Evening star., 1951-05-26
Co|ored Group Plans
Colonial Beach Visit
On Holiday Opening
By J. l. Miehoel
Stur SioH Correspondent,

St0f Ss0sI SOTtVSpoUuuHt
COLONIAL BEACH, Va, MAY
Pa delegation Of Negroes plan.
Ito bathe with white persons hers
Decoration Day unless town au.
thorities set aside section of thi:
resorts Potomac River beach fol
their use.
Martin A. Martin, colored, O.
Richmond. attorney for the Ma.
|tional Association for the Ad.
|vancement of Colored People
disclosed these plans in response
Ito questions by a reporter.
Last summer, Mr.. Martin led a
group of Negroes who appeared
on the main section of the mile.
long beach here. Two white
youths received minor knife
wounds and several colored per-
sons were belabored with fists
shoes, sticks and stones.
Norman w. Brewington. then
negotiated cancellation OF
a planned return visit last year.
Matter of Integrity.
Speaking by telephone from
Wilmington, N. c., Mr.. Martin said
he would lead another delegation
to the beach when the town off,
cially opens its season next We'd
nesday.
"I intend to carry out that
plan," he declared. 1T is a mat
ter of integrity with me. I started
this movement and I propose to
see it through"
Mr.. Martin said he would be
accompanied by delegations from
Washington, Fredericksburg, Rich
mond and perhaps New York. He
refused to say how many would be
in the party.
1--WE will cause no trouble and
we hope there will be none," Mr..
Martin said, land. we expect the
town to provide police protection. /"
Want Separate Section.
Asked if he insisted on using the
entire beach on the same terms
Is white persons. Mr.. Martin re-
piled:
mo, we have never asked that
and do not ask it now. We do not
want to mingle with the whites.
All we want now and all we have
,ver requested is that the town
set aside a portion of the beach
'or colored people.
There are a number of suit
able places which can be made
available but for Is years town
officials have refused to do so de-
spite the fact that a substantial
number Of colored persons are
property owners and are taxed
On the same basis as whites"
Town Treasurer E. Hugh Could
nan said that last year 45,805
Of the municipalities SLABS, ,440
taxable property was in the hands
Of from l60 to 200 Negroes who
comprise 10 per cent of the per-
manent population.
Mayor L. c.. Costenbader said,
Il will not talk about any phase
Of this situation"
Council Expected to Meet.
None Of the five councilmen
who could be reached would dis
cuss the matter in detail. One.
George E. Rick, said he believes
the council will meet to consider
the problem.
Councilman E. w. Beckwith pre-
dicted that no trouble would oc-
cur but added that the town would
''try to protect" the Negroes if
they come on the beach front.
It was learned that a council
meeting to discuss the subject was
set for Thursday, but was called
off due to absence of Town At
torney George F. Mason, jr.
Suit Now Pending.
The meeting was agred upon,
an informed source said, at a
in Fredericksburg last
week between Attorney c. O'Conor
Goolrick. Mr.. Mason and Mr.. Mar
tin.
The three lawyers took up the
question along with a discussion
of a suit filed against Colonial
Beach by Mr.. Martin which is
now pending in Federal Court
in Richmond. The action charges
the town with discriminatin
against Negroes in the matter
of beach facilities.
Mr.. Goolrick, who was retained
by the town as special counsel to
assist Mr.. Mason, replied that
there was no point to the charge
because the law gives white and
Negro persons equal rights on the
beach.
n,,I~n@u CoaL~