Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1946-06-22


The wordy tilt came as Mr..
Hare, chairman Of the House ap-
preparations subcommittee on La
bor-Federal Security appropria-
tons, fenced with DR.. Johnson
over the need of the South in par
ticular for colored physicians.
Mr.. Hare disputed that the ra-
tic of physicians to the popula-
ton had any relation to the de-
mani. His position, contrary to
that Of DR.. Johnson, was that the
demand determined the need.
ABILITY TO PAY
DR.. Johnson got his opening
when Representative Albert j. En-
gel. Republican, of Michigan, in
terTupted the colloquy between
Mr.. Hare and DR.. Johnson to say
that he did not believe the need
for physicians could be based upon
the demand because "the demand
is often governed by the ability to
pay"
Agreeing with Mr.. Engel, DR..
Johnson declared:
"In that respect before this war,
| am advised that there were
100000 Negroes living in the
Southern states who had an an
nual net cash income, wherever
they did have any cash income at
all, not exceeding 1913 a year.
investigators have shown that
all but invariably they owed this
$98 at the general store for fat
meat, corn bread, and molasses
that they had eaten last winter.
Now, human beings like that SIM
ply have no margin for medical
service"
Let me state here that / do not
accept that statement" Mr.. Hare
flared back. III do not want to
argue with ycu, but | do not &C
cept that statement as correct, that
they had an income of only $98
and owed that to the store, be-
cause if your statement were cor
rect nobody would credit them in
the first place, and in the second
place, there was very little fat
meat and molasses available this
last year in my state, for either
white or back.
81 agree with you that the in
come is low, the income is too low
and the income ought to be larger
but your statement for the record
is perfectly absurd"
WHITES IN CATEGORY
"Mr. Chairman" replied DR.
Johnson, "your remark, believe,
focuses upon the essential matter
namely that the income is too low.
When we look into that question,
we shall find that we have not
only three million Negroes, but
about five and one-half million
whites in the South who are al
most in that same category"
81 do not have to look into it,
Doctor, because l live with them
every day, and / have lived with
them for seventy years." shot back
Mr.. Hare.
81 know their income has al
ways been low, but | know it has
been increased wonderfully and
marvelously in the last quarter of
century," he added.
"And / know because, as ! say,
| live with them and see them
every day, and ] know what their
incomes are. And to say that the
average income of a large number
of them is only $98 a year is per-
fectly absurd"
81 am sure that the chairman is
correct in noting that great i'm
provements have been made in the
area under his observation" re-
piled DIR. johnson. "My state
ment was drawn from scientific
studies made before the war, and
| could quote them exactly if the
chairman cared to have me do So"
"Those quoted statements will
not amount to a tinker's RATHER
to me, because what / say know,
and what / say I know l know,
I know I know it," said Mr. Hare
land statements from any other
source to me would not register"