Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 10—OCTOBER, 1962—SOUTHERN SCHOOL NEWS
MISSISSIPPI
sippi; any and all orders to the con
trary notwithstanding.”
The Governor “authorized and di
rected” the law enforcement officers to
“proceed to do all things necessary that
the peace and security of the people
of the state of Mississippi are fully
protected.”
Following that order, the university
campus was ringed with state highway
patrolmen, sheriffs and other law en
forcement officials of the counties and
municipalities.
When Lt. Gov. Johnson went to Ox
ford as substitute for Gov. Barnett and
refused to permit Meredith to enter the
campus, he was named in the original
contempt citation of the Court of Ap
peals against Gov. Barnett and the
college board officials.
U.S. Court Levies Fines
At a later hearing in New Orleans,
the Court of Appeals levied a fine o
$10,000 a day on Barnett and gave him
until Oct. 2 to purge himself. The
lieutenant governor was fined $5,000 a
day.
On Oct. 2, counsel for Gov. Barnet
appeared in court and asserted that he
had purged himself since Meredith had
been enrolled Oct. 1. The court dis
missed the civil contempt, but con
tinued a criminal contempt citation
until Oct. 12.
Meredith was officially enrolled a
8:35 a.m. (CST) on Oct. 1. He imme
diately was assigned classes which he
met that day under protection of fed
eral marshals. Rioting which sparked
his arrival the day before, moved into
the city of Oxford as troops, many of
them federalized Mississippi national
guardsmen, quieted the situation on the
campus.
Meredith, a junior transfer student
from Jackson State College for Ne
groes, was assigned a room in one of
the dormitories on the university cam
pus with accommodations for marshals
assigned to protect him.
In that connection, U. S. Attorney
General Robert Kennedy said Mere
dith will be given protection until he
graduates from the university. (For de
tails of federal activities in the Missis
sippi crises, see the District of Columbia
report.)
Because of the tensions, the home
coming football game scheduled for
Oct. 6 with the University of Houston,
Texas, was transferred from Oxford to
Jackson.
Chancellor Sees Acceptance
In a statement Oct. 4, Dr. J. D. Wil
liams, chancellor of the university,
predicted that Meredith “eventually
will be accepted by other students.”
He also predicted that any other Negro
students who may be admitted under
court orders would be spared the
Another Refusal
Lt. Gov. Paul B. Johnson Jr.
turns Meredith back.
Premise of the order was the Gov
ernor’s earlier interposition of state
sovereignty in refusing to recognize
federal authority in the field of educa
tion.
Invokes Police Powers
Two days later, Sept. 26, Gov. Bar
nett in a directive to all sheriffs and
law enforcement officers of the state,
including law enforcement officers of
counties and municipalities, said:
“I hereby interpose and invoke the
police powers of the state of Missis
sippi in order to secure the people of
the state of Mississippi, and to prevent
violence and a breach of the peace,
and to assure that the peace and se
curity of the state of Mississippi are
fully protected, and for the protection
of all citizens of the state of Missis
sippi, and all others who may be with
in the confines of the state of Missis-
Growing in Stature
Meredith Explains His Objectives
(Continued From Page 1)
(against interferring with his mandate
for Meredith’s enrollment) and State
Chancellor L. B. Porter dated Sept. 19,
1962 (enjoining enforcement of the fed
eral court orders) both previously
served upon members of this board,
be furnished to the Governor in his
capacity as chief executive officer of
this state, the representative of this
board, and the repository of its full
rights, power, authority and discretion
for such course of action as the Gover
nor shall deem legal, fit and proper in
the premises.”
The vote was nine for: one against;
one obstraining; two absent.
Later the board appeared before the
Court of Appeals in New Orleans, and
was given time to rescind the order
or face contempt. The board returned
to Jackson, rescinded the order, and
called on Registrar Robert Ellis to en
roll Meredith in its Jackson offices. This
was when Registrar Ellis was hurried
ly summoned before a legislative in
vestigating committee and prevented
from enrolling Meredith.
In taking up his “command post” at
the door of the board’s suite of officers,
Gov. Barnett brushed aside the trustees,
who were seated in another office to
his back.
Directs Arrests
In an executive order, the Governor
directed the arrest of any representa
tive of the federal government seeking
to force Meredith’s enrollment. It was
a defiance of the three court orders.
In that order, Gov. Barnett pro
claimed:
“That the arrest or attempts to ar
rest, or the fining or the attempts to
fine, of any state official in the per
formance of his official duties, by any
representative of the federal govern
ment is illegal and such representative
or representatives of said federal gov
ernment are to be summarily arrested
and jailed by reason of any such illegal
acts in violation of this executive order
and in violation of the laws of the state
of Mississippi.”
‘Well, Who Do You Think
You Are?!’
Freed of Contempt Charges
At Meridian, three officials of University of Mississippi leave federal court. From
left: Liberal Arts Dean Arthur Lewis, Registrar Robert B. Ellis, Chancellor John D.
Williams.
bloody rioting which greeted Mere
dith’s arrival.
“Our students are very confused at
this point,” Chancellor Williams said.
“There are many factors involved—the
influence of communities and homes—
and they have come here with pres
sures of all kinds.
“But, I would be disappointed if our
students in the final analysis did not
support the nation over the state.”
Chancellor Williams said there will
be no attempt by university officials to
prosecute any of the students involved
in the rioting. He said such matters
will be handled by the federal govern
ment.
The chancellor also said that the
Southern Association of Colleges and
Schools, which has threatened to sus
pend all state senior educational insti
tutions in Mississippi unless assured
there would be no political interfer
ence, will receive that guarantee from
Gov. Barnett and the trustees.
