African American Turpentine Laborers Hope to Organize a League To Farm and Raise Stock

Constitution of the Colored Laborers League, Printed Pamphlet. Savannah, GA: Savannah Tribune Print, 1930. 8 pp. + covers, 4 x 6 1/4 in. This pamphlet presents the Constitution of the Colored Laborers' League, formed in 1930 in Marlow, Georgia, twenty miles northwest of Savannah. It was published by the Savannah Tribune, one of the oldest newspapers owned by African Americans in the United States. It was founded in 1875 as The Colored Tribune and renamed the next year to The Savannah Tribune.The Colored Laborers' League officers, listed in the pamphlet, include several laborers in the naval stores industry in Effingham County, Georgia. The county, located along the Savannah River northwest of Savannah, was active in the region's naval stores industry, producing turpentine and rosin from resin extracted from local longleaf and slash pine forests. Workers like those who formed this League chipped pine trees to collect liquid gum, and the processed gum and distilled spirits were shipped by local rail and down the Savannah River to the major processing and export market in Savannah. Georgia was the leading producer of gum naval stores, which included turpentine and rosin, for much of the twentieth century."E. F. James" is listed in the Constitution as the Supreme Counsellor, but he appears in the 1930 census as "Fred E. James." Most, if not all, of the other nine officers of the League lived in the same census district, including Supreme Secretary Frank Cohen, Supreme Trustee Lewis Arvinger, Supreme Marshal Charlie Tompkin, Supreme Marshal William M. Allen, Supreme Trustee Pearly Johnson, and Supreme Trustee George L. West, and they all worked as laborers in naval stores. Fred James's wife, Carrie James, served as the leader of the League's "Refreshment Committee," along with the wives of other officers.It is likely that the Great Depression destroyed the League's hopes for better organization and improvement of their economic condition. Excerpts"PLATFORM OF THE COLORED LABORERS LEAGUE "Marlow, Ga., March 15, 1930"To whom it may concern: Know you that on that above date we the hereinafter named citizens have assembled to organize the Colored Laborers League in order to relieve the oppression of our people and assist them in making a better support. We hold that farming and stock raising is the best way of reaching relief, and the only way to make success of our effort is to combine ourselves together. Our aim is to do business in every way of our own, and contract, also do all kinds of business, but farming and stock raising is our goal. We hold the moral and civil law as our guide. We hold that God is our Father; Christ, our Redeemer and man, our brother. We will make no section of law in our Constitution contrary to those laws, and we are asking for the right and power to organize in any state or territory where the U.S. has jurisdiction and the power to grant to subordinate leagues, charters."We claim that we are outstanding for this reason: Farming is the only industry of devine origin, and is the main plank in our platform. Again our aim is to help the less fortunate and stoop down and lift up falling humanity. Our platform is truth and honesty with the Bible to guide us in the rugged paths of life. Any deed that is contrary to a Christian life is contrary to ours." (p3)"We hold that each league has the right to control its own funds and business so long as they do the same honest and straight, unless they fail to have efficient men to handle same. In such a case, the General Assembly will supply them." (p4)[Constitution:]"Section 1 The League shall consist of a General Assembly which shall govern all subordinate Leagues and meet annually." (p5)"Section 11 Any suspended member, male or female, from the Subordinate League has a right to appeal to the General Assembly, who have the right and power to approve or disapprove said suspension or expulsion." (p6)"Section 19 The Supreme Counsellor. (See website for full description).…