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SOUTHERN SCHOOL NEWS—JANUARY 1961—PAGE II Louisiana (Continued From Page 10) member who refused to comply with jke federally ordered desegregation, did BO t attend the meeting. He has shunned other recent meetings on pounds that legislative actions have fegally removed the present board members. State Board Head The State Board of Education, which controls most of the finances of public education in the state, elected Robert H. Curry, Shreveport natural gas com ply executive, as president to succeed Joseph Davies Jr. of Arabi. Curry said he believes that “segrega tion is the ideal way of life” and added, “I hope to conduct myself in the best interests of the school system a nd our Southern way of life.” “I believe,” he said, “in separate but equal school facilities for the races and I think the colored people want it that way. On the board I have worked closely with the two Negro colleges and have received 100 per cent co operation from them.” The board also controls most of the finances of the majority of state uni versities and colleges, white and Negro. Businessmen Caution City On Segregation Position One hundred and five business and professional men, many of them civic leaders of New Orleans, cautioned the city on Dec. 14 that Louisiana’s legal position on segregation has become “untenable” and there should be an immediate end “to threats, defamation and resistance of those who admin ister our laws.” Doctors, dentists, architects, busi nessmen from every facet of New Or leans economy, signed a three-quarter page advertisement in local newspapers asking citizens to back the Orleans Parish school board in its administra tion of an 118-school public educational program in which there is now token desegregation. The public appeal was distributed throughout the nation in an effort to counteract school desegregation pub licity which has curtailed tourist trade and business in New Orleans. Immediately after publication of the advertisement and accompaning news stones, many signers of the statement “egan receiving harassing telephone calls; and on Thursday, Dec. 15, they *ere roundly criticized at a Citizens bound! rally. Text of Statement The statement of the business an Professional men read: Segregation of races in the schools 0 the South was first an absolute necessity and then a tradition. It is our preference. Since the 1954 decision of the States Supreme Court, and in , e light of innumerable court de- C'sions against the Orleans Parish tjj °. . b° ar< ! and other school au- onties, it has been quite apparent most of us that our system has ° me legally untenable and that ?e change must result, vin 6Cause m any citizens are con- v - , ce< ? that these decisions are in , a h° n °f our nation’s Constitution t L °f Rights, it is well that this r ^' should be tested in the courts. 'Louisiana Legislature has pro- w 0 adequate basis for a proper cr '• Such tests within limits of dis- d,, *° n are proper and a part of our oeratic privilege. Pri U * We recognize that there is a r ac 6 a durable, workable democ- turn r Ch citiz ens must pay in re- or their freedoms. We believe the a"? are called upon to abide by Pour* C our l e S a Hy constituted ar e r' ft parts of our Constitution they aUri d to be objectionable then with Us t he amended in accordance ‘he law. ap jj,f believe that there should be hop /"jdlate end to threats, defama- ipipj s , n res istance to those who ad- citizer, er < i Ur f aws - We appeal to the ap e J °f N e w Orleans to demand , to the street demonstrations, city ofR ."ft support be given to the ele ctert C1 ® ls ’ the Police, and the duly Orl e Sc hool board of the parish of opr W e urge that education of that c ] Ut h not be interrupted and <W„ Sulty be restored to our “W e mty - the fjp-f P r °ud we are citizens of r ' c °Hn i' ea States of America, and we as p 8 allegiance to this union. 1 nti m ent °^ ers to i° in us in these “te difficult to assess the immedi- c of the statement. It cam; —Just Keeps Rollin’ Along! Delaware State News after street demonstrations had ended but immediately prior to the Citizens Council rally, which many city officials feared would generate mass disorder as did a similar rally on Nov. 15, the day following desegregation of two public schools. However, no demonstrations followed the poorly attended second rally spon sored by the Citizens Council of Great er New Orleans. Leaders of the Coun cil blamed the low attendance—prob ably a fourth of the Nov. 15 meeting— on the cold, rainy weather. Estimates of attendance ranged from 1000 to 2500. The November meeting drew 5000 per sons to the city’s municipal auditorium, the same hall used in December. Speakers at the rally included State School Superintendent Shelby M. Jackson, Secretary of State Wade O. Martin Jr., and Frank R. Voelker, chairman of the State Sovereignty Commission. Warnings Sounded Both Martin and Voelker sounded warnings that public schools of the state may have to close in preference to private, non-sectarian schools fi nanced by a state grant-in-aid pro gram. Voelker said that state officials have been accused of “doing violence to your city government.” His reference was to the Legislature’s repeated efforts to oust the five-member school board elected by New Orleanians—efforts launched after the board agreed to comply with the federal order of de segregation. “If, in the progress of battle,” said Voelker, “we somehow transgressed on your rights, it has been because we felt that transgression by the state on the rights of one of its subdivisions was preferable to transgression by the fed eral authority on the rights of the state.” He told the audience he could not agree with the 105 business and pro fessional men urging citizens of New Orleans to comply with federal court decisions. ‘Judicial Tyranny’ “I do not believe,” he said, “we are called upon to abide by the action of our legally constituted courts when their action amounts to judicial tyran ny.” Voelker said he could not agree to co-operate with the school board as re quested by the businessmen’s state ment. He said the board “seems to be working hand-in-glove with a federal court apparently determined either to force