Raps Regional Plan
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FOR 26 YEARS THE OUTSTANDING N EGRO WEEKLY OF THE CAROLINAS
VOLUME 27 NUMBER 37
DURHAM, N. C., SATURDAY, SEPT. 17th, 1949
PRICE: TEN CENTS
FIGUftE IN AMERICAN SAVINGS & LOAN LEAGUE MEETING
^Thompson Photo.i
PaHiclpants ln'th«^onaal meetliir'of the American'Sav!nrs~and Loan *Lea*ue, held recently
in l>ctroit, were (1. to r.) Clifford P. Allen, Philadelphia realtor; Arthur M. Simmons, president.
Home Federal Savings and Loan Association, Detroit; (leaninc) William R. Hudgins, vice president.
Carver Federal Savings and Loan Association, New York; Franlclin Hardinge, Jy., Chicago, vice
president, U. S. Savings and Loan League, a key speaker; and J. S. Stewart, secretary-treasurer,
Mutual Building and Loan Association, Durliam. Stewart is the new president of the savings group.
Simmons and Hudgins continue as vic% presidents. ~
r—: -; " _: ::
Croup Lists Ten Reasons
For Opposition To Plan
The regional plan of graduate and professional
education, approved by twelve Southem and border
states, and scheduled to swing into operation this
month, is based on prejudice, not science, according
to Aubrey Williams, of^Montgomery, Alabama, presi
dent of the Southern ConfererUce Educational Fund,
Incorpoi^ated.
“A.8 now fornuilated,” said
Mr. Williams, ‘the regional plan
exhibits a inininiiun of states-
ship and a niaxinuim of obscnr-
nntism.”
In a statement released by the
NeAv Orleajis headquarters of
the SCEF, Mr. Williams ad
vanced ten reasons why the
Boai-d of Control for Southern
liegional Education should be
opposed, all of them restinf? on
the fact that the plan is based
on racial segregation. v
"The Jim Crow stmicture of
the plan,” declarel Mr. Wil
liams, “thwarts the basic pur
poses of a iiniversity. ”
“If the purpose of our uni
versities is merely to pereptu-
ate narrow, traditional pat
terns of thinking and acting,
then our segregated institu
tions are good enough,” said
Mr, Williams,
purpose of our
‘But if the
schools of
‘higher learning’ is to sub
stitute scientific attitudes for
prejudice and to educate for
one world based on our rich
heritage of freedom, equality,
and brotherhood, then clearly
segregation is out of place.
Segregated schools . cannot
educate for an integrated
world.*’
“The art and practice of
democratic procedures cannot
be taught by the lecture
method alone, least of all in a
Jim Crow classroom, but must
be learned the hard way, by
actual practice. A school of
science without scientific lab
oratories is no more a carica
ture of an educational insti
tution than a university which
purports to prepare youth for
a democratic society, yet de
nies to its students a labora
tory in which to practice de
mocratic human relationship.
Other reasons given by Mr.
Williams for his opposition to
the regional plan are: 1. The
plan is discriminatory, hence un
constitutional; 2. A s>'st^m of
parallel schools is uneconomic
and unrca.sonal)le; 3. The plan
will serve as a brake on the pre
sent trend toward integration of
Negroes in existing state uni
versities, a trend in evidence in
eight Southern and border
states; 4. It is an unneees.sarA’
expedient since many polls show
that faculty and students of
Southern institntfqjis are ready
and willing to accept students
on the sole basis of pereonal
qualifications, regardless of race,
creed, or religion; The plan
makes legal redress for dis
crimination more difficult; 6.
It limits rather than exi>^ds
existing facilities; 7. It "was
formulated in jui undemocratic
manner, a plan primarily for
but not by minorities; 8. ^gre-
gated regional schools are. not an
(Pleas(‘ turn to Page Eight)
Court Will
Review Case Of
Martinsville 7
RICHMOND, VA.
The fight to save the lives of
seven young men, convicted of
assault on a white woman in
Martinsville and sentenced to
die on September 16, was ad
vanced by a decision of the Vir
ginia Supreme Court granting a
writ of error and agreeing to
review the trials.
The decision, handed down
by the court sitting in Staun
ton on September 6, raises
hope for a new trial and utli-
mate freedom for the seven
who were convicted in Mar
tinsville last May.
The Virginia State Confer
ence of NAACP Branches un
dertook the defense of the young
men after investigation of the
^ase revealed that they had not
received a fair trial. Martin A.
