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• Deep South to Shut Schools if Necessary By JIM THOMASSON Associated Pres* Staff Writer Despite the examples of Little Rock and Virginia, the Deep South at this tune is still not ready to accept any pub’<c school integration—token or otherwise—and likely would close schools to prevent it. In some of the five still wholly segregated States integra- tion is not even considered a serious possibility in the near future. In the others there is in creasing realization *hat the I* the tilth year after the Supreme Coart ordered outlawing of segrega tion in public schools, the Deep South remains firm in resistance. Here's a first-hand .eport on the integration picture today by a news man who toured the region, inter viewed many officials and citizens on both sides of the issue. time draws nearer when a hard Choice may be faced- Accept Integration or close the public schools. Determination to resist as long as possible and yield only under overwhelming pressure is widespread. That’s the picture unfolded on a fact-finding trip through the South in the sixth school term after the 1954 Supreme Court ruling outlawing public school integration. Only Islands of Mixing While islands of integration have arisen in all other South ern States, Alabama. Georgia. Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina still have no racially mixed classes in their public school systems. One Georgia officials said recently that the emerging pat tern would be this: Where Ne groes push hard for integra tion. there wil be the utmost legal resistance, followed by Federal court orders for inte gration. then school closings— and ultimately, re-opening in compliance with the court order in response to public pressures. That has been the way it has gone in Little Rock and parts of Virginia, except that in the latter State. Prince Ed ward County closed its public schools and is successfully op erating private classes for white pupils. Like Virginia. Georgia has laws requiring closing of in tegrated schools and providing for private schools. It may be the next State to face a show down on massive resistance. The Atlanta City School Board, under Federal court or der. has filed a pupil placement desegregation plan which con flicts with State law. Unless the 1960 legislature changes the act. Atlanta faces at least some closed schools next fall. Gov. Ernest Vandiver cam paigned on a promise to uphold separate schools. He says his position Is unchanged. If allowed to decide for it self, Atlanta might accept in tegration to the extent neces sary. Atlanta leaders have threatened that if the city’s schools are forced to close by loss of State funds, a suit will be filed to prohibit grants of State funds to separate schools as well. NAACP Keeps Extreme Course Surveying the situation. Roy Wilkins, executive secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, says the NAACP is far from satisfied with the present rate of desegregation.’’ “We are not satisfied with token desegregation,” he adds. “We shall continue to press for full compliance at an accel erated pace ... we shall utilize every legal, political and per suasive tool at our command.” The Deep South States, Mr. Wilkins says, “have not made a beginning, yet still are asking for more time. The Negro has been more than patient.” South Carolina’s Clarendon County, one of the school sys tems involved in the 1954 Su preme Court decision, has made no move to comply. The State generally remains convinced that no successful integration effort is probable for many years. South Carolina also has laws for cutting off substantial State aid and closing any inte grated schools. Alabama abolished its school segregation laws and adopted a placement plan which has withstood a Federal court test. Several integration attempts by Negro students have been re jected. and recent polls have disclosed strong sentiment to close schools rather than inte grate. Nothing Likely in Mississippi Mississippi has just elected a new Governor pledged to abolish public schools if neces sary to preserve racial safe guards. Persons familiar with the State say no integration is likely there for many years. The process of integration has been very similar in most of the States which have ac cepted it. Generally, it has been ordered by courts, has not been very substantial, and has been confined to bigger population centers or areas with relatively few Negroes. The push for in tegration has been somewhat slower in rural areas with large Negro populations. In Arkansas, eight school systems in the western part of the State have integrated— some before Little Rock. They were in areas where there were few Negroes. The only contro versy now pending involves the Dollarway school district in Southeast Arkansas, with a heavy Negro population. Memphis Situation Quiet About 100 of Texas’ 1,646 dis tricts have mixed classes. State law now prohibits integration without a favorable ballot by district voters, in recent elec tions, two districts have ap proved and two rejected it Only systems in Fort Worth, Dallas, Houston and Galveston are currently under pressure for Integration. Nashville is inaugurating a i r ; r stairstep integration program, but in Memphis and West Ten- . nessee there is no integration • pressure. . .. Florida desegregated one , j school in Miami and it has be- . come predominantly Negro. • North Carolina was the first - to adopt a pupil assignment law • and under it some integration 1 has taken place tn most of the urban centers. 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The Hecht Co., 7th & F Sts., 9:30 to 9; Silver Spring, Fenton & Ellsworth. 10 to 9:30; PARKington, Glebe Rd. & Wilson Blvd., 10 to 9:30; Prince George's Plaza. East-West Highway. 10 to 9:30. Phone NA. 8-5100. Pri««« Pl«m, APplHen 7 )400 tegratlon largely has been voluntary. More Virginia areas are re luctantly accepting integration, I but in the State's southern i section there is a wait-and-see attitude, with a great deal of reluctance even to discuss the matter. Similar reluctance, incident ally. now is being noted in other areas of the South. An Albany (Ga.i mother said. ‘We don’t have any trouble here and are getting along fine, so why talk about it anymore.” In a Virginia city facing in tegration, a civic leader said. “People are talking less today than a year ago. This may or may not be dangerous.” Silence Is Not Consent Silence is no indication of melting opposition. Interviews in many parts of the South, primarily with I i parents, PTA leaders and edu cators, disclose that while some expect the day to come when i the choice must be made be tween integrating or closing . public schools, others just as ■ firmly think they can preserve I separate public schools, at least 1 in their own areas. In the fully segregated j States, comments indicated that, reluctantly, schools would be closed to prevent mixed classes. A Birmingham. Ala., PTA . leader who did not express her personal views, said a recent poll of parents by the city school board showed 99 per , cent would “not tolerate” in tegration. In Savannah. Ga., where the city-county school board is under pressure, a PTA leader said. “It leaves us in a dilemma. The PTA position is for open schools, but in talking with my people, I don't believe they would let their children go to school with Negroes.” An Anniston. Ala., attorney said: “I guess it’s probable that one or two schools in Ala bama may be integrated suc cessfully, but I don’t think they’ll ever be able to do it in Anniston without trouble. Yes, by trouble, I mean violence.” In Atlanta, there is substan tial sentiment for accepting limited integration to preserve public schools. This is the offi cial position of the city ad ministration. In Alabama. Louis Eckl, edi tor of the Florence Times, de clared, “The vast majority of people in Florence—both white and Negro—prefer segregation, but they believe if it comes down to a choice, the public schools must be maintained.” But there are voices to the contrary. A PTA president in Missis- 7 sippl. asked If he thought inte -3 gration inevitable in the long run, said, “I can think of only y one word with which to answer s your question. And that word is no.” “It is not inevitable,” said a c Tuscaloosa, Ala., father. “Inte j gration can serve no useful purpose except to give a pat ’ on the head to our friends up North. . . .” ? j Negro Schools Better J A South Georgia civic leader commented: “In our county. Negroes have better schqois than we do. They’d never try to integrate with us. We’d ' have to integrate with them 1 1 to have any integration.” f Those Southerners who are • firmly for separate schools base s their stand on various factors; c if there must be integration, it’ll happen somewhere else, e improved Negro schools will keep ' the situation quiet; - Negroes as a whole won’t press THE SUNDAY STAR Wathingtui, 0. C. January 10. 1960 the issue for fear of losing their own schools or for fear of economic and other reprisals;! belief that Negro teachers fear loss of their jobs if schools are Integrated; and hope that pub-1 lie opinion will force the Su preme Court to back down or ease off. 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