St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1945-11-02
OAR. Controversy
Still RACES On In
Halls of Congress

/
The controversy over the refusal
of the Daughters of the American
Revolution to rent Constitution Hall
for a concert by Miss Hazel Scott,
wife of Representative Adam C,
Powell, Jr., Democrat, of New York
brought sharp exchanges of re-
marks in both the Senate and House
last week.
Senator James M. Mead, Demo
crat, of New York, declined last
Friday to engage in debate with
Senator Theodore G. (The NAM
Bilbo, Democrat, of Mississippi, on
the subject because the MISSISSIPPI
plan made "derogatory" and
shocking" remarks about the peo-
pie of New York.
When Representative John E.
Rankin, Democrat, of Mississippi,
last Wednesday referred to Repre-
sentative Emanuel Celler, Demo-
crat, as "the Jewish gentleman
from New York." both Mr.. Celler
and Representative Vito Marcan-
tonic, American Labor, of New
York, demanded that his words be
taken down.
This was preliminary to obtain
ing a ruling from the chair that
the language was supplementary,
which would have silenced Rankin
for the day. Speaker Sam Rayburn,
of Alabama, ruled that the appel
lation was a violation of the rules.
Rankin withdrew the words and
was permitted to proceed.
Senator Mead precipitated the
exchange with Bilbo when he in
serted in the Congressional Record
a statement by protestant
churches" attacking the OAR for
their refusal to permit Miss Scott
to play in their hall.
Bilbo said he was a Protestant
and demanded to know what Prot
estant churches attacked the OAR
for its mobile and patriotic refusal
to permit their hall to be turned
into a boogie-woogie reception hall
for the jazz queen of Jamaica. "
He said he was shocked.
at is refreshing to know the
Senator is shocked" Senator Mead
replied, because l know of no Sen
ator who has been more shocking
to the people of my State than the
Senator who is speaking. I shall
not encourage my distinguished col
league to flights of fancy that will
result in further, derogatory state
ments. I now yield the floor"
Mr.. Celler tainted the Commit
tee on Un-American Activities for
not investigating what he termed
native fascist organizations"
"Texas," he said, "has provided
the background for the Christian
American, anti-union, anti-Negro,
using the Ku Klux Khan time-worn
technique, complete with proposed
'necktie' parties, to great advan-
tage, and stressing the idea of
white supremacy"
The Khan itself, he said, is being
revived throughout the South, and
Eugene Talmadge, former governor
of Georgia, is editing an anti-labor,
ant-Negro, anti-Semitic paper, the
Statesman.
In Houston, he said, there is the
American Crusaders, whose purpose
is to rid the country of Negroes and
Jews. 1t is also the home town
of the Order of American Patriots
he added.
Mr.. Celler listed Chicago as the
headquarters for several organiza-
lions which are against world CO.
operation, Jews, racial equality and
the Four Freedoms.
Many authorities, he said, con-
slider Detroit the greatest danger
spot in the midwest, where it is
estimated "some 1000 hell-fre
preachers peddle their nefarious
doctrines in pulpits and hired
stores" throughout the city.
Continuing, he said:
"Then, there is the OAR, which
has given US two striking examples
of the Hitler philosophy of Herren-
volk and Sklavenvolk and the Hit
Ter technique of ostracism. Refus-
ing Constitution Hall to two dis
tinguished artists, Marian Ander-
son and Hazel Scott, was most I'M
American. Does the Committee on
Un-American Activities dare to
continue to ignore the OAR.
"In the Congressional Act of
1896, among the purposes for which
the OAR was founded, appears the
high-sounding phrase securing for
mankind all the blessings of liber-
ty.' It should read securing for
white mankind all the blessings of
liberty
"The OAR has the right, for ex-
ample, to deposit it's collections in
the Smithsonian and National Mu-
seums. 1t is privileged to make an
annual report to the Smithsonian's
secretary, who sends it to Con-
gress, which has it printed by the
Government Printing Office. All
these endow the OAR with the
character Of a quasi-public organi-
Zation.