Meredith’s View
Meredith, in an interview given
United Press International, expressed
the belief that his native state of Mis
sissippi “may someday blot out its
blackened past and take the lead in an
erlightened phase of race relations and
human decency.”
“Essentially,” he said, “I feel that we
will have to find a formula that will
permit the Negro to gain pride and
dignity, and yet leave the whites with
an assurance that their security will
not be jeopardized.”
“We must find a common denomina- (
tor that will permit both races to work 1
together in finding an answer to our 1
problems . . . and more important, we 1
must find a way to work together in 1
actually solving our problems. I feel t
that the time has arrived to find a new
pattern for dealing with the race nu
question.” to
An
Various Organizations, I for
i
Individual Take Stands he:
to
At the height of the tense, disorderly so
period, State Attorney General Joe be:
Patterson said in a statement: lav
“I wholeheartedly join Gov. Barnett sor
in his plea to the people of Mississippi hui
to remain calm during this trying and gra
crucial hour, and to do all that they an:
can to prevent further bloodshed and fes;
violence. J
“I urge the people to permit respon- jus
(See MISSISSIPPI, Page 12) h a'
_ V
lin<
—Little, Nashville Tennessean
-Howie, Jackson Daily News
Barnett’s Proclamation
Here is the text of a public proc
lamation issued by Gov. Ross Bar
nett in the federal-state dispute over
desegregation.
WHEREAS, the Constitution of the
United States of America provides that
each state is sovereign with respect to
certain rights and powers; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to the Tenth
Amendment to the Constitution of the
United States, the powers not specifi
cally delegated to the Federal Govern
ment are reserved to the several states;
and
WHEREAS, we are now face to face
with the direct usurpation of this power
by the Federal Government through
the illegal use of judicial decree; and
WHEREAS, all public officials of the
State of Mississippi have the legal right,
obligation and duty not to acquiesce,
impair, waive or surrender any of the
rights of the Sovereign State of Missis
sippi; and
WHEREAS, any acts upon the part
of representatives of the federal gov
ernment to arrest or fine any state offi
cial who endeavors to enforce the law
of Mississippi, are illegal according to
the law of the State of Mississippi, and
federal courts have likewise established
ample and perfect precedence in the
matter:
NOW ,THEREORE, I, Ross R. Bar
nett, Governor of the State of Missis
sippi, by the authority vested in me
under the Constitution and laws of
the State of Mississippi, do hereby pro
claim and direct that the arrest or
attempts to arrest, or the fining or the
| attempts to fine, of any state official
in the performance of his official duties,
by any representative of the federal
; government, is illegal and such repre
sentative or representatives of said fed
eral government are to be summarily
arrested and jailed by reason of any
| such illegal acts in violation of this
I Executive Order and in violation of the
j laws of the State of Mississippi.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have
hereunto set my hand and caused the
Great Seal of the State of Mississippi
to be affixed, on this the 24th day of
September in the year of our Lord, One
Thousand Nine Hundred and Sixty-
Two.
(SEAL) ROSS R. BARNETT
Governor
ATTEST:
HEBER LADNER
Secretary of State # # #
Following is a statement written
by James Meredith on Sept. 26
while he was in New Orleans
awaiting his third effort to enter
the University of Mississippi. (Sub
heads added.)
In this time of crisis, I feel it appro
priate for me to clarify my position as
to my intention, my objectives, my
hopes and my desires.
For several months I have been in
volved in a struggle to gain my admis
sion to the University of Mississippi.
The prime objective is, of course, to re
ceive the educational training necessary
to enable me to be a useful citizen of
my own home state of Mississippi.
There are those in my state who op
pose me in my efforts to obtain an
education in the schools of my state.
They do this because I am a Negro—
and Negroes are not allowed to attend
certain schools in my state of Missis
sippi. The schools that we are forbidden
to attend are the only ones in the state J
that offer the training which I am de- j
sirous of receiving.
“You Can Have No More’
Consequently, those who oppose me
are saying to me, we have given you
what we want you to have and you can
have no more. Except, maybe, they say j
to me, if you want more than we have I
given you, then go to some other state
or some other country and get your
training.
Pray tell me what logic concludes j
that a citizen of one state of the United I
In New Orleans
Meredith is pensive
States must be required to go to a
other state to receive the educatioi
training that is normally and ordinar:
offered and received by other citize
of that state. Further, what justific
tion can possibly justify one state a
suming or accepting the responsibili
of educating the citizens of another sta
when the training is offered to oth
citizens of the home state?
We have a dilemma. It is a matter of
fact that the Negroes of Mississippi are
effectively NOT first-class citizens. I
feel that every citizen should be a first-
class citizen and should be allowed to
develop his talents on a free, equal and
competitive basis. I think this is fail
and that it infringes on the rights and
privileges of no one.
‘Rights as a Citizen’
Certainly to be denied this oppor
tunity is a violation of my rights as a
citizen of the United States and the
state of Mississippi.
The future of the United States of
America, the future of the South, the
future of Mississippi, and the future of
the Negro, rests on the decision—the,
effective decision—of whether or not
the Negro citizen is to be allowed to
receive an education in his own state-
If a state is permitted to arbitrarily
deny any right that is so basic to
the American way of life to any citizen,
then democracy is a failure
“Equal Justice’
I dream of the day when Negroes
in Mississippi can live in decency and!
respect of the first order and do s °
without fear of intimidation, bodily
harm or of receiving personal embar
rassment and with an assurance
equal justice under the law.
The price of progress is indeed high-
but the price of holding it back P
much higher. # # d
Court Orders, Troops Support
Meredith Entry into "Ole Miss’