CIVIL RIGHTS PROPOSALS STAND IVERSITY BEFORE THE HEARINGS JANS 1957 EIGHTY-FOURTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION ON (Strengthen Statutes); S. 3718 (Right To Vote) APRIL 24, MAY 16, 25, JUNE 1, 12, 25, 26, 27, AND JULY 6 AND 13, 1956 Printed for the use of the Committee on the Judiciary UNITED STATES WASHINGTON : 1956 79992 COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY JAMES O. EASTLAND, Mississippi, Chairman ESTES KEFAUVER, Tennessee ALEXANDER WILEY, Wisconsin OLIN D. JOHNSTON, South Carolina WILLIAM LANGER, North Dakota THOMAS C. HENNINGS, JR., Missouri WILLIAM E. JENNER, Indiana JOHN L. MCCLELLAN, Arkansas ARTHUR V. WATKINS, Utah PRICE DANIEL, Texas EVERETT MCKINLEY DIRKSEN, Illinois JOSEPH C. O'MAHONEY, Wyoming HERMAN WELKER, Idaho MATTHEW M. NEELY, West Virginia JOHN MARSHALL BUTLER, Maryland II CONTENTS an awam Page ------- 267 134 Biemiller, Andrew J., legislative representative, AFL-CIO, accom- panied by Boris Shishkin ------ Brownell, Hon. Herbert, Attorney General of the United States ---- of Georgia ----- 258 Humphrey, Hon. Hubert, a United States Senator from the State of McCanless, Hon. George F., the attorney general from the State of Tennessee----------------------------------------------- Malin, Patrick Murphy, executive director, American Civil Liberties Union, New York, N. Y.--- Mitchell, Clarence, 'director, Washington Bureau, National Associa- tion for the Advancement of Colored People --- Patterson, Hon. Joe T., the attorney general from the State of Missis- 225 Perez, Judge Leander H., district attorney, Plaquemines-St. Bernard Rodman, Hon. William B., Jr., the attorney general from the State of Scull, David H., Friends Committee on National Legislation, Wash- 139 303 Whitten, Hon. Jamie L., a United States Congressman from the State Wicker, John J., Jr., Esq., Richmond, Va--------- Wilkins, Roy, executive secretary, National Association for the Ad- 107 Williams, George Washington, Esq., Baltimore, Md.- Williams, Hon. John Bell, a United States Congressman from the Wimberly, Horace, assistant attorney general for the State of Texas, 287, 291 Exhibits: Notice of hearings on proposed civil-rights legislation in Congressional Record of April 23, 1956.. Copy Senate Joint Resolution 29------ Copy Senate Concurrent Resolution 8.------ Copy S. 900.----- ----- requesting report on Senate Joint Resolution 29.- questing report on S. 902.-- report on S. 903----- Larson, Acting Secretary of Labor. report on S. 903----- William P. Rogers, Deputy Attorney General.. questing report on S. 904.- Letter dated April 19, 1955, to Hon. Harley M. Kilgore from William - - - --- Page 24 ---- ------- Exhibits-Continued Copy S. 905 report on S. 905------ Letter dated March 22, 1955, to Hon. Herbert Brownell, Jr., re- Letter dated September 8, 1955, to Hon. Harley M. Kilgore from William P. Rogers, Deputy Attorney General--- Copy S. 907-------------------------------------------------- ----------------- Department of Defense, requesting report on S. 1089.------ S. Smith, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force---- Letter dated March 14, 1956, to Hon. Herbert Brownell, Jr., re- questing report on. S. 3415----- Copy S. 3604------ be found on page 67 of this hearing------- be found on page 68 of this hearing------ Senate report to accompany H. R. 5205---- Senate Judiciary Committee action report on civil-rights bills before Senatorial membership of the Subcommittee on Constitutional Rights. Copy Senate Report to accompany S. 900.- Copy Senate report to accompany S. 902_-- Copy Senate report to accompany S. 903- Copy Senate report to accompany H. R. 5205.. Attorney General Brownell, with two proposed bills.-- William P. Rogers, Deputy Attorney General, relative to Mississippi laws relating to qualifications as a voter------- Letter dated June 4, 1956, addressed to Hon. James 0, Eastland from William P. Rogers, Deputy Attorney General, relative to a list of the statutes that would be assigned to the Civil Rights Division which would be created if the proposed legislation were enacted -- Affidavit submitted by the Office of the Attorney General concerning questions allegedly asked of Negro citizens who sought to register Mr. Roy Wilkins, NAACP, submitted for the record: 1. Sample ballot, Democratic Primary Election, May 1, 1956, 2. Photostat of an envelope and a threatening message mailed to a Mississippi voter----------- The Constitution, States Rights, and the Segregation Cases, a speech delivered before the Baltimore City Association for States Rights, Inc., and the Maryland Petition Committee by George Washington Comparative analysis of all of the bills relating to the institution of Hon. Hubert Humphrey, a United States Senator from the State ------------------------------------------ David H. Scull, Friends Committee on National Legislation --- - 112 CIVIL RIGHTS PROPOSALS TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 1956 UNITED STATES SENATE, Washington, D. 0. The committee met at 2:15 p. m., pursuant to notice, in room 424, Senate Office Building, Hon. James O. Eastland (chairman) presiding. Present: Senators Eastland (presiding), Hennings, Johnston of South Carolina, Jenner, Dirksen, Welker, and Butler. Also present: Senator Humphrey, Robert B. Young, professional staff member, and Richard F. Wambach, assistant to counsel. The CHAIRMAN. The committee will come to order. The Chairman thought that at this first meeting Mr. Young should be assigned to these bills, for the reason that he has always handled bills of this nature in the Judiciary Committee for the full committee. He will take each bill—and give the meaning, stating what is in each bill. And then after that we will discuss proceedings. Senator HENNINGS. Mr. Chairman, may I inquire, are there now bills pending? Mr. Young. Twelve. Senator HENNINGS. There have been four reported by the Subcommittee on Constitutional Rights. Mr. YOUNG. Right. The CHAIRMAN. Sixteen bills all together, as I understand it. Mr. YOUNG. One of the bills is before the Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments. Four have been reported by the Subcommittee on Constitutional Rights. That leaves 12 bills pending, but all of them are going to be introduced into the record today. The CHAIRMAN. Proceed, Mr. Young. Mr. Young. First, Mr. Chairman, I would like to introduce in the record the notice of this hearing on page 6008, Congressional Record of April 23, 1956. (The notice referred to was marked "Exhibit 1" and is as follows:) NOTICE OF HEARINGS ON PROPOSED CIVIL-RIGHTS LEGISLATION BY COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY Mr. EASTLAND. Mr. President, on behalf of the Committee on the Judiciary, I desire to announce that beginning at 2 p. m. Tuesday, April 24, 1956, there will be a hearing on proposed civil-rights legislation in the committee room, 424 Senate Office Building. Mr. Young. Secondly, I would like to introduce in the record the excerpt from the committee minutes of a week ago, Monday, April 16, |