Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-08
Cobb Flags
NAACP, Quits
Committee. Job
Protests Criticism
Of Two Members
Of School Boord

LcoISucU 4TON CuC Executive
Committee of the District branch,
National Association for the Ad-
vancement Of Colored People,
in protest over the committees
criticism Of two colored mem
beers OF the Board Of Education.
DR.. Cobb. a leading colored
physician, hotly condemned the
committee action in calling for
the resignation of Wesley S. Will
liams and Col. West A. Hamilton.
Il feel that this action is in
contradiction to the principles
Of fair play which the NAACP
advocates in all of its repre-
sensations in behalf of minorities
and will not enhance the stature
of our branch in this commu-
nifty" he declared.
Didn't Support Move.
The NAACP committee asked
for the designations when the
two members failed to support
DR.. Margaret Just Butcher, third
colored member of the school
board, when she tried to get the
school board to vote formally
that it could not make colored
and white schools equal at the
present time.
DR.. Cobb is professor and head
Of anatomy at the Howard Uni
versity Medical School. He also
is president of the District
Medico- Chirurgical Society and
member of the national Board
of Directors of the NAACP.
The text Of DIR. Cobb's letter
Of resignation to Eugene David
son, president Of the District
branch Of NAACP, follows:
with intense regret over the
circumstances which move me to
this step. I hereby submit my
resignation as a member of the
Executive Committee of the Dis
trict Branch of the NAACP be-
cause cannot in good conscience
be a party or seem to be a party
to the action of the committee
on February 4 in voting to re-
quest the designations from the
Board of Education of the Dis
trict of Columbia of Col. West
A. Hamilton and Attorney Wes-
ley S. Williams.
Calls for Fair Play.
Il feel that this action is in
contradiction to the principles of
fair play which the NAACP ad-
vocates in all of its representa-
tons in behalf of minorities
and will not enhance the stature
OF our branch in this community.
We cannot decry on the part of
others character attack, personal
viliflcation and condemnation
without a hearing of full knowl-
edge Of the facts If we engage
in the same kind of practice our
selves whenever the official acts
or judgments Of responsible citi-
ZenS duly sworn to the public
service are not in complete con-
Torrance with our own views.
1T is always easier to inflame
emotions than to grapple directly
with tough problems. The local
school situation is a tough prob
lem which demands the speediest
possible solution. I know of none
who would claim ultimate wis
dom as to the best practicable
procedures to effect swift ade-
quacy and justice in the matter.
Nor do I know of any one who
would attempt to deny the many
and gross inequalities which have
been incontrovertibly shown to
exist between Divisions l and 2.
In the meeting on last Thursday
the motion to approve the posi-
ton and commend the services Of
Mrs. Margaret Butcher passed
unanimously. The branch was
thus in a position to concentrate
it's energies entirely upon the
issues involved and possibly bring
larger segments of the Board OF
Education to look upon the truth
as the branch sees 1t.
There was no need for the
second motion which maligns Mr..
Hamilton and Mr.. Williams. be-
cause in a certain instance they
did not see fit to second two
motions put by the other colored
member of the board. Because
the motion in our committee
was passed, our house is now
divided. and the effectiveness
with which the branch can func-
/ ton in the immediate future has
been diluted.
mo less than nine members
of the executive committee took
the floor to express. disapproval
of the vindicitive motion and
I noted two others whose lips
did not move when the voice vote
was taken. There was nothing in
the branch's announcement to
the press to indicate this lack
of unanimity and false impress
sion was thus given the public.
moral" Lynching.
"The latter part of the dis
cuSSion which tranSpired bore
Similarities to the howls of a
mob outside a jail for some per-
son within to be delivered to it
with on exercise of due process
of law. When the cry for blood
went up in the meeting, one
member said he favored Hitle-
rian methods in dealing with
the objects of his venom. A min
lister Of the Gospel so far for
got Plate and they who had
cried Give us Barabbas,' that
he stood forth and said in effect
that some members of his con-
gregation were crying for blood
in this case and therefore he
would have to give them some.