Evening star., 1961-07-06
LETTERS TO THE STAR
The M-Foted Reeves Appointment

OF all the events in the
tragic sequence of the
Reeves for Commissioner
debacle, the most unfortunate
seems to be Mr.. Reeves
pitiful attempt to defend the
Democratic administration
and to cast Carl Shipley in
the role Of villain.
Why blame Shipley? What
else would an experienced
politician expect the chair
man Of the opposition to do?
Let's see who really sup
ported Reeves when the chips
were down, and who really
pulled the rug from under
him.
In his long and valuable
service to the Democratic
Party, Mr.. Reeves had made
no effort to conceal any of
the information about his
personal affairs which was
spotlighted during the hear
ing. The facts which were
used against him when
members Of the White
House staff" asked him to
withdraw to avoid embarasS-
ment to the President" had
long been available. 1t is in
credible that these facts were
not known to the admin
stration.
These facts did not en-
barrass the President when he
was a candidate and Reeves
could help him win the Negro
vote. The President was not
too embarrassed to have pic
lures of himself and Reeves
in intimate conference, Cir
culated to show that "Ken-
nedy Listens to His Negro
Advisers. Yet at the first OPP
portunity, the first undesir-
able publicity, he drops his
confidant and adviser with
out even a personal confer
ence.
The selection of a vulner-
able candidate so quickly ex-
pendable makes one recall
with mixed feelings the also
highly publicized attempt"
to appoint a Negro to his
Cabinet.
The treatment Reeves has
received fits too well into the
Democratic Party's pattern
of cynical, calculated exploit
tation of Negro support. 1t
is a fantastic caper which
could not have been more
successful had it been deliber-
ately planned to terminate
the political life of a young
man of proven ability who
held a position of national
as well as local esteem.
In view of this, Mr.. Reeves
defense of the Democratic
Party by listing positions into
which Negroes have moved
since the present administra-
ton took office is a little
ridiculous. In fact, John
Duncan, whom Reeves in
dorses as candidate for Com
missioner, is on the scene as
a qualified, competent Gov
ernment career man of long
experience mainly because of
a Republican decision to con-
tinue him in his position as
Recorder of Deeds for eight
years, rather than to allow
the highest position which
Negroes had ever attained in
the District government un-
der Democratic control, to
continue to be the political
plum for Negroes.
Reeves said that his mis-
take was in being poor. He
is wrong. Most Negroes are
poor. Many white people who
have attained successful pub
lie careers are also poor.
Temporary embarrassment
over debts is, unfortunately,
common in a credit-based
society, and there is justi-
fable concern that the high
cost of public service is max
ing it almost essential that
the individual who aspires
to public service be independ-
emily wealthy.
But being poor was not
Frank Reeves mistake. His
mistake was that he is a poor
Negro who expected Demo-
Gratis whom he had served
to stand by him. He thought
his political associates were
also friends who, though
they knew of his weaknesses,
would protect him from his
opponents. He should have
known that, even in 1861, Ne
groeS are allowed no weak
nesses. They have to be
stronger, better qualified,
more capable than the field.
In fact, while all men are
created equal" Negroes, un-
fortunately, must still be