davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-09-16

some means. the driver saw they
had colored blood. He slapped his
thigh and roared with laughter and
turned TO US white passengers and
said:
Amt that a god damned good
joke on me? ! thought they was
white, but they're Niggers."
Like . Traitor
Now. when ! heard this. should
have stood up and killed the driver
Bu' | sat there, petrified. sat
there like a traitor to the human
race.
kept thinking OF what Jesus
would have done. and knew that He
would perhaps have allowed Him
self TO be killed didn't
I didn't do thing for many rea-
sons: because I was warned q dozen
times by white people that II did
anything, il would be the colored
people who would suffer for il. I
would be thrown out OF the bus and
left by the roadside. but in the
scuffle, il ight be the colored who
would be killed
Ratchet Club
I'm writing Mrs - about the
high school in -. I'm going to
tel her that the colored faculty
there made no complaint 10 me
about books or anything else II
was ! myself who took up the mat
ter. II don't do this. the faculty
there will suffer. You may not
know it. but in that very region
there used to be q Ratchet club Of
secretly organized white men who
made habit OF killing whole
colored families that were suspected
Of mot keeping their places" The
Southern whites hate Northern
white people who say q word about
the color situation. SO I must try
10 protect those colored people
God damned those white South
erners, I've never seen such savag-
cry in my life as in the South.
One bus driver who saw me con-
stantly watching the colored pas
sengers and his treatment OF them
came right up TO me at station
where We stopped. hoisted his
blamed pants and laughed brutality
in my face. then walked away. say
ing not q word
returned here with the belief
that q day OF reckoning In coming
and I told my friends that I wa,
willing to have another civil wal
and to break the bones Of the South
bone for bone.
Whatever we do In the North
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-09-16
Reprinted from
Saturday Review Of Literatureb

Sometimes. as my friend said. the
IN, heart is like lead A very pretty
young woman OF the stage. who is
a friend Of mine, was recently trav-
cling by day-coach from Boston 10
New York. and sitting in a crowded
car beside her colored maid. She
got up 10 60 20 the vestibule for a
smoke; here. attracted by her good
looks. three young service men
struck up a conversation with her.
One az least had just returned
from the South Pacific. one was
a sailor Something was said 20
her. jeeringly. about sitting by
Niger" As her colored maid is
valued friend o. hers. as well as a
maid. she retorted promptly. Your
vocabulary is very limited There
is name Negro for the Negro race.
You should earn 20 use" "Aw." was
the rejoinder. down in Texas
they're all just niggers!" Il wish"
said the Young actress meditatively.
that there was a name like niger.
wop. like. and al those. 20 demon
mate the white race. They must
have some such name for u.s. Or
they should" "Haw" said one serv-
ice man. Don't get IL" said another
The third looked sullen. Jews" he
said, they're hikes. amt they"
The young woman by this time was
thoroughly reused. and her DISPOSE
,iol has never been noted for
deficiency OF sdrenain. why don't
you" she shouted over the roaring
Of the wheels. return those uni
forms OF yours TO the costumer's, Or
uhAt DO you think you have been
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-09-16

school; and the location Of any place
must not be mentioned. suppose
you've been in the South and need
not be told Of the tension that
exists there.
saw colored people cower-this
is not imagination-snd sit on the
edges Of their seats in buses. In
some places they are simply pull
verified
The bus drivers in the South seem
10 be gangsters.
In Texas: I read a report Of a
colored soldier who was sentenced
TO 10 years hard labor by a court
martial: he had killed q white bus
driver. II he had not been a soldier.
he would have been hanged.
could understand his killing the
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-09-16
SOUTHERN SAvAGERY

