Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1956-07-27

before the Democratic National
IN support of a strong civil rig
Tho group decided to appoint n
continuing committee and elected
L. Howard Bennett. Minneapolis
attorney and member of the Min
nrsota state Athletic Commission,
chairman.
In u most historic gathering the
first of It's kind In advance Of
national convention the men and
women attending. all acknowledge
Ell leaders In the party In their re.
spcctivc states, devoted their SEES
siuna not Ia discussion of nresi,
Dental candidate possibilities, but
to tho task OF drafting civil
rights plank which would hold
the Negro voters in 10 pivotal
states In limo IN November for the
Democratic ticket.
Speaker after speaker IN brief
statements dlaavowrd any attempt
by the group to punish the south
ern element IN the party but each
expressed the idea that only
through an uneqnivocsl civil
rights platform could the line be
held against the Republican on.
slauRht 10 obtain Negro voter sup
port for tho Eisenhower admins.
tratlnn In the November elections,
There was no defeatiam In the
talks heard but there was q de-
termination that III least the Ne.
gro leadership In the party was
committed Ia keeping the party
IN the tradition of Roosevelt and
Truman and fighting any attempt
"a watcr-down the rights plank ~
sop To southern Democrats who
have been trying Ia undermine the
q. y Supreme Court influence
Senator James Eaailand was
considered the nest bigges, handi.
cap To the party second Ia a
moderate civil rights plank
The MiaaiSaippi u. y. Senator wa
not mentioned IN the official pro
csedlng ~ the conference but In.
dividuAl members admitted Off the
record that his Craftsmanship of
the Senate Judiciary COMMITTEES
was q tremendous handicap 10 the
party'H ticket In November,
TWO ~ the three Negro u. n.
CnnErsaHmen, William Dawson Of
Illinois and Charles Digs ~ DE.
troit spoke NJ the session, Despite
HIS speech against the Powell n
msndmsnt few days before.
Dawson, who was In home terri
tory In Chicago was well received
There was, however. an undercur-
rent Of criticism Of his role In
Congress on the civil rights front
which only threatened IN srupt
once on the floor hut which was
quietly quclled by Ralph Met
cafe, Chicago alderman who snrv-
ed az permanent chairman ~ the
meeting
Diggs Of Michigan was well re-
csivod with great spplaus. after
his hard hitting speech, the theme
~ which vas that the Democratic
party could not afford compromise
On clvil rights
Digs brought letter from
Congressman Adam Clayton
Powell. who wrote that he
thoroughly endorsed the purposss
~ the meeting and would support
any action the group took Powell
len for Europe nn Saturday on
the same day - the conference
and could not be present
Playing q prominent role In the
meeting, nInBes0thn l.. Howard
Bennett, served a. chairman 81 the
committee appointed 10 draft the
grDup's civil rights proposals..
80 favDrably did the meeting
consider Ilennstta work that u
named him unanimously 10 chair
man M" continuing committee
vhirh VIII watrh developments
within the party ia the interest ~
Negro Democrats and the group
interests
The group declared In n formal
statement that W win the PreaI.
dsucy ana the Congregational cleo
iiona next November. the Demo
cratic Party must ahDpt n strong
civil nights plank and nominate a
liberal candidate who win not
sgulyocA,e In his support ~ II.
statrmrBt 81 Principles
In a statement ~ principles,
they declared, Being Democrats
vitality Concerned with the future
- our Party. IL bshooven us 10
press fDr an effective civil rights
plank on which our party can win.
Therefore. Va shall submit To
IN. Dern0o ratio National cOnyen-
ti0n Platform COMMITTEES the fol-
iOV1nR specific suggestions for q
civil rights plank adopted here to-
day. These suggestions are moral.
~ correct, nationally necessary
and politically realistic"