The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1963-07-02

Speaker John Mccormack are
finding themselves painfully on
the spot on that threat by Negro
leaders to stage mass demon
STATIONS against congressional
opponents Of the Presidents far
reaching civil rights legislation.
johnson from Texas and Nc
Cormack from Massachusetts,,
strong supporters of these meas
ures, have been informed that
up to them to decide whether
under an old law it is officially
these explosive demonstrations
take place or are banned.
Joseph Duke, sergeant at :
arms of the Senate, has written
johnson and Mccormack for
mally asking for instructions on
what preparations he S h 0 u ] d
undertake to meet this possible
emergency in the coming
months.
Duke made this request fol-
lowing word from the New York
Police Department that Negro
leaders are planning to bring
100000 civil rights demonstra
tors to Washington, perhaps as
early as August. Also that A.
Phillip Randolph, president Of
the Brotherhood Of Sleeping Car
Porters, is talking of another
mass descent on Capitol Hill in
the fall.
Randolph, who has announced
his union will 60 on nation
wide strike midnight July 1, is
quoted as declaring there will
be IAN emancipation march On
Washington in October unless
Congress enacts fair employ
ment legislation to abolish job
discrimination That's the only
way we would call the march
off"
Citing Sections 193FGJ of
Title 40, U. S. Code, Duke point
ed out that these statutes spe
officially prohibit assemblages
and demonstrations on the Capt.
tol grounds unless jointly autho-
rized by the Vice President and
the Speaker of the House. 1t is
squarely up to them to say yes
or no.
Also that even if authorization
is granted, adequate measures
must be taken to ensure the
maintenance of suitable order
and decorum in the proceedings.
and its grounds from injury
SEND FOR MARINES-John-
son and Mccormack have not
vet made up their minds what
to do.
They are discussing this dy-
namite-loaded problem wit h
other congressional leaders and
administration officials. Most Of
them are against permitting
mass demonstrations on Capitol
Hill
In talks with Johnson an d
Mccormack, Sergeant alarms
Duke has stressed that the CAPT
tol police force is totally made
quate to cope with crowds of
any size. This force numbers
around $50, many Of them work
ing part-time while attending
Washington universities.
The District of Columbia po-
lice force. Duke advised. could
not provide more than several
hundred reinforcements. Even
with them, he held, additional
trained forces would be impera-
tive.
To obtain them, Duke recon-
mended summoning Marines
I r O. their nearby base at
Quantico, Va.
Some 5000 Marines are sta
toned there, many of t h m
specially trained in riot an d
demonstration control tech
niques They could be trucked
to Washington in little more
than an hour.
In the 1882 eviction Of bonus
marchers, Army troops We r e
used.
Outcome of this historic civil
rights battle is highly conjec-
tural. But several things already
are certain: It will be a very
long and stormy struggle, and
Congress is very likely to con
unue in session throughout the
year.
Already Speaker Mccormack
is telling colleagues, m K c
Your plans to stay here right
through to Christmas. It's very
doubtful well get away before
then"
In anticipation of that. he and
other H gu S c leaders are plan
ming a series Of weekly recesses
starting with July 4. There VIII
be another for Labor Day, and
others in the fall.
Under authoritative strategy,
the House will take up the long
pending tax bill around August
|. Civil rights legislation is not
expected to reach the Hou 5 e
floor until after Labor Day. Ser
ate plans are very much up in
the air.
It's very possible the Senate
nav do pofhipu IN +ho TOW