The Houston Informer and the Texas Freeman (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 14, No. 50, Ed. 1 Saturday, May 6, 1933 Page: 2 of 8
eight pages : ill. ; page 22 x 16 in. Digitized from 35 mm. microfilm.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
EDITORIALS
!2rererereF2F2F2F2F2F2FFRfr
THE HOUSTON INFORMER
AND
THE TEXAS FREEMAN
A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER FOR ALL THE PBOPLE
Published every Saturday by the Webster Publishing Conp-ns.
409-411 Smith Street, Houston, Tress
Entered sa second-class matter May 28, 1919, at the post-office att Eu
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 EULALIA A. EDWARDS
MRS. LILLIAN JOHNSON ......
GILBERT T. STOCKS ...............
.... Asst.
THE HOUSTON INFORMER
AND
THE TEXAS FREEMAN
A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER FOR ALL THE PEOPLE
THE FIGHT FOR EDUCATION
The fight for education which the Negroes are making up in
Nontin Carolina already gives promise of greater justice to Ne-
groes im that state. In simple terms it is a fight to prevent the in-
justice of making poor Negroes try to find the necessary funds to
go to distant states to get the educational advantages which
South Carolina provides for both rich and poor white people with-
in its borders. Medicine, dentistry, law, pharmacy, and the mas-
ten’s degree which is required by the state for Negroes to teach
in this own state schools, all come within the types of education
The same injustice exists in Texas and other Southern states.
For instance, Texas does not even provide for its Negro citizens
time full amount of training which is required of the members of
_ the faculty att Prairie View. This is wrong. In time it will be
Gem. Mge.-Ciomiletio me. menllined and corrected. •
Cotdnsuinng morion
............So 5
SUBSCRIPTION RATES (Cash in Advance):
One Year, $2.00; 9 months, $1.50; 6 months, $1.25; single cm., to
(No paper mailed for less than 6 months)
For Classified Ads, Call
ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES
W. B. Ziff Co., Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Red
City and Lagoa, Gold Coast, Afuica
Ka
IMPORTANT
Make all checks, drafts, money orders, etc., payable to amd aidless all
communications to the Webster Publishing Co., 409 411 Smith r
Houston, Texas.
Always demand a receipt when paytax your subscription to The Bottom
Informer, and pay no subscription to unauthorized representatives. A W
appointed agents of The Informer will tare receipt books. Protect *
own interest, as well as ours, by insisting upon a receipt red searing seme
when obtained.
INTELLIGENCE AND INTEGRITY MAKE MEN
AND RACES GREAT
THE N.A.A.C.P. BACKS UP
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People has backed up on its stand in the Scottsboro case. Origin-
allly, when it lost its fight with the I. L. D. for the whole show, the
N A A. C.P. washed its hands and would have nothing to do with
mem Now they hack up and put on a drive to help save these
This to the proper spirit. However wise or unwise it may
have been for the N. A. A. C. P. to take its former stand, it now
to bigg enough to confess its mistake and put first things first in
the Scottsboro case.
HOUSTON, TEXAS, SATURDAY, MAY 6, 1933
THE DAWN OF A NEW DAY
A new day dawned in Texas on Thursday of last week wihem
the unity commissions of the General Baptist Convention woilkes
to recommend the merging of their forces into one great corm-
tion. For forty years these bodies have been apart, the meassom
being nothing fundamental, and there is hope when the Dugpttistt
ministerial leadership begins to get big enough to confess its
foolishness and move forward toward unity.
The spirit of the Waco meeting was one of love and sincerity,
and these two bed-rock principles are bound to bring a fawemaiblle
answer to the prayers of the many that the Baptist family of
Texas be one. May there be none to try to prevail against it.
ARE THERE TOO MANY?
Are there too many high school graduates going two college?
This was the question which claimed the attention of the debaters
at the recent meeting of the interscholastic league. One side said
“yes” and the other said “no.” But the most significant thing
about this debate is the fact that consideration of this kind is be
ing given to the value of present-day college training to young
men and young women and to the communities where tthew must
make or be given a living.
