Southern school news. (Nashville, Tenn.) 1954-1965, April 01, 1961, Image 15

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SOUTHERN SCHOOL NEWS—APRIL 1961—PAGE 15 Mississippi (Continued from Page 1) been handled so far by Mississippi and Negro educators in unison. Calls for Co-operation tote R e P- J- P- Love of Holmes _ n b,. j chairman of a legislative recess lotion study committee, said that ■ceased cooperation between white jfegro leaders should solve all ■> Rational problems.” j^ ve emphasized that schools would Josed, but “only as a last resort to 1 Irent integration.” J1 \ e state legislator commended Ne- ep! educators working with his com- ' a; 'jjtee, stating they are “showing a C T- ^derful spirit of co-operation in the ’ taping us to get a stronger school Pie | Astern.” He explained that his com- tteljjtjee is seeking better schools and oj! y all educators—white and Negro— ro . | ;t working with his group. ★ ★ ★ Teachers Favor ‘No-Strings’ f,S. Aid; Solons Oppose la the face of the Mississippi Edu- 2 tion Association’s “conditional” en- jjrsement of federal aid for education, U5. Reps. John Bell Williams and W. f Colmer (D. Miss.), said they are -nposed to it because “there can be jj federal aid without federal control, the House of Delegates of the MEA, meeting in Jackson March 15, went a record with only negligible voice- tote opposition, as follows on the ques- ion of federal aid for education: “Since it has become increasingly •Icult to provide adequate financial apport for our public school system irom local and state tax sources, the satiation endorses additional and trader federal financial support, pro dded control of our public school programs is left in the hands of local ad state school authorities, and pro dded further that ‘no strings are ittached’ which are contrary to Missis es: customs and traditions.” The latter reference had to do with *ie state’s policy and laws for segre gation of public education. Superintendent Endorses Aid Earlier, State Supt. of Education J. '1 Tubb had endorsed the Kennedy proposal. “I wouldn’t be in favor of any pro- pan administered at the federal level,” ■* said, “but this program gives pro- «ti°n to the states and would be Titered by the state.” “Actually, n IL? 1)6611 getting federal aid since l ™ (land grant colleges). J™b said the new program is aouiing different” from the federal which already have come into J®ssippi “for use in the public • S?! system ” for such things as the t,00 ‘ lunch program. ‘Called ‘Foot-in-the-Door’ However, opposition to further federal * as expressed by the State Cham- •j .ppmmerce-Mississippi Economic c 'l in branding the Kennedy plan n °°t-m-the-door” proposal. - th^ I ' 6SSrnan Williams, who addres- j,, 6 County superintendents division o.. e MEA the day following the Delegates endorsement of itional” federal aid, said federal an attem Pt to bribe local school 3$j s into knuckling under to the 6se gregation decision of the a States Supreme Court.” ‘Control Always Follows’ ft b J^ssman Colmer asserted tha V* 6 * bill would bring federa >, tro ] to education “since federa 'Har’i aIwa y s follows the federa ■ 5 Colmer, who is vice-chairman o j. ere i ° Use Rules Committee, sai( ■olt’ A n °f much we on the ‘nev 6s committee can do about it. !| ★ ★ ★ f ^* )en * 11 g of Racial ’’Runieations Urged .V r 6s °lutions committee of the all- '■'letj )as issippi Teachers Associatioi . Pening of the channels o So ' Cation between the white anc ces “whereby we can si * Mis-;discussions of programs foi aP^PPlwis." ^ 0r d(m S *^ ent *^ le oganization, O ; %n> s n Carthage, told the asso- ' Sp tv, annua l convention ir iSess • ^fgroes had made notabh ;'-y a , m Mississippi education. H< ^ 10 Vp 0Ur 7^°H increase during the .gjHal Negro teachers’average aries an d pointed to highei 5® clag° ns ' He said two-thirds of the gj - °°ms built between 1956 anc /''ding 6r The Negro-white schoo i N egl , 9ualization program had beer »ii]V es ’ M d he pointed out tha Ps out of 84% millions allo- Mississippi Highlights State Education Supt. J. M. Tubb, in an address to the Mississippi Education Assentation, composed of 12,000 white educators, spoke out against abolition of public schools in efforts to prevent desegregation. A state legislator and the execu tive secretary of the all-Negro Mis sissippi Teachers Association said biracial cooperation would save the school system from closure under the prospect of desegregation. Two Mississippi congressmen, W. M. Colmer and John Bell Williams, declared their opposition to federal aid for education. It was endorsed by the Mississippi Education Asso ciation provided no “strings” were attached to impair local control. Union members at a Hattiesburg plant laid plans for a private school system in the event public schools are closed “as a last