A Falling-Off Among Friends

The civil rights bill may survive its enemies, but it is getting scant help from its Senate friends.

At one point, as the Senate neared its fifth week of civil rights debate, Minnesota Democrat Hubert Humphrey, the bill's floor manager, could not even raise a quorum. Only 39 Senators were present. Of the absentees, 44 were civil rights supporters, three of them --Rhode Island's John Pastore, Missouri's Edward Long and Washington's Warren Magnuson -- "captains" of Humphrey's Democratic team. For the first time in nearly two years, the Senate was forced to adjourn because it had been unable to muster a majority needed to do business.

Siren Song. Where was everyone? Well, Washington Democrat "Scoop" Jackson was at home dedicating a new forest service laboratory. New Mexico Democrat Clinton Anderson was in Albuquerque powwowing with state Indian organizations. Utah's Senators, Democrat Frank Moss and Republican Wallace Bennett, were at the annual conference of the Mormon Church in Salt Lake City. Nebraska Republican Roman Hruska was in Omaha at state Republican Founders Day ceremonies. "When the siren song of politics calls," said one Senate aide, "they can't resist."

Humphrey was understandably annoyed. He shot off telegrams to the truants ordering them back to Washington on the double, followed up with 36 personal phone calls. The next quorum call, two days later, was met. But still absent were nine of Humphrey's Democratic supporters and six pro-civil rights Republicans. With that, Humphrey and Majority Leader Mike Mansfield summoned offending Democrats to a special meeting, urged them to mend their ways and handed out a list of scheduled quorum calls through mid-May. Seven Senators didn't show up for that session either.

All or Nothing. But absenteeism was not the bill's only problem. Republican Minority Leader Everett Dirksen last week outlined to G.O.P. Senators a clutch of amendments, including one to make compliance with the public-accommodations section voluntary for a year. Several liberal Senators promptly indicated that they might vote against a diluted bill. Cried Oregon Democrat Wayne Morse: "There cannot be any justification of any compromise in a civil rights bill that gives to the Negroes of this country less than complete deliverance under the Constitution of the U.S. If that is the type of bill that is presented for a final vote in the Senate, count the Senator from Oregon out."

His ears ringing with the same sharp outcries from some liberal Republicans, Dirksen at week's end agreed to try to modify some of his amendments. The fact remained that, to get the support needed to pass the bill, the liberal ma jority will in all likelihood be forced to accept many of Dirksen's proposals. If they persist in an all-or-nothing attitude, they may yet turn a running tide of victory to ironic defeat.

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