Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2—DECEMBER 1956—SOUTHERN SCHOOL NEWS
Negro Vote
(Continued From Page 1)
this year gave Eisenhower 1,933 votes to
1,152 for Stevenson. In Memphis, which
went Republican for the first time, 38
predominantly Negro precincts, which
gave Stevenson 68 per cent of their
votes in 1952, gave Eisensower 54 per
cent in 1956.
With 19,393 votes going to a pro-seg
regation third party, the Eisenhower-
Nixon ticket was able to carry Tennes
see by about 6,000 votes. Post-election
analyses have indicated that the Demo
cratic ticket in Tennessee lost some
votes both on the basis of Senator Ke-
fauver’s pro-integration attitude and
Gov. Frank Clement’s refusal to take a
strong pro-segregation stand. The school
segregation question apparently pro
vided the combination of circumstances
which gave the state’s electoral votes to
the Republican candidates.
Similar circumstances resulted in a
Republican victory in Louisiana. There
Negro voters turned to the Eisenhower -
Nixon ticket in great enough propor
tion to spell the margin of victory. The
issue here, however, was not clearcut
since many pro-segregationists (State
Sen. Willie Rainach, who sponsored
most of the recent pro-segregation leg
islation, among them) also turned to
Eisenhower as the more acceptable
candidate from the southern point of
view.
Segregation-desegregation was less
decisive in other southern states which
turned to the Republican ticket such as
Florida, Virginia, Texas and Kentucky.
There was some third party activity in
these states, particularly in Virginia.
And in all of them large numbers of
Negro voters switched to the Republi
can ticket as they did in other southern
states. In no case, however, were the
Negro vote and the third party vote, in
combination or sinvlv, sufficient to rer>-
resent the margin between the vote for
the two major parties.
LOCAL RACES
School segregation was more directly
at issue in local races from New Or
leans to New York. In the eastern city,
the issue was raised by Republican Ja
cob Javits and by Democrat Robert
Wagner in their race for the U.S. Sen
ate. Each accused the other of “aiding
segregation.”
In New Orleans, Israel Augustine,
candidate for the Orleans Parish school
board, told a political rally at a Negro
school that, he as an attorney, felt duty-
bound to uphold the Supreme Court de
cisions on school segregation and would
attack recent pi-o-segregation legisla
tion if elected. He ran third in a field
of six.
School segregation also was directly
at issue in the school board race in
Houston, Texas, where a pro-segrega
tion slate of four candidates won control
of the board; and in Arlington County,
Va., where a candidate favoring segre
gation won election to the board of
supervisors which now is charged with
responsibility of appointing school board
members.
In governors’ races in Arkansas and
North Carolina, the school question was
raised but had no effect on the outcome.
Republican candidate Roy Mitchell in
Arkansas advocated gradual desegrega
tion, in contrast to incumbent Demo
crat Orval Faubus’ position that no
school district would be made to de
segregate against its will. In North
Carolina, Negro leaders said Negro
voters turned away from Gov. Luther
Hodges reportedly because of his es
pousal of the pro-segregation Pearsall
Plan and perhaps also because his Re
publican opponent advocated integra
tion. In both states the Democratic pro
segregation incumbents won by over
whelming majorities.
REFERENDUM
Also in Arkansas, the school segrega
tion issue was kept alive by three ref
erendum questions (involving interpo
sition, nullification and pupil placement)
on the general election ballot. All three
passed.
School segregation was most directly
at issue in the Dade County, Fla. race
for a place in the state House of Rep
resentatives. Democratic incumbent
John B. Orr made his last summer’s
legislative stand against segregation
the central point of his campaign to
such an extent the Republican opposi
tion said he made himself “obnoxious”
on the subject. Orr won by more than
24,000 votes, but was low man among
the three in the county legislative race.
The question was raised, but briefly,
in the mayoralty campaign in Wilming
ton, Del., where both candidates
espoused elimination of segregation in
all public facilities, as it already has
been eliminated in the schools. In Texas,
W. L. O’Daniel, an ardent pro-segrega
tionist who was defeated in the Demo
cratic primary, conducted a lacklustre
write-in campaign last month in the
race for governor. And in Georgia’s
Fifth Congressional District, it was a
“silent” issue. Democratic Congressman
James C. Davis, chairman of the sub
committee which had investigated the
District of Columbia schools, won re-
election over a Republican challenger
who took a pro-segregation stand but
received heavy majorities in predomi
nantly Negro precincts of Fulton Coun
ty (Atlanta).
