320 politics likeRussia,isaone-partyregion,theDemocraticnomination istantamounttoelection.) InMississippi,thepoorestandmoreculturalybackward stateintheunion,wherelessthan10%ofthepopulation votes(becausehalfofthemarethewrongcolorandtherest can'tpaypolltaxes),thetwo"mostsinisterbufoonsinCongress" (Time) wererenominated:SenatorBilboandRepre- sentativeRankin.Bothingratiatethemselveswiththefolks backhomebyfoulmouthedatacks,deliveredrightonthe floorofthenation'slegislativeassembly,againstkikes,dagoes andniggers.Rankin,whoisreturningtoCongressforhis fourteenth term,didnotevenbothertoputonacampaign. Bilbohadtoworkharder:hehadfouropponents,noneof whomfoughthimontheonlyissueheraisedWhiteSupremacy—sincetheyallsharedhisviewpoint,thoughina moregenteelway;buthegotmorevotesthanallfourcombined.FewNegroesvoted,perhapsbecauseofsuchcampaign sentimentsasthis,fromaBilbospeech:"Icalloneveryredbloodedwhitemantouse anymeanstokeeptheniggersaway fromthepolls. Ifyoudon'tknowwhatthatmeans,you're justplaindumb." InGeorgia,anothersinisterbufoon,ex-governorEugene Talmadge,whomtheDuPontsforabriefperiodin1935 backedasacomingfascistpolitico,madehisre-entryinto politicsbywinningtheDemocraticnominationforgovernor. He,too,raisedonlyoneissue:WhiteSupremacy.Hisspeeches dealtwithsuchmomentoustopicsasapromisetoinstitute searchesofallincomingPulmancarsfromNewYorkCity andotherforeigncountriesandtohaveanycoloredpassengers hauledoffbythetriumphantforcesofLaw&Order.His opponentwasJamesV.Carmichael,supportedbyGeorgia's presentgovernor,Arnal,themostliberalofallSouthernpoliticians.ThedefinitionofLiberalismintheSouth,naturally, doesnotincludereferencetowhatisdelicatelyknownas"the racequestion."LikeBilbo'sopponents,Carmichaelavoided theoneissueTalmadgeraised."HetoldhisaudiencesonseveraloccasionsthathisfamilyhadlivedinGeorgiaformore thanahundredyearsandthatheunderstoodSoutherntraditionsaswelasthenextman[felowbythenameofTal- madge-D.M.]." Itishardtoseehowtheracistdemagoguescanbedefeated intheSouthunlesstheWhiteSupremacyissueismet,howevercautiously.ForthelogicofWhiteSupremacyhasdrastic consequences,includingtheuseofphysicalterrorastheultimateargument(seeDolard'smoderateandthereforeallthe moreconvincingdevelopmentofthispointin CasteandClass in a SouthernTown). Theliberalsaresqueamishaboutfacing uptotheseconsequences;likeMacbeth,theywouldliketo havethefruitsofthecrimewithoutcommitingit.Butthe demagoguesarecleverenoughonemightalmostsay:serious enoughtoseetheabsurdityofsqueamishnes incaryingout apolicyofracialoppression. 2 Justbeforetheprimaries,boththe SaturdayEveningPost andthe N.Y.TimesSundayMagazine carriedfeaturearticles exposingBilboasaracistdemagogue.Itisnotoftenthatcon- servativeorganscrusadeforsuchacause.Twoquestionssuggestthemselves:(1)howefectivewerethearticles?(2)what dotheyshowaboutsentimentoutsidetheSouth?Theanswers tobotharediscouraging. (1)BothBilboandhisopponentsatributedmuchofhis successtotheatacksfrom"upNorth."