Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 10—May 4, 1955—SOUTHERN SCHOOL NEWS
Louisiana
BATON ROUGE, La.
HE long-awaited battle between
education forces seeking equaliza
tion of the state’s schools and
backers of a huge highway building
program will be joined here early
this month when the Louisiana leg
islature meets in its first fiscal session
in the history of the state.
A constitutional amendment ap
proved last November authorized the
special 30-day meeting, during which
the legislature is prohibited from
considering matters not fiscal, unless
approved by a three-fourths vote.
And that exception may cause such
a parliamentary tangle, experts say,
that the entire session could develop
into a stalemate.
Education forces are seeking to
bond some 225 million dollars from
Louisiana’s vast tideland oil resources
for an ambitious program which
would furnish money directly to the
parish (county) school boards to
equalize facilities throughout the
state.
New York bonding houses, wary of
the limitations on the 30-day session,
have requested that any school bond
ing issue receive a three-fourths vote
on introduction. That means that in
Louisiana’s 39-man Senate, 10 men
could block introduction of the
measure.
Observers say there is a small bloc
opposed to the huge school building
program on the grounds that the state
has no business building local
schools, a matter heretofore strictly
in local hands.
Some legislators, particularly from
the urban areas, object to the pro
gram on the grounds that aid will be
furnished free to those parishes
(counties) which have allowed their
school systems to deteriorate.
COLLEGE DEVELOPMENTS
Meanwhile, there have been two
new developments involving colleges.
U. S. District Court Judge Herbert
W. Christenberry has ordered that
qualified Negro students be admitted
to Southeastern Louisiana College at
Hammond, a small state-supported
college.
U. S. District Court Judge J. Skelly
Wright has ordered Louisiana State
University to enroll qualified Negro
students in its undergraduate schools.
Judge Christenberry ruled in a case
brought by six minor Negroes and six
adults against Luther H. Dyson,
president of Southeastern; C. J. Hyde,
Southeastern registrar; the college
itself, and the Louisiana State Board
of Education, which administers state
colleges with the exception of LSU.
The plaintiffs charged that they had
been denied admission to Southeast
ern on Sept. 9, 1954, solely because
of their race and color.
The plaintiffs also charged that
Southeastern is the only public insti
tution of higher learning within Tan
gipahoa Parish where they and other
Negroes can obtain equal or substan
tially equal educational advantages
to those afforded white students in
that parish.
SETTLED BY COURT
In a brief opinion, Judge Christen
berry wrote:
“That in matters of public educa
tion, segregation solely on the basis
of color is not valid has been so well
settled by the Supreme Court of the
United States, the convening of a
three-judge district court is not war
ranted.”
He further held that the denial of
admission solely because of their race
and color “denies to plaintiffs a right
guaranteed to them by the Four
teenth Amendment, and such denial
would inflict irreparable injury upon
them.”
In the LSU case, Judge Wright re
peated his previous ruling ordering
the admission of A. P. Tureaud Jr.,
of New Orleans, to the LSU under
graduate school. (Negroes have al
ready been admitted to LSU’s grad
uate school.)
Judge Wright’s previous opinion
was overruled by the Court of Ap
peals. The Supreme Court, however,
remanded it back to Judge Wright.
LSU authorities have since applied
for a re-hearing.
With the two late rulings, Negroes
have been ordered admitted to four
of Louisiana’s state colleges or uni
versities:
Louisiana State at Baton Rouge;
Southwestern Louisiana Institute
at Lafayette;
McNeese State College at Lake
Charles;
Tennessee
NASHVILLE, Tenn.
JT°R the first time since the Su
preme Court ruled public school
segregation unconstitutional, a branch
of the Ku Klux Klan in Tennessee
publicly protested the decision of the
high court.
The Klan meeting was on the eve
ning of April 23 at the unincorporated
town of Sequatchie in Marion County.
