Portland Challenger_1952-10-31

Friday, October 31. 1952 PORTLAND CHALLENGER Page Three Rights Record, Plank !.~!!.~.!~~MMER.JR.IGOP Gives Reasons B ·est, Advl· se DeinOS ~));'~il~~ ~~~~\t:r·~xr;,~:~':;;lcl i~ h~\:~:~~~·;~ I For Negro Support li c it~ arP those of th P write r :1nd 1lo ' not nf'ce:-:sarily expr(ls~ the t--ditorial r1pinion o f thP Po1~t1and Cha llengf'r. - Til e Editors.) By TED BURGER By WILLIAM HILLIARD J::clito r Portla nrl: ' 'ha llPng t"r D 1 . I like Dwight D. Eisenhower E h · 11 · · · · emocratic eaders pomt out that an accurate comparison b . t· f h mp ailca y statmg Amencans of goodwill umted in a ecause an examma wn o t e . ' of the civil rights stands of the presidential candidates re- facts leads me to but one con- cause m which they believe, led the way in demands for veals little, if any, similiarity. Stevenson stands forth solidly, elusion: That only the Republi- 1civil rights legislation, proponents for Dwight D. Eisenhower speaking for the necessity of adequate federal legislation can Party, today, can take us out I and Richard M. Nixon are quick to point out that the "fan– while, on the other hand Eisenhower promises nothing and o_f what I sh_all,call a "socio-poli- fare about Truman's 'rights' committee has yielded no legis– publicly disclaims the effec- heal depressi~n as did the Demo- lation in Congress." crat1c Party m 1932 take us out E' h tiveness of any federal legis- of an "economic depression." 1 1sen ower sup p o r ters lation and enforcement of civil ;·egard the former as the greatest maintain that the Republican rights and FEP. threat to our well-being as a 1 party will not arouse false Said Stevenson in a press :1ation. I hopes of Negroes by promis- review last April: "I regard ,.,,,,,,,,,....,.,..,,,,,,_._,,_,,... ,,,,,,,,,, .. ,.,,,,,.,,__ ,.,_,._,_, Facts speak! ing what it never intends to · ·· l o u d e r than . . . the right to earn one's living ' words, and we del,1.ver. They contend 1t IS free from discrimination . who have kept impossible for a Democratic founded on race, color and re- acquainted with administration to pass civil ligion as so fundamental a the facts thru- rights legislation as long as part of the heritage of all our out the last 20 1 Southern Democrats are paci- 1 years can come . citizens that the failure of the to but one con- f1ed _and all~w_ed. key . com- state to solve the problem I elusion: There promises on CIVIl nghts Issues clearly warrants a federal ap- will be no ma- l for the sole purpose of keep- proach. jor civil rights ing them in the Democratic ,.A legislation un- fold. · s to the Democratic AUy. Plummer der a Democra- ADLAI E. STEVENSON 1948 convention." (The plank counterpart.) party program, I think the party cannot retreat from the platform plank adopted at the is even stronger than its 1952 The Republican candidate, making his stand on the issue in a press conferenctl. last June said: "I firmly be– lieve we can do more by leadership and getting stales to do it than by making it a federal compulsory thing .•. " The Democrats also proudly cite Stevenson's record. In his inaugural address before the Illinois legislature as he as– sumed the governorship in 1948, he asked for state FEP legis– lation. Then, in explaining why there is no FEP law in Illinois today, they have produced the evidence than in two votes in that state's legislature the bill failed because' of an overwhelming preponderance of Republican nays. In spite of this however, Adlai ordered thai there is fo be no reference• to "white" or "Negro" in .any job place– ment records in Illinois. Also. he ordered that no state DEMOCRATIC CIVIL RIGHTS PLANK-' ·"·~ will c·c,ntinw· o ur ~ fforts t o f'l'a di ca t e <li scJ~ ilJi i nn tion basHl (JI1 n .t('P, rt~ li g i on •.J I~ national d l'ig in .. at th e san H:. tiln e, W P fa \·cJr lt-·t,·i:··dati cJn f-:'ffp<• ti\·c~ly to ~t,llfP th t'sf> rigJ. t s tc, everyone : (l) Tlw right Lo ~qu al <JJJportunit y for , lll }lloyment. (2) Tlw l'ig·hL t o :-:->ecuri t y Jf per son :";. C!) Tf} f• rig ht t o f ull ,lJHl ,..qua l .uarUeipalion J.n · .. hP lJatio n's politit'al lift 1 , fret.