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Wilkins’ Stand Receives Cool Reception
1 1.11-l__ _ . It . . « . a • .••• .. ^
Roy Wilkins, whose publicly announced ac
ceptance of the admittedly weak Senate civil
rights bill has drawn an unprecedented amount of
fire from many sources, both in and out of the
NAACP, told this reporter Wednesday that he ex
pected sharp criticism of his position.
The NAACP executive secretary put his
grudging stamp of approval on the Senate version
of the measure earlier this month in a signed re>-
lease to the press. He conceded that the bill was
fat weaker than the one the organization had
hoped for, but pointed out that even it would be
better than no bill.
Wilkins’ position has been described by crit
ics in terms ranging all the way from. “>surprising”
to “doublecross.”
Replying to the mounting wave of criticism
heaped upon him because of the statement, Wil
kins told the TIMES by telephones Wednesday
that he expected disagreement from many quar
ters on the issue.
“I’m not surprised nor do I quarel with peo
ple who feel that our judgement in this case is
faulty. I am not upset because I expected dis
agreement. But we had to steer a course between
a situation fraught with political consquences to
obtain the best result for the people the organi
zation serves.”
Much of the criticism of Wilkins’ stand stems
more from the nature of the timing of the state
ment than the actual content or reasons for the
statement.
It is generally felt among those most critical
of Wilkins’ position that his actions took on too
much the flavor of partisan politics. It is held
that his urging acceptance of the measure while
the Republicans were still apparently fighting for
a stronger bill would reaolt in a net gaLi for the
Democrats and tak« some of the political play
away from the Repohlicans.
Wilkins’ announcement was feared to have
precipitated a policy crisis within the organi
zation. Several obaervers, pointing to the fact
that the statements to the press were signed by
Wilkins and that hla position was not in accord
with opinions expressed by influential persons,
inside and outside of the organization, hinted that
the statement might cause a split within the or
ganization.
Jackie Robinson, chairman of a special fund
raising committee oi the NAACP, has been a most
vocal opponent of the policy of accepting the Sen
ate version of the biU. He has been widely quoted
(Please t«ni to page Eight)
di^Cdti
ROY WILKINS
... unpopular ...
|SiEaBB5i
VOLUME 33 — NUMBER 33 DURHAM, N. C., SATURDAY, AUGUST 24, 1957
PRICE: TEN CENTS
Influx Of Ushers For State
Meet
In Durham I Underway
Offidals Expect SOO To Attend
Tiiree-Day Annual Convention
From all over the state Ush-, reach 500.
S.T). HAEVET
Twin City Url»n
League Official
IsNat'l. Delegate
WINSTON-SALEM
The 19S7 annual conference
ol the National Urban League
will be held Saturday, August
31gt through Thursday, Septem
ber 5th at the Sheraton-Cadillac
Hotel in Detroit, Michigan.
The theme of the conference,
expected to attract more than
2,000 delegates and partici
pants, is “Resolving the Racial
Crisis—A Challenge to Interra"
dal Teamwork.”
Among the speakers will be(
Walter P. Reuther, president of
the United Automobile Workers
of America, AFL-CIO; Jolm S.
Colonan, president of Bur
roughs Corporation; Alonso G.
Moron, president of Hampton
Institute; Leo Molinaro, direci
tor of Educational Program, fox
American Council to lm>rove
Our Neighborhoods (ACTION);
G. Mennen Williams, Governor
of Bilchlgan and Miss Roberta,
Church, Minority Groups Con
sultant, of the United States De
partment of Labor.
Topics of the Conference in
clude Manpower Needs, Hous
ing Needs, Housing and Urban
(Please turn to page Eight)
started gathering in Dur
ham early Thursday morning
for the 33rd annual session of
the Interdenominational Ufihers
Association of North Carolina
which is convening at St. Ji
arouind eig^t o’clock in the
morning when the principal
officers of the organization put
in their appearance for a tei^
o^doek session which will mar^
the opening program. The in
flux is not expected to peak un
til Saturday afternoon, by
which time organization spokes
man say the numi>er of incom
ing delegates is expected to
Sunday at eleven o’clock the
convention is expected tch reach
its climax when the annual ser
mon will be preached by the
Rev. W- L. Jilason, pMtor of St.
Daptiat
nominations.