And that was the point of view from which the question for
the most part was discussed. Little attention was given to the
question of how many ought to go; but a lot of attention was
given to showing that college training was or was mot of the wallue
which college presidents and professors claim for it.
Since even high school students have begun to debate the
question, it won’t be long now before our colleges must justify
themselves by proven facts. Not for long will the community take
the college’s value for granted. In this view such debates are a
good thing. We need more of them.
THE LIBRARY
We are still waiting patiently for the promised reforms to
be put into effect at the Negro library. When Miss Osborne was
dismissed we were promised better training, more efficient, and
a wider service to the Negro community. This has been prowem
to require that the librarian and assistant librarian have at Desstt
an academic degree from a first class college, and a degree to •-
brary science from a first class library school; and that ttihe mp-
propriations to the Negro library for salaries, new books, periodi-
cals, binding, et cetera, should be measurably increased.
Our faith that the library board sincerely plans to carry out
these reforms has been encouraged by its investigations Noolkiingg
to securing the necessary training in the personnel of the Negro
library. We also recognize that it often takes time to do things
like this right. But, while we wait with patience, this should mott
be taken as indicating that the Negro community has fiorgetthem
and become satisfied with present conditions.
GROWING TOLERANCE
That there is a growing tolerance on the part of the South-
era white daily press toward matters affecting the Negro is
dearly seen from the following quotation from an editorial about
the Scottsboro case, entitled “Justice Under Difficulties,” appear-
ing to the Beaumont Enterprise of April 18, 1933:
“Thr prosecution appealed to two kinds of racial preju-
dfire, and sectional prejudices as well. The jury was urg-
ed not to let “Jew money from New York’ influence the
counse of justice to the sovereign state of Alabama. All
through the second trial ran the ugly currents of racial
There to hope for the future of interracial progress in the
South to such expressions as this one.
NOT ONLY NEGROES
Not only Negroes, but white men as well, are capable of be-
ing changed with rape. Every time some howling mob cries,
“ipe” against some Negro, there is much insinuation that this
to tints & Negro crime, and that only Negroes are capable
The recent experience in Houston where a white man was
changed with attacking a little school girl shows that depravity
and brutality do not stop at racial lines. It shows more than this.
Bt shows a situation where a white man is accused of using his
brute force and might to take advantage of a helpless twelve-
OPINIONS
REVIEWS AND COMMENTS
By LILLIAN JOHNSON
The news that the United States was
off the Gold Standard was front page
Tews several days ago. Because of its
importance, it is still front page news.
In the United States, the news has
been received happily, (wich compara-
tively few exceptions) by a people
who look forward confidentially, be-
lieving that this move will hasten the
corner turning of our friend Pros-
perity, who in the past was said to be
Hoovering around the corner.” How-
ever, news reports of the reception of
the President s order reflect some very
interesting data, some of which is
not written to particularly joyful
notea
„“Time” . this week comments:
Around the world last week rang
out eries of dismay and outrage when
President Roosevelt abruptly swept
the U. S. off the gold standard and
let the dollar coast down toward the
depreciated currency levels of 34
foreign powers.”
Then this very significant state-
ment: “Domestic economy controlled
the President’s action but there was
hardly a country on earth that did not
see in his gold embargo order a slick
trick in world finance. This opinion
was intensified by the fact that he
had moved only two days before be-
ginning his White House conferences
preparatory to the World Economic
Conference.”
Federal judgeship held by Judge Low-
ell, while Representative Smith of
Virginia has threatened to move for
theid udses impeachment if grounds
A very interesting and fact reveal-
ing survey was compiled this week
by Charles E. Hall for the A.N.P. on
marital conditions ia the United
states among Negroes.
