Brownsville Weekly News

*

Accurate |
Localand -
NATIONAL

NEWS COVERAGE

VOLUME ~ NUMBER

FLINT, MICHIGAN, SATURDAY,-NOVEMBER 8, 1941

Contend State

Primary Is
~Closed~ Bodv

Case Has Been
In Court Since

Last January

FORT WORTH, Tex~ (SNS) ~
An early decision can be expected
in the Texas ~white primary~ case
for ~which~ brief will be filed in
the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals,
November 13,. the NAACP announced this week. If a favorable
decision is reached it will wipe out
one big obstacle in the way of full
franchisement for Negro Ameri
cans, the NAACP declared.
The case has been in court since

last January when Sidney Hasgett

of Houston, a qualified voter, filed
@ complain; ca charges: that he. was:denied the right to vote in the

primary election of Democratic party August 15, 1940. Hasgett is suing
for $5,000 damages and a judgment
declaring that he had the right to
vote. Defendants are election
judges Warner and Blackburn of
the 19th precinct. -

The case was first heard in April
before the U. S. District. Court,
Southern District of Texas, when
both parties: agreed that~ the ~elec
- tion ~judges did deny Hasgett the
because of. his

privilege of voting
color.. No decision was reached at
this time, but Judge T. M. Kennerly
asked for the briefs and transcripts
Of the. testimony to study before
making a decision.:
The new action-is an appeal based
on the decision which was returned

2 roe Yer

Texas is ~state action~ within the
meaning of the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution. Since the
Democratic party is in control in~
the state, victory of a candidate in
its primary is tantamount to election. %

The defendants Maintain that
the primary is a private or ~closed~
institution and not a state action.

Twelve Burned
To Death In
Montclair Fire

Seven Others S
- Injured When
Oil Stove Bursts

MONTCLAIR, N. J. ~ (SNS) ~
Twelve membérs of a colored fam
_ ily were burned to death and at

least sever, others injtred Tuesday
night. when an oil. stove set fire
to a two-and-a-half story frame
building.

Fire Chief John Graham said 2
lighted stove being carried down
@ flight of stairs by Rudolph Durham fell and exploded The
flames blocked doorways, leaving
only windows as exits.

Ten of the victims were children
Assistant County Medical Examiner
George W. seuss Jr., said bis ex
~were engulfed by = flames while
asleep in' beds on the upper floors.

~ the. question irivolved is. whether or
nov. the ~Democratic in

ARREST

i 7 N:: me

MONTCLAIR, N. J.~The charred exterior of

twelve persons, ten of them children, were fatally
burned when a fire, started by the dropping of | ~-(Acme Photo)

Where Twelve Died In Frame House Fire

an oil stove, turned it into a flaming death trap
the two4and-a-half story frame ~house in which | late Oct. 28. Séven others were taken to a nearby militantly contend for the rights
hospital suffering cuts, burns and broken limbs. of oud race to serve and do our~

~ e

ize this paper.

Will You Help Support
This Your Own Paper?

It. is the business men who finance every newspaper, through paying for their ads.

These white men who advertise in this paper expect you to read their advertisements and cheerfully
step in and buy something. |

We, of the Flint-Brownsville News staff entreat
you to do so. Colored people ought to have a good
newspaper in this city and they will have one when
~they become good enough to patronize those who patron
Flint Editor's Challenge

Brings Supervisor Action

who maintain their patronage by
buying bodies. ~
~ An excerpt from an article written by a member of the ~Select
Morticians Association follows:
NO TIME FOR PLAY

~We do not meet in Atlanta
October 29 and 30 to play. This is
not time for play on the part of
any group of cur race; We need
and we must have the most seriously designed program of each
race group and they shouid be
molded into a solid phalanx tc6

part in our National Emergency.

GONNEADT, O.~(ANP)~Leon
~Chu~ Berry, world~ famous tenor
saxophone star with Cab Calloway~s

band in recent years, died Thursday in Brown Memorial hospita)

when the car he was driving struck
a concrete bridge abutment near
here.

