Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1945-02-09
Doctrine of Fear

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stitution.
Doctrine of Fear
Actually, the southern white
supremacy doctrine is rooted in
fear, fear by the whites that they
might not be able to hang onto
their present position if Negroes
really had equality of rights and
opportunities. The only way that
fear will ever be licked is for the
whites in the South to face it
squarely, give Negroes equality and
see what happens. Ny own bunch
is that fully releasing the produc-
tive capacities of Negroes in the
South, as we'll as that of the So
called poor whites" would raise
living standards for everyone, and
no group would suffer.
To do that, of course, as well as
to lay the foundation for equality
of economic opportunity, requires
a tremendous raising of health and
educational standards throughout
the South, and to some degree in
the North. The North has the finan-
cial resources to handle the prob
lem itself, but in the South, federal
assistance will be necessary. l am
convinced that in the long run, the
raising of health and educational
standards will do more to solve the
whole problem than any other
single thing. 1t is the foundation
of any solution.
Negro workers generally have
the same faults and virtues in
about the same proportion as
whites. Some are lazy and shift
less, some are more efficient than
the average. They probably have
more patience than whites. A COM
plant 1 have heard frequently is
that many Negroes lack a sense of
responsibility. 1t is a complaint
made too frequently today about
all employees.
For Permanent FEPC
know from personal experience
that any employer is always on
the lookout for workers who are
willing to assume responsibility
and capable of doing it, who can
be assigned to job with confidence
that it will be done properly and
who do not require constant super
vision and direction. Such workers
are rare, white or Negro.
am for the establishment of a
federal Fair Employment Practices
Commission, but l am inclined to
believe that it's chief value will
be educational, in that it will serve
as a sounding board to acquaint
the public with bad situations. Gov
eminent coercion does not strike
me as a very effective tool to elimi-
nate economic discrimination. Too
many complaints will come from
workers discharged for inefficiency
and using discrimination as a con-
venient alibi, while TOO often an
efficient workman discharged be-
cause of racial discrimination will
find it easy to get another job and
will not file a complaint.
In Washington, for instance,
there is a requirement that every
federal bureau have employed at
least one Negro, regardless of
whether a Negro capable of filling
a vacancy is available. Result has
been in some cases that Negroes
employed, feeling they cannot be
fired, have turned in poor per-
formances and helped to build rath-
er than tear down prejudices. The
FEPC when created, will have to
guard against such mistakes and
concentrate it's effort on clear-cut
cases on which there can be no
doubt.
There is very little that can be
done about social discrimination by
law. It is less urgent, and as we
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