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News-Review August 12, 1971 -
THE NEWS-REVIEW
PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY
930 Gwinnett Street - Augusta, Georgia
Mallory K. Millender Editor and Publisher
Mailing Address: Box 953 Augusta, Ga. Phone 722-4555
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Augusta, Ga. 30901
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KNOW YOUR
BLACK HISTORY
by Larry Thompson
The Black race has given to the world some of the greatest
military geniuses.
One of these Black men was Abram Hannibal, born in 1697.
Hannibal was the grandfather of Russia’s poet Pushkin. Abram
Hannibal was born in Africa, where he was caught by slave
catchers and sold as a slave on a Constantinople market to a
Russian nobleman. When he was eight years old, he was given to
the Tsar Peter the Great of Russia, who grew very fond of him.
The Tsar had Hannibal baptized in the Russian Orthodox Church
and educated. Later while in Paris with the Tsar he studied
military engineering.
While in France, Hannibal became a favorite of the Duke ot
Orleans and joined the French Army ; he remained in France for
seven years.
When Hannibal did return to his adopted land, Russia, it was to
fill the capacity of Engineer Lieutenant under the Tsar. After the
Tsar died, Queen Catherine and Peter II came to power and exiled
Hannibal to Siberia. Like all other men, Hannibal detested the
treatment of being cast out of society; so he tried to escape but
was recaptured. In 1741 he was freed by Elizabeth of Russia,
pardoned, reinstated to high rank in the army, and given new
responsibilities and duties. In the boundary dispute between
Russia and Sweden, it was Abram Hannibal who was
commissioned to represent Russia in settling the issue.
As engineer, he was appointed a member of the staff to inspect
Russia’s Army fortifications and the construction of Logoda
Canal, and was appointed commandant of the city of Reval,
which is now Tallinn.
The role of Abram Hannibal, in the history of Russia is very
significant; Hannibal was indeed a great Black man.
Another great Black military figure was Oliver Cromwell, an
American soldier. Cromwell, born in 1753, was a patriot of the
American Revolutionary War. He served valiantly under
Washington, participating in the Battle of Trenton and
accompanying him across the Delaware River on Christmas night
of 1776. On this particular occasion they attacked the British
forces who were celebrating Christmas and thinking that the
Americans were also. Cromwell saw action at the Battle of
Trenton and Princeton in 1776-77, Brandywine in 1777,
Monmouth in 1778, and Yorktown in 1781.
He lived to be one hundred years old, and often could be heard
boasting of witnessing the surrender of the British General
Cornwallis at Yorktown, and having the last of the casualties of
the Revolution.
Oliver Cromwell had been born in Columbus, Burlington
County, New Jersey, probably born a free man. He first enlisted
in the Second New Jersey Regiment under Colonel Israel Shreeve
and was one of the long term soldiers, serving six years and nine
months, much longer than many of the whites.
In recognition of the valuable, honorable military service he
received a pension of $96 a year. After an honorable discharge
from the army he settled on a farm in New Jersey with his family
of six children.
Henri Christophe, a Black man born in 1767, should be
remembered for his endeavors and achievements. He had his first
lesson in war during the American Revolution. Afterwards he
returned to Haiti to become the confidante, then the sucessor of
Toussaint L’Ouverture.
In 1779, Christophe served as a sergeant in the legion of
mulattoes and free Blacks at the siege of Savannah, Georgia, in
1779. In what has been frequently known as the most brilliant
feat of the day, this Black legion contained the British attack and
allowed their comrades to carry out an orderly withdrawal.
Although Christophe was wounded in the siege of Savannah, his
gains were far more important; for when he returned to Haiti, it
was with new concepts of freedom and independence.
He joined in the Haitian Revolution under L’Ouverture and
rapidly reached the rank of general.. After the first stages of the
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=:ej AMERICA'S AFRICAN OBIT
In the midst of their national sorrow
the people of Liberia were hurt, bewil
dered and angered at the accounts of
the life and death of their President,
William V. S. Tubman, which appeared
in two American newsmagazines just
as the funeral services were being held
in Monrovia.
