Page Two
THE CAMPUS ECHO
Thursday, April 6, 1939
The Campus Echo
Vol. 3 No. 6
Durham, N. C., April 6, 1939
Published monthly by the
North Carolina College
Subscription 50 cents for the
school year
EDITORIAL STAFF
Faculty
President James E. Shepard,
C. G. O’Kelly, J. T. Taylor, A.
Heningburg, Miss Ruth G. Rush,
Miss Pauline Newton, Miss Gee
Vee Harris, Miss Parepa H. Wat
son, C. T. Willis, Charles L.
Holmes, Miss Diana S. Dent, Mrs.
Julia W. Harris.
Editor Charles Black
Managing Editor....Wm. A.' Tuck
Sports Editor..F. Howard Alston
Assistants..Lawrence Lightner
Margaret Williams
Reporters and Feature Writers
Joseph Christmas, Dorothy
Whitted, Margaret Williams,
John Summersette, Geneva
Happer, Christine Harrington,
David Cooke.
Secretary Ruby Chisholm
Prexy
Charles
Says
What Is Progress?
Progress we find defined
in a dictionary as, “betterment
to move forw^ard or to develop
to a higher state.” In order to
explain clearly just what is
meant by the above definition
let us take an example in which
the facts justify the above defi
nition.
The example to which I am
referring is that of the Negro
race. When we consider the
depths from which they have
come and the heights they have
obtained we are even more jus
tified in saying that the Negro
has truly made wonderful steps
of progress. Let us look at the
various symbols of progress ex
pressed by the Negro race.
In the field of education, a
field in which we are all quite
familiar, let us look at what
progress has been made. In
1866, at the time of the freedom
of the slaves, approximately
95 per cent of the Negro popu
lation was illiterate. Today this
illiteracy has dropped, until at
the present it is approximately
5 per cent. In 1860, about five
years after the slaves were
freed, there were less than
100,000 pupils enrolled i n
school. Today we boast of more
than 3,000,000 pupils. We also
boast of over 500 Negro schools
of secondary and higher educa
tion and of more than 10,000
graduates yearly.
In the field of invention the
Negro has also made wonderful
strides. As one of the better
known inventions, invented by
a Negro, we have the first ma
chine that performed auto
matically all the operations in
volved in attaching soles to
shoes. This invention marked
the beginning of a distinct revo
lution in the art of making shoes
by machinery. Another great
contribution in the field of in
vention was that of the lubri
cating cup, invented by McCoy,
also a Negro. This invention was
of great importance because of
its basic use and value in lubri
cating two of a great number
of inventions made by Negroes,
but they are sufficient to indi
cate the progress of the Negro.
Even in fine arts the Negro
takes a prominent place. In
music we have Marian Ander
son, Roland Hayes. In litera
ture we have the folklore and
If there is one institution in
the world to which we should
be able to look for proper voca
tional guidance, moral instruc
tion, and an acceptable method
of solving life problems—this
institution is the school, pro
vided we come to this school
with an objective. I’m saying
the school is a little experi
mental society, in which we
have samplings of the varied
educational, social, and econom
ic problems that we find in ac
tual life. I don’t think I would
encounter very much opposition
in saying that vicarious experi
ence is valuable but to my
mind, actual experience gives
a greater, fuller, and richer
comprehension of life situations.
Fellow students. I’m saying all
of this to say that we should
have had a definite purpose for
coming to college. If we didn’t
have a specific objective for
coming to this higher institu
tion of learning, we are (most
probably) victims of a circum
stance that will ultimately de
stroy us.
May I say parenthetically,
that the contemporary college
student has been fallaciously
informed that it’s his duty to
change and revolutionize col
lege life. This I do not think
is the duty of the college stu
dent at all. If you think about
the matter seriously enough
you will come to the inference
that as students, we don’t go
to college to change the college
but we go to college to be
changed. If we are changed by
the college, the college will
change proportionately, because
of the strange relativity be
tween student and college. If
we kept this concept in mind
many of the problems that arise
on our campus would have no
need of appearance. Thus, how
well we shall become adjusted
to American living will be pro
portionally to just how well we
adjust ourselves to this our col
lege society. This I have said
with serious implication.
