Arkansas State press. [volume] (Little Rock, Ark.) 1941-1959, 1955-02-04
Some Legislative Questions Challenge
Negro Attention
BY S. S. Taylor

BY S. S. Taylor
As citizen the Negro is interested public questions
because public questions relate to him they do all other
portions the public Sometimes the relation of public
ton the Negro sefevdent at Others but there
is always relation
The Negro is interested appropriations for the high
fund because he travels the highways He may be less
interested financially than the gigantic firms whose trucks
carry the major loads these highways but he the
highways, and he owns trucks and other vehicles
But there public questions which have spe-
immediate the Negro because their
lation him is than ordinarily apparent The kind of
welfare law which will have of interest to Negroes
Negroes may their due share of employment but
they always have than their share of unemployment
partially due discrimination They also have their share
of the aged the handicapped and the dependent They cannot
miss the importance to themselves of the right kind of well
fare law.
Neither can Negroes miss the Importance to themseve
the right kind teacher license law Teaching is of
the occupations which there has been considerable place for
Negroes They cannot miss the importance of
ton which offers kind of livelihood to many of them.
Negro interested in the qualifications of the teach
who will teach their children They interested there
fore both in the type education required of the teacher
and in the amount of salary paid Unless both educational
quremens and salary conditions satisfactory then it is
than likely that the Negro teacher will be unsasae
tory to the Negro parent
The type institution which will have to deal with
questions of juvenile delinquency and dependency also of
interest Negroes Negroes subjected
ing, inadequate receationa facilities exclusion from
much political activity in addition to limitations in employ
men the amount of dependency and delinquency among Ne
groes is usually of concern Just how shall deal with de-
hnquency and dependency is question the Importance Of
When therefore it is proposed make important
change in the nature of the institutions caring de-
linquents and dependents Negroes interested The
date change which apparently contemplated bill pro-
posed Arkansas consolidation states
four institutions into
The question here whether such concentration of ia
ciles desirable There is question indignation be-
Indignation is not intended There will still be separate
dormitoes for white and coored well domi
tories for the
But if there Indignation races
bnation of the four institutions into would this
writer to be step backward At each institution
for three general types Juveniles dependents young
delinquents, and older habitua delnquens The
facilities for caring for them questioned pres
How then do expect better institutions,
DDS, and better facilities when multiply the problems by
four
Juvenile delinquency and dependency problems
which lend themselves readily handling in the The
delinquent the dependent usually delinquent de-
pendent because he has individual problem The problem
how largest number in how
to give the most individual attention to each one Obviously
this be done worst when most present
We do not believe that putting all the delinquens and de-
pedents together will make their handling any better
We believe that will make the situation be-
it will make attention the individual harder The
dividual always gets less attention in the crowd.
Certainly, the Negro will not be helped by the proposed
change he will probably far less attention than he
gets little he receives Moreover close contact,
with continued discrimination will friction
than the present situation This will quickly show itself
the Negro cannot hope to retain much of d
recton in the proposed institution he has in the present
setup There is point throwing what you have
unless you have prospect of something better
One of the fundamental defects present day
ucaton is its emphasis of the and failure give
attention the individual Instead reducing
of Juvenile institutions to it would be better
them eight creating separate institutions
young, then there might be opportunity for guiding the
individual much needed