The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1942-04-23
THROUGH
HAZ E L
: Y {
BY
Hazel Brannon

Jim Barnes, a Mileston n e & 0 (,
and Reuben Payne, Of Honey Is
land, are being held in Jail on char
ges Of unAmericanism. They will be
tried in criminal court in May.
The two negroes are charged with
organizing about thirty members on
various plantations surrounding a.
round Mileston in the guise of a
burial insurance society. Out Of this
organization came the MiIeston
branch of the Holy Moorish Temple
of Science. This group was organic
cd early in the century to carry out
the teachings Of Noble Drew Ali
who called himself the last prophet
of Mohammed. He was deported in
1913 for engaging in activities con-
trary to the principles of this nations
government.
Holmes county negroes were be-
ing told by these two or
ganizers that when the Germans and
Japs take over America their or
ganization would be taken care of
if they refused to register, fill out
questionnalres or &c to war.
Negroes belonging to the organi-
cation had to pay rs cents a month
and denounce their churches and pro-
fcss the Moorish faith which chiefly
revolves around refusal to do mill
tary service.
Holmes county, one-third of which
10 In the Delta, has a ratio of about
3 to / colored population. The vast
majority Of these people are good
law-abiding citizens who are loyal
to their state and to their white
friends. Very few violations Of
friendship between the black man
and the white in the south are made.
Our two races live together in peace
and harmony.
With the advent of such persons
as Barnes and Payne great trouble
is being brewed for a whole race Of
people. The men who stir up trouble
directed against the government or
against the white man have only
their own selfish interests at heart
and r not truly considering the
welfare of these from whom they are
extracting money and service.
The government will not tolerate
the existence of any group that
would preach disloyaltys to it now
in times of war. That is rs it should
be. We cannot wage war successful
ly unless the manpower Of the ma
tion heeds the call to armed service.
Our colored preachers and teach
ers and other leaders would do their
race and the nation a great service
by not permitting radical leaders
to organize and exploit them. Only
through the leaders Of the negro race
can this be accomplished.
The men and women of our great
eolored population will be doing their
own race proud by letting the world
know they are loyal to the govern
ment of the United States by running
out of town any radical agitator who
shows his face in these parts.
General Hugh Johnson was an
outstanding man in many respects.
As a newspaper columist he was
one of the best. His writings were
completely sincere and he said ex-
actly what he thought without spar
ing anyone or anything. His judg-
ment may have been wrong but it
was always honest. He criticized and
condemned or praised and appraised
any person or issue of current in
terest or Importance.
He was one Of the very few writ
ers in America today with nerve
and courage and character to say
what they think. He was fortunate
in writing for a syndicate that let
him write as he pleased. We are
certain he would never have written
anything if he couldn't say what he
thought.