Observer_1945-06-15

Page 4 BDITOBIAL PAGJ: JUNE 31, 1945 The Olftoe 2017 N. W:DUama Avenue, POI1Ialull2, Oi'e~on Telephone WEbster 3840 WILLIAM H. McCLENDON, Publisher Establ1shed 1943 The OBSERVER is a valiant defender against segregation and its related evDs; a vtg1lant champion for freedom, equality, liberty and justice; an alert guard against all social atrocities; a vitriolic analyst and severe critic of discriminatory practices; a sentinel to warn of all impend– tng retrogressive soc1al trends and tendencies. The OBSERVER is not financed or subsidized by any partisan group, organization or individual. The OBSERVER bases its whole program on the goal of equality of opportunity for all mtnorlty peoples to share fully in the polltical, eco– Domic and public llfe of the country. The problems of the Negro people ehall be shown to be related! to those of other National minority groups U1d to the world Issues created by the War and to the International ar– rangementa resulting after lt. M~ of the A.5sociated Negro Press, Calvin's New5paper Senice, Tel Yates PublicatioM, Inc., lndependem Press Service. Thia newspaper reserves the right to print for publieation all preu dispatches. featurea ud photoe forwarded by theM agencies 01" otherwise credited to them. ~·· EMPHASIS ON UNITY FEPC in Danger; Pres. Truman Must Act Soon ficiency Bill comes up, valuable time is obtained for mobilizing public support. 3. Restoration of the appropria– tion by the Senate, a conventional (Continued from Page 1) procedure for items knocked out in to 3 against. FEPC friends tried to the House, would make FEPC an salvage at least a partial appropria- item for conference between the tion from the wreckage. Enemies Senate and House. If the Senate remained uncompromisingly op- "stands firm" in conference, House posed, and final full Committee conferees will report the amend– vote eliminated FEPC, 11-18, ment covering FEPC (which IS without even the formail ity of a not subject to a point of order) to roll call. The fourteen absent he voted up or down by the House. members could have reversed the Senate action is the best chance of vote. sav) ing the present FEPC. No real Administration effort Action: Write President Tru- \Yas made to save FEPC. Post- man, White House, Washington, mortem comment from some (sec- urging his immediate action to save retly opposed) Democratic "reg- the present FEPC and to pass per– Excellent Record Set By All.. Negro Air Service Group Atlantic City, N. Y.-A man after the heart of all good taxpay– ers is Captain Wilbur R. Robin– son, of Birmmgham, Ala., com– mander of an all-Negro Air Ser– vice group truck company in India. Here now at AAF Redistribu– tion Station No. 1, where he has reported for a new duty assign– ment, Captain Robinson said that when his company started opera– tions in India, trucking Air Forces supplies from sea ports back to in– land bases, it had 52 vehicles in ulars" was evasive, arguing that manent FEPC bills, H.B. 2232 operation. Accentuated by an overwhelming barrage of interrogations con- T d the FEPC appropriation would and S. 101. Urge your own two wo an one-half years later cerning the potentialities, aims and possible achievements of a newlv. S S when th C t · b h h" have been knocked out any-way on enators and enator Alben Bark- e ap am roug t IS com- formed protective Negro organization, namely, the Negro Taxpayers a "point of order". (Wartime ley, majority leader of the Senate, pany back to the United States, it League, the following comments are offered. It must be remembered agencies established by the P'res- and Senator Wallace White, mi- still had the original 52 vehicles h · h b · "bl k h h d 1 · "d t' E t" 0 d · h nori"ty leader, to pass present in operation. t at It as een Impossi e to rna e a t oroug stu y re ati":e to mo- I en s xecu Ive r er wit out tivations and incentives behind this body. For this reason, a discus- Congressional approval can be FEPC budget and S. 10 l. Urge "That's a good record when you 1 l . . h" . blocked by a single member's your local Congressman to sign consider we were rollinc:r up from sian based upon genera impressions on y, IS appropnate at t IS time. .... action, since House rules disallow discharge petition No. 4 to bring 75 to 100,000 miles a month," said The main theme and purpose of this organization