Evening star., 1960-07-24
South Insists
Subcommittee
Draft Plank
By MARY LOU WERNER
Star stsn Writer

Southern Republicans today
insisted that the drafting of a
civil rights platform plank be
LETT in the hands of the sub
committee to which the task |
was assigned.
Hritated at what they inter.
preted as an attempt by Gov.
Nelson Rockefeller of New York
to dictate a civil rights plank
too liberal for their taste, the
Southerners shot off a telegram
to the resolutions committee
chairman announcing their in
tention to abide by whatever |
civil rights plank the Subcom-
mfttee comes up with.
Implied. but not spelled out, |
in the message is their unwill-
ingness to accept any civil
rights plank which might be
put into the platform without
approval of the subcommittee
Moderate Plank
Behind their action was the
knowledge that the subcom-
mittee already had agreed on
a civil rights plank more mod
crate than the one recon-
mended by Vice President
Nixon and Gov. Rockefeller in
an unexpected early morning
announcement.
The subcommittee resumed
its deliberations today with the
full resolutions committee to
decide what tack to take in
light of the ixon-Rockefeller
stand.
Mrs. Hazel Barger, member
of the civil rights subcommittee
from Virginia, said Southern
members generally wanted
plank supporting what the
Supreme Court requires, and
proposing corrective legislation
only if court action fails.
SubcOmmittee's Discretion
The telegram sent by the
Southerners to Mr.. Percy states
that they are concerned with
the events of the past "a
hours" 1t continues:
1T is our unanimous opinion
that the civil rights matter
should be left within the dis
cretion of the subcommittee on
civil rights, and we feel that
our delegates will abide by the
decision Of the subcommittee"
I. Lee Potter, Virginia
G. o. P. chairman and direc-
tor Of Nixon activities in the
South, was optimistic that the
subcommittee could work out
an acceptable plank by making
some revisions in the Nixon
Rockefeller proposal.
II would have preferred
something more moderate"
said Mr.. Potter after he studied
the Nixon Rockefeller offering.
Whether it will make it more |
difficult for us in the South |
will depend on how we inter-
pret it as we go along"
2 Closed Gathering
Mr.. Potter presided over a
closed gathering of irate
Southerners after the Nixon
Rockefeller proposal was
dumped into the platform COM
mittee's lap.
With few exceptions, the
Southerners blamed the un-
expected turn of events on Gov.
Rockefeller.
"Rockefeller's attempt to In
fuence the platform commit
tee is basically an attempt to
stampede the convention"
snapped Jim Clay of Ashlands,
Va. his comment was typical
Of the Southerners.
Mr.. Potter, who attempted
the role of peacemaker, cited
places where he said the
ixon-Rockefeller plank was
milder than that adopted by
the Democrats: There is moth
ing in here about Federally
financed housing. The Demo-
Gratis called for deSegregation
by 1868. but Nixon and Rookie
feller don't"
Mr.. Potter said he and Rep
resentative Reece. Republican
Of Tennessee, asked the South
erners if they would rather
have a civil rights plank backed
by Kennedy, who is supported
by all these people who have
been outspoken on this for
years, or by Nixon, who is a
moderate with conservative
leanings?"