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PAGE 2-A—MAY, 1964—SOUTHERN SCHOOL NEWS DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Johnson Would Take Some Changes In Bill D.C. Highlights (Continued from Page 1-A) criminatory programs. Gore said this section would confer “vast and poten tially oppressive power” on the govern ment. ★ ★ ★ Hansen Keeps Stand On Transfers; Seeks Biracial Faculties D. C. School Supt. Carl F. Hansen said April 30 he continues to oppose enforced transfers of pupils to relieve school overcrowding. The superintendent made his com ment to members of a committee of civil-rights, religious and community leaders who originally met with him March 10 to forestall a threatened school boycott. In a staff memorandum made public April 14, Hansen declared that “those in charge of personnel assignments will make a maximum effort to set up bi racial faculties in each school unit.’ He said he hoped all District schools would have biracial staffs within one year. One senior high school, two junior high schools and several elementary schools now have all-Negro teaching staffs, while two other elementary schools have all-white faculties. Hansen said the school system’s per sonnel department had been concerned about the problem since schools were desegregated in 1954, and that the pol icy of seeking a racial balance was not new. But he added that “consultations with Negro leadership groups, including President Johnson made it known that the White House would accept some Senate modifications of the House-passed civil-rights bill. In an address to an interreligious gathering of clergymen backing the civil-rights bill, a Presbyterian lead er called for demonstrations against segregated schools in the North and South. School Supt. Carl F. Hansen said District public schools would contin ue to oppose enforced pupil trans fers to relieve overcrowding. Hansen lashed out at “prejudiced critics” and “publicity seekers.” He called for re newed efforts to promote better racial balance in staff assignment of teach ers. A Republican group headed by Milton Eisenhower called for legal requirement of a prompt desegre gation start by all school systems. The Republican Critical Issues Cun- cil also endorsed cutting off federal funds from all discriminatory pro grams. CORE,” indicated that there was a need “to be more definitive in our approach to these problems.” Hansen noted that almost 75 per cent of the city’s public-school teachers are Negroes, so that he “was not talking about numbers” or an equal distribu tion of white and Negro teachers. His memorandum urged teachers to request transfers to “schools of different ethnic or socio-economic characteris- | tics ... to broaden their professional | backgrounds.” Teachers who do so, he added, will be given “additional con sideration” for promotions. ★ ★ ★ In an April 29 address to a group of Rotarians, D.C. School Supt. Carl Han- denounced “prejudiced critics” and “publicity seekers” who have taken Washington school problems out of context The superintendent described in struction programs and auxiliary serv ices representing “the positive side” of the school system. “One special reason for taking this tack at this time,” Hansen said, “is that our school system has been under rather severe critical analysis by people who fail to consider all the facts or who are concerned with only a segment of our problems . . . For publicity reasons, they are desirous of building up these problems into spectaculars.” Hansen’s comments were interpreted as a reply to Mordecai Johnson, school board member and former president of Howard University, who has been crit ical of some of the superintendent’s pol icies and programs. On April 15, Johnson charged that “segregated white and segregated Ne gro schools” received better treatment in the District than biracial schools. He said he had made an analysis of per- pupil costs and found “astonishing dif ferences.” Cites “Misunderstanding” School board member West A. Ham ilton, like Johnson a Negro, said John son had “misunderstood” the cost figures and taken them out of context. Hansen said the differences in cost re flected different school programs, vary ing needs of children and under-utili zation of some schools. The superintendent protested “the inference that there is a deliberate or even accidental favoring of schools that are 100 per cent white or 100 per cent Negro.” Conflict between Johnson and Han sen reached new intensity at a school board committee meeting April 23, when the board member called the ‘I’ll Get Down to Earth Eventually ... I think!’ Yardley, Baltimore Sun superintendent “a dangerous man in this position.” Johnson attacked Hansen’s personnel practices, and said he doubted that the superintendent “really wants a merit system of appointing teachers.” If that charge were true, Hansen retorted, “the board should dismiss me immediately.” Johnson’s attacks on Hansen drew rebukes from several other board mem bers. Clergymen Hear Blake Denounce Segregated Schools Clergymen of all major faiths met at Georgetown University April 28 as the National Interreligious Convocation on Civil Rights, a religious demonstration in behalf of the bill pending before the Senate. In an address to the opening session, the Rev. Dr. Eugene Carson Blake, stated clerk of the United Presbyterian Church, denounced segregated schools “retained against the Constitution in a Southern state or maintained by neigh borhood racial ghettos in Northern cities.” MISSISSIPPI Clarksdale JACKSON T he first public school deseg- regration suit in the Northern Mississippi Federal District Court was filed at Clarksdale April 23 by parents of 17 Negro children. The parents include Aaron Henry, president of the Mississippi branches of the National Association for the Ad vancement of Colored People. The case will be tried before District Judge Claude Clayton of Tupelo. The Clarksdale suit names as de fendant the Clarksdale Municipal Sep arate School District Board and the Clarksdale-Coahoma County school board. It seeks a preliminary and per manent injunction against the school authorities “from continuing their pol icy, practice, custom and usage of op erating a compulsory biracial [segre gated] school system for the children in Clarksdale.” No hearing date has been set by Judge Clayton. Three other public-school desegre gation suits are pending in the South ern Federal Court District involving the cities of Jackson and Biloxi and Leake County (Carthage). ★ ★ ★ On the day after the 10th anniver sary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s pub lic school desegregation mandate, Mis sissippi’s first public-school desegrega tion suit will go to trial “on its merits” before U.S. District Judge S. C. Mize at Jackson. The suit against Jackson city school system was filed by the NAACP on behalf of nine Negro chil dren, including two of the late Med- gar Evers, field representative of the NAACP who was assassinated June 12, 1963. The Jackson school board is under order from Judge Mize to submit by July 15 a plan for desegregation of at least one grade during the school year beginning this fall, but the judge in issuing the temporary compliance in junction noted that it could be affected by the outcome of the May 18 hearing. Since filing of the suit against the Jackson board, the voters have ap proved a $5 million bond issue for construction of additional racially sep arate schools. ★ ★ ★ The second trial of Byron de la Beck with, 43-year-old white man of Green- Negroes Sue For Desegregation wood, on charges of murdering Negro civil-rights leader Medgar Evers, ended in a mistrial in Jackson’s Hinds County Circuit Court April 17. Reportedly, the all-white jury dead locked 8 to 4 for Beckwith’s acquittal. The first jury deadlocked 6 to 6. Beckwith was released on $10,000 bond pending convening of the May term of court. He had been in jail since his arrest on June 22, 1963. In the Colleges Silver Ouster Demands To Go Before Faculty Demands for the ouster of contro versial Dr. James Wesley Silver from the faculty of the University of Mis sissippi reportedly will be considered through regular collegiate channels be fore any action is taken by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning. Protests against Dr. Silver, who called Mississippi a “closed society” and accused the state’s leadership of being “deficient and irresponsible” in not admitting the state has no chance but for eventual integration, have been filed by citizen groups and made in statements by legislators on the floors of the General Assembly. A special committee of the college board has been studying the accusa tions and conducting an investigation. It reportedly has obtained evidence outside the realm of Dr. Silver’s aca demic freedom which will be filed with Chancellor J. D. Williams, who, in turn, will submit it to a faculty council for consideration and recommendation. Broadcasters Meet At the April 18 convention of the Mississippi-Louisiana Broadcasters As sociation at Biloxi, President LeRoy Collins of the National Association of Broadcasters and former Florida gov ernor, urged the two-state group to speak against the proposed firing of Dr. Silver. Collins defended Dr. Silver’s freedom of speech and called on the broadcasters to do likewise. “I do not know Professor Silver. I have never met him,” Collins said. “I do Mississippi Highlights The first public school desegrega tion suit in the Northern Mississippi Federal District was filed at Clarks dale by the parents of 17 Negro children. Charges against Dr. James W. Silver of the University of Missis sippi, involving his speeches critical of the state and university adminis tration, reportedly have been referred by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning to Chancellor J. D. Williams for inves tigation through usual collegiate channels. The Board of Trustees of State In stitutions of Higher Learning upheld the fifth refusal of the University of Southern Mississippi to enroll John Frazier, 22-year-old Greenville Ne gro. The board took under advise ment a petition of Cleve McDowell, Negro of Sunflower County, for re admission to the University of Missis sippi, which expelled him last year. A second mistrial was called in the case of Byron de la Beckwith, charged with murdering civil-rights leader Medgar Evers. not know precisely what he has done or what he advocates, but what he has said actually pales in importance in fight of his right to say what he will without intimidation and economic co- ersion. Lew Heilbroner, vice president of radio station WJQS in Jackson, upheld Dr. Silver’s right of free speech, but questioned “whether a man who re peatedly condemns the state in speeches in and out of the state is a fit instruc