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SOUTHERN SCHOOL NEWS—JANUARY 1956— PAGE 13
Alabama Faces School Crisis As \ oters Scorn Tax Scheme
MONTGOMERY, Ala.
he new year finds Alabama with a
major educational crisis. In a con
stitutional amendment election Dec.
^ the voters rejected, by the over
whelming margin of 4 to 1, two
measures designed to provide more
money for Alabama schools.
The first amendment would have
instituted a supplemental income
tax earmarked for education. Ac
cording to predictions, it would have
brought in an additional $29,000,000
for current operating expenses and
an already authorized salary increase
for teachers. Author of the income
tax amendment is Rep. O. J. (Joe)
Goodwyn of Montgomery.
The second would have authorized
the sale of $110,000,000 in bonds to
finance school construction. State
Supt. of Education Austin R. Mead
ows, backed by Gov. James E. Fol
som, had emphasized the importance
of this amendment as a means of
equalizing Negro schools with those
of white children to stave off chal
lenges to the state’s traditional pol
icy of segregated schools.
FOLSOM ‘DISAPPOINTED’
Gov. Folsom expressed surprise
and disappointment over the defeat
of the school bond amendment. “This
money would have been used in get
ting the Negroes out of their shot
gun school houses into decent build
ings, and then they wouldn’t be so
determined to go to the white
schools,” Folsom said. “And from the
talk I hear about segregation I
thought the people would be all for
it, but they weren’t.”
Both amendments were crushed in
a surprisingly heavy opposition vote
which also carried 27 other amend
ments to defeat. Only one of the to
tal of 30 offered the voters was rati
fied and that one, pertaining to the
appointment of circuit judges in Jef
ferson County, was generally re
garded as anti-Folsom. Thus the de
feat of the two school measures, both
of which Folsom had endorsed,
coupled with the passage of the sole
amendment regarded as anti-Folsom,
led to an interpretation of the vote
as a protest against Folsom, and/or
a protest against additional taxation.
The 1955 legislature had already
imposed several new taxes, includ
ing an increase in gasoline tax. (See
“What They Say.”)
Other developments during De
cember included the following:
SPECIAL SESSION
1) Six days before the Dec. 6 ref
erendum, Folsom issued a formal
call for the Alabama legislature to
reconvene in special session Jan. 3
consider rewriting Alabama’s
Patchwork” constitution, as he has
referred to the state’s organic law.
Despite the defeat of the two school
amendments, and despite the en
treaties of educators and legislators
concerned over the possibility of a
shortened school year because of in
adequate revenue, Folsom has re
fused to include education in the
special call. This means that to con
sider educational measures, a two-
thirds vote of agreement is required
of both houses. Without saying
where the needed revenue is coming
from, Folsom has insisted that the
schools will not close before the end
of the school year. (See “What They
Say.”)
2) The University of Alabama
asked the U. S. Circuit Court of Ap
peals in New Orleans to reverse the
decision of an Alabama federal judge
who ordered the university to open
its doors to Negroes. (See “Legal Ac
tion.”)
The Alabama legislature convenes
Jan. 3 in a special session called by
Gov. James E. Folsom to consider
reapportionment and rewriting the
state constitution.
School finances, and perhaps the
segregation question, will be on the
minds of many of the lawmakers.
But to consider such matters, both
houses must agree by a two-thirds
vote. Otherwise action is limited to
the subject matter in the governor’s
call.
Despite the warnings of educators
and legislators that schools face a
financial crisis, Folsom has so far re
fused to include educational needs
in his call. The governor has pointed
out repeatedly that the legislature
has not been reapportioned to con
form with population shifts in more
than 50 years. And the constitution,
amended 110 times since 1901, con
tains conflicting, confusing and out
moded sections, he has said.
CHANCES LESSENED
Some observers believe Folsom’s
chances of getting the constitutional
convention, which must be okayed
by the voters, were lessened by the
overwhelming expression of protest
in the Dec. 6 amendment election.
Thus the conservatives in the legis
lature, including many Black Belt
lawmakers who stand to lose most
by reapportionment, may find their
numbers increased.
The segregation question could
come up if the lawmakers vote to
consider school matters, or in the
debate over whether to call a consti
tutional convention. Proposals of
fered (but not acted on) in the leg
islature last year called for changes
in the constitutional requirements
Louisiana
(Continued from Page 12)
Hackett, a Congregationalist pastor
tr om St. Louis, describe integration
1,1 that city.
Leander H. Perez, South Louisiana
tate’s Rights political leader and dis-
,? ct attorney for St. Bernard and
pjaquemines parishes, told the
laquemines Citizens Council that
Sf desegregation movement was
tlommunist inspired,” and that the
AACP platform was “identical with
ii*!* the Communist party in the
20s in regard to racial issues.”
State Sen. Rainach, the legislature’s
L £ re gation leader, said “we are
I, „d toward serious racial trou-
if the voters fail to elect a
rongly pro-segregation governor.
