Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1946-02-09
Something About A Fair Employment
Practices Act

UP IN WASHINGTON the Congress of the United
States which session has been having most of it's
time occupied for the last three weeks with the ibser
against the Fair Employment Practices Act act whose
purpose generally to prohibit discrimination in employ
men in industry because of race color religion or national
origin
AS sort of foundation for further discussion here
present this brief history the idea of Fair Employment
Practices Act although be said without doubt that the
history of the idea is pretty generally known among the
rank and M say nothing of the more intelligent in every
section and of this nation and among all OF the civil
lied nations of the world.
The idea first promulgated by the late great Presi
dent Franklin d. Roosevelt by the famous Executive
Order 1902 in order the fullest use OF
the nations manpower in the vast industrial development
necessary for the successful conduct of the Because
Of the great of the idea temporary measure IN
fully utilizing the nations great manpower resources and
because of it's effect great moral and spiritual untyng
force in time war many of the outstanding leaders OF
the nation the idea still greater force Tor good IN
time of peace Not wise least the rropronents
of the idea of Permanent Fair Employment Act as a
peace-time measure is the Honorable Harry s. Truman
successor 10 Frank D. Roosevelt President OF
the United States Southener by BIRTH training and ira
dtion.
While our elected representatives carry the buster
we Southerners we'll take the time to examine more
closely the idea of fair employment practices Stripped OF
its purely emotional qualities closer examination
will be found That the south needs the Fair Employment
Practices Act than any other section OF the nation
We Southerner being likely to be reminded OF ourselves s
desperately sick child fighting desperately against taking
the only medicine which will affect cure only because o
first effect acted upon the of taste.
Looked at without emotion it easy to see the Negro
comprising third of the Souths population poorly en-
poyed and With limited job opportunity operating as neay
drag upon the of the south Inc erect Oh S
condition the Negro the economy OF the soutn was III
dictated in the remark by the late great Booker
Washington to the effect that you cannot keep man down
in tho ditch without staying down there with him. Every
sohener approaching the subject without emotion mas rea
soned along the same The fact that the poor employ
men and limited lob opportunity of the Negro In the South
constituted heavy drag upon southern progress and econ
omv is clearly pointed out Myrdals monumental and CLASS
ic study, An American Dilemma
Looked at without emotion it is possible as matter OF
purely sef-nterest Souterners to see ourselves III
the race of and advancement with the other sec
tons of the nation held back by the drag our economy
of onerd of our population of Negro workers poorly en-
ployed and limited in job opportunity as runner IN race
of stars handicapped by huge on the right leg
AS recognized and pointed out by every International
student of the south the condition of the southern Negro Is
now more result of archaic ideas and perhaps more deep
and not because of the natural dispositions
and settled attitudes of southern people.
It is impossible to read into the Fair Employment Act,
neither by the experience of the War; by the intention
of the present proponents of the ac the idea of Equal En-
pleyment.
AS respects the SOUTH although it is everywhere
nzed that the conditions aimed at in the bill exist in all sec
of the country Fair Employment Practices Act would
raise the standard of Negro jobs and broaden Negro Job
opportunity with resulting great benefits to of the
Greatest Sections of the Nation.