St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1945-07-27

positive action a stOne-dead du
We hold mass meetings tt
that; we stand on corners and grippe
and bemoan our fate; We take to
the pulpit and preach long and tire
some sermons about our rights,
and then we wind up everything
with a windy prayer to no one in
general but to the white man in q,
particular to let up a little and
give US a break.
Today's positive action by Ne
groes seems confined to the activi-
ties of the over a million Negroes
in the armed forces and to a scat
tered few civilian Negroes who are
sincere in their efforts to DO in
stead of TALK.
Armed Services Proving Grounds
Best job of all is being con-
tributed by our sons and relatives
in the armed forces who are sacri-
fcing life and limb to prove We are
entitled to economic, political and
social freedom.
They reasonably expect that
their efforts on the battlefelds be
paralleled on the home front to
some degree so that the fight that
looms ahead will not be too hope
less. Instead, the record reveals
that the attention of the folks at
home center on talk and mote
writing" The few concrete gains
seem to be those granted by the
white man when he sees advantage
for himself.
1t is true that under the late
President Roosevelt the Negro
made certain advances in the line
of recognition of his ability, even
if most of such advances were con-
trolled rigidly and under the con-
slant supervision of the white man
as the final authority. Such was
still is the case in the numerous
"advisory" jobs the Roosevelt ad-
ministration turned over to Ne
groes in Washington and through
certain State governments which
took their cue from the White
House.
Officer Personnel Is Increased
It is also true that the most
outstanding advance by the race
has been in the armed forces where
the Negro officer personnel has
been tripled over that of World
War 1 under President Woodrow
Wilson's anti-Negro Democratic
machine.
This war has brought a Negro
a berth as a general in the army,
many others wear the insignia of
colonies, majors, captains and
lieutenants. However, in the light
of the history and politics of this
country, as we'll as the real back
ground of the war, one would not
ask amiss if he inquired further
into the question and found that
the Roosevelt policy of liberality
in advancing the Negro in the
armed services was not done "ac-
cording to plan"
Pearl Harbor posed many ques-
tons, among them a pertinent one
involving color. 1t will be remem-
bered still that Dorie Miller, first
Negro Naval hero, was a messman
and confined to that status because
of the overall policy of the Navy
Department.
There was also discerned in sub
sequent actions by Washington
disturbed state of mind about the
so-called pro-Japanese subversive
acts allegedly committed by GER
tain groups of misguided Negroes
in Harlem, Chicago and Detroit.
In estimating the consequences, it
may be said that the Negro gain
ed from the very evident miscon-
ception of where his loyalty lay.
Thus, it would seem that Roose-
welt acted more to attain a certain
goal in welding all American ele-
ments into a more or less solid
front against the yellow Peril"
than from any real benevolent in
tentions toward the Negroes cause.
Recognition Not Due to Notes
If that be the case, then it can
be safely stated that this recogni-
ton came without undue action on
our part aside from writing notes
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