\
rAOB TWO
THE CAROLINA UlIBi SATURDAY, AUG. It, IfM
THE DEPTHS OF JOURNALISTIC DEPRAVITY
When you think you have
seen the lowest depths to
which a human being can
sink, stop for a minute before
you are too sure of it. Unless
you saw the issue of the
Mominc Star of Wilmington,
North Carolina that published
the above picture, your re
membrance of a man wallow
ing in a ^tter in his own
vomit, a harlot selling her
body in a big city dive for just
enough money to buy one
more shot of dope, a degener
ate raping his own daughter
or whatevei* you have seen of
human draravity are all but
kid’s stuff in comparison to
the low depths to which the
Morning Star descended the
day it stopped the press to
delete from its front page the
picture of a Negro Marine.
But let Time Magazine, in
ternationally known and pow
erful (issue of Aug. 13), tell
the story.
“North Carolina’s Wil
mington Morning Star (circ.
17,8S6) went to press with a
front-page picture of four
Marine witnesses in the
conrt-martial of Sergeant
Matthew C. McKeon (see
National Affairs). As soon
as the paper hit his desk,
the editor on duty gulped
and stopped the presses. He
had faiM to notice, in the
shadowy impression on the
Associated Press mat that
supplied the picture, that
one of the marines. Private
Eugene W. Ervin of Bridge
port, Conn., was a Negro.
The desionan met the c^is
by ordering a pressman to
take Iiammer and cliisel to
the press plate. Next morn
ing Private Ervin’s ragged
ghost haunted the spot (see
cut) where the Moridng
Star cut out the Negro and
spited its front page.”
Facetiously Time calls at
tention to the Morning Star’s
circulation of only 17,866.
There is always an insepar
able link between a growing
newspaper and a growing city.
In most every instance where
one is found the other is there.
They are interdependent. For
it is practically impossible to
build a great city with wide
awake citizens without a wide
— awake newspaper. When
you recall that Wilmington
was once the largest city of
North Carolina, that it was
once the domicile of the home
office of the Atlantic Coast
Line, you will understand just
why Wilmington has become
a has been, stunted and con
tinues to lose ground in com
parison with other cities of
North Carolina.
It is the duty of a newspa
per to mold opinion, keep a-
breast of developments, point
to new horizons and herald
the achievements and aspira
tions of the hometown. It i^ust
have vision; it must keepi its
constituents on their toes and
awakened to new opportuni-
ies as well as the present and
approaching dangers. It can
not do this when its editorial
staff is composed of nasty,
narrow, little vicious men
who are ready at a moment’s
notice to wallow in the gutter
of journalistic depravity.
Here is a picture of four
^oung Americans in the
armed service of their coun
try. In the very nature of the
case, each has literally said
here is my life; if need be I
offer it on the altar of aacri-
fice to preserve and protect
everything we hold dear in
this country. In spite of this,
when the editor of the Morn
ing Star saw that one of them
was a Negro, he saw red, and
from the recesses of his little
soul sprang all of the beastly
fury and hatred of a thousaind
wildcats. He stopped the
press, ordered the Negro
soldier’s face chipped from the
picture after which in skun-
kish majesty he must have
rared back in his editorial
chair with the full satisfaction
that he had done his day’s
deed to preserve white supre
macy.
But we ask is this supre
macy of any kind? Can you
build better race relations in
a city when its leading news
paper is published by men of
such small and vicious sotils?
If in the thinking of this vile
act its editors feel they have
done an injury to the Negro
Marine or the race he repre
sents, they are sadly mistaken.
The only injury in this sordid
act was that done the pet^le
of Wilmington, especially its
children, who in spite all
we may say and do, will be
compelled in the next few
years to accept all men as
equals and to measure them
by what is on the inside rather
than the color of their skin.
So the white South raves
on, throwing roadblocks in
the way of whatever presi
dential aspirations their sons
might have and feeding the
Communist propajtanda mills
with more and more fodder
that makes possible explosive
situations as that whl«^ now
exists in the Suez Canal.
What fools, what fools.
