St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1952-09-26

A'A III Alt mas ottlA III OP'i aAADAli
with less and less effort to dis
gluse It, Southern Democrat
| Republican coalition against
civil rights.
lie Is fully aware Of the attitude
Of Republicans like Sen. Robert
A Taft and Minority Leader Jos
eph ". Martin, who showed that
they believed the Republicans
would eventually return to power
without aid Of the Negro. despite
| the record Of sue, essive Republi
can defeats ever since the Negro
voter left that party's ranks in
1882.
The COP Old Guard went down
to defeat at Chicago on many is
sues, but, 10 Negroes, Taft's posi-
ton on FEPC was better than
General EisenhOwcr's and Senator
Nixon's. The Ohio aspirant at
least favored a noncompulsOry
Federal agency 10 persuade" la
Dor unions and employers TO cease
discrimination. Eisenhower. to
date, would leave the whole mat
ter TO the states. Nixon voted as
recently as June "a, 1852, against
permitting even Senate discussion
Of the Ives-Humphrey FEPC Bill.
Possible modification of his
views was indicated by Eisen-
hover to a small Negro delega-
ton at Denver on August T. The
Rt. Rev. d. Ward Nichols of the
African Methodist Episcopal
Church quoted the COP candidate
after an hour-long discussion as
saying that ne was mot yet will
ing to concede that the only solu-
ton TO civil rights is through a
compulsory Federal law" but that
he was Impressed" by the appeal
Of 10 prominent Republicans on
August 3 for a "compulsory-fair-
employment-practices act which
did not conflict with effective
state action in this field"
He promised careful study OF
the issue and Immediate steps" II
elected to end "disgraceful" dis
elimination in Washington.
This apparent recession from
the views Eisenhower had express
sed in his first press conference in
Abilene can conceivably affect
the choice of Negro voters next
November. Senator Morse, one Of
a very few Republican senators
whose civil rights record is I'M
equivocal, has publicly urged
Eisenhower and Nixon to repudi-
ate the wholly unsatisfactory civil
rights platform and enunciate a
fortnight program against racial
and religious bigotry.
II Is highly unlikely the Repub-
lican high command will permit
such a step in view Of the voting
alliance with the South during re-
cent years and the quadrennial
hope of the COP burning more
brightly this year than ever be
fore because of General Essen
hower's considerable popularity in
the South. that the Republican
party can "crack the Solid South"
But should Eisenhower exercise
his widely known propensity to
act boldly on his own initiative
when convinced he Is right, the
coming election may be even
closer than it seems at present
All signs point to the likelihood
that the independent voters, esti-
mated by Elmo Roper to number
about 10 per cent, and in parti-
Cular, the 100000 Negro voters
will cast their ballots on the ques-
ton Of civil rights and the re-
spcCtive records OF the two parties
to a greater degree than on any
other issue.
What the Negro voter will do II
neither party's candidates are
satisfactory is question which
today is frequently asked Adam
Clayton Powell, one Of the two
Negro members Of Congress. in
formed the Democratic Platform
Committee that Negro voters
might stay at home on Election
DAY.
No other Negro leaders have
joined him In such a proposal.
They uniformly believe not only
that such "A course would be one Of
defratism hut that u would he
precisely what the Negroes en-
cmics and those who resent his
luSistrncc on unalloyrd citizen
ship for himself and other minor
tiles want him 10 do-climluatc
his political power.
Besides, Negroes are acutcly
aware that just as important as
the choice OF a President and
Vice President is the selection Of
who shall be elected to the Senate
and House Of Representatives. as
governors TO state legislatures
and city councils and as mayors
and members Of school and tax
boards We're the election to be
held tomorrow with the record
and future intentions Of both
parties as unsatisfactory on civil
rights as they are, 1t Is conceiv-
able that some Negro voters-and
white ones might so into the
voting booths and abstain from
voting for any presidential candi-
late. But they would so there 10