Newspaper Page Text
SOUTHERN SCHOOL NEWS—June 8, 1955—PAGE S
Reaction
Continued From Page 4
sion to leave the issues to the federal
district courts.
•‘However, they said their efforts to
revent integration of the state’s
oublic schools will not be lessened.
The course to be taken in view of the
jlav 31 decree will be discussed at a
meeting soon to be called by Gov.
Hugh White of the Legal Educational
Advisory Committee created at the
j954 legislative session to devise
means of bypassing the integration
decision.
“Mississippi officials are still hope
ful that a new Negro-white public
school equalization program affecting
teachers’ salaries, transportation, ad
ministration and buildings will be an
influencing factor in acceptance of a
Voluntary’ segregation plan by Ne
groes.”
” Toler reported no immediate de
velopments in the wake of the deci
sion.
Wliat They Said
STATE OFFICIALS
Gov. Hugh White: “It is more than
we expected because we thought the
court would set a deadline for in
tegration. However, from reading the
news reports they don’t seem to say
anything in the world about how it
will be enforced.
“It looks like the decision goes all
the way around the world as to what
can or what can’t be done. As to the
feasibility, that may not be possible
in Mississippi for ten or more years.
“I thought the court would set a
specific date, and since it didn’t it
doesn’t seem to be as bad as it might
have been. A whole lot of interpreta
tions can be placed on the decree, be
cause it seems to have left the door
wide-open on that point.
“Frankly, I interpret the decree as
favorable to Mississippi and the
South.”
Atty. Gen. J. P. Coleman, who ‘sat
in’ on the recent arguments and a
candidate for governor in the Aug.
2 Democratic primary:
“I have not seen the full text of
the decision, but it seems to be exact
ly what we expected. It is legally en
forceable only in the school district
which were actually sued and the
Negro complainants are now right
back in the same Federal district
courts where they started.
‘Of course, Mississippi has not yet
been sued and as to continued en
forcement of segregation, it remains
exactly where it was before the liti
gation began. The next move is up to
those who wish to destroy segrega
tion in the public schools, and we are
thoroughly ready for anything they
m ay wish to come up with.
l am wholly unworried as to any
Possibility of desegregation in Missis
sippi.”
Tom J. Tubb, attorney of West
°mt, member of the Legal Educa-
'onal Advisory Committee and
o airman of the Democratic state ex-
: 7^|j Ve committee, who also ‘sat in’
n the recent arguments in Washing-
• V said:
I
[
I
r
[
:
t s a very definite victory for the
y. . and it is substantially what
lr gmia and South Carolina argued
t * le hearings.
bett 6 cou ^ n 'b as k for anything
Mi 6r tban to have our local, native
jud * SS ’ PP ^ federal district court
^?es consider suits in good faith
net accordingly on the ‘as soon
V^Ue’ element.
situ t* r l° ca l judges know the local
to *:? n a nd it may be 100 years be-
■ feasible.
* her e have not reached the point
gf a ^ e We are ready for racial inte
nd °h * n ^T^sissippi- We must raise
who flUcate a whole new generation
that » an acce Pt any variance from
Premise.”
C fi3b GROup S
tary Patterson, executive sec
Cit^ ^ Mississippi Associatior
Piales j , unc ils composed of “wl
ae dicated to preservation
Station:”
Pig y 6 c °urt showed its best reas<
kr c ,y not fixing a definite d
“jJP^liance.
* be on fy ‘when’ and ‘how’ tl
iUs tieest SSibly bave S iven - They (
fate,” * Were wise in not settin;
h
kin
and McC °y> dentist of Jack-
President of the Mississippi
Conference of the National Associa
tion for the Advancement of Colored
People: •
“It looks like the Supreme Court
doesn’t believe in our constitution.
“The ruling will do some good, but
it’ll require a lot of litigation on our
part that could have been avoided
had they rendered a forthright deci
sion.”
Missouri
SSN Correspondent Robert Lasch
wrote from St. Louis:
“Missouri took the Supreme Court’s
final orders calmly. So many school
districts have already begun integra
tion or made the decision to begin it
at the start of the next term in Sep
tember that the Court ruling was re
garded as affecting other states more
deeply than Missouri.
