The Houston Informer and the Texas Freeman (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 13, No. 44, Ed. 1 Saturday, March 26, 1932 Page: 1 of 8
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: The Houston Informer and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Rice University Woodson Research Center.
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NEGROES CAN VOTE IN THE SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION, APRIL 2
5Cts.
’HE HOUSTON INFORMEK
" AND
THE TEXAS FREEMAN
A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER FOR ALL THE PEOPLE
OUR PHONE NUMBER
IS PRESTON
7916
VOL. XIII .
HOUSTON, TEXAS, SATURDAY, MARCH 26,1932
NUMBER 44
SCOTTSBORO BOYS’ S
FENCE IIPHEI
PS
rs
v Black Face White Bandits
Caught At Austin When
Attempted Holdup Fails
Austin, Texas.—(Sp.)—Two white men were placed in the
Travis County jail Sunday after having failed in an attempt to
hold up Mayo T. Brewer, manager of the Piggly Wiggly Store No.
6, and being chased through the downtown business district and
toward East Austin, officers firing at them continuously. Twen-
ty-three shots were fired at the men, but neither of them was in-
jured. Both of the men had their faces blacked.
Constable Arthur Woody said Sunday that the men stole an
auto license plate from an automobile belonging to Stanley
Rogers, wrestler. Rogers’ licenseiStreet, where they turned south to
plates were placed on top of the Willow Street. Officers overhauled
plates of the car belonging to the
holdup men.
Alabama Supreme Court
Affirmed Sentence And
Fixes “Slaughter” Date
Shoots at Hi-Jackers.
Shortly before midnight, the two
men stopped Brewer between Fourth
and Fifth streets on Colorado Street.
They had run him into the curb, tell-
ing him that he was speeding. When
Brewer was stopped he shot at the
two men.
Deputy Constables Arthur Cowey,
Burt Bell and L. H. Key found the
men in their automobile driving along
at the intersection of First Street and
Congress Avenue. The officers drove
along side of the hold-up men at
Fourth and Congress and demanded
that they pull to the curb. The men
refused and turned east into Fourth
Street. Officers followed, shooting at
the car from time to time.
Finally Overhauled
■ The chase continued east on Fourth
Street to Red River Street, where the
men turned south to First Street
Then they continued east on First
Street until the reached Navasota
K. OF P. TO HEAR
During the meeting it was brought
. 4, out that county superintendents and
SERMON SUNDAY city superintendents do not give much
The annual sermon of the K. of P., if any supervision to a number of
Houston district, will be held at the
Wesley Memorial A. M. E. Church,
2209 Dowling Street, at 3 p. m., Sun-
day, March 27, 1932. The sermon
will be under the auspices of the
courts and lodges of the district. Dr.
E. J. Howard, pastor, will preach the
sermon. Grand Chancellor L. B.
Kinchion will personally grace the oc-
casion in his own characteristic way.
The public is cordially invited to be
present on this occasion.
DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN
PROPOSES ATTUCKS DAY
Washington, D. C.—Congressman
Joseph A. Gavagan of New York, has
introduced into the house of repre-
sentatives a joint resolution calling
on the president of the United States
to proclaim March 5, as Crispus At-
tucks Memorial Day for commemora-
tion of the death of the hero of the
Revolutionary War period.
MADE PAST GRAND CHANCELLOR K. OF P.
W. J. SMITH, principal Douglas
School, who has recently been ap-
pointed by Grand Chancellor L. B.
Kinchion of the Colored Knights of
Pythias of Texas, to fill the position
of past grand chancellor, a position
left vacant by the death of Dr. A. N.
Prince of Sherman, Texas. The grand
chancellor’s letter to Mr. Smith reads
in part as follows:
them at the interaction of Navasota
and Willow streets.
Officers Cowey, Key and Bell were
in a car immediately following the
hold-up men. Cowey shot at the car
12 times and Key shot at it 11 times.
City Officer Bill Nitschke was in a
car after Cowey, Key and Bell. Con-
stable Woody was in the car immedi-
ately after Nitschke.
Constable Woody said one of the
men had made a confession to the
hold-up. He also said that one of the
men had been an employe of the Pig-
gly Wiggly Stores.
MESSAGE OF STATE
TEACHERS TAKEN
P. V. STATE SCHOOL
Galveston, Texas.—The second mes-
sage relative to the Colored Teachers’
State Association was given by A. W.
McDonald, president last Friday to
the third annual educational confer-
ence in Prairie View State College.
