Factual OUTHERN CHOOL EWS Objective VOL I, NO.7 NASHVILLE, TENN. MARCH 3, 1955 Legislators Ponder Segregation Bills SEVERAL southern state legisla­ Carolina House of Representatives. tures continued to map plans for Included among them is a bill re­ preserving segregation in February. For Writers And Researchers pealing the state's compulsory at­ In Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, tendance law. That measure is pro­ North Carolina, South Carolina, and voking opposition from legislators Tennessee, pro-segregation bills and who fear it will weaken the public resolutions of various kinds were SERS Library Established school establishment, although no either passed or debated. COMPREHENSIVE library of opponents of the bill are in favor of A ~Y but not exclusively published ect. These materials are now being integrated schools. In Louisiana, Mississippi, Okla­ contemporary materials on the m the southern region. indexed. homa, Texas, and West Virginia, the segregation-desegregation issue has 3. Texts of important legislative The library is under the direction problem of financing the schools wal' been established in the Nashville of Mrs. Imogene McCauley, who TENNESSEE a main object of concern. proposals proposed for action by As February drew to an end, it headquarters of the Southern Educa­ legislatures in the region. came to SERS from the position as In Missouri, St. Louis desegregated tion Reporting Service. appeared that the Stainback bill to 4. Texts of important public ad­ librarian of the Ordnance Guided its high schools without incident. In preserve segregation, previously giv­ The collection is available current­ dresses. Missile School a1: Redstone Arsenal, the District of Columbia, the integra­ ly to writers, students and other re­ Huntsville, Alabama. Pt·eviously, en little chance of passage by the tion of administrative personnel was searchers in the field. 5. Records of special study com­ Mrs. McCauley had held other posi­ Tennessee legislature, might get a new lease on life when it was re­ the order of business. Kentucky saw At the conclusion of the SERS missions, statistical reports by state tions in public and special libraries. ported out favorably by a 6-1 vote an increase in public discussion of project, the collection will be placed departments of education in the "We hope eventually to have in the by the Senate education committee. the segregation issue. in the archives of a leading southern southern and border region, and SERS library a complete record of university library for the use of hearings before congressional com­ every significant development during In a later action, however, it was And in Delaware, the big story mittees. tabled by the Senate calendar com­ was the decision of the State Su­ scholars and historians o£ future this interesting period of American years and cenruries. 6. The original, unedited manu­ history," explained SERS Director mittee. Earlier, at a public hearing on preme Court upholding the Milford the bill, a number of proponents and The library is built around the fol­ scripts of the state-by-state factual C. A. McKnight. board of education which removed opponents voiced their views about 15 lowing: reports submitted monthly by SERS • 10 Negro pupils from the Milford "The library has already been used the bill. Sen. Stainback, the sponsor, fa white high school. 1. A group of basic reference ~orrespondents. by a number of graduate students working on degrees in this field and said frankly, "This bill is intended Here is the state-by-state roundup works, includmg current volumes. Among the items of greatest his­ to preserve segregation and we don't of developments in February: 2. A vast assortment of clippings of torical value are the original field re­ by newspaper and magazine writers. make any secrets about that. We anticipate that the demand for news stories, magazine articles and ports from the scholars and re­ The time has come to speak out and ALABAMA editorial comment from current searchers who worked on what has these materials will continue to grow," be added. act." '.!i With the Alabama legislature in newspapers and other periodicals, become known as the Ashmore proj- special session to consider Gov. TEXAS ~ James Folsom's road program, two DELAWARE saying the administration did not building program which the state In the second month of the Texas 'IW resolutions concerned with the seg­ The big news in Delaware during wish to e1·eate laws which might department of education estimates legislative session, many laws affect­ ·~ regation issue were introduced. One, February was the decision of the later be killed by the Supreme Court. will ultimately require 117 million ing schools were under considera­ c:lm petitioning th.e U. S. Congress to State Supreme Cow·t upholding the dollars. Gov. Hugh White has warned. tion, but none mentioned the segre­ limlt the jurisdiction of the U. S. gation issue. The Texas Council of Milford school board's action in re­ KENTUCKY the "deadlocked" legislature that rrilt• Supreme Court and other federal Organizations, representing various moving from the Milford white high In Kentucky there was a marked "unless the equalization program is ~. courts, was unanimously adopted. school10 Negro pupils who had pre­ financed, we might as well forget Negro groups, adopted a resolution The second, declaring "unqualified increase in mixed-group discussion pledging to fight for implementation viously been admitted. The Delaware of desegregation prospects and prob­ segregation." There is no time limit allegiance" to a provision of the Ala­ court took the position that the pre­ for adjournment of the legislature. of the U. S. Supreme Court decision. lems. It was sparked largely by com­ A bill to provide for appointment of - ~ bama constitution requiring segre­ decessor of the present Milford munity leaders seeking to create "a gation, was approved by committee, board had not followed administra­ MISSOURI a majority of Negroes to the govern­ II but had not been voted on by the favorable climate of opinion" for a ing board of Texas Southern Uni­ tive procedures laid down by the transition deemed inevitable. A The state's biggest single step to­ legislature as this issue of SouTHERN state board of education, and that ward integration so far was taken versity at Houston won approval of Presbyterian pastor in Louisville the House of Representatives. Sclloot. NIMS went to press. its action in admitting the Negro pu­ urged immediate desegregation, but in St. Louis when the seven white and two Negro high schools ended I~ pils was hence invalid. The court, state and local officials said legal • ri ARKANSAS however, reaffirmed the principles roadblocks barred this until the Su­ segregation at the start of the second VIRGINIA dpCe Arkansas school forces seeking ad- laid down in the U. S. Supreme preme Court implements its ruling semester on Jan. 31. St. Louis also February produced no major de­ 1! d ditional state aid picked up the sup- Court opinion of last May, declaring of May 17, 1954. announced new districts for in­ velopments in the segregation-de­ port of Gov. Orval Faubus and cut that the opinion nullified Delaware tegrated elementary schools, to be­ segregation question in Virginia. The rei!. the requested annual increase from segregation statutes. come effective at the start of the Richmond News Leader analyzed $12,500,000 to $10,300,000 but still LOUISIANA next school year on Sept. 8. High racial birth rates in the state's capi­ Louisiana appears to be on the ~ were far from success with the anti­ DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA school integration went off without tal and noted relative increases '""- tax legislature. White America Inc., eve of a gigantic school building a single incident of friction or diffi­ among Negroes. Negro newspapers -=- to promote continued racial segre­ The District Board of Education program designed to equalize facili­ culty, although agitators had tried sent representatives to a Winter ,. gation, was incorporated and began has received a blueprint for job re­ ties throughout the state. The money to stir up trouble. Workshop at Hampton Institute. Also lf~ circulating petitions. Segregation in organization of its dual sets of top apparently will come from the state's at Hampton, President Moron an­ school officers who under segrega­ tidelands oil reserves. A showdown ~ the schools finally was mentioned on NORTH CAROLINA nounced a special course for white tion performed parallel duties. Under battle between exponents of a 1.6 ::::t- the floor of the legislature and it led In North Carolina, the General and Negro teachers to study the billion dollar highway building pro­ ~ to the defeat of a resolution asking the proposal, subject to a March Assembly has been asked to call broad question raised by the Su­ gram and the education forces seems il!lls1 I Congress to help build schools. Three vote, several new adrnihistrative jobs for a vote on a constitutional amend­ preme Court decision of last May. ,.,, days later, the Senate again heard are created which have been needed to have been averted by compromise. ment which would pennit the state in Under the temporary agreement: ~ warnings that acceptance of federal the school system for a number to appropriate public funds for a of years. The job realignment would WEST VJRGINIA 6'4'1 aid for schoolhouse construction Schools will get 220 million dol­ system of private schools and Gov. In West Virginia there were no cause no demotions, promotions or lars over the next five years, with 11r might jeopardize the practice of Hodges announced firm opposition to salary adjustments for officers. new developments in the public '!fd: segregation but it approved a House 99 million dollars to be given out the proposal. Other legislation per­ school desegregation program, but next year. 1 ~ hill enabling the state to accept such taining to schools also bas been in­ the legislature began giving a close &!~" aid if available.