resort” to prevent desegregation. A University of Mississippi jour nalism student, a candidate for edi torship of the Ole Miss paper, charged that Gov. Ross Barnett, the State Sovereignty Commission and the Citizens Councils circulated an untrue report about his beliefs on racial issues. He said he planned to sue. Gov. Ross Barnett, opposing Mis sissippi State University’s partici pation in the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s basketball tournament after winning the South eastern Conference Championship, said biracial athletics might lead to social integration. cated for new classrooms went for Negroes. He said “we feel that in the not too distant future every boy and girl will have adequate classrooms and an ample supply of materials to pursue a quality education.” “We are almost certain that when the legislature meets in 1962 we will witness a revolution in educational progress,” he added. Community Action Unionists Consider Private Education If Schools Closed TTnion employes of the Her- ^ cules Powder Co. plant at Hattiesburg have taken steps to provide private schools for their children in event public schools are closed because of racial de segregation. They have retained W. H. Lane of Hattiesburg, former Forrest County Superintendent of Education, to conduct a study to determine the cost of hiring teach ers for the proposed school. R. R. Dunagin, chief steward and chairman of the union committee, said the plant management has been asked to provide data on the number of children involved. There are about 900 employes at the plant, of whom about 600 are members of the Hattiesburg Chemical workers Local 5-209, affiliate of the International Woodworkers of America. Local President J. L. Odom, said the movement is neither to en courage segregation, desegregation or closing of public schools “but simply to make preparations for opening of a school for Hercules families in case the state schools are closed.” ★ ★ ★ Dr. James W. Silvers, professor of history at the University of Mississippi, put aside a scheduled address before West Virginia (Continued from Page 9) at State, Dr. Kennell explained that one such program already has been established at Barnard College in New York City, Wake Forest in North Carolina and Spellman College in At lanta. Dr. Kennell said he felt it would be an invaluable experience for outside students to visit West Virginia State, which he hailed as a model of desegre gation. He is executive director of the Albany Inter-Racial Council. He said he had closely watched the progress of desegregation in West Vir ginia. And about West Virginia State desegregation, he said: “I was very much impressed with the progress here. I found a very warm feeling between the white and Negro races in many different areas.” # # # the Mississippi Historical Society, March 4 at Clinton, and denounced Myers G. Lowman of the Circuit Riders, Inc., of Cincinnati, Ohio, who was paid an estimated $3,800 by the State Sover eignty Commission for a series of anti communist speeches in Mississippi. Also attacking Lowman was the Board of Christian Social Concerns of the North Mississippi Methodist Con ference. It protested Lowman’s tax- paid speaking tours as “a violation of the American principle of separation of church and state perpetrated by the granting of state subsidies to those who attack Christian church groups.” Speaker of the House Walter Sillers, a member of the Sovereignty Com mission, defended the expenditures, asserting that Lowman’s addresses were exposes of communist tactics to infil trate various segments of the American society. In the Colleges Ole Miss Student Accuses Officials Of ‘Smear’ Effort T>illy Barton, a journalism student at the University of Mississippi, accused Gov. Ross Barnett, Sovereignty Commission Director Albert Jones and the Citizens Councils with attempting to “smear” him in an effort to defeat him for editorship of the student newspaper. It stems from a “confidential report” on the 20-year-old student from Pon totoc sent by Jones to Mac Dale, editor of the student newspaper, in response to an inquiry as to whether Gov. Bar nett had any information about Barton’s position on segregation. A state senator said that he was shown a copy of the “confidential re port” and that it was written on the letterhead of the Citizens Council and signed “Bill.” William J. (Bill) Simmons is adminis trator of the Citizens Councils which are dedicated to the “preservation of segregation and constitutional govern ment.” ‘Confidential Report’ The “confidential report” on Barton was sent to Editor Dale with the letter head and signature deleted. It stated that the information was furnished by “W. A. Lufburrow, executive secretary of the States’ Rights Council of Geor gia, one of our affiliated statewide organizations.” The “confidential report” said Young Barton “was actively involved in sev eral lunch counter “sit-in” demonsta tions in Atlanta ...” It said Barton was employed last summer on the staff of the Atlanta Journal and that Ralph McGill, identified as editor of the Journal, “has taken Barton under his wing and offered him a permanent posi tion . . . after graduation from Ole Miss.” McGill, who is publisher of the Atlanta Constitution, was said to have ‘a key position ... in the left-wing apparatus.” This meant, according to the material released by Barton after he got it from the college editor, that Barton was “well-regarded in left wing circles” and had been “selected for advance training.” South Carolina (Continued from Page 14) The “confidential report,” dated Aug. 17, 1960, and addressed to the Sover eignty Commission director, said the information about Barton came from “an informant planted on the staff of the Atlanta Journal” who described Barton as “very dangerous.” “Very Revealing’ Lufburrow was quoted as saying: “I regard this information as im portant, and very revealing. It indicates the painstaking efforts of the pro-inte gration people to plant sympathizers in key positions on our college campuses, where they can exert a maximum in fluence on student opinion. This process has been going on for many years, as we all know, but I believe this is the first time we have been fortunate enough to gain knowledge of their detailed plans in advance.” Young Barton issued a denial and sent Gov. Barnett a copy. He said he had been advised that he (Barton) was being accused of being a member of the National Association for the Ad vancement of Colored People. Governor’s Reply Gov. Barnett wrote Barton that the accusation “did not originate” in his office, but had been told to a member of his staff on the university campus by a member of the student newspaper staff. The governor told Barton that he should get at the source and correct it from that end. Barton denied membership in the NAACP or having participated in “sit- in” demonstrations. He said as a re porter on the Atlanta newspaper, he had been assigned to cover the Rich’s store demonstration and that was why he was there. He said he had never met Ralph Mc Gill, noting that McGill is not editor of the Atlanta Journal but publisher of the Atlanta Constitution. Plans To Sue When Barton announced he was planning to file libel suits against the governor, the Sovereignty Commission director and the Citizens Councils, the governor and director said the infor mation furnished Editor Dale at Dale’s request was “confidential and not in tended for publication or distribution in any manner.” Gov. Barnett said Dale had written him requesting any information he had concerning reports as to “Barton’s sympathies with respect to segregation.” He said his secretariat routinely refer red the letter to Director Jones “and to my knowledge, I never saw the letter or heard of it until . . . the matter of correspondence and alleged charges was given wide publicity from Oxford.” “That is the extent of my personal knowledge of the matter,” the governor said. He said he hoped his statement and one by Jones “will clarify the misunderstanding and that the students may conduct their election in the knowledge that there is no desire on my part or the part of the Sovereignty Commission to meddle into student affairs. . . ” Says Request Dated Back Jones said the information had been requested by Editor Dale “long prior to the present election.” “The commission has never stated or indicated that Mr. Barton is a member of the NAACP and it has no intention of hurting him in his campaign for editor of the paper or otherwise,” Leon Dure (Continued from Page 7) Director Jones’ statement said. “The commission has never published said confidential report and does not do so now for the same reason.” Jones said he would “be glad to invite Mr. Barton to come before the commission in order that he may have an opportunity to furnish any such facts of information.” He said the commission regarded the source of the “confidential report” to be “reliable.” Miscellaneous Champion Basketball Team Barred From Biracial Tournament It/ffississiPPi State University, which won the Southeastern Conference basketball champion ship, will not participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s national tournament because of Mississippi’s policy against its teams playing against biracial squads. When the team was four games away from the national championship, Coach Babe McCarthy said, “I would love to get a chance to play those games, but I do not want to jeopardize racial segregation policies.” He said members of the team “understood the situation.” Gov. Ross Barnett, said biracial games “might lead to social integra tion.” # # # SERS Board (Continued from Page 