Evening star., 1960-07-11


The confident front-runne
breath-taking pace while walk
meeting every contingency with
unruff1ed calm.
He passed one of his severest
public tests yesterday in his
courteously aggressive appear
ance before a National ASsoci-
alton for the Advancement of
Colored People rally of $500.
He survived brief, scattered
booing. This was perhaps, his
first major public experience of
that kind. But it was nothing
compared to the boos that al
most drowned out the names
of Senator Johnson and former
President Truman at the same
rally. In any event, he took over
from there and repeatedly
brought applause, especially
when he proclaimed "the right
of every American to think, to
vote, to speak, to read and to
worship as he pleases-to stand
up for his rights and, when
necessary, to sit down for
them"
Steals Spotlight
What the vast audience will
long remember, however, was
the way he made his entrance
and literally lifted the spot
light from mention of his main
rival, Senator johnson.
The Texas Senator did not
appear at the meeting, but one
of his lieutenants, former Sec
retary of the Interior Oscar L.
Chapman, had been sitting
there most of the afternoon.
patiently waiting to present the
tall Texans case.
Senator Kennedy arrived at
the Shrine Auditorium while
Mrs. Agnes Meyer of Wash
ington was representing Mrs.
Eleanor Roosevelt in urging the
cause of Adlai Stevenson. Clar-
ence Mitchell, head of the
Washington Office of the NAA-
CP, then began to say: Il now
present the former Secretary
of the Interior"
The rest was lost in the din.
At that moment Senator Ken
nedy emerged from the wings.
After a short but sufficient
stand in the glare of the lights
he insisted on having Mr..
Chapman speak as scheduled.
Truman Name BOOed
Mr.. Chapman made out all
right until he mentioned for
mer President Truman. He
excused the booing by admit
ting that even he did not al
ways agree with my former
President" Then a rolling
thunder of boos broke out
when Mr.. Chapman uttered the
name of Senator Johnson.
When the booing ended, Mr..
Chapman could only comment:
That's what I consider true
democracy"
Senator Kennedy'S speech
was notable not merely as a
more detailed spelling out of
his views on civil rights but
also for his directneSs in de-
livering it. A few boos greeted
him at the outset but he
laughed and said, Il heard
some cheers in it,"
This came toward the end
of day during which he was
almost constantly on the move
in many parts of Los Angeles.
He seemed even more ener-
getic as the day wore on, al
though his companions began
to show signs of fatigue.
Attends Dinner
He wound up his public
schedule last night by joining
fellow candidates and other
personageS at the Democratic
National Committee fund-rais-
ing dinner. The day started
early when the Senator went
to the Church of the Immacu-
late Heart of Mary some dis
tance away from the Biltmore
Hotel on Santa Monica boule-
ward. Few in the congregation
knew he was present.
Until almost 2 pm. he had
a round of conferences in mis-
hotel suite with Cows. Brown of
California, Ribicoff of Connec-
ticut, Loveless of Iowa, Dock
ing of Kansas, and others. Out
siderS found it significant that
such influential figures were
coming to see him and that
he was not going to see them.
He did not hold himself
aloof from .newsmen and pho
tographerS. He invited them
into his ninth floor suite at
their request to get pictures of
him and his brother, Robert.
Confident, at Ease
Senator Kennedy strolled out
OF his suite early in the after
noon and explained I'm going
downstairs to Bobby's room for
a few minutes" Robert F. Ken