must be done with consideration
for the colored people They are
the ones who suffer from the whites
there when we do one damned
thing. The whites take vengeance.
Colored Resentment Rising
IL Mrs. - and her friends
continue TO work for the library for
colored people, we must send what
DOCKS we can. I'm sorry. but I
simply don't believe the South will
make more than token offers, The
rising intelligence and spirit Of re-
sentiment OF the colored people in
the South is causing tension OF a
sinister kind in the South. A white
professor In -, La, complained
10 me because the Clio Is organizing
colored workers in production
plants and demanding decent wages
for them. These fellows come in
here and make trouble" the profess
scr said.
The South's Alarm System
- intended 20 invite me back
next year for another lecture. But
I'm certain now that | will not
dare 60. would be driven out Of
town for raising the colored issue
I'm certain there is whispering in
that town. going from house to
house.
The whole South whispers and the
least thing breaks out.
In one town in Georgia a fTht
started in the colored section OF the
town. So great Is the tension that
the minute il started, the railway
engine on the trains began 10 foot
the afraid sirens went of as IL
there were an afraid. police cars
and motorcycles rosred through the
street and l heard firing Of guns for
fifteen minutes. A street-hght starts
such a night alarm.
! spoke at a colored college In
the town and a white woman put
me up. She watched me always
with trepidation. though ! said not
a word to her. OF the college she
said: They are nice Negroes-nake
no trouble al all; well-behaved."
tn. assumption being that Negroes
generally, make trouble" and are
not "well-behaved."
I'm sorry 10 be lecturing you.
for God knows you do not need il.
You can use any of this letter
you wish. but leave out the name Of
Mrs. - or the high
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-09-16
BY BERNARD DE NOTO
Condensed from Harpsr's Masasins)

Recently a Boston newspaper pub
lished a letter from an American
soldier on active service. He is of
foreign ancestry, as all but half
million Americans are, and his name
is foreign as all American names
are except those which are rendered
In our alien tongue a. Crazy Horse.
Sitting Bull, or something similar.
The soldier wrote that his brother
had been beaten up in Boston under
suspicion Of being Jew. He wished,
he said. that he could get fur
Tough so that he could come back
to Boston and repay that assault on
the toughs who made IL. He had
supposed that the principal reason
for creating the Army he belonged
10 had been 10 protect America
agains; the possibility of such things
happening here. Now that this had
happened 10 his own brother. in his
home town, he was wondering just
why he was in the Army ! don't
know whether he was aware OF an
implication in his letter but there
il was: maybe il would be good
thing 10 employ some part Of the
Army here at home in fulhlment OF
the original purpose.
Boston and Other Centers
Have Race Trouble
We are having trouble Of that
kind in Boston and is suburbs, as
elsewhere in the United States. We
are having more OF il than those
responsible for public policy have
thought il proper for you 10 know
about. Jews have been beaten up,
synagogues have been defled. gangs
of toughs have gone looking for
Negroes and sometimes have found
them. A number Of incidents have
occurred which would seen quite in
key IL you read about them in &C
count Of the rise OF the Nazis. BY
chance l had arranged appointments
with a couple Of public officials 10
discuss these thinss-on June 6. II
vas against the background OF IN
vssion Day that listened 20 their
considered judgments. These are
just outbreaks Of juvenile crime,
one OF the officials told me: there
always have been gangs OF boys.
there probably always will be. and
though il is desirable 10 prevent
such outbreaks you must not be be-
trayed into believing that there is
anything sinister behind them. No
one IS being hurt very much and
certainly no ore is meeting the
gangs in any way. II was MS judg-
neni. | gathered tina; boys Will be
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-09-16

ooCa Aoh VAC AcA "a
went to speak in the high school
and found that the principals
office" was on the assembly plat
form. and that the assembly, So
called, was large room which had
been partitioned of by bookshelves
into class rooms. When there were
meetngs-as when went there
the bookshelves had 10 be showed
here and there out Of the way and
chairs brought in by the children,
Then, the faculty Of the high
school did not dare ask me TO stay
for luncheon, for a white person
cannot sit down with a colored per-
son and eat like human beings.
Nor can colored people go to
white homes and mingle as equals.
So A Month Salary
A group OF white professors in
University in - told me
OF a region not far from that city
where colored school teachers get
just 50 a month salary. and have
10 live from house to house 70 get
food and shelter.
They said that schools might have
200 children in them, but the chill
dren had to walk for So miles a day
10 reach il; il was so exhausting
that about 100 attended school: the
children went every other day.
These professors tried to arrange
for me 10 return TO from Tex
as. and intended 10 take me out TO
see such things for myself My
schedule prevented me from return
ing to -.
saw colored people standing in
the aisles in buses when half the
white sections were empty and !
heard colored people called Niggers
as a curse word saw a Northern
white soldier ask a colored soldier
10 Sit down by him, and the litter
did so; then the bus driver stopped
the bus and said:
Stand up Niggerw
The colored soldier stood up. The
wh.e soldier said: "Aw hell" and
stood up also. But had that white
soldier not been in uniform. I don't
know what would have happened 10
him. As went into - our bus
stopped 10 take on . group Of Ave
or six colored men and two white
women. The women were simply
and tastefully dressed and their
faces were intelligent and sensitive
The bus driver threw open the door
and said:
you Niggers stand back and
let the whites on first
The colored men stood back and
the two women got on. Then, by
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-09-16