Negro schools.
Mr. McDonald pointed out during
his five minutes talk that the duties
of a superintendent was both admin-
istrative and supervising. He told
that in some cases superintendents
did not know what was going on in
the Negro school years ago, but con-
ditions were getting better. He plead-
ed with the principals and superinten-
dents to get together with the teach-
ers of the schools and make the Ne-
gro schools what they should be.
Mr. McDonald called attention to
the four objectives that he had out-
lined for the Colored Teachers’ State
Association and briefly explained the
last two.
Mr. McDonald was accompanied to
Prairie View by J. R. Gibson, princi-
pal Central High; H. T. Davis, princi-
pal West District School; K. C. Stew-
art, instructor Galveston extension
school, Prairie View State College,
and 0. T. White.
“You are hereby advised that by
virture of the power and authority in
me vested, I am appointing you to the
position of past grand chancellor, to
succeed the late Dr. A. N. Prince, de-
ceased.
“Kindly advise me by return mail
whether or not you will accept this
appointment.”
TEXAS PRIMARY
CASE ARGUED IN
SUPREME COURT
. Washington, D. C.—(CNS)—For a
second time last week the Supreme
Court of the United States heard ar-
gument in the case of Nixon vs. Con-
don and Kolle, commonly called the
“Second Texas Primary Case.” Sit-
ting on the bench in place of Mr. Jus-
tice Holmes, was Mr. Justice Cardozo,
in the second day of his occupancy of
a Supreme Court position. The case
for the appellant, Dr. Nixon, was pre-
seated by N. A. A. C. P. lawyers,
James Marshall and Nathan Margold;
while that of the respondents was ar-
gued by Ben R. Howll. Prominent
among those in attendance on the ar-
gument were: Judges James A. Cobb
of the Municipal Court here and a
member of the board of directors of
the N. A. A. C. P.; Vice Dean Chas.
Houston of Howard University law
school; and, Scipio Jones of Hot
Springs, Arkansas.
In arguing the case for the appel-
lant, Mr. Marshall explained that Ne-
gro citizens, otherwise qualified, had
been debarred the privilege of voting
in Democratic primaries in Texas by
virtue of an act of the state legisla-
ture passed in 1927. This statute, he
said, left to the executive committee
of the Democratic party, the privilege
of prescribing those eligible to vote
in the primaries. In response to ques-
tioning by Mr. Justice Sutherland,
who asked if the statute did anything
more than repeal the unconstitutional
act of the state legislature excluding
Negroes from the primaries by state
law, Mr. Marshall replied, that the
1927 statute went beyond this, in that
it created as its agent, the executive
committee of the Democratic party.
He argued by analogy that the execu-
tive committee as the creature of the
state legislature, in refusing Negroes
the right to vote in the primary, had
done the very act, which had been
declared unconstitutional by the Su-
preme Court in the first Texas pri-
mary case of Nixon vs. Herndon.
The N. A. A. C. P. counsel went in-
to great detail in showing that since
1923 the state legislature had taken
over, even to minute details, the man-
agement of party primaries in the
state; and, that the contested statute
of 1927 was simply another of the
regulatory provisions enacted to bring
the primaries fully within the control
of the state legislature.
Dividing the time with Mr. Mar-
shall, Mr. Margold presented another
phase of the appellant's ease, when
he argued that this statute alone
stood in the way of the full franchise
of otherwise qualified Negro voters.
Ben R. Howell, arguing on behalf of
the election officials, Condon and
Kolle, who refused Dr. Nixon and sev-
eral others th right to vote in the
Democratic Primaries of 1928, declar-
ed that the Democratic party in Tex-
as was a private organization, and in
no way a state or quasi-state institu-
tion. Therefore, he contended, the ac-
tion of the Democratic party in ex-
cluding Negroes from participating in
primary elections, was of no more
effect than the refusal of other whol-
ly private organizations debarring
Negroes on the basis of color.
A decision of the case which has
been pending over 2 years, is expect-
ed to be handed down by the Supreme
Court next week. Strong hope was
reported here in legal circles that the
decision would be favorable to the
appellant, Dr. Nixon. Reason for this
prediction was based largely on the
turn taken in the questioning of the
Supreme Court justices and the ac-
quisition of Mr. Justice Cardozo, a
leberal, as a member of the court.
The decision in the case will direct-
ly affect over 200,000 qualified Negro
voters in other Southern states.
These men are a few of nearly 200
who were burned out of house and
home by white police officials in
South Washington, Virginia, Tuesday.
