St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1944-06-09
Negro Soldier Morale
Suffers in Southland
j. Armv CamDs
(By Orrin C. Evans in
Negroes Hits Morale of Soldiers
and Families


and Families
was in Fayetteville, N. c., tired
enough to drop, and with no place
to stay. 1t was 11:30 p. m.
1 considered stretching out on a
bench in the Jim Crow waiting
room of the railroad station. But
was advised against it:
They're apt to arrest you for
vagrancy.",
So I asked Negro taxi driver if
he couldn't find me a place to
sleep-any place.
He looked me over, and paid a
compliment to my somewhat di-
sheveled costume by saying: Don't
think can find a place you'd want. "
/ told him I had to have a place.
"I'll take you to a place, then, /"
he said. at amt so clean, but
it's SAFE"
Driven to Howell
He drove me to a house which
was no more than a howell. The
slovenly ''landlady" showed me a
room, about 9 by 9. The floor was
grimy. The furniture was a re-
pulsively dirty cot and not much
else. I gritted my teeth and asked
the price.
what time you goin' to get up ?"
she asked
I told her I hoped to sleep late
perhaps until 10 a. m.
eff you git out by g." she said,
"it'l be S."
And if stayed until 10?
That, she said, would be another
day, and it would be $40. After
some more talk, we compromised.
I paid $3.50 for the room until
10-a matter of rs cents an hour
or more for a room that wouldn't
be more than two bits night in a
Philadelphia flop house.
Soldiers Problem
In that experience-and many
another like it came face to face
with one of the problems of Negro
soldiers stationed in the South, and
particularly of their families.
The service facilities open to Ne
groes in the South-rooms, taxi
cabs, restaurants, taprooms, ETC.
are limited. Because of the low
economic status of the Negro, they
have been not only limited, but gen
orally far from good - ranging
from fair in the larger cities to
indescribably bad in small COM
munities.
The war has brought an influx Of
Negroes, increasing the demand. At
the same time, local Negro civilians
are more prosperous, earning $25
week up, instead of S. to SIS,
Soldiers families are, according
to southern Negro standards
erich"
Army pay plus allotments give
many a Negro family an income be-
yond its fondest dreams.
Prices SkyrOcket
Prices for the inadequate serv.
ices have skyrocketed. The OPA
may be efficient in some areas, but
apparently has no time to control
prices in Negro communities.
I mentioned in another article
that I rode in a taxicab driven by
a white woman in Hattiesburg
Miss. I add now that she charged
me Is cents. For the return trip
a Negro driver charged me so cents
Both worked for the same company
The Jim Crow driver apparent!
considered he had a special license
to gyp his passengers.
I haggled with a Negro cal
driver over a trip from Mont
gomery, Ala, to Hayneville, dis
lance of 10 miles. He wouldn'
come down from 500. I finally go
another one to take me for $40.
80 Cents for Breakfast
At the Greenleaf Cafe in Peters
burg, Va, paid 80 cents for break
fast of fried eggs, potatoes, bread
and no butter. Eggs were 80 cent?
a dozen in stores, or 20 cents from
street vendors.
Whiskey can be bought arounG
camps for So a pint. "Shots" O
questionable origin run 30 cent
or more in back-street saloons.
These conditions constitute |
direct injustice, which while no
ranking with the bus scandal-ac