St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1941-06-20
DEFENSE MASS MEETING

1 y
member, for alleged remarks sh,
made at previous meeting.
Lauds Defense Committee
He lauded the Minnesota Negro
Defense Committee in it's efforts tt
secure equality for the Negro ir
the defense program of the state
and nation and he declared that il
was composed of fine group OF
people. He charged that The Re-
corder and Spokesman newspapers
had been very unfair to him and he
accused J. w. Pate of having a per-
sonal dislike for him. Cannon also
made the charge that ]. w. How
land had attacked him and Tarver
by name in meetings sponsored by
the Defense Committee, according
| to a report in The Recorder and
Spokesman. Rowland denied call
ing their names as was reported
but Rowland then repeated what he
had said and ended his statement
by saying, ~ did not call names
then, but l am now" and repeated
the names of Raymond Cannon and
Leslie Tarver.
Rowland said both Cannon and
Tarver were in his opinion def
nitely unfair to the Negroes of
Minnesota.
In a statement in which he an
swered Cannon's heated attack on
the Spokesman and Recorder, Cecil
Newman, editor of the papers, de-
MED his publications had been I'M
fair to either Cannon or Tarver, as
sorting that editorially the paper
had been very lenient toward each
of the men in it's editorial treat
ment of the entire situation.
Newman charged that Cannon
had come to the newspaper office
at the beginning of his mission for
Governor Stassen and had asked
the editor not to print the facts of
what occurred at the first meeting
at which Minneapolis Negroes were
asked to fill in a QUESTIONABLE.
The editor assailed Cannon for
requesting that the QUESTIONABLE
be signed by the persons who as
sembled at the Wheatley meeting
without allowing discussion on the
matter. He also said that Cannon
had repeatedly questioned both the
motives and the makeup of the de-
Tense committee.
A question was asked from the
audience and repeated by J. w.
Pate, eff any Negro. lawyer of the
Twin Cities had offered his services,
without pay, as several white law
yers have in the Minnesota Negro
Defense Committees fight for
equality?"
Chairman Frank L. Alsup an
swered in the negative and he
asked Mr.. Cannon if he would join
the Committees legal staff. Mr..
Cannon replied that he could not
with the feeling in the Committee
against him such as it is. Mr.. AL
sup told Cannon that che should not
let little personal matter prevent
him from serving his people"
Rev. Clarence T. R. Nelson, pas
tor of the Camphor Memorial
Methodist church and publicity
chairman of the Minnesota Negro
Defense Committee, said that the
Committee was not accepting the
general statement issued by Gov
ernor Stassen in announcing the
organization of the Minnesota De-
Tense Council last week as suffi-
cient and definite. Stassen said:
II further request that all loyal
citizens be given full opportunity
to participate in all parts of the de-
tense program in keeping with
democratic principles without dis
elimination for race, creed, color,
nationally, background or economic
status" The Committee expects,
Rev. Nelson said, the Governor to
issue definite word in regard to
his stand toward the enlisting of
Negroes in the Minnesota Home
Defense Force.
Rev. Nelson said that when Les
ter Badger, secretary to the Gov
ernor, asked him if he wanted the
Negro singled out in a statement,
Mr.. Nelson replied eyes, because
the Negro has already been singled
out by the discriminatory practices
and a special statement is needed
to right that wrong"
Governor Stassen has promised
to address meeting sponsored by
the Minnesota Negro Defense Com
mittee at some convenient date.