One traditionally "smart aleck” maga
zine beat the "Big Daddy” theme to
death. The other sandwiched into its
account a reference to the unidentified
children allegedly sired by the dead
President
Both stories were In unutteraoly bad
taste. More than this, they were insult
ing, not only to the Liberians, but to
black people everywhere in the world. At
a time when most civilized peoples write
only good items that can be set down
at a mourning hour, leaving the more
speculative estimations of political ac
tivity and of personal behavior (if dealt
with at all) to gossip sheets, these two
magazines exhibited their posteriors.
* * *
The Big Daddy bit in all serious new.
accounts is resented by thoughtful blatk
people and it is especially resented in
stories having to do with the death of a
head of state. Such a use is more suited
Page 2
to musical comedy skits. It is down
grading to Negroes who occupy posi
tions of influence and power in govern
ment.
It says to its readership, a good sec
tion of which is white, that black peo
ple, no matter what their titles or po
sitions in government, no matter what
control they have suc-essfully .exer
cised in behalf of the profits of gigantic
white corporations or of the balances
of political power that bolster hegem
ony and power alike, ar -1 only “Big
Daddies,” not hea-’s b s.e 1 that mat-
ter in world politics. Such accounts,
written by contemptuous men and
passed by equally contemptuous edi
tors, poke fun at Negroes in govern
ment
In their hour of grief the Liberians
did not deserve this blow. They had
a right to dignity at the last rites of
a leader whose death was taken as a
personal loss by the humblest citizen
of the black republic in West Africa.
In contrast to the picture given by
the American - magazines, President
Tubman was mourned by Liberians of
every station. He was the President
Walking
WITH htmL
DIGNITY IjSnh
BY 1.
Al IRBY
(THE FIRST AMENDMENT IS ONLY ONE PART OF THE
CONSTITUTION)
There is much fun poked at the nine senior gentlemen that
compose our Supreme Court; Comedy men from one end of the
country to the other make these distinguished jurists a national
laughing stock. This facetious travesty does not attest to the
wisdom and inate dedication that is incorporated in the character
of these nine pithy gentlemen of the United States’ High Court
that holds our vast nation together. Inspite of their human
fragility, they are the soul and heart of this nation. Their
stabilizing qualities were never brought to bear so vividly, as in
the verdict that was handed down in favor of the New York
Times and the Washington Post.
The 6 to 3 decision embodied a warning to both the plamtitr
and the defendant. It really said, don’t push too hard Mr.
President, and muted the crescendo of “Freedom of the press,
and rights to free speech stereotype.” It took the pressure off the
over-worked First Amendment; neither parties received a
clear-cut mandate. The Times and Post may in the short reach
have won a major victory over the present administration, but it
was a narrow victory, and in the long run may turn out to be only
a legal maneuver.
It would have been far better for the two papers to have
protected their press freedom outside of the courts. It was a
historic confrontation between the constitutional right of a free
press and the constitutional power of the President of the United
States. He is duty- bound as the nation’s Chief Executive and
Commander-in-chief of its armed forces to protect and preserve
the national security.
History has proven when such rights and powers crash head-on,
press freedoms are almost certain to lose, in the long run, even at
the High Court level. Os course the Supreme Court lifted the
verdict of the lower court in the newspapers’ favor. The High
Court stated that the constitution assumes a heavy presumption
against prior censorship of the press, and that the government
failed to carry its heavy burden .of proving that the secret
documents would endanger national security, to justify overriding
the First Amendment.
The decision was a mere three paragraphs and beside it was
what is known in legal circles as “per curiam”; which is an
opinion unsigned by any member of the court, simply
announcing the result. It was a rare decision totally unlike normal
Supreme Court rulings that explain how and why the result was
reached. The application of that particular result was buttressed
with force and reason. This type of verdict has philosophic and
moral stature. The most celebrated of such decision was the 1954
school desegregation case, that was signed by all nine justices, but
great moral weight is attached even when only a majority of five
sign or concur.
It should be noted that the court’s opinion said nothing about
the value of a free press or an informed public in a democratic
society. It said nothing about constitutional limits on presidential
power or about the historic clash between rights and power. The
end product will not be very useful as a precedent in future
head-on collisions with the presidency. The individual opinions of
revolution were over, he was made governor ot Cape Francois and
the surrounding area. After Touissaint L’Ouverture’s capture and
removal from France, Ard Dessalines made himself Governor of
Haiti for life Christophe was next in line for the role of
leadership. As it turned out, because of Dessalines tyrannic rule,
he was assassinated in 1806, leaving Henri Christophe the new
ruler of Haiti.