SUPraKT FOK OUR CHURCH SCHOOU
We have watched with
more than passing interest
the recent decision of the
Methodist Church to establish
church schools at Rocky
Mount and Fayette^Ue. This
in spite of ^he fact that there
are already several schools in
this state operated by the
Methodist Church, such as
Duke University, High Point
College, Louisburg College
and others and the state is
appropriating more and more
money to expand its school
plants of higher education. In
stead of retreating in the field
of education the Methodist
Church appears to be advanc
ing.
This is quite a contrast to
the A. M. E. Church, a Negro
religious body of a million or
more members, that is cut
ting down on its educational
program. In fact there is seri
ous talk among both ^icials
and laymen of that denomina
tion of closing down several
of the schools instead of ex
panding them.
We think any denomination
is making a sad mistake dur
ing these times to curtail its
religious education program.
If there ever was a need of
such training it is now. Not
only is there a need because
of the ever increasing number
of young people that are
being turned out of our
high schools but because of
the definite trend of our state
colleges and universities to
shy away from the religious
or the moral development of
young people.
Instead of retreat, those
who operate our churches
should order a command to
advaaee in the fi^d of reli
gious education. Certainly any
person equipped with only
scholastic acMevement is at a
distinct disadvantage to one
who has achieved spiritually
as well. The Carolina Times
feels that this is no time to
close our church schools, but
to increase their program. It
is with this in mind that we
appeal to all churches to speed
up the support of their
schools. Many men and wo
men who have been able to
succeed in life will gladly
testify to the fact that the
religious foundation which
they received in a church
school was their one sustain
ing force in the times of life’s
greatest storms. Save our
church schools.
FACING
THE ISSUE
By DR. A. H. GORDON
THERE IS NEED FOR
DEBUMEW SOUTHERN ‘HISTORY
“THE REASON OUR IfADEBSHIP
IS DISraUSTED”
UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT NOT FOR SALE
If reports are true that
Governor Hodges has asked
North Carolina industries to
contribute to a fund to pass
the Pearsall Plan in the Sep
tember 8 election, then the
governor is more stupid than
we had even dreamed. To
ask sensible and sound busi
nessmen to contribute money
to be used in passing the
Pearsall Plan may be i^ght
as far as it goes. We think,
however, that mere pass^e
of the plan in North Carolina
will not make it acceptable to
SATURDAY
the United States Supreme
Court that is going to have
final word about any plan or
scheme concocted to circum
vent its decision on segrega
tion in public schools.
It appears to us, therefore,
that the governor is asking
the industries of this state to
contribute money to throw
down a rat Hble. In his haste
to defy the court, he over
looked one veiSy small item,
and that is the men on the
United Sta^t^ Supreme CJoort
are not for sale, cannot be
pressured into changing their
decisions and are not answer-
able to this state for them.
God forbid that the time
will ever come when the
highest court in the land will
ever come to the place where
it can be bought or influenced
by pressure groups, states or
sections of this country. If
that hour does come, then is
the freedom of every Ameri
can citizen at stake and good
men had better seek refuge in
someothetiftnd.
AUG. 18, 1956
L. E. Avmrai
Clatbam Rom
Publisher
Editor
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$4.00 par Taar.)
We are told that the recent
attempt-^f the pieseat leader*
or rulers of Ituasia, in their at
tempt to reduce the atature of
StaBn to his proper size as a
Communist leader, were com'
pelled to revise the history of
Russia in recent years as it had
been written by hlstotians In
terested in buildhig up the myth
of an almost super-human char
acter known as Stalin. In other
words the debunking of Stalin
involved the debunking of
much of recent^ Russian history
It seems to me that the people of
Southern States of the United
States need to learn a valuable
lesson for the Conununists.
There is great and urgent need
for the debunking of what has
passed for true Southern his
tory, especially since the Civil
War.
Much which passes for his
tory of the South as recorded by
Southern writers of the white
race is pure propaganda. In the
first place there is tiie theory of
southern historians and those
sjrmpathetic with the Southern
reactionaries, sometimes mis
called liberals, to the effect that
the Negroes who were given the
ballot during the early years
of the Reconstruction period as
a result of the adopj^n of the
Fifteenth Amendment to our
constitution uniformly perform
ed ignominously and were the
victims of corrupt politicians
from the North called "Carpet-
Baggers.” This is vicious bunk.
