The Omaha guide., 1946-05-11
PLAIN TALK-by John NJ. Lee
Westbrook Pegler Quotes
the Lady from California

New York, NY.-Columnist Westbrook Pegler, recently
made his annual criticism of the Negro press. l cannot
say that / M n dmirer of Pegler's work. though | must
admit a healthy respect for his success in making a fortune
by parading his luminosity as a ferless presentation of the
truthful and therefore more dangerous side Of the news.
Pegler, the man l do not know, and can not therefore in
dulge in nor appreciate the personal attacks made upon
him by those who find it necessary to violently disagree
with the way he has selected to make a living. Pegler the
writer is a journalistic freak, a sensatiOnalist with a positive
anti complex. That he is anti-NegrO is the point behind
his yearly pilgrimage to the other side of the tracks.
Like SO many others who dare not venture forth on their
own in attacking the Negro, Pegler uses quotes from a Ne
gro source. He has fallen into the habit Of citing the state
Ements of an estimable lady editor of a Los Angeles tabloid
that enjoys al intimate circulation, and which must have
had itself in mind when it said editorially, 'Negro newspa-
pers are powerless because the men and women behind
them and on them lack the power of skill ..." With the
arrogance and superiority of a confirmed racist, Pegler
chose to disdain the qualifications of the many highly
trained publishers and editors of Negro newspapers, and
selected the lady from California and her cozy little sheet,
as his ideal for achievement in the Negro newspaper field.
1t is of no interest to Pegler that there are papers that
have been owned and run by Negro familiesAfor generations
and that those same papers are far from perfect institutions
because, his rantngs and the scolding reproofs of the lady
from California to the contrary, this is a white mans coun-
try and the advertising that is the life blood of any news
paper must come largely from white sources. Perhaps the
Negro press has not inmitated too closely the white newspa-
pers and they have missed some excellent standards as a re-
suit, but through peddling luck charms and love powders
they have been able to disseminate news and information
which has helped weld the Negro minority into a strong,
alert segment of the American body polite.
The lady from California is quoted by PegIer IS calling
for a return by the Negro to ''the simplest tenets of dec
ency, cleanliness, thrift and perseverance," 1t is not sur
prising that he seized upon this quote for boldface present
alton, for it gives a beautiful inference that these qualities
are lacking in the character of Negro men and women.
'Our performance the lady from California is quoted
to have said in an editorial, should keep pace with our
prOtestations" In these few well-chosen words you have
the essence of high moral, civic and political achievement
1t is the state, we must assume, in which writer PegIer and
the lady from California abide alone. AS desirable as it
may be that al of us work to measure up and thus become
eligible TO join them, most of us by choice will forego the
pleasure.
Pegler's New York outlet, the Hearst Journal-American
has long been a most unpopular member of the metropoli-
tan daily press. Ii has been accused of questionable ethics
and it has not hesitated to use its power to- whip I'D a
frenzy against the Negro. The Christian Science Minitor is
a unique publication that follows dainty ethics and will not
accept liquor ads. However both newspapers that enioy
wide circulation, and this would not be so if it we're not
true that many people find something of interest in some
part of each paper.
Neither the selfsufficient PegIer. nor the talented Iady
from California can say that luck charms, love powders,
sensational news stories or vulgarity are the chief reason
why people buy Negro newspapers. Perhaps the day will
come when the standard of the Negro press will be higher,
but that is, at the moment, an ideal that must be worked
for like first class citizenship and the right to live where we
please.
The lady from California is trying to build herself and
her paper into gE~| proportions in her chosen field, and
that is her right. She has taken on every Negro paper in
the country, and that is her right, but it should not be a
source of comfort to her to know that her most unreaIistic
public scolding has provided a springboard for Pegler to
libel Negro soldiers with these words: 6" the majority of
the Negro papers during this wa so undermined the nation
al loyalty of Negro servicemen that they became unmistak-
ably responsible or episodes humiIiating to their own racial
clientele and tragic TO many individual Negroes thus seduc.
cd to commit grievous military crimes..' That statement
Mr. Pegler and dear lady, is a DAMN LIZ. The records Of
"e oWl will show that every Negro paper in the country
used volumes of its material to build morale and LOYALTY
throughout the war period.
II fegler means that by carrying reports Of white PEG.
PIES discrimination and curtailment of Negroes rights at
. made the boys at the front angry he should remem-
g mat both himself and the lady from California sub.
scrlDed to the belief that, ''Truth is always dignified. >, The
influence that the Negro press exerted over our bows at the
= IL a normal influence that the presentation of truth
"ouo ordinarily have. None of the white papers,, com.
"i'ted Il the practice, deleted the word Negro from anv of