St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1950-05-26
FAIR EMPLOYMENT
PRACTICE ACT

slderatlOn of the motion OF Mr..
Lucas 10 proceed 10 the coRsIdera-
ton OF the bill IS. 1929 TO pro-
hlbIt discrimination IN employ
ment because of race, religion, or
national origin.
Mr.. HUMPHREY. Mr.. Presi-
dent, let me say at the beginning
of my remarks that 1t is my in
tentiOn not to yield for the pur-
pose OF permitting questions dur
ing the delivery of my prepared
statement. Following the presen-
tatlon of my statement, l shall be
more than happy to receive what
ever questions may be asked and
to endeavor to answer them to the
best of my ability.
Mr.. President, l have no desire
10 prolong extensively the debate
on this important motion and
on this important measure feel
that the question of whether S.
1928 should move from the calen-
dar to the floor for consideration
and vote IS one which can be de-
cided rapidly and without lengthy
debate. S. 1928 in this respect
should be treated no differently
than any proposal made by the
majority leadership. Those who
oppose this bill, or any bill, have
ample opportunity to debate it in
full once it reaches the floor and
have every opportunity to oppose
it and vote against it when that
time comes.
The Senate of the United States
has been accredited with being the
greatest deliberative body in the
world. Those of us who have the
honor and the privilege to have
been chosen by our fellow citizens
" lNPiSoShl IAACil III ILLS bISIlh-
guished body have a particular re-
sponSibility to maintain its dignity
and prestige. l urge all of my col
leagues of whatever persuasion
with regard to the merits of this
bill, to be guided by that consider
alton.
The American people have
right to expect that the Senate of
the United States will discuss and
vote on all vital legislation which
affects them. S. 1928, a Federal
Fair Employment Practice Act, is
one in which the American people
are vitality interested. We of the
United States Senate have a re-
sponsibility and a duty to allow
this measure to reach the floor for
our consideration and our vote. Al
though we have a responsibility to
permit any minority to persuade
and then actively to oppose legis-
lation if their consciences so guide
them, l submit that no minority
has a right to prevent the Senate
of the United States from consid-
ering and eventually voting on
that legislation.
In the past, civil-rights legisla-
ton has been surrounded either
by prolonged filibuster or by
threats of filibuster. l urge the
Senate of the United States not to
enter into such performance
again. The United States cannot
afford prolonged fiibuster, or,
in more polite language, unhmi-
ted debate, if it is to maintain,
abroad and at home, the dignity
and prestige of the institutions of
representative government.
Toward that end, therefore, l
shall be content with a mere sum-
mary statement of my position
and ask unanimous consent that
the more detailed text of my re-
marks be placed in the body of
the Record following my spoken
comments.
The VICE PRESIDENT. With
out objection, it is so ordered.
Mr.. HUMPHREY. Mr.. Presi-
dent, there is one point wish to
emphasize. S. 1928 is probably as
significant a piece of legislation
as we in the Congress of the Unit
ed States will have an opportun-
ity to consider. On it hinges not
only the true fullfillment of our
democratic heritage in America,
but the prestige of democracy in
the world. Discrimination in
America on account of race, color,
religion or national origin, is a
cancer in our body polite. Two
thirds of the people in the world
are colored. So long as men and
women and children of color are
Disseminated against in the Unit
ed States, so long as they are de-
MED equal opportunities, the
colored peoples of the world
have a right to suspect our pro-
fessed friendship for them and to
look upon our international efforts
for world understanding and de-
mocracy with suspicion. At this
time I wish TO pay high tribute
to the remarks of the junior Sena-
tor from Connecticut CMr. Benton)
on this very subject He delivered
a masterful address in pointing
out the relationships between the
foreign policy of this country and
its domestic policy, policy
which we are now considering in
the field of civil rights.