-' from HI'hitra ry r f ..:-;tra n ts. \\'e :tl so J<l\·~~ :r:.dE'ral legi~l n tion to perf~c· t exi ~tin g f\.. 41 Pral <·i\·il rig;hts statutf' s and to s trPngtllPn the a dnl ini strati\·p tn achin f' r y ror lJH' p rr; l f>(' t ion of ('i\- il l~i ght~. " agency is permitted to accept from any employer requests for worke•rs which contain discriminatory specifications as to race, creed. color or national origin. These two mandates have bee.n obeyed. The Democrats can also show that now there is no dis– crimination in the Illinois National Guard or Naval Militia and that Negro children are now admitted on an unsegregated basis to public schools in every major city of that state. As a special assistant secretary of the Navy during the war, Stevenson also proved his sentiments about civil rights in his stand for integra– tion. Lt. Dennis Nelson, high– est ranking Negro in the Navy, recently published are– port in which he cites Steven– son as having given "yeoman service" in the naval program for integration. Nelson credits Stevenson with the di~tinc­ tion of having been the. first to conceive the program of in– tegrating Negroes in all serv– ices and shows that only 35 per cent of Negroes now in the 1 Navy are stewards. \ As well as citing the rec- : JOHN H. SPARKMAN ord of Adlai, Democrats also point to the party record since 1932. Prior to that time, says i William Dawson, the predominant pattern was "to employ Negroes almost entirely for menial and unskilled work." Conditions are now considerably improved and Negroes and other minority groups are represented in industry, federal, state and local governments and in the professions, arts and sports. They recall. for the benefit of voters. Roosevelt's exec– utive order of 1941 telling employe•rs with government contracts that they had to give Negroes jobs. jobs for which they were qualified. and equal pay for equal jobs. (Continued on page 5, col. 1) tic Administra– tion. The Truman Administration's failure to honor its 1948 platform pledge on Civil Rights Legisla– tion represents a cynical disre– gard of a pledged-word in all American history. There was the promise to reduce taxes, not an increase aggregating billions. Attempts by the Truman administration to apply clo– ture-limitation of debate- DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER in order to stop Southern senators from filibustering in such bills as FEPC and thus halt a successful passage favoring Negroes and their constitutional rights, have Jailed miserably. Such failures are attributed directly to Southern Democrats by the Republicans. They cite this voting record on the clot tue bill as proof of their contentions: "Since ihe 1949 rule change-th€! Wherry-Hayden– Russell compromise which provided that clcture may be applied to all motions ••• except a motion io bring up a change in the rules. but there must be a two-thirds vote of all Senators (64) inste•:td of those preser.t. to enforce cloture-two attempts to apply cloture io taking up the FEPC bill failed. and in both cases not ever a simple To the answe r of those indivi– duals who po.ss this off as due to Dixiecrats (they are still Demo– crats) and reactionary Republi– cans, I give the following facts as a lawyer. The proceedure for obtaining important legislation is ihrough committees and those of major importance have been and are now headed by the strongest Democrats of the South. These powerful leaders have by I REPUBLICAN CIVIL RIGHTS P:;:,ANX-"\\ .