Atlanta Daily World

REVIEWING
THE
NEWS
By WILLIAM GORDON
Managing Editor Atlanta Daily World

The Emphasis on Human Rights

Progress, which is a relative term, is something that moves just as fast as man makes up his mind that he will no longer stand in its way or hinder its movement. The rate at which it moves is often reflected in man's culture and the institutions of which he is a part and is responsible for.

A fine example of what man has achieved during recent years in the political world, could be detected in both the Republican and Democratic national conventions held in Chicago recently.
Even though at all times, there existed a bitter fight among factions on various invested interests, in the final analysis, each of these factions reflected one common interest that was close to all- that of human rights.

We all have come to one common agreement on the importance and significance of human rights over against material and property rights. There can be no property rights or material rights without realizing the full value of human rights. The emphasis today is on the human being. People must be counted among all that is done politically, socially and economically in this country and the world over as well.

Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt made it quite clear in her speech during the Democratic convention that without a definite realization of the human family in everything that we discuss and do today, there is little or nothing that we can expect in the end in the way of peace with the world. Without peace with ourselves, there can be no peace with others.

If little or nothing else was achieved at these two conventions, the fact that political leaders were brought closer to the real problems of classisms, racism and the difficulties between Negro and white in America, is something to be considered as an achievement. A decade or two ago, this was not true. Human and racial values were not the strong issues at the conventions. The two recent conventions set a precedent in this respect.

Strong emphasis was placed on putting as much of the human rights idea into the platforms of both parties as possible. Even though much of the content of both platforms may not be carried out or implemented into legislation, the people of America will have been well schooled on the value of human rights.

There is one thing certain: Whichever party gets into the White House, it will not remain there in peace without adhering to this most valuable principle. It is a prediction that the party, which tends to soft-pedal or side-track this important issue today, may as well make up its mind that the White House will not accept it in the traditional manner. This is an age of the peoples' party.
The welfare and the benefits of the people who make up the population of the country, and who send representatives to Washington, are first to be considered. The party which overlooks this fact, will have a difficult job of taking over in November.