Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1941-02-28
st. Paul Meeting

In St. Paul Monday night Messrs.
Cannon and Tarver met with an
other group of invited citizens to
sound out community reaction.
The meeting was held at Welcome
Hall.
Those who favored Jim Crow
setup were Percy Green who stat
ed that he felt that he was better
than white people and for that rea-
son he felt that he didn't want to
have any relationship with them
whatever. That was his reason for
favoring a separate Negro unit.
Green is employed by the state as
a janitor, having held a state job
since the election of Stassen. B. F.
Edwards, whose daughter has a
state job; John F. Coquire, retired
postal employee, were others who
favored an all-Negro unit.
Elmer Morris and Marion Brown
were neutral, so they indicated.
Bill Cassius Talks
Those who spoke against a Jim
Crow unit and who lambasted the
entire idea were W. NJ. Cassius,
who asked that his language be ex-
cused and requested Cannon and
Tarver to tell the state that "the
Negroes don't want a d-mn thing
more than the constitution gives
them" He was definitely opposed
to a Jim Crow unit.
Heated Discussion Over Commit
tees Position
Buster" Claiborne, a waiter, in
sisted on knowing the real attitude
of Cannon and Tarver on the stu
alton. They refused to answer or
tell their position, maintaining that
they were supposed to be neutral.
This caused a heated discussion
from many of those present.
Father Protests
L. NJ. Rowland, American Legion
naire, protested vigorously against
any proposal of a separate unit,
stating he had son who was in
the draft age and he would insist
that he has equal rights with all
other citizens of Minnesota.
Jess Howard, commander of Les
lie Lawrence Post of the Legion,
severely criticized the entire set
up by the Governor, which also in
voked heated discussion with the
Governors committee of two. How
ard wanted to know from the Gov
errors representatives why this
study of the Negro was being
made.
Messrs. Tarver and Cannon re-
fused to answer Towards ques-
ton. Others against the separate
unit idea and who said so in no
unmistakable terms, were J. NJ.
Strothers,. Harold Hilyard, DR.. J..
w. Crump and R. A. Ward, Sr.
R. A. Ward, Jr., a student at the
University of Minnesota, said he
hoped the older men would not O..
K. any Jim Crow setup because it
is the young Negro who would have
to suffer the pangs of discrimina-
ton and implied inferiority.
He cited the struggle the stu
dents and parents had to clean up
discrimination in the dormitories
at the University and how they had
won.
Rev. Clarence 7. r. Nelson of
Camphor Methodist Church sum-
married. the efforts of the Mime
sofa Negro Defense Committee to
obtain an audience with the states
chief executive and refuted charges
that the Governor did not know
what the Negro wanted. He also
emphasized that the purported
study was nothing more than sub
terfuge or an attempt to evade the
issue by the Governor. He said he
had voted twice for Stassen and
that he was amazed at his attitude
o. C. Hall also opposed the sepa-
rate unit and said he hoped that
the Governors representatives
would use their influence to show
the Governor the real democratic
way.
George L. Hoage, ST., veteran
executive messenger in the Cover.
nor's office, was present, but de.
clined to state his position.
J. w. Lee, American Legion,
naire, made remarks which were
not clearly indicative of just how