Flint Spokesman [Volume: 1, Issue: 15]

PAGE TWO

U.S. Promises Probe of

Georgia Registration Denials a

ATLANTA, Ga..~ ANP ~
he office of District Attorney

M. Neil Andrews is investigat
2 ing numerous complaints~ that
iin several

counties. both: white
ani Negro people are being refused the right io register for. Woting im the stute Democratic

~ while,

pri-.ary of July i7,
Mr... Andrews - als reported

_that further complaints are beei. ess civ

~that viites aad
Neg oes are being a bitrari:purge~: from the list oz qualif?

~ed/veters.

~From Rome, Georgia, meancame word early last
week. that petitions challenging

* the right of 150 Negroes to vote
~July 17 were filed with Floyd

County~ Board of registrars by

~Vatighn Terrell, solicitor of the

~'Wiord City Court.

tributed by southerners, she de
sa

number of years

_th=t- our culture might collapse

clared.
Miss Smith~s favorite taxi
~driver contributed $1,000; her

colored cook.invested $50,

~ed the fund. Much of the money

~them voting rights.

The solicitor was quoted as
say.ng he would file 110 similar challenges daily until the

_ total of sdme 1,200 Negro regi
strants in Floyd have been chal
lenged, Me further declared his

the name of any Negro who

has been convicted of a feldny|

or a crime involving moral turpitude,

Andrews said he had receitd
no official notification of Mr.
Te-rell~s action, although Floyd
county is in Mr, Andrew~s district,
prepared statement: by Mr.
Andrews said partially:;
\~It is my duty to investigate
all complaints reaching this office that charg2 an illegal denial of the vight of a citizen
to register or to vote and in
proper cases to bring: criminal
action against those who deny,
attompt to deny the lawful
exercise of the right to vote. ee

Ia Sumper county, meanwhile | ey
Klan Rears
Head in

So. Carolina

a group of Negroes was planning civil action im the ~courts
against the board of registrars
there, charging that some 600
of their race had béen stricken
from the list in that county.

Middle Georgia District Atty.

Fruit~ interviewed in her mountain home here recently, said
~she had no thaughts of reform
when she wrote the book, It

was intended to hold up 21 mirror_ to life in the south, she
plained,

Recalling dvataabiintion of the
book, which already has -sold
almost 2,000,000 copies, Miss
Smith said ~it was a play sbout
white culture, and I was saying

if ii goes dry-rotted as it has.
I was trying in ~Strange Fruit~
to probe into the lives of all of
us,~:

The play, the author~s first
for_the professional theatre, was
brought to. Broadway by con |
tributions of friends by conwhite and Negro, and by persons who. felt kindly toward:
the book. Approximately $43,000 of the $202,000 needed for
the play~s production was eon
2
colored truck driver, $500, and
13 of Clayton~s 900 citizens aid
was brought to ~Mis Lil~ in $5
and -10 bills,
~Miss ~ Smith; whose forbears

I love the sweetness and grac
all lived~ in or near Clayton,

resides on a mountain near |

-intention of checking criminal] John P, Cowart revealed in
~records there ~for 10 years| Macon last week that his office |.
~back~ and of asking the regis-| is investigating similar comtras to strike from the lists} plaints in that section. 4
~Strange Fruit~ No Attempt t
Reform, Lillian Smith Says. |
CLAYTON, Ga, ~ here which she owns, It (was
Lillian Smith, author ait the callad ~Old Screamer,~ and is
best scil.ng wever ~Sstrange| located about a mile and a half

from town, In a little rock house
atop the mountain, she worked
for seven years on ~Strange
Fruit.~ During that time, | the

author also participated in life |

of the North Georga community, and has the affection and
respect of her neighbors, |
After completion of the novel
she now is working on ~Mr,
White Man,~ Miss Smith says
she will be ~through with race
subjects for awhile,~ Somewhat
disappointed by the reaction of
Broadway drama critics to ~her
play, she promises that it will
return to; New York.
Observing on the south, Miss
Smith says, ~It is full of decent,

civilized, intelligent *people who |:
Negroes Being

feel imperisoned by odd custims
but don~t know. how to face
themselves.

