Evening star., 1951-10-12
DavisBiI| Would
Bar |ntegrated
FireDepartnlent
Sponsor Plans Early
Hearing on Measure
To Revoke Order

Representative Davis, Democrat,
Iof Georgia plans to call hear
ing soon on bills he introduced
late yesterday to force the Dis
trict Commissioners to continue
to- segregate white and colored
members of the Fire Department.
AS chairman of the House Dis
trict subcommittee on police and
Ifiremen, the bills will be referred
to his own group.
Elsewhere on Capitol Hill, there
were predictions that his move
would fail to win congressional
approval.
Mr.. Davis criticism brought
from District Commissioner F.
Joseph Donohue the comment
that "this kind of a problem
should be considered by use of the
intellect and not by use of the
emotion"
One of the Davis bills would set
aside the action of the Commits
sioners as to assignment and in
tegration Of Fire Department per-
|sonnel. It would require the city
heads in making future Fire De-
partment assignments to follow
the practices prevailing prior to-
October 2.
Asks Competitive Tests.
The other bill would require
that all officers of the Fire De-
partment be appointed on the
basis of competitive examinations.
Mr.. Davis issued a statement
setting forth his views on the
controversy. 1t follows:
When members of the House
District Committee asked the
three Commissioners last week
their reasons for ordering Negro
firemen placed in white fire COM
Ipanies, they stated they followed
Chief Mayhew's recommendation,
who reported he had polled three
battalions and found sentiment
overwhelmingly in favor of such
action.
"A poll Of the meeting of mem
bers of Local No. So of the Fire
Department Association has re-
Ifuted Chief Mayhew's statement.
1T is an outrage to upset the
harmonious operation of the de-
partment in this way. The fire
department is totally different
from the police department. AS
has been said, this change would
create almost a family relation
between the men who live in these
firehouses. 1t is not welcomed.
1t will disrupt morale and upset
existing harmonious relations.
Cites Riots in North.
mo one can close his eyes to the
fact that normal white people
want to eat, sleep. swim, go to
school and live together. This is
not confined to southern people.
Cicero, H., is not a southern town.
Neither are Philadelphia or Chi
cago. Yet recently in Cicero, Ill, ;,
a group of hundreds of people re-
fused to let a Negro family move
into a white section. In Philadel-
iphia riot between whites and
Negroes broke out following a.
basketball game, which was only
broken up by a riot call to the
police department. In Chicago
the home of Negro chemist was
bombed because he moved into a
white neighborhood. Also in Chi
|cago, more than a thousand people
participated in a riot on the south
side, and more than 400 policemen
were required to restore order.
This resulted from efforts to move
Negro families into a white neigh
borhood.
There have been tragic park
fights and killings in Baltimore
resulting from mixing the races in
lIle parks tnere.
White people in Washington
have given over five public SWIM
ming pools to Negroes because
they were opened to Negroes. They
prefer to let the Negroes have
them completely. rather than use
them with Negroes.
"The problem is going to grow
more acute in the North, regard
less of crackpot radical theories,
as Negroes leave the South and
move North. It is far better to
recognize the problem and handle
it sensibly in a manner to preserve
harmony than to try to handle it
on political basis. and practice
Ihypocritical demagoguery.
Hits Economy Argument.
II do not believe economy is
behind this move. It is a part
of the pattern of pandering to-
Negroes for political purposes. 1t
lis being done here at the expense
Iof the firemen. =.
ut is claimed this move is made
because it is the law Of the land.
This would indicate great respect
for law. believe civil service
laws and regulations require pro-
motion to officers positions in the
Fire Department to be made on a
merit basis, through competitive
examinations. in which all quail
fled applicants may participate.
I have been told that all but five
Neorn officers, nnSitina utere filled