Newspapers / The Carolina times. / July 4, 1959, edition 1 / Page 2
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THF CAROLINA TIMES MOP 1— "THi mUTH UNBRiOLCD" SAT, JULY 4, mt EinharraiMd, By The Stitliina On Civii iticirt* i^iaUtion "The Sin of Silence" In its June i'ssuc the Southern Patriot, official organ of thf Southern Conference Educational Fund. puMi-hcs an editorial en titled "The Sin of Silcnce," to which we say, amen. The Patriot calls attention to the fact that follow inf the lynching of Mack Parker in Mississippi there wa"- no wave of indipna- tion of sufficient proiKirtion to hrinR about l»ositive action on the part of Mississippi law enforcement apencies. IU■cau^e of this silence on the part of many persons and orfjaniza- tions that shoiikl have voiced violent disap proval Mississii>pi may not act, the Patriot fears. Says the SCEF pnMication in part : Speaking at the SCEF reception in New York, Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt said of tl)* raoant MiMis»i|if> lynching: **l wa» slMcked that there waa no wave •croH the country of indignation over the nardar—the lynching of a man taken from aa angMrded jail. . . .” DraWiiig « comparison with the way the “good" people of Germany sat by while Hitler slaughtered the Jews, she said: "Unconsciously, things grow on you, wjben you ar« not aware enough, sensi tiva anoagh. . . . These things are thSngs we would not be quiet about. We should be aare to say what we feel and say it loud moBgh ao that others know how we feel.” Immediately after the lynching of Mack Parker at Poplarville, Miss., oRidials prom- iaed that justice would be done. They made these promises while stating frankly that they were concerned lest a nationw*ide out* cry bring new civil rights legislation from Washington. Bat as Mrs. Roosevelt pclinted out, an outcry of the proportions they expected did not materialise. Today the FBI has withdrawn from the case. They have turned over all evidence they gathered to state officiab. News leaks imJ.cate their investigation turned up names and proof as to the guilty parties. State officials say they will not pre sent the case to a grand jury until late fall. Newsmen visiting Poplarville report that no white people there are worried} they are confident no me will ever be convicted of the ciime. This "Sin of .Silence” which the Patriot calls to our attention is too often cemmitted among so called liberal whites in the South. Many of them are silently just as indignant as others but for fear of social and economic reprisals they refuse to speak out even when the most atrocious crimes are committed against Negroes. As a result the White Citi zens Councils, the Ku Klux Klan and anti- Xegro individuals go on their merry way w'ith the freedom to lynch and persecute as they please. The Carolina Times is satisfied that a sense of fair pl^y is growing in the South, especially amon^ the younger element of white people, We do feel, however, that i_f they would let it be kjiown as to w'here they stand instead of remaining silent when of fenses are committed against Neg'roes that more positive action on the part of legal au thorities would result. We ag^ree w’ith the Patriot when it says further on in its .editorial that “If the pres sure from all over is great enough on Wash ington, Mississippi will act—and if Missis sippi doesn’t W'ashington may yet. If the pressure is not great enought, no one will act.” Harris States His Creed As Memter Of Durham Board of Education SPIRITUAL INSIGHT By REV. HAROLD ROLAND Time To Remove the Adjectives The Need For Word of God Must Be Fulfilled if Men Are to Escape Evil R. N. Hams, Negro member of the Durham City Board of Educa tion, issued the following state ment this week on the eve of his beginning a second term on the board: The appointment of a Negro —any Negro—to a Board of Edu cation in the South, during these days of tension—conflict, if you please—between Federal Law and Southern Traditions, is . challenging to the appointee and complimentary to the appoint ing agency which by its act manifests courage and wiliing- ne.ss to see the problem faced at policy making level. The ap pointee, in a position of trust, under an oath which must be respected, human (which is to say, subject to all human emo tions), and with relatively little experience must approach the duties of office with utmost care and resolute integrity. When appointed in March, 19S8, among other things, I said to the members of the Board: “I come to you with the hope that I may make some contri bution toward your efforts to administer an educational dis trict second to none—not as an advocate for any special group based on my racial origin but as an honest appraiser of those measures which I tjelieve bene ficial, or detrimental, to our entire school system.” I also said, “I think our en tire community — white and Negro—will expect me to be my self, a Negro, conscious of a Negro’s problems and desirous of their .solution but, at the same time, not ^unmindful of tlte fact that these problems may be probleni-s to others which are also deserving of full and fsir consideration.” This, 1 beliovc, was the proper approach and has been, in my opinion, rewarding. 