~Y wouldn~t divert of Iving
anywhere except in the south,

idusness of the people, We ~ean
not have a world in which everybody leaves home, can we?~

At 48, Miss Smith is Still
youthful, very alert, extremely
articulate. The- publication,
~South Today,~ which she ~has
edited slong with Paula Snelling, also a southerner, te mporarily is suspended. after 10 years
of effective. expression, It will
be published again when she
returns from India,. for which
she sails this month,

Arkansas Negroes Vow to
Vote or Take Court Action

~LITTLE ROCK ~ ANP ~At
least 5,000 Arkansas Negroes
are ready to vote or ready to
take court action against any
election official that denies

That sentiment was ~xpressed here inst week during a
meeting: of the Arkansas: Negro~
Demoeratic association, attend
ed by 75 delegates representing
eight counties, at the, Dream.
lard theater,

Resolutions on the. subgect
of Negro voting included a \denunciation of acts 107 and 108
as unconstitutional in separating federal and. state primaries,
advice to voters ~to observe
order and to refrain from intemperate language an intolerance,~ suggestions for selecting candidates, an appeal te
Negroes.to back the
movement, and ~organizations
working. to secure federal aid
for regions. economically unprepared toe supply educational
advantages.~

~I don~t believe there wilt be

any attempt to prevent ~you
fron: voting,~ said Atty. 3. R.
Booker; ~but the department

of justice wants you to fill out
affidavits against any election
official who refuses a qualified
person the right te vote,~

- The. affidavits, to, be circulated if the staté supteme court
should: held the~ separate primarits law eoristitutional, wilh
include the name of the voter
refused, number of pol tax,}

labor~}+

residence in!

>

ail
~

ee

the state, county and precinct,
precinct in which an attempt
was made to vote, statement
that voter was refused ballot,
and name of the election ofieial involved.

~There is nothing in the 1945
act which stipulates that a Nefro or any other. nationality
shall not vote in the Democratic
primaries,~ remarked Dr. J,,M.
Robinson, president if the ~association, ~It is my belief that
this act was a mere- smokescreen infiltrated with the
shadow of. intimidation and coercgion.~

The association is not seeking social equality, he continuéd, but ~we seek only those
rights guaranteed to us by he
bill of rights in our constiiution, We seek the enforcement
of law and not pretend énforcement of the law. We do not

even s@~ek repeal of the pp
we.~

Dr. Robinson expressed the
opinion that ~a man who is too
trifiing to pay $1.00 poll tax
for the support of his school
is too trifling to make an effort
to vete- under any circumstances,.~. |

~~Sdese90I1d 03392972 1930 pue aon

~01d om 403 suo} eT

~that ~riders~

~tion of an NAACP branch,

worpasduy [eyuesse ue sy uae,
yucqpoaSuy woqre;)

ALPHA GAMMA CHAPTER

Delta Kappa.
the Jacksonvill2,

of. Phi
entertained

Fla Metropolitan couneil and |
Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, pres- |

sorori:y! al Council of Negro women,

THE FLINT SPOKESMAN

ee

_ SATURDAY,

ident and founcer of the Nationin
Jacksonville recently. Dr,
thune, also founder and presicent-emeritus of Beinune-Cook
Be. |

man: collage at. Daytona Beach,
Fla., is an honorary member -of
the sorority. ~ ANP,.

BENNETSVILLE, a
ANP. ~ Mayor Walter M. Newton heatedly denied this week
in a cloth draped
car. who passed through Negro

seetions here fast Sunday night}
~and who burned at least vhree

cross~s on as many nights, ~ -~
bona fide members of the Ku
Klux. Klan.

Newton told James M. Hinton
of Columbia, state~ NAACP
president, that the ridérs and
fiery crosses were ~pranks of
white children,~

Méanwhile, Governor Rensome J, Williams at. Columbia,
in reply to a request for an
investigation from John H. McCray, state chairman of the
Progressive Democratic. party
said the burning occurred after
midnight and the identity of the
involved persons was unattainable, Newton had said the burn.
ings occurred at 9:30 Thursday
night, Negroes here, however,
are positive of burnings Saturda, night and were eyewitnesses to ~riders~ between nine and
ten Sunday night.

