
-Rei
garde a
meeds ^L^J^^L*/" the
ns w DEL
by a neat sum.
Chandler Owens, executive director
of the affair, believes, ft was stated,
that the “flopping” was directly due
to DePriest influence, which kept the
people home, or somewhere else oth-
er than the scene of the Negro Day
Program at Soldier’s Field. Mr. Owens
cited paid newspaper advertising-
both display and reading—and hand-
bills circulated through the Southside
attacking the affair and urging peo-
ple not to attend. The literature dis-
tributed by Mr. DePriest torn the
following notice:
“After looking into the whole pro-
gram I find that the tickets being sold
to the public are not tickets admit-
ting the holders to a Century of Prog- or
rasa and this so-called ‘Negro Day at am
the Fair,’ tarns out to be • ‘Negro to
day outside of the Fair.’ Soldier’s Ce
Field, where the pageant is to be an
held, is not in the enclosure fa the fair tie
grounds. The tickets admitting to -
Soldiers’ Field do not admit inside of
y even this is
We
, do
E
is in
DO YOUR PART
Everybody
o de
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Atkins, J. Alston. The Houston Informer and Texas Freeman (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 15, No. 14, Ed. 1 Saturday, August 26, 1933, newspaper, August 26, 1933; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1637870/m1/2/?q=Lamar+University: accessed June 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.