The times-news., 1938-12-15
NEGROES IN SOUTHERN COLLEGES e?

The decision of the United States supreme court
that the University of Missouri must admit NEGRO
to its law school in the absence of statesupported
school for negroes within the states borders has
the effect of command to the University of South
Carolina to admit negroes to its professional de-
partments. negro has applied for admission to its
law school. t
The states of the South may adopt one of several
courses in respect of this issue.
They may admit negroes to their white institu-
tions, giving up the fight for racial separation.
They may establish separate professional schools
for negroes
They may withdraw state aid to professional
schools. That would be to abolish schools of law,
pharmacy, teaching, medicine engineering. Jour
naism as taught in the Southern universities is an
undergraduate study and may scarcely be called
professionally
The state universities with the tacit consent of
the public may pretend compliance with the su-
preme courts decision and evade and nulify it by
subterfuges and by resort to ways that would make
the lives of negroes uncomfortable within the inst-
tutons. This would not be without precedent, and
for long time it might relieve the situation from
the white mans point of view. 1t is not pleasant
or decent thing to think of, but it would be the
natural result of the devious, uncertain, unfrank
and dishonest policy of the United States toward
its negro question the last hundred years. Con-
tinually hypocrisy has forced the South upon oc-
casion to be ruffian rascal.
Were the law school alone involved the problem
could be easily disposed of in South Carolina No
statesupported law school is needed or is desirable
The South Carolina law school has long been more
hatchery of politicians than lawyers, and the
value of it to the commonwealth is matter of grave
doubt, to put the case IN polite terms
Indeed, that the state should support profess
sional schools or "higher education" is not To he
taken for granted. The pioneer days when their
support was expedient have departed. Privately
supported and therefore relatively independent in
stitutions have multiplied. Wofford would not he
compelled by the courts decision to admit NEGROES
nor would Oglethorpe Belmont. Sewanee, Furnan
or Duke. The new modes of travel have placed
these institutions closer to South Carolina than
Greenvllle was to Columbia quarter century ago.
In general the courts decision will increase the
interest of southern people in their privately sup
ported colleges, among which are their church col
leges. The movement by governments, federal and
state, to break down racial barriers cannot, must
not, escape observation. The Republican and Dem
ocratlc parties are appealing to the negro voters
and are endeavoring to force the ballot upon the
southern negroes To this effort in national poll
tics signs of willingness to capitulate are unmis
taxable though not yet plainly visible, IN some
southern state institutions. Virtually all of them
are mendleants for federal appropriations, and il
their directors are not entirely stupid they mus
know that they cannot eat the bread without sing
ing the song. r..
Ihe supreme courts decision menaces southern
state supported institutions of every kind-unles:
tne southern white people ready to surrender
the practice of race separation. The masses 90 moi
know it, but fewSof their political leaders woult
deliver them into the hand of the negroes rathe,
than give UP their miserable little jobs,-Charles
ton News and Courier.