St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1959-01-23
Minnesota DAILY
Attacks Poper's
CoWIes Criticism
Continued from Page u

caster that the Spokesman and
Recorder papers apparently"
were not aware of the presence of
Bill" Castleman on the schools
freshman squad. (See editorial
Apparently" on page p
In the January 20, edition of
the Minnesota Daily, Maurice F.
White, a SLA sophomore at the
University and the former assist
ant pastor of st. Peter AME
church in Minneapolis in a letter
attempted to defend the situation
of which the Spokesman and Re
corder papers complained.
He too, as the DAILY and others
ignored the fact that the papers
criticism was leveled at Cowles' IL
year record and made no reference
to the freshman squad. He too,
assumed without any evidence that
the paper did not know that the
now much publicized Bill" Castle
man was at the University, a fact
which is pretty widely known in
the Negro community and reported
previously in the columns of the
Spokesman and Recorder papers.
Editorial Spoiled Our Good Deeds
Mr. White said in part: The
Spokesman has probably" (the
quotes are ours) done much to-
wards lettering intergroup rela-
lions in Minnesota. However the
good that it has done has suffered
setback through this editorial
The Spokesman is not familiar
enough with student affairs at
the University to make such an
attack as levied at Cowles. Had
it been better informed it would
not have uncovered itself, as the
DAILY did, the fact that the
University does have a Negro on
its team"
Gripping Blow At Human Re
IatiOns"
Mr.. white continued: THE
Spokesman editorial has not only
undone some of the good it has
accomplished through the years, it
has also struck a Gripping blow
at the whole area of human rela-
tions, undoing the work of many
others.
"The Dying Past Generation"
White continued: THE Spokes-
mans editorial spoke as a voice of
the past and dying generation of
Negroes"
Agitated Everybody!
White wrote: The Spokesman's
editorial agitated the school, the
students and Cowles."
Apparent Discrimination"
Mr.. Whites last paragraph
makes one wonder who's side he's
on if anybodys-with this: THE
more proper way of handling the
situation, I believe would have
been to approach Cowles person
ally and to search for definite
cases of apparent discrimination.
COwIes Suggests Talking 1t Over
In the meantime while the
papers, radio and TV said gray
matched generally popular Ozzie
Cowles was incensed he did not
appear so when he phoned Cecil
Newman, editor of the Spokesman
& Recorder papers on Jan. 16. The
two conversed over the editorial,
the Cowles policy and the coach
suggested the two get together
| for a chat sometime.
Cowles final word was that if
the paper found a good player of
Negro ancestry he'd be glad to
give him a chance.
| Newman told Cowles that the
controversy would be helpful be-
cause whether he realized it or not
large number of people in Min
nesota both white and black felt
that the lack of Negroes on Min
nesota's basketball teams was de-
liberate and by design. Cowles
expressed amazement and doubt
that such a view existed.
IF this is not true as you say,
Newman repeatedly told Cowles,
then it is good for all concerned
to get the whole matter out in the
open"
Newman also said his papers
were concerned because of the re-
action of Minnesota Negro prep
school athletes who played basket
ball through the past 10 years and
felt that they would have no
chance under Cowles.
Newman said his newspapers at
tack on Cowles was nothing new
for the papers. THE day the Spoks-
man and Recorder papers can no
longer state their position openly,
and fearlessly we hope they close
their doors. Twenty-Five years of
serving the people of this area
have proved that's what the people
expect and want from these news