Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1963-10-17
ISSUES: GOOD
AND BAD
BY p. l.. PRATTTS

How do you handle Presidents ?
Upon what do you base your re-
gard for them, especially If you
are a Negro American? What is
the measuring rod? How do you
assay sincerity? These and other
questions come TO mind when one
ponders the present drive for Free
dom Now. If you don't get freedom
now, what are you going TO do?
Let's take a look at former
President Harry s. Truman. In
terms Of positive steps which he
took to advance the cause of Ne
gro Americans, he unquestionably
did more for us than any other
President since Lincoln and maybe
more than Lincoln because we do
not know what Lincoln would have
done about pressing for the equah-
ty Of Negroes in a free society. It
took some time for Lincoln to get
around to paying Negro soldiers
the same as white soldiers. Where
Harry Truman had convictions, he
was bold and dauntless.
1t was not Franklin ID. ROOse-
welt but Harry Truman who out
lawed segregation in the armed
forces in the Omitted States. This
marked an historic breaIxthrOugh
in the fight against segregation.
No President before him had
ever made such a strong appeal
on behalf of justice to Negroes
as Truman did In his first mes
sage to Congress after his cleo
ton In 1913. But still there were
many doubling Thomases.
Unfortunately, Mr.. Truman is
now giving comfort to the Doubt
ing Thomases by his -judg-
ment opinions on current happen
ings. Those most kind to Mr.. Tru-
man ascribe some Of these latter
day pop-offs to senility. I believe
that if Mr.. Truman were today the
same man he was when he was
President he would stand staunch-
ly behind the leaders Of the social
revolution now taking place in this
country.
However, the Negro push for
Freedom Now is SO insistent that
one wonders what the historical,
report on President Kennedy win
be.
Mo one can question the fact
that the President has done more
to upgrade the status Of the Ne
gro American than any other Presi-
dent. He has placed the Negro
American in positions Of trust and
honor never held before. He has
fatty recommended Robert G.
Weaver for a cabinet post If Con-
gress ever authorizes a Depart
ment of Urban Affairs. "Dr. Weav-
err Is an efficient administrator"
the President told newsmen. There
ara several cabinet posts he could
fill"
The President has supported
the sO-caIled Negro revolution.
He believes the demands made
are just. When everybody else
feared the potential for violence
of a March on Washington, the
President said, LET them come"
They came and made history.
But still one senses that there
are many Negroes who don't think
the President has done enough,
who question his sincerity. A tale
going the rounds about telephone
conversation between the President
and Martin Luther King illustrates
the point.
King Is reputed to have called
the President to recommend sew
eral things he thought the Pres
ident should do. The President
went along with the first half
dozen suggestions, but then King
Is supposed to have made sug-
gestion which plainly baffIed the
President who could only re-
spond: "Why, Martin, they've
always called It the White
House."
If a President like Kennedy who
has done so much to help our cause
Is in any sense deserted by us for
not going as far as fast as we want
him to, are we going to open the
door to a Goldwater whose most
earnest conviction is that Barnett
and Wallace should be left alone
to handle segregation and discrim-
nation in Mississippi and Ala
bama? II