St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1960-03-25

one of the best made by the
States who reside within the State
and within or near the particular
registration district. Whenever the
President determines that there is
no further need for a Federal reg
istrar in a particular registration
district, he shall abolish such Of
flee.
A Federal registrar, as appoint
ed by the President, shall have
authority to register individuals
in the registration district whom
he finds to be qualified under the
laws Of the State to vote in Fed
eral elections; such registration
shall be effective for a period of
2 years unless the Federal registrar
determines earlier that an indiv-
idual who is registered is no longer
qualified to vote under the laws
of the State.
Individuals registered by a Fed
eral registrar shall have the right
to vote in Federal elections and
the Attorney General is authorized
to enforce such right by appropri-
ate proceedings in the district
courts of the United States.
Later. when we consider this
particular feature of the proposed
civil rights legislation, I intend to
discuss certain constitutional as
poets of the proposal. 1 shall have
some technical amendments to Of
fer
AS one studies these problems
and Consults with legal counsel
one gains new information. I be-
lieve improvements surely can be
made to the bill I introduced earl,
Ter this year. have sought the ad,
vice and counsel of competent law,
yers; and I believe that I shall,
have some suggestions which may
be worthy of the attention of my
colleagues. For years we have
heard allegations that Negroes
were being denied their right t
vote in certain southern districts
and we have heard denials of this
by white State officials. So we es.
tablished an official Commission
to investigate, and the President
made sure that the Commission in,
Cluded members who represented
the white southern viewpoint. Anc
these six men have unanimously
reported to us that in fact quail
fled American citizens are being
denied their right to vote in sub,
| stantial numbers.
believe it is fair to say that the
evidence as to the denial of the
right to vote is of such quality thai
it cannot be successfully contra
dicted. We have a unanimous re
port by a Commission authorized
by the Congress and appointed BY
the President. It is Representative,
of the different sections Of on,
country. This unanimous repor
states that qualified American cit
liens in substantial numbers ar,
being denied their right to vote
Those are words from the Com
missions report. 1 say to my col
leagues, therefore, that the Senat
ought not to be trying to use tim
to prevent some action but, in
stead should be on fire with
desire to do something about tn
problem. Who is there among u
who feels he is so omnipotent tina
he can stand idly by and see tn
rights of other people denied
The denial Of a right to one ma
may lead to denial Of the right @
another. The denial of other pee
Piles rights today may mean denis
of our rights tomorrow.
The full test of democracy is nc
: that we concur always with tn
majority but that we stand up 70
the rights of the minority. Thi,
indeed, is at least a test of what
call a true democrat-with
small ID" When evidence Is be
fore the Congress that citizens G
the United States, who are require
to fulfill all citizenship duties, ar
being denied the right to vote
ask myself, What Is wrong wit
this Congress, that it does not be
stir itself-does not move noun
tains, so to speak-to correct thi
injustice?"
Instead, we argue about how w
can protect the injustice, rathe
than remove it. I wish the Senat
had as much concern at all time
with the procedural and constitu
tonal rights of the citizenry as tn
: Senate has with regard to this in
I stituion. Senators have become eS
perts in parliamentary law, in tn
rules of the Senate; and we a
Members of the Senate almost TAX
a blood oath to protect those rule!
as if they were sacred There is
rule in the Senate over and abov
the manual of the Senate rule.
and that rule Is the Constitution
) Of the United States.
= When the evidence before us
replete with factual testimony tina
substantial numbers of our fellov
citizens are being denied the RICH
to vote, wherever they may be,
seems to me the requirement of
legislator who has taken the oat
to uphold the Constitution Is I
move with due and deliberate speet
! to protect those rights. I happe
to believe that If we truly proteC
l the right to vote, many Of tn
other rights about which we are S
w!MHSXL H#I