Mar. 14, 1964 - Senator Hubert Humphrey told 900 New Jersey Democrats in Atlantic City, N.J., today that Congress would pass the civil rights bill now under debate.
“We’re going to win it because we know that internationally it is imperative that we come to the world with clean hands,” said the Minnesota Democrat.
“Once we win the fight,” he added, “it will be the proudest achievement of the Kennedy-Johnson Administration.”
Humphrey, who is the leader of the forces favoring the legislation, was the keynote speaker at a day-long “Seminar for the ‘60s.” It was held to acquaint New Jersey Democrats with the party’s position on such matters as automation and unemployment, aid to education, foreign affairs, human rights, and the problems of the elderly.
Declaring that “there is no partisanship about civil rights,” Humphrey said: “This is a national problem. This is a moral issue. Once we have achieved victory, all who contributed can take credit, Democrats and Republicans alike, as proud Americans.”
Humphrey urged the reelection of Senator Harrison Williams, who will be seeking a second term in November. Humphrey cited the first-term record of the New Jersey Senator and his friendship with both President Kennedy and President Johnson.
Humphrey has been frequently mentioned as a possibility for the Vice-Presidential nomination this summer.
