Evening star., 1945-06-06
:. Key Southern Leaders
Reject Truman S Plea
j0n Permanent FEPC
By the Associated Press.

VII IIloIIClll IlTL
By the Associated Press.
President Truman ran into hi.
first major row with Congress,
today-chief1y with members O.
his own party.
+ Key Southern Democrats flatl,
refused to heed his plea for favor.
able action on legislation to Great,
permanent fair employment
practice commission. Several pre-.
dicted a sharp rebuff for the Chic
Executive on the issue.
! Mr.. Truman made his reuues
late yesterday in letter to Chair.
man SABBATH of the House Rule.
Committee, where the legislation
has been bottled up four months.
Mr.. SABBATH promptly told news.
men he would seek vote on the
issue at scheduled meeting of the
group today He said the committee
will meet first in open session tc
consider other bills and then will
; close its doors.
DiVShCu ny SUIcdSueS,
While saying he was hopeful" oi
! favorable action, Mr.. SABBATH added
. that he had attempted to bring the
measure up many times before but
had been blocked by his colleagues
Representative Cox, Democrat, of
Georgia, ranking majority member
-of the committee, told reporter he
end other Southerners had the
votes to prevent favorable action.
81 ~This bill is so impossible 1t Is
shard to understand why the Presi-
sdent could want it," Mr.. Cox as
sserted. Naturally, We would like
Sto 60 along with him, but we just
.cant on this issue"
2 Representative Colmer, Democrat,
.of Mississippi predicted the bill
will stay in the committee" He
added that the measure would have
tiust the opposite effect from what
the President thinks it would-it
would breed chaos and disturbance
everywhere and not add bit to the
.unity or production of the Nation. ;"
i Agency Now Temporary.
The legislation at issue-which has
.been approved in slightly different
sform by both the House and Senate
Labor ommittees-would create a
permanent FEPC with statutory au-.
thority to prevent discrimination in
employment because of race, color
or creed.
FEPC now operates on a Tempo
rary basis, with money from the
Executive Department budget. The
House Appropriations Committee
last week refused to provide a con-
tinuance Of these funds after
June 80.
This action prompted Mr.. Tru-
man to urge Mr.. Sabath's commit
tee to permit this legislation to be
voted upon as quickly as
possible"
Chairman Norton of the House
Labor Committee filed a discharge
petition several weeks ago in an
effort to force immediate considera-
ton OF the bill. Such a petition
requires 2l8 signatures, however,
and only about lis members have
signed thus far.
Text Given Out.
In the Senate, Southerners have
threatened to filibuster to death any
attempt to bring up the measure,
which is on, the. calendar awaiting
action.
Republicans pledged in their l944
national platform to seek perma-
nent FEPC, but several COP men,
bers of Congress have been critical
of the pending legislation, contend
ing it is too broad.
The text. of MI. Truman's letter to
Chairman SABBATH follows:
Il understand that the House Ap-
preparations Committee has deleted
from the war agencies appropriation
bill for the fiscal year beginning
July /, 1945 all appropriations for the
Fair Employment Practice Com
mittee.
This action will have the effect
OF abolishing the committee and
terminating its work without giving
the members of the House OF Repre-
sentatives an opportunity to vote on
the question.
The Fair Employment Practice
Committee was originally esta blished
before the attack upon us at Pearl
Hsrbor, and was an integral part of
our defense production program. 1t
has continued since then in one
form or another, and has grown
steadily in Importance.
Issue Paramount.
Its work has been based on the
principle that the successful prose-
cution of the war demands the par
ticipation of all available workers
regardless of race, creed or color,
and that the policy of the United
States was to encourage all such
persons to full participation in the
war effort.
The war is not over. In fact a
bitter and deadly conflict lies ahead
Of us. To abandon at this time
the fundamental principle upon
which the Fair Employment Prac-
tice Committee was established is
unthinkable
Even if the war were over, or
nearly over, the question of fair
employment practices during the re-
conversion period and thereafter
would be of paramount Importance.
Discrimination in the matter of en-
ployment against properly qualified
persons because Of their race, creed,
or color is not only un-American in
nature, but will lead eventually to
industrial strife and unrest. 1t has
a tendency to create substandard
conditions of living for large part
Of our population.
THE principle and policy of fair
employment practice should be
established permanently as a part
Of our national law.
Il understand that one reason as
signed for omitting an appropria-
ton for the present committee is
that a proposal is now before the
Congress to establish permanent
and statutory Fair Employment
Practice Commission.
"The legislation providing for this