1 have found the Bsard of Kducation, individ ually and collicUvely, consider ate of my position in our differ ing points of view and at the end of period for which I was first appointed, I feel that all members arc peo|Je of g(^ will facing a difficult and m- evitably unpopular decision. In evitability is based on the con viction that anything less thsn integration will be unpopular with the Negro segment of Dur ham’s population and certainly integration as 'I'equested by the Negro citizens will be unpopu lar with the white citizens. However realistic or unreal istic the foregoing conclusion may be, 1 believe the Board will face its responsibilites and fair ly discharge its duties, I have expressed to the ap pointing City Council my ap preciation for the confidence in dicated by reappontment to the Board of Education and have as sured them that I will serve in this capacity to the very^)est of my ability. I so pledge my.*;lf to the citizens of Durham. Gomillion Writes A Letter: ^ "To Shed Light, Not Blood..... rr* The Carolina Times is of the opinion that in the Negro’s struggle to achieve first class citizenship and human dignity that impetus to the program could be had by removing or at least curtailing 'the use of an adjective in referring to members of the race who hap pen to hold certain positions in business, re ligion, sports, education and other fields. Why should we continue to cling to the ancient custom or idea that there is such a thing as a \egro physician, teacher, actor, lawyer, farmer, musician, welfare worker, athlete, banker, journalist or what have you? What does it add to one’s stature to be known as a Negro this or that? So long as the work done by such persons is constructive the use of Negro as an ad ject ive does little or no harm. However, the psychological damage is done when the press, radio, television or individual takes delight in referring to one as a Negro rapist, Negro thief, Negro murderer, etc. The same applies to the general use of such terms as Negro education, Negro health, Negro bank, Negro insurance company, Negro newspaper, Negro cafe and such. The use of the w'ord as an ad jective suggests that such a place, person, or Pfofession is different from that of other American citizens. We think it is high time to remove the ad jective arid assume the position that Negroes are merely American citizens and that w'hat- ever their profession, they do not need to call special attention to their racial identity. Evidence of ^^feakness Governor Earl K. Long of Louisiana has announced that he intends to fire at least 40 more state government officials. This is a sign of moral weakness if not mental. No man who embarks upon a program of revenge could be considered as possessing strength of -character. If the 40 persons’ Governor Long intends to fire were capable before his con finement in a mental institution, they are capable now and discharging them can only satisfy his unholy desire to get revenge or let.idbem^kiiojy ^hOj ii Ijpss. pTOpi«i of Louisraria 'ftHist/ the embarrassment of having' as governor of their state a* man whose mentality is ques tionable. The Governor Long debacle may be the beginning of the end of the Long regime in Louisiana. W’e do not believe a majority of voters in that, state 'w'ill be willing to re turn to public office a person who has given so much evidence of irresponsibility. While the case of Governor Long is some what worse than that of Governor Faubus of Arkansas, and Governor Almond of Vir ginia and several other southern governors, we think all are strong evidence that in many instances southern states more often elect rabble rousers as governors than statesmen. This new'spaper recalls that it was only a few months ago that North Carolina’s Governor Luther Hedges was asking Negroes of this fst^te to fe^cept voluntary segregation. ^’hen one observes and listens to the ac tions ot a' majority of southern governors on the race question, he is bound to reach th'j conclusion that three-fourths of them need confinement in a mental institution. The only difference in their case and that of Governor Long is that the latter had his head exam ined. "Ths ptopi* begged that these thingi might be told them the next Sabbath . . ." Acts 13:42. The people were begging for God's word of spiritual truth. They were literally crying for light and life. They realized rightly that they had thirsts and hungers that only God’s spiritual truths could satisfy. They real ized that the word is food for the hungry soul. The word is essential for spiritual (growth. The word means nurture 6r en richment of the soul of us hu man beings. 'Thus, the people recognized the deep, crying needs of their soiils and "begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath." It is tragic when the people out of their deep soul needs cry , for the word and are given oth- er things instead. Those with the sacred trust of the word are tempted at times to substitute other things for the word of God which the people need. But there is no substitute for the word of God in the souls of men. How sad it is when the people cry for the bread of the word and then we given them a stone. Here we may have the root cause of much of the troubled confus ion of our times. The word is light. I'Jo wonder so many are walking and living in darkness and confusion. Why? They lack the light of the word in their souls. A neglect of the word, the bread of life, leads to a tragic spiritual famine. And those who begged for the word realized this great truth. Yes, when the word of God is withheld or de nied, spiritual starvation sets in. The word is life. And where the word is lacking there is no life as it should be. ” The ^orW “gives life ahundahr' The word is life Eternal. The soul becomes a