Evening star., 1947-11-04
The Civil Rights Report

Grafton in their adoption you are denying JUS
tice to those who are suffering q grievous
| wrong. If Lincoln had taken your attitude, we
would still have slavery in the United States.
Moderation is the by-word of the upper dog
who wishes to hold his enviable position by
maintaining the status quo. It is all too easy
| to bow to the inevitability Of injustice and to
salve ones conscience by dropping an extra
quarter in the collection plate. Democracy de-
mands immediate and drastic action where In
equality and injustice exist.
am q strong believer in the rights of the
individual and oppose violation of States rights
by the Federal Government However when
the fundamental principles of the Bill of Rights
are being diddled because of mans inherent sell
| fishness and because of the inadequacy of in
dividual action, 1t Is time for prompt and
vigorous action on the part Of the Federal Gov
ernment.
You are greatly concerned about the dis
franchisement OF District Of Columbia resi-
dents. The two problems are of different
orders Of magnitude. In the first place, the
District of Columbia is, in effect, reservation
to house the Government Of the United States.
The welfare Of the Government is the concern
OF the entire United States rather than Of
few local residents.
| Naturally, you do not deny the principle Of
| equality. However, that is mob enough. Prac-
| tice cannot wait on an easy solution, for vacil-
| lation nulnfies our claim to democracy. If the
goal OF justice can only be achieved by rough
shod methods, the Government must use
| roughshod methods, and will find approval in
| the ballot box: For most men will permit JUS
| tice to remain once it has been achieved
| The Committees recommendations, realistic
| cally, "place far more dependence on compul-
| sion under law than on divine guidance or the
character, the vision and high principle Of our
people" If 1t had relied on those latter factors
| it would have been better named as the Com
mittee for the Emasculation Of Democracy.
THEODORE D. PERRINE.
| To tn. Editor Of The Star:
| The editorial appearing in The Star of Octo-
ber 80, 1947, concerning the report of the Presi-
dents Committee on Civil Rights should be
carefully read by every resident Of the District
| of Columbia and by every member of Congress.
| The members OF the committee should also
! read and study your very excellent editorial.
| 1t might bring to their attention some thoughts
| that may have escaped them.
Just why the District of Columbia should be
made the guinea-pig for the experiments of
every social and economic idea, whether good
or bad, is very difficult for a resident of Wash
| ington to understand. It seems to me that the
residents Of the District are still American and,
as such, are entitled to the same considerations
| as citizens Of any of the 48 States. What
| right has any authority to force on the resi-
| dents OF Washington social and economic
| changes which would not and could not be i'm
| posed on the citizens of the various States? To
| do so, In my opinion, is not the American way.
When the Presidents Committee seeks to
| control by law with whom any individual should
| live, work or associate, 1t goes beyond what Is
reasonable and truly American. HB.
| To the Editor Of The Star:
| I've just finished reading your editorial,
Drastic Prescription for Cure" criticizing the
recent report OF the Presidents Committee on
Civil Rights
One can usually count on The Star being in
the opposing corner In any effort to secure full
citizenship rights and status for Negroes.
The Star has q settled policy against accept
| ing whisky advertisements. But whenever it
editorializes on the Negro one gets the stale,
nauseating odor of the bourbon South
LESLIE s. PERRY.
| To the Editor of The Star:
Every American who believes in Government
"of the people, by the people. and for the
| people" should read The Stars editorial of
| October 80 on the report of the Presidents
! Committee on Civil Rights 1t is valuable
contribution to clear thinking on the subject
Of minority rights To use trite expression,
there is q school of thought" in the country to-
day which tends toward totalitarianism Its
proponents would have the Federal Govern
ment legislate for every community in the Ma
ton, determining matters that should be the
| concern Of local authorities only.
Rto IN hot 10 dan
| our liberties. Our founding fathers recognized
that fact when they grudgingly gave up some
| States rights in order that we might have
Central Government. The pendulum has
| swung too far to the opposite extreme due to
| war conditions. Now that the war Is ended
| any unnecessary legislation by the Federal
| Government which deprives the citizen of his
| right to determine matters of local concern
should be viewed with suspicion. 1t is unsound
! law, because 1t smacks Of compulsion when not
based on the consent of the governed. That
fact was thoroughly proved by our experience
with the prohibition law. 1t is also the reason
why we jealousy separate church and state.
| We honor the church and accept its moral
| guidance, but no thinking American would want
| the Government (or Congress) to legislate on
| religious matters.
| We are nation of many peoples, and the
racial nature Of the population varies with the
| locality Patterns of arrangement Of population
| now existing are the result of natural selec-
tion and local agreement. 1t is foolish to deny
| the old adage that birds of a feather flock
together" or that animals and humans prefer
| to associate with their own kind This fact Is
evidenced everywhere from New York City with
its Chinatown, Italian section, its Harlem etc.,
to country communities of Germans, Dutch,
Swedes and other ethnic groups Any arbitrary
disturbance of this traditional pattern or right
in America of groups to govern in purely local
matters will cause more troubles than came out
| of-Pandora's box.
No criticism is meant of the members of the
Presidents committee. Their ideals are the
highest But any man, however educated or
wise, is the product of his environment. I Won