us to operate our schools in vio lation of our state law or to destroy the entire school system.” “For anyone to plead for your co operation with your school board is to exhort you to defiance of your state government,” he said. Martin made reference to reports that the school crisis has affected the economy of New Orleans. Little Rock Cited He said some industry had been re luctant to locate in Little Rock after public demonstrations against desegre gation there “because it is the only integrated city in the South and not because the people fought for what they wanted.” Dr. Emmett L. Irwin, chairman of the greater New Orleans Council, brought seven small children to the stage of the auditorium, four of them in blackface. On signal, the children began kiss ing each other and Dr. Irwin asked the audience: “That’s just a little demonstration of what integration means. Is that what you want?” “No, no,” came shouts from the audience. Tax Issue Raised The possibility of an additional one- cent sales tax to finance a grant-in-aid program of private, segregated schools spurred to action groups which had not expressed themselves previously on the New Orleans school crisis. International House, the city’s lead ing foreign commerce association, said —without reference directly to the issue of schools—that it was “unalter ably opposed” to any increase in taxa tion. The non-profit organization is made up of the most influential men in the community. The Chamber of Commerce of the New Orleans area also adopted a reso lution against the tax; and its new president, W. O. Turner, said an in crease in the sales tax would be an other blow against inducing business to the city. The state now has a two per cent sales tax and some local governments, including the city of New Orleans, have an additional penny tax on every dol lar purchase. Mardi Gras As Usual In one boost to tourism, Mayor de Lesseps Morrison dispelled rumors that there would be no Mardi Gras this year because of race tensions in New Orleans. He said on Dec. 15 that the city had mailed the permits for a score of pa rades. Morrison further predicted that the Feb. 14 carnival celebration would be bigger this year than previously. “Applications from out-of-town groups for reserved seats in the public reviewing stands are so great that we are already making plans to construct an additional 1000 seats,” Morrison said. The mayor said a check with leading New Orleans hotels shows the usual heavy demand for hotel accomodations during the Mardi Gras season. Tourism Off Tourism has been off in New Or leans though no one had made public any official estimates of loss of business due to the school demonstrations. Most businessmen agreed that the desegre gation crisis aggravated a business re cession that many areas of the country are experiencing. Negro groups sponsored a program asking that Mardi Gras 1961 be ob served “as a day of reflection and prayer by Negro citizens of New Or leans.” More than 100 Negro organizations announced cancellation of various ac tivities including carnival balls. Negro leaders met at Dillard Uni versity to announce a positive program of civic, social and political activity. Representatives of some 50 Negro or ganizations attended the Dillard con ference sponsored by the New Orleans chapter of the Frontiers of America. Community Council They passed a resolution forming a community council to serve “as a co ordinating body for all positive ac tion, which would serve as a medium to plan, communicate and act on com mon community problems.” The Bunch Club, oldest Negro carni val organization in New Orleans, an nounced it had cancelled its ball and would use the funds for a “positive social action” program as a result of the school crisis. Said the club president, George Longe: “We are living through a very criti cal situation in New Orleans involving primarily the maintenance of our pub lic schools. “While this is at present primarily a political fight between the local, state and federal governments and Negroes are indirectly involved in the fight, nevertheless we, as Negroes, are the cause and must necessarily be affected most by the results of this fight. “The established social action or ganizations and many small associa tions concerned with social action are greatly in need of money. Responsible Negroes, like members of the Bunch Club, should assume some of the re sponsibility for providing financial sup port for these activities.” Professor’s Critical Letter Causes LSU Investigation The Louisiana Legislature’s Un- American Activities Committee, headed by Rep. James Pfister of New Orleans, began an investigation of Louisiana State University after one of its pro fessors, Dr. Waldo McNeir, labeled legislative actions on segregation a “national scandal.” There were angry charges that Mc Neir “must be a Communist” after the professor wrote to several members of the Legislature, including the most outspoken segregationists. McNeir said that “segregation is wrong.” His letter stated: “Interposition is of no legal value. Louisiana is one of the 50 United States that make up this na- *You Mean He Can’t Say Nothing?’ THE HEW ORLEANS FOUR Baltimore Afro-American tion. State sovereignty is a dead doc trine. We must live under the rule of law or perish. Reason must prevail. “The laws enacted by the state leg islature in these two special sessions are a disgrace and a national scandal. They have seriously damaged this country in the eyes of the world. What ever your personal views, these are facts. There is still time for you to show statemanship and rise above your personal feelings.” Over the vain efforts of a handful of legislators to block the Un-Ameri can Activities Committee probe, the House and Senate passed a resolution condemning McNeir and authorizing a full-scale inquiry. A 1958 effort toward a similar investigation failed to get off the ground. It also was touched off by professors’ action in criticizing certain segregation laws. Legislative Debate Rep. Wellborn Jack of Shreveport, who said he got one of McNeir’s let ters, told the House during the hours of legislative debate over the McNeir incident that the professor had told him: “I disagree with everything you stand for.” Jack