Evening star., 1955-03-11
5More Support
Segregation Of
Firemen Here
Subcommittee Pluns
Executive Session
With Commissioners
By Harold B. Rogers

citizen association leaders. today
testified before a House District
subcommittee in favor Of pro-
posed legislation to restore segre-
CATION in the District Fire De-
partment.
At the close of the fourth
public hearing on the contro-
versy over integration, Subcom-
mittee Chairman Davis an
nounced that an executive
session will be held later to dis
cuss the problem with the Dis
trict Commissioners and Fire
Chief Millard Sutton.
Representative Davis predicted
such a session after it had been
requested by Representative
Kearns, Republican, of Pennsyl-
vania ranking minority member
of the subcommittee handling
police and f1remen's affairs.
Further Hearings Planned
Chairman Davis said he plans
further public hearings on his
bill to void the order of the
Commissioners which has placed
white and colored firemen in the
fire houses of the city.
Main objections to integration
voiced by witnesses today were
based on what they said was the
high percentage of veneral dis
ease in the colored population.
the fact that the white and
colored firemen use the same &C
commodations, and that the
crime rate is higher here among
the colored population than
among the white.
Frank H. Collins. first vice
president of the Federation Of
Citizens Associations, and chair
man of the federation's Police
and Fire Committee, emphasized
the disease and crime figures.
This same reason, he said, was
why he objected to the "over-
night" integration of the Dis
trict Recreation Department
facilities, including swimming
pools. He was once chairman Of
the District Recreation Board.
resigning in June, 1858. after
pending with other board mem
bers over racial policies.
MIR. Collins said he has friends
among the colored race, some Of
whom visit his home, and he
visits their homes. He praised
what he called the marvellous
progress made by some outstand-
ing Negroes in this country.
Cites Population Trend
Asked by committee members
about the trend of population
in Washington. he said the
colored population was increaS-
ing here 10 times as fast as the
white population, that the colored
now are officially listed 35.7 per
cent of the total but police esti-
mated it around 40 per cent.
Asked by Representative Will
liams, Democrat, of Mississippi.
if, in his opinion, white people
were moving out of the city,
the witness said he believed that
the Supreme Court decision in
tegrating schools had accelerated
the departure of whites from
the District. He said he noticed
a report recently of the number
of telephones in Washington
changed from white to colored
customers He did not say where
! the report came from.
Representative Williams said
he had moved from Washington
to Virginia with his three minor
children.
Mrs. Ernest w. Howard, an
official of the ladies' auxiliary
of both the District Fire De-
partment local association and
Of the International Association
of Fire Fighters, agreed with
Mr.. Collins that the disease fac
tor was one important reason
why women members of the
f1remen's families object to in
tegration.
"Guinea Pig" Charged
She charged the District Fire
Department was being made a
guinea pig" and the men were
not free to speak out.
"Our constitutional rights
have been taken away from u.s."
she said, charging that the "Su-
preme Court has usurped the
power of Congress-"
1--WE are very much opposed to
the integration of the Negroes
from the standpoint of living
conditions in the fire depart
ment," Mrs. Howard told the
subcommittee. Il hope you will
not be deferred in your effort to
do something about it and re-
verse the ridiculous and unfair
decision handed down by the
Commissioners, who, we believe,
do not know the facts of life in
relation to the fire department"
Other witnesses testifying
against integration included
Philip A. Dolan of the Michigan
Park Citizens Association; Mrs.
Gladys Muse. of the Anacostia
Citizens Association, and Sergt.
William H. Steuart, chairman of
the Segregation Committee of
the Firemens' Local Association
No. 36. who took issue with sew
eral statements favoring inte-
grafton made at a previous hear
ing by District Fire Chief Millard
Sutton.