The Omaha guide., 1941-08-16

OAIOASdAA PCLoOAO GAOWQOQ AA1O
Salem ME-. church here Tuesday
night to hear A, Philip Randolph,
Mayor Fiorella H. LaGuardia, Da-
vid Sarnoff and other personages
identified with the circumstances
surrounding tn executive order
issued by President Roosevelt bar
ring discrimination in the nation
al defense program. The OCCASION
also marked the first public report
from the Negro March On Wash
ington committee since its nation
al director, Mr.. Randolph, told a
nationwide radio audience on
July l that the projected march
had been found unnecessary at
this time" and therefore post.
poned.
No attempt was made to evade
the fact that considerable criti-
cism had been levelled at the
march committee for its decision
TO call off the demonstration. In
fact, the meeting was intended to
give full explanation of the fac
tors involved which prompted this
momentous decision. Mr.. Ran
dolph, in a clear and fortnight
MANNER, succeeded in doing Just
that.
However, the remarks of Mayor
LaGuardia described by all pre-
vious speakers as the ''unrelent-
ing champion in favor Of the exc
cutive order," along with the
committee, were no doubt the eli
max of the evening.
Il am glad to be called upon
to join in the discussion" he open
ed, "of what is a real landmark
in the progress of democracy. |
believe the executive order signed
by President Roosevelt will 1e-
main on of the important public
documents in our history, and the
man who signed it will take his
place among the true champions
of liberty and true democracy.
ct may not be a literary gem"
he continued. "Its meter might be
defective in its poetry, but I am
in a position to tell you that the
man who signed it believed in it,
in every line of it, in every word
of every sentence of it."
He minced no words in lauding
members of the March on Wash
ington committee for their SIN
cerity in tackling a problem
which had become "a public Scan
dial against minority groups"
Turning his attention to the
members of the air Employment
Practice committee, named under
the order. the fiery little Mayor
said: 'This board may be a sue
cess for a time-and it will be.
But what is important is that /
want it to be a success for all
time. 1t will have the opportunity
to demonstrate to the entire
try what the Negroes of America
have produced in the last gener-
alton. No group nor race has
made as much progress in 70
years as the Negro. You have ac-
complished and you have produced
men and women in the sciences,
arts, industries, and professions
and athletics that has taken other
races generations to produce"
Considered of paramount impor-
lance was the admonition OF the
speaker, also civilian defense ad-
ministrator, to guard against
claims of discrimination by in
dustry to cover up 'incompetency,
dishonest and immortality" While
this remark met with wide APP
probation and had it's proper rela-
ton to the subject under discus
sion, many were quick to see the
mayor making an Indirect defense
of his order suspending a Negro
city employee on a charge of al
legged moral turpitude."
Mr.. Randolph also reviewed the
circumstances leading to the idea
of the march pointing to the need
for the development of "the tech
nique Of mass PRESSURE" a thing
new to the Negro. He scored the
''dreadul conspiracy Of silence" on
the part of the white press with
one exception, that Of "P.M."
There was praise for the efforts
of Mayor UaGuardia and disdaln
Or William S. Knudsen, co-direc-
tor of Office Of Production Man
agement.
Coming to the controversial
point he said: Simply stated,
the march was postponed because
dts main objective, namely the
ISSUANCE 0 an executive order ban