Twin-City herald. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1927-1940, 1932-09-17
This w orld
SLAVERY MODERN STYLE
BOULDER DAM
OUT GOES 6LEAsE.
w. M. SMITH.
Cecil e. Newman

Slavery modern style was found on
the government managed Mississippi
flood control projects by the N.A.A.C.P.
A protest direct to the president was
relayed to the War Department and
thence to the chief of army engineers,
Major General Lyle Brown. Browns
first reply to the charges was the u.s.
ual bluff and buster of an army eng1-
neer. But the persistent Walter
White, N.A.A.C.P. secretary kept right
on the job and congressional inves-
tigation may result. An example of
slavery 1882 style is furnished by the
experience of one Negro worker who
was paid 1914 cents per hour, who
worked 70 hours for one of the river
construction companies. He madeS9.S5.
Requesting his pay he. received a bill,
itemizing $3.50 for commissary sup
plies, $3.50 for the cook, rs cents for
tent rental and As cents for ice water,
leaving him As cents in debt to the
company. This is no new thing in
the south for this same form, OF peon
age exists in many states in that Sec
ton, but that such a nefarious sys-
tenn should exist under U. s. govern
ment controlled projects is shameful.
To justify the poverty wages Major
General Brown is alleged to remarked
when Investigators questioned him
about the pitifully small wage scale of
Negro ,levee laborers, perhaps they
are worth no more"
Several months ago when the huge
government project the Boulder Dam
at Las Vegas, N M. began no Negroes
were employed. Among the several
thousand employees there was not
known member of this particular
group. The wide-awake' CALIFORNIA
EAGLE, Negro Los Angeles weekly
got on the job Immediately. In short
order the N.A.A.C.P., the National Ne
gro Bar Association, assisted by the
EAGLE bombarded with loud protests
governmental departments in Wash
ington in charge of the dam project.
1t was announced last week that by
Christmas of this year $50 Negro
workers will be at work on the Boul-
der Dam. Congratulations are in or
der for all concerned.
It was. a, great day for American
ideals of government when the vot-
ers of the state of South Carolina in
the recent democratic primaries de-
feated for denomination Senator Cole
L. Blease, a political demagogue If
there ever was one. Blease of the
Tillman, Vardaman, Helm, stamp is
out of step with the fair and farsee.
ing whites of the South who seek
cordial and equitable race relations.
The doings and progress or retro
gression of the church occupy the
columns of the press these days
Here in. Minneapolis we are witness
ing this week a great church confer
ence. In other columns in this news
paper you will find news of it. The
disquieting thing about news OF the
church in the past few years has
been the growing number of disagree
ments and disputes that have resulted
in un-Christian violence. Down in Mon
roe, La, where they evidently take
their church too serious, two people
are dead, and four wounded after a
free for all fight in the church build,
ing.
Some day, some of the folks he has
aided, some of those who have accept
ed his counsel; some of those who
have have borrowed his great talent:
some of those who have borrowed
his money; some of those who recog-
nize his service to the. community
and to the cultural side of Minneap-
oils are going to get together and:
give a testimonial dinner to Will
Confined on Page A.