Zoot Suits and Rough Cuffs-Officials Bungle West Coast Race Riot Issue
GILBERT, PAUL
Zoot Suits and Rough Cuffs—Officials Bungle West Coast Race Riot Issue By PAUL GILBERT LOS ANGELES, Calif.-Behind the rough A/ the apot-suit violence which hat flared into open and uncontrolled...
...Zoot Suits and Rough Cuffs—Officials Bungle West Coast Race Riot Issue By PAUL GILBERT LOS ANGELES, Calif.-Behind the rough A/ the apot-suit violence which hat flared into open and uncontrolled warfare on the West QBUtjTmmtU t—Mtionany referred to as "a Oamemm.aoeial crisis," jfcad at this writinc, nobody seems to have managed to wake his way through the maze Jt'iusMtsrfljss te any understanding of why spu fi«r the efrluan-Army-Navy-Mexican 1*1 Ms tM»Jiii'mriots were let loose, or when aJkd how the situation can be effectively controlled and solved...
...We decided to try a fresh approach and pot the student on his own responsibility...
...and then ten names, beginning with ohn C. Calhoun, were Hated...
...Develop a public relations bureau which will give every citisen young and old the facts in the noteworthy record of Labor and thus head off the attacks now being prepared to rob the unions of their newly acquired strength as after World War 1. Integrate trade unions into the life of tike community and develop political activity in the best sense of that term...
...1 For instance, one ef oar rhsSnw sjeajstioas was: "Identify at least two of the contributions aft .the ^'Jia,^J^^^^^4...
...If he were not a free-lance writer and book iliiWH working by himself in hie eoantry cottage, he would appreciate batter how teerrrtehw are discipline and collective action in Urn spwNssns of modern industry...
...Thus, only one question concerning a date was used, and that was used because it was more than a mere date—rather a high-water mark in a great nation-wide agitation...
...Is it "trivia" that is called for, also, whM #» asked the students to name four of the it speeUt freedoms guaranteed to the individual is "W Bill of Bights...
...This daily application of democracy is the next area of development in which wartime union management committees can make important advances...
...3—The division in the ranks of the trade unions and the under evaluation by the New Deal leaders of the continuing industrial functions of the unions are also to blame for our^difficulties...
...This is known aa the "lazy man's dream" hi tasting demises, h permits wholesale^ marking of papers, sometimes by machine...
...efficient detectives and cops should be the answer...
...Mayor Bo wron entered the lists with seme bold words—"There will be no side-stepping and ths>jrituatsen will be vigorously handled...
...Thaastafn «oo nsa»y dtiaens in this community *wneliteaVs|»s and cry of rectal discrimination or prwjudke every time the Los Angeles police make arrests...
...A*rnoO^ P. Mack shim sc tod that Ue amstractson^ef101 e^^aniVr r***^«^fc finti it* InnnaVanhv ^, tie* MssTiitiil Sdikiao...
...sen ing, nepotism, fa>usionra and bureaucracy than any government...
...aiaf whoever are the disturbers are going to be sternly dealt with, regardless of the protests of the sentimentalists and those who...
...But they krf shocked that "President ef the United 9Mmf waa to be toon ted as one of the correct awrsMH if offered...
...IS it "trivia" to be able to state at leant toe «# the contributions of Thomas JeffeiWii te flV political, economic or Social developmen: of fit United States...
...j »*r TIM discussion over tite nmsnMsg bf nhs New York Times test on American aastory which wM g | v e n to ^oreTS'co^nUj^ Ha* ewMMl JatSawilstio af tin y«a...
...We have still *x> develop industrial democracy in the workshop and industry-—this is the valuable idea championed by the-industrial unionists, the syndicalists and guildsmen to protect us against the servile state...
...in s sense, "t could be defended...
...For oyer...
...Chief Justice Roftr Taney, Nicholas Biddle, Roger WilUams, etc...
...TPHUS...
...fi§n» »f them bantnrvor hoard of Roger TeaofctevVH ¦»» with Boonr Twohy, Chacnge gmngttor Thto f^WiCmahji won set down as the Iter* m. Id>»Jwsm, Nshhakot fteaile was aghrMg yig preaeat Attorney General...
...te framing this question...
...AeomdJug to the police, most of the Mexicans were zoot-anfifegh> ¦ fee*s*rdi*jsr to vaiiuus investigation contnuttees, most of the rioters were neither i ¦ - . • • Mexicans nor soot-suiters...
...But are Messrs...