In none of these cases, however, could
it be said that the elections were won or
lost on the basis of the school segrega
tion issue.
Desegregation of Schools In Suburban
St. Louis County Praised In Report
Schoolman
(Continued From Page 1)
The Chattanooga board first an
nounced compliance in principle with
the U.S. Supreme Court decisions, but
later its chairman (the late Harry Al
len) repudiated the statement. Subse
quently the board said changes would
be postponed, “possibly for five years
or more.” The Chattanooga situation
was the subject of a special study by
Southern School News last June
(“Chattanooga Story — What Hap
pened?”). In describing Derthick’s po
sition as “close associates and observers”
see it, The Chattanooga Times said at
the time of his appointment to the U.S.
post last month:
“While he is sensitive and dislikes
turmoil and bitterness, in the show
down he firmly supports a decision by
the U.S. Supreme Court as the law of
the land.
“Thus while he may have regretted
that such a decision had to come, he
feels that it is the responsibility of
citizens to observe the decision and to
carry it out, community by community,
as it becomes possible ...
NO INTERFERENCE
“As commissioner of education for
the United States, Derthick may be ex
pected to take the position that com
pliance with the Supreme Court’s de
cision is a matter for each individual
school district and not a matter in
which the commissioner of education
should interfere.
“Derthick has done much on his own
initiative for Negroes within the Chat
tanooga school system since he has
been superintendent.
“When he first came here, Negro
teachers did not meet with white teach
ers to work out problems common to
both groups.
“The Negro teachers were paid less
generally than white teachers.
“Under Derthick’s guidance, the Ne
gro and white teachers were brought
together in meetings, served together on
committees and sought jointly to im
prove the school system as a whole.
SAME SALARY
“Negro teachers also were put on the
same salary scale with the white
teachers...
“He bore the brunt of the sharp pub
lic reaction against the school board’s
public statement July 28, 1955, that it
would comply with the Supreme Court’s
decision.
“Many declared that Derthick in
spired the board to take that stand.
They asserted that no statement would
have been issued had it not been for
Derthick.
“But that did not jibe with the facts.
The board did consult with Derthick,
sought his opinion on various phases of
the problem.
“The decision was, however, that of
the board of education and not that of
Derthick.
“It may be said that Derthick sup
ported the board’s decision both in his
heart and in his official capacity as su
perintendent.”
The Chattanooga board gave Derthick
a leave of absence of 15 months in 1948
to direct the education program in Ba
varia for the Office of Military Govern
ment. In a formal statement last month
Derthick indicated that he might re
turn to Chattanooga inasmuch as he
had requested a year’s leave of absence.
ST. LOUIS, Mo.
gT. Louis County, which now has
almost as large a school population
in its 21 suburban school districts as
the city of St. Louis, has virtually com
pleted desegregation with a minimum
of friction, the county branch of the
National Association for the Advance
ment of Colored People reports. The
NAACP concluded a survey with the
summation that “wonderful progress”
has been made. (See “School Boards and
Schoolmen.”)
The National Council of Teachers of
English, meeting in St. Louis, defeated
a resolution supporting racial integra
tion in the schools. (See “What They
Say.”)
In Creve Coeur, St. Louis County
suburb, citizens chose up sides on a city
council action which was generally re
garded as intended to prevent Negro
migration into the community. (See
“Community Action.”)
The Urban League issued a report
saying that St. Louis in recent years has
made substantial progress in all fields
of reducing discrimination against Ne
groes. (See “Under Survey.”)
With desegregation an accomplished
and all but forgotten fact in St. Louis,
Kansas City and other Missouri cities,
the St. Louis County branch of the
NAACP took a look at suburban St.
Louis this month and found the view
generally to its liking.
Every school district in the county—
whose school population now is almost
as large as that of the city proper—has
either completed the integration pro
cess successfully or has begun it at
some level. “Wonderful progress,” said
the NAACP report, filed by President
Morris Henderson. The county is esti
mated to have 1,650 Negro pupils as
compared with some 32,000 in the city.
