Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-06-18
House Approve,
Civil Rights Bill
|By286 10 116
Defeats New Move
To Include Jury
Trial Amendment
BY J. A. O'LEARY

Iistration's civil rights bill today
after swapping q final opposi-
Ition effort to include q jury trial
amendment.
BY a vote Of 251-158. the
House rejected a motion by Rep
Iresentative Poff, Republican Of
Virginia, to send the measure
back to committee with instruc-
Itions to write in the jury trial
amendment.
The bill then passed by a vote
of 286 to l26.
| One year ago the House passed
q similar bill, 279-l26. but it was
never taken up in the Senate
and died with the end Of that
Congress.
Coalition Waiting
The measure went to the
Senate this afternoon and a
stormy reception awaits it. A
coalition of Republicans and
liberal Northern Democrats is
standing by to make an immedi-
ate rule to bypass the Senate
Judiciary Committee by keeping
the bill on the Senate calendar.
Meanwhile, Senate Republican
Leader Knowland of California
| predicted at the White House
this morning that the Senate
will pass a civil rights bill at
this session and that he favors
holding Congress here for that
purpose.
Senator Knowland has made
it clear that II he succeeds in
keeping the House bill from
going to a Senate committee, he
will not wait many days before
moving to take it up. which will
provoke a major battle over the
issue. Southern Senator's have
succeeded in adding a jury trial
amendment to the bill. but that
bill has been tied up in the
judiciary Committee since
March.
j The main features Of the
House-approved bill are:
/ l. 1t confers on the Attorney
General authority to seek in
functions in civil courts to pro-
ltect the voting rights of citizens.
| Sets Up Commission
2. 1t set up q bipartisan six
member commission to hear
complaints Of violations Of civil
rights.
/ 3. 1t sets UP a new civil rights
division In the Justice DEPART
ment under an Assistant Attor-
ney General.
AS the bill stands. State off,
Gals or others accused of
violating injunctions could be
punished by Federal judges act
ing without a jury. Southerners
failed several times in the House
TO add the jury trial amendment.
/ Just before the final vote today
Representative Heating. Repub-
lican Of New York. who Joined
Representative Celler. Democrat
Of New York. in pushing the bill
through the House. inquired how
soon the bill would be delivered
to the Senate. Speaker Rayburn
replied that he did not like that
question when it was raised in a
press conference several days ago
and he AIDED:
Precedent Followed
This bill will follow the same
course as every other bill and
any suggestion to the contrary
from any source is utterly un-
! justified"
A clerk delivered the House bill
to the door of the Senate within
10 minutes after passage. But
the Senate was in executive ses-
sion. still working on the treaty
to govern peaceful uses Of atomic
energy Under the rules, the
fight to keep the civil rights bill
from going to the Senate COM
mittee had to wait until the
treaty is disposed of.
Two Republicans, Representa-
tives Keeney of Illinois, and Poff
Of Virginia. were on their feet
wing for the right to offer re-
committal motion and Republic
can Leader Martin contended
that for more than 20 years II
has been the custom to let the
Minority Leader designate the
author Of the motion TO recon-
nit.
But Speaker Rayburn said he
would follow a precedent estab-
lished many years ago by the
late Speaker Champ Clark OF
going down the minority list OF
the committee in charge Of a
bill and giving the motion to
the first one in order Of senior
ity. In this order Of basis he
recognized Mr.. Poff.
The House had expected to
pass the bill last night. But the
Continued on Page "A, Col. 1