Evening star., 1948-07-10


HAPPY - James Roosevelt,
prime mover in behalf of Gen.
Eisenhower for the Democratic
presidential nomination, cooled
off with an ice cream cone
yesterday after notifying Gen.
Eisenhower headquarters
that he was now convinced
that Gen. Eisenhower would
not serve if nominated by the
/ Democratic Party
-AP Wirephoto.
vention indorses President Truman S
civil rights program.
Sparks Warns of Opposition.
Former Gov. Sparks reminded the
witness that Alabama nominated II
presidential electors pledged to vote
against the Truman ticket if the
civil rights program is adopted,
| Mr.. Williams replied that voters
in Alabama had no choice between
states of electors for and against the
program, but Mr.. Sparks insisted
there were seven candidates who did
not promise to oppose the Truman
program, and none was elected.
How about Mississippi, Arkansas,
South Carolina and Texas?" asked
MI. Sparks.
NO, I think Alabama is the only
one in bad enough fix. They will
have 10 go through with it," Mr
Williams retorted.
/ Don't you represent ] per cent
of the sentiment of Alabama?
asked Mr.. Sparks
| MI. Williams disagreed again. He
said he thought 25 per cent OF the
citizens of Alabama would agree
with him.
/ Mr.. Shepperd joined in to ask Mr.
Williams if he was attempting to
speak for other Southern States.
/ In Florida" said Mr.. Shepperd
1--WE don't stand for the poll tax, and
we don't approve of lynching, but
we want 70 meet these problems on a
State basis
Florida, he added, does mot want
and will not have a So-called ran
Employment Practice Commission. II
Tom Dewey wants New York &c
/ have such a law, that's for New
York to decide
I'VE do not propose to tolerate
any more Federal interference In
the South" Mr.. Shepperd went on
The desire of party leaders to set
tie the civil rights question as
amicably as possible was reflected
in speech by Senator Myers OF
PENNSYLVANIA. chairman of the Plat
form Committee, made last night to
a dinner of the Democratic National
Committee.
1--WE must find means of meeting
this problem and we must meet 1t
intelllgently and reasonably" he
said
Calls Troubles Geographical.
"Our difficulties, when you come
right down to it, are geographic, not
political" Senator Myers declared
The civil rights issue is an example
Any national political party would
be split over that issue, as the ex-
perience of the Republican conven-
ton here few weeks ago demon
strated. Southern Republicans see
eve TO eye with Southern Democrats
on these issues. just as Pennsyl-
vania Democrats and Pennsylvania
Republicans see eye TO eye in oppo-
sition to the st. Lawrence SeaWay-
we're against it from a purely geo.
graphical standpoint. Let's recog-
nize that. If the Republican Party
had any strength at all in the South
their split over civil rights would be
lust as obvious as ours, but you see
it is not really national party"
The difference in the case of the
Republicans is that, since they
nearly always have to figure on
winning an election without South
ern electoral votes, they can deal
more directly with the civil rights
tissue.
Senator Myers told reporters that
the small group of five COMMITTEES
members designated to start work
on the platform today will not make
any recommendations. He said
their job will be merely to prepare
a rough outline of the various
planks for the full drafting COM
mittee to consider when 1t meets
h1xr