...Tea it is hardly pbssfhfe to have asm idea of the lay of the land in the great Mo.ksso.ie...
...Even the fear and anger aroused by Pearl Harbor, the common aim of destroying Hitler nad Hirohito and the community integration of civilian defense will not enable the government to run industry or indeed control markets in a satisfactory fashion...
...It not only facilitates guessing but also a correct answer that might not ever occur to the student is thus often put forward as the student's own...
...Secondly, we decided to avoid trick, questions or questions of a too difficult or complicated nature...
...aninnlTy...
...ways to keep semi-pWhtie corporations on their toes while of course the big corporations suf fer as much, ana perhaps more, from ml...
...than asking the student to put a check mark after the correct answer...
...sssmingjy want to throw so much wrote ififesj fitialU the disturbing element in the teeoJaU*Jsle»*ne*' the good rftiseus eemnot re-WmmWn JJejlsMsii, and the good name of tfH fflsjjan*.las, h Sjiitai may suffer in the eyes of the rest of the country...
...For permanence and in times of peace the difficulties are likely to be greater...
...Ami—us HesseWhe knowt-what the people ef Polk's day know or dtt a# know about him is wholly irrelevant te the kV fluence and (force of the James K. Polk ef history...
...D ¦ Also, the Time* survey asked the stc dents » identify such famoas Americans as Walt wife-man, Alexander Harailtcn...
...Spanish-Speaking People's Congresses and glamorous gaPyoood peMfteal fronts, with fellow-traveler trade onion trimmings, make a big to-do—in order to "build the . party— ' — But, on the other hand, there is the starry-eyed good-will attitude which has gotten atnwst exactly nowhere in fifty years—said the New York HeraU Tribune...
...Or thni M«-«*ftr Hamilton (B2* did not know who he w»1 ^asT^-Ji^'" tk* i>«wtt»sa « ^^a^flji ib«iF^* fsvec-conscioas asT' •*u''^i' * ^&&fw**nia>^ that hVJ«^|»" ftlB'm^:^o7aW »t»toml|# ^ *irniJ and is*midnnows knowl»4g*W^f_ -prsjont an> life...
...we could not ask far the simple and obvious reason that time and space did not permit...
...It wooid Be virtually impossible for a iiluimnl to know anything about tile origins of the Civil Warn or the powerful influence of the man Calhoun without being able to sahaflft Calhoun with South Carolina...
...to require him to put tiie answer in his own words...
...others coaspkunod that tar hoi not taken American history as it was teere.j is ele^oma>»> ia their Ahool...
...that sons of the subject matter never came upja *«•* history courses...
...Heseeltme and Hunt appafisf at this fact...
...is called for in the name of the President (fUMF the Mexican War...
...As Westbrook rWlar suggested, "a little dose of good quick police work by...
...The U.S...
...current events to the erriuMon of mtr tank htstory...
...toward racial-economic nte rt an ins tion...
...Who were the so-called -soot-suiters...
...Bat te it possible to know afif-thing about the SwckgiomaJ and successfnl pTaaV, cution of the Mexican War without knowing fast Polk was President...
...historian, offers a reply...
...This was the sole profundity '&ok*jml- by the authorities in the course of fsaotk: administrative and oratorical efforts to jpjfcsk the disturbances and restore normal The Lee Angeles City Council went into action immediately...
...But we did aak: "Name the home state of the following men during the period of their political frorainemee...
...No one now envisages public ownership of basic industries and the'banks and their consequent operation by political government unless the unions therein have ,,l,, ¦ -a ——— -i ih >. hat i sonic snare m control...
...After the very first few days, the councihnen unanimously decided to— outlaw soot-suits...
...It was is California, it wfll.fce rkismwfciiil, that PegJsr first made Ms sajuagalhiii ly advocating lynching as the sutaw»fcta^aa>^VobIes«a...
...Now, Hugh Russell Fraser...
...Included in those methods is the presenting of three or four possible answers, only one of which is correct...
...The United States has neither the concentrated homogeneous population nor the relative smallneee of Britain...
...This basic factor, created by and, in tarn, creating social and economic maladjustments, could not be overlooked—even in the rant of Repr...
...te, /nwdnwenns/tg, aw eacassiis mpwaHl -an...
...a But needless to say, there is trlxm indention that the seriousness of the recent violence— which practically paralysed the fifth-largest city in the United States—will make far » radical reorientation toward the problaass of minorities...
...If tiie zoot-suit war meant anything In the larger aeppe of things, it served notice that there is a vital heme front in this global war...
