George,

This is the text of a letter I sent to the editor of the Washington Post

Ah, statistics. Bob Dole's August 6 "Grand Old Legacy" column correctly tells us that a higher percentage of Republicans than Democrats voted for both the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This "little remembered fact," he believes, establishes a worthy civil rights heritage for the G.O.P.

What he doesn't tell us is that the Democrats who voted against these acts were southern segregationists. Nor does he tell us that, once the acts were put into effect, especially once Southern black people began to vote in large numbers and hold public office, those southern segregationists bolted the Democratic Party.

Pushed by the prospect of black equality, and pulled by Republican president Richard Nixon's "Southern Strategy," they were gone forever.

The acts of 1964 and 1965 were inspired by the black-led southern civil rights movement, introduced by liberal Democratic presidents, and, yes, passed by a bi-partisan Congress. Those who opposed them quickly ceased to be Democrats and their ideological heirs trod the same path. They knew where they were welcome.

Paul Gaston

Here's the text of the letter as it was printed:

Saturday, August 20, 2005; Page A15

Another GOP Legacy

Ah, statistics. Bob Dole's Aug. 6 op-ed column correctly told us that a higher percentage of Republicans than Democrats voted for both the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This "little-remembered fact," he believes, established a civil rights heritage.

What he didn't tell us is that the Democrats who voted against these laws were southern segregationists. Nor did he tell us that, once the laws took effect and southern blacks began to vote in large numbers and hold public office, those southern segregationists bolted the Democratic Party.

The 1964-65 legislation was inspired by the black-led southern civil rights movement, introduced by liberal Democratic presidents and, yes, passed by a bipartisan Congress. Those who opposed it quickly ceased to be Democrats. They knew where they were welcome.

-- Paul Gaston Charlottesville

Here's the text of the letter I wrote to the man at the Post who edited my letter .

I was pleased to see my letter in today's "Free for All" collection. I hope it won't seem churlish of me to complain about the editing, As both a writer and an editor I expect to be edited. But I don't expect significant substantive comment to be cut out. The editing of my letter omitted the following critical points that I made:

(1) southern segregationists fled the Democratic party because they were pushed by the prospect and reality of equal treatment for blacks and sulled by Nixon's "southern strategy." These are two crucial points: the racism of the southern segregationists and the courting of them by the leader of the Party where racism would find its new home.

(2) The "ideological heirs" of the 1964-65 segregationists likewise were wooed by and joined the Republican Party. (You see them today in large numbers in both the House and the Senate, not to mention in high positions in state and local government, so much so that the south has become the engine that drives the Republican Party.)

Many thanks.

Paul Gaston (electronic mail, August 21, 2005)