“St. Louis has ended segregation in
the junior colleges and high schools,
and adopted plans to end it in ele
mentary schools next September.
Kansas City has ended it in junior
college and technical high school, and
adopted plans to end it in high schools
and elementary schools next Septem
ber. Mexico ended it in the high
school.
“The State Legislature adjourned
on the same day the Court ruling was
announced, and so took no action on
it. After the original decision was an
nounced in May, 1954, Atty. Gen.
John Dalton ruled that Missouri’s
constitutional and statutory require
ments of school segregation had been
instantly invalidated by the Supreme
Court’s ruling. This meant, he said,
that school districts were free to end
segregation as soon as they wished.
But he ruled that no school district
could be compelled to end segrega
tion until after the Supreme Court
had issued final orders.
“Earlier in the session of the legis
lature which has just adjourned, an
effort was made by Negro legislators
to repeal the state statutes providing
for school segregation. They argued
that though the laws had been held
invalid by the attorney general they
should be expunged from the statute
books anyway to remove all doubt
about Missouri’s position.
“This attempt was defeated in the
House. With 79 votes required for
passage the repealer received 74
favorable votes, 8 opposed and 25 not
voting. The principal argument
against repeal was that final orders
of the Supreme Court should be
awaited before taking such action.”
Wliat They Said
STATE OFFICIALS
State Commissioner of Education
Hubert Wheeler commented on the
Court’s order for compliance “at the
earliest practicable date”:
“That’s what we’re doing anyhow.
We have been moving along, and I
don’t see how the local districts could
do much better than they have been
doing.” He added that many districts
have already ended segregation and
others are in process of doing so.
North
Carolina
SSN Correspondent Jay Jenkins
wrote from Raleigh:
“Moderate and reasonable. These
were the most common terms used by
North Carolina officials to character-
ATLANTA, Ga.
Local branches of the National As
sociation for the Advancement of
Colored People have been advised to
file suits seeking admission of Negro
children to white schools in districts
where no steps toward desegregation
are taken by the time school starts in
September, 1955.
The notice to local branches was
one of several steps outlined in a di
rective adopted at a special meeting
of top NAACP represfentatives here
on Saturday, Jun 4. The meeting was
called in the wake of the Supreme
Court action on May 31 remanding
school segregation cases to lower
courts.
NAACP branches were also ad
vised to:
ize the implementation decree.
“As a result, there will be no early
special session of the General Assem
bly. Gov. Luther Hodges during the
recent Assembly session pledged he
would call a special session if the de
cree ‘is extreme or abrupt and would
tend to seriously disrupt our public
school system.’
“Both Gov. Hodges and Atty. Gen.
Harry McMullan withheld comment
on the decree pending a more ex
haustive study of it.
What They Said
STATE OFFICIALS
Dr. Charles F. Carroll, state super
intendent of public instruction: “The
language used by the court seems de
liberate and therefore will require
careful interpretation. References to
‘personal interest’ and ‘public inter
est’ and to the variety and complexity
of ‘local school problems’ would seem
to permit wide latitude in judgment.
Within the exercise of good judgment
may well rest for some time to come
the nature and scope of our public
school system.”
Rep. Sam Worthington of Pitt
County, who introduced a bill to al
low public funds to be used for pri
vate schools and later killed it when
Gov. Hodges made his special ses
sion statement: “My view of it is that
the Supreme Court did the most
reasonable thing it could do after
making the decision it did last year. I
can see nothing about it to cause us
to make any move about it at all
right now.”
House Speaker Larry I. Moore of
Wilson County: “I don’t think inte
gration is either feasible or practical
in North Carolina at the present time.
I think a very, very small percentage
of white people would want it, and I
think a majority of the Negro race
are interested more in equal facili
ties than they are in integration.”
OTHER COMMENT
Santford Martin of Winston-Salem,
chairman of the state board of educa
tion: “I don’t know how they will do
it, but I hope and believe that the
people of North Carolina will find a
way, or make one, to preserve their
public school system. I do not believe
that it was born to die.”
