St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1957-07-12

humphrey MADE the final attack
June 20, on the Senate floor a.
gainst southern opposition to by
passing the Senate Judiciary
committee where Senator James
Eastland Of Mississippi and other
southern senators had effectively
bottled up the senate bill.
The first installment of Hum
phrey's speech appeared in the
June % edition of this paper; the
second in last weeks (July 81 edi-
ton and it is concluded in this edi-
ton.
Said Humphrey:
Does it make the situation any
more fair, simply because a COM
mittee is discharged
When we talk about expediency
or fairness, how do we Judge?
What is fair? That is fair which
is right. What is right in this
body? Right in the body is to per-
NIT every subject to have ade-
quate explanation and discussion,
and ultimately to permit a ma
jority to act one way or the other.
1 have not been presumed by
the NAACP or the ADA-not
one bit. AS a matter Of fact, 1
have taken more heat from both
organization In recent months
than have many other Members
Of the Senate. Maybe / have
taken a lot of IL because have
been their friend. Sometimes
friends have a way of furnishing
one another.
1 say to the National Associa-
ton for the Advancement of Col
ored People that IL their patience
has run out, can well understand
why. Many of their fine members
have suffered indignities which no
American citizen should have TO
suffer. II the National Associa-
ton for the Advancement of Col
ored People thinks rule XIV ought
to be applied, 1 can understand
why, That organization has been
under severe attack, and that or
ganization says the time is at
hand for action; and this is a
means to obtain action, not illeg-
ally, not by an irresponsible means,
but by a legal, responsible means
provided for in rule XIV of the
Rules of the United States Senate.
So far as the ADA is concerned,
I, too, am one of its officers. /
think it is no secret that on oc-
casion this great organization has
seen fit to chastise me, and per-
haps properly so. Perhaps / did
not understand why at the NOM
ent, but their judgement undoubt-
edly was better than mine.
All 1 can say, as the Lord is my
judge, is that not once has either
written to me or tele-
phoned to me within the last 3
much less the last 3 days,
telling me what to do about the
bill. What is more, if they had,
would have proceeded to do what
thought should be done anyhow.
have split with those organiza-
tons before, as has the Senator
from Oregon, and we shall do Il
again, IL we think we need to.
After all, each of us has a vote
here, and that vote is worth all the
respect and trust one can give to
It. But 1 do not want organizations
to appear as II they were going to
tell us what to do, particularly
when those organizations have not
told this Senator.
1t was just suggested to me that
should mention the title of the
bill and the number.
The number of the bill is II. r.
1927. What is it? It is:
An act to provide means for
further securing and protecting the
civil rights of persons within the
Jurisdiction Of the United States.
The bill has several titles.
Part Establishment Of the
Commission Of Civil Rights.
That, by the way, is a commits
sion which many of my colleagues
have sponsored in the Senate on
other occasions. The next part of
the bill is:
Part Ito provide for an addi-
lOnal Assistant Attorney General
He is to be appointed by the
President, by and with the advice
and consent Of the Senate.
Part IIT-To strengthen the civil
rights statutes, and for other pur-
poses
The next part Of the bill is:
Part IV-To provide means OF
further securing and protecting the
right to vote.
Mr.. President, l conclude on this
theme. / have repeated IL over and
over again. There are two courses
IF action in the Senate, two cour-
ses, we might say. Of argument. /
One group talks of Senate rules
and trial by jury. That is one
group. Their theme is Senate rules
and trial by jury.
HUBERT HUMPHREY talks |
about the Constitution of the
United States and the right to
vote.
Both subjects are contained in |
his document, the Senate Manual 1
Senators can take their choice.
The Constitution Of the United /
States is every bit as explicit as /
-ule XIV or rule XIV. The Con- |
'titution is a pretty important doc |
Iment, and II is being violated. |
What does the Constitution pre-
hide? The amendments to the Con-
'titution are much more sacred |
han are the rules of the Senate, |
because the rules of the Senate /
Ire only designed TO effectuate the
Constitution.
read again what / read in the |
Senate on Monday OF this week. |
The 18th amendment provides:
The right Of citizens Of the United 4
states TO vote shall not be denied 1
" abridged By the United States /
" by any State on account Of race. 4
.olor. or previous condition Of
ervitude.
submit that this country Is
repIete with evidence that the
18th amendment n being yiolat-
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