The Omaha guide., 1946-12-14
First Time Since Emancipation
Southern Vets Turning Out
In Unbrecedent Numbers

NEW YORK, Dec. 5th. Negro
veterans for the first time in the
history of the south since the
Emancipation Proclamation, are
turning out in precedented num-
bers to testify to the fact that the
rabble rousing tactics used by
Senator Bilbo in his primary cam
paign kept Negroes from the ex-
ercise of the Constitutional right
to register and vote in the recent
Mississippi elections. Appearing,
as they are, without the protection
of Federal supoenas, to present
evidence before Senator Allen ].
Ellender, chief counsel for the
Senate Campaign Expenditures
Committee, meeting now in Jack
son, Miss, these courageous We
Iterans Ire standing firm and are
speaking out in court, in spite of
the very real danger they face of
future reprisals from hometown
supremacy fanatics.
Charles H. Houston, prominent
Washington attorney, who attend
ed the hearings to present a brief
prepared by the NAACP, has been
a valuable acknowledgements ad-
wiser to witnesses and people in
terested in the investigation, altho
his application for permission to
file the brief during the Jackson
hearings was denied, in a sudden
reversal by the Committee on its
plans to hold other hearings out
side Jackson. The Committee Ii
mited presentation of the brief to
Committee counsel. Mr.. Houston
then wired Senator Ellender that
the brief was merely a prelimin-
airy brief on jurisdiction, scope of
INJURY, and standards of person
al disqualification of a Senator rs
established by Senate precedents;
that the NAACP still desires to
present final brief and be heard
through counsel In oral argument
before your Committee. ="
Mr.. Houston was enthusiastic in
his praise of the witnesses, the ma
jority of whom were members of
local NAACP branches and the
Mississippi Progressive Voters
League:
81 cannot give too much credit
for the quiet courage shown by the
Negro witnesses. They were quiet
dignified showed no malice. but
were steadfast in presenting their
facts and could not be shaken.
They refused to make wild sweep
ing guesses, limiting themselves
to personal knowledge, even when
guessing might have colored their
stories.
The atmosphere Of terror was
reflected in the fact that the ma
jority of the witnesses who were
attacked declined to identify their
attackers. The general feeling
seemed to be. We want our rights
and future protection. not ven
geance,.n
One of the outstanding witness
es was Father T. j. Stype, a priest
whose parish is in Pass Christian,
Miss. According to Mr.. Houston.
Senator Ellender tried all the
tricks of cross examination a.
gainst him but he floored ElIender
when he said he taught the Ca
tholic doctrine. fear of God and
good citizenship. In a Gerry quiet
impersonal way, he named names
showed that the U. S. Attorney in
Mississippi and the FBI had refu-
sed to give his eighty-two veter-
ans Cparishioners) protection in
voting and laid their exclusion di-
rectlyy to Bilbo."
Added MI. Houston: Sheriff and
peace officers admitted shooing
Negroes from the polls to keep
the peace. Nobody ever suggested
that tn way to keep peace is to
establish the dignity and majesty
of the law in protection of citi-
zenship rights rather than in alb
ject surrender of these rights. This
hearing is a great demonstration
and a historical event which puts
the spotlight on Mississippi. 1t is
doing great spiritual good to Miss
issippians, and should considerably
interest and convince a lot of peo-
pie who did not think things as
bad as they are. Our job now is to
raise the struggle to national and
international heights"