The Dixiegops Block Progress
Part Eighteen: No civil rights bills made it out of committee in 1951.
The 82nd Congress was predominately conservative[1], and the election only strengthened the Dixiecrat-Republican Coalition. Americans voted against their best interests, and over the following two years, civil rights legislation remained at a standstill in Congress.
The Dixiecrats in the South positioned themselves to force President Truman and Liberal Democrats to work with them, or no major legislation would pass in the 82nd Congress. As soon as the session began, the Dixiecrats elected Senator Ernest McFarland as the Senate Majority Leader.
The Evening Star’s January 3, 1951 issue said that McFarland’s victory to Senate Leader was because his grandfather had fought for the Confederacy[2].
The Dixiecrats also elected Senator Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas as the Assistant Leader and Majority Whip[3]. During the 80th Congress, Johnson developed a close relationship with Senator Richard Russell (D-GA) and was a reliable Dixiecrat.
One of the first orders of business of the Dixiecrat-Republican Coalition in the House was to restore power to the House Rules Committee to bottleneck legislation[4] once again. The Democratic Party was distressed, the Northern Liberal Democrats were in the minority, and the Southern Conservative Democrats were in charge[5]. In both the House and the Senate, Southern Democrats held the chairmanships of the critical committees. The House Speaker Sam Rayburn was another Southerner from Texas.
At the annual NAACP meeting on January 9, 1951, they unanimously adopted a resolution denunciating the Democratic Party’s continuance to “give recognition and power to the announced foes of human rights.” In addition, the NAACP voiced their opposition to Senator Ernest McFarland as Majority Leader and called him “an avowed supporter of the anti-democratic filibuster and a foe of civil rights legislation, who has refused repeatedly to vote for cloture to shut off a filibuster in the Senate.”
The NAACP also cited President Truman’s appointment of former Governor Millard F. Caldwell of Florida as the director of Civilian Defense, further indicating that the Democratic party was only attempting to appease the Dixiecrats[6].
In early 1951, Truman demanded drastic increases in all taxes, including federal income tax rates, gasoline, cigarettes, automobiles, and appliances. It would have affected all taxpaying Americans[7]. Truman’s proposal would have increased federal taxes by $16 billion. 1951, still early in the Korean War, America needed increased taxes for appropriations and national defense[8].
Senator Harry Byrd attacked Truman’s budget, calling it socialism. Byrd planned on cuts instead of the tax increase Truman asked for[9]. Byrd’s proposed cuts included deep slashes to the Armed Forces and the Veterans Administration[10]. Conservatives repeatedly accused Truman of being a Socialist.
Congress sent the message to Black America that the 82nd Congress would not be on their side when they voted to indict William L. Patterson, the national executive secretary of the Civil Rights Congress, for contempt of Congress[11]. The Civil Rights Congress began collecting bail bond funds in 1948 and used those funds to bail out people unlawfully arrested for organizing or protesting for civil rights[12].
The House Lobby Investigating Committee investigated Communism and ordered William L. Patterson to appear before Congress. On August 3, 1950, while testifying before the Committee, Chairman Frank Buchanan (D-PA) asked Patterson if he was a Communist, and Patterson replied, “I refuse to answer that question. It violates my Constitutional rights.” Nevertheless, the Committee demanded that Patterson produce records of board of directors meetings, a list of officers, a membership list, and all reports from the officers.
The House Committee asserted that the Civil Rights Congress had not registered under the Lobby Act. Patterson told them that they were not a lobbying firm and that their primary purpose was to maintain Constitutional liberties and the civil and human rights of the American people. Patterson was the one testifying before the Committee because the Civil Rights Congress’ president, George Marshall, at the time was serving a jail sentence for contempt of the House Un-American Activities Committee[13].
On the second day of the hearing, Patterson told the Committee, “The State of Georgia tried to lynch nine men in the Scottsboro case. Georgia is a State of lynchers.”
The Georgia Congressman Henderson Lanham replied, “That’s a lie. If there’s a state in the Union where a nigger gets a fair trial, it’s Georgia[14].”
Patterson responded, “That’s a lie, too.”
Congressman Lanham jumped up and raced around the table, fists up, ready to beat up William L. Patterson, although no punches landed on the committee witness[15]. During his outburst, Lanham also called Patterson a “Black son of a bitch.”
A few weeks later, Lanham apologized for “losing his temper” and blamed Patterson. In his apology, he said, “That contemptible colored Communist provoked me with slanders on the State of Georgia[16].” Congressman Lanham was a Georgia Dixiecrat who fought against civil rights in the House during his 10-year career in Congress[17].
While the Committee spoke of charging Patterson with contempt of Congress, the indictment wouldn’t come until five months later. Several Congressmen, both Democrat and Republican, testified on what they witnessed that day at his trial in April 1951[18]. Patterson was acquitted. Later that year, he presented “We Charge Genocide” to the UN, which accused America of the genocide of Black Americans[19].
On the first day of the 82nd Legislature, Congress introduced seven civil rights, including two anti-lynching bills, two anti-poll tax bills, and one FEPC bill. Northern Democrats and Republicans introduced these bills[20]. However, just as in previous years, the Dixiecrat-Republican Coalition threatened to filibuster any civil rights legislation[21].
The Coalition held the majority in every Committee, which would have been responsible for domestic legislation[22]. Once again, the Dixiecrats were in power.