The Evolution
Of The Powers Of
The President
stories of Dunbar and James
Weldon Johnson. These are only
a few of the leading names asso
ciated with the fine arts. But
from these, one is able to judge
the progress that the Negro has
made. Evidence of this fact may
be seen in the great recognition
that is being accorded them.
These are only a few of the
symbols of progress the race
has made. In which they have
moved forward from chattels
to men, from slave labor to a
so-called position of freedom,
from universal poverty to the
ownership of wealth, from il
literacy to a condition wherein
80 to 95 per cent are able to
read and write, from an incul
cated inferiority complex to
self-respect and from drudgery
to art.
Who is there that will deny
that the Negro race exemplifies
the meaning of progress?
—Brooklyn T. McMllian.
It has been often said that
the King of England reigns but
does not rule, and that the
President of the United States
rules but does not reign.
When the Constitution of the
United States was adopted in
1789 by the several states, the
executive powers were vested
in the president to execute or
carry out the laws of the gov
ernment. In other words, the
president was to be the chief
coordinator of the functions of
the government. The powers and
functions of the president were
as follows: To be commander-
in-chief of the armed forces of
the United States and of the
militia of the several states
when called into the services of
the United States, to grant par
dons and reprieves for offenses
against the United States; to
make treaties with foreign coun
tries, subject" to consent of the
Senate; to appoint ambassadors,
ministers and consuls to for
eign countries, subject to con
firmation of the Senate; and to
appoint judges of the Supreme
Court.
In the early years of the re
public, the president appointed
men of character and ability to
the various offices of public
trust such as judges, ambassa
dors and ministers. Also, the
various cabinet members of the
early cabinets were men of out
standing abilities, chosen not
particularly from the party of
the incumbent president, but
because they were the best men
available at tVie tiijae. Such wiae
and discriminating use of the
appointing powers was largely
responsible for the phenomenal
growth of the United States in
the eyes of the foreign nations
as a government capably and
well administered.
Up to the administration of
President Jackson, the presi
dency was, as it is now, consid
ered as the highest honor of the
nation, and as a sacred trust
from the people. With the in
auguration of President Jack
son, the doctrine, “to the victors
belong the spoils,” was intro
duced into American life, and
there were begun the political
machines of today. Through the
awarding of jobs to political
favorites, the president was
able to wield a large influence
in the national legislature. Al
though the president was en
joined by the Constitution to
make recommendations from
time to time to the Congress on
the state of the nation, it was
mainly through the political
influence of the president that
the State Bank was killed by
Congress. Not only was Presi
dent Jackson the chief of the
government, but with him be
gan the custom of the president
as boss of his political party.
Although there were no provi
sions in the Constitution for
such an act, President Jackson
actually named his successor.
Heretofore, the president was
only the chief executive of the
nation, now his influence was
felt in the several states through
his control of his party.
The several wars that this
country engaged in during the
early years served to give the
president more power. It was.
people in national emergencies
to lean heavily on the president
for leadership. Congress, in line
with the people, voted the pres
ident, in these emergencies,
more and more power. During
the Civil War, the president re
voked without protest, the Ha
beas Corpus provisions of the
Constitution, a long and hard
fought point in the struggles of
the English speaking people for
better rights.
In foreign affairs the presi
dent has departed from the let
ter of the law. The Constitution
provided that the President
shall make treaties with foreign
nations with the advice and con
sent of the Senate. These words
prescribed the limits of the
president on foreign affairs. Yet
President Monroe, in the Mon
roe Doctrine, assumed for this
country without authority the
role of “Lord High Protector”
of the Western hemisphere.
