r Matter of Focf By jpi. m.
"HE COULD'VE DID MORE" I
Philadelphia Philadelphia's
32 Ward one of those Negro
lections in the northern big cities j
which both
Democrats and
Rep ublicans
are now
watching with
breathless a t
tention is
n o w h e re as
bad as the
worst of H a r
lem and no
where as good
as the best.
In this Philadelphia ward
there is little to compare with
jwide areas of slum clearance
housing that promise a new
decency and hope to the poor in
Harlem. There is nothing, either,
quite so evil as Harlem's even
wider areas of stinking cliff
high slum apartments that are
fully as horrible as the worst
slums of Bombay. The 32 Ward
is, rather, a classical Negro sec
tion in the old style, where the
Negroes have taken over street
after drab and dreary street
built for fairly prosperous white
people 70 or 80 years ago.
The more ambitious and suc
cessful Negro families live in
often even own little stone
built row houses that must once
have housed a solid middle class
family apiece, and today house
anywhere up to eight or ten
Negro families apiece.
...
pUSH your way into these tcne-
ments past the children play
ing on the steps and sidewalk be
cause they have nowhere else to
play. Climb the rickety dark
stairs. As you pass by, avert
your eyes, if you are wise, from
the single foul bathroom that
serves the two or three families
on each floor. Knock at the
crazy doors. Peer into the
crowded rooms, furnished with
the squalid castoffs of our in
dustrial, civilization, whose pro
ducts, somehow, do not seem to
age very gracefully.
You are gripped you must
be gripped by a deep shame
that this rich country lets so
many of its citizens live in
sop
such a manner. Even so,
even the worse of Phila
delphia's 32nd Ward lacks the
dark, downright Asian squalor,
the foulness and grim hopeless
ness of the worst of Harlem. And
this difference seems to have
considerable political import
ance, judging by the results of
an intensive door to door In
quiry recently conducted in
company with a professional
poller, John Kraft.
On a similar expedition in
Harlem, this reporter's partner
found that the slumdwellers
thought little about civil rights
and were voting solidly Dem
ocratic simply because "The
Democrats are the party of us
poor people." In contrast, he
also found a passionate preoccu
pation with civil rights wherev
er Negro families had achieved
more decent living conditions;
and in these sections of Harlem
there was considerable resent
ment of Adlai E. Stevenson's
"moderation" on the civil rights
issue.
IN PHILADELPHIA'S 32 Ward,
in contrast, where almost no
one can escape from slum con
ditions but the slums are some
what less appalling, the economic
and civil rights issues are blend
ed in almost everyone's mind.
But here in Philadelphia, they
seldom mention Adlai Steven
son's "moderation" on the civil
rights: instead, they say, "The
President could've did more to
help our people."
Typical of the more articulate
was Mrs. Irene Bennett, a sturdy,
intelligent woman who works
for Wanamakers and is rearing
her large brood in part of one
floor of a tumbledown house
on Camac Street. Mrs. Bennett
is no Stevenson enthusiast, but
after careful thought she gives
the greatest weight the Pres
ident's inaction during the school
troubles in the South.
"The deciding factor with me
is which party is going to do the
most for my people," she says.
More belligerent, and more
representative of the less
thoughtful, more directly emo
tional voters was Miss Celia
Cook, a little, whltehalred, hard
working old lady who lives in
a room like cave in one of the
North 12th st. slums. "I don't
like Republicans," said Miss
Cook. "They're for the rich. And
I don't like Mr. Eisenhower at
all, either. He's done everything
for the White people and noth
ing'for my people. Why look at
all those trouble down South.
Isn't he President? Why can't
he do something?"
TTOWARD Norris, an ambitious
H young Clerical worker who
is buying his own little house on
North st., took the exceptional
view that "Although Eisenhower
has ducked the civil rights issue,
I always remember these South
ern Governors are Democrats.
So I'm for the Democrats just
because I think they're the party
of the little man."
But two of the rare Repub
lican voters, ladies of rather
obvious easy virtue, said they
did not like the President be
cause "It seems like he could've
did a lot more for the colored
people." They then added, with a
giggle, that they were Repub
licans all the same, "Because
everyone round here is a Repub
lican." That notion of the two ladies
was oertainly erroneous. The
vast majority of the voters of
the 32 Ward chose Adlai Steven
son four years ago. The Dem
ocratic lead was so decisive that
there were few Republicans left
to switch; yet we found a couple
of switches none-the-less. Unless
our rather large sample was
somehow badly distorted, this
crucial Negro ward of crucial
Philadelphia should give Adlai
Stevenson as large a propor
tional majority as he got four
years ago. And if our switches
are indicative, he may even gain
a percentage point or two on top
of that.
1956, New York
Herald Tribune Inc.
