Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-10-19

While Politicians Talk Westinghouse Are WORKING Out Their Own Problems

ID ACIAL segregation in Wash
IL ington-an issue which has
been enthusiastically exploited. one
way or another. by whole genera
tons of politicianS-iS being called
to national attention once again in
the current election campaign. The
Republican platform this year prom
ises an end to segregation in the
District, and Gen. Eisenhower, the
G. o. P. nominee, has called for
elimination of every vestige" of
discrimination here. The Democrats
have yet to address themselves Spe-
ciflcally to the issue, so far as this
campaign is concerned. But Gov.
Stevenson is expected to do so this
week In view of his attitude on
questions involving civil rights. as
expressed in recent speech in Har-
lem, there is no reason to suppose
that the Democratic nominee will
allow himself to be outdone by his
rival when it comes to being scam
dalized by the plight of the Negro
in the Nations Capital.
Washington, of course, Is quite &C
customed to serving as whipping boy
for the national race conscience.
This is not the only city south Of
the MaSon-Dixon line where the
problem of securing the colored citi-
zens' rights is long and delicate
one. But this is the one such city
feels entitled to vent the full meas
ure of its righteous impotence. And,
for a touchy issue of the sort, this
city is a politicians dream. Nobody
is likely to lose votes for anything
he says about Washington.
No Hiding PIoce
Even in its most ticklish social
adjustments. the District is per-
mitted no privacy. Any incident
involving the local race problem is
fit grist for the national publicity
mill. When Marian Anderson, the
great Negro contralto, was barred
from Constitution Hall in 1899, she
sang Nobody Knows the Trouble
I've Seen" from the steps Of the
Lincoln Newfoundland made her.
self heard around the world. But
an incident need not have the high
dramatic content of that one to
qualify for front page treatment
outside the District. 1t may be an
occurrence which would be dismissed
as trivial if it happened anywhere
else. The Washington dateline Is its
passport to notoriety.
During the past five years. the
Districts attitude toward race re-
lationS has taken special scorch-
ing under the burning glass Of
public attention. In 1947. a presi-
dental committee made a Nation
wide survey of civil rights progress.
or the lack of it. The committee found
many shortcomings in many places.
For the situation here, however, 1t
reserved its roundest expressions Of
disgust: Shamefulness, absurdity.
humiliation and the like The COM
mittee found nothing hopeful about
the Washington picture. 1t simply
concluded that the picture is in
tolerahle.
Glasses and Ghettoes
In 1948, National Committee
on Segregation in the Nations Capt.
tai distributed widely. in pamphlet
form. it's own report on Washington
race relations. This group outdid
the Presidents committee in the
hoIrendous pessimism of its obser-
vations. The text was Illuminated
by graphic cartoons. A portly, frown-
ing white man wearing glasses and
q black double breasted suit Che
sometimes bore a label on his chest
identifying him as representative of
trade and real estate interests was
shown penning faceless Negroes in
barbed-wire Enclosures and moving
them and their homes around in a
steam-shovel scoop. Washington, the
committee implied, was bent on con-
filming its colored citizens to "ghettoes
OF the mind, body and spirit"
So 1t has gone. and so it doubt
less will continue to go. The efforts
of this community to work out it's
race problem are butt of kissing
and reproach throughout most of the
rest of the Nation-especially in cleo
ton years. That is one fact of the
matter. Fortunately, it is not the
only fact.