The Atlanta inquirer. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1960-current, August 29, 1960, Image 2

The Atlanta inquirer., August 29, 1960, Page PAGE TWO, Image 2

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Newspaper Page TextPAGE TWO Let Freedom Ring By Lonnie King My article appearing in last week’s Inquirer drew a great deal of comment from Mr. and Mrs. Atlanta. Several people wanted to know exactly what they could do to help win the struggle for hu man dignity. The Atlanta Student Movement is currently carrying on a program of selective buying aimed at the largest department store here and at a large food store chain. We hope that all At lantans who dislike segregation are participating in this program and refusing to let their dollars pay for segregation in these stores. The students have with drawn their support, but their money, or the absence of it, can not speak loudly enough or with enough force to reach the ears of the persons who continue to pro vide separate and vastly unequal eating facilities and job oppor tunities. We cannot continue to let our money support discrimination and injustice. Many people have questions concerning the student movement. The students are willing to pro vide speakers for any church or organization that wants answers to these questions or merely a better grasp of the programs and objectives of the student move ment. The students need money to pro vide for legal fees for the trials of the 83 students arrested here in March during the non-violent protests against lunch counter segregation. Money is needed to maintain the student movement office. They need pickets and typists to help them continue to wage a constant war against seg regation. All of these are immedi ate needs, but there are other things which ordinary citizens can do. They can begin to walk proudly and without fear. Too long has the Negro let his persecutors believe that he is happy and satisfied with the in equalities and injustices of segre gation. We must express our discontent every day in every possible way. Begin by taking the first seat you see vacant on the bus tomorrow and stop making that beeline for the back. Take advantage of the opportunities that have been secured for you. Enjoy Atlanta’s golf courses and the resources of all of its libraries. Refuse to sit in the “colored” waiting room in bus and train terminals when traveling inter state. Refuse to deal with busi nesses that do not treat you with the respect that you, as a custo mer, expect. Let your elected public officials know when you are pleased or displeased with them. Congratu late those members of your com munity who have done a thorough job in securing your rights for you, and don’t hesitate to add your own constructive criticism to the job any leader may be do ing. Support organizations which carry on the battle against dis crimination and injustice. Register to vote, get acquainted with the issues, and then vote. Inform yourself of situations existing in other areas and ask, why can’t it happen here? With your sincere cooperation, it can and will. STUDENTS YOU'VE GOT A PROBLEM To cheat or not cheat . . . this is the perennial question facing students throughout the country. According to the September, ’6O issue of “Teens Today”, there are two different types of students interested in cheating — those who cheat, and those who don’t. The opinions of students range from: "Lots of times I don’t plan to cheat, it just seems to hap pen . . to “I think cheating is a glass crutch used by immature, irresponsible people!” EXCERPTS FROM SPEECH DELIVERED AT HUNGRY CLUB By L. M. TerriU “When the nine justices of the Supreme Court on May 17, 1954, handed down the decision out lawing segregation they not only handed down a written decision declaring that segregation was morally wrong and had no place in our American Society, but they also handed down an unwritten implied confession that the U. S. had made a mistake in 1876 and also in 1896.” “While the Federal Government has provided the Negro with equal protection of the law, thus nulli fying all State Segregation laws, the white man in Georgia finds himself in a dilemma trying to find a law that he can live with which will limit integration to a minimum or no integration which will meet the requirements of Federal Law.” “Without a law of segregation to deal with us (Negroes) the white man is afraid. He possesses a type of fear that can be very dangerous. Thus his use of vio lence and intimidation on Negroes to hold Negroes in check (as he thinks) until he finds this unknown which he hopes to handcuff and enslave the Negro once again with the Sanction of the Federal government.” “So that this groping in the dark, fearful of his own future, with the white man is a crisis in his life and in his society. With the Negro it is both a crisis and a period of transition. So that our conduct now will be a large de termining factor in whether or not we will be totally free or partially free. What must the Negro do? “He must immediately move forward without bitterness within the framework of Federal Law and the Christian Ethic to help the Government of our nation imple ment the decision of 1954 with “deliberate speed.” “While the Government (Fed eral) through the Supreme Court Decision of May 17, 1954, lifted the Negro American out of Second Class Citizenship into First Class Citizenship we ourselves must help our Government get Second Class citizenship out of the mind and heart of the Negro American. The Federal Government declared on May 17, 1954. that we were first class citizens, why should we think less of ourselves than our Federal Government thinks so us? “Go slow” and “we are not quite ready” are expressions com ing from the mind and heart of a second class citizen. "We are ready now for anything and every thing any other human being is ready for” is the expression of the students as they stage sit-in demonstrations and conduct cam paigns of Selective buying. This is the expression of every first class citizen.” TT’s questionnaire, distributed among high school students around the nation produced the following picture: 86% of all students who ans wered the quesionnaire admitted that they have cheated at least once during their high school ca reers. 