St. Paul recorder., 1963-12-12
ISSUES: GOOD
AND BAD
BY p. L. PRATTIS

son succeed where President John
F. Kennedy ran into a roadblock /?
Has President Johnson any re-
sources or slills that President
Kennedy did not possess? VIII the
fact that President Johnson is q
southerner compromise or jeopar-
die the interests of twenty mil
lion Negroes? If President John
son is a square shooter, at what
does he aim?
The chances are that, although
President Johnson will never sue
ceed in satisfying extremist Ne
groes (even common sense Ne
groes can't do that), he viii be
able to twist arms where Presi-
dent Kennedy had no leverage.
1t must be admitted that most
members Of the Congress, on
both sides of the aisle, failed to
recognize or admit the genius Of
the late President. In the verna-
cular of the street, Mr.. Kennedy
was just "a young squirt" an
upstart who had the audacity to
seek out paths of glory where
his elders feared to tread.
When Mr.. Kennedy was a Sen
ator, I listened to him make one
of his most important speeches be-
fore Cbehind) the Senate. I write
behind because Senator Kennedy
occupied a seat in the last row of
the Senate chamber. The Kennedy
speech was on foreign affairs. The
next day the newspapers all over
the country picked it up. But while
he spoke, there were barely a half
dozen Senators who remained to
listen to him. What could he tell
them?
With President johnson the
situation Is different. Although
he may lack some OF the aspects
Of genius now perceived in Mr..
Kennedy, he won and carried
much more respect in the Senate
and the House than the martyred
President. He was and Is what
YMCA leaders call "a master of
men,"
AS majority leader of the Sen
ate, he commanded the respect,
obedience and cooperation Of his
fellow Senators, Democratic and
Republican. He sat in the front
seat in the Chamber. From both
sides, Senators came to him to get
things done. President Johnson has
a much better chance of removing
Congressional roadbloclcs tn n
President Kennedy had.
President johnson does have
resources and skills in handling
men, friends and foes, that Presi-
dent Kennedy did not have. John
son may never get all he wants,
but he'll get something. He'll
never be stymied. He won't be
the man who'll be guessing what
next. That shoe will now be on
the Congressional foot.
The fact that President Johnson
is a southerner can lead to COM
plete emancipation for the Negro.
Most members of Congress from
the South oppose the legitimate
of Negroes, but it is
also true that most of them are
the long-suffering victims of their
Free them from
such Imprisonment and you may
free them from public stands based
on bias.
Justice Black Of the Supreme
Court Is the classic instance. But
so Is Justice Tom Clark (Of
Texas). What stands out in the
record Of President johnson is
that he took a strong position
when he still had a southern con-
stituency. It was because Of his
liberal attitude that President
Roosevelt invited him to Join the
New Deal team.
Is he a square shooter? At what
does he aim?
President johnson is immensely
proud of himself. That makes him
a square shooter. He can't betray
others without betraying himself
In any bargaining or negotiating
he aims to get the most
he can.
He wilr always get something. 1t
may be a half-loaf or a three
quarters loaf, but he'll always
come home with something, and
he'll never give up on getting the
other haR or quarter.