Reading left to right they are: Mar-
cus James, 19; B. F. Frank, George
Strothers, Sanders Wright (seen hold-
ing all he saved from his home, which
is shown smouldering in ashes in the
foreground; Sim Silvera, Jewish junk
dealer, who befriended the men; and
George Hall.
FIRE TO NEGRO
HUW HOMES
Arlington, vaZIcns)—One of the
coldest March nights on record here
last week found over 150 colored men,
who salvage junk on an old dump for
a living, homeless and destitute as a
result of the firing of their “lean-to”
shacks by Arlington County police
and officials of the West Brothers
Brick Company on whose leased
premises the shacks had been erected.
The tin and wood shacks, which they
had constructed on the side of a hill
overlooking the Nation’s Capital,
were completely destroyed last Tues-
day, when a dozen or more armed po-
lice headed by Sheriff Howard B.
Fields of Arlington County, W. Har-
ry Johnson, state game warden and
the superintendent of the West Broth-
ers Brick Company, swooped down on rangements will be guided by local
the impoverished colony and set fire conditions in making UP the program,
to the entire group of shacks totalling
100. Many of the men, at work on
the dump, a quarter of a mile away,
could not get back to their squalid
homes, in time to save the few re-
maining possessions they had in the
world.
Vandalism Given As Reason.
Accusation that the men had de-
molished a part of the wooden sheds
used by the brick company to store
brick, were given as reasons for the
wholesale destruction of the colony.
L. T. West, president of the company
on whose premises the shacks were
built, stated that the men had made a
habit of building tin and wood dwell-
Washington, N. C.—(CNS)—Sam
, Cleves, a colored farmer of Pinetown,
During that time he. reported thought he had found the Lindbergh
baby, but he was wrong after all. - „ - .
Last Thursday Cleves’rushed into LONG ILLNESS IS
town and reported to police authori-
ings on company property for over a
rear.
to the police authorities that wood
had been torn from company sheds
and used as fire material bv the
colonists. This kent up he said for
some time and police proved unable
to cope with the situation. Finally on
suggestion of Sheriff Fields, the men
were dispossessed last week by fire.
Different Story Told.
Quite a different story was glean-
ed from other sources, however. Ac-
cording to Sim Silvers, Jewis junk
dealer of 1534 E Street, S. E., Wash-
ington, D. C., the men are an indus-
trious group, forced to earn a bare
livelihood salvaging old rat's, bits of
metal and bottles, because there is no
other work available for them. Mr.
Silvers stated that the men worked
from five and six o’clock in the morn-
ing until it was too dark to see on
the nearby dumn. Here they would
search for anything which might be
of value to pell, and gather as well
stale bread, lumps of sugar and al-
most rotten meat, which would be
added to whatever else they manag-
ed to get fod food.
LANGSTON HUGHES COMING
Announcement has just been made
that Langston Hughes, international-
ly famed Negro poet and artist, will
appear in Houston in a recital April
7. Mr. Hughes is now completing a
tour of the Southern and Southwest-
ern state and decided to come to
“Heavenly Houston” before returning
to his home. His appearance here
will be under the joint auspices of the
local branches of the Y. W. C. A. and
the Y. M. C. A. The date of his re-
cital will be April 7, watch for an-
nouncements concerning the place
later. Houston should hear him.
CNS
BUSINESS HEADS
ISSUE APPEAL TO
GENERAL PUBLIC
New York City.—An appeal and in-
vitation to the public to set aside the
entire week, beginning Sunday, April
3, for some definite activity to better
our economic situation in commemo-
ration of the birthday of the late
Booker T. Washington, founder and
first president of the National Ne-
gro Business League, the date of
which is April 5, was sent out this
week from the main office at Tuske-
gee Institute, and from the office of
the secretary at 145 W. 41st Street,
New York City, which was signed by
Robert R. Moton, president; C. C.
Spaulding, chairman of the executive
committee; Jane Hunter, Fred R.
Moore, F. B. Ransom and John L.
Webb, vice presidents; A. L. Lewis,
treasurer, and A. L. Holsey, secre-
tary.
“From present indications the year
1932, will record the most substantial
and impressive advancement of the
Negro towards economic independ-
ence,” the appeal said. “Many condi-
tions, including the depression which
began in 1929, have brought into fo-
cus the need for an active economic
program, and there was never a time
in Negro history in America when so
much attention was being given to
business and industry.”