According to reports, the public was
invited to attend the meeting, but the
first news story describing the event
was not published until April 26 in the
Chattanooga Times—a full two days
after the event.
Here is what happened:
On the afternoon of April 23, a
group of men erected a large wooden
cross on a site near the entrance of
Blowing Spring Park. The park is
state land, a much used picnic ground
for the people of Marion and nearby
counties. The cross was wrapped in
oil-soaked burlap.
The meeting began early in the eve
ning. According to the Times’ corre
spondent, “between 50 and 75 Klans-
men” and onlookers were present.
“No attempt was made to mask, but
members of the Klan wore part of
their regalia,” the correspondent
wrote. “Speeches were made by sev
eral and no attempt was made to keep
their identity from being known.”
NO IDENTIFICATION
The correspondent for the Chatta
nooga newspaper, however, did not
identify any of the speakers.
The announced purpose of the
meeting was to place the Marion Klan
on record as: (1) opposing in general
the mixing of the white and Negro
races; (2) specifically in opposition to
the desegregation of public schools.
“The meeting had a religious aspect
to it,” the correspondent reported,
“the Bible and a picture of Christ be
ing used in the demonstration. State
ments were made that mixing of the
races is unscriptural, and the Bible
was quoted to prove the statements
made. The meeting was opened with a
prayer and sacred records played at
the closing.”
Marion County is in Tennessee’s
“southern tier,” bordering Dade
County, Georgia in the east, and
Jackson County, Alabama in the west.
The seat of Jackson County is
Scottsboro.
The 1950 census revealed that Ma
rion has a total population of 20,520.
The Negro population of the county
is 1,368. Its economy is based on
growing coal mining operations in the
north, agriculture in the central
(Sequatchie) district, and small but
active industrial operations in the
south—at South Pittsburg.
OUTLOOK ON ISSUE
The Times’ correspondent gave this
clue to the county’s outlook on the
race issue:
“About the beginning of the cen
tury, Sequatchie had colored resi
dents and there was a school con
ducted for their benefit. Many were
decendants of slaves owned by the
Owen families here before the Civil
War. In the course of time feeling
arose against the Negro population
and some hotheads took strenuous
means of ridding the town of its Ne
gro residents, even crawling under
the floor of a Negro home and making
weird and unearthly noises. Since
Southeastern Louisiana College at
Hammond.
Other state colleges are North
western State at Natchitoches;
Northeast Center at Monroe; Louisi
ana Polytechnic Institute at Ruston,
and Francis T. Nichols Junior Col
lege at Thibodaux.
A meeting of the Southern Asso
ciation of College and University
Business Officers in New Orleans
heard Dr. Samuel Brownell, U. S.
Commissioner of Education, say that
“The impact of the (Supreme
Court’s) decision challenges the high
est statesmanship of each of these
(southern) states to plan and carry
forward processes of great education,
social and economic importance.”
The National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People held
funetal services for Jim Crow in
Baton Rouge the night of April 3,
with Daniel Byrd, member of the
Teacher Security and Information
Agency of the national office of the
NAACP as guest speaker.
Byrd, from New Orleans, said “All
law-abiding citizens over this nation
are going to join in and give him
(Jim Crow) a fitting burial. It is up
to the law-abiding citizens of both
races to see to it that he stays dead.”
SECRET GROUP FORMED
A secret group called “The South
ern Gentlemen’s Organization” has
been formed in the Baton Rouge area.
It is reported that the organization
is affiliated with the Citizens Councils
of Mississippi.
However, only one spokesman for
the group has come forward—J. B.
Easterly, a Baton Rouge manufactur
er of precast cement steps. Easterly
has said:
“We want the world to know we’re
not Ku Kluxes or anything similar
and we don’t believe in rough stuff.
“Our numbers are secret because
we don’t want our enemies to know
how weak or how strong we are...
our meetings are secret because we
don’t want eavesdroppers.”
Easterly said that the organization
is not against the Negro.
