The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1945-07-19
The Purpose


The Purpose
It is intended to prohibit discrim-
ination because of races and creeds.
There are prejudices against creeds.
There are prejudices against races.
These prejudices were not created
by law, and they cannot be changed
by law. Such prejudices should be
eliminated but the approach Is the
voluntary method. Compulsion will
defeat the purpose. The method Is
wrong. Voluntary efforts will be
more helpful.
The relation between employer
and employee, like the relation be-
tween master and servant, under the
common law, is intimate. We all like
to select our associates. We like to
employ those who r %congenial. We
want to know about their fitness.
We are to be the judges. The liberty
of choosing employees is a part OF
tree enterprise. It is a liberty pro-
tected by the Constitution. Under
the fifth amendment a citizen cannot
be deprived of his life, liberty, or
property without due process OF law.
The Executive order and the
pending appropriation are intended
TO benefit the negro race. 1t Is said
that more than IS per cent OF the
complaints and IS per cent Of the
investigations made by the Commit
Tee appointed under the Executive
order have been in behalf Of negroes.
But employment contemplates fit
ness. Employment Is a contractual
relation. The remedy for discrimina-
ton is understanding, tolerance and
education. Instead Of benefiting the
negro race, instead of benefiting the
so-called minorities, the Executive
order will have the opposite effect.
The worst race disturbances in re-
cent years have not been in the
South but in the Northern industrial
districts.
/ oppose religious prejudices. / OPP
pose racial prejudices. ! believe,
however, in the freedom of religion.
/ believe in fairness for all races.
Force and compulsion is the wrong
way to correct. They will stir up
racial and religious prejudices. The
proposal strikes at the fundamentals
of liberty and Of free enterprise.
Through the ages moral and eth
zeal values cannot be frozen at a new
level by the passage of a statute. The
proposal will set the clock back, and
will hurt the people it is intended
to help. 1t will make the life of every
employer miserable. 1t will result in
unhappy if not violent disturbances
everywhere.
History and experience prove that
you cannot legislate tolerance and
morals into people. Compulsion in
juries the cause to eliminate discrim-
nations. Force will retard the edu-
cational progress now being made.
Man has always responded more
willingly to a plea than to a COM
mand. / know of no better ethics
than the Sermon on the Mount, I
know of no finer philosophy than
the Golden Rule. ! am not a Social
list. But if a citizen believes in the
principles of the Socialist Party l
accord him the freedom of his con-
-victions. I think it would be a mis-
take to force any creed, any ethics,
or any philosophy on any people
The better way is the voluntary way,
The better way is the freedom oi
choice end the tolerance of view.
Burning resentment from forced
employment viii furnish fuel fol-
racial disturbances and will fomen'
rather than eliminate racial preiud
ices.
The Executive order is an attemp
TO change customs by force. 1t Is
fallacy to believe that customs ant
habits of peoples can be changed b.
law. Injustices, inefficiences, ant
misunderstanding viii result from
such a law. i.
Racial feeling win be a~ccentuateo
The proposal is social and politica
dynamite. We are throwing the ex
perience of the ages to the wind'
The proposal plays into the hands Q
those who would re-make and re
form our institutions and our econ
omy to conform to their social views
The purpose to eliminate discrimi
nation can best be achieved by CO
operation. While the Executive orde
carries with it no criminal penaltie:
it is patterned on the bills that hav