Martin, Oliver W. Hill and
Spottsw'ool W. Robinson, III,
NAACP attorneys, carried the
case to the State Supreme Court.
*In an appeal for funds for
the defense,. Dr. J. M. Tinsley,
president of the state confer
ence, said that “victory in
this case is vital to the estab
lishment of fair and impartial
trials for everyone in this
state regardless of race or
color or the nature of the al
leged crime.” He asked that
funds for the defense of the
Martinsville Seven be sent to
the Virginia State Conference
of NAACP Branches at 404
North Second Street, Rich
mond, Virginia.
At Spaulding Reunion
Dismissal Motion
udgement Held Up
For Further Study
Postponment of the Federal Court hearing on
the suit filed by a group of Durham citizens charginqi
state and local school officials with discrimination in
ischool facilities waa granted here this week.
. The ca.v wii.s i>riKinally .«ht'd '
Above, left to right are Attorney Theodore Spauld
ing of Philadelphia, Pa.; Rev. J. H. Moore of Wil-
m'ington and Dr. C. C. Sapulding. The scene was the
annual reunion of the Spaulding family and relatives
from Bladen and Columbus Counties held recently at
WhiteviJle.
Over 400 Fresh Arrive
At NCC; Enrollment Is
Expected To Toll 1000
A near record class of 450
freshmen arrived o?i the North
V^rdlina College ^campus last
Tuesday to begin a series of
activities, freshmen orientation
week, designel to acquaint them
with life at the college.
The administration, faculty,
and student orgaiiizHtions rolled
out the welcome mat this week
for the new students as a varied
cpJender of activities ke])t them
hnsy.
New students came from every
state on the ea.stern seaboard
from Conne'tieiit to Florida.
Orientation for the neweoni-
ers gqt underway Tuesday as Dr.
A. E. M.anley. dean of the col
leger of AH', ::nd S-ience. aii,tl
representatives of student or
ganizations welcomed the fresh
men .at the H. N. Ihike Audi
torium. The ahjuial Faculty-
Student Tea slated for Simday
afternoon, will end the week’s
activities.
On Tuesday after the B. N.
Dtike program, the freshmen
consulted with the personnel
deans, ,f. L. Stewart and Miss
1.. M. I«ntliam. A tour of the
cam|»us, medical examinations
and the annual freshmen sing
wound up things for Tues*Iay
Placement examinations were
.scheduled for Wednesday.
Wednesday evening a sports
parade, featuring intrftduction
of thv'* athletic coaches, a show
ing of football movies and a des-
(Please turn to Page Eight)
nied for hcarinjf in th
In-r term of the court hei-M which
is slated to begin .‘vionda v. {vpf
2»!
Also judgement on a motions
f(> dismiss local '.'-hixil official*,
from the eav as defendants wa.^
suspended by Judge John.son J
Hayes, ■ludsrc Hayes has indicat*
el that he has not had sufficient
time to stufly briefs in the ac
tion. i
30 days were granted the de-'
fendantH as an extension which
will rtni past 'the temf of the.
Court for Ihe last week of this;
month here. It appears now thaP|
the ca.s(.* will go over to the
February term of the Court un-
les-s Judge Hayes calls a Hpeeial |
session of the court.
Postponement was granted the '
defendants when a list of 72'
(juestioiLs was submitted by the^
plaintiffs. K. P. Reade. attor-i
ney for the defen**, stateil hen*
la.st week that the defendants
will !)«■ luiable to get answers to
the list ready for the September
term if the Court.
The suit, file(r on l>ehalf of
some 60 Durham school children
charges that Negro children
have been and . are being dis
criminated again.st with regard
to local s*hof)l facilities offered.
Ijoeal school ollicials, defendants
in the ca.se, including Superin-
teiulent I... S. Weaver. Bnsiness
Manager J. L. Wootlard. and
members of the boanl of Educa
tion, have denied charjres.
It was revealed that plaintiffs
in the suit have asked in the list
of interrogations for such detail
ed information as would require
inventories of sch(X>l equipment
in ever>' city s».-hool. I>K‘al offi
cials have indicated that the an
swers will be voluminous.
Sworn In
Editoral
City Must Lead In Memorial
Fund Drive Says Fund Official
Durham must take the lead in contributions to the
James E. Shepard Memorial Foundation drive for
funds said A. T. Spaulding, assistant chairman of the
Initial Gifts Committee, this week.
