About Southern school news. (Nashville, Tenn.) 1954-1965 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 6, 1955)
J PAGE 6—Jan. 6, 1955—SOUTHERN SCHOOL NEWS Florida MIAMI, Fla. HERE is growing belief that the Florida legislature, when it meets in May, will be the arena for a strug gle over segregation different from that taking place in any other state. It will be a duel between forces seeking action along the lines fol lowed recently in Mississippi—a con stitutional provision against integra tion submitted to a statewide refer endum—and those who would like legislative support for the principle of “gradualism” as proposed by Atty. Gen. Richard W. Ervin in his brief to the Supreme Court. The advocates of segregation are led by Acting Gov. Charley E. Johns, who relinquishes his post early in January to Gov. LeRoy Collins. Ever since his effort in November to obtain a united front against integ ration at the Conference of Southern Governors at Boca Raton, Johns has been trying to make this an issue in Florida politics. He announced he will sponsor leg islation in May to preserve segrega tion as a legal principle. Johns will propose a concurrent resolution to Congress calling for an amendment to the Constitution of the United States. This would reserve to the states the right to prohibit the mix ture of races in the public schools. Johns said his resolution will re quire “equal and impartial facilities” for white and Negro children. School funds would be allotted on a per capita basis, without relation to race. IN STRATEGIC SPOT Johns will be in a strategic position to push his proposal because of the unusual situation in relation to the governorship. When Gov. Dan McCarty died in 1952, Johns, who was president of the Senate, succeeded to his post until the 1954 general election. Johns was a candidate for the remaining two years of McCarty’s term, but was de feated by Collins. He is still a state senator, however, his term having two more years to run. In this position he will have the added prestige that comes from his service as Senate president and governor. Johns has tried to involve Gov. Collins in the segregation debate. When his move for a united front failed at the Conference of Southern Governors, he obtained the signatures of seven governors and one governor- elect on a statement pledging the use of “every proper prerogative” of their offices to protect the right of the states to administer their public schools. He wrote Collins urging him to sign the statement. Johns said “the people are entitled to know how the next governor of Florida stands on this important issue.” Collins said in reply: I am now busily engaged in construc tive work for advancing the future of our state and do not care to be diverted to a newspaper discussion on subjects which breed discord, disharmony and demagog uery. Collins’ only commitment so far is that he will use “all the lawful power of the governor’s office to preserve segregation.” ERVIN PLAN BACKED John’s campaign at this stage is without organized opposition. Bills are in preparation, however, embody ing the Ervin suggestions to the Su preme Court for a legal procedure to handle the details of integration. These suggest that after a reason able period of preparation, Negro children, otherwise qualified, who are denied admission to a white school on grounds of race, could ask local courts to protect their rights. In ruling on these petitions, the courts would consider such factors as: 1. Whether the local school au thorities had made a sincere effort to achieve integration. 2. Whether the community was ready to accept integration or whe ther immediate mixture of the races might create a dangerous situation which could provoke violence. The Ervin approach accepts the principle of non-segregation as voiced by the Supreme Court, but also rec ognizes the fact, established by the “guinea pig” survey of selected Florida counties, that the people are overwhelmingly against immediate desegregation. The legislators advocating “grad ualism” and urging wide latitude by local school authorities point out that U. S. Atty. Gen. Herbert Brownell, in his brief filed with the Supreme Court early in December, adopted some of the Ervin proposals. Brownell declared that time was necessary for acceptance of the Supreme Court decision and that haste in implement ing it might be unwise. CIVIL RIGHTS INQUIRY While the legislative struggle took shape, the Federal Bureau of Inves tigation began checking complaints that the civil rights of the Allen Platt family may have been violated when five Platt children were suspended from a Lake County school for white children on grounds that they had Negro blood. Sheriff Willis V. McCall demanded their dismissal. He had been active in the National Association for the Advancement of White People, and made speeches under NAAWP aus pices at Milford, Del., prior to a series of anti-integration demon strations there. McCall said he had investigated the origins of the Platt family who claim to be of Indian and Irish de scent. On the basis of his findings, Mc Call said he had asked the five-man school board to prohibit the children from attending the school. When Mrs. Mabel Norris Reese, editor of the weekly Mount Dora Topic charged the board “bowed to dictation as surely as anyone in Russia ever did.” McCall replied: All I did was enforce Article 12, Sec tion 12 of the Florida Constitution which says white and colored children shall not be taught in the same school, but im partial provision shall be made for both. C. A. Vaughan, Jr., superintendent of the Lake County schools, said that a study of the case is continuing. “If it is determined that they (the Platt children) do not have Negro blood, they are eligible to attend the white schools,” he said. After the incident, the Platt family moved to Orange County and the children again were refused admis sion to a white school. Judson B. Walker, Orange County school superintendent, said the action was not a denial of an education to the children. “They have a right to attend the Negro schools,” Walker said. “Allow ing them to go to white schools wouldn’t work around here. It would be tragic if they tried to force their way into a white