Mr. Hall’s report shows that al-
though Texas usually stands at the
foot of the list in many things that
have to do with the acquiring of
things that require money (in terms
of per capita for the masses), she had
the largest number of divorced fe-
males among Negroes in the United
UUCISODr9
RAMBUS
Sunday, April so, marked the men
anniversary of Mn A 1
Bragg, of Fairfield, Texas. Doeuit.
time fly? It only seems just a few
were it not for the
men whom I called
constrained to doubt th
my count of years. But, when 1
that the youngest of there you
hood or thirty, (to ta exat, 1
bare to ask their mother), 1 a
vinced that thirty eight yean
States, and in the world for that mat- actually down — _
ter, barring none. Mr. Hall reported mention ===
--------— ——1 urpat
ing out the marriage contract,
call the attention of the young
of today, who find it such an
one short year. I would like to
I
BUSINESS PICKS UP ___
While there are many dark things to read, the daily papers
are also full of hopeful signs that business is picking up and thadt
there are better days ahead for those who havt suffered and sttiill
are suffering from the misfortunes of the depression.
The greatest sign is that of renewed confidence to so many
quarters. Without confidence there can be no business revival; it
is the very life blood of trade. Let us as Negroes try to cultivate
more of it.
THE TRAGEDY OF LYNCHING
The Commission on Interracial Cooperation has rendered a
splendid service to the nation in its new publication, “The Tragedy
of Lynching.” It is a scientific analysis of the lynchings of 1999,
and a comprehensive dissection of the forces which for all time
have made lynchings possible, with comparative trends under a
variety of differing conditions.
In the opinion of The Informer, the greatest tragedy of lwmndh-
ing is the utter callousness of the mob, that its members Amnaw
not what they do: have no consciousness of wrong—even believe
that they are doing right Training of the head alone will mott
solve this problem; training of the spirit is likewise essential.
Every American should be familiar with the facts and matt-
ters contained in “The Tragedy of Lynching.”
OIL AND GASOLINE
The problem involved in the fight that was waged Car yeours
now in the East Texas oil fields can never be solved aright as
long as oil companies can buy the crude oil at their own price,
and sell the gasoline for anything they wish. Ten cents per bar-
rel is what they are now paying for the oil in East Texas. But
gasoline is still fifteen cents a gallon, and the price of lubricating
“Britain, off gold since 1931, loudly
feared the loss of her tremendous ex-
port trade advantage over the U. S.
as the gap between the pound and the
dollar quickly narrowed,” the report
said and added that many English-
men felt that the President’s action
was an ’attempt to horse whip Britain
into line for some sort of currency
agreement.” The Duke of Northum-
berland’s “Morning Post” is quoted:
We warn ‘against a disorderly race
of currency depreciation’ and the
“Financial News” angrily says “Wil-
ful sabotage could not go much fur-
ther * * * The whole thing has been
deliberately planned in cold blood as
a piece of diplomatic blackmail.
France, which is now the only
world power now on gold, was as
usual more suave, although perhaps
just as disgruntled. Her bankers TSI
spoke of the President’s action, says at
“Time” as “'a political fraud, too
cleyer to be successful.’ Cried the
‘Journal debats’ ‘We would be play-
ing the dupe to continue distributing
gold * * *” But sitting on top of a
$3,170,000,000 reserve Marianne la
France vowed she would not go off
gold.”
“Foreign alarm reached such a
pitch that Secretary of State Hull
had to explain the President’s mo-
tives to each country, elaborately de-
nying that the U. S. had gone off
gold to gain a diplomatic advantage
in the forth coming economic discus-
a 103 per cent increase in the Texas
colored divorced record for a ten year
period and adds that this is where
Texas shines like a “Lone Star." “The
males down there simply can not hold
them," he says, and the 13,643 divore-
ed population exceeds that for the
states of Georgia, North Carolina, and
Virginia, COMBINED, where there
are more than 1,750,000 Negro inha-
bitants than in Texas.”
“In Houston (Texas),” says Mr. Hall-
one fourth of our females 15 years of
age and over, are either widowed or
divorced.”
Mr. Hall doesn’t express any alarm
or any other emotion over this con-
dition. But he does add mildly that
the Negro is the only racial group
having more females than males and
states that the sex ratio or number
of males per 100 females, is only 97
as compared with nearly 103 white
males per 100 white females. In that
case, perhaps it’s a good thing that
we seemingly have taken to divorce
like a duck takes to water, it at least
assures a woman of a slight chance to
find out what matrimony is like, even
if she doesn’t care for it.
