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STATEMENT BY SENATOR DIRKSEN
September 22, 1966
Mr. President, our Question-of-the-eek
Can We Afford Your Automatic-Democratic Congress?
Seldom has the hypocrisy of numbers been better illustrated than
in the voting during this past week on the Civil Rights bill. The
Republican minority and its Leadership in the Senate have been
indicted and damned by the Johnson-Humphrey Administration and its
Democratic majority for having killed the Civil Rights bill. How,
conceivably, can men of intelligence and good-will so overlook that
same simple arithmetic to which Mr. Ford has just made reference?
There are 67 Democrats in the Senate. There are 33 Republicans
This being so, how under Heaven, can it be concluded that the Republi-
cans defeated Civil Rights? Had the Johnson-Humphrey Administration
truly wished it, had the Democrats in the Senate truly sought it, the
proposed Civil Rights Act of 1966 would, without doubt, at this very
moment, be the law of the land. As one writer put it in comment on
the classic question of "who killed Cock Robin?" it had to be a
Democratic arrow -- not that of the Republican minority.
Happily for the nation's best interest, fortunately for the
Creedom of the individual, the Republican minority, outnumbered as it
was, reflected the will of our people to a degree that made converts
of regular Democrats and resulted in a vote that assured the right of
every American to preserve the integrity of his own judgment and to
determine the future of his own home.
The will of the people in this instance prevailed, but it could
never have done so if a determined minority had not made clear the
issues involved and in so doing won the respect and the response of
many others.
It is unwise, it is dangerous and it can be disastrous, when
an
overwhelming majority is permitted to prevail without question or
hindrance. Only as a majority is repeatedly questioned and checked
by a strong minority can the foundations of this Republic be preserved.
That we, a present minority, would welcome majority status is undeni-
able, but until that inevitable day we believe it all-important to
the American people that our numbers and our hand be strengthened
sufficiently to outlaw forever from Capitol Hill the push-button, the
computer, the soulless rubber stamp.
Therefore, Mr. President, our Question-of-the-Week:
Can We Afford Your Automatic-Democratic Congress?
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"ocrText": "STATEMENT BY SENATOR DIRKSEN\nSeptember 22, 1966\nMr. President, our Question-of-the-eek\nCan We Afford Your Automatic-Democratic Congress?\nSeldom has the hypocrisy of numbers been better illustrated than\nin the voting during this past week on the Civil Rights bill. The\nRepublican minority and its Leadership in the Senate have been\nindicted and damned by the Johnson-Humphrey Administration and its\nDemocratic majority for having killed the Civil Rights bill. How,\nconceivably, can men of intelligence and good-will so overlook that\nsame simple arithmetic to which Mr. Ford has just made reference?\nThere are 67 Democrats in the Senate. There are 33 Republicans\nThis being so, how under Heaven, can it be concluded that the Republi-\ncans defeated Civil Rights? Had the Johnson-Humphrey Administration\ntruly wished it, had the Democrats in the Senate truly sought it, the\nproposed Civil Rights Act of 1966 would, without doubt, at this very\nmoment, be the law of the land. As one writer put it in comment on\nthe classic question of \"who killed Cock Robin?\" it had to be a\nDemocratic arrow -- not that of the Republican minority.\nHappily for the nation's best interest, fortunately for the\nCreedom of the individual, the Republican minority, outnumbered as it\nwas, reflected the will of our people to a degree that made converts\nof regular Democrats and resulted in a vote that assured the right of\nevery American to preserve the integrity of his own judgment and to\ndetermine the future of his own home.\nThe will of the people in this instance prevailed, but it could\nnever have done so if a determined minority had not made clear the\nissues involved and in so doing won the respect and the response of\nmany others.\nIt is unwise, it is dangerous and it can be disastrous, when\nan\noverwhelming majority is permitted to prevail without question or\nhindrance. Only as a majority is repeatedly questioned and checked\nby a strong minority can the foundations of this Republic be preserved.\nThat we, a present minority, would welcome majority status is undeni-\nable, but until that inevitable day we believe it all-important to\nthe American people that our numbers and our hand be strengthened\nsufficiently to outlaw forever from Capitol Hill the push-button, the\ncomputer, the soulless rubber stamp.\nTherefore, Mr. President, our Question-of-the-Week:\nCan We Afford Your Automatic-Democratic Congress?"
}