Some problems remain, Henderson
added. In October Henderson told the
Wellston school board that its integra
tion program has “stagnated.” The
Webster Groves school board, which in
tegrated the system only this year, re
ceived protests from the NAACP against
its new districts. Some Negro children
must walk more than one-half mile to
attend an all-Negro elementary school,
though they reside within a few blocks
of another school, it was charged.
PEOPLE ‘READY’
On the whole, Henderson concluded,
the people of St. Louis County were
ready for integration long before their
school leaders were. The principal ob
stacle to complete integration, he said,
was the persistence of residential seg
regation, which in some cases auto
matically results in virtually segregated
schools even though school authorities
display willingness to end segregation.
Based on questionnaires sent out by
the NAACP and experience in the vari
ous communities, here is a summary of
integration in St. Louis County as seen
by the NAACP:
Berkeley: Complete integration as of
September, 1954. Negro enrollment 4
per cent. Supt. Theodore L. Holman re
ports no problems.
Brentwood: Integration started Sep
tember, 1954 with Negro enrollment 6
per cent, chiefly effective in high school.
Integration a reality in both summer
recreation and summer remedial pro-
For dkt‘ti tfnaJ
give
SOUTHERN SCHOOL NEWS
P.O. Box 6156 Acklen Station,
Nashville, Tenn.
Please enter a gift subscription to Southern School News at $2.00 for
(Note: 5 or more subs to one address: $1.50
5 or more to different addresses: $1.75 each)
gram. Since community has well-de
fined Negro residential district with its
own school, segregation remains a fact
at elementary level. Supt. B. George
Saltzman expresses pleasure at progress
so far, says complete integration de
pends upon further social, political and
economic desegregation.
AT ALL LEVELS
Clayton: Integration complete at all
levels, Negro enrollment 2 per cent.
Eureka R-6: Integration begun Sep
tember, 1955, Negro enrollment less than
2 per cent. Supt. Morgan Selvidge re
ports no difficulty. Segregated housing
plus a new school building in Negro
neighborhood cited as reasons for main
taining elementary segregation.
Kinloch: An all-Negro community.
Kirkwood: Elementary schools inte
grated in 1954, high school in 1955.
Kirkwood was one of the first county
communities to act. (For reports on
Kirkwood experience, see Southern
School News, June, 1955 and July,
1956.)
Ladue: Complete integration as of
September, 1955, Negro enrollment 1
per cent.
Lindberg R-8: Two Negro students
were to have been denied admission to
the school, but after protest were ad
mitted.
Maplewood-Richmond Heights: Inte
gration at senior and junior high in
September, 1956 with Negro enrollment
of 10 to 12 per cent. Elementary school
segregation continues because of com
pact area in which Negroes reside, with
their own school.
‘NO PROBLEMS’
Normandy: Integration completed
with Negro enrollment of 1 per cent.
“No problems,” says Supt. Ward E.
Barnes.
Pattonville R-3: Integration complet
ed September, 1955, Negroes numbering
only three in total of 2,800.
Parkway: Integration at all levels
September, 1955, Negroes comprising 3
per cent of enrollment. “It has worked
very well,” says Supt. Robert D. Sny
der.
Ritenour: Integration completed
grades 7 through 12, September, 1956,
but segregation remains at elementary
level, due, says Supt. Wendell L. Evans,
to shortage of school buildings. County
NAACP is investigating complaints from
Negro parents about failure to extend
integration to elementary schools.
Riverview Gardens: High school in
tegrated 1954, elementary schools 1955;
16 Negro students in total of 4,260. In
summer of 1954 school board announced
it would retain segregation, but re
versed stand after protests. “Our people
have accepted integration without ques
tion,” says Supt. E. M. LeMasters.
3 NEGROES ATTEND
University City: With only three Ne
gro students, integration completed.
Webster Groves: Integration complet
ed September, 1956 with Negroes ac
counting for 6 per cent of total enroll
ment. NAACP objected to original
boundaries which kept many Negroes
in an all-Negro elementary school.
Boundaries changed so that one-half of
the Negro pupils concerned are attend
ing a mixed school. Discussions continu
ing as to possible further changes in
boundaries. School board just an
nounced decision to build only one new
junior high school. Some residents had
advocated two, saying that a single jun
ior high “cannot solve the problem of
racial tension which underlies the entire
issue.”