was pleasant. handing out and
duchng the 1--WE talk Of the Gus
toners. Everything was far from
the serious side, and as looked
around the customers didn't
seem TO be working people ex-
cept for one husky girl who had
on a factory badge.
But the lad next TO me was
speaking to Earline, the bar
maid. Said he:
You see ole Sam in here the
other night, right over in that
corner, trying to bluff me on a
bet? l took him. all right. He
thought I Was short. but he
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-09-16
BY B. F. HUBERT
sad from Savannah Morning Nsws)

TINE HISTORY OF Georgia Infrmary reads like
Il gripping dramatic novel II is the story OF
q Southern white man with great vision OF serv-
ice 1873 years ago. 1t is story OF lib years OF sac
rifce, devotion, and courage-plus hard work OF
determined men and women, who have righ'iuiiy
conceived their responsibility and have been I'M
failing in their adherence TO the trust imposed upon
them No one who familiarizes himself with the
history Of this institution can ever be pessimst
about the future possibilities of the two race
groups in the South
Chartered December "a. 1882. Georgia lnhrmary
Is the oldest institution OF its kind in America. with
the sole objective Of serving underprivileged
colored people.
How this small group OF representative men
from Chatham, Bryan, Liberty. Mcintosh. and
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-09-16
Democracy And The Church

young men, but unless there was
that vindication, then those deaths
were mockery and blasphemy.
Jews and Negroes
Not Safe against AntiChrist
But ii was so quiet in this peace
full town when we came out of
church that one needed only the
| slightest Imagination % haar the
scream OF man going down before
mob which. our oflicial told me,
could not be forbidden to rise be-
cause that man was a Jew or a
Negro. On the invasion beachhead
men had died in denial Of that
heresy even while the thought found
words. but in America no Jew or
Negro was safe against Antichrist.
And IL no Jew or Negro, then who
was safe. and what could the chap.
lains say to the dying. or any pas
tor or any governor say to their
families here at home?
think we need Christian pastors
who believe the Christian doctrine
Of the nature Of man. Or else We
need governors whe believe the pre-
amble 10 the Declaration Of hide.
pendence. Each In as hard As stone
-as the stone which will set I'm
public buildings and memorial
churches and carved with the names
q the men who died while We kneIt
10 pray for them. Their blood will
cry out TO US from the ground un.
less. absolutely and with no excep-
ton whatsoever. We prevent the
staining Of the ground OF any Amer
lean town with the blood OF anyone
who happens TO differ in faith or
race from the majority OF that
town.
MODS Rise Only
With Our Consent
II Is up 10 us and il can be done.
In Boston or any other town, in
your town, the police are enough Of
themselves. II they were OF enough,
why We all have legs and arms. but
they are enough IL we require them
10 De They can prevent any mob
from rising. or scatter any mob that
has riSen-if We require them 70. II
we require them 10. IL We mean
what We say. II we believe what We
told the young men. Any mob that
rises anywhere rises with our con-
sent And when II rises the blood il
spills is on our hands and il mocks
and stultihes the deaths we MOURN
ed on Invasion Day.
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-09-16