"Local committees in charge of ar-
but it is hoped that all active and re-
lated intrests may be joined together
for the week’s celebration. Copies of
the suggested program for this exer-
cise may be secured by addressing the
New York office of the National Ne-
gro Business League.”
AFTER ALL A BABY
******
IS A BABY ISN’T IT?
ties that two strange men carrying a
baby had been in his neighborhood |
for three days and had acted very
suspiciously. The men came in a car
which he thought had a New Jersey1
license.
"Did you see the baby?" he was
asked.
“Yes sir, I did."
“How old would you say it was?”
“About two years.”
“What kind of hair did it have?”
"Curly.”
At this point Cleves’ questioners-.. ....... yueree au vne vasue when
became excited and pressed the man illnes forced her to give up her work,
for further details. “What did the she was a member of the faculty of
men look like?” Harper Junior High School.
"They were colored men,” Cleve re-
plied.
“What complexion was the baby?”
was the next question.
“Oh it was a colored baby,” said
Cleves.
That ended the interview. Cleves
was told that he need worry no long-
er about the matter because it was
practically certain that the baby in
his neighborhood was not the Lind-
bergh child. He seemed slightly dis-
apointed over the fact that his efforts
in helping locate the missing baby
had not met with great success.
VIRGINIA SCHOOLS MERGE
Richmond, Va.—( ANP )—Official
announcement was recently made of
the merger of Virginia Union Uni- ___________-
versity and the Hartshorn Memorial Company. Citizens of Houston feels
College. These two institutions on keenly the loss of so noble a woman
adjoining campuses have worked in and join in sympathy to the mem-
harmony for a number of years, bers of the bereaved family.
Montgomery, Ala., Mar. 24.—
Death sentences for Ozie Powell,
Wm. Roberson, Andy Wright,
Ollin Montgomery, Heywood
Petterson, Charlie Weems and
Clarence Norris, the seven Ne-
gro boys who were accused of
assaulting two hobo white girls
near Scottsboro, Ala., a year
ago, were affirmed Thursday by
the Alabama Supreme Court.
The date of the execution for
the seven doomed prisoners was
set for Friday, May 18.
Sentence against Eugene Williams
was reversed.
The Scottsboro case has attracted
much attention throughout the land.
The International Labor Defense and
the National Association for the Ad-
vancement of Colored People came to
blows over the legal defense prob-
lems, resulting in the N. A. A. C. P.
withdrawing from the case.
Petition Demands Boys' Freedom
A petition demanding the immedi-
ate and unconditional release of the
boys, circulated in Los Angeles and
vicinity by the I. L. D. was
transmitted to the Alabama State Su-
preme Court containing the signa-
tures of 185 Negro and white people.
Mass meetings throughout the
BISHOP JONES-IS
HEARD IN SPEECH
BY BUSINESS MEN
Last Monday at one o’clock a new
mark was set among the Negro busi-
ness and professional men and wo-
men of Houston.
Bishop R. E. Jones of New Orleans,
La., had been invited to address the
club. His address was inspiring and
instructive and in his usual manner
he made a profound impression on
his hearers. The program was sup-
plemented by vocal selections by Mrs.
Lucretia Lawson Love, international
singer. This part of the program was
received with applause. Attorney
J. M. Nabrit introduced the Bishop
in fitting words. Rev. A. W. Can-
presented the pastors of Houston’s
leading congregations who were in
attendance. Prominent among those
present: Prof. W. J. Mason, secre-
tary to Bishop Jones and Dr. R. G.
Morris, Director of Education in Rural
Schools of the Home Missionary
Board of the Methodist Episcopal
Church, all of whom were voted an
honary membership in the club and
issued their cards by the secretary.
“We have been so pleased with our
move to admit the women into our
club that we will continue this phase
of the work of having honor guests at
luncheons. We shall in the near
future have as our guest some out-
standing woman of the race and to
this end we hope to have the coopera-
tion of all Negroes in business and
profession, said Mr. Burr the presi-
dent.
FATAL TO LOCAL
SCHOOL TEACHER
Mrs. Rosa Watson Roach, 1018
Fuller, departed this life Tuesday,
March 22, at 7:35 p. m., after a ling-
ering illness of more than two years.
Mrs. Roach was born in Hempsted,
Texas, and moved with her parents to
Houston when quite young. She was
prominently connected with the Hous-
ton school system, having served as
teacher in the public schools for more
than thirty years. At the time when
Harper Junior High School.