During the annual session
several musical groups and
prominent individuals will ap-
peac on the various programs,
all of which are open to the
public. On Sunday the music
for the morning will be render
ed by St. Joseph’s Choir No. 3.
and the Ushers Choir of Kins
ton.
NAACP top brass who critics believed do not back Roy
Wilkins stand on civil rights are shown here. Right to left
are Thurgood Marshall, Chief Legal Counsel; Arthur B.
Spluani, President; and Dr. Channlng Tobias, Chairman of
the TOard of Directors.
College Mourns
Leading Citizen;
Wire Congressman
Bunche, Jackie, Murpliy Amoifg
Those Protesting Weai(er Measure
By ALICE A. DUNN1CL\N
(Special To The TIMES)
WASHINGTON, D. C.
House Minority Leader, Joseph Mattin, stepped
spryly from the House Chamber and pulled from his
coat pocket a great bulk of folded paper. Unfolding
the many sheets he said with a smile: “This is a peti
tion which I received yesterday from a group of North
Carolina citizens expressing their opposition to the
Senate-passed civil rights bill with the jury trial
amendment.”
As he continued unfolding the pages in an effort
to get an estimate of the number of signatures he
noticed that the names appeared on both the front and
back of many pages. *‘Tnere’s no telling how many
names are here,” he stated. "There must be at least
500.”
He went on to state that he had had received in addition
to this petition many telegrams, letters and cards from prom
inent Negro citizens from all over the country opposing the
jury trial amendment.
DURHAMITES JOIN PROTEST
More than 500 Durhamltes
petitioned the House Repub
lican leadership to stand pat on
the elimination jury trial pro
vision in the civil rifhts lefiaia-
tlon.
The petitions were circulated
last week-end and forwarded
to House Republican leader
Joe Martin of Maas.
Sifners of the petition In
cluded persons from many and
varied occupations, ranffing
(rom business and professlonat
classes to factory workers.
The test of the petition read:
“We, the undersifned Negro
citlsens of Durham, N. C., are
opposed to a crippling Jury
trial amendment In the Civtl
Rifhts bill now under con
sideration and urge yon not to
accept this leglsUtlon with
such an amendment therein.”
‘Among them was a wire
from the publisher of the old
est Negro newspaper In either
of the Caroliitas," he added.
Cong. Marttn wae nCentng
A hfge i^tlMciag
-local people are expected to'f
hear liim.
The Ushers Association is the
largest interdenominational or-i
ganlzation in tli£. state. It re
cently purchased the al>andoned
Franklin Christian College pro-
perty near Franklinton where
it proposes to establish in the
near future a home for aged and
indigent ministers of all de-
Tribute Slated For Reslgm'ng
Bandmaster Of Hillside School
Durliam’s citizenry was sche
duled to gather Wednesday
night to pay tribute to one of
the city’s most respected teach
ers who is leaving the system
this ye^r.
Philmore Hall, producer of
PHILLMORE HALL
top flight high school musicians
at Hillside for over a decade,
was to be guest of honor at a
special program arranged by
the school PTA.
Hall resigned his post as
bandmaster at the high school
earlier this siunmer. He Is sche
duled to take up duties at a new
teaching post in Fairfax, Vir
ginia on September 1.
T. E. liambeth, president of
the Hillside PTA announced the
special program which will in
clude leading citizens and one
of the bandmaster’s former pu
pils.
F. Howard Alston, dean of
men at the school, was to pre
side over the formal program.
Others scheduled to appear
were Clarke Egerton, Jr., for
mer student of Hall and band
master at Lincoln high of Cha
pel Hill, H. M. Holmes, Hillside
principal, J. S. Stewart, city
councilman, and L. E. AuMn.
Austin is scheduled to make a
presentation of a gift from the
PTA.
REV. W. L. MASON
Honors On Tap
For Councilinen
According to the Chairman
of the Civic Committee of the
Durham Committee on Negro
Affairs, L. Frasier, plana
have just been completed for a
Testimonial Celebration for R.
N. Harris and J. S. Stewart,
Thursday night, September 12,
at the Mt. Gilead Baptist Chur
ch at 7:30 o’clock.
The Committee is honoring
Harris and Stewart for their
outstanding contribution to the
City of Durham as a member of
the Durham City Council and
Ciuirman of the Durham Com-
mlttee on Negro Affairs respec-
tlveiy.
