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- PAGE 16 — Oct. I, 1954 —SOUTHERN SCHOOL NEWS Kansas TOPEKA, Kansas s a defendant in the consolidated cases which brought on the U. S. Supreme Court’s May 17 decision, the Topeka Board of Education never argued for segregation. More than a year prior to the rul ing, each member of the six-person board stated he or she favored and would vote for the end of segregation in the Kansas capital city’s 24 ele mentary schools as soon as it could be worked out. What the Topeka board defended, and was joined by the state attorney general in doing so, was the principal of state’s rights. Their argument was that the Constitution specifically gave the states control of public education, and that only Congress and not the judiciary had the right to end segre gation. Kansas’ permissive segregation law delegated only to first-class cities the right to maintain segregated elemen tary schools if they wished. Only one city, Kansas City, had legal permis sion to have Negro high schools. (In Kansas, cities are classified by population—3rd class: 0 to 2,000; 2nd class: 2,000 to 15,000; 1st class: More than 15,000.) “We want it understood we are not defending segregation,” said Atty. Gen. Harold R. Fatzer, “but we are defending the Kansas statute enacted by the legislature many years ago (1867) establishing the policy that segregation in schools should be left up to the local governments.” The Topeka Board of Education once voted against joining with the attorney general in filing a brief. The board finally permitted its attorney to help prepare the brief on condition that “the only issue to be argued will be the constitutionality of the Kansas law and not the moral rightness of segregation.” On the same night—Dec. 1, 1952— two motions were made by board vice-president Jacob Dickinson to end segregation. The first was tabled, and the second withdrawn when board members reached a “gentle man’s agreement” to bring the mat ter to a vote sifter the Supreme Court acted. Reason for the Delay Reason given for wanting to delay the vote was that some members did not think the “timing was good” since the Supreme Court then was con sidering the Topeka appeal and four others. One board member said, “We don’t have the right to impair the cases from other states at a delicate time like this.” Eight months later, in August, 1953, three new board members took of fice. On Sept. 4, 1953, then board president Jacob Dickinson offered a new motion to abolish segregation. Unexpectedly at 12:30 a.m. that Tues day morning, the board voted five to 1 to “terminate segregation in the elementary grades as rapidly as prac ticable.” That was eight months be fore the Supreme Court acted. The best method to accomplish in tegration was left to Supt. Wendell R. Godwin, who two years earlier had come to Topeka from the top school job in Hutchinson, Kansas, the only first class city in the state which never practiced segregation. Thus far, Godwin has recom mended and obtained approval of Steps I and II of his integration plan. Step I, integrating pupils in two dis tricts in the so-called “better” part of town took effect at the beginning of school, 1953. Only nine Negro pupils were involved out of some 1,600 pu pils in the two buildings. Step II was effective this fall of 1954, and integrated 12 more elem entary districts involving only 113 Negroes out of 4,819 students. The biggest problem is yet to come—four white elementary schools in districts with large Negro populations, and four all-Negro schools in virtually the same areas. These eight non-in- tegrated schools have 639 Negroes out of a total of 2,118. Godwin refuses even to hint at what Step in will be. He will not present his recommendation until January, 1955. The Topeka board never asked for nor received any volunteer sugges tions for effecting the changeover to mixed elementary schools. The pub lic here showed almost complete apathy. During the many sessions of the Topeka board when segregation was discussed, only once did white resi dents attend. And then it was a dele gation of 10 persons from a district in which many Negroes five. They were divided about half and half over the issue. The Negroes took a more active in terest, particularly when the board did not rehire six Negro teachers in the spring of 1953 in anticipation of the Supreme Court ruling. The board rehired these teachers later when the Supreme Court announced postpone ment of its expected spring hearing to the fall term. The letter sent to the Negro teach ers at the time of the firing was per haps a clue to things to come: Due to the present uncertainty about enrollment next year in schools for Negro children, it is not possible at this time to offer you employment for next year. If the Supreme Court should rule segrega tion in the elementary grades is uncon stitutional, our board will proceed on the assumption the majority of people in To peka will not want to employ Negro teachers next year for white children. No further discussion of the Negro teacher issue has come before a pub lic board meeting. Throughout the long lower court fight and appeal period, no city or state officials, except the attorney general, spoke out on the subject. Topeka received no offers from the other cities with segregation wishing to join in defending permissive seg regation. Action in Other Cities While Topeka was discussing the question, several other Kansas cities quietly abolished segregation. Both Wichita and Pittsburg acted before Topeka. The city-by-city story is this: WICHITA—8,369 