Evening star., 1943-05-24
Manasco Says Reds
Seek 10 Dust Southern
Congress Members
AssoiIs Anti-PoII Tax
Measure as House Debates
Bringing Bill to Vote
B, the Associated Press.


Representative Manasco. Demo-
crat, of Alabama. told the House
today that "the Communists who
are so active in behalf of the ANTI
poll tax bill = are not nearly
so anxious to extend voting privi-
leges as they are to replace South
ern members (of Congress- with
members of their own ilk"
Mr. Manassas comment, embod-
led in a speech prepared for the
Congressional Record. came as the
House prepared to vote on whether
the Rules Committee shall be dis
charged from consideration of the
anti-poll tax bill and the measure
brought to the floor for vote. The
legislation would outlaw payment
of poll tax as voting pre-
requisite.
Without mentioning any sponsors
of the bill by name. Mr. Manasco
labeled the American Communist
Party-"The party that hates every
thing American and is too red for
Stain, who has just dissolved the
Communist International the
source Of dissension in this country.
Plea Is Denounced.
The sponsors. Mr.. Manasco said,
make the appeal that we must pass
it now to show that We are for the
Atlantic Charter and to prevent
some of our Allies from withdrawing
from the war.
Gould any intelligent American
fall for this tripe?" he asked.
Southern members of the House.
meanwhile, pinned their hopes on
the Senate as a second line of de-
tense to block the bill.
Leaders of the Southern group
conceded there was little chance of
defeating move to force a vote
on the floor.
Behind the move is a group of
Northern Representative led by
Representative Marcantonio, Amer
lean Labor, of New York, who con-
tend that poll taxes amount to dis
franchisement of Negro voters in the
South in violation of the Constitu-
ton.
House Passage Expected.
Against them are arrayed Repre-
sentatives of seven Southern States
levying poll taxes: Virginia, South
Carolina. Alabama. Georgia, Texas,
Mississippi and Arkansas. Their
contention is that the Constitution
expressly reserves to the States the
right to fix the qualifications of
electors and that Congress would be
exceeding its authority by attempt
ing to lay down statutory qualiflca-
tions.
Privately, the Southern bloc ad-
mitted there was no chance to stop
the legislation in the House, which
last year passed similar bill by
a vote of 252 to "a, only to have it
killed in the Senate by threat of a
filibuster.
Marcantoni0 Confident.
"It will get through the House
again" one of their leaders declared
but it will never get out of the
Senate. Senator Norris, who helped
bring it TO the Senate floor last year,
no longer is there. and Majority
Leader Barkley won't be so anxious
to get tangled up in another poll tax
battle such as he went through last
year. when his leadership of the
Senate was in jeopardy for time.
But Representative Marcantonio
was unperturbed about the Senate
outlook.
I'VE waited too late last year
the New Yorker said. When the
bill finally reached the Senate, the
session was nearing an end. and a
fllibuster could be more effective
This year we are moving early, and
I doubt If any one in the Senate
could sustain a f1libuster for a year
and a half"