One of Durham’s leading citi-
zens will be the speaker for this
occasion. There will also l>e
greetings from Civic Organiza
tions. The public is cordially
invited to attend this program.
prominenil
lodal businessman' and trustee]
of North Carolina College, who
was funeralized liere Saturday,
received a glowing tribute from
the NCC trustee group.
Secretary of the trustees, Or.
J. n;inibbafd, WBJP'tr
funeral services for Johnson,
said, “North Caorlina College
has lost a loyal alumnus and a
distinguished memlwr of the
trustees’ building and legisla
tive committee. Mr. Johnson
will be greatly missed.’’
The college and its trustees
memoralized Johnson in a reso
lution praising his “unselfish
devotion to the cause of up
lifting youth” and for his “con
tributions to the business, civic
and religious life of the state
and nation.’’
NCC President Alfonso El
der lauded Johnson's services
as a businessman, churchman
and a friend of education.
Johnson died early last Wed
nesday following complications
after an abdominal operation.
He was a native of Winston-
Salem and attended Kittrell
College before transferring to
the old National Religious
Training School and Chautau
qua, predecessor of NCC
A funeral service lasting less
than 15 minutes arranged ac-
cording to ills last wishes was
-held at St. Paul Methodist
Church. He had been a trustee
there for many years.
Three prominent Winston-Sa
lem ministers, all close friends,
participated in the church ser
vice. They were the Rev. Ken
neth Williams, former City
Councilman, wlio offered pray
er; the Rev. William R. Craw
ford, City Coimcilman and the
Rev. L. M. Mayfield, pastor.
At New York Migronf Camp
Workers Behind Barbed Wire
A barbed wire encampmetnt
patrolled by armed guards who
did not permit the more than
100 Negroes confined within to
leave the enclosure was among
the abuses discovered in an in
vestigation of migrant labor
conditions in New Yoric State,
Herbert Hill, NAACP labor sec
retary, disclosed here tills weA.
Reporting on the investiga-
tloo which he conducted jointljK
with the Rev. Latta R. Thomas,
president of the Elmira, N. T.,
NAACP branch, Mr. Hill an
nounced that the work will be
ooBtinued to discover possible
violations of federal peonage
laws.
The NAACP official reported
that the study of labor campa
and working conditions for mi"
grant agricultural workers in
lour Instate New York countiea
revealed “wideapread v(i^-
tions of the recently-enacted
state laws relating to migrants,
agricultural labor.”
The camps investigaibd were
in Chemtmg, Cayuga, Steubeq
and Onondago counties. ’The
barbed wire encampment was
found in Martville, N. Y.
"Among the many 'atnisee
found were labor camps consis
ting of abandoned farm houses,
dilapidated ducks and lean-to
riuuities without sanitary facili
ties, non-payment of wages by
unscrupulous crew leaders, child
labor violations and lack of
crew leader registration and la
bor camp certification as re
quired by state laws,” Mr. Hill
reported.
He said the migrant farm
workLers are Negroes brought
mainly from Florida, Georgia
and ^utb Carolina.
HiU said he liad telegraphed
Isador Lubin, state industrial
commissioner, citing “blatant
and widespread violations of
state laws” and requesting an
immediate conference to discuss
“more effective investigative
and enforcement a c t i v 11 y.”
While in upstate New York, he
and Mr. Thomas conferred with
state department of labor offi
cials in Bini^mton and Syra
cuse regarding “more vigorous
enforcement of sUte laws,” Hill
added.
I aenvered the eulogy,' spofce of
^Mr. Johnson “as one who liad
been honored by Presidents and
Governors and who never lost
the common touch.”
Johnson was widely known
for his philanthropy and for
Una College. NCC President Al
fonso Elder and William Jones,
(Please turn to page Eight)
MT. A
E. B. JOHNSON
Prominent N. C.
Mortician Dies In
D. C. Hospital
WASHINGTON, D. C.
Death came to Russell A
Woodard, prominent Funeral
Director and Smithfleld, N. C.
citizen, on Thursday, August
18, in Freedman's ■ Hospital
here. Mr. Woodard had come to
the city a few months ago and
was connected with one of the
funeral establishments up to
the time of his final illness and
hospitalization.
He was born in 1910 in Wil
son County, the son of the late
Isaac Woodard and Mrs.'Susie
Woodard.
The elder Woodard was
well-known mortician and Mrs.
