Evening star., 1960-07-12

predicted overwhelming ap-
proval Of the platform and
minimized the danger of a party
split or convention walkout. II
believe" he said, THE party
will stay together to help forge
a victory in November"
| The session, held behind
closed doors in the Ambassador
Hotels Sunset Room. saw every
Southern protest swept aside
and adoption without change
OF the civil rights plank backed
by the liberal wing of the Dem
ocratic Party and by Senator
Kennedy, who appears to have
the presidential nomination al
most clinched.
The platform was kept secret
but copies of the civil rights
section were obtained by re-
porters. 1t called for "an af-
firmative new atmosphere in
which to deal with racial di-
visions and inequalities" and
then detailed far-reaching pro-
posalS covering the whole range
of civil rights.
1t called for a fair employ
ment practices commission: a
permanent Civil Rights Com
mission; at least a start on
complete school deSegregation
by 1868. which viii be the Tooth
anniversary of the Emancipa-
ton Proclamation, and the
elimination of literacy tests
and poll taxes as requirements
for voting.
More Federal Authority
The plank also called for
authority for the Attorney
General to file civil injunction
suits to prevent denial of any
civil rights. equal job oppor-
tunities, and an end to dis
elimination in Federal housing
programs, including Federally-
assisted housing.
On the sit-in demonstrations
One of the proposals most
strongly objected to by the
Southerners-the platform will
say:
IF discrimination in voting,
education. the administration
of justice or segregated lunch
counters are the issues in one
area, discrimination in housing
and employment may be press
ling questions elsewhere.
THE peaceful demonStra-
tionS for flrst-class citizenship
which recently have taken
place in many parts of the
the country are a signal to all
of us to make good at long last
the guarantees of our ConSti-
tuition"
The Southerners left the
platform meeting with a state
ment Of reputation signed by
representatives of nine South
ern States: Georgia, Alabama,
Florida. Mississippi, Louisiana,
Arkansas, South Carolina,
North Carolina and Virginia.
Southern Protest
1t said:
Many of the provisions of
the proposed plank relating to
civil rights are incompatible
with the Constitution of the
United States which under
takes to establish an indestruc-
tible Union composed of inde-
structible States.
THE rights of man are best
protected and can be only as
Sured in perpetuity by the con-
Stitutional division of delegated
powers between the Federal
and State government and
strict adherence to the; consti-
tutional guarantees that all
powers not so delegated are
preserved to the people them
selves.
I'VE emphatically repudiate
those provisions of the pro-
posed civil rights plank which
transgress these principles, we
do not propose to be bound by
them and respectfully request
that this statement of repudi-
alton be entered upon the min
uteS Of the committee and read
to the convention upon the
presentation Of the platform.
Overnight the Southerners
drafted a formal minority re-
port which questioned the con-
stitutionality of many of the
civil rights proposals in the
platform and charged there is
a calculated effort by
the radicals of both political
parties to drive the States of
the South from the Democratic
Party"
Georgian to Submit II
1t will be submitted by James
H. Gray, Georgia State chair
man. on behalf of the nine
States signing the Statement
OF reputation
Increasingly" the minority