—THE CAROLINA TIMES SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 1871
2A
Ch€at§|g€uu*
Stilled Now- The Coptola From
The Ship Off Protest Aid Reform
When Louis E. Austin passed in
Lincoln Hospital Saturday evening, it
could well be said that the captain
from the "Ship of protest and reform
has been stilled now." For when a
ship and its captain leaves a harbor,
those who helped to loan that ship
and many well wishers are on hand to
bid farewell, because they know what
the ship is ladened with and what
the cargo consists. They have the
happy knowledge that the harbor, for
which it sails, will be lined with per
sons anxiously awaiting the cargo.
Many of us sat in St. Joseph
A.M.E. Church, where he received
much of his inspiration, Tuesday
afternoon and heard the minister
extol the virtues of Louis E. Austin,
while thousands and even millions
could testify that the hull of the ship
was mute evidence of what the ship
contained, a stilled voice as it
bore Louis E. Austin to another
clime.
We knew that Louis Austin's ship
was ladened with the quality that
one day all men would be free. We
knew that Louis E. Austin had so
much faith in this precious tenet that
he preached from the columns of
this newspaper, for almost 50 years, -
"That all men were created equal and
that all men should enjoy freedom,
no matter what the color of their
skin nor the texture of their hair."
Louis E. Austin's ship was filled
with a faith that would not tremble
ll: ft, the brink though pressed by earth
ly foes. He had faith in himself, his
family, his church, his fellowman and
above all, faith in God. He had the
faith to believe that one day the
faint cry of his forebears would be
heard and their prayers of songs, so
well related in "Nobody knows the
trouble I've seen, nobody knows but
Alexander
History In Charlotte
TTISTORY WAS MADE in Char
lotte, N. C., May 17 when
FRED ALEXANDER was .unanimously
elected new mayor pro tern. It was
the first time in the history of the
city that a Black man was elected
to this position. He earned the hon
or by getting more votes In the May
7 election than any other candidate
on the ballot.
Traditionally the top vote-getter
In a councilmanic election is en
titled to be mayor pro tem for the
city. Soon after the City Council
met, FORMER MAYOR PRO TEM JIM
WHTTTINGTON "told an applauding
audience, "I would like to move at
this time that MR. FRED ALEXANDER
be elected mayor pro tem of the
city of Charlotte."
The action of MR. ALEXANDER'S
colleagues was in keeping with the
sentiment' of the City Council and
the voters of Charlotte who had al
ready expressed by their votes their
confidence in the candidate. And
MR. ALEXANDER was quick to re
spond to the honor given him. He
told his colleagues:
"There are timet when the Eng
lish language does not produce
words to express the sentiment we
feel. This is such a time for me.
It is difficult—extremely so—for
me to express my deep sense of ap
preciation and the overwhelming
feeling of responsibility which fol
lows the recent expression of the
citizens of Charlotte at the polls."
The new mayor pro tem had
praise also for the city as a whole.
He said no city in the South "can
match Charlotte in its present
growth attainments and its bright
potential. This is truly a city set
upon • hill, and its people are
Jesus, I'm sometimes up and some
times down, 1 am almost level with
the ground," "Stormy the road we
trod, beneath the chastening rod, and
"I will wear a starry crown," would
be rewarded.
Louis Austin's ship was cargo
ladened with courage. His was the
courage that dared to speak the truth,
even at the peril of his life. His was
the courage that spoke out against
injustices practiced upon black peo
ple, for one reason and one reason
alone - they were black. He sounded
a clarion call that was heard from the
back woods of North Carolina to the
halls of the United States Supreme
Court. He has the courage to fight
separate, but equal education, from
the campus of the University of
North Carolina until it resounded on
the halls of the Congress of the
United States. He had the courage to
announce, from many platforms,
throughout America, that it was not
fair that the Negro should be the
last hired and the first to be fired.
