Evening star., 1960-07-26
NIXON
Dramatic Battle Over Civil Riqhts
Approaches CIimox at Chicooo
Continued From First Page

Continued From First Page
bert G. Klein, the Vice Presi-
dents press assistant, said Mr..
Nixon told the delegations there
were two things he wanted in
the civil rights plank:
/. Some statement sustaining
his position on Senate Rule %
that would make it easier to
end filibusters. AS presiding
officer of the Senate. Mr.. Nixon
has held. but has been over
ruled by the Senate itself, on
the matter of adopting Senate
rules at the beginning Of each
session.
2. Legislative auth o rity to
give permanent status to the
Presidents Committee on Gov
ernment Contracts, which he
has been heading.
Mr.. Klein said the Vice Presi-
dent was not asked about and
did not discuss another con-
troversial provision for the civil
rights plank-an expression of
approval of Negro sit-in dem
onStrations in the South.
Warns of Broader Plank
One Virginia delegate said
the Vice President said that If
the platform writer's would not
accept the two things he
wanted, he would have no
choice but to take the issue to
the convention for a floor fight.
Mr.. Nixon, it was said, warned
that this might result in an
even broader civil rights plank
than he has proposed.
Mr.. Nixon was applauded at
intervals during his meeting
with the four delegations. One
delegate said he and others had
listened courteously. but that
Mr.. Nixon had not changed his
mind.
A meeting today of the plat
form committee was the test
ing ground for what Mr.. Nixon
and Gov. Rockefeller had been
able to accomplish so far.
Its outcome will determine
whether Mr.. Nixon must 60 to
the floor of the G. o. P. conven-
ton to get the kind of civil
rights plank he feels he can
run on. The struggle also
amounts to a public test of the
Vice Presidents ability to con-
troll his party.
Cancelled Conferences
Indicative of the serious ma
ture of the civil rights crisis
was Mr.. NiXon's decision yes
terday to cancel a series of
carefully arranged conferences
with convention delegates and
devote his time instead to talks
with Platform Com mitteeI
members and party leaders.
The Nixon position on the
plank originally was outlined
in last weeks Nixon Rockefeller
declaration. 1t called for "ag-
gressive action to remove the
remaining vestiges of segrega-
ton or discrimination in all
areas of national life-voting
and housing, schools and jobs"
1t also supported the OBJ
jectives of the sit-in demon
strators."
The "moderates" on the
Platform Committee prefer
generalizations and compare
lively mild language. They
favor pledges to guarantee all
constitutional rights of all citi-
zens. enforce court orders
against segregation and dis
elimination, recognize the va
lidity of sit-in demonstration
under certain circumstances,
and to enact further legislation
if necessary to uphold civil
rights.
There was a real question
whether the problem would be
solved and a satisfactory COM
promise hammered out before
President Eisenhower's arrival
to address the convention to-
night.
Predict Sufficient Votes
AS Platform Committee
members prepared to resume
their discussions of the plat
forms final scheduled plank,
dealing with education, sup
porters of the civil rights plank
predicted they had enough
vetes to defeat any attempt to
reconsider it.
sJoseph F. Carlino, speaker of
the New York State Assembly
and an ally of Gov. Rockefeller,
said that as chairman of the
civil rights subcommittee he
might make such an attempt if
the atmosphere is appropri-
ate"
Committee conservatives, not
at all limited to members from
Southern States, rallied behind
the plank they adopted yester-
day and insisted that it was
strong. Its actual terms have
not been released.
They conceded that it un-
doubtedly was too weak to suit
Gov. Rockefeller, but they con-
tended that it is sufficiently
liberal and comprehensive to
give Mr.. Nixon an effective.
practical and honest" plank
on which to run for the presi-
dency
Several members, mainly
from Midwestern States, said
privately that refusal of the
committee majority yesterday
to go along completely with the
IA points" in the Nixon -Rocke-
feller declaration resulted from
their determination to avoid
being considered rubber
stamps"