A lot of chaos developed on the island due to the leadership of
Petion who was elected President of the Republic of Haiti,
Christophe knew he had to create a monarchy. The Republic was
a government of mulattoes, under the rule of a mulatto, but his
monarchy was to be a dominion of pure Blacks, sustained by
hereditary nobility who would support the throne and restore
order among the subjects.
Being a relatively uneducated man, King Christophe hired
educated mulattoes as secretaries to read several hours a day to
him. By doing this he gained an extensive and accurate knowledge
of history.
King Christophe’s rule was resented by many because of his
pressuring for production and his relentless system of punishment
for those who did not work to make Haiti the, “Pearl of the
Antilles.” In 1820 Henri Christophe suffered a stroke and was
carried to his citadel where he shot himself. His son, Prince
Victorie, was assassinated, ending the royal line.
who took time to consider their per
sonal problems. He listened to their
troubles about family and farm and
business.
He used his power to raise their per
capita income, to build better schools
and a university. He Improved health,
facilities and care. He built better
roads and better housing. He sought
to attract industry and jobs. In one
year he boosted exports by 15 per
cent.
He worked at the difficult task of
eliminating inequalities between Amer
ico-Liberians and Liberians. Liberians
felt that he understood and loved them,
that he was helping them up the ladder
of life. This is a tribute enjoyed by
few national leaders.
* * *
The African continent, whether white
and black Americans wedded to their
Western notions realize it or not, is
emerging as one whose people are al
ready wiping away the "cakewalk”
image and whose statesmen are far
from the Big Daddy characterization.
President Tubman helped the United
States in Africa at a time when it
needed help. It will surely need help in
the future, for while other world powers
are making hay in Africa, U. S. publi
cations are making minstrel jokes. The
Nigerian anger over our role in their
civil war still simmers. Flip news
writers, forgetting the smelly financial
and moral scandals of white American
officeholders, now choose a Liberian
state funeral at which to throw their
mud.
The Victorian era and its subject peo
ples theory is over and it is Ipng past
time for a requiem over all non
believers.
"GOING
PLACES” fT r
Philip Waring MjrfpFj
COLUMNIST TO VISIT GEORGIA, SOUTH CAROLINA AND
FLORIDA
While combining Urban League business in Atlanta,
conferences with Editor Mallory Millender in Augusta, we will
visit friends and relatives in Augusta, Columbia and Jacksonville
during the middle of August.
NUL and Mr. Nixon
In its 61st annual conference and one of its most
stirring, the National Urban League took a sharp,
but realistic view of the social objectives of the Nixon
Administration. The League’s newly elected Executive
Director, Vernon E. Jordan, gave an impressive ac
counting of his estimate of the governmental program
in action and of its possible impact on the needs of
the poor and minority groups.
As the President prepares for his historic journey
to China. Jordan said, “We of the Urban League
movement ask him to make a spiritual pilgrimage
to black America.” That, Jordan observed, would dem
onstrate Mr. Nixon’s concern with the hungry chil
dren of the urban ghettos and the rural farmlands as
he is demonstrating his concern with the strategies
of world politics.
Stagnant domestic problems with their alarming
economic and social consequences are not receiving
the priorities they rightfully deserve. And where they
are brought within the focus of official attention, the
six justices; in this specific case, don’t mean much toward a
constitutional doctrine; but later opportunity may not be far off
to write into constitutional law that will be spelled out plainly
that newspapers, editors and reporters and even their publishers
will be thrown into jail for publishing whatever the State
Department labels defense secrets.
So it seems clearly obvious even to a non-descript layman like
me that the recent victory achieved by the Times and Post has
become something less than a total victory. The High Court does
not relish cases that take it into the sacred domain of the
Presidency. The split decision has what the high court in other
times and cases have called a chilling effect on the First
Amendment.
The Warren Court may have given the newspapers a false
feeling of license in freeing the press from libel damages. That
court spoke eloquently about the First Amendment and
democracy. Saying the press must be free to investigate and
report. The Times and Post case was an almost unexplored area in
constitutional law, and better it had remained so. Because
freedom from libel and obscenity censorship rules are wholly
different from freedom to print government secrets that the
President says will endanger national security. The press may not
have seen a parallel in the case when they said they were “sole
trusteeship of their journalistic scoop:” but Chief Justice Burger
■ WMy AUGUSTA’S PIONEER I
I Ww ALI BLACK programmed!
