The Miami times. [volume] (Miami, Fla.) 1923-current, 1957-06-15

Tic O1Q OOuLu III NOuSIS-S dIC
making a stubborn fight to throttle
the civil rights program. Their de-
laying tactics are highly effective,
and there are reasons to believe
that the longer the bill is delayed,
the greater the chance of killing
it altogether.
The procedure is to destroy the
bill, and if by some miracle it
passes, to so amend it that it will
amount to nothing in the way of
guaranteeing civil rights of Ne
groe3.
1t must be observed that only
the civil rights of Negroes are
concerned for the white mans
civil rights have been guaranteed
from the beginning. Much is be-
ing made over an amendment CAL
ling for a trial by jury in civil
right. cases; for the chance of
evading the law will be less when
the trial is before judge in the
anticipated contempt cases.
This column discussed many
years ago the possibility that no
Negro in the South has ever had
simple justice for the rea-on he
is tried by a prejudiced jury, that
is where interracial litigation is
involved. We contended then, and
we contend now, that it is impos-
sfble to find for any given case,
twelve unprejudiced white men
to sit on the jury, where and
when the races are in conflict.
However nobly inclined these
white jurors think themselves to
be, and however de,irous they
may be melting out justice, be-
cause of their interracial back
ground it is impossible for the
white juror to divest himself Of
prejudice overnight.
1t takes time to grow racial
prejudice and it takes time to
cure it, that is to remove 1t from
positive interference in dispensing
Justice az is presupposed in the
jury trail. 1t is to be repeated, that
il is doubtful if any Negro has
ever had a fair trial at the South
where Negro-white contentious
were involved.
It makes the heart sick, to re-
fleet on the injustices that have
been inflicted upon Negroes by
prejudiced white juries through
the generations. The hardships
meted out to Negroes are parallel
by the moral contamination meted
out to the whites them elves in
their dispensation of injustice.
What is now Transporting in
Montgomery, Ala, will give an
idea of the advantage the south
ern leaders are seeking in their
Glamour for a trial by jury
amendment to the pending civil
rights bills. It is to be questioned
whether a trial by prejudiced
Jury is not liability to the cause
of ju-tice rather than asset.
Just recently two young white
men were acquitted in Montgom-
cry, Alabama in an indictment
for dynamiting a Negro church
and other cases are pending and
there are bound to be other &C
quittals. One reason the South
erners are so insistent on the trial
by jury is that a prejudiced jury
need not be feared by evil doors
If they do their evil to Negroes.
This is a sorry state OF affairs
and one that should cause worry
and shame by the uprigh: citi-
zen of the nation. A nation that
is afflicted with such moral cor
ruption In high places is riding
for a fall. Such brazen displays OF
race prejudice are noted around
the world and make null and void
our protestation- OF democracy
and human brotherhood.
It is such things as these that
lead TO anti-American riots In
China and elsewhere the United
States assumes the role OF moral
leadership. Southern leadership
in Congress threatens to destroy
our good influence in the utter
most parts of the earth.
It will take more and more
billions to salvage our pre-: tige, II
we are going to be led from the
preiudiced South. Trial by a pre-
JUDGED jury does not expedite
;pstice hut thnwarts IL. II Is not Q