DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | Dorothy Schramm newspaper clippings, 1949-1955 (folder 1 of 2) | 1953-02-12 Des Moines Register Article: "Some Thoughts For Lincoln's Birthday"

Transcribe
Translate

Dorothy Schramm newspaper clippings, 1949-1955 (folder 1 of 2)

1953-02-12 Des Moines Register Article: "Some Thoughts For Lincoln's Birthday"

[[Handwriting]]
DMR 2-12-53
[[Bold header]]
Some Thoughts for Lincoln's Birthday.
[[End header and bold]]
On Lincoln's birthday, 1951, the perennial fair employment practices bill was introduced into the Iowa legislature, and got nowhere, as usual. Each biennium for some time, such a bill has been introduced, at the behest of labor, Negro, and a few other organizations. But few legislators have considered racial and religious discrimination in employment to be much  of a problem in Iowa.
In the last few years, however, several things have happened to throw new light on the matter. Citizens of Burlington in great numbers participated in a community-wide survey of the situation there in 1950. Their quiet digging turned up examples of discrimination all over the lot. A smaller group found plenty of discrimination in Davenport about the same time.
A series of surveys in Des Moines convinced the city council that there was a real problem here. In 1951 the council passed a resolution against discrimination in employment, with an unpaid watch-dog commission to work against it by voluntary and educational means. Later it added a secretary-consultant and a small budget. 
Sioux City that year passed an ordinance against discrimination in city departments or in work done for the city by contractors or subcontractors.
Last fall, speakers from these cities and Waterloo exchanged experiences at a statewide conference in Des Moines. The Iowa State college Extension service has been holding meetings on human relations (including race relations) around the state.
The legislators of 1951 and earlier were right: There are many parts of the state where discrimination [[italics]]isn't[[end italics]] much of a problem. But it is one of the biggest problems in [[italics]]the nation as a whole,[[end italics]] and in [[italics]]the world,[[end italics]] and state governments can contribute materially to its solution.
It is primarily a problem of a few big cities in Iowa. And while some of the cities are beginning to try and do something about it, they need state help. And those that don't try need some state prodding to get something started.
The Republican party was born a century ago to halt the spread of slavery. But Abraham Lincoln's work is not done while Negroes are kept in poverty and idleness by senseless caste restrictions on the "right to work".

Saving...

[[Handwriting]] DMR 2-12-53 [[Bold header]] Some Thoughts for Lincoln's Birthday. [[End header and bold]] On Lincoln's birthday, 1951, the perennial fair employment practices bill was introduced into the Iowa legislature, and got nowhere, as usual. Each biennium for some time, such a bill has been introduced, at the behest of labor, Negro, and a few other organizations. But few legislators have considered racial and religious discrimination in employment to be much of a problem in Iowa. In the last few years, however, several things have happened to throw new light on the matter. Citizens of Burlington in great numbers participated in a community-wide survey of the situation there in 1950. Their quiet digging turned up examples of discrimination all over the lot. A smaller group found plenty of discrimination in Davenport about the same time. A series of surveys in Des Moines convinced the city council that there was a real problem here. In 1951 the council passed a resolution against discrimination in employment, with an unpaid watch-dog commission to work against it by voluntary and educational means. Later it added a secretary-consultant and a small budget. Sioux City that year passed an ordinance against discrimination in city departments or in work done for the city by contractors or subcontractors. Last fall, speakers from these cities and Waterloo exchanged experiences at a statewide conference in Des Moines. The Iowa State college Extension service has been holding meetings on human relations (including race relations) around the state. The legislators of 1951 and earlier were right: There are many parts of the state where discrimination [[italics]]isn't[[end italics]] much of a problem. But it is one of the biggest problems in [[italics]]the nation as a whole,[[end italics]] and in [[italics]]the world,[[end italics]] and state governments can contribute materially to its solution. It is primarily a problem of a few big cities in Iowa. And while some of the cities are beginning to try and do something about it, they need state help. And those that don't try need some state prodding to get something started. The Republican party was born a century ago to halt the spread of slavery. But Abraham Lincoln's work is not done while Negroes are kept in poverty and idleness by senseless caste restrictions on the "right to work".