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New Negro Opinion [logo]New Negro Opinion Washington's Progressive Weekly Official Organ of the New Negro Alliance Published Weekly By THE NEW NEGRO ALLIANCE,Inc. 1333 R. Street, N.W. PHONE NORTH 1258 Eugene Davidson Editor 2 Pennies Per Copy; 100 Pennies Per Year; 150 Pennies Per Year Outside of the United States Saturday, September 15, 1934 THE CRIME OF ORGANIZING From Missouri comes the news that four colored persons, one a woman, were each fined and sent to jail for a year, and then beaten "in open court" by the angry whites who had listened to the trial. Their crime was "unlawfully organizing the Negro race." If the Negro is to be kept "in his place" much longer, it will have to be made unlawful to organize the Negro race. Angelo Herndon's conviction in Georgia was the effort of that State to make organization of Negroes unlawful, and now Missouri falls in line. The forces of race and class oppression in America know that organization of the oppressed is the thing they have to fear the most. Organization of labor is feared. Organization of Negroes is feared. Organization of blacks and whites making common cause is feared most of all. The underdog must not be allowed to realize his strength, or he will cease being the underdog. It is a thing to consider that in those states of the Union where Negroes are in largest number and even outnumber whites, the Negro is the most oppressed and least organized. Those who want to continue that situation have to make it a crime to organize Negroes. If the Negro himself will only see what his enemies see so clearly he will be at the dawning of a new day. Perhaps he is beginning to see when jail sentences and violence have to be used to stop Negro organization. Such manouvers often indicate that the organizers are making too much progress for comfort. H. [[line]] PROGRAM OF THE NEW NEGRO ALLIANCE To improve the economic and civic status of the Negro community through: 1. The securing of positions which will increase the earning capacity of our group. 2. The securing of opportunities for advancement and promotions in positions secured. 3. The uniting of the purchasing power of the Colored people to be used as a lever in securing economic advantages. 4. The creation of bigger and better Negro business through increased earning power of Negroes, through a better business outlook resulting from contact and experience with successful businesses of the other group, and through the stimulation of businesses now run by Negroes to higher levels of efficiency and service. 5. The concentrated support of all businesses which employ Negroes or in which Negro capital is invested. 6. Research and investigation which will discover and thoroughly anlyze the possibilities for Negro Business and Negro labor in new fields. [[line]] Persons and Affairs... By William H. Hastie J. AUBREY DAVIS, GUEST COLLABORATOR For two generations the Negro doctor has held almost the same place in the Negro race that the white industrialist, banker and capitalist has held in the white race. He has been head man socially and financially. Unhappily, he has also been satisfied to be just a "successful" doctor. His specialty is medicine, but his interest in the social and economic betterment of his fellow men is pitifully small, and his knowledge of such matters is even smaller. Even public health is of only passing interest to him. It is indeed unfortunate that the Negro boy who goes into medicine - seldom, is forced or persuaded into acquiring what is commonly called a liberal education, but can usually content himself with taking the prescribed courses which are the open sesame to the mighty portal The Medical School. The result is that when he leaves the hospital and interneship he has not the faintest conception of anything except medicine. He has never been trained to think about anything else, and he never learns. Even though the doctor may not be expected to become the intimate friend of every charity patient upon whose body he operates, he should at least be intelligent upon the basic problems in our economic life which bring about charity cases. Even though he is "conservative," he should have some familiarity with the history and ideas of "radical" political and economic thought and action. The intelligent man who has had superior opportunities and enjoys a prominent place in the community can no longer justify his existence by being a capable doctor, and nothing more. His obligation to society does not end at the door of his office. It is this same lack of knowledge of social concepts which permits the individual doctor to overlook vicious social crimes within the practice of his profession. It is this same social indifference which permits the physicians of Washington to shut their eyes to the inadequacy of Freedmen's Hospital. Recognizing that there are doctors to whom none of this applies, it still must be admitted that the Negro doctor qualifies as the complete Babbit. (Editor's Note: The Opinion will be glad to publish differences of opinion on this subject.) [[line]] The New Deal AND THE Rural Negro By Victor H Daniel Just as cheap and abundant food forms the basis of local prosperity so abundant excellent roads leading everywhere are the most vital base of national prosperity. It is quite evident the present Administration is conscious of the part good roads and bridges should play in the economic re-birth of rural America. Practically every state in the union has