~ L'~'h-.' , "'- it i " the the prOCeSS Of pigtOn-hO}ing and ~Jrl ll~ ary rt•RJ)(m ~ ilJj.Jit y td" f•Rt h s t at+'> t O ordPr :I~Hl -~~ lltT(J] j!t.-.; 0\\n <l tJ11l ~H~ic . . tnstJtuton~J nnd th1 s p o w Pr. rPserY t~d to thP s tat f':-;, 1 ~ t'!-'senual to t hf> nlaJn- by-paSSJng touchy and highly con- t~>n a n cP of our f<>d , r a l r Ppuhli c. ll uw~ v.•r, "'" h··Jia\e th at tl!P f d l H al :;o,·,•rn– troversial legislation prevented m •·nt ~h <,uld takf' supp! Pnlt-ntal ac·tion w itlri n i t ~ <:··n~titutiPn~J juri "'li•'ion the passage of any civil rights to OJlP'•"'" <li ~c·ri mi n at i nn aga i n~ t r a<'<', r ..lil':io n or nnt i onul crrgin ." legislation in the past 20 years. In 1950 the Democrats control!- ed both houses. There was no two-thirds majority voted in limiting debate. On May 19. 1950. the vote was 52 to 32 for cloture and in July 12, civil rights legislation. 1950. the vote was 55 to 33 for cloture. On both occasions I refer voters interested in civil 33 Re•publicans supported cloture wi.th six against. where- rights legislation to the October, as on the same two voles only 19 and 22 Demo(:rats voted 1950, Crisis magazine, "How Your Congressman Voted on Major for cloture. and 26 and 27 Democrat& opposed it. Issues Affecting Civil Rights. " On anti-poll tax bills-poll tax is a devise by w.hich I must conclue, therefore, by thousands of Negroes and white citizens are kept from vot– my best interest, that it must be ing in our state and national elections; currently, this ,poll IKE and not ADLAI, which would tax payment is a prerequisite , · be voting for a continution of 1 f . . . S th Trumanism. or votmg 1n SIX ou ern states, Alabama, Arkansas, ADLAI FOR ME Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia-91 per cent of BY REUBEN J!t. LINDLEY the Republican members of (ThP vi ews ~x pr.•sspd in Lhi s a r- the House have voted in favor tiel e arP tl1osf' of th P \Vritf--r and do nol l1 C'Cf'><<-;arily f'X J)TPSS the editorial Of SUCh legislation, bUt 45 per opil1i()n of tllP Portland ('ha ll<· n g Pr. cent of the Democrats opposed -Th ~> Tcdi tors.) I know all the chicanery anJ them while 55 per cent were !.ypocri~.v of the southerners and for the measures. (Anti-poll I know Stevenson will have a tax bills passed in the House tough time gei.ting any liberal in 194 2, 1943, 1945, 1947 and legislation through both houses, but I also know that to succeed 1949.) you must be stout-hearted ancl GOP cohorts point out take the bitter with the sweet! that no anti-poll tax bills Through the even passed the House in the Democrat party 82nd Congress. we wil l have forwo.rd legisla- Republicans maintain RICHARD M. NIXON tion such as that they support anti-lynching legislation and stand on t heir tidelands oil for \·oting records of 1937 and 1940 when 97 per cent of their party schoo1s and col- supported anti-lynching bills as compared t o the 55 per cent leges to educate support of the Democrats. our c hi l d r e n ' d Democrats attempt to discredit Eisenhower s stan on 'lnd through ed- ucation come:; armed forces' segregation is answered by Republican con ten- enlightment. I tions that on June 21, 1950, when the vote was taken on the Mr. Lindley also think Sen- elimination of segregation in the armed forces, 26 GOPers ator Wayne Morse is one of the I voted for the measure and four against it· the Democrats mus- :;martest men in public life, be 6 · ' h R bl . D t d tered only 16 votes for as 2 agamst. e epu Jean or emocra , an I if Senator Morse goes for Steven- Military Segregation unnecessary ~on, I su~e am not one to hold up The Republicans say that most of the inequities could progress. 'f h d · · · k d And what about social security, be ironed out in short order 1 t e a mimstratlon crac e. , old age pensions, flood control, in the armed services to Negro pressure, not to Democratlc 1 (Continued on page 6, col. 4) (Continued on page 5, col. 1)