Ilhe Foundation, chartered by the state, has b^n
set up for the purpose of effecting some lasting mem
orial to the late Dr. James E. Shepard, founder-preai-
dent of North Carolina College.
ers to the plea for funds has
been spontaneous according, to-
Spaulding. Contributions have
already come from as far a-
way as Vicksburg, Miss. Ac
cording to Spaulding, one con
tributor of a significant a-
mount stated that he did not
know Dr. Shepard but that
his wife had jieard the state
wide broadcast and had con
vinced him that the cause was
worthy.
More reasons why THirham
should take the lead in the fund
drive were pointed out by the
'Spaulding i)ointel‘ out that
the city mn.st take the lead in
the drive because of the fact that
Dr. Shepard lived in and work
ed around the city. “The state
wide broadcast,” said Spauld
ing, “has focused eyes of the
state and the, nation upon Dur
ham.” He explained that “peo-
ple-in all sections of the country
are watching to see evidences of
the extent of'local appreciation
of the life and’service of D|p.
Shepard in this community me^
sured by local contributions. ’
Response from out of town-
assistant chairman of the Initial
(rifts (‘ommittee as he stated
that Dr. Shepard, in addition to
having advertised Durham far
and wide, further benifitted the
locale by bringing some of the
Ix'st thinkers and .statesmen of
the country, aside from the fact
tlij(t- the sttident boily and fac
ulty added to the business vol-
of the city.
He urges “every one, ir
respective of class, group, par
ty, race or region to ^come
identified through his contri
bution to this history making
event because of: (1) the man
to be memoralized who ac
cording to Senator Graham, is
a ‘living symbol’ and ‘who
intrepreted the best of Ne-
groe$ to whites and the best of
whites to Negroes’ and (2)
because of the worthwhile ser-
(Plea.se turn to Page Bight)
TEN REASONS WHY WE OPPOSE THE
REGIONAL PLAN
Mrs. M. A. Horne, supervisor
of the Forsyth Junior Union,
will visit Durham and Mount
Vernon Baptist Church under
the auspices of the Church’s
Mii^iomary Department. She
will speak at a mass meeting,
Sunday, Sept. 18th at 3 in the
evening.
New Trial Is
Sought For
Groveland Trio
* TAVARES, FLA.
A new trial for Samuel Shep
herd and Walter Irwin, 22, and
Charles Greenlee, 16, convicted
of rape here la.st week, has been
asked by Alex Akerman, Jr.,
Orlando attorney, retained by
the NAACP to defend the ac
cused youths.
In a motion for a new trial
filed here on Sept. 6, Aker
man contended that the veY-
dict was contrary to the evi
dence and to the law and
charged the court with error
in denying a series of pretrial
motions.
The three were convicted after
a three-day trial on September
3 by an all-white jury which de
liberated. for two hours iuid
reeommended mercy for Green
lee. Conviction of Shepard and
Irwin carries a mandatory death
sentencfl whereas the recom
mendation of mercy for Green
lee prevents sentence of death,
imposing long term imprison-
(Please turn to Page Eight)
EDITOR’S NOTE:
This week we are going to let southern white
and Negro leaders in education, business, religion
and other fields of endeavor write our editorial.
We are doing this in order that critics of our
editorial policy opposing the Regional School
Plan may see and know this diabolical scheme
to circumvent the ruling of the United States
Supreme Court is not supported by the top
leaders of the South but by a group of narrow
little bigots, including southern governors, who
are determined that democracy and Christianity
shall not live in this area.
The Southern Patriot, with headquarters
at New Orleans, Louisiana and with narry a
damnjankee on its staff or membership i*oster
has the following to say in its September issue
just off the press. The Southern Patriot is the
official organ of the Southern Conference for
Human Welfare. We have not heard of any of
its members being charged with being radicals,
reds, pinks, communists or crack brained:
(SOUTHERN PATRIOT, SEP^. 1949)
Ouj opposition to the current regional plan
of education rests entirely on the fact that is is
ba.scd on racial segregation.
The Plan is:
1. Discriminatory and oinconsitutional.
“Separate but equal” schools, the legalistic
euphemism used to designate the Jim Crow
school system, is a pure abstraction, un.support-
ed by historic fact. In all of the 17 .state.s which
require separate schools by law there is not one
instance where the state supported college for
Negroes is even remotely equal in its facilities
to those available to white students. There is
no evidence to indicate that the segregated re
gional centers operated jointly by the Southern
states will be any less discriminatory than the
{^•gregated institutions opoirated .i^idividuijly
by the sjune authorities.
