Brown's zeal is slap in face to Clyburn
Republican blatantly seeks more power

FEB. 16, 2002 - It should have been a no-brainer for South Carolina's congressmen - until the greed of power-hungry U.S. Rep. Henry Brown rose to the surface. And now, there's a serious rift in the generally-collegial relationship of the state's congressional delegation, The State newspaper reported this week.

Here's some background:

To celebrate the 50-year anniversary of the landmark school desegregation decision, Brown v. Board of Education, the U.S. Congress decided to appoint a commission to help plan an event. Each state was asked to agree on a person to serve on the commission.

South Carolina should hold a place of honor on the commission because one of the cases consolidated into the Brown v. Board of Education decision was Briggs v. Elliott, which started in Clarendon County in 1949.

Clarendon County is smack in the middle of the congressional district of U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn.

Clyburn, whose office includes photographs of people involved in the Briggs case, nominated Joseph A. Delaine Jr. of Charlotte, a son of the Rev. Joseph Armstrong Delaine, who was integral in the 1949 case.

Brown reportedly wanted to get some recognition. So he nominated a staff member - yes, a staff member - to serve on the commission.

"This delegation has always been very collegial, but collegiality has gone out the window," Clyburn told The State this week. "This is just the latest of a number of incidents we've had in the last few months."

In most situations, congressional courtesy calls for the state's delegation to respect the wishes of the congressman whose district includes an affected area or project. In this case, courtesy would dictate that the delegation would respect Clyburn's suggestion for the state's appointee on the special Brown v. Board of Education commission.

But Brown, known for partisan stubbornness and a need to be recognized, isn't backing down, according to The State.

"I'm really disappointed that it has come to this," Brown told the newspaper. "I feel bad that he (Clyburn) feels bad about it. But the process up here is generally that the most votes wins."

Here's how The State described the situation:

"A rift among members of South Carolina's U.S. House delegation is threatening to fracture what traditionally has been a cooperative relationship among Palmetto State
congressmen."

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"[Brown] said he hopes the [Christian Coaliton] under Combs sticks to its mission of recruiting candidates who are heavily focused on family values.

-- The Post and Courier, Dec. 6, 2001.

• Click here for other pearls of wisdom from Henry Brown