Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1960-02-27
FDR'sSon -.
Continued from Page One)

\SohtAidSA IL VIII L o6S SAASJ
idea from Vice President Richard
M. Nixon or Secretary of Labor
James P. Mitchell, chairman and
vice chairman, respectively, of the
group.
At a press conference in the
New York apartment of John
Roosevelt, a Contract Committee
member, the lie was given to
Meany's statements by the son of
the late president FDR who said
neither the VP or the Secretary
had ever received any communica-
ton from the union chief regard
ing the situation involving Local
26 in the nations capital.
Furthermore, Roosevelt added,
at Meany's insistence year ago a
release to newspapers detailing the
Committees involved struggle
and negotiations with the jim-crow
tactics of Local 26 over a three
year period had been killed. At the
time, he said, Meany felt to public
ly air the Committees efforts with
the biased union group would only
hinder him (Meany) in attempting
to persuade them to lift their ban.
Roosevelt said that Meany had
never attended any meetings of the
Committee since they were set up
in 1853 and he felt the latter was
not informed enough to comment
on the business activities of the
committee.
In recent months Meany has
aroused the wrath Of the million
Negro members of the AFL-CIO
by attacking their civic and poll
tical leaders. First it was A. Philip
Randolph, whom he berated at
their national convention last year
when Randolph became involved in
a heated discussion with him over
the question of segregation in local |
unions and how quickly it could be
ended.
Then in recent weeks he criticiz-
ed Congressman Powell who's
about to ascend to the chairmnn-
ship of the House Education and
Labor Committee. His term cts |
terrible" and he has a "poor
record" brought even some of |
Powell's enemies to his defense.
Negro union leaders like George
L. P. Weaver, Cleveland Robinson,
ETC., defended Powell and question
ed Meany as to why he never jump
ed on Rep. Graham Barden, present
chairman who's about to resign.
Barden has blocked most liberal
legislation from reaching the floor
of Congress for a vote.
Teamster President James Hof- !
ia said that Powell has as much
right to be chairman of the Com
mittee as Senator Eastland has to
be chairman of the Senate Judi
ciary group. We believe those who
save their criticisms for members
of the Negro race display a basic
prejudice within themselves"
After the Randolph attack,
problem faced the National Urban
League over whether to give Meany
their annual award for furthering
interracial activities. At the hehest
of Randolph himself the directors
of the League finally went through
with their plans and he received
it at the dinner in New York last
November.
A believer Of the Ego slow"
policy in eradicating bias from un-
ions who still practice it, Meany
has been at odds with his Negro
constituents. His blasts against
them have led Randolph to organ
ize the Negro American Labor
Council. The function Of the new
group is to disseminate educational
and propaganda material among
Negro unionists and to. prove
trained organizers to help Negroes
fight for "first-class citizenship
within unions. Meany and other
white union chiefs have frowned
on this movement and from re-