Evening star., 1937-10-03

Niledper SOII, IL was almost meVlta Die
that he should have joined the Ku
Klux Klan in its halcyon days. ~* =
A little later 1t went into eclipse. The
TACT that 1t was a racket be-
came more and more apparent until
even the most backward politicians
could see the writing on the wall and
publicly denied any connection with it.
Hugo Black differs from the others
only In the unimportant detail that
ne didn't see fit either to admit mem
bership or to denounce the detectives
OF the Klan until public pressure
forced him to do so. Despite his pub
llc admission of last night, the fact
remains that he did try to slip into
the Supreme Court without letting the
unpleasant acts in his record be
known y y"
Roanoke tVa.) World News: "From
political standpoint. the brief radio
address Of Supreme Court Justice
Hugo l.. Black last night did all that
could be done to relieve President
Roosevelt of embarrassment that re-
suited from his hasty, ill-considered
appointment, and to relieve Mr.. Black
OF an imputation of his judicial fair
ness. From legal standpoint it did
little to help the situation, and nothing
to indicate that the new justice is of
Supreme Court caliber."
Richmond tNa.) News Leader: "a
full, frank statement, ringing true in
every word and ending with an offer
to resign in order that the President
and the party might be relieved of
odium, would have given Mr.. Justice
Black a reputation we fear he never
can get now. The specter of a white
hood amid the black gowns of the
court will not down"
Norfolk tVa.) Ledger Dispatch: /:
Justice Blacks answer to the Klan
charges is plea of guilty..
his repudiation of the poisonous
klan PHILOSOPHERS now does not wipe
out the unwholesome record of the
silence that was broken only after
public clamor had become so great
that he was compelled to break it.
He has been guilty of amazing lack
of candor."
Rochester On. " Times Union:
one OF the most unpleasant and
deeply humiliating experiences in the
entire history of this country reached
It's climax last night. ." The record
to which he (Black) so proudly refers
mulcateS he has repeatedly shown
lack OF consideration for the effect on
the political and economic structure
OF the United States or for the effect
upon millions of its people of the
measures he advocates This is closely
akin to stubborn bigotrv aSd intol-
erance. The conclusion is ines
capable that man so deficient in
moral courage is not fitted for the
Supreme Court bench. Mr.. Justice
Black ought to resign.
Dayton Daily News: I'm view of the
widespread taint of the Klan in those
dark postwar days some forgiveness
can be claimed and allowed. We wish
that Justice Black could have made a
clean confession of error. plead the
disturbed mentality of the times. then
snow forth, as Black could and did
DO, fruits meet for the repentance pro-
fessed. Black did not 20 this whole
way and by that length he failed
OF that full claim to public sympathy
Philadelphia Evening Bulletin:
The new member of the court asks
the country to believe that Black the
justice is fundamer tally opposed to
the principles which Black the candi-
date was willing to profess to advance
politically. Nothing in the state
ment relieves the Justice of the charge
OF equivocation in the assurances given
his colleagues in the Senate in his
pehalf when the rumors of his Klan
connection were fist bruited. His own
admissions make it clear beyond dis
pute that the nomination should never
nave been made. that it was confirmed
with lneXcusable refusal to sift the
charges made and that his future use
1ulness has been gravely compro-
missed"
Philadelphia Evening Ledger: His
crltlcs-and there are millions of them
will doubt that there has been anv
cataclysm that has changed the char
acter of the justice (since his mem
oership in the Klan). tt. country
may hope that there has been such
change, but it will wait to see and be
convinced"
Buffalo Evening News (Republic-
am: "* A large group of the
American people will remain unsatis-
fed. In his fireside chat to the public,
Justice Black blandly refused to say
just why he had joined the Ku Klux
Klan.
If he continues on the bench.
every attorney representing member
of group which the Ku Klux Klan
terrorized can protest his sitting in
Judgment 50
Bridgeport Comm Times Star On
dependent Democratic While we
advocate forgiveness, we do not in any
sense wish to infer that N. Blacks
appointment is worthy of our approval
Christian tolerance. if there is any
left in the hearts of those who polit-
ically dislike Roosevelt and Black
should at this late date forgive the
early Klan indiscretion on the score
of political expediency.'
New Haven Conn., Journal Courier
independently Mr.. Justice Black
takes his place upon the high court a
confessed ex-Klansman, having Sc
cured confirmation at least in part
by the concealment of evidence from
the President and the Senate. Mr..
Roosevelt and the liberals are
welcome to him. The sensitive will
avert their eyes"
New Haven Conn Register Inde-
pendent): He (Justice Black ex-
plains that he is champion of civil,
economic and religious rights of all
Americans, infers that he will for
ever be one, that he wishes good will
to take the place of prejudice and sus-
picion, but he seems not to under
stand that the most effective and i'm
mediate proof of true liberalism within
his power to give, Of true regard for the
prestige of the court, of true respect