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PAGE 4—July 6, 1955—SOUTHERN SCHOOL NEWS
Mississippi LEAC Reaffirms Stand
Against Desegregation ‘In Any Form’
Southern School News
Southern School News is the official publication of the Southern Education
Reporting Service, an objective, fact-finding agency established by southern
newspaper editors and educators with the aim of providing accurate,
unbiased information to school administrators, public officials and interested
lay citizens on developments in education arising from the U. S. Supreme
Court opinion of May 17, 1954 declaring segregation in the public schools
unconstitutional. SERS is not an advocate, is neither pro-segregation nor
anti-segregation, but simply reports the facts as it finds them, state by state.
Published at 1109 19th Ave., S., Nashville, Tenn.
OFFICERS
Virginius Dabney Chairman
Thomas R. Waring Vice-Chairman
Don Shoemaker Executive Director
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Frank Ahlgren, Editor, Memphis Charles S. Johnson, President, Fisk
Commercial Appeal, Memphis, University, Nashville, Tenn.
Tenn - C. A. McKnight.
Gordon Blackwell, Director, Institute Charles Moss, Executive Editor,
for Research in Social Science, Nashville Banner, Nashville, Tenn.
University of N.C. Don shoema|(eri Exec . Director
Harvie Branscomb, Chancellor, Van- Education Reporting Service
derbilt University, Nashville, Tenn. Thomas R. Waring, Editor, Charles-
Virginius Dabney, Editor, Richmond ton News & Courier, Charleston,
Times-Dispatch, Richmond, Va. S. C.
Coleman A. Harwell, Editor, Nash- Henry I. Willett, Superintendent of
ville Tennessean, Nashville, Tenn. Schools, Richmond, Va.
Henry H. Hill, President, George P. B. Young Sr., Editor, Norfolk
Peabody College, Nashville, Tenn. Journal & Guide, Norfolk, Va.
CORRESPONDENTS
ALABAMA MISSOURI
William H. McDonald, Editorial Robert Lasch, Editorial Writer, St.
Writer, Montgomery Advertiser Louis Post-Dispatch
ARKANSAS
Thomas D. Davis, Asst. City Editor, NORTH CAROLINA
Arkansas Gazette Ja Y Jenkins, Staff Writer, Raleigh
DELAWARE News & ° bserver
William P. Frank, Staff Writer, OKLAHOMA
Wilmington News Mary Gocl d arc j j staff Writer, Ok-
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA lahoma City Oklahoman-Times
Jeanne Rogers, Education Writer,
Washington Post & Times Herald SOUTH CAROLINA
FLORIDA W. D. Workman Jr., Special Cor-
Bert Collier, Staff Writer, Miami respondent, Columbia, S. C.
Herald TENNESSEE
GEORGIA James Elliott, Staff Writer, Nash-
Joseph B. Parham, Editor, The v ;|| e Banner
Macon News
KENTUCKY Wallace Westfeldf, Staff Writer,
va/ u i rj., . . va/ •. Nashville Tennessean
Weldon James, Editorial Writer,
Louisville Courier-Journal TEXAS
LOUISIANA Richard M. Morehead, Austin Bu-
Mario Fellom, Political Reporter, reau, Dallas News
New Orleans Item
MARYLAND VIRGINIA
Edgar L. Jones, Editorial Writer, Overton Jones, Editorial Writer,
Baltimore Evening Sun Richmond Times-Dispatch
MISSISSIPPI WEST VIRGINIA
Kenneth Toler, Mississippi Bureau, Frank A. Knight, Editor, Charles-
Memphis Commercial-Appeal ton Gazette
MAIL ADDRESS
P.O. Box 6156, Acklen Station, Nashville 5, Tenn.
JACKSON, Miss.
^DDED resistance to enforcement
“in any form” of the United
States Supreme Court’s public school
desegregation mandate has formed
in Mississippi.
Taking the lead in the effort is the
25-member Legal Education Advis
ory Committee headed by Gov. Hugh
White. It was created at the 1954
legislative session to map procedure
for legal recourse against integration
of the races in Mississippi’s segre
gated schools.
At a June 4 special meeting fol
lowing the Supreme Court’s more or
less “middle course” implementation
leaving enforcement to the United
States district courts, the LEAC re
iterated its opposition to desegrega
tion “in any form whatsoever.”
In order to keep check on the sit
uation southwide, the advisory group
placed its secretary, State Rep. T. N.
Gore Jr., of Quitman County on a
full-time status. That action was
taken after the committee voted
down a suggestion that it employ a
battery of lawyers to prepare for
anticipated legal action to break
down the segregated system.
Atty. Gen. J. P. Coleman, a mem
ber of the advisory group, said Mis
sissippi is “thoroughly ready for any
thing those who wish to destroy seg
regation may wish to come up with.”
He said his office is equipped to han
dle the issue in disapproving the pro
posal to employ outside counsel.
1954 ENACTMENT
The attorney general, who is a
candidate for the Democratic nomi
nation as governor in the Aug. 2 pri
mary, said the No. 1 block to de
segregation efforts is a 1954 legisla
tive enactment authorizing school
boards to “assign” pupils on the basis
of “morals, community welfare and
health.”