Since the regional plan discriminates on the
basis of race, it is unconstitutional. The TJ. S.
Supreme Court hals ruled in the Gaines and
Sipuel cases that the legal training made avail
able by a state to white students nuLst at the
same time be available within the borders of that
state to Negro students. To require a Negro
medical student from Richmond, Vh. to leave
his home state and travel several hundred miles
1:0 Nashville, Tennessee, to receive his training
while his white brother may receive such in
struction in his home city, is clearly discrimina
tory. - —
2. Uneconomic and unreasonable.
Even if the theory of separate but equal
schools were a true statement of present fact,
or were possible of attainment, the plan still
would be undesirable because it is wasteful and
unreasonable to build parallel and expensive
laboratory, library, and other facilities without
reference to need. Furthermore segregation is
based on the premise of superior and inferior i
races, an idea which we know to be scientifically j
unsound. If we are honest, we must admit that j
such an obeisance to the prejudices of our grand
fathers is a stupid and expensive anachronism.
• 3. Thwarts the basic purpose of a university.
If the purpose of our schools is merely to
perpetuate narrow, traditional patterns of think
ing and acting, then our segregated schools are
good enough. But if the purpose of our schools
is to substitute scientific attitudes for prejudice
and to ednate for a new world, for one world
based on our rich heritage of freedom, equality
and to educate for a new -world, for one world
of i)lace. Segregated sehbols cannot educate for
an integrated world.
The art and practice of democratic proced
ures cannot be taught by the lecture method
alone, least of all in Jim Crow class rooms, but;
must be learned the hard way, by actual practice.
A school of science without scientific labora-
torie.s is no more of a caricature of an education
al in.stitution than is a university which pur
ports to prepare youth for a demot‘ratic .society,
yet denies to its students a laboratory in which
to , prac tice deiiiooratic human relationships
4. A break on the present trend toward in
tegration in existing institutions.
Today in 7 states where separate .schools are
maintained by law, Negroes are admitted in one
or more gra«luate and professional schools of
the state university. Much of this progress was
made even while the regional plan was being
formulated. The very existance of the regional
plan will serve as a deterrent to sueh piiyress.
5. An unnecessary expedient.
If the regional plan of segregated graduate
and professional training had been proposed
50 years ago, it might have been justified by the
argument that it was a necessary expedient
(Please turn to Page Two)
Two'l young attorueys, Wil
bert F. Brower and NClton
Elgar Johjison, were admit
ted to the practice of law in
Norjh Carolina after beUig
sworn in here thia week.
The two. introduced to thu
court by (’ Jerry Gates,
pi-uminent attorney of this
city, were sworn in by Judge
William T. Hatch. pre»iding
uf the current term of .the
Superior Court, for the trial
of criminal cases.
Both are Durham residents
and plan to practice in Dur
ham. They passed the ^ate
law examinations in August.
Both are graduates of the
North Carolina College Law
School.
Attorney Brower did under
graduate work at Hampton
Institute in Virginia.
The two lawyers are setting
up joint offices in the Logan
Building in this city.
Plans For NCC
Homecoming
Are Revealed
The crowning of *‘Mis8 North
Carolina Scholastic” will be «
fesU:ure_iiLJS’oith C_an>lina Col
lege s homecoming accordmg~lb “
il. S. .lohnson, exe‘utive secre
tary of the Alumni A.ssociation.
“Miss N. C. Scholastic” is t*
be selected on the basis of at
tractiveness, talent, leadership
qui^lities and other abilities.
Each high school in the state
will nominate some outstand
ing co-ed. Nominations ««11
be mailed to the Alumni As
sociation and turned over t#
the judges who will in torm
select 25 of the nominees asd
invite them to the Homecom
ing game as the guests of the
Alumni Association.
The winner t>f the contest will
be crowned at - halftime cere
monies and will be awarded a
substantial scholarjihip to North
Carolina I’ollege.
In addition, high school priu-
cipaU from North Carolioft and
Virginia will be invited as gue«t»
of the Alumni! According to *d-
vanc« information, several him-,
dred will be present for the oc
casion
The North Carolina CoUe««
football team will, play the Vir- •
yinia State College Trojans for
the Homeeomiiig ela.'wie. Oct. 15.
CJiairman for the Oeueml Hose-
coming committee is William F.
Malone, ’46, instrui:tor is PvUk
Health TVpartment, Thjeat*
the affair are on sale now at tht
Alumni office.