weak, famished and unfit to stand up and face the rugged, trying demands of WATCH ON THE POTOMAC this life. There comes a famine to the soul that lacks the word of God. And the nation, too, that lacks the word will starve and die. Amos saw clearty that this was what was happening to Is rael in his time. Life at its best must be anchored in the Word of God. To Stand up ' and pass successfully through the ordeals, troubles, difficulties, trials, hurts, and sick nesses of this life we need the word of God. In bearing life’s burdens we need the power of the word. In fighting life’s bat tles wo need the word of God. Even the salvation of our souls come through the word of God. How can wo live life victorious ly without the word of God to guide and sustain us? Then let us read the word daily s6 that w—pm~ trave strength for daily living. The word of God is the key to life at its best. Use the key for noble and successful living. 3y ROBERT SPIVACK Candidates Johnson and Kennedy New Areas of Employment Needed The Carolina Times is becoming greatly concerned about the employment or lack of employment of Negroes in business, industry, st&te, county, municipal governments and in other fields of endeavor. W'ith the annual in crease in the number of graduates from our schools and colleges the barring of Negroes from employment in the areas mentioned above is becoming more and more serious. So d«;speratc has become the situation that many young college trained men and women end up in despair or ffust ration and are forced to employment not in keeping w'ith the prep aration they have made educationally. We think the time has come when a na tional conference should be called to discuss ways and means of opening up new fields of endeavor for Negroes. We say national because we have observed that in many north ern areas Negroes are barred from certain jobs or employnent the same as in the South. Stich a conference might have as its ultimate goal the setting up a permanent organization to wage a^ontinuoub battle for nevf avenues of employment in every area where other AscrcM citizens are gainfully entploytd. It might be a revelation to many race lead ers to visit some of the various departments in our state capitals and observe the hundreds of young white men and women w'ho are em ployed in state government. Likewise, they might visit municipal and ‘county offices and observe the absence of Negro clerks, stenog raphers and other office employes. Certainly Negroes have a right to employment in such places if they are compelled to pay taxes for their maintenance. The field of education cannot absorb all of the graduates now being turned out of our schools and colleges. The few jobs Negroes have in government, which in the South are confined mostly to policemen and janitors, should not satisfy. Instead efforts should be made to open up rieW employment for them in every field of endeavor. Unless something is done the employment situation of the edu cated of the race may reach the point where there will no longer be any inducement for our young people to spend long hours and stupendous sums of money to equip thenj- ^elves for areas of employment where the dmor has been barred against them. ‘a '!( The Political Smorgasbord WASHINGTON ^ ‘‘Roubles. Troubles. I’ve got troubles." You can hear„Lyndon| B. John son and John F. Kenneiiy' both singing this refrain thesf days. Both powerful men, both with their eyes on 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Yet nothing goerf' right. Every gesture is twisted, every movement is distorted. If you listen closely you can also hear them repeating anoth er refrain, “I can take care of mine enemies, but Good Lord protect me from my friends.” What’s happened to cause such anguish in the camps of both men? First of all, take the Kennedy case. The distinguished young man from Massachusetts prides himself on having brought to gether one of the best “brMp trusts” since the days of the New Deal. Every man on his staff is politically astute, earn est, eager, intelligent. Kennedy wants to be regarded by North erns as a “liberal”, but not thought of in the South as a “dangerous radical.” »This takes some doing, especially since/ many Northern liberals regard Kennedy suspiciously. What has happened? Under a Birmingham, Ala. dateline, the AP reported on June 16: “Gov. John Patterson came home to Alabama today carrying the banner of Sen. John F. Ken nedy, Democrat of Massachu setts, for President. Interviewed here. Gov. Patterson said: “I will use all the influence I have to see that he (Kejinedy) gets the nomination.” This was a tough break for Kennedy. For John Patterson is the man who two years ago led a raid on a small printing shop at Tuskegee, Ala. and seized a quantity of NAACP literature. He was then State’s Attorney General. He is the same man who, on being sworn in as gov ernor, pledged to preserve seg regation If it meant closing the schools. And as late as April 22, 1959, Patterson said: “The citizens of Alabama will scrap their public school system rather than sub mit to integration of the races.” If Kennedy repudiates him, it will anger other Southerners and will also be an admission he is “running.” If he remains silent what will civil rights advocates think. Unlucky Lyndon Although many observers talk of Johnson’s political astuteness and invincibility, he has actual ly had several bad breaks during his legislative career. One of the worst was during the Natural Gas debate, when he had every