Along with the other four candi
dates, all of whom are pledged to
leave no step untried in preserving
segregation, Mr. Coleman appeared
before a special meeting of the Madi
son County Citizens Council at Can
ton on June 9, and reiterated his
“no compromise” position. The
Madison County council is an affili
ate of the State Association of Citi
zens Councils composed of “white
males dedicated to preservation of
segregation.” The state headquarters
are at Winona with Robert B. Patter
son, a Delta planter, in charge as
executive secretary.
The Canton meeting was the first
appearance of the five gubernatorial
candidates on the same platform the
same day in the current campaign.
It was a public gathering open to
the press.
Other actions taken during the
past few weeks included:
1. Adoption by the Mississippi
Conference of the Methodist Church,
composed of central and south Mis
sissippi churches, of a resolution
asking the General Conference to re
tain the present racially segregated
basis of church jurisdictions. Only
two negative votes were cast.
2. Rejection by the Woman’s Mis
sionary Society of the North Mis
sissippi Methodist Conference, in
session at Mathiston, of the unifica
tion proposal favoring ultimate de
segregation. Earlier, the society of
the Mississippi Conference in ses
sion at Jackson, refused to repudiate
the union charter in that respect.
3. Adoption of a resolution by the
Mississippi State Bar Association in
annual convention at Edgewater
Park, endorsing U. S. Sen. James O.
Eastland’s proposal for an investiga
tion of the backgrounds of the mem
bers of the United States Supreme
Court. (See “What They Say” below.)
Meanwhile, however, the Regional
Council of Negro Leadership in Mis
sissippi, in a special meeting June 5
at the all-Negro Delta town of
Mound Bayou, voted to leave suits
against school segregation to the
Mississippi Conference of the Na
tional Association for the Advance
ment of Colored People.
NO POLICY CHANGE
Earlier, at a statewide meeting at
tended by an estimated 7,500 Negroes,
the regional council had voted to take
the lead in filing suits in the various
sections of Mississippi. In changing
its course, President T. R. M. How
ard, Negro physician of Mound
Bayou, said the action does not
change the council’s policy favoring
“immediate” integration through
compliance with the Supreme Court
mandate.
Following the regional council’s
announcement, Dr. A. H. McCoy,
dentist of Jackson and state president
of the NAACP, said local branches
have been given the “green light”
to institute local level efforts to wipe
out classroom segregation. Dr. Mc
Coy said school boards will be peti
tioned to take “immediate steps”
looking to compliance with the Su
preme Court’s integration decision.
Thus far, however, no action has
been taken to enforce the decision in
Mississippi, either through filing of
petitions with school authorities or
in the courts.
The Mississippi legislature has en
acted several bills designed to
strengthen the state’s position in an
ticipated litigation looking to en
forcement of the Supreme Court’s
integration order. Proponents con
tend they will prevent a showdown
for ten to 20 years, and possibly
longer.
As a “last resort” step, the voters
ratified an amendment to the state
constitution of 1890 giving the legis
lature authority to abolish public ed
ucation statewide, or county-by
county. However, there have been no
statutes implementing that authority.
Mississippi’s next legislative ses
sion is the 1956 regular biennial as
sembly meeting in January. Gov.
White, who steps out of office that
month, contemplates no special ses
sion before that time unless an
“emergency” should arise.
During the legislative interim, the
Legal Education Advisory Board is
watching developments. In addition
to placing Sec. Gore on full-time
to collect material affecting school
In Mississippi
Southern leaders in general also
agree that this decree may eventu
ally create dangers and situations
making it necessary for opposing
states to try their “last emergency”
actions to enforce racial segrega
tion in the schools by substituting
privately-owned schools for the
public schools.
Meantime, however, one warning
and reassurance is clear:
Issuance of this decree makes it
all the more necessary and hopeful
that the state, the counties, the
school districts and all tax-paying
citizens give steady and full sup
port, financial and otherwise, to
the program to provide equal and
adequate school buildings and fa
culties for white and Negro pu
pils separately, under a practical
and supported voluntary segrega
tion system.
Lack of progress in that program
would effect any anti-segregation
suit in any federal court in Mis
sissippi.—Jackson Clarion Ledger.
segregation, he is authorized to con
fer with teachers in other Southern
states, as well as officials in those
states.
In placing Sec. Gore on full
time rather than employing special
counsel to “stand by” for action, the
LEAC followed the suggestion of
State Rep. James Baxter of Lauder
dale County, chairman of the House
Committee on Education, against
“doing anything to antagonize Ne
groes into filing suits.”
Minimizing the need for special
counsel, Atty. Gen. Coleman ad
vised the advisory committee that he
has “commissioned” over 1,000 law
yers in Mississippi as “special assist
ants” to cooperate with local school
boards. As one of those “special as
sistants,” Committee Secretary-At
torney Gore is authorized to confer
with officials in other states as a rep
resentative of the Attorney General’s
department.
Although the Regional Council of
Negro Leadership has left legal ac
tion on school desegregation to the
NAACP, it is retaining jurisdiction
in other phases of the controversial
issue.
