St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1957-02-15

I
cleanse myself. II you segregat
me because am Ignorant, / ca
become educated. But II you dis
criminate against me because Q
my color, / can do nothing. Go
gave me my color. I have no pos
sible protection against race pre-
Judice but TO take refuge In cyni
cism. bitterness. hatred and dea
pair. I am a Negro American. Al
my life l have wanted TO be a
American.
Mr.. President, this Is why pre-
JUDGE and discrimination cost to,
much for democracy to afford
This is also, Mr. President, VIII,
history has a claim on the SSH
Congress. Human rights Is a con
cept whose time has come. II liz {
concept with the highest priority
on the worlds agenda, and II de
serves a priority no less high OF
the agenda Of the United States
Congress.
We know that our Constitu.
ton guaranteed full equality OF
rights and opportunities to Amer.
can Of every race. color. religion
and national origin. We know
that proposed legislation to assure
to every American his constitu-
tional rights has been introduced
In Congress after Congress, only
to die In committee, on the cal
endar, or by the veto Of the fill
buster.
! am convinced, however, that
the strong upsurge of liberal
strength evidenced last week In
the rules fight proves that drama
tic changes are on the horizon. We
are coming 10 realize that a Con-
gress which continues TO be unre-
sponsive TO the greatest moral de-
mand Of our generation Is an ire
sponslble Congress. We are COM
ing TO realize that TO the degree
that procrastination. temporizing,
delays and obstruction continue.
we are convicting ourselves of hy-
pocrisy. We are coming to realize
that the enemies of society are not
those who promote the processes
OF freedom. but those who try to
block them.
Mr.. President. the danger to any
civilization or any living thing
whatever lies not In progress but
In stagnation; ont In growth but
In decay; not In change but in the
lack change.
The Presiding officer: The time
OF the Senator has expired.
Mr. Humphrey: Mr.. President,
wonder whether my colleagues win
bear with me for an additional one
or two minutes, so that I may
complete my statement
The Presiding Offices. The Sen
ator from Minnesota requests adj
ditional time Is there objection ,
The Chair hears none, and the
Senator may proceed
Mr.. Humphrey: Mr.. President,
the peril is that under the pressure
OF locally entrenohed and satisfied
majorities, we shall stone the pho
phets once too often The danger
is that we shall cling TO the shell
OF social and economic institutions
too long after they have been out,
grown that we shall adhere "a
the huslS and form OF ideas toe
long after they are dead,
II is for this reason, Mr., Prcsi.
dent that am a liberal without
apology, a liberal without mis-
givings, a liberal without regret
Insofar as / am sorry for anything
Il is not because I am liberal
but Il is because l am not more
liberal than l am.
AS liberal. l am confident that
we shall not progress too fast
The overwhelming danger Is that
we shall not be able 10 progress,
fast enough. There is plenty o,
conversation In the world to adj
| Just the balance, II that Is needed
The Belgian author, Msuric,
Maeterlinck, once made an ohSer
walton that Is profoundly true: A
every crosswsy on the road tina
leads 10 the future, each progres
sive spirit is opposed by a thouS
and men appointed TO guard tn
past The least that the most timit
Of US can do Is not 10 add 20 tn
immense lightweight that natur
drags along,
In matters like these, Mr.. Presi
dent, the legislative process, Il
general and the Congress OF IN,
United states, In particular, has
special obligation not 10 add an,
longer 70 the lightweight Of re
trenchment, ohstinacy and mac
ton, Now, more than ever before
spirits are ready and the time q
right for progress Mr.. President
In the same sense that history ha!
a claim on the S5th Congress,
am convinced that the SSth Con
grcss may have q claim on his
tory We have an excellent chance
II we will seize IT, 20 pass the frs
.