The Democratic Convention Behind Chicago's Civil Rights Battle
WILLIAMS, DAVID C.
The Democratic Convention??Two Articles BEHIND CHICAGO'S CIVIL RIGHTS BATTLE By David C. Williams Chicago In the course of his acceptance speech as Democratic nominee for the Presidency, Adlai...
...It will long be a matter of argument whether this convention needed to lean over backward to hold the Southern delegates...
...Although in a number of respects it fell short of the program of the participating organizations, it was agreed to limit the objectives to the addition of two provisions: a pledge to carry out the Supreme Court decisions, and a statement in favor of Federal legislation to secure civil rights...
...The latter was in the 1952 platform but was dropped in the 1956 draft...
...The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights therefore had only nine hours??from 11 a.m...
...Even when the full Platform Committee went into executive session at 9:30 a.m...
...Civil-rights leaders, and the Negroes in particular (with the exception of that well-worn Uncle Tom, Congressman William Dawson of Chicago), were bitter...
...Since they had thus been given a free veto on the action of the Convention, they naturally said no, and the question went to the floor...
...First, the plank was carefully studied...
...But, at the press conference held shortly after his arrival, he impressed correspondents as nervous and undecided...
...It must be noted, however, that the South did not have things all its way at this convention...
...But in so doing, in substituting realism and persuasion for the extremes of force or nullification, our party has preserved its effectiveness, it has avoided a sectional crisis, and it has contributed to our national unity as only a national party could.' Although these words came at the end of a crowded and turbulent week, they reflected accurately the views of the majority of delegates to the Democratic Convention even of many who for political reasons would be unwilling to say them publicly...
...So effectively was it sealed off that no member of the civil-rights group could even obtain a copy of the draft plank, let alone have an opportunity to participate in preparing it...
...They went so far as to offer to drop the floor fight if the pledge of Federal legislation was added to the plank (thus bringing it back to the 1952 level) and were willing not to insist on the pledge to carry out the Supreme Court decisions...
...It was not released to the press until 11 a.m...
...This is one reason why Harriman, who promised such a campaign, never really got off the ground...
...Even Governor James P. Coleman of Mississippi made it clear that he was no "walker," and although his delegation was controlled by Senator James 0. Eastland rather than him and might possibly have bolted, this, some felt, might have proved to the party's advantage...
...The following day, Stevenson sought to undo some of the damage, declaring that he himself would have preferred a stronger plank...
...Stevenson has presented himself to his party, and has been nominated, as a "moderate...
...Above all, he counted greatly (and, as it turned out, mistakenly) on the influence of ex-President Truman...
...There was the desire of his campaign managers to pick up some Southern delegates...
...the latter had taken a moderate position at his first press conference, even before Harriman arrived...
...If all of us are not wholly satisfied with what we have said on this explosive subject, it is because we have spoken the only way a truly national party can by the understanding accommodation of conflicting views...
...He has rightly said that times change and solutions must change with them...
...Meanwhile, the Committee remained secluded in the Tower Room of the Conrad Hilton, protected by a squadron of Chicago police from outside contamination...
...The support of Governor Raymond Gary of Oklahoma, hardly an all-out advocate of civil rights, was very important to him...
...In great haste, and against heavy pressure on individual members of the Platform Committee, 14 signatures were secured to a minority report embodying the two principles listed above...
...With honorable exceptions (the most notable being, of course, Senator Lehman), the most influential delegates showed none of the fighting spirit which was so evident in Kefauver's victory...
...His prudence comforts the conservatives...
...He is the kind of man who will examine every problem thoroughly and prudently before he is convinced that change is necessary...
...after the Committee had approved it...
...Much will depend on the degree to which he can persuade the millions of Americans deeply committed to civil rights that he can move steadily forward in spite of his repeated commitment to party unity...
...When Truman's vigorous support of Harriman seemed likely to deadlock the Convention, Johnson saw the opportunity to assume the role of kingmaker...
...The Democratic Convention??Two Articles BEHIND CHICAGO'S CIVIL RIGHTS BATTLE By David C. Williams Chicago In the course of his acceptance speech as Democratic nominee for the Presidency, Adlai E. Stevenson said: "Of course there is disagreement in the Democratic party on desegregation...
...Both in the nomination of Kefauver and earlier, Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson suffered some bruising reverses...
...If so, it puts Johnson in the novel and humiliating position of being used as a scarecrow...
...It was to consider this proposal that Chairman Sam Raybum recessed the Convention Wednesday evening...
...Nevertheless, the civil-rights leaders were reasonable men...
