St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1945-03-23

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marks at Rankin before, both on the
floor of the House and through the
press. This time, however, he went
the full length of the Powell pow
ers of persuasion and oratory.
Doesn't Call Rankin Name
Using Roosevelt technique" of
not calling the name of his ad-
versary, Powell left no doubt about
whom he was talking when he re-
peated Rankin's phrase, referring
to Gov. Dewey's use of "22 pens"
in signing the New York State
FEPC statute.
He told the House he was taking
the floor "because a few perverted
un-Americans have distorted the
facts concerning this Act" For
tunately, there are only a few such
accursed souls left in this nation"
he said. "Their number is rapidly
dwindling. They are the buffoons
of American life, but they are still
so twisted, so perverted, so vicious,
so malicious, so pernicious and so
fascist that they must be revealed
for their un-Americanism."
Rankin, two days before Powell's
speech, had said the New York
State Act was a betrayal of the
white Americans of New York. He
used a biblical expression in his
argument by saying approval OF
the measure seemed to have been
"the hand of Esau and the voice
of Jacob" He said the object of
the FEPC was to prosecute white
Americans and drive them from the
business world. He stated that the
white Gentiles of the country still
have some rights left. He told the
House that SO per cent of the men
dying in this war to protect Am
erican institutions are white Cen
tiles. And he declared that the
present temporary FEPC has
harassed white Americans.
Powell branded each of these
statements a distortion. He pointed
out that 81 per cent of the New
York legislature is white, and that
it had virtually approved the New
York State law.
Quotes Bible
Concerning the biblical quotation,
Powell declared: 81 am a minister
of the gospel, pastor of the largest
Protestant Church of this country
and the second oldest Baptist
Church in the city of New York.
From the depths of my religious
convictions, 1 state that anyone who
is vicious enough to use the word
of God to support hatred will be
dealt with by a God of vengeance
and that God might use the people
to execute His own wrath"
He pointed to the recent survey
of the National Urban League
among three hundred employers
concerning the retention of Ne
gro workers in the postwar period,
in which 242 of them said they
would definitely use them because
Negro workers are just as good as
workers of any other race.
AS to the rights of white Gentiles
in this country, Powell said it is
true they still have rights. "For-
tunately, the best thinking and,
therefore, the majority of the white
Gentiles of this country have con-
sistently fought for not the right
of whites only but for the rights of
all Americans. Only a limited few
who are vicious disgraces to the
white race and any other race have
continued to try to make America
a stewing pot instead of melting
pot, but they have failed"
Vicious Lie
To Rankin's claim that SO per
cent of the men dying in this war
are white Gentiles, Powell levelled
the charge that it 'is one of the
most vicious lies ever conceived"
Rankin did not charge Powell and
engage him in fisticuffs as he did
when called liar by Rep. Hook of
Michigan.
cover thirty million of those al
ready killed." Powell said, "came
from two oriental countries" He
was referring to Russia and China.
''The American men whose lives
have been placed upon the high
altar of patriotism came from every
race, color and creed in our national
life," he declared.
He said had it not been for the
present FEPC cover ten per cent
of this nation would not be engaged
now in turning out the material of
warfare"
Concluding, Powell said: "The
truth of it is the people are on the
march and they are going to crush
every fascist, not only in Europe
and in Japan but also in America
The people = together united