A. S. Brower of Durham, member
of the state board: “It sounds like a
moderate position and is pretty well
in line with expectations.”
A. McL. Graham of Clinton, mem
ber of the state board: “We’re living
under the law.”
The three federal district judges
upon whom will fall the responsi
bility for overseeing the transition to
integration in North Carolina are:
Judge Don Gilliam of the Eastern
District, appointed by President Tru
man in 1945; Judge Johnson J. Hayes
of the Middle District, appointed by
President Coolidge in 1927; and
Judge Wilson Warlick of the Western
District, appointed by President Tru
man in 1949.
Judge Gilliam, whose district com
prises an area with the heaviest con
centration of Negroes in the state: “I
recognize that it is a very grave re
sponsibility. Certainly, it is one I
wasn’t looking for. It may be that it
was a sensible solution.”
Judge Gilliam said he will decide
each case as it comes before him on
the facts which are presented at that
time. “Offhand,” he said, “I am of the
opinion that there is nothing before
me yet. It would seem to me that it
will not come before me until some
1. File at once a petition with each
school board requesting action lead
ing to desegregation, and follow up
the petition with periodic inquiries.
2. Take advantage of every oppor
tunity to explain the May 31 de
cision.
3. Organize parents so they will be
familiar with the procedure if law
suits are begun.
4. Seek support of individuals and
community groups, particularly in
the white community, through
churches, labor organizations, civic
organizations and personal contacts.
5. When any school plans are an
nounced, get the exact text and notify
state and national officers to get their
views as to whether the plan is one
that will provide for effective deseg
regation.
action is started somewhere by some
body.”
Oklahoma
SSN Correspondent Mary Goddard
wrote from Oklahoma City:
“The Supreme Court’s clarification
edict found Oklahoma with its finan
cial house in order to meet deseg
regation, but with a brand new school
law incorporating separate schools on
its hands. In the day or two after the
new ruling, education and legislative
leaders admitted they do not know
precisely where they stand.
“Response to the prompt and rea
sonable start order varied from keen
disappointment to mild approval. In
general, leaders expressed them
selves as ready to begin the transi
tion as soon as possible. No overt
opposition to an early start was
voiced, but all officials making public
statements seemed wary of predicting
any starting date.
“The new school law, vitalizing
constitutional amendments and re
vising the school code, was originally
triggered a year ago by the need to
wipe out the old financial system
under which Oklahoma school dis
tricts ran white and Negro schools on
two separate budgets supported by
entirely different tax bases. In the
long months of work on the school
bill, the budget merger became a
small and non-controversial part of
a sweeping financial overhaul.
“Budgets now are legally com
bined, with uniform home district
support for the financially-integrated
white and Negro schools. But provi
sions for separate schools, and liberal
transfer arrangements were also
written into the new law.
“The question May 31 was how to
make combined schools constitution
al.
“For the moment, nobody knew; or
at least, nobody would say.”
“M. A. Nash, chancellor for regents
for higher education, also asked Atty.
Gen. Mac Q. Williamson for a ruling
on what the new decision will mean
to state colleges and universities.
(Policy to date has been to admit only
graduate students and underclass
men who could not obtain desired
subjects at Langston Negro univer
sity).
“Asked whether he thought the
Supreme Court order would apply
also to undergraduate programs at
colleges and universities, Gary said,
“Why wouldn’t it? I’d say yes.”
Wliat They Said
STATE OFFICIALS
Gov. Gary: “(The Supreme Court
ruling) is fair and reasonable—it gives
the states an opportunity to get ready.
We’re ready as far as our laws are
concerned . . . The courts probably
will have to set a time—taking into
consideration conditions and the at
titudes of the people.
“Some areas of Oklahoma, I’d say,
are ready right now, and some, I’d
say, won’t be ready for a number of
years.”
He specified the southeastern Okla
homa area known as “Little Dixie,”
as a section that will not accept seg
regation for several years. Little
Dixie is a strictly political designa
tion given the 13 counties of the third
congressional district because they
historically have voted solidly Demo
cratic. In education terms, they are
recognized as an area hampered by
low property valuations and budget-
tight school districts.