(The Times andthe Post arenationalpublications,coveringtheMidwestandPacificCoastaswellastheNorth;buttotheSoutherner,inhis peculiarisolation,allthatisnotTheSouthisofnecessityThe North;hewouldundoubtedlyplaceEuropeandAsiaalsoUp BibliotecaGinoBianco Northdidheevergiveathoughttosuchremoteregions.) "Let'emholerupthere,"saidBilbo'scampaignmanager,"and we'lsweepthestate."RankinandTalmadgealsomadepoliti- calcapitaloutofcriticismsleveledatthemby"butinsky damyankees";itistheresentmentoftheprovincialandrustic againstthe"outsider."ThustheSt. LouisPost-Dispatchreports thattheMeadCommitee'sdisclosureofRepresenta- tiveMay'sinvolvementintheGarssonmunitionsscandal seemstohaveactualyincreasedhischancesofre-electionin hisnativeKentucky."Anotherofthosedamyankeeplots" ishowonelocalpaperputsit. (2)Whentosucharticlesinconservativejournalsone adsthesympatheticatitudeonNegroissuesshownbyother large-circulationorganssuchas Colliers andtheLucemagazinesaswelasthebigsalesofrecentbookslike StrangeFruit andBlackBoy, onemightbetemptedtoconcludethatnonSouthernAmericanshavebecomeremarkablyfreefromracial- ism.(Anotherstrawinthewind:the Times' recentdecision toomittheadjective"Negro"inreportingcriminalactions byNegroes.)Actualy,allonecansafelydeduceisthetautologythattheeditorsofsuchpublicationsarebecomingcivil- izedaboutracism.Thisis,ofcourse,importantbecauseof theirinfluenceonthepublic;andtheshiftmayevenportend asimilarshiftlateroninthemoresofthenon-Southern public.Butasyet,atleast,nosuchchangeisobservableatthe gras-rootslevel. Forexample,intheJulyissueoftheuseful"MonthlySum- maryofEventsandTrendsinRaceRelations"(freeonrequestfromtheSocialScienceInstitute,FiskUniversity,Nash- vile,Tenn.),onereadsthatduringtheconventionofthe NAACPinCincinnati,thewhiteemployeesofmostdown- townrestaurantsconcertedlytook"sickleave"forsomedays toavoidservingthecoloreddelegates;that,inthemonthof June,"27NegrohomesincovenantedareasinChicagowere bombed";thatthewhitepastorofaMethodistchurchin Marysvile,Mich.,wasforcedtoresignafterhehadurged thatthelocalindustriesshouldgivejobstoNegroes;thatthe 4-HClubs(thenationalyoungpeople'sfarmorganization), meetinginWashingtonunderthesponsorshipoftheDepart- mentofAgriculture,barredNegromembersfromtheirsessions;thatinSalem,N.J.,sixrestaurantsclosedtheirdoors toavoidserving1,000NegroElksconveninginthatcity. Suchepisodes,whicharepartofeverydayAmericanlife andsogetlittleatentioninthepress,areinsomewaysmore ominousthanthebetter-publicizedactsofviolence.Whena singlemonth,chosenatrandom,canyieldsuchacrop,one sensesthatrankgrowthofracismatthegrass-rootswhich burstsforthsuddenlyinsuchmonstrousfruitsasthe1943 Detroitraceriot. 3. Thecurrentcrisis,however,isnotintheNorthbutinthe South.Thewhiteshavelaunchedtheircounter-attack.Itistoo sontotellwhethertheyareinthepositionoftheRussians atStalingradoroftheGermansintheArdennes. D.M. DEPARTMENTOFUNDERSTA......-1 It will be a fewyearsbeforetheSovietUnioncangivecentral atentiontosatisfyingthedemandforconsumers'goods. —EarlBrowderin"TheNewRepubliCAug.12. THECIVILIANMIND Gen.Eisenhowertodaywashonoredat theMetropolitanMuseum ofArtasa"soldier,diplomatandstatesmanthroughwhosewisdom andforesightmanyirreplaceablearttreasuresweresavedforfuture generations." UPdispatchfromNewYork,April2. MacArthur,thegreatpacifistgeneral. . . . FrankHanighenin"HumanEvents;'May1.
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