Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1952-10-18
Truman haiIs...
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/ nOnOTeu lOuf years ago Ill lIle SAME
spot by the same group and he re-
viewed all of this in his speech.
\ The President said
Ladies and Gentlemen: | deeply
appreciate the Franklin Delano
Roosevelt award you have just
given me. ! appreciate it all the
more because | received the same
award here in Dorrence Brooks
four years ago this month.
That was an occasion l shall
never forget. The deep feeling
that poured forth from the hearts
of the many thousands of people
who were assembled in this park
four years ago, was one of the
most moving experiences of my
life.
That was the high point of the
1913 campaign. | knew then that
you had placed your trust in me.
We pledged ourselves that day to
a great enterprise-thee end of ra-
cial injustice and unfair discrimi-
nation.
| am very proud of this award.
Franklin Roosevelt beat back de-
|pression; he led US to victory in
war; and he gave US the chance
to create a world order based on
the equal worth and dignity of
every individual. 1t is up to US to
make good on the chance he gave
us.
Today, | am winding up trip
across the country in which | have
urged the American people to elect
Adlai Stevenson as President.
There are many reasons why YOU
should elect Adlai Stevenson.
The Democratic Party under
Adlai Stevenson, offers you the
best hope of peace in the world.
The Democratic Party offers you
the best protection against another
depression. And not least, it Of
1ers you continued progress to-
ward full civil rights for all Amer
leans.
Many people have wondered how
l came to have such a deep inter-
est IN civil rights. | want to tell
you about that. Right after World
War II, religious and racial intol-
GRANGE began to show up Just as
it did in 1919. There were good
many incidents of violence and fric-
ton. but two of them in particular
made a deep impression on me.
One was when a Negro veteran,
still wearing this country's uni
form, was arrested, and beaten
and blinded. Not long after that,
two Negro veterans and their wives
lost their lives at the hands of a
mob.
It's the duty of state and local
Government to prevent such trag-
edles. But, as President of the
United States, | felt | ought to do
everything in my power to find
what caused such crimes and 70
root out the causes. 1t was for
that reason | created the Presi-
dents Committee on Civil Rights.
l asked its members to study the
situation and recommend to the
whole country what we should do.
| Their report is one of our great
American documents. When it was
handed to me, said that it was a
new charter of human freedom.
Five years have passed, but | have
never seen anything to make me
change my mind. These five years
have seen some hard fighting by
those who believe in civil rights
for all our people-women like
that great lady Eleanor Roosevelt,
men like your own good Senators,
Herbert Lehman and Bob Wagner
and the fine Democrats you have
sent from New York to the House
of Representatives. These five
years have seen lot Of progress
progress in spite of obstacles
that have been placed in our way.
I l want to review that progress
with you today.
Right after the Committee on
Civil Rights made its report to me,
| sent to the Congress a special
message making ten recommended
tons for new legislation. Only
two of those ten recommendations
have been approved by the Con-
gress. The opponents of civil rights
in Congress have blocked every eff
fort to enact such important legis-
lation as fair employment prac-
tice law, an anti-poll tax law, and
an anti-lynch law. Not only that,
they have succeeded in changing
the rules under which Congress
operates, so as to make it prac-
tically impossible to stop a fill
buster.
Who are the opponents of civil
rights? All you have to do is look
at the record. ! sent good FEPC
| bill to Congress-; but the Republi-
cans introduced the Mcconnell
Amendments toothless substitute
for FEPC. And the Republicans
In the house voted 2 to / for that
amendment = beating the Demo-
cratic majority that wanted FEPC.
= The Republicans also introduced
and got passed in the Senate the