non-white out of 168,279 population. Integration is on a voluntary system. Students may go to the nearest school, but don’t have to. Result: Negroes are attending white schools in small numbers, but no white students have changed schools. The Wichita system had 38 Negro teachers now, though none is Negro teachers now. though none is teaching white students. Three schools still are attended only by Negroes. LAWRENCE—1,932 non-white out of 23,351 population. Lawrence had only one Negro school, two blocks from a white school. The schools were integrated by putting the older stu dents in one building and the younger ones in the other. Now the newer school, which formerly had a 45-pupil all-Negro enrollment, has 110 pupils of both races, affording a saving, and easing overcrowded conditions in the other school, according to Supt. W. D. Wolfe. This fall, Lawrence hired a master’s degree graduate of the Uni versity of Kansas to fill a new posi tion working with both races. Jesse Milan, a Negro, is supervising phys ical education for all eight elementary schools, serving in the afternoons as junior high physical education in structor and counselor. There are no other Negro teachers. SALINA—629 non-white out of 26,176 population. The Salina board of education passed a regulation in February, 1954, permitting students to attend the school nearest their homes. The results are the same as at Wichita. The eight previously all- white schools now have these num bers of Negroes enrolled out of a total of 4,323 pupils: 15, 29. 14, 3, 5, 3, 4, 5. Fifty students remain in all- Negro schools with two teachers. KANSAS CITY—26,710 non-white out of 129,553 population. Of the total school population of 24,130, there are 5,360 Negro pupils—about one-fifth, the biggest percentage in the state. On Sept. 13, 1954, the board of edu cation passed a resolution to begin integration immediately in all schools, completing it as rapidly as classroom space can be provided. About half the Kansas City elementary schools now have Negroes enrolled, but the total number of Negroes involved is only 153. Sixty-five Negroes enrolled in previously all-white junior and senior high schools. Supt. F. L. Schlagle said the situation in Kansas City is eased by the fact that 80 per cent of the Negroes live in one dis trict. The board ruling also included a goal of “avoiding any disruption in the professional life of career teach ers,” which Schlagle said meant that Negro teachers—all 175—will be in tegrated. PARSONS—1,252 non-white out of 14,750 population. Integration has been effected in two of the three dis tricts where Negroes live. Integra tion in the third district would result in impossible overcrowding until a new school is built. ATCHISON—1,271 non-white out of 12,792 population. Unofficial “capi tal” for southern sympathizers in Kansas during the Civil War, Atchi son began two years ago to integrate its schools, starting with the seventh and eighth grades. Right after the Court’s decision, all schools but one were integrated, and it will be integrated next fall. One Negro teach er, Printice Gary, 36-year-old vet eran, was transferred this fall without fanfare to teaching all-white sixth graders. Supt. Charles W. Lafferty reports no protests, and plans to in tegrate the five remaining Negro teachers next fall. LEAVENWORTH—2,053 non white out of 20,579 population. Supt. Hugh Bryan said Leavenworth is “to ease into integration” this fall. Kin dergarten and first grade pupils were permitted to attend school in their own district. Only eight Negro stu dents were involved out of the total elementary count of 2,201. Two Negro schools which go through the eighth grade have 368 pupils. Like Atchison, Leavenworth has had segregation for 100 years. Bryan said he “couldn’t keep the peace even in Leavenworth” if the city’s 16 Negro teachers were integrated. COFFEYVILLE—2,185 n o n-white out of 17,113 population. The city has two Negro elementary schools with an enrollment of 333 out of a total school population of 2,388. Coffey- ville has 11 Negro teachers. Supt. Victor A. Klotz said the only action being taken is “studying school pop ulation trends. We do not anticipate any changes prior to next fall. What they will be will depend on the de cision of the Supreme Court.” Coffey - ville is located right on the Oklahoma line. FT. SCOTT—607 non-white out of 10,335 population. Supt. John F. Haberbosch said the situation is “status quo,” waiting on further court action. The city has one Negro elem entary school with 77 pupils and four teachers. Total enrollment in grades one to eight is 1,140. The crowded con ditions of all schools and the defeat of one bond issue, with another com ing up, would make any shift of pu pils impossible, Haberbosch said. The 1954 Kansas school census showed 21,785 Negro students be tween the ages of five and 21, out of a total of 489,573, or about four per cent. Of this number, 17,228 live in first- class cities where segregation was permissible. The 11 first-class cities have a total school population of 152,069. (The Kansas report was written by Anna Mary Murphy. Education Editor of the Topeka Daily Capital.) Delaware (Continued from Page 4) by 1,002 persons opposing integration. Later, a group of 20 representatives of the large number of anti-integra- tionists met with the school board and Dr. George R. Miller, Jr., state superintendent of public instruction. Chief complaints against the school board were that the people had not been informed of the plan in advance and the school board was too hasty. Milford School