appears to be an appropriation to an agency "not H.B. 2232 to House floor for de- the captain, son of Mr. and Mrs. to carry on a struggle to have all offensively worded signs removed authorized by law." ,This rule has bate. W. D. Robinson, 2721 6th Ave- from restaurants tha~ refuse service to Negroes. Signs such as "We been waived in the past to permit Rally all local groups to send nue, S., Birmingham, "but what cater to white trade only" and "We do not solicit Colored trade" appropriation to FEPC and many resolu·tions and petitions, letters makes me feel better is he fact that (latter to be found in restaurant across the street from Sears-Roebuck other temporary war agencies, and, and telegrams. during the 30 months we were over on Grand Avenue) are the targets of this attack. while admittedly more difficult there I lost only one man-and 1 b l this year, a waiver of "points of Longshoremen Act that was through illness." In this endeavor, the worth of the eague cannot e over-emp 1a- orders" on the entire bill, includ- To Curb Union Captain Robinson worked ' as a sized. Since the condition to be remedied is of a purely local origin, it is likely that a militant and determined group of Negroes holding residence in Portland would constitute the most logical group to set up the machinery to bring about the desired changes. For the past two years the unity of the Negro people of this com– munity has been a deplorable and lamentable condition to observe. Petty antagonisms, rivalries and jealousies, as well as the interference created by outside political factions, has left this people in a pitiful state of maladjustment and contusion. Organizations such as this one often come in for an untold share of bitter criticism from 'would be" deliverers. Criticisms evoked by non-contributors and non-participants IS nullified to begin with. However, in this instance a wonderful opportunity is offered for all of the skeptics to join the Negro Taxpayers League and become act– ivated into its programs. If these persons are dissatisfied with what they find, they can assist in building through democratic processes the type of organization they feel is essentiaL It is obvious that this organization is confining itself to the sub– jective sphere of protest activity. The position has been assumed that publicly posted signs offensive to minority groups and discriminatory in this respect must be removed. With this everyone should be in accord. It is true that there are other organizations here that claim interest in objective issues such as post war housing and employment for Negroes. Some of these organizations, admittedly, are definitely under the dictatorial influence and guidance of white persons who do not care to see any positive aggressive programs launched by the Negro people. The reluctance of Negroes to step to the forefront in such organizations has left the Negro people devoid of effective instru– mentalities to carry on their battles for complete liberation. There is a crying need for a harmonious relationship to be developed between the Negro Taxpayers League and o'ther organizations immediately. If this is not done in the near future, it will be found that any pro– tests and complaints registered by the Taxpayers League will be countered by other acceptable Negro groups whose leadership will feel no loyalties to the new organization. In conclusion it may be said that this organization could become a vital benefactor to the Negro people in this area. It is possible that its growth will endow it with community respect to the extent that future roles of political, economic and social significance may be rele– gated to it. In due time it is hoped that its nationalist character will not be so pronounced. The nature of the struggle it has embarked upon indicates that this program is one that needs the assistance of more American citizens than just Negroes for its ultimate success. My sincere gratitude and appreciation to my dear friends for their kindness and sympathy during the illness and death of my husband, Mr. Joe Rodgers. MRS. GERTRUDE RODGERS. ing FEPC, was expected.) The Discrimination property manager with the Ten- Appropriation Committee action thus puts restoration of FEPC up to the Senate, since overriding of the Committee by the House IS difficult if not impossible. It