Some of the Negro political
leaders during the Reconstruc
tion period were better educated
and more honest and efficient
than the white rebels whom
they replaced. Of course, many
of them were unworthy but not
more so than many politicians
in the North and West who held
similar positions to theirs.
Another bit of propaganda
constantly promoted by so-call
ed historians bred and educated
in the south Is the fiction that
the Fourteenth Amendment to
the Constitution was not legally
adopted and that it is therefore
not a legitimate part of our con
stitution. The Savannah Mom-
inp News, supposed to be one of
the more intelligently edited
papers of the South, expressed
this view in a recent editorial
The true, debunked history is
that the Fourteenth Amendment
is just as legal as any other
part of the Constitution and
should be’ obeyed just as any
other part of our basic law.
Another main tenent of South
em history which is pure bunk
is that the cause of the Civil
War was the fact that the South
ern white people were deter
mined to have local self-govem-
ment in spite of the fact that the
North was trying to deprive
them of that great right for
which our tethers bled and died.
The fact, as aU true historians
know and admit, is that a few
aristocratic leaders of the South
were datermined to preserve
and expand the institution of
Negro Aivery. The explsntatiou
of the causes of the Civil Wsr
as presented by histories writ
ten by Southern or ex-southem
authors needs severe debunking.
Southern history needs to be
debunked through the addition
of facts now omitted widch, if
inctoded, would give a very dif-
fersbt ioapresskm than
one cets from reading it as now
written in most of the text books
and as tau^t by Uie prolessors
in Southern Colleges and Uni
versities. for example, in writ
ing about the Reconstruction
following the Civil War most of
the so-called historians have
omitted the fact that many of
the best laws passed to “recon
struct’’ the south were sponsor
ed by Negro members of the
state legislattures and in the lut-
tional congress. It was the Ne
gro voters who created the pub
lic school system oi the South.
Their votes made possible the
democratizing the South
through liberal laws after the
War between the States.
Time and space do not permit
enumeration of any more of the
numerous accomplishments of
Negroes and the evils committ^
by the whites which are poorly
treated, but the above are suf
ficient to suggest the great need
for the debimking of Southern
“History” if we really face the
issues of today.
AN AteiC/UI'S miSSKINS
OF nif IIFE OF 6NAtH)l
By MARY L. MILLS
One of the penetrating analy
ses of Ghandi made by Gilbert
Murray (1017-1918) “persons
in power should be careful how
they deal with a man who cares
nothing for sensual pleasures,
nothing for riches, nothing for
comfort or praise or promotion,
but is simply determined to do
what he believes to be right He
is a dangerous and uneoantor-
table enemy because his body,
which you can always conquer,
gives so little piarchase upon his
soul.” '
On his 79th birttiday Albert
Bin stein called him "a leader of
his people, unsupported by an
outward authority; a politician
whose success is not upon craft
nor mastery to technical devices,
but simply on the convincing
power of his personality; a vic
torious fighter who has always
scorned the use of force; a man
of wisdom and hiunillty, armed
with resolve and inflexible con
sistency, who has devoted all of
his strength to the uplifting of
his people and the betterment of
their lot; a man who has con
fronted the brutality of Ktnvpe
with dignity of the simple hu
man being, and thus at all times
risen superior. Generations to
come will scarce believe that
such a one as this in flesh and
blood walked upon the earth."
A great man who taught that
which was good from several of
the great religions; a prince, has
fallen. When shot “by a friwd,
a fellow Hindu,” he murmured
Oh GodI and gave up the ghost.*’
The world mourned his loss;
The United Nations lowered
its flag at half-mast.
Humanity lowered its flag.
The man who made Truth and
Humility more powerful than
empires; the spokesman for the
conscience of mankind, had
fallen
His legacy is courage, his les
son Truth, his weapon love.
His life is his movement
He now belongs to mankind."
LEHERS TO THE EDITOR
Editor,
Do we have the spiritual vis
ion to be mature at the polls on
September 8? Expense grants
by the state for students to at
tend private, segregated schools
Bat clearly unconstitutional.
