Evening star., 1960-07-07
PLATFORM
South Complains
Of Lacking Voice

Continued From First Page
wiser of the student Sit-in
movement in the South.
Demand Endorsement
His representatives presented
a 10-point platform proposal
which included a demand that
this convention go on record as
fully indorsing the great, peace
ful, democratic Sit-in movement
in the South, led by the heroic
Negro students, supported by
increasing numbers of their
white fellow students"
The organization also de-
manded a Negro cabinet mem
ber from the next administra-
tion and demanded that Con-
gress empower the Justice De-
partment to file civil injunction
suits in cases involving denial
of civil rights.
Southern members of the
Platform Committee listened
quietly to the civil rights advo-
Gates and made it clear that
they will fight the proposals
when the platform is actually
being written and, if necessary,
on the floor of the convention
opening here Monday.
Richard M. JeffrieS of Wald-
boro, S. c., a member of the
committee, said South Carolina
Gov. Ernest F. Hollings will
present the Southern view on
civil rights when he appears
before the Platform Commit
tee tomorrow.
South to Reply
Mr.. Jeffries, who had sug-
geSted that Southerners should
be given equal time" to re-
spond to the civil rights bar
rage, said this morning:
Il don't know now whether
we need equal time to reply to
all this baloney."
Senator Erwin of North Caro-
lima, another committee mem
ber, said he expected that the
Platform Committee would
recommend and the conven-
ton would adopt "a more dras-
tic civil rights plank than
Congress will ever enact into
law"
He added that Democratic
National Chairman Paul M.
Butler had arranged the con-
vention Ito serve his own no.
tions, so I wouldn't be surprised
if he gets his way"
The rights platform will be
written by a subcommittee
h e a d e d by Representative
BoWleS after the public hear
ings end tomorrow.
Mr.. BoWles said he had been
keeping notes and'would UNDER
take himself to draft civil
rights plank that might head
off a bitter showdown on the
issue.
He made it clear, however,
that he favored a strong party
declaration on civil rights. He
said he thought it sould include
some expression on the Negro
sit-in movement.
Minority Report Seen
Georgia State Democratic
Chairman James Gray, who is
member of the committee, said
he expected a minority re-
port would be issued and this
would lead to a battle on the
convention floor.
The Southern members ar
ranged no formal caucus on the
issue because some of their
forces had not yet arrived.
Senator Stennis of Mississippi
was expected for the third day
of the hearings, but his COL
league, Senator Eastland, was
not planning to attend the
platform hearings, his friends
reported.
James B. Carey, vice presi-
dent of the AFL-CIO, took the
lead in calling for a reform of
congressional procedures. In a
bitter attack on three House
committees Rules, Education
and La bor and Ways and
Means - Mr.. Carey said their
record was "a disgrace and
abomination to the Democratic
process"
He said the platform writer's
should recommend that they
be deprived of arbitrary and
autocratic power to smother or
completely destroy urgently
needed legislation"
Mr.. Carey, who heads the In
ternational Union of Electrical
Workers, said the Rules Com
mittee in this Congress had
sat on a civil rights bill for
more than two months, blocked
passage of the aid to educa-
tion bill, bottled up the S1.4t
billion housing bill and had
thwarted other legislation.
See Futility
Adopting a platform and
program is an act of abSurdity
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