boys, and I went on to the other
official. who proved more fortnight.
This Is democracy. he summed up,
and We must abide by the demo-
cratic principle. Democracy. he said.
means majority rule. and Jews and
Negroes are In the minority here
about
For not even the are on those
the public Official had said to m.
that afternoon. He il. an homes
man. an honorable public servant
and a man Of charity and good will
faithful commitment Of hi.
church. But somehow. unquestion.
ably in good faith. he had been be-
trsyed into q blasphemous heresy
Democracy. he said TO me. is major
ity rule and the Jews and the Ne
groes are in the minority here. |
wondered what priest or pastor had
confirmed him in that heresy, the
heresy that Jews and Negroes must
submit to torture because men Of
white skin or Christian faith out
number them.
Church Brought
Democracy into the World
Not the Christian church as Il
once vas. The church knew better
once. when il brought the idea Of
democracy into the world for the
hrst time. In the sight Of God. il
taught them. all men are equal. for
all men share Gods nature. all men
have immortal souls. On that rock
the church was founded and on that
rock il was charged with defending
the dignity OF man against every
tyranny and violation, whether by
king. state, or any privilege or big
otry or power whatsoever. That was
once the doctrine of the church. the
roc: on which Il stood. But no bish-
op had put Boston or any other
town under an interdict because the
least Of these had been set upon by
. mob.
I. was ironical enough for US who
were safe TO spend our impotent
half-hour OF reverence and pity
here in church while our kind were
being killed in defense. or so we
had told them, Of freedom-and
them 60 out again into city where
majority are secure but minor
tiles are not But when you pro-
jected that irony toward the beach,
head in Normandy il became alto
gether intolerable There could be a
vindica;ion for the deaths Of those
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-09-16
DREAM WALKING

Did you ever see . dream wsiRingf
A man In West virginia. arrested
for MASKING. teid The Judge thss ~
hal been walking Down TIE ssrsst
bis own business vhsn
along came this lady whsss fses
was familiar. Ne realised tAae -
had dreamed sbeut her Ne n1ghs -
fore. wanted v ten hss aboot II.
dream She hsAnt arsans1 sbsGs
hiA ~. y. HmaD
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-09-16

No doubt you have already
read the report on page 3 of this
weeks Chronicle. Then you are
aware that my trip to Washing
ton had been for the purpose of
testifying in favor of perma-
nent FEPC The present FEPC
is, as you know, very weak, and
with little real power to force
an end to discrimination in en-
ployment. What is more, it is
only a temporary agency to be
put aside with the wars end.
Having finished my testimony
before the Senate Comnittee
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-09-16

man. In his own defense. he said
that the bus driver kicked him over
an argument about his bus fare.
This soldier replied to the kicking
and | understood we'll. for felt
like killing more than one bus
driver.
AGNES SMEDLEY.
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-09-16
THE WATCHTOWER 3, ROY WILKINS

THE JUKE BOX was playing the Red Blues
and that was followed up by hot Lionel
Hampton number. The beer was cold and the
atmosphere was easy going. There really wasn't
any reason for doing any heavy thinking recon-
version and postwar employment. The bar maid
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-09-16
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
sy cLARENcs ANDERSON

A THIS Is being written. your columnist is stiff
end creaky in the joints He feels sort of Rroggy
no, not from what you think. This is different
kind OF hangover. from the railroad seat in which
he was foolish enough to think he could sleep This
was in the coach on the way back from Washing
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-09-16
ARYAN GENIUS At WORK /

A reliable report frem Stockholm
SAYS the Germans have . secret
weapon that will positively save
the lives Of o lot Of their solder
. long pole with white flag on u.
Peoples Voice
The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-09-16

a q smedley,
CONDENSED from the Afro-Amercan)
Yaddo
Saratoga Springs, n. Y.
January q
Dear Jean -:
l have your letter with the enclosure from Mrs.
Of -. Mrs. - speaks OF the high school library
only However, Mrs. - and her friends trying to
general library for coored people She wrote this
week that they trying to find that be
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-08-09
Board of Trade
Gets Application
From Jungle

A wrinkled application for men,
bership in the Washington Board of
Trade, stained with green mold
from the New Guinea jungle, has
reached the Capital from a WASH
ingtonian who wants the board to
keep hitting the ball at home"
The application came in letter to
Harry L. Merrick, former chairman
of the board membership commit
tee, from First Officer Howard C.
Drake of the u. S. Amphibious
Forces, who wrote he had con-
WINGED" Capt Roswell Roothy.
former real estate man here to
join the Board of Trade.
Capt. Boothby had been con-
WINGED, according to First Officer
Drake. that winning the war in
New Guinea will mean nothing to
him if the Washington Board of
Trade doesn't keep hitting the ball
at home in their effort to keep
Washington the city he always has
known, and wants to return to-" He
added, neutrality-suspicious. and
$12."
Praising Capt. Boothby, First
Officer Drake said, "he is" a swell
guy and has been selling real estate
around Washington for a long time"
Capt. Boothby was formerly with the
Thomas j. Fisher Co. here.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-08-09
By JAY HAYDEN.