Local option also involves
problems of a technical, consti
tutional nature. This item if ap
proved, can transform our uni
form system of free, public
schools into a topsy-turvy, hlg-
gledy-piggledy ho^epodge of
utter confusion.
If we approve either expense
grants or local option, there are
tragic prospects that the Ameri
can dream may become a night
mare in North Carolina.
Before casting a baUQt I
earnestly hope that each ^tcr
will plea5e pray for divine gui
dance.
Rev. Ora W. Eads
To the Editor
The legislature and the gover
nor of North Carolina are rush
ing through amendments to our
state constitution which would
close the public schools in order
to get around the Supreme
Court’s ruling.
However we already have a
clause in Our constitution of
North Carolina which says fede
ral law and authority are su
preme to anything the state may
enact.
I’d like to quote
clause:
Spiritual Insight
“THE LORD B WITH UST
By REVEREND HAROLD ROLAND
Pastor, MouiU GUead Bapti$t Church
“That every citizen of this state
owes paramount allegiance to
the constitution and govcmm«it
of the United States and that no
law or ordinance of the state In
contravention or subversion can
have any binding force.”
Very truly yours,
Eugene Feldman
“The Lord of host it with ut...
Pta. 46:11...
It is a great thought for man
to have the blessed assurance
that he does not walk this way
ak>ne. Lonliness has brought
meny down to despair and de-
feiat. It is hurtful for a human
being to lose his sense of be
longing—to feel unwanted, iso
lated and cut off. What is more
cAishing and devastating to tKe
haman spirit than this feeling?
Nothing! We all need the heart
warming feeling of a sense of
human and Divine communion.
The text expresses this sweet
assurance for the Holy writer.
He rejoices in the fact of Divine
fellowship and conununion. He
had the deep spiritual satisfac
tion of those who walk with
God. He claims Divine compan
ionship—“The Lord of hosts is
with us..”
The Psalmist is trsring to tell
us that this life’s rough, tough
and difficult journey is too
much for man to go it alone.
Man in his finiteness needs Di
vine companionship.
We need the companionship of
the Most High God in this life’s
journey...Do you have God as
your companion? Have you in
vited God into yoiu* life? Or are
you trying to walk this way
alone? Let’s make the acquain
tance of God. Let’s talk with
God in daily prayer. Let’s pause
for the sweet refreshment of
soul which comes throu^ daily
meditation with God. Life
never grows too dull for those
who walk in his Holy Presence.
Life takes on a new look when
you walk with God. Life for
many, I am afraid, has gone
stale because they are trying to
walk this way alone. They lack
communion, and they have lost
step with God. Thus life Is bog
ging down. Life has already be
come unmanageable.
1 was moved the other day by
the dramatic story of a man who
had made God his companion.
His life had become rich and
beautiful.
Divine companion^ip kesps Christian lDve».”
life from the agony of loneli
ness. Someone has rightly call
ed loneliness one of the great
sicknesses of our timos. Loneli
ness grows out of an inner ach
ing void In the human soul.
Those who have true human and
Divine communion never suffer
from this sickness. So much of
our mad efforts for thrills grow
out of the sickness of loneliness.
We lose a sense of being a part
of some vital, creative commu-
n^ty. We try many false reme
dies for our loneliness. Have
you ever been lonely in a crowd.
Well, I have. I felt lonely one
Saturday afternoon in the sur
ging waves of humanity which
passed a busy street comer in
New York City. Thus we need
Divine and hiunan companion
ship to save us from the agony
of loneliness.
We need the 'sense of belong
ing which comes from the com
munion of a happy family. We
need the sense of community
Which is found in the family of
God’s redeemed children. The
poet is right..“Bless be the ties
tluit bind our hearts and in
Life at its best is realized
when we have a. vital sense of
fellowship and communion with
God and man. Life is beautiful
when we know...“THE LORD IS
WITH US.”
Capital Close Up .
George Butler Goes to "Con
tracts'"
Department of Labor econo
mist George O. Butler has been
appointed director of education
for the President’s Committee
on Government Contracts. He is
already on the Job.
