'Hoover Makes Amends,' Kelly Miller
PRESIDENT HOOVER MAKES AMENDS, SAYS KELLY MILLER Gives Opinion About Four Recent Negro Appointments By Kelly Miller President Hoover has made more Negro appointments in four months than President Coolidge made in six years. Up to then the burden of complaint was that the administration had ignored all our claims to appointive recognition. But four important assignments falling in the race's lap in such quick succession must be accounted for either by a change of attitude, or by some unusual political emergency. Mr. Hoover has set up a board of strategy, consisting of Postmaster-General Brown and Secretary Newton, to keep watch and ward off the Negro as a political entity. He recognizes no leadership except through the mediacy of these referees. Whatever he has done, or failed to do, must be attributed to this sagacious board of strategy. The President does not play politics with the Negro directly, but allows politics in plenty to be played in his name and on his behalf. The man who doesn't play politics will never be elected President--but once. The President's Negro policy has never been disclosed in words, but is clearly revealed in action. 1. The Negro is to be displaced from leadership in the South. There are to be no more Negro national committeemen, who direct the policies of parties and Presidents by authority of sovereign States. Page Ben Davis and Perry Howard. 2. No national Negro leader is to be recognized as political spokesman of his race at large. Page Dr. John R. Hawkins. 3. Serviceable Negro politicians are to be recognized only in so far as they commend themselves to the approval of their respective senators. With this key in mind it is easy enough to understand the four recent Negro appointments. The Republican party approaches the Congressional campaign with none too optimistic prospects. Every available vote must be corralled by any legitimate political means. A change of one or two votes would throw the control of the senate to the Democrats and their recalcitrant progressive allies. Mr. Hoover's entire political future hangs upon the return of a sufficient number of administration senators to put through his program. In Kansas (for nomination only), Indiana, West Virginia and Delaware, the election of the dyed-in-the-wool administration senators is in serious jeopardy. In each State the Negro holds the decisive hand. Ohio is in the same predicament; I would not be surprised, therefore, if some Ohio Negro celebrity did not soon fall into official good for- (Continued on Page 8)
Inter-Racial Leaders Meet; Whites Urge Crusade Against Lynching
COLORED EMPLOYEES OF BALLARD AND BALLARD CO. As a matter of history following up the false rumor about the employment of colored people by the Ballard and Ballard Co., and knocked in the head by the officials of the company in a statement in the columns of the Leader last week, we are printing here the names of the colored persons employed by the Ballard and Ballard Co., and their length of service: Mrs. Lelia Williams, 2 years; Mrs. Laura Williams, 7 years; Wm. Foster, 7 years; Dayton Sleets, 9 years; Lee R. Johnson, 9 years; Jim Lyons 32 years; Louis Norris, 15 years; J. W. Owsley, 10 years; H. Addison, 2 months; Clarence Lu Rue, 17 years; Will Scott, 13 years; Richard Scott, 12 years; James Sumpter, 2 years; Cleveland Harris, 7 years.
Open Chain Store Here
OPEN COLORED MERCHANTS' CHAIN GROCERY STORE IN GOLD COAST BUILDING Local Business Men Follow Lead Of Negroes Of New York And Seventeen Other Cities The first Colored Merchant's Association chain grocery store was opened in Louisville in the Gold Coast Building at 612 W. Walnut St. last Saturday. The chain store idea which is now the talk of the country, sponsored by the National Negro Business League, Dr. R. R. Moton, president, and being spread from New York to New Orleans by the energetic Albon L. Holsey, secretary of the League, has been formed to aid the American Negro in economic adjustment, to win back to colored merchants the trade of 12,000,000 people, a trade which in food alone is estimated at $1,650,000,000. Mr. Holsey has cooperated in the organization of 4 race chain stores in New York, and 17 other cities have fallen in line with at least one store. The Louisville store is managed by Mr. C. H. Brannon, veteran business man, who is one of the best known citizens  in this community, cooperated with by Dr. W. T. Merchant whose grocery business out on E. Hill Street is the foundation upon which the chain store idea was laid. Circulars were put out by the management of the C. M. A. Store announcing the store as Chain Store No. 1 with groceries, meats and vegetables for sale at competitive prices. "Come and look us over and let us make your Sunday order" read the circular, and it is the concensus of opinion that Negroes in Louisville are going to do that very thing every Saturday in the year.