~Too Smart~

One Negro leader said that
he had been advised earlier in
the week that if Ngroes. attempted to enroll in Democratic
cluiy books here last Wednesday and completed organiza~the
Klan will ride. Some of.you
Negroes are getting too smart.~
Enrollment attempts we:2 made
Thursday and many NAACP
members were secured during ~a
mass meeting Sunday afternoon,

Pefore persons lingering in
the cool evening had time to
recover from the surprise rid.
ing Sunday night, they were
confronted with another danger, Angered by. the riding,
about a dozen youthful veterans
of World War II appeared in
Kinney street me half an
hovr after the~ rider passed,
armed with smiigcetcun hoping for:he car to return. Some
thre2 hours later they gave up
the virgi. when the ~rysterious
riders faived to reappear,

Called ~Dangerous~ Prank
Harold T,. Blackman, Marlborn county chairman of Progrersive Democrats, replying. to
~Mayor Newton~s explanation,

Said.~if this was the work of

white children, it was a dan8erous: prank to. play.~

~the. last Ku _Kluxing in this
state was in 1939 when several
forays. made in
Lexington, Greenville and Spartangurg counties. And since
Pressure has been brought on
KKK headquarters in Georgia,
it has been rumored that South
Carolina might Provide refuge.

Cross Burned
In Knoxville

KNOXVILLE ANP ~ A
large cross flamed here last

oa

Monday on the site of a pro
posed housing project for which
plans. of Fred S, McMahan, noted Negro contractor, had been
chosen, Burning of the cross
~followed. closely the planning
emmission~s designation of MecMakan as the contractor over
several. other builders,

The blazing. crucifix is thought

~to have been set up by the Ku

Klux Klan since
during

it appeared
the full moon, tra
~ditionally a time for such acti
of

ee

vity. '

~i i

~ Richmond, |

Bilbo Appeals to Opponents
To Help Block Negro Vote

JACKSON, Miss, ~ ANP ~
An appeal to his four opponents
last week to help block the Negro vote was made by Senator
Theodore ~Bilbo from his headquarters here where he is conducting his campaign for reelection to te U, S. senate,

His letter to his political rivals pointed out that ~thousands
of Negroes, especially Negro
soldiers who are exempt from
poll taxes by an act of the Mississippi legislature, are registering or attempting to register,

~This these Negroes have no
right to do and they must rot
and should not. be permitted to
do,~ the letter continued.

Bilbo~s opponents were warned that ~any-straddling or dodging or equivocation on this important issue...g-must mecessarily be construedas a desire
on your ravt not only to secure
the Negra vote, but an

open avowal of ~:gro voting

and Negro control of the politi.

cal life of our siate.~

~I am writing,~ me i~tter a~d,
~4 ask that you promptly joa
through the public press in a
request to these Nerroes to refvain from any attenpt to pu--.
ticipate in our white Democrase
nonunatins primary sa Jury 2
afd that you also juin Me and
other whi-e peopie of the s~tate
in every effort to prevent this
first step, under the leadership
of northern Negroes, white Sociatists, white Communists and
white advocates of social. and
nelitical equality,
white centro! ad white su
premacy in the state of Missis- |

~. ppi.~
Democratic
be held here on July 2, with an
unprecedented number of Ne.
groes ready to. participate under
a new department of justice
order that threatens heavy penalties and prosecution for any
registrar denying them the

right to, cast their ballots,

NEW YORK

~Booker T. Washington ae Har
riet Beecher Stowe were honored last week by Governor
Thomas E, Dewey during exercises at New York university.

A message from the govern
or lauded Mrs, Stowe, author
of ~Uncle Tom~s Cabin,~ as a
personality that. ~occupies. a

unique place in the proud pages
of the country~s history,~ Her
novel was ~no accident~. in
arousing ~the conscience of a
nation,~ he said. ~All her life
she showed herself a woman of
high purpose. All her life she
worked for freedom and human
justice,~.