® ve candidates have said they
J^nd f or enforcement of the state
^gregation laws. One candidate,
McLemore of Alexandria, has
ade preservation of segregation the
ain plank in his platform.
^'SINCERITY CHARGED
'vh^ C ^ ern ° re was the only candidate
of 'l 1 ^tended a meeting in Hammond
Pip 6 ® out ^ ern Gentlemen, a secret
inv't Segrega ti° n or g an i za tio n , which
tj^.^d all five to appear to express
lr segregation views. McLemore
said that two of his opponents, former
Gov. Earl Long and New Orleans
Mayor DeLesseps Morrison were “in
sincere” in their pro-segregation
statements.
A public opinion poll conducted by
13 Louisiana afternoon dailies showed
Long running first, Morrison second
and McLemore fifth.
The controversy in Georgia over a
state school, Georgia Tech, playing
against a University of Pittsburgh
Negro athlete in the Sugar Bowl
caused only a small ripple in Louis
iana.
A request from the Southern Gen
tlemen that Gov. Kennon intervene
with Sugar Bowl officials brought a
reply from the governor that he was
“not involved.”
The Citizens Council of New Or
leans charged that the Mid-Winter
Sports Association, promoters of the
game “conceded to biased and preju
diced opinion in northern communi
ties” in scheduling its first “racially
integrated” football game. The bowl
authorities made no statement.
A survey made by the Louisiana
Legislative Council and released
Dec. 15 showed that there are now
465,642 white “educables” in Louis
iana and 287,590 Negroes.
REP. GOODWYN
Amendment Defeated
for free public education. The dele
tion of these sections would give the
legislature “flexibility,” proponents
said, in dealing with segregation
problems as they arose. The changes
would permit the legislature to abol
ish public schools if necessary, thus
paving the way for any number of
“private school” plans similar to
those proposed in Virginia.
One paradox is that many of the
conservatives who are most con
cerned about the racial question, be
ing from Black Belt areas where Ne
groes outnumber whites as much as
5 to 1, are the very members who are
most opposed to permitting Folsom
to “tamper” with the state’s organic
law. They are also opposed to re
apportionment, which could cut
Black Belt representation.
Commenting on the defeat of the
two school revenue amendments
Dec. 6, State Supt. of Education Aus
tin R. Meadows said:
“There was no way before the ref
erendum and there is still no way
today for the schools to stay open
nine months unless this additional
revenue is secured. However, I have
every confidence that the legislature
will take some action to find this
money. They are not going to let our
schools close.”
Meadows’ hopes for swift legisla
tive action received no encourage
ment from Gov. Folsom, who has re
fused to ask the legislature to con
sider the needs of education when
the lawmakers convene in special
session Jan. 3.
In warning that the schools may
be forced to close in March, Mead
ows referred to the fact that schools
are now operating on a budget, au
thorized by the legislature in the
summer, which assumed that the
Goodwyn amendment would pass or
that an equivalent amount of money
would be provided from another
source. Thus schools are currently
spending some $2,500,000 per month
more than there are funds available.
The added outlay includes salary
raises for teachers averaging about
$600 a year.
FINANCE STUDY PROPOSED
After defeat of the school amend
ments, two Birmingham lawmakers,
Reps. Rufus Lackey and Jesse K.
Edwards, proposed a school finance
study by a special committee com
posed of businessmen from each of
the state’s nine congressional dis
tricts. They said they would offer a
resolution proposing such a study
after the convening of the special
session Jan. 3.
Also favoring such a study was
Truman Hobbs, Montgomery attor
ney who headed the Citizens Com
mittee for Schools which sought rat
ification of the bond and tax amend
ments. The study committee should
include, Hobbs said, opponents of
the amendments “in order that no
reasonable person could doubt the
accuracy and fairness of the re
port”
Despite the concern of educators
and lawmakers, Folsom said the
schools faced no danger of closing
before the end of the current aca
demic year.
“You can quote me flatfooted that
schools are not going to close,” he
said. “You can quote me flatfooted
that the teachers’ salaries are not
going to be reduced; and you can
quote me flatfooted that the schools
are going to run the full nine
months.”
The University of Alabama’s dean
of admissions asked the U. S. Circuit
Court of Appeals in New Orleans
Dec. 7 to reverse an Alabama fed
eral judge’s order opening the doors
of the university to Negroes.
Attorneys for Dean William F. Ad
ams argued that a court of three
judges should have been constituted
to consider the application for injunc
tion sought by the original complain
ants in the case (Autherine Lucy, et
al, v. Adams), Autherine J. Lucy and
Mrs. Polly Anne Myers Hudson. The
women, both of Birmingham, con
tended they had been denied admis
sion at the university because they
are Negroes.
U. S. District Judge Seyboum H.
Lynne of Birmingham found for the
plaintiffs and ordered that not only
they, but all other qualified Negro
students, must be admitted to the
university.