Asked if he meant the people in
some areas simply will not abide by
the Supreme Court’s ruling now, he
said, “That’s just about the effect of
it.”
Harry Johnson, assistant attorney
general who was legal advisor to the
conference committee drawing the
final bill: “The Oklahoma law still
is on a segregated basis. It probably
will become inoperative when the
decision takes effect.”
Johnson speculated it may take
court tests to determine just when
the court decision will supersede
state statutes.
Truman Bennett, assistant state su
perintendent of public instruction:
“The job of integration will be up
to local boards of education, and I
cannot conceive of any of our local
boards putting themselves in the
position of being in contempt of court
by deliberately violating the law of
the land.”
Bennett said hometown boards will
have authority to decide the rate and
methods of complying with the edict.
He predicted problems in Oklahoma
counties “will range all the way from
nil to some pretty good problems.
Some of them can’t be solved over
night, but I’m confident they can be
solved.”
“We will just have to wait and see
how school boards set their machin
ery in action, how well the people
accept the change,” he added.
CIVIC GROUPS
Jess G. Stratton of Clinton, presi
dent of the Oklahoma Association of
School Boards: “I imagine it will take
a little time. Some places won’t be
able to just do it all at once. I think
the Supreme Court did school boards
a pretty good turn when they gave
them a little time.
“As to the possible time required
for desegregating,schools throughout
Oklahoma, I wouldn’t hazard a guess.
All the boards probably will have to
wait for guidance from the state de
partment.”
F. D. Moon, principal of Oklahoma
City’s Douglass High School and ex
ecutive secretary of the Oklahoma
Association of Negro Teachers:
“Many white people have the mis
taken notion that a mass of Negroes is
just waiting to make the jump. This
is not true. In Oklahoma City there
will be a little change in many re
spects. Only in the fringe areas will
there be much change.”
Joseph Johnson, Cushing Booker
T. Washington school principal and
OANT president, called for a “train
ing and experience only” basis for
employment and predicted that 100
or more Negro teachers would be dis
placed even if local school districts
integrate teachers along with pupils.
Johnson said all superintendents
in Oklahoma had been contacted by
Negro principals to sound out em
ployment policies. “Most of them in
dicated they will try to do the fair
thing, but some came out frankly
and said they would not employ
Negro teachers,” he said.
Ferman Phillips, executive secre
tary of the Oklahoma Education As
sociation:
“We haven’t repealed our laws on
separate schools. There is still a
penalty on the books for allowing
mixed classes. We were not con
cerned with deciding the constitu
tional question of segregation (in the
OEA battle for new state school fi
nance measures) but with avoiding
financial chaos when the court’s rul
ing was handed down.”
SCHOOLMEN
Dr. J. Chester Swanson, Oklahoma
City superintendent, whose school-
aged Negro population of 4,993 is the
state’s largest, could not predict the
time schedule his board might adopt
but was certain of three points:
1. “My guess is that our school
transfer system will remain the same
as it has always been, that is, that a
child who wants to attend school out
side his district may do so, if he can
find a receiving school with room for
him.
2. “I’m sure this will not make any
difference in the status of our Okla
homa City Negro teachers.
3. “We’re not going to look for
ways to evade the Supreme Court’s
action. We will do this just as soon as
we can plan the practical, physical
details.”
Dr. Charles Mason, Tulsa superin
tendent; “We will continue the policy
of asking children to attend the school
in the district in which they live.”
(Tulsa will await specific interpre
tation of the court’s opinion before
doing anything toward desegregation,
he said, adding that he does not be
lieve the recent court ruling will
bring a great deal of integration to
Tulsa schools. Dr. Mason earlier told
SERS his board has been “doing some
thinking and studying boundaries,”
but had arrived at no decision.
John Shoemaker, Lawton city
school superintendent, who is under
federal orders to desegregate that dis
trict’s school on the Fort Sill military
reservation by next autumn, foresaw
little trouble in accomplishing the
state transition.
J. Win Payne, Ponca City superin
tendent and president-elect of the
state educational association, said
plans are incomplete in his district.
“We will abide by the law when it is
clear-cut and definite,” he added.
See REACTION on Page 6
NAACP Urges Filing Of Petitions