President Wilson, in his League
of Nations plan, attempted to
have this country assume the
role of “Chief of Police” of the
world. Due to the wise system
of “checks and balances” of the
Constitution, this plan was de
feated and the United States
was saved from being the
“scapegoat” of the recent Euro
pean crisis as was Great Britain
as a result of playing a similar
role planned for the United
States by Wilson.
During the Great War the
president had authority to regu
late everything in the United
States. The Declaration of Inde
pendence granted to everyone
life, liberty, freedom, and the
pursuit of happiness, but even
these were regulated and cir-1
Preparing for
Earning a Living
When a person matures into
manhood this question faces
him: “What may I do or what
vocation may I follow in order
to earn a living?” As he begins
to search diligently for the
answer he will find that the
question is one which he alone
must answer for himself. Al
though his sisters, brothers or
relatives may have world-wide
fame, he will discover that in
order for him to accomplish
anything he must be of service
to the community or state in
which he lives. In this age, the
old saying: “Mother, father,
sister or brother may have, but
blessed is he that hath of his
own,” still holds true in this
Educational Era. Therefore the
phrase, “Preparing for Earning
a Liying,” should appeal to
everyone.
Earning a living at the begin
ning means preparation. An in
dividual must prepare himself
for the profession that he ex
pects to follow, but before that,
he must carefully select his vo
cation. He must in some . way
take a bird’s-eye view of the
industrial and political world
in search of the vacant places
or positions which he could fill.
Above all he must keep in mind
the fact that regardless of what
field he enters he will have keen
competition. No person can do
an “A” rating job in all fields
of human endeavor. With these
facts in view he should analyze
cumscribed by the authority af I his heart, - mind, - and body,-and
the president.
By the Constitution, Congress
was granted authority to levy
and collect taxes, duties, and
imposts for the United States.
From time to time the president
has assumed these powers. By
executive decrees the president
has laid certain taxes upon the
farmers for producing out of
the abundance of Nature more
than their allotted amounts of
certain crops. Even Nature has
fallen under the authority and
the regulation of the president.
Also through executive decrees,
the manufacturers have been
taxed for the production of cer
tain manufactured goods by
processing taxes. Until recent
times the regulation of duties
and imposts has been jealously
guarded by the Congress. Now
the president has assumed this
authority. Through reciprocal
trade agreements and pacts, the
customs, tariffs, export and im
port duties have been regulated
by the president.
By Article I of the Constitu
tion Congress was given author
ity to regulate the currency and
banking; during the World Wj.r
was given authority to regulate
the banks to some degree.
Through an oversight these laws
were left on the statute books
after the war and they were
used as entering wedges by the
president to obtain control over
the currency and the banks in
the United States. Now both the
banks and currency have been
drastically regulated by the
president. The regulation of the
value of the dollar, instead of
being controlled by the Con
gress as provided for in the
Constitution, has become an
and is now, a tendency of the added power of the president.
discover his greatest talent and
follow that as a profession.
' —Isaac J. A vent.
The private businesses have
suffered also from the extension
of the powers of the president.
Though Congress was enjoined
to regulate the commerce
among the states, nothing was
written into the Constitution
whereby the president might
regulate the private conduct of
individual business. Through
the establishment of the Na
tional Recovery Administration,
later declared unconstitutional,
the president attempted to
regulate the hours of work, the
number of employees, wages,
and many other details of the
private conduct of industries
and businesses, mainly local in
nature and scope; the big busi
nesses having been subjected
already to regulation by the
Interstate Commerce Commis
sion, another satellite of the
president.
Although the judicial power
was vested in the Supreme
Court and the lesser courts, the
president through his power to
appoint judges has been able to
influence the decisions of the
courts by appointment of men
in sympathy with his program
to the bench.
Since the early years of the
republic the president has be
come more and more powerful.
The powers of )the president
have evolved more and more
from their original limits until
today the president is not only
the executive arm of the gov
ernment, but, after a fashion, is
also the legislative arm as well.
—Sylvester L. Carter.