Evening star., 1952-08-09
The Political Mil
South Shows Little Feol
Of Compulsory FEPC
RoIIy to Party Ticket Could
Be Offset in North, However
By Gould Lincoln

HYANNIS, Mass, Aug. 9-The present
rally of Southern Democrats to thl
Stevenson-S -Sparkman ticket can ntsaS
only one thing-these Southern leaI.
ers are convinced that if Gov. Steven
son and Senator Sparkman are elected
President and Vice President, respec-
lively. they need not fear the enactment
Of compulsory Federal FEPC law, OF
indeed, any Of the civil rights measures
which are anathema to many Democrats
Of the South. When Gov. Byrnes OF
South Carolina and Gov. White OF
Mississippi join the forces supporting
the national Democratic ticket. there
must be something in their minds be-
yond the mere willingness to go down
the line for Stevenson and Sparkman
1t is possible. however, that this sud-
den new fondness for the national
Democratic ticket on the part of these
gentlemen may be the kiss of death in
a number of Northern and Western
States. That. however. time will make
clear As Of the moment, the Steven.
son-Sparkman ticket is riding high,
wide and handsome in the South. II
would appear to deny the probability
of any of the Southern States turning
to the Republican Eisenhower Nixon
ticket. 1t would also indicate that many
OF the Southern members of the HOUSE
and Senate, Democrats all, who hold
important assignments are anxious to
hold on to what they have and so are
willing to go along.
Move to Influence Election.
President Truman's announcement
Lao
SesSion-ostenSibly to deal with price
controls and to check an infationary
spiral-looks like another move to in.
f1uence the elections in November. II
was the tactic adopted by the President
in 1948. At that time the President
said that Congress could enact in Is
days long series of important measures
which he had urged, including stronger
controls, compulsory health Insurance.
and the civil rights program.
If the President does decide to call
Congress into session. there will be
strong demands that something be done
about the FEPC Neutrality-suspicious.
with the Humphrey-Ives bill, now on the
Senate calendar, in mind This bill.
sponsored by 10 Democrats headed by
Senator Humphrey of Minnesota and
seven Republicans headed by Senator
Ives of New York, provides a strona
entering wedge for compulsory FEPC.
although it does not go quite that far
In its present form. The stronger meas
ure could be offered as a substitute at a
special session, or it could be presented
at later congressional session.
The Humphrey-Ives bill, which was
approved July by the Senate Labor
and Public Welfare Committee. does not
mention FEPC-which has aroused as
much resentment in the South as the
Taft-Hartley labor law has aroused
among the labor leaders of the country.
1t calls for Federal equality of op-
portunity in employment" and provides
Tor the appointment of Federal COM
mission to work toward such an end.
Inc commission would be obligated to
cede to States and localities all its au-
thority. if the1oStates and localities
enacted satisfactory discriminatory
laws of their own.
Different Situation Now.
When the President called the Con-
gress back into session in 194s it was a
Republican-controlled Congress. Should
ne repeat now he would be calling into
session Democratic Congress- very
different situation. particularly should
the Congress decline to enact the leeis.
lation for which Mr.. Truman asked.
1t may be that the President believes
the Republicans in Congress would re-
sist his legislative proposals for stronger
controls. etc.. and if they did, he and
the rest of the Democrats could make
political hay out of their opposition.
or course, it is just possible the Re-
publicans would be politically wise
enough to go ahead with the Presi-
dents demands and give him what
he wants. Controls are definitely not
popular with lot Of the people. And
II prices continued to remain high or
go higher. the whole thing might react
against the Democrats.
Further, If the civil-rights issue should
be injected. and the Democrats failed
TO produce in special session of Con-
gress, the fat would be in the fire tn
an even greater degree. A special ses-
sion this summer and fall could hold
plenty of political dynamite.