St. Paul recorder., 1943-04-30
Turpin Case Is
Closed, Defense
Committee Reports
Turpin Suit A g ain st
Stossen ond MilitdrY
Dismissed
Balance of Funds to Be Given
to NAAP Branches

Balance of Funds to Be Given
to NAACP Branches
The issue of whether Negroes
shall serve without discrimination
in the Minnesota Home Defense
Force Estate Militia) was virtual
Iy declared to be moot" ques-
ton in the dismissal of the suit Of
Lee Z. Turpin Vs. former Governor
Harold E. Stassen, Major General
Ellard A. Walsh, adjutant general
of the state and General C. E.
Green and Colonel F. G. Stutz COM
manding officers of the defense
force, in the Federal District Court
in St Paul, April 6, with Judge
Gunnar Nordbye presiding.
Turpin Refused Enlistment
Lee Turpin, we'll known in st.
Paul as a representative of a local
insurance company before his in
duction into the Army early this
year, attempted to enlist in the
Minnesota Home Defense force on
August 21, 1941, but was refused,
as had been other Negroes.
In December in 1910 in reply to
a letter of protest written by Sam
Reed (now serving with the AEF
in North Africa) as president of
the st. Paul Branch of the Ma
tiond Association for the Advance
ment of Colored People, Col. Stutz,
an officer of the Home Defense
Force, stated that there is no
place in the defense force for men,
bers Of the Negro race"
Committee Organized
In January, 1941, the Minnesota
Negro Defense Committee, COM
posed of representatives of twenty
five Twin City labor, youth, civic,
patriotic and religious groups, was
organized to "take immediate, posi-
tive action 80 that Negroes are ac-
cepted on the basis of complete
equality in state and national de-
tense units"
On June z, 1941, Governor Stas-
sen held conference in his private
dining room at the State capitol
with members of the Minnesota
Negro Defense Committee and
other Twin City Negroes to dis
cuss the matter of integrating the
Negro into the Defense Force.
Before this conference attempts
by the Minnesota Negro Defense
Committee to discuss the matter
with Governor Stassen had been
unsuccessful. At the Governors
conference he was asked as COM
mander-in-chief to issue an order
to enlist Negroes on absolute
equality in the Minnesota Home
Defense force. Governor Stassen
promised to do what he could about
the matter. But after Turpin's un-
successful attempt to enlist, Col.
Stutz made the following statement
to Frank L. Alsup, who was then
the chairman of the Minnesota De-
fense Committee, and Rev. Clar-
ence T. R. Nelson, publicity chair
man of the Committee, 81 know
of no order which changes the stu
alton as to the enlistment of Ne
groes in the Defense Force"
Turpin Sues
On November IA, 1941, Turpin
entered his suit in the Federal Dis
trict Court, in st. Paul, to restrain
Governor Stassen and the high
state militia officers from dis
eliminating against Negroes. To
Offset the suit Governor Stassen is
sued an order to create "two new
companies (AC)" for the enlist
ment of Negroes. Turpin refused
to join the proposed Jim Crow out
fit and was supported in his suit by
the Minnesota Negro Defense Com
mittee. Money was raised in pub
lie mass meetings for the expenses
of the case. General Walsh said
the offer to create Negro COM
panies was made in January, 1941
to Negro American Legion mem.
bers, who refused to support the
idea of segregation. General
Walsh declared that "far from be.
ing discriminatory :. the Negroes
can have their own organizations
in the defense force any time they
want them"
Nordbye Refuses Continuance
On April 6, Jonas G. Schwartz
Minneapolis, attorney for Turpin
appeared in Judge Nordbye's court
and asked that the case be con.
tinued until Turpin returns from
the army, pointing out that the
Congress Of the United States
passed an act known as the Sol,
diers' and Sailors Relief Act which
allows for such a continuance. The
Attorney Generals office anC
Pierce Butler, Jr., counsel fol
Governor Stassen, ct al, objected
strenuously to the continuance anc
pointed out to the Court that the
question involved in this lawsuit
had now become moot since if tht
Court were dssirous of issuing ar
order Turpin had the right to joir
the Minnesota Home Defense force