St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1952-11-14


edge of what many regard as ,
The most far-reaching d,
lations ever to come down from
the United States Supreme Court
may be announced by that tribun-
al in the near future.
Segregation in the public
schools is the issue. This is the
form of racial separation which a
majority of Southerners consider
more important than any other.
To knock it out would be to knock
the keystone from the segregation
arch.
Upon the manner in which the
court disposes of this explosive
question will hinge the future of
race relations in the South.
The three cases pending before
the court are from Clarendon
County, South Carolina; Prince
Edward County, Virginia, and To-
peka, Kansas. The last named in
wolves the precise question of
whether segregation in the public
schools is unconstitutional per Sc,
for facilities in Topeka through
the sixth grade-the only part of
the school system where segre-
cation is practiced-are admitted
by all to be just as good for Ne
gro children as for white. In the
South Carolina and Virginia cases
on the other hand, it is conceded
by the defendants that facilities
for the white and colored children
involved in the litigation are not
equal.
The Supreme Court is expected
to decide all three cases together.
In doing so, it may hand down a
categorical ruling that segrega-
ton in the elementary and high
schools is unconstitutional every
where, or it may pronounce segre-
cation valid, under the law, where
facilities are equal. These are the
two broad alternatives; variations
from them are, of course, possible.
For example, in ordering equaliza-
ton, the court might render an
opinion applicable only to the case
or cases before it, or it might rule
so sweepingly that all other coun-
ties and cities situated similarly
could quickly be forced into line.
Equalization of facilities will
impose a heavy financial strain on
many of the states and their pol
itical subdivisions, but indications
are most of them are so eager
to maintain separate education of
their children that they are will
ing to shoulder the burden. In
numerous instances, the states
will have to aid counties or cities
which are unable to pay the cost.
II Federal aid to education should
be passed by Congress, this would
solve an important part of the
equalization problem, unless, as is
quite possible, the aid should be
voted solely on condition that the
races be educated together.
In many areas where the num-
Der of Negroes is substantial the
problem of equalizing facilities for
them will be relatively simple: in
many others, where the number Of
Negroes is huge, but taxable val
ues are low, it will be most diff
cult.
In Richmond, Virginia, for in
stance. the two Negro high-school
buildings are newer and better
than the two that are available
for white boys and girls. But in
a number of black-belt counties,
such as Lowndes. Macon and Hale,
m Alabama, the taxpayers Cam
not possibly swing equalization
without state aid.
A particularly difficult problem
will present itself in the mountain
counties of Virginia, North Caro-
lima, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkan-
sas, and other Southern and Dor
der states, and in some non-moun-
famous regions of those states,
where the Negroes are so few and
scattered that equal facilities
would be possible only with the
expenditure of wholly dispropor-
tionate sums.
How to provide equal facilities
from the elementary grades
through high school in a county
which has, say, 1000 white chill
dren and twenty-five colored chill
dren?
I put this question in Atlanta to
George S. Mitchell, executive dir
ector of the Southern Regional
Council, the sanest and best-in-
formed Southwide organization
dealing with race relations.
Mr.. Mitchell was seated at his
desk in the Wesley Memorial
Building at SO Auburn Avenue N.
z. He looked at me through his
steel-rimmed glasses, pulled
sack Of tobacco out of his pocket,
deftly rolled a cigarette and said,
TN my judgement, after living
IN and travelling over the South
for a long stretch Of years. there
are a good many more places in
the South than most people think