St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1945-05-25

out first sitting down to work out
our strategies to meet existing con-
ditions. AS a result, we bump our
heads unnecessarily and frequent
ly on obstacles we could have avoid
ed by slightly varied techniques
and apprenticeship aiming at the
same goals.
1t is time we were growing up,
politically, now and realizing that
the forces who fight just as siren
uously-if not more So to keep
us in our places" do not use hap
hazard methods. They sit up late
at night planning, mapping STRAIT
egg, pooling their resources,
weighing the consequences. We
must meet them on common
ground, and not provide them with
the loopholes through which they
delight to jump.
All of which leads up to a sug-
gestion that might we'll be put into
effect by the national committees
and councils which serve as lobby
ing agencies on matters affecting
Negro welfare, and by the local
organizations, local groups, and the
IMAM in the street" whose coopera-
ton is necessary to success.
The suggestion comes from Mrs.
Beatrice Reed, the administrative
assistant in the D. C. Branch of the
NAACP.
For practical purposes, we will
excuse the National Committee to
Abolish the Poll Tax because it is
now near the lend of the rainbow"
on it's petition to discharge the
House Judiciary Committee from
further "pigeon-holing" of its bill
to abolish the poll tax.
But, there are three other bills
pending in Congress which are of
primary interest to Negroes in
their struggle for economic, legal
and civil equality. All three of
them are tied up in committees of
the House of Representatives be-
cause of the same fact-they all
deal with improvement of the
status of Negroes. They are the
bill for a permanent FEPC, the
anti-lynching bill, and the civil
rights bill for the District of Co.
lumbia. Petitions for discharge of
the committees considering the
first two have been placed already
on the Speakers desk. A petition
to discharge the third may be filed
about the first of June.
Organizations working for the
enactment of these measures have
separately directed their efforts
toward the one goal before them
release and enactment of their own
"pet" bill. A constant stream of
lobbying contacts is made with
Representatives to enlist their sup
port and sign a discharge petition.
Some of these Representatives
may get annoyed-unjustifiably of
course, since it is their job to listen
to the petitions of their con-
stituents and to act in the best in
terest of democracy. But, through
this separate procedure, it is also
possible for some other Represen-
tatives to Jump through the loop
holes" They can sign one petition
and refuse to sign any others-but
play up the fact back home that
"I'm on your side, see what I did!''
A division of signatures on petit
tions, however, results in no one of
them getting the required 21s
names necessary for discharge.
Can't we dispense with the
"glory" angle in the interest of the
total picture? Can't we get these
national councils and committees
together to agree that on this petit
ton business it will be call for one
and one for alp? Can't we use a
little strategy and close up the loop
holes?
The combined efforts of the Ma
tional Council for a Permanent
FEPC, the NAACP (sponsor of the
anti-lynching billy, and the groups
working for the enactment of q
civil rights bill in the District Of
Columbia, should be directed to,
ward making the voting populace
aware that all these things are but
a piece of the same cloth. The
voters can impress upon those Con,
gressmen who are interested in re,
tanning their $4,000 a year Jobs
with possible $4,000 expense &C,
COUNTY that it's about or nothing
counts.
It's just as easy for a Congress,
man to write his name on three
petitions as to do it on one. They
are all right on the Speakers desl
together. But you've got to make
him realize that patchwork won't
do it. We want a full piece Of
goods, all in one place and a yarc
wide.
NJ AYus VTY-I