Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1949-04-29

pensation passed IN the House
continued to make headlines
in the House Industry and
Labor Committee, and the
public housing bill start e d
through the mill.
FEPC Hearings End
The Senate Commerce and La
Dor Committee will vote on
FEPC next Wednesday morning
at 10, having completed public
hearings on amended H.B.-l06
In an emotion packed session
before one of the largest hear
ing crowds of the session, FEPC
friends and foes locked horns.
Leading the opposition pack
was the Chamber Of Commerce
and a star" witness hustled in
from Washington. He was Don
aid Richberg, whose sole claim
to notoriety is his one-time al
legged liberalism. Today Rich
berg, perennial supporter of an
ti-Labor legislation, runs around
the country opposing FEPC and
other liberal legislation and also
represents private utility firms
Making a 45-minute attack on
the bill as unconstitutional
"sure to hurt business" and a
denial of freedom of speech,
press, religion and assembly
Richberg lashed out at religious
leaders backing the measure for
extraordinary hypocrisy"
Testimony Shattered by Lawyer
Thurgood Marshall, general
counsel for the NAACP, brought
to Columbus by the Ohio Com
mittee for FEPC, shattered Rich
berg's arguments. Pointing out
that Richberg's unconstitutional
ty argument was full of holes
Marshall quoted from Richberg's S
testimony on FEPC to the Sen
ate. At that time, he said, "The
right 10 legislate in these fields
(FEPC) rests solely with the
state legislatures, not the federal
government" But in Columbus,
Richberg, ignoring his own
claims in Washington, said, "The
Ohio Legislature has no right to
pass such legislation.
Cutting the ground out from
under Big Business predictions
of dire things TO come IL FEPC
passes, Marshall charged these
echoed testimony given In New
York, and then quoted the same
New York spokesman, who to-
day admit no problems resulted
from FEPC and business has
been helped, not hindered.
Hearings wound up amidst a
flaming debate between Marshall
and Senator David Ferguson (R.,
Cambridge who tossed hate
laden questions at Marshall, who
battered down the senator's
biased, sometimes nearly inco-
herent, arguments with ease.
Public Housing Hearings Open
Enabling legislation, to take
Ohio out Of the orphan class
as far as public housing is con-
cerned, opened in the House
Taxation Committee. Companion
bills, H.B.-179 and H.B.-273,
authorized by George Marshall
(R., franklin and William Hart
ID, Cleveland) would set aside
Ohio Supreme Court decisions
effectively barring public hous-
ing for Ohio.
Supporting the bipartisan bill
were the big cities (who lose
$3.50, 900 year because of the
decision), CLIO, and other La
Dor organizations, veterans
groups, YWCA and other liberal
organizations.
Opposition, which hasn't pub
licly spoken yet, will come from
the real estate lobby concerned
not with public welfare but with
the fear that they may lose prof
its, the Clio. charged
Witnesses agreed that failure
TO permit housing would be a
social and economic crime and
a blood crime as well. Propon-
ents warned that real estate lob
byists will hand out baloney and
miSinformation, and will claim
there is no housing shortage
but merely an over-demand. {"
Cold realities of the housing
shortage demand action now, F."
proponents testified.
Opposition arguments will be
heard at a future date" said
Committee Chairman James Car +
ney ID, cuyahoga), who refus-
ed to set the date for more hear
ings.
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