ARGUE JURISDICTION
In New Orleans Dec. 7, attorneys
for Dean Adams asked the court to
send the case back to the Northern
District Court of Alabama, arguing
that Judge Lynne was without juris
diction to grant his injunction.
Adams’ attorneys also argued that
the individual members of the uni
versity’s board of trustees, omitted
so far as respondents in the case, are
indispensable parties to the action.
Therefore, the argument continued,
the lower court should have granted
a motion to dismiss the complaint
against Adams.
Adams also argued that the dis
trict court erred in permitting the
case to be maintained as a class ac
tion and in ruling it a class action.
Adams’ attorneys asked the court
to instruct the district court to or
ganize a court of three judges to
rule on the case, and that the appeals
court order the district court to in
clude the university board of trus
tees as defendants.
Trustees of the Alabama Education
Association urged after the defeat of
the school amendments that teacher
salaries not be cut in order to stretch
funds for the full nine-months term.
A resolution passed by the group
noted that the 1955 legislature in
creased appropriations to education
to include an average increase of
$600 a year to public school teachers.
These salaries were accepted in
“good faith” by the various city and
county boards of education, the res
olution pointed out, and were “in
corporated in contracts or agree
ments entered upon with teachers
and college faculties.”
Therefore, the resolution contin
ued, the various boards are urged
to “see that these contracts or agree
ments are followed as regards
monthly salaries of teachers as long
as funds available from state and
local sources permit . . . and that no
reduction in salary be authorized in
order to provide the usual school or
term.”
City and county superintendents
of education also joined in the op
position to salary cuts. At a meeting
following the amendment election,
105 superintendents from through
out the state unanimously urged the
governor to include the needs of ed
ucation in the Jan. 3 special session
call “to provide ways and means of
meeting in full the appropriations
made to education for the biennium
1955-57.” The failure of the $110,-
000,000 bond amendment has also left
education with a “critical building
problem,” Dr. Meadows said.
“There has been no increase in any
state funds for school construction,
in fact less is being allocated today
on a teacher unit basis than 20 years
ago,” he said.
ECONOMIES ASKED
The Alabama State Board of Edu
cation Dec. 16 asked local school of
ficials throughout the state to tighten
their spending for the rest of this
term. The request was prompted by
the failure of the Goodwyn income
tax amendment.
Without the Goodwyn tax, the
state board said, “It appears from the
most recent estimates made by the
department of finance and the de
partment of revenue that less than
90 per cent of the appropriations to
educational functions will be avail
able for the current school year.”
Accordingly, the state board sug
gested that each city and county
school board “make every economy
possible in its operations” and “defer
all capital and other expenditures
where possible to do so.”
The Montgomery White Citizens
Council has voted to include sur
rounding counties in the organiza
tion. At a closed meeting the last
of November, the group decided to
change its name to the Central Ala
bama Citizens Council. About 500
attended the session, held in the
Montgomery County courthouse.
Elected chairman of the new
group, which until this meeting had
been in the process of organization,
was State Sen. Sam Engelhardt of
Macon County. Engelhardt was the
sponsor of the state’s new pro
segregation school “placement” law.
One of the legislature’s most active
and outspoken advocates of contin
ued separation of the races, Engel
hardt has often been critical of Fol
som’s attitude on the issue.
South Carolina
(Continued from Page 5)
Klan spokesmen as saying Black
mon should be gotten out of town or
out of the state. A local magistrate,
however, J. R. Bardin, said he heard
the talks and thought the ouster talk
was a misinterpretation of what was
actually said.
Blackmon, meanwhile, has told the
Associated Press that he has “no
idea” of leaving the community. He
was active in circulating petitions
for integration of public schools in
the Elloree community.
In Orangeburg, the vice president
of the local NAACP branch, Mrs.
H. F. Pierce, said she had turned
over to law enforcement agencies a
letter threatening her life. She also
said that other Negroes had received
similar notices in the wake of the
filing of an integration petition in
Orangeburg. The economic pressure
being exerted by Negroes against
white firms identified with the Cit
izens Council movement, she said,
“is pretty extensive from what I
hear but I just don’t know how it’s
coming out.”
A News and Courier staff writer,
investigating a reported boycott by
Negroes of the Orangeburg County
town of Elloree, wrote on Dec. 23 that
no such boycott was in evidence in
the community. A first-hand survey
of the town, said Jack Leland, showed
business to be about as usual, al
though reflecting the relatively poor
farming conditions of the recent
years. He discounted stories which
said that Elloree businesses were
“drying up” since a recent Ku Klux
Klan rally in the community and
since the formation of a Citizens
Council.
The state president of the NAACP,
J. M. Hinton, announced in Decem
ber, that $1,800 in cash and two tons
of canned food had been shipped to
South Carolina for Clarendon Coun
ty Negroes subjected to economic
pressures. The money and food, he
said, were contributed by Negro
churches of Philadelphia.