Dewey called Dr. Washington
~one of the great figures of our
history and living proof that
high purpose and constructive

Gov. Dewey Honors B. T. Washington|
And Harriet Beecher Stowe

leadership ~is no reapnethe of |
| Carolina

persons or color.

governor~s. message,

rman of the exercises,
speakers were Mrs.
Prisk, Mrs, Margueriie L, Prioleau, Mrs. Gertrude M. Washington, Mrs, Nellie Marshall
and Henry W, Dubois.

There is ~more organized
during the period preceding the
Civil war, said Colden Brown.

ington, founder of Tuskegee in.
stitute, was recently unveiled

of fame,

Uncover Maneuvering in Constitution
Hall Concert Imbroglio

WASHINGTON~ ANP
~Manuscript,~ the revelatory
news letter produced here by
Al Smith and Harry McAlphin,
issued an interesting sidelight
on the Tuskegee chodir-Consti~ution hall concert here recently. Observers have known that
there was much maneuvering
w. ich was puzzling and much

moie to the opposition than
mt the eye, The activity of
Phileo Nash, acting White

House adviser on Negro affairs,
as well as the odd position of
Dr, Mordecai Johnson president
of Howard university and a
vart of the college fund organization, have never been adequately explained,

~While

~Manuscript~ says,
most of the criticism of the
Tuskegee-choir United Negro

College fund-Constitution hall
ireident controversy has been
sinccre and impersonal, sdme
dt. elopments raise an element
of doubt concerning senabetes
from some quarters.

~Shortly after the announcement of the concert scheduling,
Neil Seott of Niel Scott associa

-tes (New York Publie Relations

advisers), and husband: of singer Carol Brice, asked William

L. Dawson, choir conductor at

Tuskegee, to invite Miss Brice
to appear as the Constitution
halt engagement guest soloist.
Dawson replied that the program already had been arranged.

~Huffed, Mr, Scott anounced
on May 21~prior toethe provok
ing statement of DAR ~president, Mrs, J, Y, Talmadge, in
Atlantic City: coneerning the
maintenance of separate schools
~that ~the art werld is up in
arms~ ovet~ the concrrt at Constituion hall. When veminded
that he raised no objections
when Marien Anderson, * -with
whom he is friendly, sang there
at the invitation of. the DAR
for the benefit of United China
relief, Scott blamed: ~pressure of
war~ and pronounced it. beside
the issu?

~Mr. Seott~s: letter to the editor, criticizing Dr. F; D, Patterson of Tuskegee, appeared on

the front: page of the Amster- |

dam News of New York, On
the -25th, after a conference with
~Mz, Scott, A. Philip Randolph
also issued a statement cfiticizing Patterson. Promised. statements in a similar vien did not
materialize from Paul Robeson,
Marian Anderson and _ Claire
Luce.

~Inerestingly, Miss Brice, a
graduate of Talladega college,
an affiliate of the college fund.
sang in Boston in April for the
local UNCF committee, Following, this the fund. asked the college presidents cooperate with
Mr, Seott~s sewing and knitting
contest in. Negro colleges to
promote Ameriean Spool cotttn
(his adveriising account). Also
during this. perid, the fund~
in. connection with lining up
radio talent and making it
available ~ was. doing its best

to have Westinghouse (John

Jes for

| ville, Va.;

to. destroy |

primaries will}

| lina;; Mrs.

James Egbert Allen read the}
Cleveland |
G. Allen, who has led pilgri-|
mages in honor of both persons |:
for early 20 years, was chair-'
Other
Laura B-} tend the summer session at -he. University of Michigan and Miss |
_Drothy, Ury, a teacher in At
| health course at
hate~ in this country today than.
The bust of Booker T.. Wash. }

at New York ap winced halt |

T-B Group.
Awards ~
Fellowship

NEW YORK ~ ANP ~ The
commi:tée on Negro program of
the National Tubzrculosis Association announces the following awards in ~tube+culosis and
health education wh~ch are made |
znually to Negro nurses, teach- |
ers and health education work- |
the summer session at
the University of Michigan~s
School of Public health, The
cost of these {fellowships is
borne by the National Tubereulssis association on a matching basis with state and local
associa~ions.