I™ 1 " RADIO STATION I
BMpS THERE’S LOTS OF TALK GOING AROUND ABOUT COOKIES
WITH BLACK OUTSIDES AND WHITE INSIDES...AND RADIO
STATIONS DOING GREAT THINGS FOR YOU...
MS let us give you a few facts - wthb radi ° has
JHNL TAKEN MONEY OUT OF THE WHITE BUSINESSES AND I
THROUGH ITS BLACK PERSONEL RETURNED OVER
llghgr MF $250,000.00 INTO the black community, whtb
THROUGH IT’S HAPPY CLUB AND BUCK BUCKET
SiLJMEI CONTESTS has DISTRIBUTED MORE THAN $4,000.00
II THROUGHOUT THE BLACK COMMUNITY. WTHB HAS JUST
CARRIED A BUS LOAD OF YOUR CHILDREN TO ATLANTA
B WlrT FOR A “B RAVES ” baseball game. WTHB radio has
ACTUALLY DONE THESE THINGS. WE DON’T TRY TO FOOL
YOU - WHAT HAS ANY OTHER RADI ° STATION DONE FOR
S|||K|KA YOU EXCEPT TALK? NOW IF YOU ADD IT ALL UP...YOU
LmST WILL SEE THAT IT COMES TO LOTS OF DOLLARS AND NO
non-sense.
I MONDAY THRU FRIDAY - LISTEN TO ALL THESE FAVORITES PLAYING ALL THE HITS .... I
I ALLYN LEE - SUNNY SOUL - MISS SOUL - HOWARD WADE
LETTERS™™
Dear Mr. Editor:
I thought I’d speak to my
brothers and sisters about the
religious hustlers. Thousands of
dollars are drained out of the
ghetto community each year
by these so-called spiritual
healers. I just want to pull their
coat tail to the game these
people are playing, and point
out that by the mere fact they
Page 4
remedy is inadequate, rigorously regimented and too
often unavailable. What is aggravating almost to a
point of hysteria is the hocus pocus manner of treat
ment given the social ills. The now-you-see-it and now
you-don’t sheU game trick in which the Administration
4s currently engaged, gives rise to disturbing ambig
uities as to official purposes and plans.
The Administration efforts in welfare reform,
revenue sharing, housing and health do not go deep
enough into the well of the afflictions which torment
the poor and the blacks. Mr. Jordan had good reason
for pointing to the suspicion of the black people of a
plan that would provide large sums of money to towns
and suburbs that exclude them.
“Government’s refusal,” he said, “to act against
the implicit discriminatory effects of economic and
zoning barriers delivers a cruel, crushing blow to all
who need decent housing and to all who believe in an
open society.” <
Study of black families J
The fear shared by many race militants that birth
control programs are aimed at the elimination of
blacks from the population, seems to have no founda
tion in fact. A study of black families has found that
a majority of those in the reproductive age range
reject the idea.
The study was conducted in 159 black households
in a medium-sized city in New England by researchers
at the University of Massachusetts, and reported in a
publication of the Popular Reference Bureau. The
Bureau noted that government population policy has
resulted in birth control activities being confined large
ly to bringing to the poor the same ability to control
family size the rest of society has.
Inevitably, the Bureau said, “that has meant that
official birth control centers have been concentrated in
poor communities, a disproportionate share of which
are black?’ This concentration has led to the con
clusion that family planning programs are aimed at
black “genocide.”
In one phase of the study, individuals were asked
to respond to the statement, “All forms of birth con
trol are designed to eliminate blacks.” Fourteen per
cent agreed; 84 percent disagreed.
However, the suspicion stiill exists among many
that there is a concerted effort by the federal govern
ment or some population centers to reduce the fertility
of black mothers, especially the poor whose offsprings
create a potential threat to the density of the white
population.
patronize these people shows
they do not believe in God -
the God they are supposed to
have so much faith in.
On Sunday mornings I
would lie and amuse myself to
the so-called men of God who
played the con game very
much like the con man on the
block. Ironically, many parents
keep their children off the
block to keep them from
associating with men of bad
character; yet, on Sunday
SEE
Letter To The Editor