The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1941-10-10
Somewhat
Expressive
BY Harold Holifield


you're scared, you are not going
to get anywhere"
These phrases flung at SPELL
bound audience by A. Philip Ran
dolph, sounded the keynotes of
his and Milton +. Webster's
speeches last Monday night at
the public mass meeting held at
Mt. Zion Baptist church.
you can't get anything by sym
pathy' continued Mr.. Randolph AZ
he went on to put across the idea
that when ever minority groups
wished TO gain concessions from
the government they had TO take
them.
Roosevelt Affable
Randolph, president of the po-
tent Brotherhood of Sleeping Car
Porters, described the conferences
which led TO the presidnet's issu-
ing an executive order against
discrimination in defense indus
tries. He characterized the presid-
ent as an affable, suave individual
with an "inimitable faculty for
making you believe you have some
thing when you haven't gained
anything at ALL"
HE assumes control of the
conversation" continued Mr..
Randolph, land flows on like a
river that has no end"
The much publicized planned
march of 100000 Negroes on
Washington was a device used to
wrest from the president the ex-
ecutive order advising firms hold
ing national defense contracts to
cease color discrimination. Since
the order was issued, the march
was postponed, but the committees
have been kept intact just in case.
81 hope that we will be able to
organize march on Washington
committee in Seattle" suggested
Randolph. He added that it would
be inspiring to Sc a banner in the
march inscribed Seattle"
POrters Benefit
The Pullman porters Randolph
described as being insecure of their
jobs, mistreated and underpaid
wer ereceiving $67.5O monthly at
the unions inception. He revealed
that there are porters receiving
as much as $500 monthly in New
York.
Concluding with a reference to a
hoped for better world where
there will be no caste of race or
lines of religion or color and where
men will be reckoned by their
worth to society, Randolph resum-
ed his chair amid peal after peal
of applause. Milton Webster, the
vice president of the union, gave
an account of the history of the
union and explained that the Ne
gro had never organized himself
for his rights before. 1.-THE ten
dency of our race has always been
on the side where the money is"
Intend To Stay
In regard to the question and
it was question in many minds
as to whether the Pullman Port
ers were right in belonging to the
A. F. L., rather than to the re-
putedly less prejudiced c. I. o.,
WEBSTER exclaimed, 1--WE are in
the A. F. L. and we intend to stay
in the A. F. L., and if there isn't
any prejudice in the c. I. o. then it
is the only thing in the country
predominantly white in which
there is no prejudice
In regard to the presidents ex-
ecutive order, Webster claimed
that "bit of a feather in Ran
dolph's cap" 1t originated in Ran
dolph's mind" he said, land was
forced upon the president by Ran
dolph under the threat of march
ing 10000 Negroes down Pennsyl-
vania Avenue"
Judging by the applause, Web
ster expressed the sentiments of
many of the audience when he
exclaimed, 1--WE can't go about
bowling about saving the world
for democracy when we have so
many people that cannot benefit
from our own sO-called democ-
racy.
Bernard E. Squires acted as
master of ceremonies and the in
terlude between speakers was sof-
tened by Miss Edith Mary Bown
who played Etude in B flat by
List on the piano. The meeting
was opened by the singing of the
Negro National Anthem, accom-
panied by Miss Juanitta Valley,
and closed by a Prayer from DR..
Fountain w. Penick, pastor of the
Mt. Zion church.
Spend Your Dollars With
Friendly Merchants