The guardian., 1953-12-12

pAV AASeNANs
Atty. A. G. Hayes.
CIVIL RIGHTS WEEK (De-
cember 8 through December 15)
is appropriately proclaimed at
this time by His Excellency,
Gov. Christian A. Herter. A
cital Civil Rights issue on race
segregation is now before the
u. S. Supreme Court. The long
est lover 300 years. champions
of American Civil Rights have
been Colored Americans. The
greatest champion of genuine
democracy have been men OF
the calibre of Douglass, Trot-
ter, Dubois, White and Bunche.
FRED DOUGLASS appeared
on Sunday Television, Nover1-
ber %, on the "You Were There"
history program centering about
the soul-taxing decisions of the
great Republican President
Lincoln. The likeness of Doug
lass was amazing and what
he said was even greater. In
Brief, Douglass called upon the
people and nation to support
the President against those who
sought to bring harm to him
and his ideals. That advice Is
timely today.
ABE LINCOLN, like President
Eisenhower, went into Office
surrounded by jealous and
power mad factions. They hop
ed to make the Presidency a
Captive" to their whims. Lin
coin had to battle his own Cab
met, his own Congress and ev-
en- his own Generals. Many were
acting and speaking out of
turn" Today, Ike has a most
similar condition. If his OPP
ponents are not speaking, they
are busy writing authentic"
books. Then there's Mccarthy.
THE PRESIDENT, thus far,
has been spared the chaotic
conditions which faced Lin
coin. In spite of Dixie protests
there will be no Civil War over
Civil Rights. Indeed, much of
the south is ready to concede
rather than secede. Butt Eisen-
hover does face the Captive
President" threat. And like
Lincoln he has some fanatical
and dangerous politicians to
deal with. Mr.. Eisenhower must
now make his stand. The Cen
eral cannot afford to retreat.
THE REPUBLICAN Party
gained its historic and humane
prestige from its stand on Free
American Labor and Civil
Rights. The COP did not win
popular vote because of its
early banking and business pro-
grams. The COP did not win
the popular vote because of its
early tragic relations with labor
and the unions. The COP won
because of its new found Com
mon Man" interest portrayed by
men like Lincoln and Teddy
Roosevelt. Remember?
Mr.. EISENHOWER possesses
the same personal honesty,
ideals and integrity as did both
Lincoln and the Rough Rider
Given the right cooperation
and firmness of faith, Eisen-
hover could conceivably be
equally as great. And this, in
deed, seems to be a nation
wide belief of many Americans
who today are exhibiting yari-
Gus votes of confidence, one of
which was the recent 1858 Am
erican Democratic Legacy Award
from B'nai Birth.
COMMUNISM or Facisra viii
not be eliminated where there
exists a denial of economic and
civil rights. The McCarthys, Peg
lers, Veldes may shout "far in
to the night" but their voice
will be lost in another gener-
alton if the Republican Party
does not adopt a positive pro-
gram" OF decreasing and elm
mating inequalities which have
made some men lose faith in
God and Country. Russia did
not invent the radical.
THE COP once lacked faith
in the dignity and integrity of
American Labor which the Dem
ocratic Parry unquestionably
has elevated to its highest pin
nacle. And the people almost
lost faith in the COP after
the last depression. Today, some
Republicans still proclaim dis
trust of the American people" ="
Mr.. Eisenhower rejects that