Generally recognized in hot jazz
circles as second only to Coleman
Hawkins on his instrument, he came
into prominence in the middle
1 1930~s with the rise in popularity
of swing. A college graduate from
West Virginia, he was given the
designation of ~Chu~ from his way
of working the saxophone mouthpiece between his lips on a hot chorus, much in the manner of a person chewing.:

When the song, ~Christopher
Columbus~ swept the nation back
in 1936 as the current swing craze
started, Berry helped put it over as

Chu Berry Dies From
Auto Accident Injuries

from head injuries received Monday.

a member of Fletcher Henderson~s
band when broadcasting nightly
~tom the old Grand Terrace in Chicago. His phenomenal playing over
a national radio hookup with Henderson brought huge additions to
an audience that pr-viously had
consisted mainly of longtime followers of hot jazz.

Berry later joined Cab~s band
when the hi-de-ho king a few years
ago made a serious effort to improve his organization and_ since
then was one of Calluway~s favorite soloists, his work going over big
with the jitterbugs. He raaae many
phonograph records with the Calloway band as well as with many allstar units of Negro and white musicians.:

He is the second outstending colored musician to die in recent
tnonths. Ferdinand ~Jclly Roll~
Morton, famed pianist and composer, passed away in Los Angeles
several weeks ago.

Military Police Prospects
Interviewed At Fort Bragg

FORT BRAGG, N.C~(ANP)~ |.
Severa) soldiers of units stationed

Men Accepted
To Be Given.
Full Training

Officers making the interviews
failed to comment on this subject.

In the past when Negro MP~:
were used on paydays, they were

is in command of the entire post
Since the recert transfer of Col.
Charles E. Elliot, who was in command onthe ~night of terror.~

had been

reign of Col. Elliot:
Rumors among thr: enlisted Ne
@ro soldiers were that those who

Metropolitan
Orchestral
Music Advances

FLINT, Mich~The musical de- | finding, to then properly ~ finance

partment sponsored by the Metropclitan Baptist Tabernacle, un
der the instruction of Professor | nat do exist are used ~to curb or
Otvice ~Stafford, is proving to be a force out of business the unethical

very fine community asset. Prof.
Stafford is indeed a fine teacher | Makes a selfish racket out of our

and worker. The members of the

church and the community in gen- | fellow professional; to the detzieral are indeed proud of this very | ment of those who, are a cisgrace

instruction and

work isin progress. | pubes, jenow

~Metron iit i
3939 Industrial Avenue,
Ballou, pastor:

Certainly we are already battling
in Washington for the rights to
bury our soldiers, This is not a
selfish right, but one belonging to
us and to the future morticians
of our race.

~We have invited a number of
the leaders of our profession to
meet us in Atjanta. There, we intend to do a great deal of fact

our program of action, ~That action must be to see that state laws
mortician in any comménity who
honored profession to. unethically
~cut the business throat? of ~ his

moral, | to the profession and the public in

spiritual, stimulating and enlight- | paying watchers at: the bedside of
ning program. ~

Those who are coming under its | what we will term, ~Undertaker~
influence are be- | must be eliminated, We intend
ing very much benefited. They | to battle and minimize the racket
are. taking mcre interest in them- | of hospital employees who too
selves, in their homes, and agen | often are in the employ of | urcies of community up-lift.

beloved relatives fr - influencing
families to use some unethical,

scrupulous morticians and notify
them before the family often

The musical revival given Thursday and Friday nights drew | Snows of @ Gealh. Such praice
crowded house each night. The a preabesing
exercise was ~niuch. appreciated where they florish and are ghoulish
and greatly enjoyed by the largc bsg gre eg: brea boa
audience present each night. This ~

very helpful program has created | sig, that honors him he has no
and deepened a great interest in | right to harm others by being al
The church is sponsoring this| CONDEMNS EACKETEERS
musical department. as~ well as the
community: is being stirred and /gnd there are laws to.control such
enriched very much..

