St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1945-12-28
Dear JOe''
A Weekly Column by and
for Veterans
By JAMES L. HICKS


other side when life and money
were cheap as bully beef? Remem-
Der how the boys used to get to-
gether and send money to different
Negro organizations?
Wonder what they ever did with
that money? Wonder what they
are doing for you and me now?
Let's stop wondering and have
a look at the record. Let's see what
Negro organizations are really do
ing for the veteran. / had a talk
with a few of the representatives
of national organizations here in
Washington this week and I asked
them all a point blank question:
What, Gin a few words" is your Or
ganizatiOn doing for the cOlOred
veteran? Here is the record, Joe,
for your reading:
1 dropped in on Mrs. Mary Nc
Leod Bethune's National Council of
Negro Women, Friday, to see Mrs.
Name Mason Higgins, Mrs. Beth
une's secretary, and put my Gin a
few words" question to her.
The reason I say Gin a few
words" Joe, is because I am gradu-
ally getting smart. Most of these
national organizations are so con-
cerned with telling you why their
offices are necessary and how i'm
portant their jobs are that by the
time they are finished talking you
can't even remember the question
you asked them to say nothing of
the answer they gave.
But as I said before we are get
ting smart, so l figure this way:
If you are picking cotton, or hang
ing curtains or trying to get rid of
your mOther-in-law, no matter how
busy you are, if you really KNOW
what you are doing you can TELL
me what you are doing in about five
short statements, can'tcha, Joe?
But if you yourself don't know what
you're doing you can use a thou
sand words and you still can't an
swer my question, can you, Joe?
Well, I've found out that a lot of
these big shot organizations aren't
doing anything because they really
don't know what they are trying to
do. In short, Joe, they don't have
program. We used to call it a
training schedule but it means the
same thing-it's just like the right
guide when you're drilling, JOe-it
keeps you in line.
When asked Mrs. Higgins what
the Council of Negro Women was
doing for the veterans, she came
at me straight from the shoulder
NOTHING, she answered. Then
she began to explain that Jeanette
WEIGH Brown had been their pro-
gram director and Jeanette had re-
signed recently and her resignation
left the council f1atfooted so far as
a veterans program was concerned.
Then she went on to tell me how
some white fellow had come into
the office from Fort Belyoir and
asked Mrs. Bethune and her or
ganization to support a Negro ser
vice club at Fort Belvoir. Mrs.
Bethune told him in no uncertain
terms that neither she nor her or
ganization would do any such thing,
and added that if colored soldiers
were permitted to use the same
clubs as the whites, there would be
no problem. Il said three cheers
for Mrs. Bethune on that score.)
She also told me that out in Chi
cago this week an affiliate of the
Council called the WANDS was get
ting together to set up number
of information centers in the south
for veterans. Mrs. Bethune is COM
handing officer of the WANDS
and the Council is giving them a
hand in putting the program over.
All of that sounded good to me,
Joe, and 1 hope the WANDS stay
on the target for it looks like
they've got the range, but what I
started out asking was "What is
the Council of Negro Women doing
for the Veterans?" After she fin
ished talking, the answer that still
hung in my mind was-nothing.
Maybe someone from the Council
will take this up and explain Gin a
few words" what it is doing for
vets. If so we will be glad to write
the few words to you, Joe, but so
far it is down in our book as doing
-NOTHING-and it is not alone.
A couple Of weeks ago we award
IL l.