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THE
4L A JL JL-J
TON INFORMER
AND
THE TEXAS FREEMAN
A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER FOR ALL THE PEOPLE
OUR PHONE NUMBER IS PRESTON
7916
VOL. XIII
HOUSTON, TEXAS, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1931
NUMBER 29
A Non-Partisan Political Meeting Held In Nation's Capital By Negro Group
DEMO CHAIRMAN
Washington, D. C—(CNS)—One hundred and seventy delegates from some 20 states met here last week in response to a call of Congressman Oscar DePriest for a three-day meeting to discuss future political action for the Negro. The sponsors of the convention throughout the convention kept and earlier pledge that the meeting would be a strictly non-partisan affair. No candidates were endorsed and no parties recommended; but while non-partisanship marked the general plan of the convention, it was plain to see that many delegates were there because they were "sore on the Republican party." And at least by inuendo many delegates so stated.
Civil Service reform, distribution of federal educational funds, lynching, economic opportunities, disfranchisement, women in public life, and religion and politics were the subjects discussed by over a score of speakers during the three crowded days of the convention.
Plans for permanent organization of the convention, with local chapters were made at the convention, despite efforts of other non-partisan organizations as the National Equal Rights League to block this reduplication of organizations. A committee to draw up a constitution was named with Congressman DePriest as its chairman.
One thing stood out in the convention above all others, namely, that the persons present were loud in their raise of Congressman DePriest. The
Wilson Evans of Terre Haute, Indiana attempted to make an anti-prohibition' speech which was objected to by the Rev. J. Edgar Thompson of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Irritated by this interruption Mrs. Evans appealed to the house and said, "What is this anyway, a Methodist convention."
Pickens Leaves Platform
On another occasion in the final meeting, Dean William Pickens took occasion to harshly criticise the speech of President Mordecai Johnson of Howard University. Bishops Jones and Walls, defenders of the Howard President and the Negro church, jumped to their feet to object to what they thought was unwarranted criticism. Bishop Walls raised a point of order, and Dean Pickens who had been invited to speak by Judge Henry of Philadelphia, left the platform in disgust without waiting for the chairman to rule.
The following slate, elected in the early sessions of the conference, were made permanent officers: Congressman DePriest was elected chairman; James Kelly, Alabama, secretary; Mrs. B. A. Washington, corresponding secretary; Morris Lewis, treasurer; Louis T. Coates, registrar; Mrs. Dorothy Lewis and Mrs. Margarat Coates, clerks.
The following were chairmen of the committees of the conference: Executive, Bishop E. D. W. Jones; public address, Dean Kelly Miller; Civil Service, Robert L. Vann; women in public life, Mrs. Sallie W. Stewart;
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J. M. (JIM) NABRIT, Jr.
—o—
At a meeting of the executive committee of the Harris County Negro Democratic Club, held on Monday of this week, Julius White, president of the club, announced that he had appointed J. M. (Jim) Nabrit, Jr., as chairman of the executive committee, to succeed C. F. Richardson, Sr., resigned. Mr. Nabrit has entered upon the discharge of his duties, having presided at Monday's meeting and having offered some very valuable suggestions as to the future program of the club.
When interviewed by a representative of The Informer, Mr. Nabrit gave out the following statement:
"The necessity for paying our poll tax is more than ever apparent at this time, when we view the many problems of taxation ' and unemployment which confront a divided congress; and when we realize that next year all city, county, state and federal officers will be voted upon. We need a poll tax receipt to vote. We
By ELLIE ALMA WALLS
Houstonians were shocked last Saturday morning to learn of the shocking death of Mrs. Viola Azile Webber-Colvin, beloved and efficient teacher in the Jack Yates High School. While she had been away from her post in the classroom for about a week, yet her death was a distinct surprise to her hundreds of friends, students and former students. She passed away Saturday morning at a local hospital, where she had been taken the previous evening for an emergency operation.