thing lined up, and then that famous 12900 "gUt" to South Dakota’s Sen. Francis Cate hit the headlines. Johnson now is having troubles with the Senate liberals because he strikes what they, consider a pose of “responsible statesman” on important legislation propos ed by the President. Johnson in sists he is not going to make “issues” just for the sake of political advantage^ Cynics su spect' it’s something less lofty; every lawmaker has special fa vors he seeks from The White House. There is no argument on one point: Johnson and President Eisenhower have played it cozy for several years. The president refers to them both as “members of the Cardiac Club.” They like each other and get along well to gether. In fact the Senate liberals say “too well”. • * * But the Republican National Committee and the Nixon wing ■ of the GOP do not like Lyndon. Now, in what he must consider a superb example of ingratitude, they have decided to “give him the business.” Johnson is to be a major Republican target for the next month or two. It began with Thruston Mor ton’s characterization of the 86th as the “won’t do” Congress. Then Vice President Nixon said John son was “to blame”' for the de feat of Admiral 'Strauss. Now the GOP Nations! Committee, When a member of the White Citizens Council in Lake Charles, Louisiana, wrote an anomymous letter to Charles G. Gomillion, leader of the movement for full citizenship in Tuskegee, Ala., he. got a classic replay. The Citizens Council members told Gomillion he hated all Negroes . He said he belived in “the negro having everything I have, just as long as he stays on his side of the fence.” "H# adM: "I |utl want you and the rest of yoor friend* to knew that w* will never Inte- gratel We will stop Integration if it takes bloodshed If you don't like In the South, why not move to the north. . ." Gomillion did not know where to address a reply because the letter was anonymous. So he sent his rtply to the t)re8S. He said in part: “. . . .1 regret your development of the capacity to hat*. Hatred is both expensive and dangerous. It take* time and Mfort to hat* And when one is hating he cannot be loving. When he is acting on hatred, he cannot be engaged in noble efforts . ."I am glad that you b*ll*ve 'In the negro baving everything I have.’ If by ‘everything’ you mean the civic status and op portunities to which you have access^ that exactly what Ne- jgroes areWo^i(ig foi'. Wlieni you are willii^ ftt the Negro to have everything you have ‘just as long as he stays on his side of the fence,’ you write as if you are not in the same field. You and he are living in the United States of America. On* Nation. Indivisible. Where is the fence that divides?. “You err when you say that my associates and I are ‘fighting.* We are not ‘fighting’, we are sim ply working hard to be good, pro ductive Americans “We do not want to fight; we want to learn and earn. We do not want to shed blood, we want to maintain peace. We regret that you threaten to shed blood. . . . “AS for leaving the South, I am not interested, I was born in the South, and attended the public elementary school in my native state. South Carolina, Although the educational opportunities in the county in which I lived were grossly inferior to those provided for white youth, as reported by citizens, 1 did have the op- poti~ *y to read the Declaration of Indtpendance and the Con stitution of the United States, and I believed what I read. . . . "I believed also that it was the duty of every American citizen to contribute constructively to the development of his fatherland. I have spent my past years study ing the arts of’ peace, not the science of war. Profossienali'// I have sought to enlighten and heal the minds of youth and men, not to poison them. My mission is to shed light, not blood, and I hope that I may b* p*rmitted to shed it in the South before the more martial- minded shed blood - It is not my desire to offend, I do not threaten you. I am sorry that you hate me. I do not hate you. This might not be of any value to yoti, but it makes me feel good, I can sleep at night, and I can study and work during the day, , , , I invite you and your associates to meet with my as sociates and be in friendly fellow ship ” The Patriot June -O- f f1ich.ToSetup Peace Center GAYLORD — Establishment rf a center for research on the pro blems of peace and war was ap proved by |;|ie Regents of the Uni versity of Michigan Friday (June 26) at Hidden Valley, A Center for Research of Con flict Resolution will inaugurate a pioneer effort' tc marshall the whole range of social sciences in search for a solution to the pro blem of world peace. The Center will function within the U-M’s College of Literature, Science and the Arts will lie operated by a seven-member executive commit tee. Published «vcry Saturday at Durham, N. C. by United Publishers, Inc. L. E. AUSrON, President M. E. JOHNSON, Controller Principal Office located at 436 E. Pettigrew St Durham, North Carolina Entered u second class matter at the Post Offict at Uurhun, North Carolina, under the Act of March 3, 1879. SUBSCBIPTION RATES: $4 00 PER VEAB —GREENSBORO OFFICE— 826 B. Market St. TeL BR B-BOOO C. NESBIT, Manager with a^ double-meaning observa. Lyndon doesn’t like the need- tlon, refers to Johnsons “full ling, but so far shows no incli- Napoleonic retreat” from Demo, nation to fight back by (oing lib- cratlc sosial wsUsr* programs, aral.
July 4, 1959, edition 1
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