Evening star., 1947-01-10
Urban League Invites
Citizens Federationto
Discuss Race Report

vited committee of the Federation
of Citizens Associations to meet
with it for a full discussion of the
recent report of the Council OF
Social Agencies Racial Relations
Committee.
The citizens organization Satur-
day night condemned the report
which called for the end of racial
segregation in the District. It also
asked the Council of Social Agencies
to disapprove its committees rec
concentrations.
Robert G. Wilson, president of
the Urban League Board of Di-
rectors, in letter to Clifford H.
Newell, president of the citizens
Federation, advocated round-table
discussion of the racial relations re-
port.
The Urban League, founded in
1910, is an interracial agency for
racial welfare work among Negroes.
Mr.. Wilson suggested that the
committee of the Federation review
the data contained in the race rela-
tions survey and to sit down with
the technician of the race relations
section of the social survey, Dr., Jo-
seph H. Douglass, and the surveys
director, Clarence M. Pierce.
~ Survey AssaiIed in Letter.
Mr.. Wilson also wrote DR.. Ernest
Griffith, president of the Council of
Social Agencies, commencing it for
the survey, the 10th to be made
public of a total Of IA. At the same
time he urged the council to tell
the public the scope of the social
survey, the source of its funds, the
amount spent on the race relations
report and the method of selection
of survey committees and the COM
mittees' procedure.
In his letter to Mr.. Newell, Mr.
Wilson said: "Any disagreement as
to the facts Gin the race relations
report) could be referred for veri-
fication to a mutually acceptable
committee of newspaper reporters
or to other experts. Surely the COM
munity should have the facts.
7 1--WE refer to that part Of your
committee report which indicates
the desirability of eliminating dis
examinations by proper administra-
tion. The Urban League would like
to explore this with your committee
and to assist in bringing about i'm
proved administration.
Real Solution Urged.
"While everything possible should
be done along these lines to improve
conditions, we believe that the real
solution calls for the acceptance of
the principles on which the social
survey recommendations are based,
namely, that discrimination and
segregation are not compatible with
American democratic and religious
traditions and that segregation as
such results in discrimination"
The league took issue with the
Federation committees statement
that it was unable to discover any
discrimination listed or assumed in
the social survey. The league cited
poorer facilities in the Negro high
schools" exclusion of Negroes from
certain hospitals with resulting over
crowding," the exclusion Of Negro
physicians from Gallinger, the pub
lie hospital, and from certain other
hospitals with resulting detriment
to patients care"
"It said "the Federation report
assumes that segregation is not dis
elimination. The league, taking
issue with this, said segregation as
such is discriminatory and un-
wholesome to the welfare of the
community" It declared that "to
segregate is to discriminate and
that the discriminatory results of
segregation are apparent in the
community" 1t said: "We there
fore cannot agreed with the Fedora
ton conclusion that all discrim-
nations can be eliminated by i'm
proved administration without al
tering the segregation pattern"
The league declared that Fedora
ton advocacy of separation and
segregation for many years sis not
compatible with our American
traditions and constitutional postu-
lates nor does it conform to the
tenets of the Christian and other
religious faiths in our community" !"
The Federation, by a vote Of 113
to Q, adopted the report Of its .spe-
cial five-man committee which
St.1 - M, ~oJo roy,orf