Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-07-15
Revolt
than the one Of Franklin Roose'
Continued From First Page.

than the one Of Franklin Roose-
welt"
Says Truman Won Friends.
Atlanta Journal: The Presidents
courage shone through the
tntra-party strife . 1t Is certain
to win him friends
Chattanooga. Free Press: This
should be q day of mourning for
Southern Democrats Their only
consolation is the grim salts
faction Of knowing that President
Truman and his unfaithful cohorts
are going down in ignonious
defeat"
Plans for the Birmingham meet
ing proceeded with the citys mu-
nicipal auditorium with a seating
capacity Of 5000. selected as the
site.
In addition to the twin roll call
defeat the Southerners suffered on
the platform plank on civil rights,
they were further angered by Presi-
dent Truman's inclusion Of the issue
in his announcement Of call OF
Congress into special session II days
hence.
Senator Russell's statement said
1.-THE delegates to the Democratic
convention who still believe in the
Jef1ersonian doctrine of States
rights we're entitled to have some
candidate who believes in that
principle that they could support.
when 1t became apparent that
no other States. rights Democrat
was to be placed In nomination, I
reluctantly consented to the use of
my name.
Grateful for Votes.
The Democratic Party must
eventually return to its original
doctrine OF States rights If it is to
survive.
IT am very grateful to all those
who cast their votes for me"
The junior Senator from Georgia,
Who received 1853 Democratic con-
vention votes for the presidential
nomination, added that he would
not allow his name to be used at the
meeting. He Is a candidate for re-
election to the Senate in the Sep
TENDER 8 Georgia primary
The intense bitterness of the civil
rights issue was apparent for hours
as the convention fought over that
plank in the party platform-the
only plank about which there was
any issue.
The Southerners first struggled to
put a States rights declaration into
the platform which itself repre-
scented an attempted reconciliation
Of the views of the two extreme
wings of the Democratic Party.
When they lost. the Northern lib
eral elements, spanked by Mayor
Hubert H. Humphrey, jr., of Mime
apolis, the Democratic candidate
opposing Senator Ball in the No
ven1ber election, decided to attempt
to put their version into the plat
form.
Southern Plank Beaten.
This version included the key
sentence:
I'VE highly commend President
Harry Truman for his courageous
stand on the issue OF civil rights"
This was the sequence of events
In the hot, muggy convention hall:
First the convention turned down,
by a 925-to-309 vote, q Southern
States rights plank which would
have pledged the party to leave the
problem of civil rights to each State.
Then, by a SSH -to-5S21a vote, the
delegates wrote their complete in
dorsement of Mr.. Truman's own pro-
gram into the platform.
The deep South and Texas got
very few votes from beyond their
borders.
Text of Party Pledge.
The race plank that caused the
valkout and the formal call for the
Birmingham meeting reads:
The Democratic Party is respon =
sible for the great civil rights gains
made in recent years in eliminating
unfair and illegal discrimination
based on race. creed or color.
THE Democratic Party commits
itself to continuing its efforts to
eradicate all racial, religious and
economic discrimination.
I'VE again state our belief that
racial and religious minorities must
have the right to live, the right to
work, the right to vote, the full and
equal protection of the laws, on a
basis Of equality with all citizens as
guaranteed by the Constitution.
I'VE highly commend President
Harry Truman for his courageous
stand on the issue of civil rights.
I'VE call upon the Congress to
support our President in guaran-
teeing these basic. and fundamental
American principles-the right to
full and equal political participa-
ton; the right to equal opportunity
of employment; the right of secur-
ity Of person, and the right of equal
treatment in the service and defense
OF our Nation"
When the platform draft reached
the convention floor yesterday after
noon, the civil rights plank con-
tanned only three paragraphs.
New Provisions Added.
It was after the Southerners lost
their tight to insert a separate
States rights declaration that for
mer Representative Andrew Bic
miller of Wisconsin proposed the
two additional paragraphs singing
out Mr.. Humans specific anti
discrimination program.
The deep South and Texas stood
solid for the States rights. but the
ko~A~r Observation-Disclosures ~Marvla nd