Art & History

Weekly Historical Highlights (August 24 through 30)

August 25, 1948

This 1948 image of the Republican Members of the House Un-American Activities Committee included, from left to right, Representative Richard B. Vail of Illinois, Chairman John Parnell Thomas of New Jersey, Representative John McDowell of Pennsylvania, Robert Stripling (chief counsel), and Representative Richard M. Nixon of California.
On this date, former State Department official Alger Hiss, and Whittaker Chambers, a former communist spy and magazine editor, faced each other in a public hearing before the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC). The Cannon Caucus Room, located in the Cannon House Office Building, became center stage for the media spectacle involving the House’s most infamous committee. Chambers had accused Hiss of being an undercover agent for the Kremlin. Hiss vehemently denied the charges. Referring to the disputed statements between the two men, Committee Chairman J. Parnell Thomas of New Jersey began the proceedings, informing both witnesses that, “certainly one of you will be tried for perjury.” After more than six hours of testimony, the day of questioning ended inconclusively. In an open letter dated August 24, 1948, Hiss claimed that the committee needed to end its “verdict-first-and-testimony later tactics.” After the hearings, many Republicans asserted that the investigation demonstrated that the Roosevelt and Truman administrations were soft on communism; Democrats claimed it was a “smear” campaign. Committee investigators subsequently turned up additional evidence against Hiss, and in 1950 a federal grand jury convicted him of perjury and sentenced him to five years in prison. In the 1990s, Soviet archives conclusively revealed that Hiss had been a spy on the Kremlin’s payroll.

August 24, 1998

Serving 25 years in the House of Representatives, Charles Diggs of Michigan became the first black chairman of the Committee on the District of Columbia.
On this date, Charles Diggs, the first African American to represent Michigan in Congress, died in Washington, D.C. Diggs served in the Michigan state senate for three years before winning a seat in the U.S. House in the 84th Congress (1955–1957). During his 25 years in the House, Diggs became an outspoken advocate for civil rights, participating in demonstrations and garnering attention for the growing movement. Known as “Mr. Africa” because of his dedication to and knowledge of African affairs, the Michigan Congressman was the first African American to serve on the Foreign Affairs Committee. He also earned the distinction of being the first black chairman of the Committee on the District of Columbia where he tirelessly promoted home rule (self-government) for the nation’s capital. “When we talk about self-determination for the District of Columbia we are not only talking about a matter of local interest, but because of the unique role of this capital community, it is of concern to each one of the Members of the 435 districts across the country,” Diggs surmised. Diggs played a critical role in the formation of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and served as the organization’s first chairman. “We meet to assert the common bonds that unite men and women of all races, creeds and generations who share a fierce determination to liberate the legions of the oppressed,” Diggs asserted at the first annual CBC dinner in 1971. “We come together to arm and equip ourselves to fight more effectively than ever before for those who are too seldom victors, too often victims.”

August 29, 1916

An 11-term Congressman, William Adamson of Georgia served as chairman of the Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee for three terms.
On this date during the 64th Congress (1915–1917), President Woodrow Wilson addressed a Joint Session to discuss a looming national railroad crisis. To try to prevent a crippling nationwide strike by union railroad workers, President Wilson asked Congress to pass a six-point act which would establish an eight-hour day as the legal basis for railroad work, as well as overtime benefits. After the Joint Session, Wilson discussed the situation with Speaker of the House James Beauchamp (Champ) Clark of Missouri, Majority Leader Claude Kitchin of North Carolina, Minority Leader James Mann of Illinois, and Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee Chairman William Adamson of Georgia. The Constitution vested Congress with the power to regulate interstate and foreign commerce, thus giving it authority over the railroad industry. A modified version of President Wilson’s request was introduced and passed the House on September 2, 1916, by a vote of 239 to 56. Known as the Adamson Act, the bill passed the Senate and was signed into law the next day. The legislation averted the potential strike and became the first labor law to provide for oversight of nongovernment employment. After the passage of the bill Adamson admitted, “it was hasty legislation to meet an emergency.” He added, “We now put in the eight-hour law and provide for preserving the status quo until a commission can investigate the dispute between the two classes of our servants. Afterwards we will make complete and adequate regulation, taking care of the interests of both classes of our servants, and doing justice to the people.” With the growing possibity of U.S. intervention in World War I, President Wilson proclaimed government control over the railroads in late 1916. Congress subsequently reinforced that action with the Railroad Control Act of 1918.

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