Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1946-08-16

months Of a second sentence fol
refusing 10 be indicted into
"jimcruw and aggregated Army.
having served 10 months Of two,
year term after his first convic
ton in l943. On April "a Parks
began his hunger strike for his
freedom and went % days without
food 1.-THE longest that any inmate
Of a Federal prison has been per.
mitted TO go without food, before
the authorities began to force feed
him.
Nelson began his fast on April q
and went i8 days without food
before he was force fed.
Consistent Foe Of Segregation
The nearly 80 months that Mel.
son spent In the CuyOhoga County
jail, Cleveland. Ohio; the Federal
Correctional Institutions In Milan
Mich, and Danbury, were marked
by a consistent fight by him and
his pacifist colleagues against ra.
cial discrimination and segregR.
ton In the prisons. Nelson, with
another Negro conscientious OBJ
jector, Joseph Quinn Of Chicago
with whom he was given n FIVE.
year sentence on Jan. 10, 1914, In
Cleveland, and several white con-
scientious directors. IL credited
with breaking down the practice
Of segregation In the dining room
and housing section Of the Milan
Mich, institution.
He was for most Of the time In
administrative segregation" for
refusing 20 cooperate" with the
officials Of the institutions where
he was held as a prisoner. Nelson
refused TO work while In prison
because he would not cooperate
in his own imprisonment"
The son Of n Methodist preacher
and born In Arkansas, Nelson waE
the director Of n community center
in Delaware, Ohio, and q student
at Ohio Wesleyan University, when
he was indicted into a civilian pub.
lie service camp in 1913. He re.
manned In this camp for about q
year. He and five others, including
Quinn. left CPS after they had
notified the Attorney General
Francis Biddle, that they would
leave. Nelson gave as one Of his
reasons for leaving Civilian Public
Service that as q Negro and com.
ing out Of q slave background he
would refuse 70 continue 70 work
In CPS without pay, which IL term.
ed slavery, pure and simple" Per,
sons in CPS receive no pay for
their work, which was work OF
national importance" and they on
someone else had 10 pay t35 q
month for their upkeep. This. &C.
cOrding 10 Nelson and other con.
scientiOus directors, was . viola.
ton Of the Selectiye Service and
Training Act Of 1870, which stated
that provided that such amounts
~ may be necessary shall be avail.
able for the pay and allowances Of
such individuals (eonscisntiouE OBJ,
jectorsD at rates not In excess 0i
those paid 70 persons indicted int
the Army"
Rev. Clarence T. r. Nelson. pas.
tor Of the CamphOr Memorial
Methodist church and president Oh
the Sc. Paul, MINI, branch Of thu
NAACP and q brother Of Wallaes
Nelson, went 20 Washington on
July I, 10 intsrcsds for the free.
dom Of all imprisoned eOnscienti0uS
directors. He, with q COMMITTEES Of
Washington ministers, held . con.
ference with PhiIleo Nash. one Of
President Truman's secretaries
This COMMITTEES asked that amnesty
be granted 10 conscientious Oh.
isetorE, including Wallace Nelson
Attorney General Promises
Amnesty
On July 3 Rev. Nelson asJehiblsd
an outstanding interTaeial commit
eos and had q conference with At