76% of all students said they believe that fear of being caught is more likely to prevent someone from cheating than the wish to take an honest test, regardless of the mark. 83% of all students said it is their belief that anyone who “oc casionally” cheats does not gain less from school than those who never cheat. 44% of all students said they feel there are times when cheat ing is justified. 78% of all students said they have done <and witnessed) more cheating on day-to-day quizzes than on final exams. Prime occasions for cheating seem to arise when teachers have "pop” tests: when it is known THE ATLANTA INQUIRER \ \W\ r ” iF ‘Bsi ■l#® fcfwm LI Vai '' W ok uL V /Wtt\ n\ /t\. f i\l 0F Is LrMw | I Bi ISi Tuning In On The Candidates . . . The following constitutes snatches of what was being heard by those who attended the various rallies held around Atlanta by candidates for County and State offices in the September 14 pri mary: —lncumbent. Sheriff T. Ralph Grimes “The fact that Fulton County is not bothered with organized crime, shows the effectiveness of my office.” “I’ve got five Negro deputies now. and my next budget asks for the money for two more.” —Candidate for Sheriff’s of fice, Archie Lindsey “You people (Negroes) gave me a majority every time but one that I’ve gained a public office — and I have no hard feelings about that time.” —Representative Charlie Brown < Present at West Side Voter League Public Meeting on August 30. although not a candidate in the September primary.) “The weakness of Georgia gov ernment is the lack of a two party system.” —Assistant Solicitor General Tom Luck, for Solicitor Ge neral Paul Webb “The people know when they have a friend in office.” —Candidate for Solicitor Gen eral. Rueben Garland “1 pay more in Federal income tax than he (Sol. Gen. Webb) makes in salary.” that other students are cheating: when pieparation is poor the night before. The opening of school sets the scene: the demands of class work draws the curtain and you are in the spotlight. The question re mains — “To cheat or not to cheat . . .” FIRE FIGHTERS ? —Candidate for Judge of the Civil Court Bill Spence “I believe in equal opportunity. As mayor of Alpharetta, I ap pointed Cleveland Cramer (Negro) as Superintendent of Water Works. That was 15 years ago, and he still serves.” —Legislative candidate F. W. (Buddy) Griffin “I’m a segregationist. Every white man in this room (various candidates in the September pri mary) is a segregationist. But I’m a realist.” —Representative M. M. (Muggsy) Smith “I haven’t gone along with Governors who use race and color to further their programs.” —Assistant Solicitor General John Walton, spokesman for Paul Webb “Politicians are hard to get evidence on.” —John Collins, candidate for the House from DeKalb County “The Negro students’ march made the state of Georgia look like a fool.” —W. G. Baker, candidate for the House from DeKalb County “Some of the NAACP people who have come down from New York and Washington have fooled some of you people (Negroes).” LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Note: The INQUIRER wel comes comments from its read ers. Letters should be Retween 100-150 words, bearing name and address of sender, and should reach the editors by the Wednesday morning before publication. All announcements from churches and clubs should be mailed to THE ATLANTA IN QUIRER. P. O. Box 9215, Sta tion B, Atlanta 14, Georgia, and should reach the editor by the Wednesday morning before publication. Letters to Editor... Dear Sir: I am very proud of Atlanta’s newest newspaper, the Atlanta Inquirer. I sincerely feel that it is a tribute to the Negro com munity and that every Negro who has the interest of the Negro at heart, should be a subscriber. I was deeply im pressed with the first editorial that appeared in your paper, “A' Time To Take A Stand” and I feel that your action in starting this newspaper is evi dence that there are still those among us who are willing to take a stand, despite the op position. Further, I think that the In quirer should make an all-out ■ appeal to awake the consciences I of a dozing Negro community. : The time has come for the Ne i groes of Atlanta to become con ! cerned about the situation in : which they now find them : selves. I am certain that the Atlanta Inquirer is the antidote > for the sleeping sickness as : fecting too many Negroes in i Atlanta. Again, let me commend you I and your staff for a job well done. I hope that you will keep up the good work. Yours in the' struggle, R. D. Smith Dear Sir: I can’t understand these Atlanta white ministers. Something must be wrong with them. They turn Negro worshippers away from their churches saying that they are agitators. Yet. as ministers, they should open their doors to everyone no matter w'hat color they are. It seems to me that those ministers should stop worry- ,MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 1960 ing about the motives of the Ne gro students and examine more closely their own motives for turn ing the students away. I am a white person who reads your paper because I believe that Atlantans should be informed about what all its citizens are doing, not just the white ones. The Journal and Constitution carry articles about the sit-ins and Negro crime, but why are there never any Negroes in the society column? Sincerely yours, , Mary Dobbins The Inquirer Wonders * Why bi-racial committees can work successfully to solve lunch counter and related problems in Nashville. Dallas, Charlotte Miami, etc., but cannot even be seriously considered in “pro gressive” Atlanta? < * Whether the enthusiasm of the Rev. Jones, Negro minister down in New Albany, Miss., may not be considerably damr^ ened by the time he complel® the tour it is said he wantsßJ make around the nation. sp<|H ing in defense of segregatior^B - When additional Negro poSK. men will join the Atlanta foM as suggested by recent GrW Juries? * Why the Dodgers are B Dodgers in Los Angeles. ||| Dodgers in Montreal, but sW the “lily-white” Crackers in Atlanta? * Why more job-hungry Negroes don’t apply for and take the various Civil Service Exams? * Why the City Hall Cafeteria suddenly shrank to such a small size that it is unable to ac commodate anyone but City Hall employees?