The Omaha guide., 1948-05-01
O(J R
Guest
Column
BATTLE-AX AND BREAD
BY Lester B. Graner

dolph's statement before the
Senate Armed Services Com
mittee in one weekly column
of less than 700 words. But it
is also impossible to pass ov-
er without comment what has
become "the controversy of
the month" in racial relations.
Thus | shall have to be con-
tent with pointing out some Of
the inner complexities of the
question posed by Mr.. Randu-
lph. and hope for a chance to
follow up more thoroughly in
a later Column.
E One must start by recogniz-
ing that, regardless Of differ
ences Of opinion regarding the
wisdom Of the Randolph sta
tement, there was complete
moral justification for the in
dignation that prompted 1t.
For too long, official Wash
ington leadership has played
with, or ignored, a vital issue
Of supreme Importance to ev-
cry young American, white or
Negro. From Secretary Slim
son, to Patterson to Royal to
the General Council, and back
again, ~the buck has been pas
sed for seven long years Of
war and "peace'vand still the
A IN y remained stubbornly
welded to the basic policy Of
racial segregation. There was
need for shocking the Ameri-
can people into realization of
the seriousness Of this issue
for boldly challenging SNUG
indifference and blind stupid
ity alike.
But the shock method, in
treating social as well as ply
sical ills, must be applied care
fully and with full knowledge
Of expected results. Other
wise the patient is as apt to be
killed as cured. And from the
newspaper reports Of the hear
ing it is doubted that Mr.. Ran
dolph spoke with advance cal
culation Of the primary or
secondary effects Of the induc
ed shock.
What are some Of those re-
suits? Many Negroes enjoy
ed an exaltant thrill over the
fact that somebody got those
white folks told" Many viii
ties and Negroes, opposed for
political or ethical reasons to
any universal military training
program, take encouragement
from this new accretion Of
strength to their cause. Enc
mics Of the Negroes progress
in any and all fields will use
the Randolph statement as
proof final Of their claims that
Negroes are not really good
100 per cent Americans, and
are not to be relied upon in
time Of crisis. White liberals
in support of the Negroes de-
m o cratic aspirations will,
many of them, be left bewil-
Negroes efforts and a belief
that the nations interest must
be defended by all in time of
peril.
What are some of the log
ical implications Of the Ran
dolph position? One is that
those who refuse, because Of
moral commitment, to bear
citizenship responsibilities that
race labelled for Negroes only
must, to be consistant, disdain
to accept any benefits OF priviI
eges similarly labelled. For the
same commitment that makes
man defy a jim-crow milit-
ary service experience must
bar him from joining a jim
crow union local, eating in a
jim-crow restaurant, attending
attending jim-crow show, ri
ding a jim-crow bus, or other
wise conforming to the dicta
Of q racist system Of living.
Now, all Of this may seem
to be splitting hairs, but it is
not. Sooner or later we Negro
es must arrive at a planned,
consistent and morally defen-
sible scheme of racial action
that will win united support
because it makes commonsen-
Sc. We cannot, for instance,
insist upon a fair employment
practice because "our racial
interest is the common nation
al interest" and then in the
same breath declare that the.
national defense is none of our
business until and unless it is
carried out in democratic fash
ion. There is no doubling that
the Randolph advice will carry
! a powerful sympathetic ap-
peal to thousands Of frustra-
! ted and resntful young Negro
es. ut that adice does not 60
far enough. Our youth must
also be advised on the other
demands upon their courage
and honesty that implicit in
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