Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1937-12-17
By Cecil E. Newman

One of our readers attacking our
recent editorial anent Japan said,
THE white nations of the world
have appropriated the natural re-
sources of China at will When
Japan decides to do the same thing
the western nations raise the devil
about it. More power to Japan"
Friend reader evidently believes
two wrongs make one right but he
could not deny that the American
Negroes enthusiasm for the Land
of the Rising Sun has diminished
considerably. The American Negro
has an innate sympathy for the
under-dog and in recent years he
has felt that Japan was playing
the 'bully." Having been long the
victim of his white brothers "big
bullying" tactics he knows what it
is to be the under-dog.
Miss Augusta Savage, New York
sculptress, has been engaged by
the New York World Fair Com
mission to execute and create a
group symbolic of the American
Negroes contribution to the music
of the world. The Twin City
appearance of the Scottsboro Boys
was not front page news in the
dailies, neither was it front page
news in the Minnesota LeaderI
AS far as we can ascertain, moth
ing was mentioned at the recent
Negro editors conference called by
the Department of Agriculture in
Washington about the forcing OF
thousands of Negro LOuisianans
into the cane fields against their
will to cut the sugar cane harvest.
Several weeks before the Louisi-
ana episode thousands of Negroes
were forced from urban centers in
other southern states back to the
cotton fields from which many had
fed because of peonage conditions
which infest the South's cotton
states.
people go to restaurants for
! lots. and. lots of reasons besides
mere belly-filling. They go to res
taurants to satisfy hunger, Of
course, but also to rest, to save
time, to get rid of a crouch, to
show off, to treat friends, to enjoy
a bit of luxury for a change, for a
chance to boss people around" so
saith a writer in an eastern trade
mag.
This newspaper has just finished
making Minnesota history. When
mo Hiding Place." Joseph Al
bright's full-length novel, was con-
cluded in our last issue, we had SET
two records. The story was the
first serial story ever published by
a Minnesota Negro journal and il
was the first full novel written by
a cOIOred MinnesOtan to reach
print. Several thousand persons
read mo Hiding Place" and many
evidently enjoyed it, if the way the
papers sold and demand for bach
copies is any indication.
Albright has a bright future
ahead, we believe, and will be heard
from both as a public man and
author and publicist.
The meeting at which the famed
ScOttsbOrO Boys spoke in Mime
apOIis had more whites in attend
ance than Negroes. Just another
one of those things which is diff
cult to understand.
Another reader writes in to point
out that the Eddie Cantor radio
program has never used any Of
the colored stage luminaries. Nat
urally we don't know why, but a
good way to find out is to write to
the current commercial sponsor of
Mr.. Cantor's program.
A good way to keep Negro ar
lists on the air is to write stations
and sponsors whenever you hear
one of our folks. Tell them you
liked the program and the artist
if you did. If you didn't, write the
artist a personal note of criticism
which will probably make him or
her hot under the collar-it usually
does-but it will do them good just
the same.
Few people white or black be-
heved that a Mississippi white
man, William Mitchell, who muir
dered two cOlOred workers with a
blow torch, would ever pay for his
deed with the death penalty. Even
after a jury of whites had found
him guilty and-wOnders to behold
Ia Judge had sentenced him to die
in the electric chair, we couldn't be-
Ieve it. When his lawyers, appeal
ing his case to the Mississippi SUI
preme Court, were turned down,
we still didn't believe it. Last