Mob Finally Lynches Man
MINERS SEE LAST OF LEADER Providence, Ky., Oct. 7.--What is believed to have been the biggest demonstration ever staged in this community occurred yesterday during funeral services for Sullivan Wolf, Negro striker, who was called to his front door at 4:30 last Saturday morning and shot to death. City and county officials estimated the crowd at 3,500, composed of whites and Negroes. At the conclusion of the services and the demonstration the body of the victim was taken to Princeton for burial. Wolf was the recognized leader of the Negro strikers in the Webster county coal fields and striking miners, both white and Negroes were here from every coal producing county in Western Kentucky and Southern Illinois coal fields. Wolf was called to his front door and his body riddled with bullets. He died without being able to tell his wife how many were in the crowd or whether or not he recognized his slayer. A coroner's jury returned a verdict that he came to his death at the hands of  unknown parties. Wolf is the only striking miner so far to have been harmed since the disorders began more than three months ago, though any number of miners who returned to work have been the victims of snipers or have had their home destroyed by dynamite blasts.
CLOSE A. M. E. CONFERENCE Danville, Ky., Oct. 6.--The Kentucky Conference of the A.M.E. Church which had been in session here since Wednesday, [stood?] adjourned today (Monday) at [noon?] with the reading of the appointments by Bishop M. H. Davis, D. D., of Baltimore, the presiding bishop. The work of the Conference went along smoothly and well and despite drought conditions a total of $7,000 was reported to the conference to be expended for the work of Education, Missions, Church Extension and benevolences. Among the visitors present were Mrs. M. H. Davis, wife of the bishop and her sister, Mrs. Cosey of Baltimore, who were visiting Kentucky for the first time; Bishop S. L. Greene of Tennessee and South America and Revs. J. C. Caldwell, J. A. Grant, B.
NOT FORGOTTEN [Photo] JOSEPH S. COTTER, JR. The late young Louisville poet who contributed no small bit to the distinction of the Cotter family and who still lives through his work as made known else where in this issue. Young Cotter was quite an inspiration and a help to the publisher in the early years of the Leader.
MORE HONOR TO COTTER FAMILY Prof. Joseph S. Cotter, veteran principal of the Coleridge Taylor School and noted poet not only has the distinction of being one of the two Louisville colored citizens who have been recognized by "Who's Who In America," but Prof. Cotter is given the same recognition by the publishers of "Who's Who Among North American Authors." Honors to the Cotter family are not to stop with the father and son, the late Joseph, Jr., who was one of the most promising young poets America has produced, but just a few days ago Prof. Cotter received correspondence from Paris, France, asking for the portrait of the late Mrs. Maria P. Cotter, wife of Prof. Cotter and Joseph, Jr., and a biographical sketch for a publication of the "Principal Women of America" by Fudge and Co. of Paris. To this we might add that since the death of young "Joe" Cotter, his writings have been included in the following outstanding publications. The Upward  Path, by Mary White Covington; In The Vanguard of a Race by L. H. Hammond. Anthologies: Poetry by American Negroes, by White and Jackson; The Book of American Poetry, by James Weldon Johnson; Carolina Dusk, by Countee Cullen; Negro Poets and Their Poetry, by Robert T. Kerlin. Young Cotter's poems have been translated into the languages of Germany, Norway and Sweeden and have been used in several southern white colleges as studies in English literature.
PETER SALEM POST TO ELECT OFFICERS All members of the Peter Salem Post No. 45 American Legion are urged to be at 934 W. Walnut St., Monday night, Oct. 13, for the purpose of electing officers. With the cooperation of each member we can elect men who will do their bit to make the Post a big success for the coming year. It is necessary for all to be present next Monday night. H. Allen, Adjut.
