The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-02-03

Democratic. Republican and Amer,
lean Labor Party uoket>--on All oI
which he Wcn--he SAID u was MS
in,ention ~ :alk back ~ R1nk.n.
That Of COURSE was in the hea'
of campaign. such n prospec' AP-
pealed 10 a lot Of people VINO emo
tionaiIy resented Rankins race
hating and droolings " u &c
S. drippcd Of pre- judice and un- Amer
lean white supremacy theories.
They pictured Powell and RANKIN
In a regular tug o'-war
But Powell in a month oil CON
sressional experience has appar'
entity simmered down. He Is to ne
congratulated.
No one wants 10 see Foweli
tongue tied. His gift Of oratory Is
an asset which can he realized on.
But certainly IL should not he
wasted. II Powell jumps to his feet
every time Rankin makes q fool
Of himself. tho . smart one. on the
floor Of Congress. and INDUCES In
an exchange of epithets and plati-
tudes. he may get few headlines
the first couple Of times-but after
that he would he In the same cate
CORY with Rankin.
I've heard LOT of criticism aimed
a. Congressman Dawson. our other
Negro member of the House OF
Representatives, for his refusal To
answer Rankin's rawlings But those
who know Dawson realize that he
q. h
est politicians on Capital Hill. His
friends among the legislators are
legion And he doesn't Uncle Tom"
10 make them. His few public
speeches on the floor do not mean
he is a shrinking violet.
No shrinking violet would be
unanimously elected by his state
Congressional delegation as their
sole representative on the Demo-
cratic Congressional Campaign
Committee. No shrinking violet
would be given the final say on
political patronage 10 Negroes No
shrinking violet could have the
Congressional leaders handling him
with kid gloves on matters we
cannot now talk about-but later.
OF course. the two men are diff
fcrent types. Powell is going to
speak on the floor more than Daw-
son would. But Powell isn't going
10 be the fool lot OF people -
either innocently naive or ihten-
tionslly antagonistic - hoped he'd
BE- He'll make himself heard on
imp0ftant issues, and only then.
~ very presence In Congress
has Aene two fhings already. II has
served n sort Of . damper on
Rankin, who in the past has rarely
gone . month without making .
race-bsiting speech. Rankin even
passed up an excellent opportunity
"a comment on the FEPC-Capital
Transit hearings But even more.
he actually tried TO picture himself
a . friend Of Negroes In one Of his
speeches. tAs Charley Cherokee
would say. "Not now. John Henry.0
The only blast Rankin has made
was In q letter to q Mississippi edi-
tor about Powell. which got into
the newspapers. Powell replied In
kind - with . statement TO the
press.
PoweIIs being smart. He int nds
to be q legislator. not a show. Why
else would he introduce seven bills
last week?
hope his 'well-wishing" friends
will not think he's WEIGHING or
wincing. No one can challenge
his courage II he picks his way as
sstutely throughout his Congress-
ional career as he seems intent on
doing this first month. no one will
be able 10 challenge his wisdom.
either.
II there were more than two Ne
Eroes in Congress, we'd say fine.
less have one Of them a side-Show
attraction TO match Rankin. But
with ONLY two. il one OF them is
fool, that's so per cent and that's
too high ratio Rankin is only
one among 433 other whites.