The addition of Butler—an
alert, capable, straight thinker,
with plenty of initiative, who
works quietly and gets things
done without stage props—
should be assurance of ^ective
action at a point where action,
to be effective, must be carried
on “under wraps”, neiti>er cloak
and dagger nor next we^’s
headlines.
The Washingtonian has strong
roots “from way back,” in the
Federal City area and in near
by Maryland, and has been
breaking ice in race relations
ever since he gave up teaching
economics at Howard Univer
sity, his Alma Mater, at the
age of 22. (He is now forty-
four.)
Thereafter, he did a guinea-
pig job as an officer with the
Army at Fort Bragg, North
Carolina, where he organized a
statewide Negro veterans’ con
ference sponsored by USO units
from Fayetteville and else
where, and “angeled” by the
late C. C. Spaulding, North
Carolina Mutual head. There,
some 860 community leaders
were briefed on QI rights, and
how to put these in reach of
thousands of eligible veterans
in the area, who were unaware
of their rights or hesitated to
claim them. Later, he was as
signed to occupational and edu
cational counseling at Anny
separation centers.
His “Ccmtracts” post involves
program planning, interprata-
BY CONSTANCE DANIEL
of the Committee’s work, and
assistance in convincing em
ployers of the need and advan
tages of cooperation in the eli
mination of job discrimination
against minority groups.
The new “Contracts” officer
works equally hard at the prob
lems of his disfranchised Wash
ington community. He recog
nizes these problems as impor
tant to the Nation and signifi
cant to the country at large. He
has injected new vitality and
ideas into the Federation of
Civic Associations, which he
^eads, and is also vice-presi
dent of the local Urban League
and of the Industrial Union
Council, and a consultant to the
National Urban Ijeague.
Mrs. Butler is the former
Sfarjorie Thomas of Westches
ter County, New York. The
couple and their three young
children, Paula, Judy and
George U, live, quietly in the
Brookland section of Washing
ton.
Comes “Moderate” Truman/
A politician is a politician la
a politician I So yonder comes
our Halr-Breadth Harry, the
original dangerous-living fire-
eater—the dove of party peace
perched rakishly on his snap-
brim—standing pat on his 1048
position and the lOBS i>latfoTm.
Michigan’s Congressman Digga,
who tried in vain to induce the
former President to assume a
fighting stance on 10S6 Ovil
Rights, is dejected. Alabama’s
Senator Sparkman (NOI We did
not ghost that column in which
Mrs. Bethune endorsed him for
Vice President), described Tru
man’s Chicago statement as
“moderate." Congnnman Daw
son agreed with ’liruman's by
passing on the Court dedalcn.
with words so much like those
used by a Republican “Clty-
Hall-er” here in your Capital,
that we wondered! Such as
“You don’t have to put the law
of the land into a platform, etc.”
Virginia's Governor Battle was
^ckled pink—naturally! And
North Carolina’s Ervin thinks
the South will buy the ‘52 plank.
Olympic Candidate Truman
That wasn’t Mr. Truman’s
only omission. When he called
history to his support to say
that two Republicans (Hayes
and Grant) had sold out to the
South in ‘77, on enforcement of
the 14th Amendment, and that
not until “FDR” had there been
any further action.to reactivate
it, he sprang agilely and expert
ly over both Cleveland Ad
ministrations and over the two
Administrations (1013-1021) of
Woodrow Wilson, the Great In
tellectual in whose honor the
last Democratic dinners were
named-r;the President noted
among black voters for refas-
tenlng segregation on the Capi
tal of the United States We
qhote from this column for Jan.
7, ‘56, “Centennial of a Segrega
tionist” :
“Someone should remind—
that the Woodrow Wilson who
made the major contribution to
lifting oppression from millions
of people (abroad) and set
ting them upon the road to
hope,I is the same President of
the United States who slammed
the doors of opportunity in the
faces of millions of his fellow-
Americans who were NegroM,
and who ordered and promoted
the segregation in Government
departments, here in Washing
ton, which has held the Federal
City up to the scorn of the
(Plaaae turn to page 7)