The Omaha guide., 1944-01-22

81 49,
ing in the program were Willard
s. Townsend, president, United
Transport Service Employees of A
nterica; William H. Hastic. dean
Howard University: Ferdinand G.
Smith. secretary, NATIONAL Mari
time Union; and Mrs Jeanetta
WEIGH Brown. executive secretary
National Council of Negro Women.
In opening the meeting Mr.. Hill
man called 1t a war conference,
one which can make "a very sub
stantial contribution to victory
He described full employment
to mean jobs for workers. although
such a realization. he said, would
benefit 'every other group and
section of u population"
Answering the reuests of Negro
newsmen for his comment regard
ing the significance Of the Political
Action Committee to Negro people,
Mr.. Hillman handed them a state
ment in which he pledged the Com
mittee to do three things, namely:
/. To urge those southern Ne
groes who are able to do so to pay
the poll taxes;
2. To seek protection for these.
attempting to register for the pur-
pose of voting and also in the cast
ing of their ballots; and
3. To solicit the support Of Ne
gro groups in the fulfillment of
their respective programs at points
which parallel"
Elections are not won or lost
nationally. They are won locally,
and the people can win this one
by realizing that they Control their
own future" Mr. Murray stated.
I'm every city, village or county
and even in the poll tax states
the people can win elections if
they know what they want and
ote accordingly. All the propa-
ganda, all the misleading newspa-
r~erastories. all the whispering cam.
paigns. cannot defeat the average
man in our democracy if all of US
stick together"
Leading the discussion on Full
Employment and the Negro" Mr..
Town nd reIlire.I his listeners
of the difficulties which followed
World War / when. as he said the
Ku Klu1 Khan was revived. Negro
were used merely as the pawn
between labor unions. and when
1.-The dreams of a peaceful, demo-
cratic environment in which to live
and rear his family became a fig
ment" Of the Negroes Imagination.
THE tradition of white mems
jobs and black mems jobs is being
challenged and actually being
broken down in a score Of tight la
Dor markets outside the South"
observed. In the South
itself there are unmistable evidenc-
es Of economic advances among
Negroes and this fact has been
dramatically an dunpalatably brot
to the attention of the white COM
munity by the scarcity of Negro
domestics.
"Intelligently planning must rec
that the Negro in the Unit
ed States has developed more rag
idly than his opportunity for part
icipation in American life" he as
serted. although he has been
conditioned through exposure to
education and propaganda % seek
the goals Of Americans, he Is dem
led these goals and accused of be-
ing impatient and unduly militant
he exerts pressures to achiev
Townsend rejected the notion
that full employment is going TO
remove racial tensions. 1t viii. he
believes, set the economic stage"
for effective educational programs
dsigned to reduce the frequency
and intensity of zone of the basic
causes for race conflict. In such
an economy, he sees trade unions
taking the lead in establishing CO.
operation between white and black
workers, with various government
al and private agencies aiding IN
the program.
You can't have encumberad and
prosperous white workers and
unemployed black workers." he con
cluded. for If you let that happen
cite white worker viii have to err
~ the back worker on mis- back
through relief"
Smith assured that Neglaes do
n.l Ulace their special problems a.
head of the major task Of winning
the war" nor 10 They seek an
Immediate solution Of their just
retds." he said.
What the Negro people want
is what every decent American
walts-fu1l citizensli1 in a demo
c acy." he decla -cL. If every
{ AIDE union opened its doors TO Ne
81 ices and remove The stigma Of