Salisbury Entertains

Whites in Salisbury, N.C. (pop. 4,000 Negroes, 14,000 whites) had not wanted Eleanor Roosevelt to come there to address a convention of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church of America. But last week Eleanor came just the same --her face aglow, her thoughts confused, her intentions motherly.

Legion leaders, churchmen, other Salisbury bigwigs had tried to find some way tc keep Eleanor Roosevelt away. The big July 4 parade was a still-troubling memory in the town. Negro Boy Scouts had wanted to march alongside white Boy Scouts, Negro Legionnaires alongside white Legionnaires. But the parade chairman had told them: "You must forget that you live below the Mason-Dixon line, and while you are about it you can just forget the parade, too."

Impromptu. But at the last minute a few white ladies changed their minds about being aloof. Led by Y.W.C.A. Secretary Mrs. Lula Carr, they met the First Lady at the train, arranged a luncheon, took her to see the Cannon textile mills 18 miles away, had Towel-Maker Charles Cannon explain how he treats 16,000 workers. Impressed, Mrs. Roosevelt nodded "My Day" approval in a way that would wound many a union man and flabbergast Columnist Westbrook Pegler: "In view of all this, which seems to meet high union standards, I was surprised to find that the mill was not unionized, but Mr. Cannon said they had always had good labor relations ever since his father had started the mill in '88." Charles Cannon gave her a big box of towels.

White and Black. That afternoon Negroes entertained the President's wife. She had her picture taken with Negro leaders. She reviewed a parade of Negro soldiers from Camp Sutton, N.C., led by white officers. In the evening Mrs. Roosevelt gave the address that the Negroes had been anxious to hear, that the whites had feared would put kerosene on Salisbury's coals. Of 2,000 listeners, only 100 were white. Said Mrs. Roosevelt:

"We must have patience and we must try with all our might to bring about recognition of the fact that man must have equal opportunity to get any job he is capable of filling. Minority groups in the United States have taken work bringing small incomes, and therefore set the whole economic level very low, for no other reason but that they belonged to the minority group."

In the South colored folks began organizing themselves into Eleanor Clubs. One group of domestic servants banded together as "Daughters of Eleanor."

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