The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-05-06
THE CHANGING TEMPER

little item in the news last week illustrated
the worsening plight of the white supremacy oo9
who find themselves at odds with the announced
MINIS of our war effort and with the democratic coh
cents which give substance to our form OF govern
nent Pointing his remarks toward congressman
Rankin of Mississippi, Senator Bennett clark o'
Missouri charged last week that congressional oeiaS
an tho tbrae billion dollar veterans bill was due to
stbe hatred of certain congressman Tor the coioreo
soldier"
Said Senator Clark: "They are so unwilling 70
allow colored troops to have the unemployment III
surance to which they are entitled that they would
be DESTROYS of Withholding absolutely deserved bene
fits from all our troops
However valid may be the criticism or senator
Clark his remarks indicate very clearly the dilemma
of the hate-mongers, particularly those IN congress-
who are trying to stem the tide OF liberalism whlcn
is gradually gathering new strength today. Inc
prospect of truly democratic America IN which
the constitutional guarantees OF all people VIII pe
respected is an alarming thing to these Bourbons
who have waxed powerful by perpetuatlng an Amerl-
can brand of fascism in the southern states.
The Rankins and Biibos still have great power
and they are still supported by considerable body
of southern opinion They are discovering, how
ever, that the welfare of whites and Negroes are so
interviewer in the fabric of national life that
it is becoming increasingly difficult to extend the
economic and social frontiers of one group without
showering some blessings the other. Further the
very nature of this war and the new emphasis given
to our basic democratic principles in this time OF
national crisis combine to make the irrational and
anti-democratic program of these southern leaders
ridiculous.
Despite all their influence and power, the Dixie
demagogues are climbing out on limb and the ma
jority of the American people are growing weary
of their obstructionst role in national affairs They
have been crying white supremacy so loudly and
long that great many whites are beginning to sus-
pect that they are out of tune with our national pur-
poses. White soldiers in Britain who have read the
silly speeches of the poll-tax congressman in the
British press have frequently confessed shame over
the antics of these leather-lunged crackpots back
home.
There is a growing body of intelligent southern
opinion which holds that some southern representa-
tives in Congress are doing the South grave In
Justice. Although Senator Bilbo declared last week
that he is ready battle forever to stop the passage
of the antpoll tax bill, many articulate southern
leaders are squarely behind the move to abolish the
poll tax Thus we have on the one hand growing
impatience in the North over he fiibustering
Negro-hatng demagogues, and on the other, grow
liberal movement III LIe OOutI WllCI ItPuuAaICS
the Rankin clique.
The temper Of the American people today witt
ten million boys in uniform, fighting on hundred
battlefronts, will be sorey tried by southern Of
fensve in Congress which has no other aim than tt
keep Negroes from exercising their most elementar!
rights as citizens The impending congressional bat
tie over the poll tax issue may therefore so isolate
the die-hard white supremacists that they will LOSE
a great deal of support which might otherwise b.
theirs. Nobody takes clown seriously, even If III
happens to be congressman.
More and more people are beginning to realiz
that the Negro people are making significant con
trbution to this war both fronts. Stories of Ne
gro proves in battle and of the vast numbers wh'
are doing their bit in war production are we believe
having some effect on American public opinion
While there are few signs of any essening of preju
d ce, many of the barriers against Negroes are be
coming harder and harder to defend. The argument
of the Negro-baiters do not carry the weight AM
Importance they did prior to the war.
In the face of these new developments, the wit