1) tinued to give the paper a more at tractive appearance, consistent with good taste and the purposes of SERS. As to content, the committee recom mended that the state-by-state pres entation be maintained but that special articles on major related regional de velopments be prepared by the SERS staff. The committee also recommended as an objective that in each issue of Southern School News there appear at least one article “drawing together all the facts available about a given aspect of the school segregation-de segregation story, analyzing them, dis cussing them against their background and thus adding to their meaning.” Members of the committee were C. A. McKnight, editor of the Charlotte (N.C.) Observer; Charles Moss, execu tive editor of the Nashville (Tenn.) Banner; Dean George N. Redd of Fisk University and Sarratt, chairman. Sarratt presented a detailed report on SERS operations since the board met last October. He emphasized the importance of the “unseen” informa tional service performed by SERS. Ac cording to his report, at least 83 re quests from “professional sources” were received between July 1 and March 17. Represented were newspapers, magazines, radio and television broad casters, government departments and agencies, colleges and universities, churches, civil rights groups, educa tional organizations and individuals doing research and writing in the field. # # # University of Texas, is doing biochemi cal research at the University of Georgia. Kendrick is an ensign in the Navy. Dure Thinks Precedents Assure Plan’s Legality Dure thinks freedom-of-association (or freedom-of-choice) is unassailable legally. He says it involves in edu cation exactly the same principle under which the government makes individual welfare grants, with recipients free to spend the money anywhere or in any institutions. (Welfare grants may be spent in sectarian institutions, too, and Dure favors allowing educational grants to be spent in sectarian schools, which is now prohibited by Virginia’s law. He says there’s no personal religious in terest involved in that feeling, since he has never belonged to any church.) Dure hotly disputes claims that the grants program will prove extremely costly and may seriously damage the public schools. He argues that the cost of public schools is reduced pro portionately when children withdraw to go to private schools. And he thinks that ending the public school “mo nopoly” will bring invigorating compe tition that will improve formal education generally. Dure thinks the freedom-of-associa tion principle in education is so fundamentally sound that eventually “it will spread to New York and other places simply because they have got to have it.” # # # to depend upon someone beyond the borders of our state to advise or inform us. . . .” Miscellaneous Negro Girls to Seek Winthrop Admission; Sit-In Continued he Rev. C. A. Ivory, president of the Rock Hill branch of the NAACP, announced March 10 that at least four Negro girls would seek admission to Win throp College next September. Winthrop, the state college for wo men, is located at Rock Hill. Like other state-supported institutions, it is oper ated on a racially segregated basis, restricted to white girls. ★ ★ ★ Sit-in and other anti-segregation demonstrations by Negro students were continued about the state during March, with one of the largest gatherings taking place at the State House in Columbia on March 2. When the Negro students persisted in demonstrating on the State House grounds after being warned not to, a total of 189 were arrested and subse quently released on bond. # # # both pro-segregation and anti-segre gation organizations, appeared before legislative commissions and committees a dozen or more times, buttonholed individual legislators at the Capitol. With Virginia’s adoption of the plan in principle, Dure continued trying to “sell” freedom-of-association to other Southern states by use of the mails and personal travels. He estimates the campaign has cost him perhaps $1,000 a year in out-of- pocket money and far more than that if time is counted. His most recent travels have been financed through a grant from the William Volker Fund of California. Newspaper Background A native Georgian and graduate of the University of Georgia (1928), Dure spent four years on the Macon Tele graph and News before becoming a White House reporter for the Washing ton Post for two years. Then followed executive editorship of the Richmond Times-Dispatch from 1935 until 1946, except for four years’ duty as an army officer. After three years as executive news editor of the Winston-Salem, N.C., Journal and Sentinel, he bought “East Belmont,” the Albemarle County farm on which he now lives. He is married and has two sons, both graduates of the University of Virginia. Leon III, a Ph.D. from the