“We’re dedicated to the present
southern way of living and believe
the segregation issue is the most im
portant thing in Louisiana today,” he
said.
Members must certify they have
never been Communists, he said,
and then added that the organization
is nonpolitical and nonsectarian “but
we’ll fight the hell out of any public
official who is for desegregation.”
then, Sequatchie has had no Ne
groes.”
An idea of the county’s educational
problem—in light of the high court
decision—may be obtained from the
following information published in
the state department of education’s
annual statistical report for the schol
astic year ending June 30, 1954, the
most recent state educational statis
tics available:
Based on total average daily at
tendance, grades 1-12, there are
4,299 white students and 350 Negro
students.
Of the 40 schools scattered through
out the county, five are for Negroes.
Four of the Negro schools are one-
teacher, elementary establishments.
There is one Negro high school com
bined with elementary grades in
South Pittsburg. There are 10 white
one-teacher elementary schools; 10
with two teachers, and 12 with three
teachers. The remaining white schools
are high schools.
HISTORY OF KLAN
The Klan in Marion county, ac
cording to a Tennessee newspaper
man familiar with both the county
and its Klan activities, was organized
in the early 1920’s. Since then, it has
had “its ups and downs” but never
was its membership so low that the
group dissolved.
So far as can be determined, the
Klan has not in any case resorted to
violence against Negroes.
OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
In other developments in the state:
The first Negro in the history of
Nashville declared as a candidate for
the post of vice mayor in the upcom
ing May 12 city elections.
In this election 10 other Negroes,
two of them incumbents, are candi
dates for posts on the 21 member city
council.
Two prominent sociologists, in
North Carolina
RALEIGH, N. C.
rpwO PUBLIC SCHOOL measures,
both prompted by the U. S. Su
preme Court’s desegregation decision,
have been enacted into law by the
General Assembly.
One measure transfers from the
state board of education to local city
and county school boards “complete
authority” over the enrollment and
assignment of pupils.
The other terminates teachers’ con
tracts at the end of the present school
year, and places such contracts in the
future on a one-year basis.
The General Assembly also unani
mously passed a resolution declaring
that “mixing of the races in the pub
lic schools throughout the state can
not be accomplished and if attempted
would alienate public support of the
schools to such an extent that they
could not be operated successfully.”
Before adoption, the resolution was
amended by deleting the word “forth
with” from the phrase “mixing of
the races.” Legislators discussed the
resolution with Gov. Hodges and one
of them—Rep. Gordon Maddrey of
Hertford, chairman of the House Ed
ucation Committee—said the word
was taken out after those present
agreed “forthwith means not now,
but maybe later.”
ENTERED INTO RECORD
I. Beverly Lake, assistant attorney
general who appeared before the U.
S. Supreme Court to present North
Carolina’s views as a “friend of the
court” on April 12, got permission
from Chief Justice Earl Warren to
make the resolution part of the court
record. Proponents of the resolution
argued it would strengthen Lake’s
hand before the Court.
The transfer of authority to local
school boards—called “local option”
—also was accomplished without op
position. This proposal was made by
a special commission studying a re
vision of the public school laws.
While the measure was en route
to passage, legislators who favor seg
regation said it might have the pur
pose of making the 172 school admin
istrative units parties to any future
litigation instead of making the state
a defendant.
In answer to questions, Asst. Atty.
Gen. Lake advised the legislators that
“local option” likewise would permit
those school units which so desire to
integrate their schools.
While in theory local boards will
have the authority to control assign
ment and enrollment of pupils, the
state board still will hold a checkrein
because it must approve school bus
routes and pay for operation of the
buses.
TEACHER CONTRACTS
The teacher contract change was
another proposal of the study com
mission. In view of the court decision,
the commission said some school dis
tricts in the state may be unconstitu
tional. These are districts which have
been plotted on a racial basis.
Since plans already are underway
to redistrict the state, the commission
reluctantly came to the conclusion
that continuing teacher contracts (a
teacher formerly had a contract for
the next year unless notified of dis
missal prior to the current year)
would have to be replaced.
