St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1946-03-15


Education Council, the worm has
seemed to turn. The Council met
to petition the Mississippi Legisla-
ture now in session for better
schools, better pay for Negro
teachers, nine-months schools, con-
solidated rural schools, bus trans
pOrtation, a state university for
Negroes with all the necessary de-
partments and other things.
II you know Mississippi, you also
know that no Negro raises his
voice too loud unless he is openly
inviting destruction or bodily harm.
In the past, Negro Mississippians
have been heard vocally in prayer
meetings, church conventions, in
oratorical contests and whatnot,
but seldom in making open de-
mands on the entrenched white
minority. Look at some Of these
"whereases" embodied in the reso-
lutions making up the petition:
Whereas the Negro is a citizen
of the State Of Mississippi, and
therefore a citizen Of the United
States;
Whereas, the Negro has always
striven to do his full duty as
citizen, both in peace and in war, to
protect and defend this nation;
Whereas, under the constitu-
ton Of this country, all citizens are
entitled to equal benefits from and
protection of, the law of the land;
Whereas, the Negro citizens of
Mississippi are too often denied
the equal protection Of the law Of
this state;
Whereas, the Negroes of Mis-
sissippi receive only one-tenth Of
the educational benefits accorded
whites, and even less, in many in
stances,
Whereas, the Negroes do sol
per cent Of the farm work in Mis-
sissippi, but less than five per cent
of the agricultural high schools Of
Mississippi are devoted to the train
ing Of the Negro youth;
Whereas, there is an agricul-
tural high school in practically
every county in this state for
whites, but only about three agri- |
cultural high schools in Mississippi
for Negroes;
Whereas, the Negro and white
population in Mississippi is about
equal 1.-THE Council seems to be
leaning a bit here to establish
some point: Mississippi's Negroes
outnumber the whites, the ratio
being about So to AID. G., yet
more than 500 has been invested
in Mississippi for higher educa-
tiOnal facilities for whites to every
81 that has been invested by this
state for higher education Of Ne
groes; white teachers are paid
about three times as much as Ne
gro teachers, ara in some parts Of
the state, four times as much,
though Mississippi was called upon
to send Negro soldier to the war
every time white soldier was
sent; Negro school terms are much
shorter than the terms for whites,
and worth while rural Negro school
houses, as a rule. non-eXistent."
Warming up to the subject. the
Council went on record as demand |
ing full justice in the courts Of
repeal of the poll tax
law and all other "impediments to
a fair. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Of
the will Of the people"
1--WE are citizens Of Mississippi"
the petition states. 1--WE love her
clay hills and fertile valleys, but
her discriminatory record in the
matter Of the races has not been
such as to make hundreds Of thou
sands Of Mississippians justly
proud Of many Of Mississippi's
laws, nor the way they are only
too often discriminatory admin
istered. As a result, Mississippi is
much the loser. Mississippi stands
to lose several hundred thousand
of her good Negro citizens within
the next few years, and why? Sim
ply because they feel that they can
better their condition in some other
states. II this is true, then there
is something wrong with Missis-
sippi. Why wait for the courts to
he asked to come into these mat
ters? Wouldn't il be infinitely bet
ter for the state itself to handle
such things?"
Mississippi policy over the years
has been based on ignorance and
its results. A favored few whites,
rolling in ill-gotten gains from the
labor Of unpaid millions of blacks.
shuttle hack and forth between the
beaches Of Florida. Virginia and
California. leisurely loafing their
lives away while an underprivileged
people Is held in complete bondage
on pain Of death, while elected Off
Gals thumb their noses at decency.
respect Of their fellowman and at
the world, defying one and all to
do something about it.
The only way the chains can be
struck from the ankles Of the i'm
prisoned black Mississippian is for
him to take the first step. Those
outside Of Mississippi - despite
brave talk and much gesticulation,
are rarely the ones to go into the
Bilho stronghold and beard the
devil himself. But they will join
in and fight the battle step by step
if they are convinced that now at
long last, the Negro MiSsissippian
is awakening and is saying and
doing things for himself.
Their Own Opinion