The Omaha guide., 1933-07-22
A WHITE MAN SPEAKS
By CLIFFORD {. MIIcHE



Since / have vowed 70 turn this
column over to a digest of conditions
that will help the Negro in Business
the responses and suggestions arriv-
ing IN the mail give me greater cour-
& and inspiration to try to accom-
plish something most needy and to
use my protest in q manner to best
help ourselves not particularly caring
whether It meets the approval or dis
approval Of those who think Of pro-
tests in the fern of nationwide cam
paigns to collect money TO be used in
making bigger and greater protests.
One Of the most encouraging mis-
sves-and quite lengthy-arrives
from a white m "a in Atlanta, Geor-
gia. and while il is encouraging TO
me because Il justifies my position
IN the use Of this column-yet. it is
a very great blot on the race and in a
community where We boast of many
OF the leading schools and churches
Of the country. / am unable 10 quote
his entire letter but | win offer many
quotations from it which, withou. any
comment from me, tells the whole
story.
a nave Just read your HELPING
THE NEGRO IN BUSINESS" and
] have gone over It very carefully and
an taxing this opportunity to make
plain a few facts"
i am q southern born and bred
white man. but have a sincere desire
20 help the colored man."
Sat various times l have attempted
10 help the eolOred man to help him
self. not By giving him charity, but
by trying 70 make him ~seh-support-
ing. Never yet have / undertaken
such 4 task rs it seems 70 be 70 get
this started / have contacted the
leaders Of the race here and without
exception they are enthusiastic and
heartily endorse and approve what l
suggest doing but they hesitate to get
busy on the job. They want to get
IN on Il and ride for the pecuniary
gain there IS in il and not for the
good that Il viii and can do for the
race
aNever have | heard so many con-
f7ic-ing statements made, nor such
a wide difference Of opinions among
a group Of men who should have a
single Some Of the crowd
say. do not see such and such q
person for they are not with us and
belong to a different set. Another
wills say by al mean see such and
such q person" and il wiz be diametr-
icany opposite what the former viii
say. It i no wonder to me now that
some n 90 along with out ef
for- being made for redress since
there Is no unity among them. In
stead q presenting a solid phalan0
70 the front. there r little scatter
ed punches OF Giques TO whom no
body pays any attention.
II tel you that if every Negro dol
lar deposited IN Atlanta banks was
deposited in the Negro bank. that in
stitu-icn would over night take the
place with the three big white inst
tuticas in Atlanta and instead Of At
lanta having three big ones there
would be four. There are millions OF
dollars in cash deposited in the banks
here that belong to Negro depositors
and less than 2 percent Of it is II
the Negro bank. II the assets Of the
bank were increased they would bt
In better shape TO lend money to Ne
gro merchants and other enterprises
conducted by the eolored population.
I could FIN up twice this amount q
space in quoting from the letter JUS
received from the prominent whit
AtlArtan but enough has been writ
ten 70 Indicate what thinkers" thinl
Of the pitiable plight Of the Negr'
not being willing 20 help himself
And fhe condition in Atlantis is bu
typical IN practically every commun
nv in the COUNTRY that has an sppre
liable colo-e5 population