North American Newspaper Alliance.
Shortly after the recent Demo-
cratic National Convention 1t was
reported that a st. Louis betting
commissioner was offering 3-to-1
odds on President Roosevelt, and
some newspaper commentators added
the statement that the professional
gamblers never had been wrong In
guessing a national election.
Later it was chronicled from the
same st. Louis source that flood
of Dewey money" had squeezed the
odds in favor of Roosevelt down to
5-to-2.
Editorial Research, fact-f1nding
organization highly rated for its ac-
curacy and freedom from bias. has
looked into the history of betting on
American elections, with some in
teresting results.
First of all, it sharply disputes
the reputed availability OF the pro-
fessional gamblers. Instead Of being
never wrong" it says, the profess
SIGNALS fell down badly, in the mid
summer betting books, on at least
three presidential elections-those
Of 1888, 1896, and 1916.
Three Losers Favored.
In these years the August odds
favored respectively, Grover Cleve-
land, William j. Bryan and Charles
e. Hughes. whereas Benjamin Harri-
son, William Mckinley and Wood
row Wilson were the victors.
In 1915, Wall Street betting still
was reported as 20-to-17 in favor of
Hughes on the eve Of election.
In 1888 the last betting was at
even money. The big gamblers. as
the newspapers of the time reported
had decided that Cleveland's chances
had been injured by the so-called
Sackville- West incident. The British
Ambassador of that hyphenated
name, enticed by Republicans, it
was said, had expressed his opinion
that the Democratic party was more
favorably disposed toward Great
Britain than the Republican party.
In that election Cleveland led in
the popular vote 6 $40 $50 to 5,444,-
330 but Harrison had large ma
jority in the electoral college 1888 to
1857. Just how close the contest
really was is indicated in the fact
that Cleveland lost New York's big
bloc of electors by margin OF less
than $4,000 (635 1865 to $50 $3.50.
In 1896, the betting odds in mid
Summer favored Bryan but they
turned to Mckinley toward the end
of the campaign. The popular vote
was fairly close, 7,035 ,638 for Nc
Kinley to 6,358,07l for Bryan, but
Mckinley won 271 electoral votes to
Bryan's It's.
One reason why the gamblers took
cleaning in 1916, it appears, was
that they counted too strongly on
New York as an index. Hughes
carried that state by 10000. Wilson
won because he reached into the
bag of supposedly sure-shot Repub-
lican States and carried of Ohio,
Kansas, Minnesota and California
Even so, the electoral vote was very
close, PIT for Wilson to 254 for
Hughes.
Anti-Betting Law Passed.
Before the days of systematic
polling of voters, betting odds, as
sumed great prominence in presi-
dental elections-so much so that
two States, New York and Florida,
passed laws making any citizen who
placed an election wager subject to
disbarment from voting In New
York, bettors on elections still are
classed with vote buyers and con-
victed felons. In Florida, they are
classed with duelists.
Is James w. Gerard, former Ambas-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-08-09

the reelection Of Roosevelt at odds
Of 2 to I. Threatened with prosecu-
ton, Mr.. Gerard hastily negotiated
q withdrawal Of his wager. It was
announced that he had been COM
PEELED to pay $500 to buy the OPP
position bettor OIL.
According to Editorial Research,
the big money bettors in Wall
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-08-09

Street really started the business Of
advance polling. which now has
been taken over large and far
reaching organizations as Dr..
George Gallup's Institute OF Public
Opinion.
Laws against election betting were
brought about principally by the
charge that wealthy partisans put
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-08-09

out their money IN this fashjon TO
create = "bandvagon" psychology In
favor Of candidates OF their choice.
Laws did not succeed In stopping
election betting and attempted legal
regula ton OF public opinion polls
Is likely to prove Just Is unsuccess-
full.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-08-09
Professional Election Bettors
Are FoIEbIe, Records Show

sador to Germany. discovered the
New York law in 1896 when he an
nolmced that he had bet $4,000 on