Se ee ee tes~
credit of Mr. Stafford as a worthy | Mes when en
competent, reliable, and dependable he a bao ee cases families pay
worker, The classes e2ch day are; al
intensely interested~ in ~ acquiring | ~ir pat
musical knowledge and efficiency 2 s

which is being offered by ~this pase og ~ |

H
1

be eotiuane that is |

Let others come and join the | 827 =
weak to properly organize, to |

advantage of this ~wonderful op: | clean doomed. If we
we etoore mao Bo | Ss eel vomieap tana
~Thomas L. | admire it so m keep it

wil doles duty ~~

i 4

PRAISES NEGRO PRESS ~
~I wish here and now. to congratulate the Negro press on the
unabated ~war~ it has so consistently carried on over the years to
inform, to fight for and to elevate
Our Tace group, I believe every Negro press has the most powerful
agency for the good of our race.
I further believe every Negro
family should read Negro papers,

our press with advertisements, It
shall be a part of our progrom, if
I am to lead select group of Negro morticians, to see that we do
our part for the press and for the
pretection of our public.~

- We have reason~to believe that
there are undertakers in Flint who
are practicing these very ugly
tactics. The practice of stooping
So low as to hire ~bedside watchers~
and ~hospital tipsters~ is a think
which makes people call the funeral business a racket.

The public should know all about
this unwholesome: practice and it
should be on guerd to catch those
who are doing such a mean and
low degrading thing.

Burying the dead is a business
which ought to be holy and far
above the suspicions of racketeer
actions. No thinking members of
a family would allow this to go on,
if they knew that their undertaker was playing the role cf Dr.
Jeckyl and Mz, Hyde in a scheme

on in Flint, just like it is going
on'in many cther communities
(Continued on Back Page)

Negro Judge Is
Named In Calif.

LOS ANGELES, Calif~(ANP)~
California had its first Negro
Jndge this week when Gov. Cul~bert L, Olson named Atty. Edwin
to replece one of the mu
every business man should support |~THAN

to get a hold of the body for the
~~money it represents.
Yet it is believed this is going |~

~

FLINT, Michigan~At. -long last,
the. Colored ~Supervisor, Dr. Leaca.
suddenly becomes active inasmuch
as he has spoke up for one or two
Negro Investigators to be appointed on the Welfare Staff. But we
notice that this action comes at
an eleventh hour cry. More than
half of the year of tenure is over.
Tt is almost time for some new appointments of Supervisors. 4

Therefore, the late mention of
getting investigators from - among
~ur group appointed by the Board
smacks of political expediency.
Somebody wants to impress us
with the appointment of one or
two Negro- investigators-and itis
brought. at a time too late to make
a full. year of service but time
enuugh to make the action STAY
IN OUR MINDS until the NEXT
ELECTION is over. That, is the
way Of politicians But it is not
the way. cf statesmen; for statesmen do these things in time for it
to do. the most good.;

Statesmen appoint their fellows
to office at the beginning of the
term.and do not expect the peo
that great credit will be given to
those doing the appointing. Poli
| ticians do it just to get ~themselves

back in office the ~next time,

than that. For many years, these

be

__| Colored Suervisors (with the éx
the attack on them the Fiint~Brownsville. News: poll. made ast
fall. which took a survey of _ the
opinion of the voting public.

a-clear preference for men OTHFR
THOSE now in office. This
sudden interest. in. getting colored
investigators on the Welfare pay
roll is their answer to the Pint.
Prownsville News poll, They are |
trying to get into the good graces
of the people by this gesture, Now

eliminate one good sou~, frem this
criticism. That soul is.that of Mr
Joe Smith. MY. Jode Smith is there
2s a Supervisor for his first time.
We believe that. he -is doing the
hest he can. But the others.of the
Board are.thosa who we- wish. tc
call your. attention to> They are
the sharp shooters who dre. weil
versed. in the tactics of the old
game, just selfish politics.

We would prefer to remind

emotional and lose sight of th

what the Supervisors are suppose.
to do and DO NOT n 9

tempt of court

ple to get-fired up to the point |

The case, here ~now~ ts even wore |~

The result of which broucht out |

when we say ~They,~ we wish to | and Charl

In his testimony, 3
this. He is. now:

- Woodson.
out on $5,000

fact that things like this is jus!t

eu:
Atees

(Continued on Back Page):

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