The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-01-10

iilAAbNC V IT V Ai- American Activities a standing com mittee of the House to continue the work begun by Martin Dies.
 Some see Silent" John Rankin as the unchallenged champion of in- tolerance in Congress, but to call him that or any other demagogic name does not discredit him in the least with the folks down home in Mississippi. The more ne is charged with being a ha:er of Jews and Ne groes, a poll-taXer batter of or ganized labor and Communists, the more votes he gets. Tn the Mississip- pi primary last year it became known that the C. I. O. Political Action Committee gave $l 800 to two candidates running for Rankin's seat. They might as well have pour ed the money COWn a rat hole. AS soon as it became known that or ganized labor was behind his oppo- nents, the voters fiocked to Rankin. RANKIN'S SUCCESS FORMULA
 So he now begins his thirteenth term in Congress, the secret Of his reelection time after time being his ability to leech onto issues popu- lar with his constituents, and never let go. He has done it time after time, appropriating issues and then telling the voters that they were his ideas through his private news serv- ice, which he feels out to the week ly newspapers of his state.
 He has worked hardest at aid to veterans and he is chairman of the House World War Veterans Com mittee. a job that will probably pre- vent him from becoming head of the newly reconstructed Dies Commit tee, even though he may be it's nov ing spirit. Rankin'S biography In the Congressional Record, which he wrote, lists him as 'an eX-soldier of the World War" Actually he spent 2l days ill Officers Training Camp just before the armiStice, after be- ing unable to get in one national guard company and failing in efforts to organize a company of his own in his home town of Tupelo. But he is the veterans friend, has cham pioned much o1 the veterans relief legislation and in the last session of Congress put over pensions for vii doWs and orphans of World War One vets, after a l2-year fight. Yet he emaSculated the soldier vote bill because it would have broken the Mississippi poll tax laws backbone.
 When he first started running for Congress, it was a disciple of q movement to repeal constitutional amendments granting Negroes the right to vote He has lived up to that ideal throughout his career, as evidenced by his effort in l942 to make an issue on the mixing of Me- gro and Caucasian blood plasma. He has fought nti-discrimination laws for the District of Columbia. the Presidents Fair Employment Prac- tices Committee. and the anti lynching bill Yet he beasts his father - a school teacher was a slave owner.
 FOLLOWED COTTON EDS"
 LEAD
 When the late Senator Cotton Ed" Smith was making political capital out of crllsades against Wall Street and the Cotton Exchange Rankin climbed on that bandWagon and made the Mississippi voters think he was the owner and driver His tiradeS against the "interna- tional Jew bankers" carry over from that.
 When the late Senator George Norris put forward his plan for the Tennessee Valley Authority, Ran kin muscled in on the picture Of the President signing the bill. and became its co-authOr. As a great champion of public power and rural electrlticatiOn in Mississippi, Ram kin has been ranked as-of all things a great liberal,
 Though Rankin's success as a Congressman in getting the things he wanted cannot be questioned he has been completely frustrated in his one great ambition He wanted to be Vice President and running mate Co Roosevelt in both 1886 and l94O, but the Mississippi state dele galions stopped it cold in their hotel caucus rooms before 1t ever got started, The big laugh of that one Is the record of Roosevelt policies which Rankin has openly opposed in Congress,