St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1947-06-20
die DEEP SOUTH SPEAKS
By ROBERT DURR


the world today. | know Of no on
else | would drive over a hundre
miles on a sizzling hot summe
afternoon to listen to, in jan
packed, non-air conditioned cOlleg
auditorium, as | did last Saturda,
to hear Mr.. Wallace at State Teach
ers College at Montgomery, Ala
bama-the cradle of the Confed
eracy. Several thousand other
were there from Georgia, Missis
sippi, Tennessee, Louisiana anC
Florida.
Two years ago jOurneyed t
TuskeRee to hear Mr.. Wallace
Whites and blacks alike poured
into the chapel and took seat
wherever they could get them with
no thought Of who sat next t
whom. At Tuskegee and Mont
gomery, Mr.. Wallace held his audi
ences spellbound. He talked of the
simple verities and brought to his
listeners an understanding Of the
importance of the scientific and
spiritual approach to the solution
of the battling problems Of our
time.
Wallace has the ability to see
what he looks at and the courage
to be honest with his fellow man
about what he sees. And l think
his fundamental goodness ac-
counts for his irresistible charm
and makes him the best loved
person on the international scene
today.
Mr.. Wallace thinks he sees a
new and great South being born
He called attention to the fact that
he had been cordially received all
over the South. AT Austin, Texas
where a DR.. Rainey was fired for
advocating fairness to Negroes
Wallace said that when during his
address he advocated abolition OF
race discrimination he got the
greatest applause of all from his
vast audience.
This was Indicative to him of ar
increasing feeling on the part OF
the enlightened segment of the
South that that section must be
born again, and that such organi.
cations as the Committee for Ala
bama and its parent affiliate, the
Southern Conference for Human
Welfare, are determined that this
new birth in the valley and the
shadow of racism and reaction shall
be properly facilitated and have
ample opportunity to grow on q
foundation Of education for com.
plete and meaningful living, freed
of the chains of disease, poverty
and all forms Of prejudice and
superstition.
Mr.. Wallace feels that thousands
Of colored people will migrate from
the South to the North, and that
il as it should be, but that the
great bulk of them will remain in
the South. He called attention to
opportunity in South America and
urged that as many as possible
study Spanish, pointing out that
those going out from agricultural
schools will find a great opportunity
in that country, and that immigra-
ton Of trained people to South
America would relieve the over
population load in the deep South,
Facing what may be done here
in the South to make it possible
for all the people Of the South to
attain II higher standard of living
and to get as much for their labor
as people in the North. he sug-
gested that forward looking leaders
in South write David Lillienthal
about developing an atomic energy
project in Alabama to extract fer
tilizer from the air to be made
available to farmers in adequate
quantities and at a low price to
enrich the soil so that it may pro-
duCe three times what it is pro-
ducing at the present time.
MIR. Wallace said that is posi-
Bile ard that atomic energy har-
messed TO this purpose could facili-
tate the making Of the South into
paradise as compared with what
it is today. This inability of
southern farmers to get plenty Of
low priced fertilizers may be the
cause Of the failure Of farm agents
in Alabama to do as effective a
job as they could, Mr.. Wallace
limited.
There may be huge con-
spiracy back Of this. and a lot
of matchmaking Senators and
Representatives might make a
greater contribution to arresting
subversive activities and promOt.
ing democracy il they devoted
their energies TO correcting con-
ditiOns which tend TO make il
impossible for many to live on
the farm.
The living word which is re
ferred to at least four times in as
who voted for the Taft Hartley |
N