received generous assistance from the Public Works Administration for new roads and bridges. The buildings of these new roads and bridges have proved a veritable god-send to thousands of rural families. By sanctioning the building of new roads and bridges as one of the first means of indirect relief, President Roosevelt showed his keen insight of rural social problems. The lack of sufficient good roads leading from our farms to our towns and cities have cost and are costing the entire nation an immesurable sum of money. A commensurable amount of the backwardness of rural people may be traced to the lack of good roads. When we take into consideration that because of the constantly decreasing urban birth rate, the cities if they are to continue to exist must depend in a very large way for new recruits from our rural areas. We can then readily see the wisdom of the Administration in making the roads and bridges a major part building of abundant excellent of its New Deal program. A considerable portion of the male members of our rural population has received a liberal education through the road building program that has been going on during the past sixteen months. As one traces through some of the sections where new roads have been built he cannot help noticing that there has been an increase in the number of private farm roads that have concrete culverts. And that concrete posts are at the main entrances to several farm houses. Thus it does seem that our rural folk are beginning to learn how to use concrete to improve and beautify their surroundings. Last year the writer's attention was called to the fact that in nearby states Negro farm laborers were permitted to go unemployed while white men and boys were given work on road building projects. We repeat that there can be no national recovery on a large scale if the under-privileged rural Negro is proscribed against. [[line]] ARTIST RECITAL DRAWS MUSIC LOVERS With a representative number of music lovers attending and an appreciative audience, Wilbur Marshall, tenor; Horace L. Robinson, pianist-accompanist; and J. Richmond Johnson, violinist, were presented in an Artists Recital at the Metropolitan A.M.E. Church Thursday. The recital was under the sponsorship of Robert Thomas Murray, III. The masters, both classic and contemporary had places on the program including Mr. Marshall's rendition of Arias from Gounad's "Faust" and Handel's opera "Lemele". Mr. Marshall also exhibited characteristic of a true artist in his rendition of songs from Shumman including the well known "Ich Ralle Nicht," Purcell's "I Attempt from Lone Sickness to Fly"; and Negro spirituals arranged by Burleigh, and Hail Johnson. J. Richmond Johnson explified his mastery of the violin by playing the "Fantasie" from the opera "Il Trovatore" by Verdi. Nathaniel Detts "Barcarolle" and "Etude" by Chopin were Mr. Horace F. Robinsons contribution to the program. Mr. Robinson was also a sympathetic accompanist to Mr. Marshall and Mr. [[line]] CHICAGO LOSES PROMINENT PHYSICIAN CHICAGO - Dr. George C. Ellis, well known physician of this city died last week at Billings Hospital. Dr. Ellis was a graduate of the University of Illinois. In 1939 he was awarded a Rosenwald Scholarship and studied neurology at the University of Illinois and the University of Chicago. In the spring of 1933 he went to Europe where he furthered his work in neurology at the University of Hamburg, Germany, and later at Queens hospital, London, England. He returned early in 1934 to resume his practice in Chicago. Funeral services were held last Tuesday, the Kappa Alpha NEW NEGRO OPINION NEWSPAPER, SEPTEMBER 29, 1934Psi Fraternity, of which he was a member, having charge of the services. [[line]] What Others Think DOWN WITH DISCRIMINATION What we consider to be one of the best moves made to break down discrimination and segregation practices in the labor unions took place when Harry Bridges of the International Longshoremen's Association stated int he Labor Temple at San Francisco, last Thursday night, before a huge audience of Union workers and capitalists, "Negro Labor will never again find the doors of San Francisco International Labor Association closed against them. There will not be any Jim Crow or segregation in separate gangs, abut the men will be scattered indiscriminately throughout the dock personnel." A hearty applause assured approval by the host of workers. This changed attitude and justified stand will have, we hope, a desired effect upon Union circles throughout the country. Gradually, but effectively, the Negro worker is being given every opportunity to demonstrate his ability as a skilled or Union worker, as discrimination is being broken down in various places. This alone is one reason why we, as workers and applicants, for positions in skilled craft, should show the best of ability when given the opportunity. Discrimination being an undemocratic practice, cannot hold its own. Thoroughbred Americans will eventually wipe it from these United States and when it comes to working ability, will we be qualified is the question which every Negro should ask himself seriously, We struggle against this practice of segregation and discrimination but how many of us have faced about and analytically examined the outcome. The great problem is one mainly of preparedness. Are we prepared to render service in the highest degree and will our qualifications justify the position which we must seek? We must be ready to stand the acid test! - California News.