...Men than that, the War Production Board was asked to investigate their manufacture...
...In thousands of schools, from one-thira to»S>i half of the so-called course ia American msto* is taken ap with n diaenssien ef cartont eonfjfi and, in some of the larger schools, with s vaito and high-sounding discuotcn of "social trenaw* Of course, no one objects to a thorough dtuiusah* o* either current events or social trends, *P when n groundwork should be laid of the evauft »nd personalities of our history, the substftatim of other matter is crowding sot a knowledge ef our own history...
...Thirdly, we determined to avoid questions concerned with isolated facts or dates...
...For we uncovered something that should have been left decently covered— namely, an astounding ignorance of the simple rules of grammar and punctuation, plus miserable spelling...
...toward additional educational and social here,have not contributed to a realistic understanding of the problem, nor helped the reform movement...
...for example, the kind of question we * would like to have asked—say, "What wan the political philosophy of John C. Calhoun nad what bearing did it have on toe origins of the Civil War...
...Is it "trivia...
...if you will parcon aw-silly argument...
...fee mmslhm ef yaon^^Amtrfimm isgM do waro, otsii eased oy tne proiouna ignorance, revealed by the 'tost, agreed with Kevfian-Fraser that Facts Have to Be beamed...
...Are each items mere trivia...
...More than half of the shntfJgl could not name even the fundamental freed*** of religion, speech, the press, and assembly, *g ProfessAr Hoateltine iefis us ti is *rsi f6...
...These are of essme...
...it tens whmahbh) front the pries sftlsii ttbtt...
...yet more 4k* three out of four Studanu could not iskttfiK even two of the contributions of any of the few famous Americans to the nation...
...But it so happens that everything Calhoun dad and everything he advocated was tloasly linked With his native state of South Carolina...
...The law is going to be enforced and the peace kept—it cannot be done 'with powder puffs or slaps' on the wrists...
...Develop Statesmanship te deal with jurisdictional squabbles...
...The Job Labor Must Do [Many par—— have found extremely prorocative the article by Professor Selig . Perlman on "What's Wrong in American Uter^that sphered in osu- J^ne^5tti thUartWeJ ******* * - v* Boiled down, Selig Perl man's article "What's Wrong in American Labor" [The New Leader, June 6] asserts that: 1—Collective bargaining owing to arrested development of American employers has not yet become fixed fit ear industrial way* aa compared with Britain...
...To succeed be must usually be the courtier to his superiors rather than a bold enterprising pioneer...
...Associated with this -hollow official claptrap was-what seemed to be a campaign of systematic eosfeusion...
...Ilcanad on ****** «k«Min«*m<»a *^Mer?Tm . to place Cleveland somewhere on^smw^M>k^ fc^ks^"trivia" to know what the iiustij B. Hnssoltine {in Ibe Mow UM^V~?tne;oa tawfitj Ills.teiIsl Snaates Bchoal wherO they see amf slightest aisVliSSa in a question, rush m ote* the most ponderous—and...
...Ncvtas sod I recognised that many of the students venritf b* imSliN to name anything more definite mas "President of the United States...
...No, they are not...
...Now it so happens that Nicholas Bifid* ww at one time the most powerful single fore* B the United States, denrhmting the betffcew dsn industrial life of the nation so thorofifhly tfikt his hank, at Ma direction, could bring On hsst-manafnot»T#d deoiiatahm, yet only 1*4 of ** students could identify hfan...
...Now, obviously, it is not important mtrinsknnry to know that Calhoun came from South Carolina...
...hO» JaeJikon, and l^eshsjsj BMtVllt...
...According to the suggestion of (Hate Senator Jack f ennoy, they were agents «f Axis forces moving to disrupt West Coast naneSV'^ansaating to another official source, they tssjsJssstpffy»*ss«SBW(ahs end'Negi'ucs...
...What te do ? Strive for unity in labor's ranks...
...Our object was to give evOBf possible leeway to the student...
...a week in Los Angeles "law* and oafier" seemed to be a peaceful dream of long ami "It is manifest," announced the District MUnty, after the bloody battles had run for SV aaghCk, "that a state of near anarchy nas esneted here...
...In my opinion these findings are well baaed and are the constructive criticism which we need...
...Give central wader-ship power to end those and to deal vigorously with mismanaged unions by Oillnpawfcig the charter from unions which have IsroOght As general good name of organised labor in disrepute...
