Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1951-02-16

court suits demanding equal
school facilities for the minority
race and attacking the S"grega-
ton pattern itself. the southern
states are beginning 10 think In
terms Of vast schOol-building pro-
grams 10 equAlize white and Ne
gro schools AZ a means Of main
tanning separation Of the races.
The latest instance OF this Is In
Georgia. The lower branch Of the
General Assembly has already
passed, without q dissenting vote,
an administration measure Great
ing a state school building author
ity which Speaker Fred Hand says
will enable the state to finance
up 10 $3.50. 10000 worth Of pub
lie school buildings.
Mr.. Hand. who Ia author Of the
measure, cxprcASes the belief this
will enable the state 10 "equalize
school facilities and bring up the
standards OF all school facilities"
II creates n seVen-membcr author
ity with broad powers 10 finance
and build self-liquidatlng school
projects.
AZ the same time. IN n record
breaking Sts9. 100000 appropriR-
tons bill just introduced, over
SIS. 100000 In proposed for
schools. and II II claimed that
much Of this would go toward
improving educational opportHn-
tiles for Negroes. which tho Geor.
RIa constitution says must be
equal 20 those for the white race
Constitutional Requirement
The Georgia constitution. how
ever. requires the maintenance OF
separate schools for the races. and
the administration appropriations
bill carries q proviso that any
school which permits the mingling
Of races shall lose all state school
funds. II further says that should
any court abolish segregation IN
Georgia, all state school funds
win be cut off
The language In the Opproprta'
lions bill that threatens Ia cut off
appropriations II an end to segre-
CATION In ordered by the courts IL
not altogether Aurprtalng, For In.
stance. Governor James y, Byrnes
Of South Carolina, In HIS inaugural
address a few days ago. said that
u the United States Supreme
Court ends the separate but
equal" doctrine In respect 10 pub
lie schools the school systems Of
several states will be greatly
damaged.
In the same address he propos-
cd 10 the Legislature q S7b, 200, 900
state bond issue to help the eoun-
ties build now schools and 10
equaliKe school facilities for the
races. the money being ailocated
where II IL most needed, This
would be- state contribution 10 the
school districts which hitherto
have built their own schools, A
good bit OF new school conAtruo-
ton IL and has been In progress
since the end of the war.
North Carolina leads
Not much has been said pub
liely. but for months some respon.
sible men In the state govern
mentA Of the South have been
fOrecasting privately that II the
courts order an end 10 AcgreHa-
ton In the school systems. the
states would simply get out Of
the school business and whatever
schools there are would be private
schools.
They point out that the public
schools could be sold 90 a private
corporation made up OF any mum.
Der Of stockholders.
In both Georgia and South
Carolina, the expanded school
programs would be paid for by
enactment Of q general sales tax
Adoption Of q sales tax In both
states this year u regarded as In.
eNtable.
North Carolina. which some
years ago was the first state In
tho South TO eqiRliEe the salaries
Of white and Negro school teach.
ers, IL several jumps ahead of its
neiRhboTing state In launching q
huge public school building pro.
gram with a view toward helping
To close the gap between white
and Negro school facilities.
The state has provided $50, 600.
900 for apportionmcnt among the
counties for new school buildings
and the local school districts
themselves In the last two years
have voted nearly $4,000. 900 in
bond issues 20 finance the build.
ing OF now schools, barring too
serious materials shortages In the
months ahead, this trend IL ex,
pected to continue.
In both the CArolinas and In
Georgia suits are now pending In
the federal courts which demand
equal physical school facilities, In
the suits In Georgia and South
Carolina the segregation system
itself IL attacked on the ground
that there can BE- no equality
under segregation.
Graduate schools Accept
The threat In Georgia TO with
hold all state school funds II seq
reRntion Is abolished also would