...Thus, both former President Harry S. Truman and Mrs...
...Indeed, it has been alleged that the visit itself was carefully staged to alarm the liberals at the Convention and convince them they should rally behind Stevenson lest he become the captive of the South...
...It is a matter of record that no state delegation succeeded in demanding a roll-call vote (more than the necessary eight had agreed to do so) and that several states which had so committed themselves made no visible effort to do so...
...The evidence of Chicago is that he will wage a formidable campaign and will enjoy substantially united support from his party...
...Under the direction of Roy Wilkins of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Walter Reuther of the United Auto Workers, and Joseph L. Rauh, Jr...
...In this, he is in accord with the dominant trends of the party...
...For a brief moment, even the Presidential nomination seemed within his eager grasp...
...Their presentation before the Platform Committee was able and impressive, but the plank had, with minor exceptions, been secretly prepared weeks before...
...Indeed, the desire to maintain party unity, to avoid any statement or action which would provoke the South into a walkout, dominated the proceedings throughout...
...It could not be otherwise in the only party that must speak responsibly and responsively in both the North and the South...
...On this point Stevenson, the self-styled moderate, was less moderate than "Mr...
...to the opening of the evening session at 8 p.m...
...Civil Rights" and "Mrs...
...While his supporters talked now and again of taking a stronger stand, there never was real evidence of an all-out effort by the Harriman camp to highlight this issue...
...Stevenson himself paid him a much-publicized visit, and the stiff terms Johnson laid down for his support were widely leaked to the press a weak civil-rights plank, a veto of Kefauver as Vice Presidential nominee, the right to name the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee (the last being an obvious effort to gain control of the party apparatus in the event of Stevenson's defeat...
...But Stevenson has also rejected the conservative view, which he defines as wanting everything to remain the same,- only more so...
...In his acceptance speech, he added: "As President, it would be my purpose to press on in accordance with our platform toward the fuller freedom for all our citizens which is at once our party's pledge and the old American promise...
...In the face of the prevailing reluctance to fight for a strong civil-rights plank, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, a citizens' group devoted to the struggle against discrimination, had un uphill battle...
...Eleanor Roosevelt, strenuously divided though they were on candidates, joined in counseling moderation and even favored omitting from the party platform any mention of the Supreme Court decision on school desegregation...
...his intelligence, and his willingness to apply reason to the affairs of state, have convinced most liberals that he will find the liberal solutions the right ones...
...Even Governor Averell Harriman, whose only chance to deadlock the Convention lay in pressing this issue for all it was worth, found it necessary to temper his tone to the prevailing winds...
...It had to be waged largely from the wings of the Convention...
...Few of its leaders now seem to feel that the crusading, Truman-type campaign is appropriate to the times...
...Johnson's support proved totally unnecessary...
...Civil Rights...
...It is easy to blame Harriman, but he was under constant pressure to hedge...
...Then, at 3 p.m., a caucus of all delegates interested in civil rights was summoned...
...The evening before he arrived here, he had delivered a militant speech in Buffalo...
...To block him, the Southerners took the unprecedented step of rallying almost solidly behind Senator John F. Kennedy, a Catholic...
...The crowning humiliation for Johnson came when he switched Texas's massive delegation to Kennedy just in time to board a sinking ship...
...After the hearings, a drafting committee devoid (except for Congressman Emanuel Celler of New York) of any known advocate of civil rights went into executive session...
...Its leaders were locked out of the Committee sessions, and they did not sit on the floor of the Convention as delegates...
...There may be a lesson in this with respect to the civil-rights fight...
...The Southern leaders were asked whether they would accept it...
...It was clear from the beginning that the only chance of full success lay in a floor fight pushed through to a roll-call vote, at which each state would have to stand up and be counted...
...Wednesday morning, no copy of the plank had leaked out...
...to consider the plank and organize the struggle for its improvement...
...Their leaders came to Chicago in no mood to walk out and had selected as their spokesman Senator John Sparkman, one of the most reasonable of Southern leaders...
...A steering committee was formed and was in continuous session up to the opening of the evening session...
...It suffered its most stunning defeat in the nomination as Vice President of Senator Estes Kefauver, bitterly hated by most Southern delegates for his progressive views and his refusal to toe the "white supremacy" line...
...Consultants on foreign policy, economic affairs and other matters were admitted to the star chamber but none on civil rights...
...Here the points at issue were expounded to a crowded room and the main lines of strategy were outlined...
...of Americans for Democratic Action, a remarkable job was done in this short time...
Vol. 39 • August 1956 • No. 35