Wellston: Junior high integrated Sep
tember, 1954, senior high 1955, Negroes
10 per cent of total enrollment. One Ne
gro teacher of four retained.
tion was tabled after it appeared that
further controversy might be stirred up
by pressing it
Name
Address
COMMUNITY ACTION
Residents of Creve Coeur, a St. Louis
County suburb, are awaiting the out
come of a controversy over an ordin
ance passed by their city council, over
the mayor’s veto, condemning for park
purposes land on which a $55,000 home
is being built by Dr. Howard P. Ven
able, Negro eye surgeon and faculty
member at St. Louis University (Catho
lic) School of Medicine.
Dr. Venable called the suit “a clear-
cut case of racial discrimination.” Creve
Coeur officials had also refused to issue
a plumbing permit for his home, which
is about half completed, he said. The
city issued him a building permit last
spring, but since then he has been ap
proached four times by an attorney
representing a group seeking to buy his
property. Eleven other Negroes, mostly
physicians, had planned to move into
the area, but have since withdrawn.
A week after the condemnation action
by the city became known, a dozen
Creve Coeur residents, including some
who would be neighbors of Dr. Venable,
drew up a resolution urging repeal of
the action. “We are convinced that the
condemnation of this property was a
subterfuge to keep Dr. Venable from
our community,” the resolution said. It
urged other citizens to join in remedy
ing “what we consider a great ethical
and moral wrong.”
Archbishop Joseph E. Ritter of the
Catholic church publicly praised the
citizens who had defended Dr. Ven
able’s right to live in their community.
The Archbishop in a speech urged that
people stand up and be counted in mat
ters involving “racial discrimination.”
Archbishop Ritter in 1947 ordered an
end to segregation in St. Louis Catholic
parochial schools. His action has been
widely credited with having paved the
way for a smooth end of segregation in
the public schools.
The citizens’ action in Creve Coeur
was also strongly commended by the
Protestant Metropolitan Church Federa
tion.
Opposition from southern delegates
was credited with defeating a pro-inte
gration resolution at the National Coun
cil of Teachers of English, which met in
St. Louis Nov. 22 to 25.
The resolution, offered at the opening
business session, commended “those
communities which have successfully
accepted and carried out their responsi
bilities for providing equal education
for all our children.”
City.
Zone.
□ Payment enclosed □ Send bill
(Please make checks payable to Southern Education Revorting Service)
Another clause would have pledged
the organization to “exert the full pow
er of its influence to encourage other
STATE communities to do likewise.”
This was deleted after a protest in be
half of the Alabama Council of Teach
ers of English. Then the whole resolu-
St. Louis has made substantial prog
ress in reducing “discrimination” against
Negroes in recent years, Leo Bohannon,
executive director of the Urban League,
reported Nov. 16 as the result of a sur
vey of all fields of race relations. High
lights of his report:
As a result of school integration N e "
gro children enjoy more opportunities
and better facilities for education than
ever before. Only 14 of the city parks
and three of the 30 playgrounds were
open to non-whites in 1953, whereas
today all are open without restrictions.
Private welfare agencies are making
“notable progress” in elimination 0
“racial bias” in social welfare agencies-
The number of public housing units
available to Negroes has more than
doubled in recent years. Many more pri
vate dwellings are available because th c
area in which Negroes may rent or
homes has been extended westward y
15 to 20 blocks.
THEATERS OPEN
Theaters offering stage shows and tJ
leading film houses have abandon
segregation in the last three years,
have the major hotels. ^
Four years ago fewer than 350 b
in private hospitals were available
Negroes, and none of the 11 white nurs
ing schools would accept Negroes
training, but now an “uncounted n
ber” of hospital beds are available,
10 of the nursing schools accept Neg tu
students.
There is a strong trend in industry
accept qualified persons for office
without regard to race. The Ur
League has placed more than
young Negro women in clerical 3 obs
the last five years. Employment opP° ^
tunities for Negroes are expanding,
the public utility, chemical, aircra
electrical products fields. This 7^
the Federal Reserve Bank of St- ^
began employing Negro typists, bus ^
machine operators, messengers ^
pages. On the other hand, Negro
still have difficulty getting into tac
production jobs, and labor unions ^
show a reluctance to admit the
craft unions.
as
id