was not a party vote: Both Republicans and Democrats ganged up on FEPC. Ranking Republican minority members, John Taber (Auburn, N. Y.), led the anti– FEPC bloc. Dirksen (Rep., Ill.), fought Taber and received support from FEPC friends, Ludlow, Cof– fee and ) Koppelman. Cannon faiL ed to lead the fight for FEPC as he should have. * * Present Status: If the present FEPC is killed on June 30, 1945, the need for permanent legislation is pointed up dramatically, but all observers agree that permanent leg– islation IS highly unlikely for months to come. Progressive groups are rallying to restore the appro– priation. Three alternative actions are possible, none of which exclude the others: 1. Since a House amendment to the War Agencies bill restoring FEPC is subject to removal by a "point of order," this action would be little more thafl a gesture, and is 'probably futile. 2. A splendid Deficiency Appro– priation Bill, for consideration by the Appropriations Committee late this month, could contain FEPC's budget if the Administration so de– sired. Although subject to points of order (in the same fashion as above) FEPC's indusioo 111 the Deficiency Appropriation Bill has the advantage of coming up so late 111 the month that no Congress– man who was pledged for but sec– retly opposed FEPC, ~auld ration– alize his failure to vote favorably by stating that he preferred to vote for the permanent bill. Since sev– eral weeks remain before the De- CContinued from Page 1) nessee Valley Authority before en- a national scale. tering the service. Now on "indef- The resolution of .the Los Ange- inite leave" from the TV A he les Council declared : "This coun- hopes to return tothat orga~iza­ cil deplores any action taken by tion "after Japan signs on the locals within the CIO where the dotted line". membership has resolved that they --------'------=--~would not work with returned Church Directory Americans of Japanese ancestry." --------------=- Local No. 8 of the ILWU, MT. OLIVET Jl4l'TIST CHURCH Portland, likewise refuses to accept N. E. First Avenue & Schuyler Negroes. Attention has been called Portland, Oregon to this matter in many meetings, etc., but so far there have been no changes m the policies of this group. On one occasion Harry Bridges is reported to have per– sonally made an appeal to the rank and file here to cease discriminat– ing against Negro workers but his pleas went unanswered. BRIEFS ' BETHEL CBURCB. A. M. &. N. McMlllen and Larrabee Portland, Oregon ------------------ ST. PHILIPS CJI'UR,CB Episcopal N. E. Knott and Rodney Portland, Oregon --------~~------ AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL ZION CHURCH 2007 N. W1111ams Ave. Portland, Oregon --------~~------ CATHOLIC CHAPEL of the LITTLE FLOWBB Inter-Racial Mr. Freddie Jackson, 2032 N 21 N. E. Broadway E. Rodney, waiter on "City of Rev. Jerome M. Schmitz, Chaplain Miss Doris Reynolds, Catechist Portland," Union Pacific Stream- SERVICES: liner, while en route to Chi"cago Sunday, Mass and Sermon, 9 A. M. Wednesday, Novena Devotions: received news of his mother's death 8:00P.M. in Paris, Texas. Mr. Jackson left THE PEOPLE'S COMMUNITr BAPI'IST CHURCH Chicago Saturday, June 9th, to at- NE 74th Avenue and Glisan Stre~ tend the funeral. (Take the Montavilla Car and get off at 73d Avenue) * * * Rev. R. E. Donaldson, Mlnlster, M 7524 NE Everett St. Phone TA 1169. r. Joe Blood and Lee Shep- McKinley McNeal, Sunday School herd, S. P. S. waiters, were sever- Superintendent. ely burned when thetrain on which CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST they were working was side-swiped 1207 S. W. Front Avenue by a freight train, derailing two Rev. B. M. McSwain, Pastor Devotional services at 12 noon and passenger cars. Their train was en B p. m. Sundays. Weekly Services, route to Seaside. Both men are Tuesdays and Fridays, 8 p.m. now in St. Vincent hospital. YOUNG PEOPLE'S OHURCII ' COMBAT SWIMMING In the 18 months before V-E Day, 125,000 men received Amer– Ican Red Cross directed combat swimming instruction in Hawaii ) and now the program IS being stepped up, at military request, for troops awaiting re-deployment to the Pacific. Mill Plain Recreation Center "WELCOME" Young People's Meeting 6:00 P.M. Church 7:30P.M. Pastor-Rev. C. S. Stearns Residence 5516-B East 13th St. McLoughlin Heights ~~~~=---------