Soon after moving to the city she
connected herself with Antioch Bap-
tist Church when it was still on what
was called "Baptist Hill." She has
remained a loyal and faithful member
of this church ever since. She was at
the time of her demise a member of
the Helping Hand Circle and was at
one time the leader of same. Her one
and burning zeal was to see Greater
Antioch a reality. Her services was
freely and willingly given to all de-
partments of the church and in civic
and social affairs she was a ready
worker.
She leaves an aged father, brothers,
sisters, other relatives and a host of
friends to mourn her passing. Funer-
al arrangements will be announced
later by the Fairchild Undertaking
bera of the bereaved family.
world on March 18, demanded the
boys’ release. March 18 is the anni-
versary of the day in 1871, when the
workers of Paris overthrew their rul-
ers and set up the first workers’ com-
mune, proclaiming the principles of
working-class rule and equality for
all toilers. The Paris Commune was
drowned in a sea of blood after 70
days, but its memory is celebrated
each year by workers in every corner
of the world. The anniversary meet-
ings this year raised loudly the de-
mand for freedom of the nine inno-
cent Scottsboro boys.
URBAN LEAGUE
IS ORGANIZED IN
CITY OF GEORGIA
Macon, Ga.—At a meeting called
in the auditorium of the Chamber of
Commerce by W. T. Anderson, edi-
tor of the Macon Telegraph Saturday
afternoon, March 12, by unanimous
vote of those present it was decided
to organize a branch of the Urban
League. This meeting was attended
by a number of the most public spir-
ited and representative white and
colored citizens. *
The constitution, by-laws, and plan
of work was presented by Jesse O.
Thomas, Southern field director of
the National Urban League, which
provided for the raising of a budget
to employ a trained worker.
Editor W. T. Anderson is honor-
ary chairman of the board; C..W.
Sellars, cashier of a local bank, chair-
man; Miss Lottie Price, libraraian,
secretary; and Chief of Police Ben T.
Watkins, chairman of the executive
committee.
The bringing to Macon a branch of
this National Social Welfare Agency
is regarded by the local citizens as
being the most important step taken
by the leaders of the community in
the last quarter of a century.
In addition to the above named per-
sons, there are some fifty odd promi-
nent white and colored people com-
prising the board of directors and
executive committee.
NEGRO PHYSICIAN
NAMED TO BOARD
BY GOV. PINCHOT •
Philadelphia, Pa.—(CNS)—Doctor .
Whittier H. Wright, son of Major R.
R. Wright, president of the Citizens
and Southern Bank of this city, was
unpointed last week to the staff of
physicians of the State Athletic Com-
mission by Governor Gifford Pinchot.
The appointment came as result of
conferences held between the govern-
or and the newly appointed state
athletic commissioner, Robert J. Nel-
son of Reading, Pennsylvania. The
appointment of Dr. Wright marks the
first time in history that a Negro
physician has been named to serve on
the commission’s medical board.
The new appointee will have as his
duty the physical examination of
prospective contestants in athletic
bouts and the attendance upon ath-
letic contests. Such assignments car-
ry with them a fee of $25 each. It
was stated authoritatively that the
average number of such assignments
given a doctor on the commission is
four and five a week. Assignments
will be made by State Athletic Com-
missioner Nelson from his Philadel-
phia office.
NEGRO SCHOOL CHILDREN
DEPOSIT IN SAVINGS BANK
Richmond, Va.—(CNS)—Negro
school children of this city deposited
$4,482.76 in the public school savings
banks during the first school term,
according to a report just made pub-
lic by J. H. Binford, assistant super-
intendent of schools. The sum of $4,-
078.32 was withdrawn from the ac-
counts, according to the report. “The
depression has hit school bank ac-
counts as well as everything else,”
pointed out Mr. Binford in showing a
decrease in the deposits.
WELL KNOWN BARBER DIES
Joe Nichols, one of Houston’s old-
ect barbers, died at his residence,
3602 Shepherd, Tuesday, March 22,
after a lingering illness.
Mr. Nichols had seen service in
various Houston shops for a number
of years. At the time of taking III
he was in the employ of the Sam Wil-
son Shop on Fannin, having worked
there since leaving The Watson Shop
on Congress, where he had served for
more than 25 years.
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Atkins, J. Alston. The Houston Informer and the Texas Freeman (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 13, No. 44, Ed. 1 Saturday, March 26, 1932, newspaper, March 26, 1932; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1637797/m1/1/?q=a+message+about+food+from+the+president: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.