Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1952-04-04
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civil rights legislation. Taft ex-
pressed what In probably his basic
objections to real FEPC:
Il believe that the bill as franz
ed and introduced would absolute
Iy bring about a complete regi-
mentation Of all employers in the
United States and all employ
ment In the United States"
He has introduced q bill Of his
own which would give a commits
sion the power OF study and vol
untary appeal" a. he himself ex-
pressed II. Taft has also built up
q good paper record In behalf OF
anti-lynching legislation.
Furthermore. he always votes
for cIoture to end the Southern
filibuster. This voting record Ii
only nominal and In no way indi-
Gates how he has worked 10 sabo-
tage civil rights legislation. As
Republican leader. he has never
been willing to hold the Senate in
continuous session around the
clock, which IL the only way to
wear down fIIibusters. A. a result.
filibusters are genteel affairs with
everybody knocking off around six
o'clock in the evening. In the end
there II occasionally one token all
night session and then an agree
ment to vote. This IL no strain on
Dixiecrat lungs at all
When the vote does come. TAFT
casts his own vote in favor Of elo-
turc. but he In careful to sec TO II
that there are always just enough
no" votes by Republican sena-
tors from states like New Hamp-
shire. Nevada, and the DakotRs
which have no Negro constituent
eies. TAFT always delivers the
Dworshaks and Bushfields and
Malones on KEEP economic issues
that really interest him: he IL
strangely Intellectual with these
same gentlemen on civil rights
issues.
when Taft was traffic man.
ager' for IeGialAtlon In the Re-
publican s0th Congress. he cOnSas-
trntly refused Co give civil rights
IrRiaIAtion the right Of way on the
calendar. As On Cincinnati, he has
done nothing by Informal pressure
In Washington For example. when
racIata were kicking MP . row over
Interior Secretary Chapman's rub
ing which OpcRcd the District Of
Columbia swimming pools without
seErrgatioa. TAFT gave Chapman
no support
Taft's classic vancouver in this
whole field was his masteTmind-
ing OF the so-called wherry res
olution. In is49, after q big rum
pus over FEPC. the Republicans
In the senate came forward with .
compromise" This was the
whrrry resolution which provides
that u requires . constitutional
two-thiris Of the Senate te4
yptes) 10 break a nlibuster In
stead Of. as previously. two thirds
of whatever number % senators
happened to Be- present in the
chamber at the time.
THIS ''compromise" actually
made the passage Of civil rights
legislation incidentally more dim
cult. Yet TAFT promoted it, voted
for Il. and cynicaIly defended it as
a measure to make passage easier
TAFT has the closest kind Of
working alliance with the Byrd
George Russell triumvtrste which
rules the Dixieerat bloc. They
work hand In glove on labor
taxes. price control and other eco
nomtc legislation. The fTndamen-
tai premise Of this working agree
mcnt l. that Tan viii always ind
ways and means Of preventing the
passage Of civil rights
raft. speaking In Na~hNtAie
Traa.. In S~Vtrmbsv. IsAS frankly
adulttrl; There n . haAAe aGrce-
usrat b~tWc~a SsutheEn Dcms-
Gratis and the RrPubllcAn Party"
Yet Tan 10 not above claiming
credit for his championship Of
Negro intsrcstA HIS literature