St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1960-04-01

tive and necessary remedy.
| repeat. if there is a better
remedy let us accept it. I do not
believe that we have to accept
these matters on the basis of doc
trine or dogma.
I do not need to show how mod
crate and limited this plan is. Dean
Storey and the other members Of
the Commission went out of their
way to stress the temporary char
acter Of the plan. its limitation TO
only Federal elections, and the
fact that the temporary Federal
registrars appointed would be
named from among existing Fed
eral employees in or near the area
concerned l join in Dean Storey's
hope that the mere enactment of
the plan will serve to persuade
many of the southern districts
praCtiCing this discrimination to
mend their ways-that the exist
ence Of an effective Federal rem
edy will lead to sef-remedy in
order to avoid Federal interven-
ton
So l call for this plans enact
ment into law. 1t is. as Dean Storey
made clear. the major recommend
alton of the Commi ssiOn.
This plan is, as Commission
member Dean johnson said in his
statement submitted to this COM
mittee Tuesday. The chief of the
Commissions work and the great
civil rights test facing this Con-
gress." Dean Storey stressed that
the plan was a result of long and
painstaking study by the Commits
sion and it's staff; it is their con-
sidered strong recommendation to
this body and to the President.
Mr. President, the time has come
to stand up and be counted on the
question of voting rights, and on
some form Of Federal registration.
The time has passed to talk Of
study and more study. That is
what the Commission has been do
ing for 2 years, and what the ad-
ministration has been doing in re-
cent months since reading the
Commissions report. The Negro
has been studied and surveyed,
and the discrimination against him
measured and appraised for more
than 90 years, since the 18th
amendment explicitly guaranteed
him the right not to be denied the
right to vote by reason of his race.
It is time for this constitutional
right to be finally and fully en-
forced. and we have an OppOrtuni-
ty in the Senate to make an his
toriC breakthrough on this front
The Commission has shown the
way. a way that two out of three
sOutherners on the Commission
supported. and we have before us
the main test on civil rights for
this session and this administra-
ton.
l am hopeful that as we con-
tinue these debates and this dis
cussion we shall find some areas
of agreement and that we shall
also be able to bring this protract-
ed debate to a close after there
has been ample opportunity for all
to be heard Then we can proceed
to enact a civil rights bill that will
be an appropriate settlement and
addition to and improvement OF
the Civil Rights Act of 1857, which
was a milestone in the history OF
/ the protection of civil rights ir
this country.
I am not one who feels that the
act of 1857 was only a modest be
ginning. l say that it is on thai
foundation that we are to seek II
build an even more sturdy struc
ture, a fortress of freedom, for
tress Of constitutional rights anc
guarantees.
I will do whatever can in th'
spirit of understanding and help
fulness, and yet the spirit Of firm
ness and justice, to bring about
reconciliation Of views and sub
stantial progress in this al-impor
tant field Of human rights.
I yield the floor.