school around here. You can’t legislate feelings and prej udices out of people’s minds.” Members of the Orange County school board believed, Walker said, that the Platts were Croatans, and cited Webster’s dictionary which re fined this as “a people of mixed Indi an, white and Negro blood living in North Carolina and now recognized as a distinct people.” FBI PROBE ASKED U. S. Dist. Atty. James Guilmartin announced he was looking into the case and had asked the FBI for a report. “At this point we are not interested in the question of the children’s ed ucation,” he said. “The Supreme Court has not yet decided the seg regation issue. “All we are interested in is whether the civil rights of the Platts were vio lated by any peace officer.” Platt, a 46-year-old fruit picker, told authorities that both he and his wife are Cherokee Indians with an admixture of Irish blood. He said they are not of Negro extraction. From South Carolina, G. E. Brant, Holly Hill school superintendent, said the Brant children, like others in the part-Indian group living in that area, had attended a special school through the seventh grade. After that they were enrolled in the regular white schools. Several children of other families are attending the white high school in South Carolina, Brant said. Their birth certificates list them as white or Croatan. Public discussion of the issues posed by the Supreme Court ruling continued during December as groups with a wide range of objectives re mained active. Florida State Rights Inc., the Miami-based group dedicated to op. pose integration by constitutional means, continued its regular meet, ings. There was similar activity hv other groups working for segregation The Dade County Council on Com. munity Relations held a series 0 f neighborhood meetings and forum, for a discussion of these issues Speakers included state and local government officials, attorneys, min. isters, welfare workers and house, wives, white and Negro teachers, who described the problems created bv the Supreme Court ruling and hoi they could be met. The Council reported attendance was satisfactory and the questions asked of the panel indicated a desire for objective information. Several organizations took a stand on segregation. Among these was the special committee of the Bar Associa. tion of Tampa and Hillsborough County which studied the question and urged the parent body to recog. nize that desegregation is “unconsti tutional and opposed by an over whelming majority” of citizens of the county and state. The resolution which the commit- tee proposed said: When the justices of the Supreme Court m complete disregard of state’s rights under our system of government, assums the right, by virtue of their position to amend the constitution by taking over and directing the operation of our public schools and who shall attend them, the g r eat majority of the people are there': impelled, and justly so, to oppose the en forcement of such an unconstitutional de cree by every lawful means and in even lawful manner possible as an encroach ment upon the rights of the states, and the substitution of psychology for well- established, fundamental principles of law. The United Church Women of Florida endorsed the Supreme Court ruling at their state convention. The St. Petersburg Ministers As sociation, after weeks of discussion admitted Negro clergymen to full membership. Among the reasons given for the step were: To increase understanding among lead ers of both races, thereby easing tension which might arise in the years ahead when segregation is slowly abolished. To present to the community a united front on social problems. Texas AUSTIN, Texas F any of Texas’ 181 legislators have a plan to change this state’s system of segregated schools, they are keep ing quiet about it. The lawmakers will convene here on Jan. 11 for a session that is sched uled to run 120 days. A new constitu tional amendment provides that the members will be paid $25 a day for 120 days and nothing thereafter. The old pay scale was $10 a day for 120 days and $5 for each overtime day. The Associated Press asked Texas legislators in a pre-session question naire what problems are in prospect. Fifty-two members replied. Only two of these thought desegregation would be the major issue, although the Texas legislature has not met since the United States Supreme Court handed down its historic de cision that compulsory segregation in the public schools is unconstitutional. Gov. Allan Shivers campaigned on a platform urging continued segrega tion. The attitude of top Texas of ficials, supported by the brief of Atty. Gen. John Ben Shepperd, has been to urge the Supreme Court to write a decree that will allow a long integra tion period plus the authority for lo cal districts to maintain control over the schools. Liberal legislators, who have been in a minority at most recent sessions, are more outspoken than the con servatives who favor continued seg regation. Rep. Maury Maverick Jr. of San Antonio, son of the late congressman commented in reply to the Associated Press: “There is no road back . . . Jim Crow is dead, or soon will be, in the field of education. The colored races of the world will be watching to see what we do. To kick a man down be cause of his racial extraction will only provide Soviet Russia with propa ganda to defeat us on a global basis.” Rep. Virginia Duff of Ferris, near Dallas, was a member who listed seg regation as a top problem for the ses sion. “This is most important to me be cause at Ferris we have a greater Negro enrollment than white,” she said. NEW LAWS UNLIKELY It seems unlikely that the Texas legislature will take any action in advance of the Supreme Court de cree. There seems also to be little demand for changing Texas schools from a public to a private basis, as some other southern states have au thorized. Some Texas districts are going ahead with school building programs without waiting for the Supreme Court decree. Dallas voted almost 10-1 in favor of a 35 million dollar school bond issue on Dec. 11. Three previous issues totaling $51,330,000 had been approved in Dallas since World War II. J. W. Edgar, Commissioner of Edu cation, said that reaction to the seg regation ruling has been varied re garding building programs. Some dis tricts seem to have stepped up efforts to improve Negro school buildings. A few seem to be holding back on spending money until they find out what will be the Court’s decree, Dr. Edgar said. These appear to be most ly smaller schools. “Those districts which have already provided equal facilities for Negroes are not worried,” he said. “They feel that they have complied with the Supreme Court’s separate but equal doctrine.” Negroes in Dallas voted heavily for the new bond issue. One all-Negro box voted 26-2 for the proposition; another 54-8. The Dallas Morning News has called editorially for placing a Negro member on the local school board. A vacancy now exists on the board, but it is unknown whether the other board members will appoint a tem porary member before elections are held in the spring of 1955. