The Herald

Bi Partisan Bloc Kills Rights Bill

A "gentlemen's agreement" between Southern racists and Northern liberal Democrats has put another civil rights bill to a quiet death as the 84th Congress draws to a close. The bill, which would establish a Federal Civil Rights Commission and authorize the Government to bring suit against violators, was sponsored by the Republican administration to cover up its glaring failure to use existing Federal powers to protect the civil rights of Negroes. In order to allow other bills "to get through Congress before adjournment" this week, so-called proponents of the measure first made a deal with the Southern Democrats to put off the vote in the House of Representatives until Monday, July 23. Then the liberal Democratic Senators allowed it to go directly into the grave of the Senate Judiciary Committee, headed by the unspeakable Senator Eastland D-Miss. The hypocrisy of both liberal Democrat and Republican "supporters" of the bill is revealed by the July 20 New York Times, which says the debate in the House

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"was carried on despite the intensity of the fight, with a large measure of good humor. . . ." "The whole struggle," says the Times, "was exposed in argument as being a futile operation. Even though the House passes the bill . . . it does not have a chance for consideration by the Senate at this late stage of the adjournment rush. So it was evident to the House members had made it a vehicle for putting themselves in the record for their own campaign."
An objection from the floor when the bill first hit the Senate might have kept it out of Eastland's committee, but, says the July 24 Times, "Senator Thomas C. Hennings, Jr., the Missouri Democrat chiefly in charge of strategy for Senate consideration . . . was not on the floor to object. . . . Someone of the civil rights group was caught napping. and the bill went quickly and firmly under the jurisdiction of the Eastland panel."
The "firmness" of Eastland's hold was assured by a previous arrangement by that committee, a majority of whose members "support" civil rights, that a unanimous vote be required to let this particular bill out of committee.
This allows all the liberals on the committee to "vote with their consciences" and blame the impasse on Eastland who is quite ready to accept the blame, since Negroes are not allowed to vote in his constituency, anyway.
The final scene in the farce was enacted when liberal Democratic Senator Lehman, who had been "caught napping" when something might have been accomplished. moved to discharge the bill from Eastland's committee. Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson, Democrat from Texas, refused to support the motion, saying that it would "bring all business to a halt. as it always has when this matter is brought up." The motion was defeated.
The results—The Republicans and liberal Democrats can campaign as "supporters" of civil rights. The Southern block successfully defended its position without having to resort to a messy and unpopular filibuster.
The Congressmen can go home early. Civil rights legislation passed to date—absolutely none.