The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-09-16

sun was coming out the water was warming up,
the hsh were starting to bite, the amber flow
ing in the previously-dry local wells, the Junior
Andersons were having a swell time? You ever
see It fail? Just when the weather and all else is
perfect you have to 60 home.
Picking up the receiver, the other end said:
Hearings on Senate Bill 2046 to create permanent
FEPC will be held next week in Washington. The
purpose is to hurry the bill before conversion.
Rushing it now. we'll see il the Republicans mean
what they said in support Of FEPC in their plat
form. Can you make it,"
"Of course" / said, without thinking what ! was
in for. Count the Metropolitan Council in. De-
troit will never lie down as long there is any
discrimination left to be fought That's the business
of the council. Wen be there"
Hanging up the receiver, the carefree vacation
feeling Of do nothingness disappeared. Deep con-
Germ took its place. might as well conftss-what
/ mean is, felt scared Here / was, 200 miles
from home and with no prepared statement ready.
In less than week, certain august Senator'S would
be listening to me- to hear convincing proof OF
the indispensable need for a permanent fair en-
ployment practice commission with power to en-
force its directves They would want proof that
communities were ready to back them to make
democracy work little better by eliminating dis
elimination in employment because of race, creed,
color, national origin ancestry.
So what would tell them? ! would also have
to foresee questions that would be fired at me in
and think up some carefully worded answers to
those which any Southern members of the COM
mittee might ask. What if Senator Russell
should ask me il I was advocating that white
farmer in his county would have to hire Negro
il he needed hired man and then be compelled
to eat and sleep with him? What if other South
erners should start rantng in their loudest voices
that this bill would lead to intermarrage and of
the other terrible, terrible, terrible terrible ills of
social equality? Lots Of such screwy questions
would have to be foreseen. You know how felt!
How would you feel?
Reluctantly, l told Mrs. Columnist that we'd
have to 60 home. She like good trouper, made
il easy by saying: ok. well pack up right now.
FEPC is more important than anybody's vacation
Without an FEPC, millions will get the kind of
vacations they neither want nor enjoy!"
BY noon Of Labor Day, ten-page statement was
ready for tipping had hoped to have this rough
copy criticized by lot of people; but there wasn't
time. So we hot-footed il over to Ed Swan and
Mrs. Bledsoe and Mr.. Truet They kindly took
time cut to double-check my figures and other in
formation. i rushed back to the Office My secre
tsry who had been promised the day of. was
there. She typed faster than ever. She made
three copies With these in my brief case I
dashed out of the Office at SIS pm. to catch the
$40. Sitting on the train, heaved sigh Of e.
lief and lit cigarette. Now. thought /, can
lax. l am all ready for them But this state of
mind didn't last long Curiosity TO what had
written In those neatly typed pages began bother
ing me. l wondered whether this point had been
put in-and how about that one?-and so on
throughout the night Every time the lights went
on, peered to see what was In those pages Then
came daylight, and we arrived in Washington.
There reading the statement to the gentlemen
Of the Senate Committee turned out to be as easy
talking to friends. They were interested. The
expected, gruelling cross-examnaton never came
because the Southerners were not present. That
came on the way home. In the first place was
too keyed up to sleep The seat hard as boards.
When finally got to sleep the conductor-damn
his hide-yelled, where's your tcket?" The same
thing happened three times during the night. The
last time the conductor had to shake me. Then
home again-and the fight for FEPC goes