School districts have been ruled the
employing agents for teachers. Legal
ly, then, after redistricting the teach
ers would have had a basis for law
suits against the old districts. Thus
the one-year contracts. It has been
stressed that after redistricting
been accomplished, continuing con-
tracts can be restored.
The “local option” law came in f*
discussion at the 74th annual conven
tion of the N. C. Teachers (Negro) As
sociation in Raleigh. Said Daniel E.
Byrd of New Orleans, assistant direc-
tor of teacher information and se
curity for the NAACP:
“There is nothing in such a law to
become disturbed about because the
boards can use any factor except race
in the allocation of pupils—but the
minute they use race, the May R
decision applies.
“It appears that this law now em
powers the local boards in North Car
olina to sit down and place the pupils
in the schools in keeping with the
letter and spirit of the law as enun
ciated by the U. S. Supreme Court on
May 17.
“... In this changing world, the fu
ture of our democracy rests upon the
public schools of the several states,
and the most important thing about
education is to have students under
stand our economy and our way of
life because these students in the very
near future must make vital decisions
for the continuance of our way of life.
“Integration gives them a better
insight and increases their ability to
make the right decisions; while seg
regation gives them a distorted and
warped idea about democracy.”
CLARK'S VIEWPOINT
Another speaker was Dr. Kenneth
B. Clark, associate professor of psy
chology at the College of the City of
New York. The South may even teach
the North a lesson with regard to seg
regation, he said.
The decision “means what it says—
non-segregated education,” Dr. Clark
said. “The sooner everybody recog
nizes this and brings good will, intel
ligence and humanity to this transi
tion, the better off we all will be. I
believe the South will. I believe it
may even teach the North a lesson in
this respect.”
Dr. Clark took issue with Miss
Waurine Walker of Austin, Texas,
president of the National Education
Association. Miss Walker did not
touch on segregation in a talk she
made because, “integration is a local
community problem ... a problem
that every local community must
face.”
Various techniques mentioned for
use in evading the Supreme Court
decision will not work, Dr. Clark said
The Supreme Court already has made
it clear that it will not tolerate the
turning over of public schools to pri
vate agencies, he said, and that the
police power of the state may not be
used to maintain segregation.
In Chapel Hill, the 73rd annual con
vention of the Central North Caroline
Episcopal Woman’s Auxiliary ended
with approval of a resolution calling
for “an eventual, orderly transition
to an integrated public school system
in the Diocese of North Carolina.
The resolution originated in t e
Racial and Cultural Relations Com-
mitte of the diocese and had been
approved by the Diocesan Executi''
Council. It “urges the members of
Episcopal church in the diocese
accept, in the Christian spirit of
brotherhood of man, the decision
the Supreme Court, invalidating sf®
regation in the public schools, an
use the influence of our leaders ^
with legislative personnel, school a
thorities, parents, pupils and the p
lie at large” to achieve integration.
Nashville for the dedication of a new
social science building at Fisk Uni
versity made these comments on the
subject of segregation-desegregation:
Dr. Ernest W. Burgess, professor
emeritus of sociology at the Univer
sity of Chicago: “A most significant
development in race relations has
been the organization in the South of
interracial groups of white and Ne
gro university and college students
. . . This acquaintance begun in col
lege days is likely to carry over into
the later period when they become
community leaders.”
Dr. E. Franklin Frazier, of Howard
University: “The sociologist is likely
to get into trouble with Negroes and
whites, and with progressive and re
a s ” for “... most P e0 '
'are'interested in bring^
Range in the present si
'ell as those who [want .
it, define the problems
political terms or in terms
gma . . . The first ta<*°
:al significance that req
>n is that integration is
natter of individuals be
rated in the school sy
it involves a change
of two communities an
Racial integration m P , gT
leans not only that . 0 y-
i education is being de-
lat the color barrier i ,•