St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1946-02-15

lie itself. Our leaders, along witt
liberal whites, have made FEP(
a national word. They have made
the nation conscious Of the injus
tees being done minority groups
here by employers, unions, etc.
which look first at color, religion
or race before hiring a person.
A federal FEPC is now the fina
hope of the hundreds Of thousand,
Of Negroes who were in the armed
forces. Other hopes are fast dis,
sipating. The Four Freedoms
were found to be empty words wher
Churchill made the British posi-
ton known. The One World idea
has been proven glorious fiction
because of the unreadiness Of the
dominant white reactiOnaries tC
think of it in the way the late
Wendell Willkie did. Now comes
FEPC as a last hope.
During the war, the Negro be.
came more labOr-conscious than
ever before. Labor unions courted
him, namely the CLIO, and in some
rare instances, even the AFofL
More and more, as it was proved
how it should work out, Negro
workers started placing their eggs
in the union basket and the brave
noble words of the union leaders
were calculated to buoy up the
hopes of black labor which in the
past was so studiously avoided
except for dues.
Now comes the national disgrace
the "flibuster circus" being staged
in the senate by southern repre-.
sentatives of white supremacy. A
close look at what is going on re.
veals the country in the throes OF
an industrial upheaval. Some Of
the more pessimistic predict 8
major revolution as the only means
out of this national dilemma. The
labor unions, the CLIO and the AFT
are fighting what amounts to be 8
bitter struggle for survival with
the hardy, fat, sleek bosses of ouI
nations big industries.
The President, disregarding ad.
vice Of his party members, tolC
Congress he wanted an FEPC
measure passed. In this, Mr.. Tru.
man is honest and extremely brave
going further along this line thar
his predecessor in the White house
But Mr.. Humans request came in
the midst of a perilous time wher
relationships between management
and labor are strained and at a time
when management has evidently
decided to break the power Of the
growing labor unions once and fol-
all.
FEPC means the same as a dose
of salts to a southern representa-.
tive, whether he is a Congressman
or a Senator. FEPC means to hin
challenge to white supremacy
and if the Japs were lined up OF
the banks of the Potomac he woulC
filibuster and argue until exhausted
to prevent any such measure fol-
the benefit of the Negro to pass
The other day, a delegation
descended upon Washington t
picket the Senate on behalf of the
FEPC and against the un-Ameri
can filibuster. Among the dele
gates were many whites-somC
from the South, others from the
North, but all committed to fight
against a system that allows the
many to be ruled by the few. II
was inspired by the National Negro
Congress and the National Council
for Permanent FEPC, plus a few
smaller and less widely-known or
CARNATIONS. Absent from the lists
officially and-prominent by theil
absence, were both the American
Federation Of Labor and the Con.
gress of Industrial Organizations
Without them, the picketing anC
demonstrations seemed a waste Of
time.
II there is any real sincerity in
what William Green Of the AFL
and Phillip Murray of the CLIO have
to say toward winning Negro conf.
dence to organized labor, it would
appear that both Of these organiZa.
tions would put the full weight Of
their unions behind the passage OF
the FEPC. Against that view.
point there can be no quarrel
Labor leaders while in the North
talk long and earnestly about FEPC
and why it should be on the books
They inspire and stir up hopes II
Negroes that they are 1909 witt
US in our battle for our rights
But when the business gets down t
cases, they are found missing
Why?
We all know that there's a stee
strike going on; that the automo
tive industry is torn asunder b!
labor strife; that the packinghous'
workers just finished their strike
that the Western Union and tele
graph workers are out; that man!
other union demonstrations agains
management unfairness are tax
ing place throughout the land. Blu
we also want consideration ant
support on what we are fighting
for. II FEPC is to our benefit, i
is to the benefit Of all American
workers-for-willingly or not
we are now a part of organizes
labor and need and must have ii
support in our own fight to live.
Both AFL and the CLIO eoulC
ship pickets to Washington or any
where else when there is a neeC
for them. They should hav'