Closed Tuesday, Sept. 21, Dr. Raymond C. Cobbs, superintendent of the Mil ford schools, announced that schools would be closed until further notice because of telephoned threats he had received late Monday night. Dr. Cobbs also said that during a meeting the night before “opponents of integration” had been outside the windows and doors of the meeting room making noise and beating on the windows with poles. In the meantime, the Rev. Ran dolph Fisher, president of the Mil ford NAACP, revealed that the 11 Negro students might be asked to stay away from school for several days “but only to give the opponents of integration the opportunity to un derstand that they must respect the decision of the Milford board of edu cation to admit Negroes.” Also on this Tuesday, Harry E. Mayhew, a Democratic member of the school board, resigned. He is a candidate for election to the General Assembly but gave no immediate rea son for resigning. By this time, the story was begin ning to get national attention. Wednesday, Sept. 22, the schools were still closed and the anti-integra- tionists were reported out to get Supt. of Schools Cobbs to resign. In the meantime, Mr. Mayhew issued a rea son for his resignation from the school board, “A condition has arisen in which I no longer feel my services to be in the best interests of the Mil ford board of education.” Boggs Calls Conference Thursday, Sept. 23, a conference was called by Gov. J. Caleb Boggs. Attending were Atty. Gen. Young, members of he Milford school board, high ranking state school officials and representatives of the anti-integra- tionists. Mr. Young advised the Milford school officials they would be violat ing even the “separate but equal” provisions of the State Constitution if they refused to admit Negro students to the white high school, since, in his opinion, the necessity of traveling from Milford to Dover constituted an “inequality.” Thursday, Sept. 23, while Milford schools were still closed, the scene shifted to the state’s capital, Dover, where the state board of education met. About 50 newsmen from out-of- state newspapers, radio and television were on hand. Some had flown in via chartered plane. The quarters of the state board of education were crowded with camera men and heavy TV equipment. After a lengthy meeting behind closed doors the state board of edu cation issued an order that the Mil ford schools be reopened on the fol lowing Monday, Sept. 27, and that the Negro children be continued on the rolls of the white high school. The state board also criticized the Milford Board of Education for not having first consulted with it be fore admitting the Negro students. So, while the schools of Milford were ordered reopened, the board decided to ask Gov. Boggs to seek an advisory opinion from the State Supreme Court. After the state board announced that the Milford schools would re open but criticized the local board for the way it went about admitting the Negro children, the three re maining members of the Milford board resigned in a body. Friday, Sept. 24, Gov. Boggs is sued a statement, asking that all citizens of Milford cooperate in the reopening of the schools on the fol lowing Monday. He also asked peo ple to stay away from the schools while youngsters were going there. In the meantime, in the absence of a local school board, the state de partment of public instruction pre pared to take over the administra tion of the Milford school district Saturday, Sept. 25, the NAACP, which had precipitated the original segregation suits in Delaware, an nounced it stood ready to represent the interests of all 11 Negro young sters and their families. The attorney general and Delaware state police started their investigation into the reported threats of violence earlier in the week made against members of the Milford board of education. The Delaware State Education As sociation (a professional educational association) and the Federation of Delaware Teachers, an AFA affiliate both came out with strong state ments, commending the Milford Board of Education for having en tered the 11 Negro students. The DSEA, representing some 2,200 members throughout Delaware, urged “sober and fruitful adjust ment toward an integrated school system, with careful consideration by all parties concerned and with the interests of the children para mount.” Committee Appointed Gov. Boggs also announced the appointment of a committee of five state officials to work with him on a human relations program looking toward the future. He confessed that perhaps he had erred in not having appointed such a committee earlier. Sunday, Sept. 26: A rally of some 4,000 persons from Milford and vicin ity was held at the Harrington Air port near Milford to hear speeches by local anti-integration leaders and particularly Bryan Bowles, of Wash ington, self-styled president and founder of the National Association for the Advancement of White People. Monday, Sept. 27: School reopened at Milford with 15 state troopers and 10 Milford police on hand. The cam pus swarmed with newsmen, photo graphers and radiomen, and also with about 350 men and women who fringed the pavement and hailed the entry of almost empty school buses as they lumbered in from the coun tryside to the school grounds. Ten of the 11 Negro children enrolled in the Milford High School arrived amid stony silence. Eight were in auto mobiles followed and preceded by police cars. Two came in buses. Sec. 34.66, P. L. & R. U. S. POSTAGE PAID Nashville, Tenn. Permit No. 548 University of Georgia Libraries Acquisitions Division Athens, Ga.