• • •
yeaur-olld girl of his own race, who was entrusted to his care and
I Many horrible things have been laid at the door of Negroes; =
but selliom is there a case where a Negro is charged with such a Sons, the report nays, and then can-
gruesome breach of trust as this. -------1--R-----
EVEN WOMEN AND BOYS
Ome Texas daily reported that the mob which recently as-
sumbbled aft Marlin and surrounded the jail where a Negro suspect
wass supposed to have been held, was composed of “several hun-
dhed men, women and boys.”
ft is this sad spectacle which has helped to make the leaders
among the white women all over the South fight so hard to put
a stop to lynchings. They know that there can be nothing per-
monently worthwhile in a civilization whose women and boys al-
low themselves to become mobbists.
didly enough, adds “But no one de-
nied that the U. S. had, in fact, gain-
ed an enormous advantage."
• • •
* “ the -
and that when she answered “.” the
the minister’s question, “Yill you thaike
this man for better or worse?” she
realized that all days would mot be
better-days, but there would meces-
sarily be some “worse days.”
She has truly been a “helpme
me during all these 38 years. In ffact
she has been even more than that.
For without her, I would, on many
occasions have given up the struggle
of life, and slipped back into the
slough of despair. O, I admit, like
other men, I tare not always thiken
heed to her advice and counsel. Rf I
had done so, I would have been a ffar
better and happier man today. BBBut
such advice as I did heed, 1 found to
be sane and safe.
_ambrittte= :
sen from the pages or history or in
married life of my wife, and dmitt
marry any man expecting to find mer-
fection, but marry with the iiden of
living together, “till death do •
co
SOWING AND EARNE .
shall he alee reap,” tea been q
time and time again, but it com
my mind more forcibly when I
of the case of the farmers of ■
Iowa, taking a district judge in
bench, slapping his face, dr
him from the court room, and
a rope around bee neck and atte
to force him to swear that he
sign no mere foreclosure a
Judges throughout this country
been sowing the seed of disresp
law for to these many years, I
the warnings from the Negro
that a time would come whe
tempt aad disrespect far tew
be the prevailing idea among
where acts of violence have en
re fhan
et” tho
lliffee.
May the day of the mob soon come to an end in American
A THOUGHT ABOUT OUR WOMEN
Doubtless, all of us know the poem
Casabianca, that begins “The boy
stood on the burning deck whence all
but he had fled,” etc., and remember
the days in grammar school when it
was our favorite dramatic offering on
many an impromptu program just as
it had been that of our fathers before
us and our grandfathers before that.
Many of us thought long on the brav-
ery of the boy who burned to death
rather than disobey an order which
his father had given him, and deep
down in our hearts thought less of
ourselves because we knew we would
never merit an honor gained by stand-
ing on a burning deck or anything
else burning.
Now Dr. Henry Allen Overstreet,
head of the Philosophy Department
of the College of the City of New
York admonishes us not to worry
about that, however, as he told a Bal-
The Department of Woman’s Work of the Commission on
Interracial Cooperation, under the able leadership of Mrs. Jessie
Daniel Ames, formerly of Georgetown, Texas, is taking high_________,_________, .________
ground to the matter of justice to Negro women who toil. The In- timore audience that the 13 year old
firmer finds the following quotation from “High Spots,” official
publication of Mrs. Ames’ department, especially encouraging:
“There is little that can be done effectively toward raising
the standards of any people unless the family life of that peo-
mile is improved. Women who must leave their homes to earn
money to buy food, clothing, and provide a roof for their fami-
lies are under a heavy handicap—an especially heavy handi-
ep whhem long hours of work are demanded by the employer
“The posdioe of any plan to improve the condition of
Negro family life to the South which fails to consider condi-
timmss to domestic and personal service is merely a gesture of
civile righteousness. A woman who builds her own home with
the hilorr of another woman, and does not regard the needs of
In New York City recently, white
students and representatives from
practically every section in the coun-
try, meeting in a body called on col-
ored students to start an uncompro-
mising fight against Jim Crow prac-
ties at Tuskegee and “some other
schools.” The resolution, which was
made public following the regular
session of the conference, and which
was attended by more than a thousand
stucents, rapped Tuskegee for tend-
ing to sanction the policy of segrega-
tion on its own campus.
