~^£AD^ SUN THE VOICE OF 60.000 NEGROES IN ARIZONA
Remember:
You’re judged
a e e o rding to
your D a i 1 y
Con duct and
the Company
You Keep.
Vol. XVII —No. 6
BATTLE TO ENFORCE ICC
RULING LOOMS IN DIXIE
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WHAT GOES ON here? Deer poachers? No, just one of the latest rescue techniques in converting
students in the Maine civil defense rescue school materials at hand, such as ladders, into stretch
at Augusta, Me., “rescuing” a doe from her wood- ers for moving casualties out of natural disaster
land wandering. The students are demonstrating or bomb-blasted areas. (Maine Civil Defense Photo)
Joe Bate's Funeral
Held Wednesday
The funeral services of Joe
Bates Sr., who died last Sunday in
his home, 1230 East Adams Street
were conducted Wednesday at the
Ragsdale Chapel in the Valley. El
der Otis McAlester officiated. In
terment was in Glendale Memorial
Park.
Bates, 73, came to Phoenix 15
years ago from Tulsa, Oklahoma
where he served as a deputy sher
iff. At the time of his death, he was
house man at the Savoy Ballroom.
He was a World War I veteran and
a member of the Tildon White Post
No. 40, of the American Legion.
He is survived by his son Joe
Jr., of Phoenix.
Services For
Infant Held
Gregory D. Goodwyn, the infant
son of Mrs. Dorothy Goodwyn, 1530
West Tonto passed away in a local
hospital, last Friday. Funeral serv
ices were held the following Mon
day afternoon at the Chapel of
Webber’s Eastlake Mortuary with
Elder J. Lagway officiating. Burial
was in Greenwood Memorial Park.
The infant was the grandson of
Mr. and Mrs. A. C. Lee of Phoenix.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
Christmas Greetings will have to
be ordered by Wednesday at 5
p.m. to be in time for the Xmas
issue.
Priced from $2.50 up.
Jaycee Os
The Week
Jlli
Lincoln Ragsdale
One of Phoenix’ leading Negro
businessmen, Lincoln Ragsdale was
congratulated by his
Phoenix Junior Chamber of Com
merce, for an outstanding job done
as chairman of the Annual Voice
of Democracy Contest.
Mr. Ragsdale is a comparatively
new member in the organization
and is to be congratulated for his
leadership.
The following are comments
about Mr. Ragsdale printed in the
Round-Up, the official organ of
the Jaycees:
“The most successful Voice of
(Continued on Page 8)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1955
Riles Held Thursday
For Sam Leslie
Funeral rites for Sam Leslie, 71,
1101 W. Watkins Rd., who died last
Friday, in a local hospital were
held Wednesday morninf at the
Ragsdale Chapel in the Valley. Je
hovah Witnesses were in charge of
the services. Burial was in Green
wood Memorial Park.
Mr. Leslie, born in Birmingham,
Alabama, came to Phoenix in 1935.
He was a member of Local 383,
American Federation of Labor. He
retired from active work in 1948.
Survivors included a daughter,
Mrs. Mary Hutchinson, Phoenix;
two sons, Carl, Los Angeles, and
Willie of Bakersfield, California;
four daughters, Mrs. Elrage Price
| and Mrs. Sammy Hemphill, both of
j San Diego, and Mrs. May Snell and
Mrs. Lassie Page, both of Bakers
field.
| MAKE EVERY DAY
S-P PAY
“Let's give it an overhaul
we want it in tiptop shape for
S-D Day!"
Segregation Loses Battle to Jim
Crow Trains, Buses Waiting Rooms
By John Thayer
The fight against Jim Crow in transportation regis*
tered an important legaj victory on Nov. 25 when the
Interstate Commerce Commission ruled against segrega
tion in trains, buses and waiting
rooms. The ruling followed the pat
tern of the Supreme Court deci
sions on segregated schools and
iparks. The ICC, however, ordered
the railroads and bus companies to
cease their Jim Crow practices by
Jan. 10, 1956.
The response of the Southern
white-supremacist politicians was
immediate defiance. They announ
ced that Jim Crow would go on as
before. Their statements indicated
a number of the devices they will i
use to cheat the Negro people of
the fruits of their legal victory.
South Carolina’s Attorney Gen
eral, T. C. Calison, said the ICC
ruling “really means nothing”
without the backing of the courts.
This means the delaying tactic of
fighting the ruling through the
federal courts. It is expeeted that
the Supreme Court will uphold the ;
ruling since it is based on its own
school segregation decision. How
ever, there is always the possibility |
the high court may add the “no ;
time limit” gimmick that has emas- j
culated the school decision.
The ICC ruling applies only to j
train and bus travel between states i
and waiting rooms for interstate j
travelers. Thirteen Southern states
have segregation laws for travel
facilities. Constitutionally such
laws apply only to travel within
the state. In practice the same bus
and railroad waiting rooms are
used both by interstate and intra
state travelers.
It will be an easy matter for
Southern officials to declare exist
ing waiting rooms only for the use
of intrastate travelers. These can
be legally segregated. Then mixed
facilities would be evaded by simp
ly not providing waiting rooms for
interstate travelers. Thus those
waiting for an interstate train or
bus would have to use the old seg
regation facilities or hang around
outside oft the street.
A Greyhound bus official in Jack
son, Miss., hinted at “voluntary”
segregation. He said the driver
could ask a Negro passenger to sit
in the rear but legally would have
no power to make him do so if he
refused.
The pattern of events in Mississ
ippi shows that “unofficial” per
suasion might accomplish what the
driver “legally” will no longer be
able to do. In such a case the Negro
traveler might well be killed or in
jured by “persons unknown.”
The cases before the ICC were
brought by the NAACP against
the railroads and by Miss Sar
ah Keys against the bus com
pany three years. Miss Keys, in
Women’s Army Corps uniform, was
traveling home on furlough. She
refused to give up her seat and
move to the rear of a bus. She was
10 CENTS PER COPY
arrested, manhandled and fined for
“disorderly conduct” in Roanoke
Rapids, N. C.
The NAACP case also included
Jim Crow restaurants run by the
Union News Co., in railroad termi
nals. The ICC refused to include
them in its ban.
Heads Elks
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J. D. HOLMES
Tl\e man to direct the destiny of
William H. Patterson Lodge of
Elks for the ensuing year is J. D.
Holmes, who was elected by a small
margin over his only opponent, the
encumbent, Rossie Turman, who is
completing his second year in the
chair as exalted ruler.
The exalted ruler, elect, is a na
tive of Michigan, has been a resi
dent of the city for 15 years. He
was the first Negro city bus driver,
a position which he has held for 12
years with credit. Mr. Holmes is a
member of the First Institutional
Baptist Church and serves as presi
dent of Brotherhood and Laymen’s
Union of the Paradise State Con
vention of Arizona; and a member
of the Masonic Lodge.
The new exalted ruler said he
intends during his administration to
stress the importance of the Elks’
program, dealing with education,
health and civil liberties.
Former Phoenician
Dies In Las Vegas
Word was received here this
week of the passing of Mrs. Pam
mie Lee McCutcheon in Las Vegas,
Nevada. She was one of the earlier
residents here but moved to Ne
vada several years ago.
While here Mrs. McCutcheon was
very active in church and fraternal
circles. She was a member of First
Baptist (Institutional) Church and
Order of Eastern Stars.
WARNING:
Let’s wat c b
our language,
boys and girls,
on the streets
and in public
places and on
the buses.