said: “I’m against communism. He disagrees with everything I stand for; and therefore, he must be a Com munist. “I’m for segregation. He must be for integration. I stand for honesty. He must be a crook.” McNeir, he said, “is a dangerous man” who has “got to go.” Other legislators lambasted the “au dacity” of the professor in questioning actions of the Legislature. There were demands for McNeir’s firing, but LSU authorities said firing of the professor could seriously damage the university’s reputation and accred iting nationally because it would be construed as a violation of the prin ciple of academic freedom. Faculty Statement On Dec. 18, two days after final leg islative action was taken to kick off the probe, 329 members of the Tulane university faculty at New Orleans signed a statement saying: • They doubted that the investigation of the faculty of LSU is justified. • The Legislature in withholding the salaries of teachers in New Orleans’ two desegregated schools would “un dermine the teachers’ morale through out the school system.” In addition to backing up their col leagues in the teaching profession, the Tulane professors endorsed the state ment of 105 business and professional men who asked the citizens of New Orleans to stop street demonstrations and realize that court orders must be obeyed. The professors said also they could see no justification for attempts by the legislature to remove the members of the Orleans Parish school board and asked the Legislature to investigate the campaign of harassment and de struction of property directed against the persons who have continued to send their children to William Frantz school. Though no action has been taken by Catholic authorities to desegregate the 48,000-pupil Catholic school system of New Orleans, a number of parochial school parent clubs met and declared publicly their intent to withdraw their children from classes if the schools are desegregated. Catholic school officials have an nounced that schools will be desegre gated on a plan similar to the public schools’ pupil placement plan, but they Virginia (Continued From Page 7) situations not related in any way to the school segregation issue. The pur pose of the law, they say, is to make it possible for children to escape at tending bi-racial schools by receiving grants to go to segregated schools. But those who defend the program say that while the race factor led to the original enactment of a grants program, the idea now is to put the schools on a truly “freedom-of-choice” basis, with parents free to choose be tween public and private schools and still get public funds for the education of their children. To Prepare Regulations A committee of the State Board of Education will meet in Richmond Jan. 10 to prepare regulations for the as signment of public school children by local school boards. Under present law, assignment of pupils in Virginia is done by the State Pupil Placement Board, except that a local governing body, on recommenda tion of the local school board, may ex clude that locality from control by the State Pupil Placement Board. Where this is done, the local school board assumes the assignment function. The criteria to be applied by the local boards in making the assignments are to be worked out by the State Board of Education. ★ ★ ★ The first statewide count of Virginia’s public school students during the cur rent school year, made as of Sept- 30, showed a total enrollment of 849,228, State Department of Education an nounced Dec. 15. This is below the 879,500 estimate figure which the department had been using. However, the department said that by the end of the current school year, enrollment probably will hit around 865,000. The racial breakdown as of Sept. 30 showed 637,266 whites and 209,962 Ne groes. ★ * ★ The State Pupil Placement Board re fused to permit a Negro boy to transfer from his assigned school to the Negro school he previously had attended. A federal court order had assigned the boy to Pulaski High School last fall. The board took its action in a closed meeting in Richmond Dec. 22. A board announcement following the meeting said the request was denied because it did not comply with the regulation re quiring the submission of school trans fer applications at least 60 days prior to the beginning of any school session. The request had been made by Mr. and Mrs. Moses Webb of Pulaski on be half of their son, David Leon Webb, a 10th grader at Pulaski High School. The youth previously attended Chris- tiansburg Institute, a Negro school about 18 miles from Pulaski. He was one of 13 Negroes who entered the for merly white high school Sept. 6. According to B. S. Hilton, executive secretary of the board, Mr. and Mrs. Webb made their request for their son’s transfer in a letter dated Nov. 14, which said that the youth had dropped out of Pulaski High and wanted to return to Christiansburg Institute. The principal of the Pulaski school, Kenneth E. Fulp, said in answer to re porters’ questions that David had dropped out of school two or three weeks after the session began because he “just wasn’t interested in school.” LEGAL ACTION The National Association for the Ad vancement of Colored People asked for a federal court order to prevent the state from seeing NAACP membership lists. (NAACP v. Harrison.) The motion for injunctive relief, filed in United States District Court at Richmond Dec. 16, was aimed at the State Corporation Commission and Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney T. Gray Haddon. The NAACP contended that the Corporation Commission had asked Haddon to prosecute it for refusing to comply with an SCC order to dis close the names of NAACP members. Enforced disclosure of the names, ac cording to the Negro group’s motion, would violate the constitutional rights of privacy of the members. # # # await a subsiding of the turmoil sur rounding public school desegregation. Msgr. Henry C. Bezou, Catholic school superintendent, said at a meet ing of parent clubs on Dec. 6 that Catholics are bound to obey the de cision of their archbishop, Joseph Francis Rummel. TTritfllri thr p-yr""* 0 only seven or eieMZr&ffietyft tion, New Orleans amongthemv/'jMh maintain segragatdd I SajholiaT schdol facilities.