The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1948-08-06
Capital

BY CONGRESSMAN
L M. COLMER
POLITICS

PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS
When Congress convened last
January we p%rophesied in this
column that since this was a
presidential election year that
whether we liked it or not
presidential politics would play
an important role in the Con-
gress. A month later the Presi-
dent sent his famous mis-call-
ed Civil Rights message to the
Congress asking a Republican
dominated Congress, tradition
ally hostile to the South, to
enact an anti-poll-tax, an
anti-lynch, FEPC and an anti
segregation law. This caused
a Juror in the Congress and the
country. VIZ pointed out then
that this action was taken in
an effort to stop Henry Wal
lace in his drive to get the
negro and left-wing vote.
In spite of the fact that the
Congress was dominated by
Republicans, we Southern DEM
ocrats, with the help of certain
friendly Republicans, succeed
ed in preventing any of those
bills from becoming law.
The Communist dominated
Wallaceites raised such a fur
or because the Congress took
no action on these matters, that
the president Their called the
Congress back into special SEES
sion and demanded that they
pass this and other legislation
which he had asked for in the
regular session. But even this
did not satisfy these northern
eft-wingers so Mr.. Wallace and
Congressman Marcantonio, who
follows the Moscow line, called
on the President to issue an
executive order placing FEPC,
under his executive powers in
to effect in the government
bureaus, and also at the same
time called on him to issue an
executive order abolishing seq
regation in the armed forces.
Two days later President Tru-
man, in his desperate effort to
recapture these negro and left
wing votes, issued an order
Cd to re-establish the wartime
FEPC in governmental employ
ment, and (2) to set up a COM
mission looking to the abolition
of segregation in the armed
forces.
1t is now plain to all think
ing people that President Tru-
man is determined to inflict an,
and all indignities upon the
people of the South, and to ever
jepordize the effectiveness of tn,
armed forces in order to cap
ture this left wing and negro
vote. But it was gratifying
to note that General Bradley,
appointed chief of staff, by
President Truman only a few
months ago, had the courage to
come out with a statement OPP
emily opposing the presidents
move. incidentally, / have dis
cussed this matter with a num-
Der of high ranking army and
navy officials, most of them
from the North, and l have
the first one of them to find
find who is sympathetic with
the president in this move.
They say it is not for the best
interests of the national de-
tense.
The Session
The special session has now
been in session for a week. Ev-
erything else has been lost
sight of, the high cost of liv-
ing, the tense international sit
uation in Berlin, and everything
else except this highly contro-
versial issue of States Rights.
The Republicans don't want it
any more than the Southerners,
but if it ever comes to a vote
they too are willing to play
politics in order to prevent the
alienation of the northern ne
gro vote which is the balance
of power in many northern
states. But therein lies our
hope-namely. that they will
not force these bills to a vote.
The only danger lies in the fact
that the Republicans being on