St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1945-08-10

communism.
It will be recalled that when Earl
Browder, former leader of the
communist movement, was car of
the "starry-eyed brigade" the Ne
gro question was dropped from its
top position on the red agenda and
win-the-war, back Roosevelt pro-
gram was substituted instead. It
might be said that the Communist
Party, before Browder started
monkeying around with it, was
making gradual inroads into small
intellectual cells among the Ne
groes living in such large communi-
ties as New York City, Chicago,
Detroit, Los Angeles, Cleveland,
and Philadelphia. These intelligent
Negroes, tired of the constant
struggle against an almost i'm
penetrable wall of prejudice and
segregation based on color, found
in communism the state they had
long sought.
Indeed, and being factual, the
Communist Party has to it's credit
many notable achievements in de-
tense of the Negro. One cannot
forget the early days of the late
Anna Damon and Scottsboro, as
well as the Angelo Herndon case,
the defiance of eviction orders on
Chicago's Southside, mass demon
strations at the Sopkin Dress Fac
tory in Chicago in protest against
"sweat shops" and conditions for
Negro girls working there. Similar
instances pile up in evidence of a
seeming sincerity on the part of
the Communist in actually fighting
the Negroes cause.
To those of US who look at such
things effectively, it is apparent
that the Communists had politi-
cal reason in mind for diverting
attention to the Negroes cause. One
reason for such a stand is the fact
that on all national problems con-
fronting America, the Negro prob
lem is probably the most explosive.
It offers opportunities for sensa-
tional developments and big-wig
bankers, lawyers, and politicians
usually attempt to stay clear OF
the Negro question. Even the prob
lem of the Jews is less cantanker-
Gus when compared with the ques-
ton of whether the Negro is to
be given equal rights in the
U. S. A.
Browder, by substituting the
win-the-war program over the Ne
gro question, undoubtedly alienated
the affections of many big-wig Ne,
gro leaders and some dropped out
after publicly announcing their in.
tentions of doing so. Among them
were Richard Wright, the author
of Native Son." and "Black Boy
and Angelo Herndon whose free,
dom from a Georgia chain gang
was obtained by Communist activ,
ity. There were lesser Negro Com,
munists to drop by the wayside
during the period that Browder was
on the throne. They saw, evidently,
as did Wright and Herndon, that a
party not actively struggling fol
the liberation mentally and physi-
cally of the American Negro Of
fered little for them as a sacrifice
of identity with majority opinion
Browder seems to have commit
ted himself to policy of undoing
all these things by changing the
Communist Party line and putting
the Reds behind the war, big bust
ness, and other elements that the
party has fought since its early
days in this country. Now with
William z. Foster, veteran leader
of the Communists, installed as its
new national leader, it is to be
expected that the Negro question
will be returned to what the Com
munists consider its proper place
and that is the No. 1 spot on the
agenda. Now We can all sit back
and watch the fun.
From what I can understand, the
Communists intend to make up for
lost time when they were fooling
around with Browder and his
grandiose schemes which all but
excluded Negro participation.
This column believes that had the
Communists been actively con-
cerned with the cause of the Negro
during the war, his condition per-
haps would have been spot-lighted
far more effectively than it has
been done with him, left to the
whims and fancies of Negro and
interracial organizations which
have missed the boat on innumer-