Evening star., 1960-02-22
Leaders Study
Strategy on
Rights Issue
Senator'S Starting
New Round of Talk
On Vote Guarantee
By the Associntsd Pr.sn

week whether to push ahead
with a Senate version of a
civil rights bill or wait for a
House-passed measure.
This issue remains up in the
air-with the Democratic and
Republican leaders divided over
it-as Senators begin their sec
ond week Of talk about a series
Of proposals aimed primarily at
guaranteeing Negro voting
rights.
Democratic Leader johnson
obviously believes that more
practical progress could be
made by delaying Senate ac-
ton until the House passes a
bill sometime after March 10,
Mitchell Sees Burial"
This course would involve
acceptance by the Senate of
the measure in the form the
House passed it-a move that
advocates of stiff civil rights
laws probably would support
with reluctance. In their view,
the House measure is likely to
be little more than half Of
what they want.
Secretary of Labor Mitchell
contended yesterday that what
he called the most important
part of the administrations
civil rights program seems
likely to be buried by the DEM
ocratic majority in Congress.
He referred to a proposal to
establish by law a 15-meFnber
commission to eliminate racial
discrimination in hiring of
workers by Government con-
tractors. That commission
would replace one set up by
proclamation of President
Eisenhower and headed by
Vice President Nixon.
The proposal is included in
the seven-point Eisenhower
package that Republican Leader
Dirksen has put before the
Senate. 1t is not a part Of the
ittee-appointed bill the
House will take up. Some
Senate supporters Of civil
rights legislation want action
also on a number of proposals
going far beyond Mr.. Eisen-
hower's proposals.
Johnson View Noted
1t is Senator Johnson's con-
tention that Senate acceptance
of the House bill would avoid
the possibility that bills passed
in different form by the two
chambers might get stuck in
the parliamentary machinery.
Senator johnson evidently
fears that the House Rules
Committee. which would have
to agree if the differing bills
were to be sent to a Senate
House conference committee,
might be extremely slow to
act.
The Rules Committee bottled
up a civil rights bill in the last
session. 1t cleared the measure
last week for House action
March 10, when it appeared a
discharge petition might ac-
complish the same result.
Despite these obvious hurdles,
Senator Dirksen favors going
ahead with a Senate bill so
it could cover a broader field
than the House measure. He
said the House might be per-
suaded to accept a Senate
passed bill.
Need Each Others Help
But since Senators johnson
and Dirksen need each others
help to get any civil rights
passed. they probably
will have to decide between
them in the next few days which
course to pursue.
Meanwhile, a regular session
today and Saturday sessions
starting this week were in pros
pect. Senator Keating, Repub-
lican of New York, said yester-
day the Senate should start
holding sessions "late in the
evening-and around the clock
if a filibuster develops" to clear
the way for action.
1t appeared probable the civil
rights debate will be broken off
periodically to let the Senate
pass appropriation bills and
possibly other measures.
Chairman Hayden Of the Sen
ate Appropriations Committee
said he favors that means of
avoiding a logjam of money
bills. Assistant Majority Leader
said it is generally
that course will be
followed.