tor for their young men and women.” Challenging Collins’ suggestion that Mississippi broadcasters back the pro fessor, Heilbroner asked: “What else could the association expect when they invite a carpetbagger to speak to them?” ★ ★ ★ The Board of Trustees of State Insti tutions of Higher Learning at its April 16 meeting upheld action of the Uni versity of Southern Mississippi in re fusing to enroll John Frazier, 22-year- old Greenville Negro now attending Tougaloo Southern Christian College near Jackson. This was the fifth turn down for Frazier, state president of the collegiate division of the National As sociation for the Advancement of Col ored People and now on its national board of directors. Frazier had petitioned the college board to change a regulation requiring prospective students to submit applica tions at least 20 days before enrolling for a new term. That was the basis of his fifth rejection. The board also took under advise ment a petition of Cleve McDowell, Ne gro of Sunflower County, for readmis sion to the University of Mississippi. He was expelled last October for vio lating a rule against students carrying concealed weapons on the campus. It was McDowell’s second request for readmission. The first was turned down. Schoolmen Equalization Plan Cost $214.5 Million Mississippi has spent $214,500,000 on school facilities under a 1954 legislative program designed to bring Negro schools to a par with those of the whites. Officials estimate that up to 70 per cent of the expenditures have been for facilities for Negroes. T. H. Naylor Jr., executive secretary of the State Educational Finance Com mission, handling the equalization pro gram, said the state has put up $107.5 million and local districts the other $107 million. Naylor said since World War II, Mississippi has spent an overall $289,- 500,000 on new school facilities. Of this total, $75 million was spent prior to the equalization authorization. Under the equalization program, the state contributes $12 for each child in average daily attendance and an addi tional $3 for each Negro child. Dr. Blake urged the audience * 6,500 to “begin now, if you have already begun, to solve this scW problem in your community.” ' school boards “do not listen,” Dr. guf* added, “demonstrations must manned and pressed until the scW boards listen or are replaced by 1 aroused electorate.” In a speech to the convocation w April 29, President Johnson declare'' that “the problem of racial wrongs and racial rights is the central moral prob lem of this Republic.” Passage of ^ civil-rights bill is “our most immedi^ need,” Johnson said. GOP Group Urges Desegregation Law All school districts still practicing racial segregation should be required by law to make a first step toward de segregation within the next school year the Republican Critical Issues Council proposed April 27. The council also demanded prompt action by either the Congress or the President to cut off federal aid funds from projects in which racial discrim ination is practiced. The council’s recommendations were in one of a series of reports it is issu ing before the Republican National Convention. The council is not an offi cial arm of the GOP, but has the sup. port of former President Eisenhower and is headed by his brother, Milton Eisenhower. The report called for an amendment to the civil-rights bill pending in the Senate to require a prompt start on school desegregation. It said failure to enact the fund cut-off provision already in the pending bill could become “one of the key civil-rights issues in the 1964 campaign.” The council opposed pupil transfers to correct racial imbalances in schools, but said efforts must be made to im prove schools in predominantly Negro neighborhoods. ★ ★ ★ Appointment of Eugene Patterson, editor of the Atlanta Constitution, to fill a vacancy on the Civil Rights Commis- sion was announced by President John son on April 18. Patterson, 40, will replace Robert Storey, dean of the Southern Methodist University law school in Dallas, who resigned. The new member, a native of Valdosta, Ga., was graduated from the University of Georgia in 1943 and worked as a reporter in Texas, Geor- gia, New York and abroad. Pentagon Bans Segregated Training All military services and Defense Department agencies have h*® directed to stop training active-duty military personnel at schools practicing > racial discrimination. A Pentagon mem orandum to that effect was issued J Assistant Secretary of Defense Norman Paul on March 25, to take effect with® j 60 days. Existence of the memorand was not reported until April 10- Pentagon sources estimated that about 100,000 service personnel are* volved in various educational program^ at Government expense. The ^ eser ' ot Officers Training Corps program ® n involved in the new order. OUTSIDE THE SOUTH Supreme Court Lets Decision )n Gary Stand WASHINGTON r HE U.S. Supreme Court ^ e , dined May 4 to review a ^ >urt decision which uphe ^ ;ihborhood-school policy 0 ^ ary, Ind., school system ss of de facto segregate icial “imbalances.” jt This was the first case in' °c' u pre n ’ e rto segregation to reach the >urt, although a half-dozen e pending from Northern an n cities. . i fry Negro plaintiffs and the Nation^^ ciation for the Advancernen ed People had asked tne ^ urts to require an end pop' gregation in Gary resulting n the suit the NAACP (See RACE, Page 8-A) 1