Evening star., 1947-11-04

Were 1t possible for me to put my hands on
some Of your past papers, could show you
what I mean more easily. Many times you
have supported legislation which had for its
objective the abolition Of practices in the
South, but now that the problem is at your
door you demur.
For example you said in your comment and
quote, "A more genuine symbol Of democracy
and one more in keeping with the fundamental
concepts of the American heritage would be
to leave the solution of local problems to the
people who must live with them and give
these people the ways and means-through
the ballot-of working them out for them
selves"
This is nothing but the Southern philosophy
If your political philosophy in relation to the
race question is identical with that of the
South, you should refrain from condemning
the Southern people. They have had the
means and ways for three-score years and
have done but little. Their cry is always the
same as yours of Wednesday. Leave the
solution of local problems to the people who
must live with them" A READER.
To the Editor of The Star:
I fully agree with the editorial concerning
the recommendations of the Presidents Com
mttee on Civil Rights.
This appears to be just another case OF
getting a number of busy people to serve on
a committee for which some partisan bureau
crat selects the staff which in turn colors the
true facts to suit the purposes OF the politicos
responsible for the creation of the committee
in the first place.
The Ku Klux Klan was condemned, and
rightly so, for using force and threats to
prevent the association and intermingling of
certain races AS I understand the recon-
mendations of the committee, it advocates
governmental coercion to force the association
and intermingling of certain races. This seems
to me to be form of Ku Klux Klanism in
reverse. A. E. BARRETT.
To the Editor of The Star:
think The Star tries to speak for the ma
jority of the white people but Judging by your
editorial of October 80, do not believe you
read your own paper.
You say that "the greatest denial of civil
rights in Washington is the denial to its people
OF the right to vote" I will agree, but that is
the only right that the white people are lack
ing. The Negro is lacking many others lead
ing up to the denial to vote; why not let him
catch up in rights then we all go on from there
to the right to vote?
II the citizens are SO much against segrega-
ton why don't they refuse to eat in Govern
ment cafeterias, stay away from the ball park,
object to riding the streetcars with Negroes and
attending many other gatherings where Negroes
and whites mix. There are very few incidents
Of disagreement. I have attended a church
school at Calvary Baptist Church for the past
four years and I have never seen any one un-
willing to cooperate. The ones who attend
these classes are mothers and fathers of school
children You must be speaking for the class
of people who stay home and complain.
Segregation may not be the cause of the poor
schools for Negroes but discrimination which is
practiced in segregation, is the cause of it.
You said the Capital Transit Co. did not hire
Negroes because the drivers threatened a walk
out. Did not the drivers walk out twice during
the war for other reasons? Did they go back any
sooner than the Philadelphia drivers did when
they walked out because Negro drivers were
hired? They are doing much more harm to the
white race by bringing white men here from
other States who could be much more help in
their own State. They came here to take high
paying drivers jobs that any white or Negro
man with high school education could do
I have Travelled South many times on trains
which did not segregate its passengers when it
AC1s w do1Al1lStOll dllu nave yct W see d. pas
senger threaten to get off if the officers did not
segregate them. But further down the line the
officials decide to think for the passengers, they
insist the passengers want segregation.
If you leaders would let the public think for
themselves there would be no segregation and
very little discrimination between the races,
because the Negro Is not any more anxious to
go into the whites home than the white is to
Ix,&o ~ h.
want the right to say Il am free American
citizen'-not drafted American citizen.
Do white people object to Negro police pro-
lection? Would they rather their homes to
burn than have a Negro fireman put it out?
Would the white. people rather their school
children leave school to take jobs to keep the
Negro from having the job? Think how many
years Of this and the white race will be the
uneducated race. L. E.. E.
To the Editor Of The Star:
The writer does not desire to condemn sim
cere thinkers on either side of this civil
rights explosive issue, and. in fact will be the
first to admit that there are two valid sides to
1t. But this Is not a simple matter to settle
nor one that third parties from the outside can
settle with success for Washingtonians Nor
is 1t matter that any other appointed COM
mittee can resolve whether they be Washing
tonians Or not.
Radical social change comes about either by
revolution or by gradual evolution. The Amer
ican democratic way is the latter. Those who
would force revoluntary change of customs un-
der the guise of civil rights" merely create
civil strife. There are very few white people IN
this city or in any other who sanction the COM
plete blending of the races in all its aspects.
The optimum degree to which social institu-
tions should be allowed to contribute toward it
is highly controversial. This touchy question
should certainly be decided by local opinion and