The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1949-07-20

address.
More than 1000 persons over
flowed into Second Baptist church
for the opening Of what appears t.
be one OF the greatest of all MAJ
CP meetings. Negro and white
pressmen also crowded into the
auditorium to cover the meeting.
Citing the historical struggle Of
the NAACP, wilkins reviewed III
past, discussed its activities of the
past year, and previewed the prob
lens It will face next year. Speak
ing of the race problem as whole
he said:
"If we should fail in winning full
and complete equality. democracy
itself will fail.
THE race problem Is bigger than
a few states In the deep south. 1t Ia
bigger than the few prejudiced men
who influence the u. s. Congress-.
1t has assumed worldwide proper
tons and the American Negro is
prepared to take his place In the
worldwide struggle"
Announcing the aims Of the
NAACP program for the coming
year, he pointed out that last year
race relations had two setbacks:
First there was the wave OF
mob violence which swept parts Of
the nation since Labor day. =. The
second setback has been the fail
ure, thus far, to do anything on the
civil rights program"
To solve the problem Of mob
t, violence such as the recent swim.
ming pool cases In st. Louis, Wash
ington, D. c., and Youngstown. O.,
wilkins proposed:
I'VE shall press for badly needed
federal legislation to curb violence.
Certain of the states have proved
that they are either unwilling or
unable to prevent Iynchings.
We demand now, as we did In 1909,
that mobs must be punished and
that lynching must be wiped from
America"
Declaring that a fight must be
made against the filibuster, WIKI.
ms asked that senators who voted
against the Barkley ruling In the
February fight against the talka,
thon be defeated. He said:
I'VE must work In 1850 and
thereafter for the defeat of the
senators of both parties who voted
against the Barley ruling"
VICE President Alben Barley
had ruled that cloture to halt q
filibuster could be made In the dis
cussion of the proposal Of a motion
1t was defeated.
He said that the Dixiecrats
whether Republican or Democrat
must go. He advocated a three
point program to GUST them:
1. Aid in the registration Of
voters.
2. Explain the issues affecting
our welfare.
8. Publish and distribute voting
records of candidates on those
issues.
Declaring that the Negro Is loya
to America and would defend the
government In case of war. he said
'In demanding these things, thai
our national government enact s
civil rights program, We do mo-
cry out bitterly that we love an
other land better than our own Of
another people better than ours
This is our land. This is our nation
We helped to build it.
I'VE have defended 1t from
Boston Commons to Two Jima. VIZ
have helped to make 1t a better
land through our songs, our laugh
ter, our expansion and Qualification
of its constitution and its bill o.
rights, through our talents and
skills, all the way from Benjamin
Banneker who helped to lay oui
Washington, d. c., to DR.. Ralph
Bunche who made peace a working
reality in 194S.
The NAACP will continue tt
fight for equal education, better
housing, and suffrage, he said. He
denounced teachers who wanted tt
continue segregated schools tC
keep their jobs.
eff they are not good enough tC
teach both Negroes and whites" he
said of these instructors. "ther
they are not good enough to teach
opr children"
Negroes win some day have
something to say about who gov
erns them, he said.
Before many elections shall
have passed, we shall see Negroes
having a say about who shall gov