Surprising the country, eleven Southern Senators offered a resolution outlawing poll tax[23]. Democrat Spessard Holland from Florida introduced the bill. Several Dixiecrats sponsored the resolution, including:
Senator George Smathers (FL)
Senator Walter George (GA)
Senator Clyde Hoey (NC)
Senator Willis Smith (NC)
Senator Harry Byrd (VA)
Senator A. Willis Robertson (VA)
Senator Herbert O’Connor (MD)
Senator Allen Ellender (LA)
Senator Richard Russell Long (LA)
Senator John McClellan (AR)
Senator William Fulbright (AR)
The resolution proposed an amendment to the Constitution outlawing payment of a poll tax as a prerequisite for voting in federal elections. Yet, at the start of 1951, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia were the only seven states that still had poll taxes.
1951 was the year both South Carolina and Tennessee’s state legislature voted to end poll taxes in their state[24].
Republican Senator Irving Ives introduced an FEPC bill identical to the FEPC bills he introduced in 1947 and 1949[25].
In the House, Northern Democrats introduced several civil rights bills, including a measure to withhold aid from schools that discriminate, the prohibition of discrimination in employment, the prohibition of segregation on buses and trains, the prohibition of segregation in the Armed Forces, and barring poll taxes[26].
In June, nine more Senators, mostly Northern Democrats, introduced several civil rights bills. Those bills included the anti-poll tax, anti-lynching, FEPC bill, and establishing a civil rights commission[27]. Senator Hubert Humphrey introduced the bills, and they were sponsored by:
Senator William Benton (D-CT)
Senator Paul Douglas (D-IL)
Senator Herbert Lehman (D-NY)
Senator Warren Magnuson (D-WA)
Senator Wayne Morse (R-OR)
Senator Tom Murray (D-MT)
Senator Matthew Neely (D-WV)
Senator John Pastore (D-RI)
Of the 41 civil rights bills introduced in both the House and Senate during 1951, none made it out of Committee[28], nor were hearings ever held. Senator Carl Hayden, a Democrat from Arizona, refused to schedule hearings on the anti-poll tax bill, even though the Committee had voted to have hearings[29].
[1] The Daily Record, “82nd Congress Opens Today, Facing Fight,” (January 3, 1951)
[2] Cecil Holland, “New Majority Leader Learned Art of Persuasion as Teacher,” Evening Star, (January 3, 1951)
[3] Evening Star, “Truman Has No Kick Coming on Writer’s Query About Taft,” (January 4, 1951)
[4] The Potters Herald, “Dixiegops Plan Hatchet Job at Start of 82nd Congress,” (January 4, 1951)
[5] Thomas L. Stokes, “Echo of Old Progressives Heard,” Evening Star, (January 22, 1951)
[6] The Daily Express, “Dixiecrat Recognition Protested by NAACP,” (January 10, 1951)
[7] Associated Press, “Truman Demands Increases in All Taxes,” The Nome Nugget, (February 5, 1951)
[8] Gould Lincoln, “People Still Not Awake to Tax-Raise Proposal,” Evening Star, (February 6, 1951)
[9] Associated Press, “Sen Byrd Will Try to Cut Truman Budget, Tax Plan,” The Nome Nugget, (January 17, 1951)
[10] Cecil Holland, “Byrd Proposes Slash in Funds for Dispersal,” Evening Star, (February 4, 1951)
[11] Arizona Sun, “First Negro in Nation’s History Indicted for Contempt of Congress,” (January 4, 1951)
[12] Associated Press, “Civil Rights Congress Efforts to Raise Bail Fund Detailed,” Evening Star, (July 27, 1951)
[13] Associated Press, “Civil Rights Congress Refuses to Produce Records at Hearing,” Evening Star, (August 3, 1951)
[14] Potters Herald, “Congressman Tries to Take Sock at Witness,” (August 17, 1950)
[15] Associated Press, “Lanham Doubles Fists in Rush at Patterson, Lie Charge Exchanged,” Evening Star, (August 5, 1950)
[16] Jackson Advocate, “Lanham Offers Apology for Slur to Negro,” (August 19, 1950)
[17] The Arizona Sun, “The Question is Asked Why Truman Has Not Established an FEPC Law,” (March 23, 1951)
[18] Evening Star, “Clash with Lanham Aired at Patterson Contempt Trial Here,” (April 9, 1951)
[19] Jackson Advocate, “Robeson Asks Special Passport to Plead Cause of American Negro Before UN General Assembly,” (December 15, 1951)
[20] The Arizona Sun, “Seven Civil Rights Bills Introduced on Opening Day of Congress,” (January 11, 1951)
[21] Arnold Aronson, “Prospect for Civil Rights,” The Illinois Times, (January 12, 1951)
[22] Evening Star, “Congress Completes Committee Lineups, Ready to Work,” (January 13, 1951)
[23] The Arizona Sun, “Compromise Civil Rights Bill Introduced,” (January 18, 1951)
[24] The Miami Times, “SC Kills Poll Tax, TN Votes Against,” (February 24, 1951)
[25] Potters Herald, “12 GOP Senators Back Bill to Bar Discrimination,” (January 25, 1951)
[26] Arizona Sun, “New York Democrat Introduces Several Civil Rights Bills,” (February 8, 1951)
[27] Associated Press, “8 Civil Rights Bills Offered in Senate,” Evening Star, (June 26, 1951)
[28] Jackson Advocate, “White Denounces Congress for Sit Down Strike on Rights,” (May 19, 1951)
[29] Arizona Sun, “Carl Hayden Needled on Anti-Poll Tax Bill,” (June 29, 1951)