Recpients of the 11 regular
fellowships are Mrs. E, P.
Jones, state itinerant teacher
trainer Tallahassee, Fla.; C.
C. Washington, school principa!, Panama City, Fla.; William
H. Hatton, school principal,
Avondale, estates. Ga.; Mrs.
Odessa Wesley Wilson, supervisor Negro schools; Union Parish, Lai; Mrs, 'E,.: P... Wilson,
teacher, High Poist_ N. ~C.; C.
I. Jones, school principal, Seminole, Okla.; Miss ~Alicé B,
Ballard, county tuberculosis
nurse Greenwood, S. C.; Mrs.
Katie. Belle Haynes, public
health nurse, Knoxville, Tenn.;
Mrs, Emma Greene Pleasant,
teacher, Houston; Mrs. Geneva
K, Watson, teacher, CharlottesMiss Mary E, Willis,
school nurse, Richmond, Va,

Five fellowships made possible by the use of funds from
the special staff training budget
of the NTA have been award
ed to: Mrs. Dannie E.. Stone,
health education worker, Dade
County Tuberculosis. association,
Plorida; Miss Harriet Peat. Ne
gr health education, Maryland

Tuvereulosis ~ associatoin, Mrs.
Mary Etta Mason, education and

rehabilitation worker, Forsyth
~County ~Tuberculosis associatio: North Carolina; Mrs, Julia

G. Ray, health education worker, Buncombe County Tuberculesis association, "North CaroJosie Hazel, college
health education worker, South
Tuberculsis association,

~Two special fellowships were
awarded this year. Miss Sylvia
Davis health education worker with the Columbus Tubereulosis society in Ohio. will at
lanta, will take the public
the North
~arolina college for es in

Dat ham,

~The following
ceived fellowships

edeans refrom state

deat of the national associa-: tin Miss. Sue Swan, Luisville

association, Ken.
Fayo ~ Dinwiddie~
Health~ associaMary S,. Bu
Tuoverceulosis

tucky; Mrs.

Toledo Public
tion, -Ohio; Mrs,
frd, Oklahoma Tuberculosis~
association; Mrs. Hannah B,
Matn and Miss Minnie P. V.
Mansfield, Pennsylvania Tuberculesis association; Miss Lorine
F, Knight and Miss Corenith
York Russell, Tennessee, Tubereulosis association; Mrs. Gwendo:yn Griffin; Arlington Tuberculsis assciation, Virginia; Miss
Rosa Lewis, Powhatan Tuberculnss. association, Virginia, The
Ohio Public Health association
is also sending a student to

nave of their candidate has not
yet been announced,

South Carolina

DINIMARK, S, C ~ ANP ~
Panicky enrollment ~lerks, fearful of being haled into federai
court for refusing. enrollment
to Negroes, being under party
crders to flaunt a rec~nt depart
ment of justice ultimatum, have
adopted the procedure hiding
the ~sooks here, moving them
from plece to place and are
suspected -even of conducting
enroliment at night through
house to house canvas,

The procedure is somewhat
general in other counties, too.
Reports indicate similar and
identical action in Dorchester,
~ ~sterfield and even Richland
counties. In most ~nstances,

~

Charles Thomas~ NBC show)

aecept Miss Brice with a fee.~ ~

and local associations indepen- |

Michigan on fellowship but the?

~ Dr:
appreciation for. ~their: loyal ser
Clerks Hide |
Enrollment Books

Boy Sco Cally Opens
1946 Summer Season, Sun,

Next Sunday, June 30th will
be a Red Letter day in Scout.
ing. The 575 acre Charles Howell Scout Reservation near
Brighton, Michigan, officially
opens for the 1946 summer season, Over 400 enthusiastic
Scouts will be accomodated each
week of the two month period
that camp is in operation. The
summer camping season officially closes August. 25th.

