St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1950-02-17
FINAL INSrALLMENr
To Secure These Rights;
Education Helps But Not Enough

Recently the Supreme Court
has called out attention to the
damage which can be done to our
interests internationally through
irresponsible action by one state.
In 1913 California passed an Alien
Land Act which made 1t impos-
sible for japanese aliens to own
or occupy agricultural land in the
state.
In taking this step, California
rejected the protests Of three
Presidents Of the United States
that such a law would almost
certainly cause an adverse re-
action inside Japan.
In 1948 the Supreme Court de-
clared this statute unconstitution-
al and in one Of the opinions in
the case stated:
The passage of the law was
an international incident. The
Japanese Government made an
immediate protest on the ground
that the statute was an indica-
ton of unfriendliness toward its
people.
Indeed, the resentment was so
strong inside Japan that de-
mands were made that war be
declared against the United
States. Anti-American agitation
grew rapidly.
Who can doubt today that the
passage of this state law was one
of the things that finally led the
Japaneses people to feel such hat
red toward the United States, or
that 1t made it easier for mill
tarists and extremists to guide
Japan down a road that brought
ruin to that nation and the raw
ages of war to this nation? Or
who can be certain that similar
action by American states or
communities today may not give
similar offense to foreign peoples
that will one day bring suffering
and death to many Americans
irresponsible action by some
Of our people can well do grave
damage TO all Of us.
In other words, as a nation in a
troubled world we cannot wait for
our slowest state or our most
backward community to catch up
and see to it that all freedoms are
guaranteed to all of its people.
The international situation creates
sense of urgency with respect
to our civil rights problem which
only the National Government
can meet.
Two considerations persuaded
the Presidents Committee that
segregation must go. The first
was a belief that we must narrow
the gap between our principles
and practices. Perhaps the most
basic principle Of the American
way of life is a belief that each
individual should be judged by
his fellow-men strictly on the
basis of his own personality, his
industry, his achievements.
Recently Gen. c. w. Lawrence
reported on the experience of the
Air Force which has abandoned
segregation at its Lakeland Base
in Texas. where $4,000 men go
through thirteen weeks of basic
training. He said: The integra-
ton of the base was accomplished
with complete harmony. Orders
went through to completely end
segregation among the trainees
on a certain date and when that |
date arrived the segregation was
ended.
No unpleasant Incidents re-
suited and the white boys and
the Negro boys in the training
camp are getting along well to-
gether."
This and other recent inter-
racial experiments seem to show
that where men do live and work
together regardless of race and !
religion, prejudice and intolerance
begin to decline and awsreness of |
the Importance of the individual |
as against his membership to a
racial group begins to grow.
Secondly, the committee was
convinced that the so-caIled sep
arate but equal" solution to the
race problem is a failure. The
separate but equal policy is the
best naturalization which sup
porters Of segregation have ad-
vanced. The argument runs that