[Cal Protest 9-17-1963] (sound)

[Applause] And fellow freedom fighters, you are gathered here today in probably the most in Albany who were battling ing for the right to live, who were protesting discrimination and employment by a man who happened to be a judge, have been indicted by a federal grand jury for putting undue pressure upon a judge merely because they stimulated a boycott. I think the voices of protest of Americans of goodwill all over the country need to be raised against these heinous crimes. Now, what has happened in Birmingham is not unique to Birmingham. It's happening all over the south. Beautiful here, isn't it? No cops beating on you. It's very nice, right? History department at the Freedom Rides, I believe, to Jackson, Mississippi. Was arrested down there. Most of you know Professor Cers. And I believe that's enough of an introduction for him. I'm afraid simply the most shocking and disgusting manifestation. It's the one that's gotten into the papers. Our papers simply don't tell us what happened every day in America's Georgia and black and 15 words to our president and what Yeah, Reverend Boswell, the uh program at this rally tomorrow will begin at 1:30. I understand the demonstration is to start at 12:00 noon. What uh form will this demonstration take prior to the actual beginning of the program? Any idea how many people will be there? Is there any way of telling? No. All I can say is that uh people have called from as far away as Santa Rosa and uh San Jose. Uh I received one call from Stockton wanting to know if they could come up in a bus. We said certainly come on. I noticed that as a part of the formal program, Mr. Farmer, the national president of CORE will be the principal speaker. But in addition to that, there will be a presentation of demands. What type of demands? Well, these are demands uh which reasonably and constitutionally uh our legal advisors believe that the attorney general can do now in terms of the powers uh which are his so that they will be strictly within that concept. There was a comment out of Washington today that there were no legal grounds for federal intervention in Birmingham. Well, Washington has said this many times before. Uh it uh seems that Washington can always find a reason for what it wants to do. Uh there are many constitutional lawyers who do not agree with Washington at this point. Let me say often times there have been charges of disunityity hurled at the various civil rights organizations in San Francisco. Would you say that in this particular instance you are acting as one scanning the program, Reverend Boswell, that Cecil P, the United States attorney for this district is going to give a response to the presentation of demands. Do you think that he will be able to say whether or not federal troops are going in? No, I I don't believe that that decision would be Mr. Pool's to make. No, I mean do you think that he might have that decision from Washington knowing that you are going to demand this? I I don't know. Uh I've uh I have not discussed this entire matter with Mr. P so I couldn't say exactly what he will have for us. We hope he will have something however. the man who will undoubtedly head up the domestic peace corp if and when it becomes an actuality and uh he said that you were most enthusiastic in your support of the score especially in the area of working with migrant farm workers if you would comment on that. Yes. When the plan was first proposed, uh we had a survey made by our people in the department of agriculture and in our department of uh of education and we concluded that uh there was room for people to move into some of these migratory farm labor camps and really do a job. So I was very enthusiastic about it. I'd like to get these idealistic people that work in the Peace Corps to aid and assist and I think they'll be able to do it and I did support the domestic peace corp uh in Congress. Do you see any other areas in California and where it would be a benefit? Well, it's uh it's hard to say. We might be able to work in some of these minority areas. we might be able to work with some of the uh the uh young people that are uh uh in the culturally deprived areas and things such as that. It's hard to say. We'll have to experiment at first, but I think we'll start there in the uh in these people that move around in the farm labor groups at first and see what we can do. Governor, now that Senator Angle is reported to be in critical conditions and so forth, uh can you tell us any idea what's happening here on the state level regarding replacing him or considering replacing him? Well, we uh I've been uh trying to follow uh Senator Engel's physical condition because of course it's very important to the state that uh that we have Senator Engel in Washington. But apparently he is very very ill. I don't think that uh that he'll be back for a long long time. And I don't think anyone really knows uh how uh uh how soon it'll be before he'll recover, if he'll ever recover. And for that reason is all we can do is to just sit back and and wait and and pray that his that his health will be restored and that this dynamic little guy will get all right. But u at the present it's very very cloudy and the reports that I receive are not too optimistic. He can't be removed from office governor. He has to resign. I don't see any way that a that a person who under this under the law now that uh that's physically incapacitated could be removed from office. I I know of no legal way to to do any such thing as that. Governor, do you feel that one US Senate seat? Well, it's been traditional in California that uh that uh one Senate seat be held in the north and one in the south. And I think generally it's a good idea. But in all of these things, I think you have to uh you have to look to the man. And u I think that in under extraordinary circumstances where there's an outstanding individual that geography plays a a uh secondary takes a secondary place in in either an election or an appointment. As governor, I've tried to recognize all parts of the state and all ethnic groups, but uh there are outstanding men in uh that you want and you always can't do it. But it has been traditional in California to in all appointments for positions, boards of education and board of regents and everything else to try to recognize every area of the state. Governor, is there someone from the north that you feel would be qualified to replace Senator Engel in the event that he did resign or died? Brief briefing on the uh Udell plan, but I don't want to take any position on whether it's good or bad until after the petition for hearing, rehering in the Supreme Court in Arizona versus California is decided. This is the key to our to our future plans. uh the California Water Project will have to be enlarged uh in the event that that uh that the decision of the Supreme Court becomes final. And uh if that uh if that's true, then what we'll have to do is either uh raise it ourselves or get some uh federal aid to replace the Colorado River water that we lose. And these things are all tied in the the intertie, the federal intertie, the the money that we get, the central Arizona project. This is a very complicated thing and uh and we have to take one step at a time, but we have to move very very quickly uh after the Supreme Court decision is made and I have not had a chance to review this. Now, Senator George Miller has asked for a meeting with with me, but I would prefer to postpone the meeting until after the decision is made. I'm hoping that the court will will grant a rehering and take another look at California's position. If they do that, that changes the entire picture. And Attorney General Stanley Moss told me yesterday that we have a good chance of getting some modification of that uh of that decision. No, I do not. I think that uh Senator Goldwater has certainly has an enthusiastic group of people behind him, but I can remember the tremendous crowds we had at the Stevenson rallies when Adlay Stevenson was running against uh President Eisenhower and crowds can be very very deceiving. The uh they they can fool you very very much. they to some extent fooled me in my prediction with respect to President Kennedy uh in his uh in his carrying California. So I would just advise the anyone who pays any attention to the size of crowds in determining the result of an election to look again at other at other factors and maybe take a look at the polls and then take a look at the condition of the country. Governor is really a candidate for president. I don't think there's any question about it. I think that Senator Gwater is a candidate and I think he's a very a very sincere but misguided man. Governor Senator Well, I don't think because uh three or four or five people out ofund 100,000 employees get into trouble that that should uh that that should uh bring about any changes. But I do think that in civil service like any other uh any other employment agency of any kind that we have to constantly examine and re-examine and I do think that there must be some changes in the in the method of operating the department of motor vehicles and Bob Bradford the agency transportation agency director has made some very substantial suggestions that I intend to put into effect but I say that the department of motor vehicles generally and and specifically composed of a topflight group of men and women and I'm very very proud of the record. I'm sorry that that four or five have uh have failed in their trust. Do you have full trust and confidence in Tom? Yes, I have. I think that Tom Bright has been a good civil servant all the all the days of his service to the state of California and there's been nothing in these investigations that have uh that have touched him in the slightest degree. It's obvious that some of his subordinates have not done their full job in disclosing a true situation, but uh