Much new equipment has been
procured to make the Reservation~s camping program more effective and enjoyable than ever,
A new swimming dock has been
built, more rowboats purchased,
also additional tentage for those
not using cabins or other shelt
F ers,

Individual Sevsits; unable to
caimp with their Troop, may attend the new Camp Brady, also
located on the Reservation, The

for

~

most beautifully constructed
buiidings of its kind in Michigan, will be in operation for the
first tme. It was built of huge
northern pine logs donated by
the Ford Motor Company, and is
most modern in design and
equipment. A Rew 35.m.m, movie machine is part _ of the
Lodge~s. ~permanent erftertainment equipment.

Tae Lodge can-easily ~accomodate over 200 diners at one time
and will be usad-in other seasors for conferences and Leadteth Training courses,

Another high- ack in Scouting
besides the opening of summer
camp on Sunday, June 30th is
the beginning of the Air Scout
Encempment at Selfridge Field,
where over 100 Senior Scouts
will attend a two week training
program under the United States

new Brady Lodge, one of the

Ariny Air Forees auspices,

New Jersey Cates Close
During Recent Elk~s Convention ~

SALEM, N, J. ~ ANP~Eight
restaurants hére remained closed for four days last week while
1,099 delegates of the New Jersey state Elks~ met in annual
convention,

Varied reasons were given by
the owners for the widespread
shutdown while the visitors
sought food in the two small N2 -gro restaurants, an emergency
cafeteria, and from Negro residents, Some said they closed on
the eve of the convention for
répvirs, others cited a shortage

of food, ~still others said they
were being cleaned. |
Meyor Walter J...Bacon, who
swore in 10 special, deputies,
said he thought the~ ating establishments. were wrong. ~I do
no~ think diese a have bven
any trouble,~. he said. | vas
Charles Since a past pocaident of the BYks; declared he had

attended many conventions,
some in the deep south, but

had never been sDiigendil oT
treatmrent..

Wealthy rir Medic G

RALEIGH. N. C. ~ ANP ~
A 4,600 acre estate ~has been
given to the North ~ Carolina
Negro Teachers -association, of

jwhich Dr. James E, Sheperd is
president, by Dr, William
Sharpe, wealthy White New

York brain.specialist and 9~ Har:
vard classmate of the late President Franklin. D, Roosevelt.
Credit: for the and ~gift ~goes
directly to: Mr, and Mrs. John
Hirst; caretakers~ fir. the large
On;low county estate, to whom
Sharpe~ gave the lahd in

vice to him over a numbet of
yeasts, ~Upon suggestion of. Mrs:

~Hirst, ~caretaker~ for the large |

the estate Was turned. over to

~the Noth Carolina Negro teach
ers association,

Dr. Shagpe employed Hirst

when Negroes. walk into the}

enrollment place and see he
books befor@ they can be removed, they are informed that

~the clerk is ~not here.~

Ir Columbia, James M, Hinton, slate NAACP president,
said that a large number~ of
affidavits. attesting to dehials
on enrollment has been filed
witn. the department of justice,

These come from several coun- }

ties, among them being Charlesten, Richmond, Georgetown,
Sumpter, Florene2, Marlboro,
Ma:ion, Newberry _ and _. Gpeen~ville,

which. lies. ~between. New. River
and Swansboro,~ The: Négro.
caretaker proved himself frustworthy and spent long. hours
daily in keeping the:house.
grounds. in order, ~alth@
Sharpe wag away ~most
time.

He rewarded the Hints for
their loyalty by giving them the
home he had built for ~himself; but. Mrs, ~Hirst suggested that
~the land be given to the North
} Carolina assgeiation According
to plans revealed: by the NCTA,
eottages will be built on the
beach to house educational, religious, and recreational facili
Dr, Sharpe had stipulated that
beiore the estate is turned over
to the NCTA the estate must
consent to build a_ bridge o
~the water~ and~ ae ~-:
cluded in. the.tract. He escorted representatives of the asso-.
ciation to eonfer with Governor
Cherry in~ the matter and the
governor appointed a commit-.
~tee to look into the proposal,

The gift will be ~a memorial
) to the hortest. and integrity of
John and Gertrude Hirst,~ one

m f gies
fmbeg Sos CSEH