Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1959-11-06

positive action on the civil rights
situation. He had kind words for
most Minnesota members Of Con-
gress with special mention of Rep.
Roy Wier and Joseph Karth who
have signed House a discharge
petition which would take away
from the House committee headed
by Negotiating Rep. Howard
Smith Of Virginia the bill intro
duced in the last session by coal
ition Of Republicans and Democrats
who think the nation must have
Legislation to halt the disfranchise-
ment Of millions Of southern Ne
groes.
The following is the complete
text Of wilkins address:
1t is a pleasure to visit once again
with NAAcP members and friends
in st. Paul and especially to renew
hometown friendships. II is good,
also, to be in the state OF Senator
Hubert Humphrey who has served
so faithfully the cause OF civil rights
and human decency. Your junior
Senator, the Hon. Eugene Mccarthy,
10 fighter for justice in his own
right as he demonstrated in his
House service. and I am familiar
with the sterling record Of Governor
Orville Freeman, who has been ON
the firing line for civil rights, not
only In his own state and in the
councils OF his party, but in the hot
and heavy atmosphere Of national
where he has not hes
itated to be counted for all to see.
IL is not too soon to mention that
there will be two national nominat-
ing conventions next summer. AppRr-
emily this fact Is in the mind OF
Senator Humphrey and in the minds
Of Senator John Kennedy of Mass
Senator Stuart Symington
of Missouri Vice President Richard
NJ. Nixon, and Governor Nelson A.
RoehSfellsF,- 60 NAME only a few II
tons also occupy a small corner OF
the busy mind of the Majority
Leader of the Senate, the Hon. Lyn-
don b. johnson OF Texas. 1t In fair
to assume that the coming events
have not escaped the attention Of
Mr.. Adlai Stevenson.
Well. the eOaVentIoaa are On
the minds OF Negro cItinenA. also.
And they. like the potential cam
their eyes ON the pFe-eOnvemtfon
session Of the Congress, for that
session n nm inseparable part Of
the 1890 election year.
In the last session OF the Congress
which adjourned In September q
few hours before Premier Khrush-
chew arrived from Moscow, a civil
rights bill, designed to strengthen
the 1857 Act, was bottled up by fill
buster in the Senate Judiciary COM
mittee Of which Senator James o.
Of Mississippi Is chairman.
Senator Eastland did not show
his hand very often, but the ball
was carried by his Southern collea-
CUES In the committee who stalled
action for months. In the last 90
hours OF the session II became evil
dent that no strong bill could be
passed. II became equally clear that
neither political party could go into
next summers conventions and sub
seQuent campaign for the White
House with no civil rights bill on
the books
The 1857 Act had been demon
strated to be of very limited use
fulness. to put II kindly. Alabama
had openly defied the Federal Civil
Rights Commission In its investiga-
ton OF the smelly denial of Negro
voter applicants in that state. Lou
lsiana had challenged the authority
Of the Commission. Georgia was
breathing fire and smoke. Mississ-
lppi sat tight with Its worst record
Of only about 5000 registered Ne
groes out Of a Negro population OF
more than 100000.
II was plain to everyone that new
and stronger Legislation was in
iicated. The Congressional leader
ship. therefore, agreed to bring up
civil rights Legislation next Febru-
lry in the hope that a bill will be
before July.
No diseussiOn Of eiVil rights.
ton In this field. can proceed
very far without nm examination
Of the extent to which Negro
citlnens enjoy the right To vote.
All surveys reveal that In the
southern states, where the majority
lf the Negro population still resides,
he Southwide average registration s
n Negro citizens to vote Is about rs
Of those eligible to register,
whereas the Southwide average for
white citizens IL about go percent
Df those eligible.
Out of 5000, 900 Southern Negroes
81 voting age, some 10000 were
registered to vote In 1856. This
figure represents a doubling OF the
aver. the figure for the region does
not tell the full story, for wide vari-
atoms are to be found from state
10 state and from county to county
within states.
The bald fact of which Americans
IN other sections of the country are
but vaguely aware, Is that Negroes
ire denied the right to register and
vote in many sections Of the South.
In a number Of counties no Negro
has been permitted to register since
Dost-Civil War days In some count
les no one Negro or white) can
when there was a Negro
voter on the rolls.
Trick reEistratIon procedures.
branen racial prejudfee. threats.
and even violence have been the
weapons employed.
One alabama registrar asked a
Negro applicant how many windows
here were in the courthouse. In
mother state an applicant was asked
20 guess the number OF beans In
lar. The report Of the United States
on Civil Rights sub
nitted this fall asserts that I'm ITALIA
hatchie County, Miss, the Negro
population Is % percent of the total
county population, that there are
;. 23b Negroes OF voting age. but no
Negro registered II may be re-
called that Tailachatchie County
was the locale OF the Emmett Till
men accused OF numbering the ~
boy were placed on trial.
no Negroes could be on the jury
because state law reonires that
Jurors must be registered voters: