St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1945-11-09
Washington
Spotlight
By Louis Lautier


tempt for Senator Theodore G. (The
MANI Bilbo than his refusal to en-
gage in debate with him over the
discriminatory action of the OAR in
refusing the use of Constitution
Hall to Hazel Scott. Other Sena-
tors likewise have as strong a feel
ing of revulsion toward the Missis-
sippian.
Throughout his public career.
Bilbo's conduct has been such as t.,
earn the scorn of men who despist
mean, petty and contemptibl,
things. One scandal after another
has marked his public career. A
demagogue, he has wantonly, ma
iciously and persistently attacked
minority groups because of then
race, religion, or national origin.
The State of Mississippi had the
right to elect him to the Senate, il
it chose. But his election is tainted
by the disfranchisement of more
than one-half of the States citizens
(poor whites and colored people,
On the other hand, the Senate has
the right to expel him on account
of his conduct since he has been a
member of that body.
The Constitution makes each
House the judge of the elections, re-
turns and qualifications of it's men,
bers. Constitutional lawyers have
quibbled over the term "qualifica-
tons" But it seems well-estab-
ished that the Senate and House
have absolute power to expel any
member who may be deemed un-
worthy of membership.
If this power were not inherent
in the Senate, a State might send
to that body an idiot, an insane
person, a leper, a man with an in
durable contagious disease, a man
without moral character, or a
criminal.
After some vacillation, both the
Senate and House, after the Civil
War, excluded members-elect who
had been in arms against the Union
The House refused to permit Brig
ham Young, who brought four wives
here, to take the qualifying oath.
It turned down Victor Berger for
lack of loyalty to the country during
World War 1.
Is there a Senator fearless
enough to offer a resolution of ex-
pulsion? Such a resolution should
be broad enough to direct an INJURY
into whether Bilbo's election was
accomplished by the denial to any
person of the right to vote and have
that vote counted in the primary
and general election in which he
was nominated and elected.
A twO-thirds vote is required for
expulsion. In the circumstances,
the Senate ought to exercise its
power to pass upon his fitness to be
a member of that body.
There are queer goings-on re-
garding separate facilities for col
ored veterans. A delegation repre-
senting the National Medical Asso-
citation, the National Association for
the Advancement Of Colored People,
and the Negro Newspaper Publish
ers Association recently took a
fortnight position on the question
in a conference with Major General
Paul R. Hawley, acting Surgeon
General of the Veterans Admins
tration.
General Hawley posed a dilemma.
He told the delegation Of the agen-
cy's plans to establish veterans
hospitals near schools of medicine
in order that the veterans might
have the expert care Of faculty
members and medical students
might be afforded interneships.
The general said he planned to
establish one such facility adjoin-
ing Meharry Medical College. "Do
you gentlemen tell me you don't
want that?" he asked.
"You stick to principle, gen.
eral?" shot back Carl Murphy Of
the NNPA.
Now, comes information that
three colored Army medical officers
have been shown plans for the
establishment of a Jim Crow vet
Grams hospital and told that colored
medics selected to staff the facility
would be given training in other
facilities for their work.
The Army officers, looking for
spots in veterans hospital, are re-
ported to have approved the plan.
Washington hears that Hazel
Scott will be allowed to use Cen
trail High School auditorium for a
concert here. That is the white
school which was refused Marian
Anderson in 1889 after the OAR
had banned her appearance in Con-
stitution Hall.