St. Paul recorder., 1963-04-04

III WHO, nlInSelI, was Jne recent
S own Congressional colleagues,
was accused of "diverting" the at
tention from himself and of play
ing up" to New York's Black Mus
Inns from whom, it was said, Pow
ell expects future political support.
Congressman Powell kicked off
his attack against the NAACP,
CORE, the Urban League, and the
Southern Christian Leadership
Conference, headed by DR.. Martin
Luther King, in a major address
delivered first in Washington, at
a meeting of the Capital Press
Club and later in Harlem.
His major theme was that 80
called" Negro organizations do not
control their own policy because
their boards are dominated by
whites who contribute the most
money.
AAInIne and Absurd
Washington Bureau Chief of the
NAACP, Clarence Mitchell, Jr.,
said Powell's charges reached the
depths of asininity and absurdi-
ty."
He, better than anyone else" said
Mitchell, knows that the NAACP
is not controlled by any racial
group, but is a combination Of
races and faiths.
III 1t had not been for the Az
ISOLATION" continued Mitchell,
Powell, long ago, would have
been swamped by adverse things
aimed at him.
"As for the Powell Amend
ment," said Mitchell, ut is true
that he offered 1t on the floor, but
he did not write 1t. It was the
NAACP that wrote it, and there
were times that Powell, himself,
was disposed not to follow through.
Through discrediting Negro or
ganizations, continued Mitchell,
Powell is joining some mighty
undesirable company. From his
performance in New York, I
wouldn't be surprised If they come
up with a Barnett-PowelP ticket
for 1854" laughed Mitchell.
Julius Hobson, leader of Wash
ington CORE, said it was an edu-
Gated guess and my own opin-
ion," that Powell "sees the poiti-
cal wind in Harlem in terms of the
Black Muslims," when asked why
he thought Powell made his at
tack.
HObsOn said POweITs charges
are utterly ridiculous" and that
II CORE even considered purg-
ing its white membership, I'VE
wouldn't have an organization"
Washington's Rev. E. Franklin
Jackson who Is pastor of st. Johns
Baptist church here and President
Of the Washington chapter, NAA-
CP, was on the platform last week
las a program sponsor) when
Powell literally ripped his organ
ization to shreds.
The heavy-voiced minister said
he preached about the speech last
Sunday and accused Powell Of
overlooking a lot Of things which
he (PowelD knew to be true.
"He knows that the NAACP
has never been q totally Negro
organization. 1t was integrated
at its inception.
I'm the days of its formation"
explained Jackson, there were no
Negro lawyers Of great stature
and many white and Jewish law
yers gave their time and service
free.
The Washington president Of the
local Urban League chapter, Rob
ert G. Mcclure, said Powell's at
tack "smacks Of black national
ISM" He continued: IF any organ
ization started out as an integral
ed organization and kicked out
whites, it would set US back for
years"
In New York, Roy Wilkins,
NAACP executive secretary pre-
dicted that Representative Adam
Clayton Powell's call for a boycott
of the NAACP will fall on deaf
ears" The Congressman, he added,
has turned his back on the his
toric trend" toward integration-
Wilkins added:
THE NAACP has been inter-
racial and interfaith from our
founding in 1909. We intend to re-
main so. We cannot call for integ-
ration while advocating segrega-
ton. Historically the goal Of Ne
groes has been integration."
Also in New York, Whitney M.
Young, Jr., executive director Of
the National Urban League, de-