Evening star., 1952-10-26
Donohue toSeek
End Of School
Segregation
Says He'll Appeal
To Congress if He's
Still in Office

Commissioner F. Joseph Dono-
hue said last night if he still is
a Commissioner in January he will
seek congressional action to end
District school segregation.
Mr.. Donohue criticized the pub
lie schools for falling behind the
of private schools" on
the racial question. Many private
schools here admit Negroes.
Specifically, the Commissioner
called exceedingly unfortunate"
the dropping of Gonzaga High
School from Anacostia High
Schools football schedule because
a colored youth was trying out
for Gonzaga's team. The youth.
as it turned out, didn't make the
team.
The Commissioner made the
comment in answer to questions
on his weekly radio broadcast over
WWDC.
He'll Press Issue Tuesday.
On another segregation problem
his proposal to integrate District
f1remen-Mr. Donohue said he will
raise the subject at the next Com
meeting Tuesday. But
he was non-commital ON whether
he will seek immediate action.
He did say he would ask Chief
Millard H. Sutton for a formal
recommendation soon.
Mr.. Donohue frequently has
stated his opposition to school seq
regration, but last night was the
first time he has expressed an
to act on the question.
The Commissioner has stated
publicly he will tender his resigna-
ton, whoever is elected President.
But if Gov. Stevenson is elected.
he presumably will remain in Of
flee.
Five area schools besides Ana
costa dropped contests with Con-
zaga this fall when it appeared
the colored youth might be on
the parochial high schools squad.
The youth failed to make the
grade two weeks ago.
Urges Games Be Resumed.
Mr.. Donohue urged that compe-
tition between the two schools be
resumed. The fact the colored
youth didn't make Gonzaga's
team wasn't brought out in the
broadcast, and the commissioner
didn't indicate he was aware Of
that development.
Any revival of the game this
season is unlikely. since it appears
too late for schedule changes.
Gonzaga filled its schedule with
teams.
Mr.. Donohue. in answer to an
other question, said he agreed
with recent opinion by Corpora
ton Counsel Vernon E. West that
the law prohibits assigning white
public school teachers to colored
schools, as suggested by a school
board member and by the Com
missioner himself.
But he added he thought it was
stretching the statute too far" to
assume that interracial extracur-
ricular and after school activities
also are illegal.
Critical of McGhee Views.
Asserting that if the present
public school athletic policy is
carried on it may be possible soon
for no private school to play the
Districts public. schools. Mr..
Donohue said he thought the
Commissioners mot only should"
do something about school segre-
cation but I expect to do some-
thing with the new Congress-"
He told reporter he would try
to get the other Commissioners to
join him in the action. But he
added he plans to do it himself in
any case.
The Commissioner was highly
critical, in speaking to reporters
before and after the broadcast, of
a statement he said was made by
Fire Department Capt. Curtis E.
McGhee to District f1remen at a
meeting Friday night. Mr.. Dopo-
hue at the meeting appealed to
the f1remen to accept integration.
but they voted 100 to 3 against tho
proposal.
Capt. McGhee. the commissions
er told reporters, read a state
ment in which he described a pro.
segregation viewpoint as "Ameri-
can"
II was shocked" declared the
commissioner.
Mr.. Donohue said he couldn't
say what the city heads might do
on the fire department matter.
The Commissioner praised an
article in last Sundays Star which
the racial situation in
the District as IAN excellnet docu-
of progress here.
Petition for Transfer
ALL - p