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Editorial Comment
STEVENSON'S CAMPAIGING
Oregon Democrats gave Adlai
Stevenson a hearty welcome
Wednesday when he came to
press his campaign for election
as President and to give a boost
to the candidates of his party
for other offices. Stevenson is
intelligent, articulate, stimulat
ing. He would in our opinion
make a very able President. To
do so, however, he surely would
have to shorten sail on many of
his overtures for group votes
which he has been making in his
campaign. This was the basis
fro President Eisenhower's ac
cusation that the Democrats were
becoming "politically irrespons
ible." We think the change could
be tempered a bit by applying
the discount of "campaign
oratory." The trouble is that
Stevenson has in his party many
who would try to put all these
promises into effect. They would
quote from the text of his speech
es to his own discomfort.
Ninety per ' cent parity for
farmers with government secu
rity extended to growers of other
than the basic crops, more gen
erous aid to aged, government
guaranteed health insurance,
greater aid for education. all
these, and others, and lower
taxes threaten the stability of
the national treasury. The Dem
ocratic record is one of mount
ing taxes and mounting govern
ment paternalism. By committ
ing himself so fully to this pro
gram of federal generosity,
Stevenson departs from his pre
vious endorsement of modera
tion. We regard Stevenson more
highly than his campaigning
warrants, but feel he has made
himself a captive of old New
Fair Deal. Oregon Statesman,
Salem.
Tuesday, October 18, 1956
MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE FIVE
FAVORS HELLS CANYON
Mike Strauss, commissioner
of reclamation under President
Truman, said something here
this week that deserves much
more consideration than many
who live in the Northwest prob-
j ably will give it. Mr. Strauss
said that tne eyes ot trie nation
are constantly directed to the
course of water resources devel
opment in the Northwest for the
obvious reason that such a great
part of the nation's hydro elec
tric potential is here.
This has long been evident. It
was vividly pointed up when the
Hells Canyon argument was rag
ing. Many large newspapers in
the eastern United States were
pushing for the high dam be
cause they thought it would in
sure best use of a resource that
belongs to all the people of the
United States. What we say and
think about water resources de
velopment in this region is of
vital interest everywhere be
cause we will be direct beneficiaries.
It is for that reason that we j
have, time and again, questioned !
the approach taken by eastern j
Oregon's representative in Con
gress, Sam Coon. He opposed
full development of the Snake
river when he opposed a high
Hells Canypn dam. And he has :
done nothing to get appropria-j
tions for construction of John j
Day dam, which has federal au-1
thorization. If Mr. Coon is not
willing to go to bat for his re
gion what must the people far
removed from the region think?
build three low head dams in
the Hells Canyon stretch of the
Snake river. It is tcft early, how
ever, to count the high dam peo
ple down and completely out.
Illinois' Sen. Paul Douglas
told a Democratic dinner meet
ing at Milton-Freewater last
Saturday night that the election
of a Democratic President und
firmer control after this election
of the House and Senate by
Democrats could bring about re
versal of the FPC decision and
construction of the high dam.
Seems to us that is a distinct
possibility. Pendleton East
Oregonian.
EVERYTHING IN SIXES
Detroit (U.R) With John G.
Andrew, everything comes in
sixes and it's not his lucky num
ber. Andrew, 44, was arrested
for trying to sell football tickets
for a $6 profit and was given a
choice of a S60 fine or 60 days
in jail. He paid the fine.
PASSENGER SERVICE
Reading the comment this
week of L. R. Capron, vice pres
ident of the Burlington railroad,
was refreshing, for Mr. Capron
believes the pessimism of some
railroad executives over the fu
ture of rail passenger business
"is completely unfounded and
the future looks good if you
give customers the right equip
ment and service.
Mr. Capron expressed his
views in Portland this week and
announced that his railroad will
put a new Denver Zephyr in
service Oct. 28, with entirely
new sleeping accommodations at
a low rate.
The new coaches, he said, for
the first time bring comfortable
sleeping accommodations to the
coach fare passenger.
There will be none of the
usual upper and lower berths.
The entire train will be rooms
and roomettes. Individual rooms
for coach fare passengers will
include a window seat that be
comes a bed and private lavatory
and toilet facilities. Additional
fare from Denver to Chicago will
be only $7.50, he said.
Burlington, always successful
on its Chicago to Denver run and
the pioneer in diesel-powered
streamliners, is venturing mil
lions, and doing it with confid
ence, in putting on the new
equipment.
Out this way, we are being
"brain washed" by the Southern
Pacific into the belief that pass
enger service by rail is a thing
of the past. Ashland Tidings.
The proponents of a high
Hells Canyon dam took another
sock on the jaw this week when
a court decision upheld the rec
ommendation of the Federal
Power commission that Idaho
Power company be permitted to
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