St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1943-04-16
Equal Rights Betrayed in
State Legislature, Judge
Waite Tells Radio Listeners

TUESDAY nlSnC Judge EOWaro
Waite, veteran jurist in behalf of
the Twin City Equal Rights COM
mittee, took the case of supporters
of the equal rights bill to the people
Of Minnesota over the radio with
an address over station WCCO.
THE EQUAL RIGHTS BILL,
S. F. 14
An Address
By Judge E. F. Waite
My Fellow-citizens:
We face an important crisis. An
issue of far-reaching significance
has arisen in Minnesota. We say
our country is fighting for democ-
racy. The fundamental principle
of democracy is equal rights for
all citizens. That principle has
been betrayed in the Minnesota
legislature. If the session ends
without righting a wrong that has
been done our State will stand be-
fore the Nation and the world as
false to the principle for which your
husbands and sons and brothers
and friends are facing danger and
perhaps death beyond the seas.
These are serious words. Let US
see if they are justified by the facts.
For many years we have had on
our statute books an equal rights
forbidding discrimination
against our citizens because of race
or color. It is now proposed to
emasculate that law-draw its teeth
render it practically Ineffective
for its plain purpose. Does it seem
to you impossible that now-of all
times-such a step can be contem-
plated? I will be specific:
Section 1921, Mason's Minnesota
Statutes, provides that no person
shall be excluded on account of race
or color from equal enjoyment of
any accommodation or privilege
furnished by public conveyances,
places of amusement, hotels, res
taurants, barber shops, saloons or
other places of refreshment or ac-
commodation. A substantial penalty
is prescribed for violations, and the
aggrieved person is given a right
of civil action for damages. You
have probably never known of any
court proceeding under this law
certainly these have been few.
Those whose constitutional rights
were thus safeguarded have been
wisely conservative about resorting
to it, but its very presence in the
statutes of the state has in itself
given them some protection. With
out doubt the law was intended for
the benefit of all minority groups
which might suffer from unjust
prejudices. quote the preamble
of the original law, which was
passed away back in 1885:
Whereas, it is essential to just
government that we recognize the
equality of all men before the law,
and hold that it is the duty of gov
eminent in its dealings with the
people to mete out equal and exact
justice to all, Of whatever nativity,
race, color, or persuasion, religious
or political, and it being an appro-
pirate object of legislation to enact
fundamental principles of law
therefore, be it enacted" etc. But
it became evident in the course of
years that certain religious groups,
including our Jewish fellow-citizens,
were not adequately covered by the
phrasing of the law, and therefore
a bill was framed to add to the
words Grace or color" the words
national origin or religion" This
bill, Senate File No. 124, passed the
Senate by large majority several
weeks ago. One other change was
made: Some Of the public services
to which the present law applies
have catered to intolerance by ad-
vertising that certain minority
groups Jews in particular are
excluded from the privileges they