Schuyler Hits "The Green Pastures" SAYS, ONLY NEGROES WOULD HAVE TOLERATED IT THROUGH FIRST WEEK White Christians Would Have Stopped It On "Blasphemy" Charge By George S. Schuyler Mr. Salem Tutt Whitney has taken exception to Mr. Theophilus Lewis' recent statement in the N. Y. Amsterdam News that "The Green Pastures" "is a magnificent piece of three-ply hokum" and "that it is an exceptionally entertaining play, made distinguished by its remarkable astute [direction?] rather than by its dramatic substance or the quality of its acting"...."I still think it is just a little better than a fair to middling play; not a great play by a long shot." Mr. Salem Tutt Whitney, who is a member of the cast of "The Green Pastures," grows very wroth at this criticism of his meal ticket and launches a bitter diatrible against critics and criticism; accuses Br'er Lewis of slapping at the actors and the book with one punch; points to the fact that the play has been running seven months, playing  to standing room only with tickets selling six months in advance; makes much of the fact that "a Negro drama," acted by Negro actors has won the Pulitzer prize; that white folks have said the Negro actors rate very high; that Dr. R. R. Moton, James Weldon Johnson, Walter White, Dr. Hale of Nashville and "hundreds of colored people" have all said the play is "remarkable," and ends up by saying "There are some things that even a critic should not write even if he thinks them" in answer to Lewis' remark that Richard B. Harrison impressed him as a tired old man who too often forgot his lines. Why is it that Negroes are so bitterly opposed to criticism while white people of any prominence and intelligence seem to take it is a matter of course? Lewis is the most capable dramatic critic Negroes have. Not only has he attended the foremost plays but he has studied the technique of playwriting and read the great dramas of all time. While I haven't seen "The Green Pastures," I have as  much confidence in the criticism of Theophilus Lewis as I have in that of the leading white critics. The mere fact that a play has been running a long time and is playing to full houses does not make it excellent drama. Abbie's Irish Rose ran for five years on Broadway and received millions of cheers in the provinces, and yet no one would think of comparing it with "Heart-break House," which would be lucky to run five weeks. When white critics and audiences heartily applaud any Negro leader, Negro activities or plays about Negroes, it is time for the wise Negro to get suspicious, like the cynical Frenchman who asked his secretary "What did I say that was wrong," when his audience applauded a passage in his speech. Nor does the fact that certain Negroes think "The Green Pas-
WM. MILES GETS MAN; LUCKY TO SAVE LIFE, SAY WITNESSES Wm. Miles, manager of the Empire Taxi Co., who has perhaps made more business progress within the last five years than any other Negro  business man, shot almost fatally Leon Henry, well known on Walnut Street, Monday evening at Mr. Miles' place of business, 615 W. Walnut Street about 6 o'clock. It is reported that Henry has not had the best of feeling for Mr. Miles for more than a year and that when some objection was raised to Henry's habit of parking his car in the space reserved for the Empire taxies, that Henry not only resented it in no uncertain terms, but gave George Thomas, night dispatcher of the Empire Taxi Co., a pretty good thrashing for bringing him the order, as given by Mr. Miles, and according to Mr. Miles after he had finished the dispatcher, Henry rushed for him as he stood looking up at his gas tank in the rear or the taxi office, with abuse and a big German pistol in his face ready to shoot. According  to Mr. Miles he not knowing what it was all about jumped back as far as he could and in a flash pulled his own pistol and let go three shots in rapid succession. Henry fell with two bullets in his body almost fatally wounded. He was rushed to the City Hospital where he is in a critical condition. Several witnesses bear out the statement of Mr. Miles that it was purely a case of self-defense and that Miles is more than lucky to be alive. Mr. Miles who expresses much regret that he had to shoot Henry, turned over Henry's and his own pistol to Officers Scott and Downs who rushed to the scene. His bond was put at $300.00 and trial is to be had Saturday, October 18.
Local Readers Attention! Many of our local readers have not only renewed their subscriptions as they have expired, but have paid in advance for the second and third year as encouragement for the service the Leader has tried to render as a race paper and a newspaper. There are a number of local readers, however, who have not paid as their subscriptions have expired and have not called the office to stop the paper nor have they refused the paper when delivered to them by the postman, if not wanted. We are advising these readers that they are expected to pay when the Leader collector calls. The Rotogravure section alone is worth the $2.00. - The Management