Minneapolis spokesman., 1962-12-14
We Pause: To Reply To
Hysterical FulminatiOns

HySLer1caI fulmlnatlOnS
The publisher Of our local contemporaries, the
Twin City Observer and the St. Paul Sun In re-
portedly sick man. Last week he used his sole
editorial in scurrilous attack personal In nature
the editor and publisher Of this paper, because Of
our stand against the closing of the Key Club.
In the past we have been constrained to ignore
some rather vicious and unprincipled attacks by this
same source because believed they were the re-
suit of Illustrations, envy, and jealousy.
Even the Observer-Sm publisher Is Ill we
cannot stand idly by and refuse to state our
position. since he made 1t the topic of his main,
news" story and his only editorial of last week.
The Observer-Sun charged the editor Of this
newspaper did great and grievous disservice to
all members Of this minority group when he blat-
anty and without any sound basis whatsoever in
jected the racial ISSUE" into the hearings the
revocation of the Key Club licenses.
The race issue already present In the Key
Club case did not have to inject it. The Key
Club the first night club bringing first class
Negro attractions to Minneapolis in the past IS
years to cater to both Negroes and whites.
It's employees, at least IT Of them not including
the casts of shows which sometime play there all
Negroes. Conservatively IT Negro families earned
100000 year at this establishment. With unem-
ployment at high level IT jobs were an important
subject of discussion and more important because
they were held by Negroes who have % dependents.
Our prime interest in objecting to the closing
Of the Key Club was the economic loss Of jobs
to these members of the Negro community.
Secondly we refused to buy the council COM
mittees argument that proprietor Of a bar
night club who fully complies with all the laws
and ordinances must take responsibility for the
law-breaIers who into a place which Is
open to the public.
Ontr in
bartenders, floormen, Mattresses cooks, and other
persone losing their jobs in vice 'witch-hunt which
(as in the past many tmes) centered place fire.
quented by Negroes.
Jobs and upgradng for people have al
ways been a prime part of this papers program.
Milton G. Williams publisher of the Observer-Sun
newspapers ought to - instead of criticsing our
position - on the job issue at least - agreed with
us. He has long experience employe of supper
clubs. He started out a washroom attendant in a
dining out place and after 21 years is still employed
in that capacity.
1t is hard for US to believe that he has not
aspired to or deserved to be upgraded either to a
headwaiter waiter. bartender to some higher
level job. The only reason see that he has
not been promoted is that he is a Negro. At the
Key Club Negroes do headwaiters and
bartenders and Mattresses.
At Murray's where Mr.. williams supremeIy
reigns In his other "job classification" when not
being editor and publisher Of the Observer and
Sun he must have noticed that this well known
establishment, has never had Negro as q waiter,
bartender or waitress, despite Mr.. Williams well
known influence with the management
Could not Mr.. Williams therefore, sympathize
with our desire to see place kept open which DOES
employ Negroes above the level Of washroom attend
ants? His rock throwing" at the people who
frequented the Key Club is hardly understandable
either The majority Of the Key Club patrons were
fine entertainment offered
Mr.. Williams knowledge of night and supper
club business gained from very close at hand scrutiny
must also have made him cognizant that there Is
hardly public bar in any metropolitan city which
is not frequented by women of the street and men
looking for opportunity to purchase their wares
There Is hardly washroom attendant in the
Twin Cities who doesn't daily or nightly in some way
another come in contact with the prostitution
business. This should have made Mr.. Williams more
ment, knowing full we'll he does that ladies of
the evening"" cannot be kept out Of any bar
In Minneapolis including the one where he is en-
ployed He ought to know that this Is not necessari
y the fault of the bar owners II 1t were every bar
in town could conceveably be closed by council re-
vocation. To US the chief difference between what
police reports connected some Key Club patrons
Negro women, and those who frequent other places