...And k * Wyisntg that John Burroughs waa oatkhwA** ^g^ffcghs' Mdtem machine...
...fa tie pages of The New lAitkr ialmts ^KkmVMtaal fa 40aRSttHI ftttml MBftw^awatfawU^I have contributed tmttr anoYrotatsMkk...
...Of course, it would be ff U# influence and personality of James K. Pefk exist* in a vncntrm...
...to^thc^poUtha^ States...
...And then were listed the names ef Abraham Lincoln, Thorn.- Jeffer*>n...
...And the substitution of current oamt" ft* history suggests another interesting amjk Sunn the survey, Pittsburgh and Philadetohh ntw.-papers interviewed same of the ilppIWi «ht took the test, and the latter's complaint agate* the Test was that it whs toe duScaK...
...af BTrtlso^rrni^ «ftit^'4oawfSamt' the "Facts" school baa aid will contftMe te make futile appeals to the mind of the coat-man man anises it sattodca not nusrety sen- : torial-interpretaUon matter hat also the drama of human history which has always left indelible marks on his memory...
...Than, throe out of Bant of the 7j0o» sUli fir did not know that Cleveland is on Lake fint or ft Lsojs on the...
...The resolution prohibited the wearing of bulging pants gripped around the ankles, and knee-length coats...
...If j nana) <asa> ni Max ken parentage or if colored beyn^inyrVea^it is regrettable, but no one has...
...Miseiaaappi...
...editorially this week: "If American youth, all over the land, can be enlisted in this war for national survival, there will be less energy wasted in root-suit wars...
...fc • John Chamberlain's article in the June issue of Fortune has some good saggeeUuua about the important role of the trade unions in a mixed economy, although faoiitsjilili...
...Other elements in the city administration acted with equal vigor, in another and somewhat store drastic direction...
...But Bonry George has made such an imprint on him that hi this article he does not fuOy aMNSjffihfte the contributions made by Marx and exaggerates the political emphasis of the* social democratic parties...
...reader behind .the scene and **<Jam just Islan ihiiilsi 1 for tasting Dr...
...Nofceniy in history did--—mi ti lanes" questions, but in the field of goography^whach \ IS the setting of history—we adopted a similar technique...
...And lastly, and most important, we decided to limit ourselves so far as possible te "indent" questions—that is...
...2—The War Labor Board has an impossible job of rigid over-all control, whereas each industry needs a more flexible procedure to be worked out by labor and management icprusoalatlTOa on the job in a specific industry...
...as ever, retains too vivid a fear of "the servfle state" or, as he calls it, statism...
...Finally, while;the city administration denies that racial elements are a factor, Governor Earl Warren's board reported: "In undertaking to deal with the cause of these outbreaks, the existence of race prejudice' cannot be ignored...
...THE truth te that Professor Hunt of Tesebsn * College, Columbia, and Professor howatf Wilson of the National Council for tiu 8ohm Studies, and Professor Hesseltine know what * at the bottom of all this appalling «norance...
...likewise, to ask the student ti name only two of the powers gfarftet to (fit national governing body, the Congress, br ft Constitution T Exactly M* of the studerits cofff not fiat even two...
...The civil servant normally must avoid trouble and observe tradition...
...History Quiz Behind Questions and Answers By HUGH RUSSELL FRASER Chairman, Committee on American History Y^JMTaMf tafcn 'fisa...
...Allan Nevins and I triad to establish for the survey of American History which has aroused so much Obviously, we decided to avoid the pet testing methods of the professors af edm afian (sating methods which have gone far to nrtlsiniiiso the whole structure of education, not merely in history but in the three R's...
...This, cf course,' is shocking, and the professors of education will never forgive us...
...meaatSy, all of the so-called facetious ar.swtr* work amfr Mm rose* of confusion ef Wshnm* P^'fon'fitien with contemporary ftgursa—a asi-«HI cooJnflf k^vhjw of the tremtrnVn* <h» Vat" °* ggS*"* *7onta in present-day so-cssW FoM WhHanma, tie* arc nostra leader...
...questions not important in themselves, but which, if the student couJd not answer, he could logically be presumed te be ignorant of far more important and cOSnpttaaOad questions...
...We, rherefojaj ' decided to lean ever hmikommi in favor ef fin student making such a reply as...
...John Rankin, who told the Congress, he hoped the soldiers and sailors can "ran these degenerates off the .earth...
...Valley, without Irnovring that one of the largest crOas'm the ajaSoafcf...
Vol. 26 • June 1943 • No. 25
