St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1945-05-04

out ali over the country IN CnaL
speech / gave the official list of the
personnel of this so-called F. E.
&C.
1 am receiving letters from al
American flag and on top of the
deck, not drag that flag down while
your sons are defending it abroad,
and not submarine and sabotage
the ship of state while they are
fighting to protect it on every
battle front in the world.
The CHAIRMAN. The time of
the gentleman from Mississippi has
expired.
MarcantOniO Replies:
Mr.. MARCANTONIO. Mr..
Chairman, 1 rise in opposition to
the pro forma amendment and ask
unanimous consent to proceed out
of order.
The SPEAKER. Is there objec-
ton to the request of the gentle
man from New York?
There was no objection.
Mr.. MARCANTONIO. Mr..
Chairman, I purposely have hest
tated time and again to reply to the
gentleman from Mississippi on this
question of the FEPC, but it seems
to me that the time has come when
we must call a spade a spade and
no longer permit hysterical cries
and smoke screens to be raised in
order to conceal the real funda-
mental issue, which is involved in
this FEPC legislation. Further,
the time has come when Members
of this House should stand up and
draw a distinction between what is
really subversive and what the gen
tleman from Mississippi deems to
be subversive. It has come to
pass that anything the gentleman
opposes in the form Of legislation
he denounces as subversive.
Let US look for a moment at
this FEPC legislation. It is so
radical that the conservative Re-
publican Party adopted a plank
calling for permanent FEPC legis-
lation in its platform at its ma
tional convention in 1914. That is
just how subversive the FEPC is
and just how radical it is.
The gentleman from Mississippi
talks about the returning soldiers.
say to the gentleman from Mis-
sissippi and to the Members Of
this House that white men who
have been fighting shoulder to
shoulder with Negroes are not
going to come back here and OBJ
ject to working shoulder to shout
der with Negroes in the offices, the
mines, the mills, and the factories
of this country. They have been
fighting against fascism and Hitler
ism to protect the principle OF
equality, and they expect to return
to a United States where that prin-
ciple is applied.
The gentleman from Mississippi
speaks about subverting the funda-
mental principles of this Nation.
say there is nothing more sub
versive than to deprive man Of
his right to earn a living because Of
the color of his skin. It is about
time we meet this false cry of sub
versiveness and nail it right on the
head.
Subversiveness? FEPC does a
great deal to do away with sub
versiveness. 1t guarantees the
right of a human being to obtain
and stay at work on the basis Of his
ability. 1t does away with the SUBJ
versive practice of depriving a hui
man being of his right to obtain a
most every congressional district
of the United States saying that
if this bill passes and is enforced,
it will be the end of representative
government, it will be the end Of
free enterprise in this country.
appeal to you Democrats and
Republicans to stay under the
livelihood because of his color, race,
or creed. That is all that is in
volved in this FEPC legislation,
Notwithstanding all the smoke
screens and the red herrings that
the gentleman from Mississippi has
been importing onto the floor OF
this House.
Mr.. RANKIN. Mr.. Chairman,
will the gentleman yield?
Mr.. MARCANTONIO. Not at
this point.
Mr.. RANKIN. The FEPC has
been using its powers to try to
force private enterprise to pro-
mote people into various positions,
whether they want them or not.
Mr.. MARCANTONIO. did not
yield to the gentleman. I have the
floor.
Let me say to the gentleman
from Mississippi, when he starts
waving the flag here, that he should
bear in mind that on the far-fiung
battle fronts of this war Americans
- black Americans and white
Americans-are shedding their
blood, shedding their blood to main