Evening star., 1948-09-02
Letters to The Star
Loyalty Requirement
To the Editor Of The Star:


To the Editor Of The star
The assumptions that persons drawing fat
salaries from the United States Government
have such vested right in their jobs rs to
absolve them from establishing their loyalty to
their employer is without sound foundation.
When an applicant for job comes to a
private employer, the recognized procedure is
for the applicant to furnish such references
and facts concerning himself, his reputation
and past performances as will insure the em-
ployer that the applicant is trustworthy. The
burden is upon the employe to establish his
good character as condition precedent to
employment
When Government employe refuses to
answer the questions Of Congressional COM
mittees about his associates and connections
upon the ground that his answers might tend
to incriminate" him, the answer to him should
be: "You have a right to refuse to answer
where such an answer would tend to convict
you of penal offense. However the burden
is upon any Government employe to establish
his fitness for continued employment. and not
upon the Government to disprove it. If you
are not willing to do your reasonable part in
clearing up conditions deemed by the Congress
to need investigation, you, by that fact, stamp
yourself as lacking in loyalty to your employer
upon that ground will be recommended"
Congress should follow that stand by the
enactment of legislation providing for the dis
missal Of any supervisory Government official
who appoints to Office or retains in office, or
recommends for appointment any person con-
nected with or cooperating with any subver-
sive organization. Also for the dismissal Of
any supervisory official who knowing of the
employment of any such person in his organi-
zation conceals such fact from any investiga-
tive agency acting under authority Of the
President or of the Congress.
1t is time to get rid of the yipers who bite
the hand that feeds them MONITOR.
SEGREGATION at Recreation Centers
To the Editor of The Star
On Saturday, August %, a group Of young
people, white and Negro attempted to exercise
their inalienable right to the pursuit Of happi-
ness by playing together on Washington
playground and swimming together in Wash
ington pool, both run by the Recreation Board
of the District of Columbia. They were pre-
vented from exercising their rights as citizens
by officials of the Police Department of the
District of Columbia. There is no law on the
statutes of the District which permits such
segregation as is exercised by the Recreation
Board.
Though it is true that the Board Of Recre-
alton has seen fit to declare certain Fairgrounds
and recreation areas in this city white" and
Negro" there is no regulation or law which
states that Negroes cannot play on white
playground" or that white people cannot play
on Negro playground"
The Progressive Party of the District Of
Columbia joins with the Young Progressives in
declaring that we will fight this matter through
to the Supreme Court. If necessary, to establish
the fact that the rights granted to us under
the Constitution of the United States make no
provision for second-class citizenship of the
Negro people. The scores of Negro children
who stood around the outside of Rosedale play
ground on Saturday afternoon, carrying their
bathing suits and inflated inner tubes with
which they hoped to play in the swimming pool,
on the hottest day of the year in Washington.
received sad lesson concerning their status
in the Nations Capital Democratic and Re-
publican bi-partisanship has carried itself now
to the point Of making the children of this city
suffer as the result of the color of their skin
1t is our contention that the ruling of the
Recreation Board that certain Fairgrounds are
to be white" and others Negro" is unconsti-
tutional. 1t is further contended that the police
officials who prevented these young people from
entering the playground and pool. had no legal
basis for their action and were therefore per-
verting the powers of their Office by protecting
those who were breaking the law-the Recre-
alton Board.
But this is not merely legal matter 1t is
also matter of morality-the morality of those
who perpetuate and impose a pattern of Jim
Crow by means Of their official positions be-
cause it is profitable pattern The peonle Of
Washington have right to live and to play
with their friends regardless of color The Pro-
gressive Party will not stand by in Washington
or any place else in the country and see this
right destroyed.
We call upon the newspapers of the District
and the people of the District to join us in a
light to destroy Jim Crow in the Nations
Capital. WILLIAM CAprTMAN
Acting Executive Secretary, Progressive Party
OF the District OF Columbia.