St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1944-04-21
UncOvering
Washington
By Harry S. McAlpin
(White House Correspondent
NNPA)

When an Army officer with sew
eral years. ratings of excellent"
finds his morale so low as result of
service in the South where he has
been subjected to determinations,
insults, segregation and lack of OPP
portunity to use his skills to the
fullest, says he would feel better
if his fellow-Americans would just
treat him like they do the Nazi
prisoners-it's time for the War
Department to sit up and take
notice.
This officer is a Negro. He is
educated. He is not a "squawker."
He has been a good soldier. He
admits a lot of progress has been
made-Over hard, bunny road
toward improvement Of the Negroes
plight in the Army. He cites the
advance in aviation brought about
through the efforts of Judge Has
tie, of the present Civilian Aide,
Truman Gibson, and public pres
GEOGRAPHICALLY the Negro press.
He is not unmindful of the in
creased number of Negro officers
as compared to the last war, nor
of the broadened base of training
given Negro enlisted men.
But he is bitter about the lack
of respect the uniform of his coun-
try gets when it is draped upon
the body of a Negro-officers and
enlisted men alike.
And significantly, he says, the
problem is not among the rank and
file, in the Army, nor among the
lower ranks of officers. Whites and
Negroes can and do work together,
play together, eat together, when
ever they are not ordered not to do
so. White officers have insisted he
accompany them to hotels, restaur-
ants, etc., in the deepest South. He
has done so. White enlisted men go
to the "colored" movie on the post,
though Negroes are refused tickets
to enter the white" movie. He has
seen white soldiers, in protest
against discrimination, take the
seats at the reserved tables" for
Negroes in mess halls, where Ne
groes have been ordered to sit, but
the whites have not been ordered
not to sit.
The problem" he says, is usually
the creation of the top ranking Of
ficers, who decree" separate mo-
vies, separate mess halls or tables,
separate officers clubs, separate
seating on buses, separate toilets,
etc. Gin the interest of harmony,
good order and morale" or Gin
compliance with local laws and GUS
TOMS" they generally say. Yet
they do these same things in Iowa,
Michigan, New Jersey, and most
places outside of the deep South,
even where laws and customs are
in direct opposition to the Army
policies of segregation-even when
past experience proves the detri-
mental effect on morale.
What is needed, says this officer,
is orders from Washington on the
matter of race. Every officer, and
particularly those wearing '1eaves"
and eagles" and "stars," are
"order-minded." They are jealous
of their rank and conscious of the
shame they may bring upon them
selves and their families by dis
obeying orders. They would even
curb their prejudices con orders"
A lot of US have arrived at sim
liar conclusions by observation
from the outside" Here it is from
a man who is living it every day.
He can't do much, if anything, about
it as a member of the armed forces.
He has gone on being a good SOL
der and an excellent" officer-as
he should.
The correction of such conditions
should be a "must-drive" on the
part of civilian Negroes and lib
erals during the Victory-year of
1914 as an integral part of the
spirit of democracy-not to men
ton the political campaign this fall.
To Organize Protective
League for Ministers
A st. Paul woman, Mrs. Della
Holsumback, of st. James A. M. E.
church, is reported organizing a
"protective association" for min
iStarS