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED Meantime, state associations for both white and Negro teachers in Texas adopted resolutions on segrega tion at separate conventions held dur ing the Thanksgiving holidays. The Texas State Teachers Associa tion, representing white teachers, re solved “to cooperate fully with the State Board of Education and the Texas Education Agency in carrying out such decisions as may be made by constituted authorities of the state concerning segregation in the public schools of Texas.” The state board has ordered schools to maintain segregation, as required bv state law and the constitution, un til changed by court decree or legis lative act. NAACP COMMENDED The Teachers State Association of Texas (for Negroes) meanwhile com mended the National Association for Advancement of Colored Peoole. but the 2.600 members attending the con vention in Austin rejected by voice vote a proposed $1 per teacher con tribution to NAACP. The defeated proposal resolved: That the Teachers State Association of Texas exDresses its faith and appreciation for the NAACP by a pledge of $5,000 to the Texas State conference of the NAACP, and that each teacher be asked to con tribute through his local area or other organized channels selected by the execu tive secretary, the sum of at least $1 by Feb. 1, 1955, the same to be remitted to the headquarters office of TSAT (at Aus tin) not later than March 15, 1955. However, the urgency of this situation demands immediate action. Therefore, we offer each of us the opportunity to mani fest his Interest now. Hence, we call upon each teacher here assembled to make his contribution, so that $1,000 of the $5,000 may be made available to NAACP from receipts of this convention. Appropriate credits for these current donations will be forwarded to the local organizations of TSAT. Leslie White, executive secretary for the association, said that there was “a good bit of discussion” before the action was taken. White said opponents to the resolu tion “felt that we should run our own affairs and not attempt to tie our as sociation to the NAACP.” NAACP was commended by the Texas Negro teachers for “its persis tent efforts to make democracy a reality; for the unmeasurable contri butions it has made to promote equal educational opportunities and defense of our way of life against thought fulness and selfishness on the part of some as well as their efforts to improve the professional, political and economic status of our group.” TSAT added: “The Teachers State Association of Texas further commends the NAACP for the adoption of the following na tional policy, regarding teacher per sonnel, to wit: “ ‘We insist that there should be integration at all levels including the assignment of teacher-personnel on a non-discriminatory basis. The fullest resources of the association, includ ing the legal staff, the research staff and the educational specialists on the staff, will be utilized to insure that there will be no discrimination against teachers as a result of inte gration.’ ” In his brief to the United States Supreme Court, urging that segrega tion be ended gradually, if at all, Atty. Gen. Shepperd of Texas said the state employs 8,500 Negro teachers and administrators. This, Shepperd said, is nearly equal to the total num ber of Negroes employed in schools of 31 non-segregated states. IMPLEMENTATION ASKED The Texas Negro teachers adopted a resolution calling for implementa tion of the Supreme Court’s May 17 decision that compulsory segregation in the public schools is unconstitu tional. It recommended “allowing time for the adjustment of adminis trative problems” but opposed “any and all methods contrived for the sole purpose to circumvent or delay.' TSAT also recommended a $4,000 per year minimum pay schedule for teachers with bachelor degrees. The base pay now is $2,804 a year. The association also urged that represen tatives be chosen from all teacher groups to boards and committees dealing with public education. STUDENTS BACK ‘GRADUALISM High school students taking part - a statewide Hi-Y Legislature came up with one solution to the problem of segregation in the schools. They voted—by standing vote anc without an exact tally—to integrate the public schools over a seven-yeas period. But the young legislators-for a-day left a loophole for the legisla ture to extend the integration peri# after seven years, if desired. The favorable vote came after • committee had killed, then revived the proposal. About 400 students tool part in the government demonstra - tion, sponsored by the Young Men! Christian Associations. There was hot debate on the qu^' tion of segregation. The proponent came mainly from districts with f e? Negroes, or from cities. Bob Watson of San Antonio was' spokesman for integration. “Somewhere a start has to ^ made,” he said. “Why can’t we 2 ‘ Christian young men and , woff e start it? If we can’t convince ^ other side in seven years, we’ve a° a pretty poor job.” Sally Toone, a delegate from D 3 * las, spoke against the proposal. “I know most of us are for rights, but everyone isn’t in the ™ Y,” said Miss Toone. “I know wh® happened at home. Some nasty thb* have been said. All kids are not in Hi-Y and may not feel the way * Several Negro students atten ' the convention as observers. It is h annually in the state capitol of To* 8
