Evening star., 1947-12-14
Newe|(Scores
Federal Report
On Civil Rights
Says 1t Contoins
False Statements
And HuIf-Truths

the Presidents Civil Rights Com.
mittee in its recent report.
Taking the Washington section
of the report. Mr.. Newell pointed
out what he considered false, mis-.
leading statements and half truths.
The information about District
conditions must have been supplied
by extremely biased and prejudicee
persons" Mr. Newell said. He citec
these examples:
l. The report would have 1t be.
lieved that crowding of the coloree
people into certain areas was dus
mainly to the real estate covenants
according to Mr.. Newell. To the
contrary, more than one-half O.
the residential areas are without
covenants and daily more and more
colored people are moving into sec.
tions OF the city never before occu.
pied by members of their race, h.
said.
'It Is usually true in all cite.
that rental properties are tn the les.
desirable sections, but if they be.
come slums it is because the people
who live in them make them So
Mr.. Newell declared.
Real Estate Board Discussed.
The accusation of the report that
the Washington Real Estate Board
is an "an-white fraternity" which
protects so-called white areas from
invasion" The organization con.
sists of less than one fifth of the
people licensed to deal in real estate
he said.
There are plenty of colored real
estate brokers in the city, and
some white, who seem to be inter.
ested in selling only to colored peo-
ple," Mr.. Newell stated.
Mr.. Newell said there appeared
to be concerted movement tt
force colored people into white
areas. The procedure, he explained
is for colored family to buy one
home in a block that is wholly
white, at price far in excess of Its
value, then the rest of the resi-
dents, thinking the block Is going
colored," will be forced to sell al
less than a real value. The white
home owner sells at a loss and the
colored buyers benefit by the scheme
he said.
Competition Ii Seen.
8. The report reference to the
superior economic position of the
whites" Mr.. Newell said that many
Of our colored people appear to be
well supplied with money from some
source so they can ably compete
with white prospective buyers In the
purchase Of real estate" N
4. The report content is that the
District Bar Association is confined
to white members. It carefully"
fails to state that the National Bar
Association (colored lawyers group
has chapter in the city, Mr.. Newell
said.
S. As for the District school sys-
tenn, Mr.. Newell denied that colored
schools were inferior to the white
schools as the report claimed. He
blamed the rapid increase in popu.
lation during the war, as well al
the shift of the colored people tt
certain sections Of town, for the fact
that there is q shortage Of schools
in some parts of the District which
forces overcrowding. He claimed
this was so in white as well as col.
ored schools. He pointed to at
tempts of the Board Of Education t
remedy the situation by proposed
new buildings.
Segregation Discussed.
6. In. the recreation field, Mr.
Newell argued that a greater pro-
portion of money had been spen
on colored Fairgrounds than or
white Fairgrounds. As for the
charge by the report that the In
terror Department would not turr
over control of its swimming pool
here to the District Recreation De-
partment because the board prac'
ticed segregation, Mr.. Newell pointed
out that the Interior Department
also segregated its pools.
The reason the department op'
posed the transfer Of the pools wa
because OF a contract which th'
department had with the Govern
ment Services, Inc, he stated.
7. The report charged that th'
Capital Transit Co. advertised fo
workers hundreds of miles ava!
when manpower was short during
the war but refused to emplo!
colored operators. This statemen
Is absolutely untrue" Mr.. Newell
declared.
The truth, he explained, is tina
the company did employ coloree
people to man the streetcars ans
buses but for different reason
none Of these colored continued II
their jobs"
Both Races on Payroll.
8. There are fully as many color
ed people as white people on th'
payroll of the city, Mr.. Newell con
tinued. About one-third Of all tn,
employed people in the city worl
for the Federal Government, h,
said, and many of these are colored
9. The impression in the repor
that residents Of the District, par
sticularly those who are colored, ar,
not adequately cared for with respec
to their health" Mr.. Newell salt
the need for hospitals is shared b,
white and colored alike.
8. LAS Galhnger Hospital averages u
per cent colored patients ant
Freedmens Hospital is exclusivel,
for colored, the so called free hos
! pitals are pretty well monopolized b,
colored," he continued.
The reason the sickness rate
! higher among the colored people i
largely due to their own imprope
csre- Of themselves" he said.
"Jim~ Crow" Charge Hit.
81 10. As for the reports charge tina
In Washington all transportation
into the South becomes Jim Crow,
Mr. Newell said "colored passenger
on our streetcars and buses may 81
sin any car or bus, anywhere the.
splease." There are good colores
movie houses in the city in the so
called downtown area: there ar,
excellent lodging houses and hotel
area operated by colored people To-
colored people; there are movi,