Evening star., 1948-03-05
Virginia House Urge,
Congress 10 LEI South
Handle Civil Rights
By Alex R. Preston
sior Stoff Correspondent


By Alex R. Preston
sior Sfoff Correspondent
RICHMOND, Mar. 5.-A resolu-
ton calling on Congress to allow
Southern States to remove racial
determinations '.in their own" way,
was passed today by the House of
Delegates.
As both houses met with heavy
calendars. the House Finance Com
mittee killed three sales tax bills
disposing of all sales tax proposals
before the assembly.
The racial discrimination resolu-
tion was passed while the Legisla-
ture awaited q chance to act on
Gov. Tuck,s substitute anti-Tru-
man voting bill-one which might
put two sets of Democratic electors
on the November ballot, one for
the national party and one for the
State party. The original measure
was sent back to committee.
Approval Is Expected.
Prospects, are that the bill will
be approved by the House Com
mittee on Privileges and Elections
when it convenes, but the commit
tee did not meet this morning.
The new bill was presented at a
three-and a half hour joint hearing
last night by the House and Senate
Privileges and Elections Commit
tees, at which Delegate Armistead
L. Boothe of Alexandria voiced the
keynote:
THE bill puts some meaning into
the unheeded opposition which the
Democrats of Virginia have been
making for years among the coun-
cils of the national party. Only
through legislation can we convince
the Democrats in Washington that
we mean what we say"
Opposition Is Strong.
The proposed legislation was as
sailed from all sides, with Northern
Virginia being we'll represented, in
the largest public hearing ever to be
held by the Legislature. The House
of Delegates chamber was crammed
with no standing room available and
the audience overfowed into the
corridors on the main and gallery
floors. ~-t
A large number of Negroes sat and
stood with the. white members OF
the audience. They came to hear
the debate on the political issue Gre
ated by the Presidents Federal
civil rights program.
Martin A. Hutchinson, unSuccess-
full candidate against Senator Byrd,
Democrat, of Virginia in 1916, was
the principal opponent of the Tuck
proposal.
Miller Deplores Move.
Francis Pickens Miller Of Char
lottesville, formerly member of the
House of Delegates from Fairfax
County, deplored the move Of Wiz
ginia Democrats to depart from the
national party's nominee.
Harold L. Schilz, of the Arlington
County Civic Federation, read res
olution from his group which was
adopted Tuesday night. The Tuck
proposals were termed "repugnant'
to a principle giving voters the
right to choose whom they please
for President. Mr.. Schilz claimed
his group represented from 10000
to 100000 people in Arlington.
Albert A. Carretta, an unsuccess-
full candidate for the House o1
Delegates, in the August, primary
in Arlington pleaded for harmony
and party loyalty" =---'''.. - 49, -
The Rev. w. L. Ransome, colored,
q Richmond pastor, compared the
Tuck bill to the weapon aimed at
"the apple-Mr. Truman-on the
head of william Tell-the Demo-
cratic Party"
Danger to Party Seen.
.Are yuu sure" he inqa,iysd that
youn aim Is so good That YOU won 7
hlE the Democratic party?"
Ii When Mr.. Hutchinson first ap-
peared before the committee he was
given an ovation by the audience
although practically the entire
membership Of the General Assem-
bly, withheld its applause.
"You have divided the people o1
Virginia." he said. land you may
divide the people of the Nation. By
your action you may get Bob Taf1
or Tom Dewey for President"
Mr.. Boothe has been mentioned
as one of the principle legislator
behind Gov. Tuck's latest bill. HI
is a co-patron of the measure ane
is known to have done much Of the
legal research in connection with tt
preparation.
Bill Called Most Liberal"
He called the bill 1.-The most libera.
voting law In the world today"
What led Gov. Tuck to introduce
this bill?" he asked. TT was sin.
cere blow struck back at an anti.
States rights program being rail-
roaded through the national legis'
lature for political reasons. Re-
gardless OF good in the alleged aims
of the President, his suggested
methods are obviously invalid and
unconstitutional and violate the
States rights and individual rights
of the people of the States. I be-
lieve in liberal civil rights of the
people of the States. I believe IN
liberal civil rights program in Vir-
ginia. I am proud of the fact that
in the bus line which I represent
there is no segregation in the buses
which run from Alexandria to
Washington"
Germans, Ausfrians TO Tel
n ~ ~