It voted to:
1. Oppose a system in many Delta
counties whereby Negro children at
tend school on a split-session basis
during the cotton picking season in
order to pick cotton.
2. Asked Gov. White to call a
bi-racial conference to work out a
cooperative effort looking to inte
gration. (However, Gov. White said
he would not call such a meet
ing, asserting that a bi-racial con
ference he called last year had failed
to agree on a “voluntary” segrega
tion plan. Failure of Negro leaders to
agree to such a plan resulted in a
special legislative session at which
the “stand by” abolition amendment
to the constitution was adopted.)
3. Voted to raise $100,000 to chal
lenge Mississippi’s new voter regis
tration statute requiring applicants
for franchise to be able to read and
write and to be able to give inter
pretations satisfactory to county reg
istrars of selected sections of the state
constitution and to explain the obli
gations of citizenship under a consti
tutional form of government.
In Washington, U. S. Sen. James O.
Eastland (D. Miss.) filed a statement
giving the background of authors
that the Supreme Court cited in its
desegregation decision on May 17,
1954. He also asked for a Senate in
vestigation of the background of the
authors, as well as the political back
grounds of the Supreme Court jus
tices.
Taking cognizance of the proposals
by Sen. Eastland, the Mississippi
Bar Association meeting at Edgewa
ter Park June 25, voted unanimous
endorsement of them after overriding
its resolution committee which had
tabled the endorsement resolution
offered by Hugh V. Wall of Brook-
haven.
The Wall resolution was called to
the floor by a vote of 43 to 40 after
Pres. Robert J. Farley, dean of
the University of Mississippi law
school at Oxford, had ruled it out of
order. Members insisted on a conven
tion vote which was unanimous af
ter the 43 to 40 vote placing it on the
floor.
Sen. Eastland, in his Washington
statement, charged that the inte
gration rulings of the Supreme Court
show it is “controlled and dominated
by left-wingers.” He named the CIO
Political Action Committee among
the asserted agitators.
“WANT OWN SCHOOLS”
“It has been my observation that
the rank and file of the Negro race
want their own schools, they want
their own churches, and it is their
desire to work out their own welfare
among people of their own race,” he
said.
Sen. Eastland said “regardless
of the decree of the U. S. Supreme
Court, and regardless of whatever
decree it might issue in the foresee
able future, it will be a nullity in
every single school district in the
state of Mississippi.”
“Different southern states will use
different things to retain segregated
schools, and if the federal govern
ment tries to enforce the decision
with indictments, the thing will fall
of its own weight,” he said.
The action of the Mississippi Con
ference of the Methodist Church in
Jackson on June 11 in supporting
continuance of the racially segregated
basis of church jurisdictions followed
by several weeks rejection by its
Woman’s Missionary Society of a re
pudiation of the church union char
ter.
Opposing the conference resolution
were the Rev. Roy C. DeLamotte,
Yale University student and former
Millsaps College student, and Dr.
Henry Bullock, former Millsaps Col
lege professor and new editor in
chief of all church Sunday School
publications.
The Rev. Mr. DeLamotte urged a
sizable protest vote against the reso
lution without success. Speaking
against the segregated status of the
denomination’s college in Jackson,
he said “those diplomas are stained
with the tears of Mississippi Negroes
whose children can’t attend.”
“It’s foolish to send missionaries
to Africa and the East and then cut
the ground from under their feet
with this Jim Crowism,” the Rev.
Mr. DeLamotte said. “I don’t expect
you to vote against keeping the sep
arate jurisdictional system, I just
want a sizable protest vote.”
He charged that “I know if you
don’t vote for the resolution you
won’t have a dog’s chance in your
pastorates.”
“You’ll hear from your lay leaders,
I know,” he said.
NO ASSIGNMENT
Later when the church assignments
were announced by Bishop Marvu 1
Franklin, the Rev. Mr. DeLamotte
was left without a pulpit. He is froff
Moss Point, on the Gulf Coast, served
in World War II, attended Emory
University and won a four-year
scholarship to Yale, where he earned
a doctor’s degree. He has been
preaching in Connecticut, but had
sought to return to Mississippi-
In a statement following the con
ference, the Rev. Mr. DeLamotte
said he had already been assigned a
church in the Mississippi conference
“when I made my speech urging the
delegates to give at least a protes
vote against Methodism’s Jim Cro"'
jurisdictional system.”
“After my speech, the delegate
from the church to which I had been
appointed informed the District Su
perintendent that if I actually caffe
the congregation would not pay
or come to hear me preach,” he sai
in a formal statement. “The BishoP -
cabinet informed me of this, and
pressed willingness to stay in sessff
all Saturday night, if necessary,
find a church that would accept ff
“However, they seemed to ^ ee ', t U e
none could be found and asked
what I wanted them to do. I re P, 1 .
in effect, ‘if you can find a c ^ u , r< ?
the state of Mississippi that will
me, I’U go. All I ask is that ^
agree to hear me preach what j
lieve to be the word of God , t >
believe He wants me to P r ® aC . ^
The two district superintenden
whom I gave this statement ma
reply.”