OPINION:
In his article about Sen. Rand Paul’s appeals to black American voters, reporter Ralph Z. Hallow writes: “About half the Republicans in the House and a third in the Senate voted for the 1964 Civil Rights Act” (“Rand Paul’s pursuit of black voters splits GOP,” Web, Aug. 20). Contrary to Mr. Hallow’s statement, House Republicans in 1964 voted 136-35 for this monumental piece of legislation.
Two recent histories of that act give much credit for its passage to Rep. William McCulloch, Ohio Republican. While GOP presidential nominee Barry Goldwater voted against the bill, 27 of his Senate GOP colleagues voted aye; only five joined him. In both houses of Congress, the percentages of GOP support for the bill were substantially higher than those of Democrats.
Not only should good Republicans celebrate that noble part of our history, which after all merely reinforced a constitutional amendment ratified a century earlier over violent Democratic objections, but The Washington Times needs to make sure it gets the story right, too.
J. LEE ANNIS JR.
Silver Spring
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