St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1959-11-06

rites for the failure to take
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 a 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:
IL Is 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,
is fighter for justice in his own
right as he demonstrated in his
House service. and l 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
conventions where he has not hes
itated TO be counted for all to see.
1t is not too soon to mention that
there will be two national nominat-
ing conventions next summer AppaT-
emily this fact is in the mind Of
Senator Humphrey and in the minds
Of Senator John Kennedy OF Mass
achusetts, Senator Stuart Symington
of Missouri. Vice President Richard
NJ. Nixon, and Governor Nelson A
Rockefeller, to name only a few. 1t
Is TumOred that the coming conVen-
tons also occupy small corner OF
the busy mind or the Majority
Leader of the Senate, the Hon. Lynn
don Il. johnson of Texas. 1t is fair
to assume that the coming events
have not escaped the attention of
Mr.. Adlai Stevenson.
Well. the conventions are on
the minds of Negro citizens, also.
And they, like the potential can
didntes and party officials, have
AAH
session of the Congress-. for that
session IL nm inseparabIe part Of
the 1850 election year.
In the last session OF the Congress
which adjourned in September
'ew hours before Premier Khrush-
'hev arrived from Moscow, civil
lights bill, designed to strengthen
he 1857 Act. was bottled up by fill
buster in the Senate Judiciary com
nittee Of which Senator James O.
Sastland Of Mississippi Is chairman.
Senator Eastland did not show
lis hand very often, but the ball
vas carried by his Southern collea-
CUES in the committee who stalled
lctiOn for months. In the last g6
yours OF the session II became evil
lent that no strong bill could be
passed. 1t became equally clear that
neither political party could go into
leXt summers conventions and sub
IeQuent campaign for the White
House with no civil rights bill on
he books
The 1857 Act had been demon
trated to be OF very limited use
illness, to put IL kindly. Alabama
lad openly defied the Federal Civil
lights Commission in its investiga-
ion of the smelly denial of Negro
otter applicants in that state. Lou
stana had challenged the authority
4 the Commission. Georgia was
reathing fire and smoke. Mississ-
ppi sat tight with its worst record
Z only about 5000 registered Ne
-roes out of a Negro population OF
1ore than 100000.
1t was plain to everyone that new
nd stronger legislation was in
lcated. The Congressional leader
hip. therefore, agreed TO bring up
iVil rights legislation next Febru-
ny in the hope that a bill will be
nacted before July.
No discussion Of civil rights,
and especially Of legislative ae-
ton In this field. can proceed
very far without an examination
OF the extent to which Negro
citizens enjoy the right 20 vote.
All surveys reveal that in the
'outhern states, where the majority
4 the Negro population still resides.
he Southwide average registration
4 Negro citizens to vote is about 25
'ercent of those eligible to register.
whereas the Southwide average for
White citizens is about so percent
4 those eligible
Out of 5000, 900 Southern Negroes
4 voting age, some 1900 000 were
egistered to vote in 1856. This
igure represents a doubling OF the
947 total of about 100000 How
yer, the figure for the region does
ot tell the full story, for wide vari-
ttons are to be found from state
o state and from county to county
Tithin states
The bald fact. OF which Americans
\ other sections of the country are
ut vaguely aware, is that Negroes
re denied the right to register and
ote in many sections of the South.
n number of counties no Negro
as been permitted to register since
ost-CiVit War days. In some count
- no one Negro or white) can
nmember when there was a Negro
otter on the rolls.
Trick registration procedures.
brnEeR racial prejudice. threats.
and even violence have been the
weapons employed.
One alabama registrar asked
egro applicant how many windows
here were in the courthouse In
1other state an applicant was asked
D guess the number of beans in
lr. The report OF the United States
ommission on Civil Rights sub
lifted this fall asserts that In Talla-
atchie County. Miss, the Negro
emulation Is 81 percent OF the total
nunty population, that there are
2S5 Negroes Of voting ace, hut no
Zero registered. II may be re-
allied that Tal'achatchie County
as the locale OF the Emmett TIL
,urder In 1855. and that when the
Ten accused Of numbering the IA
ear-old boy were placed On trial,
q Negroes could be on the Jury
ecause state law ren"ires that
lrors must be registered voters.
From LeFlore County. MIss with
1888 Negroes ~ voting s~e and
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