He not only told the world that
jim-crow was illegal, but told what a
base sin it was. He was out in front
when the equal pay for teachers was
discussed anywhere. Certainly Louis
E. Austin's ship was well ladened.
The trip did not end when the ship
left the harbor. There were throngs of
people awaiting its arrival at the de
signed port, because many of them
had benefitted from his virtues and
were eager to welcome him to a
better shore. They rejoiced in the fact
that he had fought so well for those
he left behind in order to ennoble
their lives, enrich their heritage and
make the world a better place in
which to live, by Louis E. Austin
having held the banner of "Truth
Unbridled," high and wide.
capable of the highest levels of dem
ocratic citizenship and of industrial
and commercial leadership."
MR. ALEXANDER indirectly made
an appeal for the support of Char
lotte's citizens in helping to make
it possible for the city to make more
progress economically and socially.
He said, "all segments of its (Char
lotte's) population are united in a
common desire to make Charlotte
the 'Spearhead of the new South' in
every facet of political, economic l
and social progress."
MR. ALEXANDER, 62, got into the
act on the first day of the new City
Council meeting. He asked the City
Council to seek enabling legislation
from the North Carolina General
Assembly, so the city could add two
members to the three-member Civil
Service Board. The Council voted
6-1 to put the matter on the agenda
for the next meeting. It was re
ported that MR. ALEXANDER had
worked in a behind-the-scene ma
neuver to get a Negro on the all
white board and that his choice was
PRESIDENT LIONEL H. NEWSOME of
Johnson C. Smith University.
MRS. MAUVENE ALEXANDER, who
is proud of the rose garden her hus
band gave her, will be a great help
to him as mayor pro tem. She has
been an inspiration for him during
the past six years as he was build
ing a reputation as a valuable mem
ber of the City Council.
MRS. ALEXANDER has been kept
busy since her husband became a
member of the City Council. She
said during an interview that their
phone is always busy, but i£ does
not disturb her. "I just take the
messages," she said. "I docyt at*
JOURNAL AND 6UI DC
"KILLED BECAUSE SHE WIS BLACK-...?
* THERE MAS NO PROVOCATION ANO NO HORPS MERE PASSEO, IT IS
PCVBTFULTHAT THEY KNEW MISS COLLIER. THEY WERE 'WARBNTg. OUT
TO HILL A BLACK ANYBL ACH," SAID PR. AARON HENRY PRESIPENT OF THE
STATE NAACP, IN A TELEGRAM TO PRESIPt NT N/XPN,
PR HENRY UROEP THE JUSTICE PEPARTMENTANP CONGRESS, USE YOUR
INFLUENCE TO HALT THIS REIGN OF TERROR BEFOQE THE BLACh
COMMUNITY FEELS COMPELLEP TO RETALIATE AGAINST THE WHITE
COMMUNITY ; r
Comments from the Capital A
"""""""""" — ~
THEORIES AND THREATS IN AMERICA TODAY
by Vant Nell
In any free society, freedom
will be abused. Of course, there
are people who genuinely need
help, and no decent individual
would object to offering it. But
don't we all hear of people who
take advantage of a good thing
by sitting back idly and letting
the world pay them a living?
For example:
• A qualified workman who
could get a job, but won't—as
long as he can finagle things
to get his tax-free weekly re
lief handout.
• A "mother" with eleven illegit
imate children, who receives
a fat welfare check and lives
in goverment-subsidized hous
ing.
• A man who might be a silent
partner in a grocery store un
der one name, and collects
welfare assistance under an
other.
• A worker with,a, welj-payin#
job who chooses to stay out on
strike while he collects food
stamps from government wel
fare, perhaps for months
food stamps paid for with your
hard-earned tax money and
mine.
• A fellow who works regularly
at odd jobs, pockets the cash
without reporting it or paying
taxes on it, and still applies
for welfare.
And the new welfare moral
ity, administered by the welfare
bureaucracy, supported by the
courts, now considers it worth
the taxpayers' money to adver
tise for more food stamp appli
cants! We need a change in the
law.
If it is true that the Mafia has
connections in high places, even
courts and Congress, why does
a certain Louisiana senator want
to tie the hands of the F. B. I.?
Congress, for aaes,.insisted that
the F. B. I. go unarmed in its
gang-busting activities. And it is
well-known that this Senator's
home state is noted for Mafia
operations.
Will someone please explain
why, in radical hippie "peace"
marches, the flags of the militant
Viet Cong, Pathet Lao and
Khmer Rouge groups sometimes
outnumber American flags 2 to 1?
Any small group, it appears,
can tie up a city of eight million.
Who's the latest to try it? A
mere 1600 striking gasoline driv
ers who absolutely refused to
deliver the fuel. Why? The S4O
a week wage hike offered them
wasn't enough, they claimed.
We want Sl2O more each week,
they said, and no deliveries
■until our demands are met!
Whether ambulances, fire
trucks, school buses or police
cars can operate becomes a mat
ter of pleading on the part of
city government, to which the
union bosses may or may not
respond.
The curious paradox in this
situation is that when the driv
ers' exorbitant demands are
finally met, as surely as day
follows night, the price not only
of gasoline but of everything
from pencils to paint will go up,
up, up, too. The truck drivers, as
well as you and 1 and the man
across the street, will have to
pay more for everything. It may
become all too clear to the strik
ers—too late!—that the purchas
ing power of their new-found
raise won't buy a penny's worth
more. Of course, everybody
wants a raise, but raises so ex
cessively high hurt everybody,
including the people who strike
for them.
Inflation doesn't just happen.
It is caused, for one thing, by the
incessant demands of organized
labor for more money without
giving more productivity for it.
There just isn't any Santa Claus.
Nothing is free. The union work-
j
: ■
ers, by their gluttonous demands,
are only defeating their own
members.
Came across a news item on
a famous prizefighter, a guy in
the top money bracket whose
fights brought 2Va million dollars
in gross receipts.
"Won't fight if I have to pay
taxes!" he protested.
Nice going, Kid. The rest of us
have to pay taxes and on a lot
less income than your two-and
a half million. It's inevitable that
the more you earn, the higher
your taxes.
Since when are the prizefight
ers qualified to run the show?
-Center
(Continued from front page)
was learned that all of the
facilities would be available
for community use a joyous
applause went up from the
audience, which was com
posed of persons of all ages.
Mrs. Maggie Holman, long
time resident of the communi
ty and has been in the fore
front to make the community
better, keynoted the meeting
by saying that the damages
to the building were deplored
by many of the Citizens of
the area. She was aware of the
fact that the community had
been neglected in many phases
of the life of Durham. She
emphasized the fact that re
creation was one of the neg
lected areas of the com
munity. She described the
coming of the center as a gift
from God and assured the
community and the entire
community would get behind
the project and make it a
success.
W. R. Collins, a mfcmber of
- - 1
€ht Carolina Cauo
Ssas=E£aar I
Published qvery Saturday at Duifeam, VT'C.'
by United Publishers, lac.
L. E. AUSTIN, Publisher-Editor
CLARENCE BONNETTK Busing* «—|r
J. ELWOOD CARTER Advertidf m—f
Second Class Postage Paid at Durham, iTc. ITM*
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
United States and Canada i Tear IffW
United States and Canada S Years m 00
Foreign Countries l s Tear #7JO
Copy » Outs
- Principal Office Located at 4M East Pettifre# Street,
Mian* Nar* QaroMna zrm
- r ' 1 ' '
the committee and a retired
high School principal, summed
up the meeting by challenging
the community to join with
the NAACP and prove to
Durham and the world that
black people can band to
gether for good. He warned
that there were many who
wanted the project to fail and
that it would be a castrophe
on the blacks of Durham to
permit it to fail.
A committee, headed by
Mrs. Holman, composed of
citizens of the area, was
named to work with the
NAACP in getting the center
started. Many children and
young adults volunteered to
work on the committee. Plans
are now being made to clean
the premises and get . the
building ready to make the
necessary repairs.
