St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1945-06-15

These twelve men are Adolph
SABBATH of Chicago, E. E. Cox of
Camilla, Ga, Howard w. Smith of
Alexandria, Va, ]. Bayard Clark
of Fayetteville, N. c., John ]. De-
laney of New York City, William
NJ. Colmer of Passagoula, Miss,
Joe B. Bates of Greenup, KY, Roger
C. Slaughter of Kansas City, Mo-,
Leo E. Allen of Galena, ILL.,, Earl
C. Kitchener of Adrian, Mich,
Charles A. Halleck of Rensselaer,,
Ind, and Clarence ]. Brown of
Manchester, Ohio.
They are members of the Rules
Committee of the House of Repre-
tatives. The first eight are Dem
ocrats and the last four are Re-
publicans.
During the tendency of the FEPC
bill before this committee, 1 have
watched them perform on several
occasions. Last week spent prac-
tically my entire reporting time
following their antics. Their
despotic conduct is not confined to
the FEPC issue alone.
l have seen chairmen of other
powerful committees of the House
and many outstanding Congress
men come chat in hand" to the
Rules Committee. 1 have seen
members of the Rules Committee
subject these men to searching in
quiry about the merits of legisla-
ton which had received long de-
liberation by legislative commit
tees with as many as twenty or
more members-and after exhaus-
tive public hearings. I've heard
Rules Committee members say 81
don't like so and so about your
bill"-"Why didn't you put in this
or that 1.-THE Rules Committee
will never vote for such a BILL" etc.
And this little group of indivi-
duals, some of them power-drunk,
have it within their province to re-
fuse to let the House of Represen-
tatives consider and vote upon a
measure reported favorably by the
majority of legislative commit
tee.
The FEPC is case in point. Only
two members of the Labor Com
mittee voted against a favorable
report of that legislation. Exhaus-
tive hearings were held on the
measure. The President of the
United States has emphasized the
necessity for it. But since Feb. %,
attempt after attempt has been
made to get a rule to bring the
legislation before the House. A
majority of the House of Represen-
tatives is believed to be in favor
of the measure.
Six Southern Democrats (includ-
ing Kentucky and Missouri) aided
and abetted by the four Republi-
cans have stymied every effort.
And to make bad matters worse,
chicanery has been added to des-
potism. The Republicans, playing
politics for all it is worth, are sing
ing a song to soothe the Negro
vote-pretending to be ready to
vote favorably on the measure
whenever it comes to a vote. But
it is their chicanery which is pre-
venting the measure from coming
before the House.
Only two men have stood four
square for FEPC in the Rules Com
mittee-they are SABBATH, the chair
man, the Delaney of New York.
They have been present at all the
meetings where votes were sched-
uled to be taken, and they have
voted against postponements and
adjournments.
The Republicans have done a
good job of talking about their in
tentions of voting for FEPC-but
their actions have belied their
words. Only with their support
could the motions of Smith of Vir-
ginia or Colmer of Mississippi for
adjournment be carried.
The fly in the ointment has been
Slaughter of Missouri. His alb
sence from the last few meetings
has been used as an excuse for not
voting-based on a "gentlemen's
agreement" of which SABBATH, the
chairman, says he knows nothing.
Slaughter is expected to vote
against a favorable rule when he
is present. This, the Republicans
know-and it gives them mighty
talking point if they can hold
things up until he returns, then
have the vote come out &c, which
would keep the measure in COM
mittee. They could then "crow"
how they gave about support,
but the Democrats "killed" it.
Pretty cute, Ell?
But a few people have been let
ting them know their game is
known, and orders have been ex-
pected to come down from the top
to them to forget the "gentlemen's
nnroor,nn ant, live Az tho sannn TINA