St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1943-01-22

~~~S@S -
Branch of the National Association
'or the Advancement of Colored
People, a telegram of protest
against the indefinite postpone
nent of the hearing Of the railroads
before President Roosevelt's Fair
Practice Committee
(FEPC), was sent to President
Tuesday night by the st.
Paul Branch Of the NAACP. The
ext of the telegram sent by the
order Of the regular monthly meet
ng Of the st. Paul Branch is as
follows:
'The st. Paul Branch Of the
NAACP, in meeting assembled
tonight in the Halle Q. Brown
Community House, passed a mo-
ton in protest Of the action TAX
en- by Manpower Commissioner
Paul v. McNutt in the indefinite
postponement of the FEPC hear
ing Of the management of the
railroads in connection with their
policies of the discrimination
against Negro workers. We urge
you in your capacity as President
of the United States and author
of Executive Order 1902 to use
all the powers at your command
to see to it that both the letter
and the spirit of Executive Or
der 1902 are carried out"
Before the motion to send the
telegram of protest was adopted,
Rev. Clarence T. R. Nelson, presi-
lent of the st. Paul Branch, told
he group about the visit Of COM
nittee of fifty people from various
titles, including himself and Mr..
rving Blumberg Of Minneapolis, to
Zee the head of the War Manpower
Board, Commissioner Paul v. Nc
Mutt, in his office in Washington
asst Friday, January Is, to protest
against the summary action in the
Indefinite postponement of the hear
ngs against the railroads by
According to Rev. Nelson-who
With Mr.. Blumberg was in Wash
ngton as representatives of the
Twin Cities branches of the
in urging a Congressional
Investigation of the demotion of
iormer sergeant Samuel Reed at
Camp Lee and the discriminatory
PRACTICES against Negroes in the
Lrmed forces-there were twenty
me people from Detroit, Michigan,
n the delegation that was granted
N interview with Mr.. McNutt.
There were other representatives
rom New York City, Baltimore
md Washington in the delegation.
The delegation of fifty Of which
he Rev. Charles Hill, Baptist min
ster of Detroit and chairman of
he Citizens Committee that led
he fight in the Sojourner Truth
Isusing project fight last year, was
he chairman, were seated in a
conference room in the New Social
security Building at 1 p. M, for
he conference with Mr.. McNutt.
soon after one o'clock Mr.. Harper,
. deputy from Mr.. McNutt's office,
anne into the conference room and
announced that Mr.. McNutt had
,een detained in another conference
md that he would be in to see the
delegation as soon as possible. Mr..
Harper suggested that Eve might
discuss very informally some Of the
questions that are in your minds,
while we are waiting for Mr.. Nc
Mutt"
Rev. Hill and two or three others
old Mr.. Harper that the delegation
lad come to see Mr.. McNutt, who
lad given the order postponing the
and that 1--WE want to see
md talk to him." When Mr.. Har-
Der insisted on opening the discus
lion, Rev. Nelson told him that he
md Mr.. Blumberg had come from
St. Paul and Minneapolis, Mime
|ota, and they, with the other men,
,ers Of the delegation, were not
in seeing or hearing any
,ody else but Mr.. McNutt at this
ime.
The delegation was quite ada
nant, but evidently became the VIC
inns Of q trick. A man who had
;ome in with the delegation and
losing as a member. Of the delega-
ion opened the discussion with Mr..
Harper by saying that he had to
cave and there are two or three
questions he wanted to ask. For
IN hour and q half the committee
the matter with Mr.. Har-
per, who made the analogy of a
mountain. Said he, eff you come
o a mountain, what is the best way
%. get to your destination beyond
he mountain-to go through the
or around the mountain Z"
Mr.. Harper insisted that FEPC
mad bitten of more than it could
thew In calling the powerful rail-
roads into question. eff the hear