The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-08-26
Rankin OF Mississippi

throughout the Harding Col,idge-
Hoover era, so he poured his vitriol
on them at every opportunity.
Franklin D. Roosevelt was cham
pion of righteousness until about
1885, when Rankins black" phase
returned and he began TO rail and
fail at New Deal bureaucracy"
There is never a middle ground for
the gentleman from Mississippi.
Who but John E. Rankin, South
ern Methodist. Of Tupelo, Miss,
would have thought OF hailing Joe
Stain as Defender OF the Faith?"
And who else would have forgotten
his previous mouthings about the
Communicative world plot" to
salaam thus before the car Of all
the Communists and all the Russias.
But then, consistency has never
exactly ridden Silent" John or any
other Of his stripe when there has
been human tympanum within
range. John Rankin came up to Con-
gress in 1920 after four years as
prosecuting attorney in his home
of Tupelo, a metropolis Of $4,000
people in the hill country of north
eastern Mississippi. His people were
slave owners and he was reared
among ex-slaves, who treated me
with more respect than they would
any o. those flannel-mouthed re-
formers"
Jews and foreign-born in his First
Mississippi District total q silent
minority Of less than one-han OF
one per cent. Neither they nor the
Negroes are on record as to their
opinion Of Rankin as their represen-
tative. Negroes do not vote in Mis-
sissippi. There is So poll tax, but
that is the lesser deterrent It is
white mans country" Few Of the
whites bother to vote. either, only
10. 400 Of them having given Rankin
his latest mandate in 1912. This in
difference TO the high privilege Of
suffrage is attributable to Ignorance.
apathy. poverty and the compli-
Gated nature Of the poll tax regis
tration requirements.
WHITE GENTLE ARISTOCRACY
Thus the First Mississippi District
constitutes an aristocraey Of solvent
white gentiles. remarkable for many
things besides its champion In
Washington: no more than one per
cent Of its adults ever attended
college; less than . third went 70
high school and not more than sixty
Per cent finished grammar school.
Fifteen per cent Of the whites and
twice ~ many Of the Negroes have
syphilis. Midwifery Is common prac-
tice In rural communities, and there,
too, the hoskworm infests . con-
siderable percentage Of every age
group. IL Is = poor land Of poor
people. constituting . disgrace and
challenge 70 the United States
Of America. lts people simply can
net help themselves. and All Of the
front-page. anti-Semitism In the
world cannot cenceivably improve
their lot
FAvORS SEGREGATION
John. naturally. has an answer
Tor the Negro problem. There are
Tour possible solutions, he has said:
determination. deportation, amalga-
nation and segregation. With genial
magnanimity he discards the first
two as impractical" Amalgamation
is out. too; il would "mongrelize"
the white race. This leaves segre-
CATION as the only way But segre-
cation where? He is vague as to
details, but il pressed. will indi-
cate his belief that there are vast
stretches Of Arizona and New
Mexico which would be ideal for
the purpose Negroes. once therein.
might even be permitted to enter
white territory now and then, for
good and sufficient reason, and all
ways providing they could qualify
for a passport
Rankin lives a quiet private life
IN the Methodist Apartments, near
the Senate Office Building in WASH
ington. His wife is on the staff of
the World War Veterans Committee
OF the House. Their daughter, Miss
Annie Laurie Rankin, aged twenty
one. is paid salary by tie Commit
tee on World War Legislation, OF
which her father is chairman.
CONGRESSIONAL SPEAKING
RECORD
Rankin has made more speeches
devouring more minutes than any
NiAe III SOHSIcSS. me man Is wired
for sound. and then he has that
microphone before him he is about
as fond OF interruptions as a tiger
with a t-bone Only the bold or the
unwary ever try TO get word in:
when they do. he shrieks them into
silence with You be quietw or a
oaroed and personal remark.
The Mississippi magna-vox is good
al such impromptu duelling. He al
ways has pat answer handy. Well.
nearly always. There was the COM
nittee clerk who was driven ~
seething rage by Rankins wordy
How during stormy hearing. The
chairman pounded for order. and
asked the clerk II he had got all
that babe into the record" The
clerk nodded. Said the chairman.
How on earth did you do il,
: lhere were five OF them talking az
once
Luckily" said the clerk. 1T vas
during one OF Mr.. Rankin's brilliant
flashes OF silence"
hut such slips are few. For the
nnsl verdict. we will have TO wait
Tor that Last Day when Silent
John trots noisily to a place near
the Celestial mike" and souint.
. De .Iieerently at the Speaker
III he Is not satisfied that he And
: me South are receiving a fair shake
haa h