Woodard who survives was for
many years a school teacher
Woodard had been a funeral
director in Virginia, Durham
and Smltlxfleld, N. C. He was
well known In the Tar Heel
State?
In 1BS2, he wa« nUrried to
Miss Wllhemia Lee of Durham,
N. C. They became the parents
(Please turn to page Eight)
Carolina
told the Republican leader
that he believed he voiced the
“sentiment of Negroes of both
states when 1 say they are
bitterly opposed to a civil
rights bill with a Jury trial
-amendments lie. ucgfd _Con-
gress to pass a stronger civil
rights bill or no bill."
The civil rights leader stat
ed that he received similar
telegrams from some other
newspaper executives includ
ing Mrs. Robert Vann, Presi-
dent-Treasurer of the Pitts
burgh Courier; Carl Murphy,
President ol the Afro-Ameri
can newspapers, and William
Fowlkes, Managing Editor of
the Atlanta Daily World.
“These messages and the pe
tition definitely indicate that
Negroes of this country are
not satisfied with the Celler
bill in its present form," stat
ed Rep. Martin. “We must
continue to light lor a strong
er bill. We cannot conceive of
Congress accepting the Wll in
its present form with so
many leading Negroes in this
country opposing it.”
He assured the reporter that
"a more effective bill will
come out than is now plann
ed." He would not say whe
ther he felt that such a bill
would come out of this ses
sion ol Congress.
Many Negroes, he said,
would prefer that the mea
sure be held over until next
session if It would mean
bringing out a stronger piece
of legislation.
The Minority Leader had
placed in the Congressional
Record on the previous day
copies of telegrams repre
senting what he considered a
cross section of leadership.
Beside those coming from
the newspaper editors and
publishers were messages
from siM:h prominent North
Carolinians as William A.
Clement; the Rev. R. L.
Speaks, pastor of St. Bdarks
AME Zion Church; A. J. Stan
ley, Sr., president of Local
Union 204, TWSU; and WU-
liam Clement, all of Durham.
There was also a telegram
from A. T. Si^ulding which
stated that every one of the
more than BO responsible Ne
groes to whom he had spoken
during the past tiiree days
were opposed to the jury trial
amendmen. And many were
opposed to the jury trial
amendment. And many were
members of ti»e NAACP.
Among the messages which
Martin Inserted In the Record
was one from the Richmond,
(Va.) Branch, NAACP, wfcVch
■Utad. thst ,‘*9
jtegttnr'w«
eSnt by DavM
Treasurer of the State Con
ference, NAACP in Virginia.
One was received from James
C. Bellamy of the Bladen
County NAACP, Bladenboro,
N.C. Another by Everett B.
Simmons, president NAACP
Branches at Orange and Ma
plewood, N.J: And still an
other from J. H. Calhoun,
President of the Atlanta
Brnnch, NAACP.
Clarence Mitchell, director
of the Washington Burenu,
NAACP, denied that such
telegrams were any indica
tion that the local branche.^
had taken a position contraiy
to that stated by th! Nntionnl.
“I don't see how any loc.u
branch can take an opiKi.i. ■
view and stay wilhiti I..-
framework of tlie Assoi .,' •
tlon's policy," said Mitchel’.
The NAACP has boon cin
ged with willingness to u. -
cept a compromise on tlio Lj-
nate version of the bill. Tui^
assumption was based on u
statement signed jointly by
Roy Wilkins, Executive Sec
retary of NAACP, and leaders
of IS other national organiza
tions. The statement, Issued
immediately after the Senate
had passed the bill, said it
does "contain some potential
good." This leadership group
urged for complete legisla
tive action this year.
When questioned on the
NAACP's stated position.
Mitchell said: “It is my desire
to see the jury trial amend
ment eliminated altogether
because we want the strong
est possible bill."
He pointed out, however,
thstt the Republicans are
fighting for a tougher bill and
the Democrats are seeking a
weak one. So they feel tliat
the best they can get out
would be a compromise bill
with a modified jury trial
amendment. They would ac
cept such a compromise in
order to kee the bill alive.
Since such a Conflict of
opinions have been expressed
among Negroes themselves,
Wilkins issued a memorSn-
dimi stating that the watered
down bill “will constitute a
start towaird our goal, and a
start is better than standing
still.”
He admitted that this Is not
a popular position at the pre
sent time. Many people are
saying that it Is better to
have no bill at all than to
(Pleaae turn to page Mgbt)