Evening star., 1948-07-10
District Wallace Party
Formed as Speakers
Hit 6. 0. P, Truman

The Progressive Party of the Dis,
trict was founded today by Wash
ington supporters of Henry A..
Wallace at q convention where
President Truman and Republican
leaders were charged with giving
only lip service to civil rights.
About 10 persons met for an all
day session at the Hotel 2400 in
ballroom decorated with large pic
lures of former President Roosevelt,
Mr.. Wallace and Senator Taylor of
Idaho, who will run for Vice Presi-
dent on the wallace ticket.
Before electing 16 delegates and 8
alternates to represent the District
at the National Progressive Party
Convention July % to 25 in Phila-
delphia, the group adopted g. mo-
tion by Richard Bancroft to form
the New Party here for aff1liation
with the national organization.
Betrayal is Charged.
Mr.. Bancroft formerly headed the
Cafeteria Workers Union, UPWA,
during its strike early this year
against Government building cafe
terias operated by Government Sery-
ices, Inc. He refused to sign an anti
Communist affidavit under the Taft
Hartley Act and subsequently re-
signed.
In q keynote speech today, Dr.
John T. E. Camper Of Baltimore,
Wallace candidate for Congress from
the fourth Maryland district, charged
that both major parties have mot
only failed but betrayed the Ameri-
can people"
DR.. Camper, graduate of the
Howard University Medical School,
asserted that President Truman was
correct in calling the 80th Congress
the worst in history and that con-
gressional leaders were correct in
calling him the worst President in
history.
He denounced both major parties
for failure to keep 1914 campaign
pledges to give suffrage to District
citizens. He attacked the draft law
as "militarization of OUR youth" de-
manded repeal of the Taft-Hartley
Act and urged that the House I'm
American Activities Committee be
disbanded
SituatiOn Here Cited.
Equally severe in attacking Gov.
Dewey, the Republican presidential
nominee, Dr.. Camper denied that
| Gov. Dewey was an 'unfettered
candidate.
LAS for civil rights, just look at
the Nations Capital" DR.. Camper
continued. IF Truman meant one
word of what he said he could have
forced the Capital Transit Co. to
hire Negro workers during the war.
He could have appointed Charles
Houston, Washington Negro attorney,
as District Commissioner.
HE could have by executive order
wiped out discrimination in the
Federal Governments service DR..
Camper said. His civil rights mes
sage has been proven fraudulent.
1t was as fraudulent as the promises
Of the Republican Party which did
not pass one civil rights act, al
though the Republicans controlled
Both Houses of Congress during the
past session. Only New Party can
eradicate discrimination"
johnson, LambertOn Chosen.
DR.. Joseph L. johnson, dean OF
the Howard University Medical
School, and Harry c. Lamberton,
were elected co-chairman of the
convention. The platform drafted
by q committee headed by Attorney
Joseph Forer was to be submitted
at the afternoon session.
In his opening speech, Dr. john
son declared that since the death
Of President Roosevelt it has been
almost impossible to make any dis
tinction between the Democratic
and Republican parties.
Formation of the new party in the
District takes the place of the
Washington Committee for Wallace,
which arranged for today's con-
lVentiOn