The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-01-30

WASHINGTON, Jan. so - (up) =
Tho Administration bill 10 forbid
discrimination against Jews, Ne.
rroes and others Is revealing itself
as the most heavily loaded political
time bomb to land In this Capital
IN many a year, Il Is bound to so on
sometime.
The odds right now are long, how
ever, that the senate tliouster by
Southern Democrats viii prevent
enactment at this congressional ses-
sion Of legislation 10 establish a
permanent Fair Employment Prac-
tees Commission.
TO some or many of the Senators
and Representatives the FEPC issue
appeals unQuestionably as a matter
Of right and justice 10 American
minorities. To q great many others,
however. &c Is as political as q PORK
barrel appropriation 10 spend q lot
Of Federal money for something or
other back home.
Negro Votes Big Prize
The biggest political prize in the
FEPC bill is Negro votes. The facts
are that World war I brought hum
dreds Of thousands Of Negro work.
erS and potential voters TO northern
industrial centers, World War II at
tracted more. Politicians estimate
that in a dozen of our most indus
trialized northern states, the Negro
vote is of balance Of power proper
tions.
Both parties competed for the
Negro trade in their 1914 national
conventions by including endorse
ment Of fair employment practices.
Many Republicans see such legiSla-
ton as the party's best opportunity
to bring back to the COP the mil
lions Of Negro voters who deserted
to the late Franklin D. Roosevelt.
A census ultimately viii show how
much World War II migration in
creased the Negro population of the
north. william Hard related some
years ago in the Saturday Evening
Post how the flood tide Of Negroes
came to the North during the first
World War.
Fourth Lured North
Hard reported that the center Of
Negro population in 1910 was in
northeastern Alabama. BY 1880 al
most one fourth Of the nations H.
100000 Negroes had been lured
North by comparatively well paid
jobs.
BY 1880" Hard reported, the
Negro population Of Chicago had
increased 4S0 percent; Of Detroit
2.sl3 percent: Of New York City 257
percent. In 1910 there was no city
with more than 10000 Negroes. II
1890 there we're seven"
Project those figures through
World War II and you have in its
simplest terms one Of the main rea-
sons why the pressure for FEPC
legislation is strong.
Truman Rebuked
There was bitter Southern Demo-
cratic complaint in the Senate when
the Administration FEPC bill was
brought up for debate some days
ago. President Truman was reoukec
/. for permitting such legislation Il
come before the Senate when th'
matter of acknowledgement rela'
tons and other urgent pronleml
went unattended.
Those complaints were mostly po'
Iitical double talk, although tht
speakers were in deadly earnest
, But while they protested they were
/, entirely familiar with the fact thai
If the Democratic side Of the Sen
. ate had not brought up the FEPC
bill when it did, the Republican sid'
was going to bring it up.
The Democrats brought the bill
in, therefore, partly to gain the po'
litical advantage which will go with
the action and to prevent the Re-
= publicans from being abel to tel
, Negro voters that it was the COZ
! which sought action on their bill o.
rights.
After the filibuster has killed thu
/, FEPC bill for this session there stil
I will remain a chance to obtain ac'
: ton in the House. There a petition
is pending seeking immediate con
sideration. It bears l66 names s
far. It needs 2i8-an additional s.
, to compel the House leadership q
bring the bill to the floor.