-Boys
(Continued from front page)
Durham sponsors are Dur
ham Post 7 of the American
Legion; Post 175 and its Auxi
liary The American Legion
Fair Association; Southland
Associates, Durham Civitan
Club; Roberts Construction
Co., C. C. Woods Construc
tion Co., George Watts Hill;
Eastmark Investment Co.;
Lester T. Helms; and J. H.
Barnes.
Outstanding rising seniors
are selected from all over
North Carolina and are sent to
Wake Forest University to hear
lectures and discussions by
public official, faculty mem
bers, and legion members ac
cording to W. W. Green,
Adjutant of Legion Post 7.
Political parties are or
ganized with every one playing
active roles. State, country, and
municipal elections are held
on the legal patterns of the
state. City and county govern
ments are formed and
operated, and a state govern
ment, complete with execu
tive, legislative and judicial
units, boards, commissions,
agencies, and other sub-divi
sions of government, is or
ganized and functions.
Throughout the entire pro
gram, the young people will
perform every operation and
fill every position in govern
ment, elective and appointive.
MKIN6A
By JOHN MYERS
It was twenty-five degrees with a strong wind on
Monday morning, Feb. 2. Pulling my overcoat tighter
around me and turning up the collar, 1 walked E.
Pettigrew Street looking for The Carolina limes office.
1 had never been in this section ot town and was
apprehensive, staring at dilapidated buildings and small
groups of men gathered on corners, talking and trying
to keep warm.
Finding the office on the last block of the street, 1
entered the front room which was a little warmei
than the outside., Ih the back office two secretaries
worked hurriedly opening morning mail and discussing
their previous weekend.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for the editor" I said, hat
ing to interrupt their work.
"I'm Louis Austin."
I turned as the front door closed on a small man
dressed in a conservative dark suit and tie.
"I'm John Myers, Sir, I called you yesterday about a
job." "Oh yes. Please forgive me Mr. Myers. I am late
but I just couldn't make it out any earlier this morn
ing."
He was balding with a thin face which showed
years of struggle and overpowering patience. His eyes
were deep set with dark patches at the corners and
under the sockets. I noticed immediately their clarity,
las though he was looking straight through you as he
ihad done to so many people and causes of the past
decades.
"Sit down Myers, let's discuss this a bit."
On Monday morning, Feb. 2 1 was hired as reporter
and staff writer for The Carolina Times.
Two weeks later I sat in the back office sorting
rieWs releases for the second section of the paper when
Austin walked into the office a little later than usual.
"Good morning brother." I wasn't sure if he was talk
ing to me since his nephew was standing behind me.
Smiling, I replied good morning. Looking back on that
day I realize he was addressing me as brother. It has
never left my mind. A
Through the months that followed, I watched his
eyes grow dim. They lost their clarity and as
-11 ißfc.i Mi/.--- .• • ■» uoffi " tmneq
suited.g distant stare a$ if he was looking at soipethi^g
which was not yet visible to the rest of us.
He became ill and finally had to stop coming to the
office at all. Some weeks we never saw Austin but "e
--ceived phone calls daily to inquire about the progress
of that weeks paper. He never dropped his con
cern.
On his last visit to Lincoln Hospital I went by to see
him. He seemed happy to see me there and was *
talking about the things he has asked me many times
before.
"Myers, tell me, do you have any trouble going to
some of the places I send you for stories because of
your color?" "No Sir. I don't have any trouble." I
lied. I couldn't tell, him there were times I almost
backed out of a story because of threats. "Myers,
when I get well, my daughter and I are going to make
the paper into a giant." "Yes Sir. 1 know."
Monday morning June 14, I walked into The
Carolina Times office to learn of Austin's death. 1 have
thought many times in the last few days of his last
words to me. "We are going to make our paper a
giant."
Sir, you have already done that. Rest now, Brother.
Do's and Dortts
Enjoy The Gome, But Allow
Oth«cs*To Enjoy It.Tpo