Mrs. Colvin, a native of Galveston, was a graduate of Central High School, and held the degree of A. B. from Pisk University, class of 1908. She was brilliant in literary achievements, author of many short stories, and skilled in dramatics, having produced in Houston, Damon and Pythias, Scenes from Idylls of the King, MacBeth, Hamlet, and other Shakespearean plays.
At Pisk she was a member of the D. L. V. Club, of which she at one time or another held all of the important offices, including that of president. There she was also a member of the Fisk Herald (the student paper) staff, and in this position received her first training in journalism. At the time of her unexpected and premature death she was the society editor of the Houston Defender.
After graduation from Fisk Mrs. Colvin taught at Texas College, Tyler, for two years, after which she began teaching English in Houston. For 20 years she was a teacher in the Houston schools. Six or eight years of that time was spent at Langston, part at old Colored High, and six years at Jack Yates High.
In December, 14)21, she was married hannilv tn P C PnlirSn -..r^ll
R'S 2ND PRIMARY BRIEFJLED
Document Is Accepted By The Supreme Court Over Protest Of White Demos
HOUSTON MOURNS SUDDEN DEATH OF YATESTEACHER
SUCCEEDING
MRS. E. C. BAUL, who operates one of Houston's most exclusive beauty shoppes, states that since opening her business in this city on Dowling Street, she has built up a large and most exclusive trade among most exacting patrons. Her first venture in business was begun in the Worthing Building about one year ago, but this place became too small for her growing patronage.
Mrs. Baul is a finished product of some of the best beauty schools in the country and has demonstrated to the Houston public her ability as a business woman. She has found it necessary to seek larger quarters and to this end she has removed her shoppe to the Ferrill Building just across the street from her former place. Her shoppe is now located at 23201 Dowling Street, and her phone number is the same—Capital 6782. Mrs. Baul is extending an invitation to her patrons to visit her in her new quarters where she will be glad to serve them in a more effective manner than be-
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Another milestone in th fight of The Houston Informer and Texas Freeman to help bring the ballot to Houston and Texas Negroes as well as Negroes all over the South, was achieved on Tuesday of this week, when the brief on the merits in the famous Nixon primary case, signed by C. N. Love, Julius White, and The Houston Informer and Texas Freeman, was filed after leave to do so had been granted by the Supreme Court of the United States over the vigorous protest of the attorney for the white Democratic election judges, who are defendants in the case. It is apparent that these white Texas Democrats, judging from their objection to the filing of The Informer's brief, feared the contents of this brief, and were anxious to keep it out of the record in the case. Washington Lawyer Presents Motion
The motion for leave to file the brief and the brief itself were prepared by the law firm of Nabrit, Atkins and Wesley of Houston, Attorney J. Alston (Jack) Atkins representing the firm in this assignment. The motion was presented to the Supreme Court of the United States on behalf of the Houston law firm by Hon. Charles H. Houston, vice dean of the Howard University School of Law, located in Washington, D. C. Attorney Houston is an honor graduate of the Harvard Law School and is an old friend of Attorney Atkins, the former having attended Harvard at the same time that the latter was at Yale. Upon his graduation from
clerk of the Supreme Court of the United States, the case will be reached for argument during the week of January 4, 1932. The argument on behalf of Dr. Nixon will be presented by a member of the national legal staff of the N. A. A. C. P., after which the Supreme Court will consider in preparing its decision both the brief filed by Dr. Nixon's lawyers and that by the lawyers for The Houston Informer. It is felt that, if ' the Supreme Court decides this case as quickly as it did the other case brought by Dr. Nixon, the opinion of the court will be handed down before the spring is over.
Houston Negroes Hopeful Hopeful that the Supreme Court of the United States will again decide that Negroes cannot be legally denied the right to vote in the Texas Democratic primaries, Negroes of Houston have launched a great city-wide poll tax campaign, in which it is confidently expected that at least 25,000 Negroes will pay their poll tax and thus prepare themselves to exercise the only real badge of American citizenship.
MARYLAND MO BURNS INJUR AND DYING F
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