St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1947-06-20

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tween A. Philip Randolph, pr
Sleeping Car Porters and co-cf
for a Permanent Fair Employ
Senator Allen J. Ellender, Den
works to the afternoon session
Labor and Public Welfare subcom-
mittee which is holding hearings on
the Ives Chavez bill to prohibit race
and religious discrimination in en-
plOyment.
They clashed after a heated de-
bate about anthropology, during
which Mr.. Randolph told Senator
Ellender that the Louisianan did not
know him well enough to call him
simply Randolph" Senator Ell
lender had addressed the witness
several times as Randolph" in &C
cordance with the custom of south
erners never to call colored man,
Mister"
Mr.. Randolph objected, and the
committee sustained his objection,
but Senator Ellender did not change
his form of address.
In the bitter exchange of re-
marks, Mr.. Randolph paid his re-
spects to the Louisiana Senator
in no complimentary terms. Sen
atOr ElIender demanded that the
remarks be stricken from the rec
ord, but the subcommittee took
no action on his demand.
Senator Ellender cOntended
that political equality of cOlOred
people would lead to social
equality and that social equality,
would mean the degradation Of
the race"
81 don't consider you a qualified
anthropologist," Mr.. Randolph told
Senator Ellender.
Smith Amendment Hit
In the course of his testimony,
Mr.. Randolph said the National
Council for a Permanent FEPC and
the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car
Porters would oppose the amend
ment Senator H. Alexander Smith,
Republican, of New Jersey, had sug-
gested to give the States the right
to nullify the enforcement provi-
sions of the bill.
81 should regard it." Mr.. Ran
dolph said, "as a form of legaliZed
secession. 1t would give the South
a privileged position in our
economy. There would be an out
migration of workers from the
South to those places where they
would have protection in their work.
1t would deprive the South of the
type of labor which helped build
the South"
When hearings were resumed last
Thursday morning, Senator Smith
said that headlines in the morning
papers indicated that newsmen had
misunderstood his sugge e d
amendment.
II am entirely in favor of the bill
the way it is framed" he declared.
What he suggested, he said, was
that in those sections of the cOun-
try where the Overall program"
might conceivably be unacceptable,
within a period Of time after the
passage of the bill and before it be-
came effective, enforcement provi-
sions would not apply in those
states which, by legislative action,
did not wish them to apply.
81 simply raised the question" he
explained, whether it would not be
proper to permit the states to re-
solve that it did not wish the federal
agency to put those provisions in
effect. This respects the principle
of states rights and yet recognizes
the fundamental issue Of equality Of
economic opportunity"
Commenting upon Sen Ia r
Smiths remarks, Joseph Kovner,
representing the American Civil
Liberties Union, said he was unable
to understand how the proposal did
not amount to an exemption"
Renewing his questioning of wit
nesses along the lines Of his So
Geological beliefs, Senator Ellender
asked Mr.. Kovner whether he be-
lieved in race segregation.
81 believe that segregation OF
the races should not be the result
of a legal direction or command"
Mr.. Kovner replied. ~ believe our
laws have to be based on equal pro-
lection Of the law and non-discrimi-
nation as to race or religion.
"As to social relations-whom |
should go around with and what
clubs | should belong to-that is a
personal matter"
"Do you think it proper for a
state to have a law to prevent in
termarriage :" Senator Ellender
asked.
personally, do not think 1t
Is wise" Mr.. KOvner replied.
personally, | do not think those
kinds of distinctions work. In the
first place, they do not actually
prevent the biological mixture Of
the races"
Are you a Christian or a Jew!"
Senator Ellender asked.
When Mr.. Kovner replied that ne
is a Jew, Senator Ellender asked:
"Do you know Of any Jews
marrying colored? Any married to
Chinese or japanese :"
The witness answered, mo.
Citing population ratios of col
ored to white in the South, particu-
larly in some parishes in Louisiana
where the ratio is 2 to l and in
some counties in Mississippi where
it is 3 to 2, Senator Ellender asked:
Now, over a period Of time, if
you should permit all Of the whites,
all Of the colored, all of the Chinese
and all Of the Japanese to go to the
same social functions, go 70 the
same churches, the same schools,
the same theatres, swim in the same
pools, be buried in the same ceme-
teries, what effect do you think that
would have in causing intermar-
rage Of the people?"
That is our trouble in the
South" Senator Ellender added,
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