The resolution was said to have
been the result of a report made by
a student delegate which stated that
it was the custom at Tuskee to
house visiting whites in Dorothy Hall
while visiting colored were housed at
Rockefeller Hall. “The resolution met
only rapped the practice, but set
forth that the conference would sup-
port any movement started by stu-
dents to eradicate any rules smack-
ing of segregation.”
• “We stand for the admittance of
Negroes to all schools and public
places; we are against all laws and
practices which bar Negro students
from attending class rooms together
with white students; we demand the
deletion from texts of statements de-
rogatory to the Negro people or the
complete discard of such texts” said
the report .
The conference declared for equal
salaries for white and colored tench j roots NEVER LAKE
CrSA very good move. Perhaps the sae Mus = st tied
is turning again borne after all. time-worn pircon-drsprer. to des=e
The birth control issue, which one that our = et
columnist has said “flits from State- Us 1
to State like fox fire” blazed this a g t r tu
week in swank Washington circles, nothing? There is scarcely a week
WONS E T th we do not send of some men
doned from time to time. Now, what do
we find, in this glorious country of
ours? Just think of it: a judge, elected
to his high office for the purpose of
dispensing justice to all, with prejudice
to none, being not simply threatened
Of inflamed citizens. And the worst
of the whole matter is, this is only the
beginning. The worse is yet to come.
Mark my words.
this other woman’s home life, piles up a debt which her com*
munity pays in a toll of disease, poverty, ignorance, and
THE NEGRO JUNIOR COLLEGE
What is happening at the Negro Junior College of Houston ?
If anything worthwhile, it would seem that some information
alboud it should be given to the press for dissemination to the
people whose junior college it really is. Since it was founded the
money to num it from top to bottom has come out of the pockets
of time Negroes of Houston. They are therefore entitled to a
periodic report from their servants about what is going on there.
In the days before Dean Fox died the Negro public was kept
fully adiised and something was always happening to try to im-
mroxe conditions at our Negro Junior College. That was a good
thing and should be kept up. Besides, if things are not all well
willin ourr junior college, we should know that, too.
DR. EDWARD H. GRIGGS
There was a great deal of inspiration in the lecture of Dr. Ed-
wand BL Griggs to the colored teachers of Houston at Jack Yates
High School last Saturday. He told how he had finished college
an two years; had read with great interest the life of Napoleon
euce whhem he was eleven and three time before he was thirteen;
amid how att eighteen he had mastered Kant’s “Critique of Pure
Benssom.”” He also suggested some such experience as his own as a
desirable goal for every youth.
Time as am ideal for the future. But, under the philosophy of
putting flfast things first, it is imperative that Negro boys and
gidis lkenmm how to solve the pressing, practical problems of physi-
call lings, before placing too much emphasis upon attempting as
oils has not been reduced. . -------.---------,__. -----------__,____
The oil situation is another evidence that America is mow yet time kind of fortunate and inspiring career which Dr. Griggs’
making its citizens very poor because she has so much wealtin. "unusually precocious mind made possible to him.
boy on the burning deck was a “moron
without sense enough to respond to a
new situation.”
• • •
Judge James A. Lowell of the Fed-
eral Court granted a writ of habeas
corpus at Boston this week, freeing
George Crawford, Negro chauffeur,
sought by Virginia on a charge of
murdering Mrs. Boeing Illsley, weal-
thy member of the “400” (white) and
her maid, Nina Buckner, at Middle-
burg, Va., January 13, 1932.
It was a battle seen only once in a
lifetime. George S. Schuyler says
“Something greater was at stake
than the life and liberty of George
Crawford. It was a question of
whether a Negro can receive a fair
trial when members of his race are
systematically excluded from jury
service.”
