Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1946-11-30

Sparks Of Ala.
Answered On Race
Segregation

Answering the statement of Gov
ernor Chauncey Sparks of Ala
bama that race segregation is es-
sential, DR.. Joseph L. johnson,
president of the Washington Com
mittee of the Southern Conference
for Human Welfare and dean of
the Howard Medical School, last
Monday declared that "there is no
place for segregation in a demo-
cracy."
DIR. Johnson's statement, pre-
pared for the NNPA News Ser
vice, in part, follows:
"The outgoing Governor Sparks
made good beginning in his in
terview when he stated that Ne
groes and whites can live togeth-
er peacefully and tremendously.
Had he stopped these he would
have been correct. He destroys
the accuracy of his statement,
however, when he added only if
they recognize that segregation
is the first essential for work
able racial society,"
''The pattern of segregation
which Governor Sparks advocates
in the principal reason why Ne
groes and whites do not live to-
gether peacefully and harmonious
ly. Segregation assigns to one
group an inferior status. which is
without scientific foundation and
which is completely incompatible
in anything short of a fascist
state. Living together in peace
and harmony depends upon an un-
Outstanding and respect of each
GROUP for the other. Contact Is
essential to an understanding and
there can be no well-grounded re-
spect without understanding.
"People of good will, whether
Northerners or Southerners, whe-
Their Negroes, Mongolians or Cau-
cusians, find no difficulty in liv-
| ing with persons of different
races, religions or nationalities
when they are permitted to know
them.
"There is no place for segrega-
ton in a democracy. 1t is also
quite clear that the Boswell Am
endment to the Alabama consti.
tuition is a tactic to evade demo
cratic procedure and 10 disfran.
chise any citizen, Negro or white
whom the election officials see as
a threat to machine rule.
"The cry of outside interior
ence' is an old technique of South
ern demagogues to becloud the
thinking Of Southerners and DC
make them believe that the South
is not part of our democratic
United States but a sovereign ma
ton by itself. Any voice which
is raised against the evil prac-
tice Of pitting whites against Ne
groes S the voice of a 'damnyan-
kee' if it comes from the North,
or of a communist or a carpetbag-
ger if it comes from the South.
"The Southern Conference for
Human Welfare was instrumental
in electing progressive Jim Fol-
som over the man who sought to
carry on Sparks race-baiting from
the governors mansion. The Sou
thern Conference is an organiza-
ton of Southerners for the
most part Southern whites - who
see clearly the causes for the
South's economic misfortune and
are determined to stand firmly for
their removal, to the end of MAX
ing the economic, intellectual and
political stature of the South
equal to the best to be found in
any democratic municipality. The
Southern Conference for Human
Welfare realizes that the South
will continue to be the nations
sore spot until racial and religi-
Gus animosities and prejudices
give way to racial and religious
amity, understanding and cooper
alton"
thousands of our people are
living in homes that are actually
l. -