Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1946-04-05

They do not have the money tu 20
To college IN the same proportion
RE do whites. for they are most
heavily concentrated IN the lowest
paid jobs. including domestic scrv-
ice and agricultural labor Bong
concentrated IN the South. they do
not have the same educational OPP
purtunitieS even IN the lower
grades. incidentally, Southern
states spend for the education Of
white children less than the ma
tinnnl average, because us one
down tu-carth socIologist put II,
The Kids are where the cash amt, !"
(Ihls maldistrIbutiun of income Is
the hlgRoSt argument fOI the pro
posed Federal Aid to Education
Dill.)
While Negroes suffer from racial
as we'll as economic discrimination
IN the present state of American
democracy, workers too are eco
nODlICnlly under privileged. The
children If miners, toNtiIo workers,
white SharccrOppcrE, or lonREhure-
men. do not furnish any such pro
pOrtiOnnto number Of leaders IN cd
ucatiun and medicine M do the chil.
dron Of lawyers, professors, doctors,
insurance mon. or bankers, Those
who get their income from work
~ service lose their pay when they
are sick, injured. unemployed, or
old, or u they die prematurcly,
while those who get their income
from rent, intorCAt. dividendR. and
profits iind that their money keeps
on rolling Ia even after they are
dead.
Since the wealthy class who get
property income do not get their
money from their own efforts. II II
clear that they get II by exploiting
the efforts of others. Organized
labor Is numerically the larReAt
force that n trying Ia reduce this
exploitation, Since Negroes suffer
from economic exploitation intenEi-
he'd by color prejudice. there Ia and
should be u natural alliance between
Negroes and labor, for they have u
strong identity Of interest, Both
alike are interested IN OppORlng
labor baiters, Negro hAters. anti
SenitoE, and reRctiOnaries. The
pr0RroaElyr wing Of organized labor
best oEempliiieh that alliance.
Organized labor was the strong.
est supporter of our social security
systcm, from which Negroes bene-
ht substantially Just now both
organized labor aud the Negro com
munity are backing the Wagner
Murray Dingcll Bill to raise the
rates Of benefits for Old.RKe pen
EiOnH and unemployment insurance.
This bill would also extend our no
cial security system TO domestic
servants aud agricultural workers,
u proposal which would greatly help
Negroes and II would set up a
system of compensation for sick
ness and non Industrial accidents,
with free medical care and cash
benefits. Organized labor and Ne
gro leaders are behind the bill for
Federal Aid 10 Education. Organ
ned labor In also leading sup
porter ~ the bill for II permanent
FEPC, and Uf the bill % outlaw poll
taxes Ra requirement for voting
IN Federal elections. Thus intelli-
gent workers and Negroes are IN
accord IN the effort 10 pass such
important pTOgroEaivs measures.
unfortunately for the solidarity
~ this natural alliance between Ne
Rroes and organized labor. the older
unions IN the United States were
formed before many Negroes were
industrial workers, and therefore,
sad 10 say. some Of them still oT
cludc Negroes. but the more re-
Gently formed unions In the heavy
Industries, such as the Steel work
eTs, the United Automobile Work
srs. oT the Packinghousc Workers.
do not exclude NeRrUes but vel
come them on equal terms
There n general opinion among
Negroes that only the CIO unions.
which are the ones more recently
formed, are fair 10 their coloTed
members. But there are many AL
unions, such M the United Mine
Workers and the international La
dies Garment Workers Union, and
~ course the Brotherhood Of Sleep
ing Car PortsrE. which have no
color bar Whatever. Such AL
unions are In strategic position 10
oppose land they hope SoOr 10
change, with the help II Judicial
derisionsD the racial discrimination
which still exists In some important
ALL unions.