Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1962-08-24

more pictures, in a new found in
terest, than he sold subscriptions
A big factor in keeping the
Spokesman and Recorder papers
going with practically no capital
was the sales ability of a tall
bronzed skinned young man by the
name Of Arthur Allen. He was a
tireless, convincing salesman who
would not take no, for an answer.
Often his sales were the difference
between victory and defeat for the
papers.
The first office girl or secretary
was Dorothy Scott who is now
Mrs. La Mar Roberts, now a men,
Der of the Minneapolis Public
School staff. Dorothy got the num-
icifent' salary of 81 per week and
often the payday was missed. She
worked a five and one-half day
week!
Guess who answered the phone
when Dorothy was out Of the Of
flee? The gentleman was Milton
(Gus, we called him) Williams
who didn't stick around very long.
Prior to helping out in the new
papers office he had worked for
Newman as advertising manager
for two months for the Inflated
TIMELY DIGEST Magazine which
established in the post-depression
period, folded after II issues. Gus
is now publisher of our contempor-
airy Negro weekHes in the Twin
Cities.
orrington c. Hall, member of
the staff Of the Ramsey Register
of Deeds, was one of the few con-
tributing editors the papers have
had since their founding. 20. c."
contributed editorials on st. Paul
issues for about six months, but
finally had to give it up as a
regular task.
Charles L. Horn, industrialist
and philanthropist was the first
mail subscriber. He began a long
friendship with Newman while he
was editor Of the Twin City Her
aid and earning his living as a
Pullman porter.
This interest and friendship
continued up until the present
and resulted in the first break
the Twin City Negro got in en-
plOyment outside limited cate
gories when Horns firm became
prime contractor for the Twin
Cities Ordinance Plant at New
Brighton.
The non discrimination prac-
tees at the plant resulted in the
employment of almost 1000 Ne
groes during the heighth Of World
War II and resulted in President
Franklin Roosevelt appointing
Horn to the Presidents Fair En-
ployment Practices Committee, the
first of the FEPC's which have
sprung up all over the country.
TCOP changed the entire en-
ployment as it effected Negro
manpower participation in the
whole upper midwest.
AS the papers grew and the
debts piled up a young woman
showed up on the scene who
created a semb1ance of order. She
was De velma Strong, who later
became De Velma Newman, for 20
years but who has since divorced
the publisher.
De Velma, set up q bOolxkeep-
ing system, insisted upon the es-
Enlistment Of o checking &C
count, record kee ping, and
brought order out Of chaos. She
was q favorite of most employees
because she usually took their
part against the sometimes crus-
tiness and tantrums Of the edi-
tor and publisher.
She left the business for several
years In the late Forties returning
In 1857 and remaining until July,
1861.
The papers have always been
organs, mixing a staunch
OF the rights Of the Ne
groes with insistence that the Ne
gro has to do his part, accept his
also.
In q 70 year period, the edi-
tOrials Of the two papers have |
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