Among other things, Judge Lowell
is quoted as saying that the conten-
tions of John A. Galleher, Common-
wealth Attorney for Loudon County,
Virginia, were “good law, but awfully
bad sense.” “If the case is tried in
Virginia and sent to the Supreme
court, it will just be sent back. Why
should I send a Negro from Boston
to Virginia when I know and every-
body knows the Supreme Court will
say the trial is illegal?” “The whole
thing is absolutely wrong. The only
ones that will benefit from this will
be the lawyers. It goes against my
Yankee common sense. It is legal non-
sense to send a case through the
courts when we know it must fail."
Late dispatches from the Nation's
capital carry the news that two south-
ern congressmen are seeking the scalp
of Judge Lowell because of his de-
clination to permit the extradition of
George Crawford to Virginia after it
had been approved by Governor Ely
of Massachusetts.
Congressman Dies of Texas has in-
troduced a resolution to abolish the
where Dr. Clarence A.
nent physician, was on trial with two, oman of our rare follns forsua
charges of illegal operations against iaitse coven of some * :t
him. The case is attracting attention — Uu di na
which rivals that of the trial and sub-P- P sa
sequent jailing of Mortimer Smith, think L-mt
one-time National Benefit executive, * TA
who was convicted of embezzling sev-25211-R-t
eral days ago and confined to the 15
Washington jail. It ia pointed out that- 51
Dr. Wright became involved in a sec- Am th 1 any
ond case before he had freed himself * * : De . .
of the first. • " TAPE ALL
A fiend of Tre “Im in the “ share in their find of several hummdired
dead woman had been-a mother six-rs. Menor omm MAE
times and wanted no more children. O *
The Afro-American in an editorial emsess SAN
comment on the matter points out ool. And r TE
that there is an apparent inability on
the part of the District of Columbia
birth control clinic to make its ser-
vices available to the woman, who
was in dire need of them, and that
proper medical advice aa to contra-
ceptives should have reached her by
way of the physician or the clinic.
The great need it seems in this
case is for our people to keep on
learning and to read and read under-
standingly. Surely, in a state where
it is not prohibited by law, no physi-
cian would withhold necessary infor-
mation from a patient in order that
he might earn a larger fee laker re
at the risk of the woman’s life and his
own disgrace.
At almost the same time, the great
State of Wisconsin was having what
one reporter calls a debate sa the
measure which was “customarily
vigorous” and which, as is “cus-
tomary,” came to no conclusion.
However, generalities brought oat
by the debate showed that specific
figures supplied recently by the
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
prove that between 1921 and 1931,
births throughout the country slump-
ed 17 per cent, that Connecticut had
slumped 34.9, and that Massachusetts,
North Carolina, Rhode Island, each
declined by almost one-third. The
greatest declines were registered in
the highly industrialised areas.
DEMONSTRATION VS. HELP
We weens miana
Scottsboro boys, that most of sa won-
der if there is any good expected to
result from such display. Every Ne-
gro and a host of white folks are
thoroughly fa sympathy with these
boys, but most of us feel that what
they need is not so much public pro-
test parades and public demonstra-
tions, but more coin of the realm.
Why, this contemplated march on Mm
White House? Wheat om President
bomur our oIy recourse is an miaa.
est court of the land, and this thaikes
==LHE
A WORTHY SELECTION
Duke Crawford will make a good treasurer for the Harris
County Negro Democratic Club, Inc. He is well known, well liked,
and has a unanimously honorable reputation for being absolutely
At Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia,
three students were suspended for the
remainder of the year on a charge of
his fuklix. whfle s
pus by a group of co eds. The am-
Re * n—es
dicated that the N. A. A. C. P. might
be interested fa investigating condi-
tions at Storer, which students have
charged to be unjust.
News also broke in educational ir-
cles that H. R. H. Prince Prascob has
vacated Me place at Princeton Univer-
sity and there was talk of drinking
.=-
scrupulous in money matters.
The Informer and Freeman believes that the club made a
worthy selection when it picked Mr. Crawford. I
*:=
ih EE 575 Ec
but he’s too shy to come into the par
lor.”
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Atkins, J. Alston. The Houston Informer and the Texas Freeman (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 14, No. 50, Ed. 1 Saturday, May 6, 1933, newspaper, May 6, 1933; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1637854/m1/2/: accessed July 10, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.