Evening star., 1955-06-09
Special Session
Issue Studied
Virginia Group Silent
On Inteqrution PIons

RICHMOND, June 8 (P.-
.Virginia's commission on public
education met in Richmond
again today to consider the ques.
Ition of a special session of thu
Legislature to deal with prob.
Ilems created by the Supreme
Courts latest school segregation
ruling.
The 32-member legislative
group, headed by State Senator
Garland Gray of Waverly, mel
lin a 312-hour closed session al
the State Capitol last night.
Details of the meeting were
not disclosed. A spokesman sale
special session possibilities wert
discussed but that no conclusion
was reached. He said no actor
was taken on any matter.
Special Session Urged
One matter brought up was 9
list of recommendations sub.
|mitted to commission attorney
John Boatwright by Collins
Denny jr., attorney for the de-
tenders of State Sovereignty ane
individual Liberty,
Senator Gray said the Defend
|ers' plan was read but he de.
|clined comment on the commits.
sion's reaction.
The Defenders, a group claim.
ing 1900 members avowedly op.
posed to integration. urged the
commission in a. nine-point
"Plan for Virginia" to recon-
mend a special session of the
Legislature beginning not later
than mid-July.
The key recommendation In
the 2,500-word statement urged
enactment by the Legislature OF
such laws as may be needed
to prevent the expenditure OF
81 of public monies, State OF
local, in the support and main
tenance of any racially mixed
public school,"
The statement further called
on the General Assembly to
amend the State Constitution to
authorize use of public funds
to subsidize private schools and
delete all mention from State
law of compulsory education.
Submission of its recon-
mendations to the Gray Com
mission by the Defenders was
one of several new developments
on the increasingly clouded
segregation scene.
New System Suggested
Further action on the local
level came Wednesday, with a
declaration by Irwin G. Horner.
chairman of the Chesterfield
County Board of Supervisors,
that if the public school system
be maintained on a
segregated basis, a school system
should be established by pri-
vate corporation for both white
and Negro children.
However, he added, ,"I be-
Iieve the public school system
should be maintained if hui
manly possible, exclusive Of
migration"
In Prince Edward County,
where action was first taken
lfter the Supreme Courts May
Il decision, it was reported that
q 24-hour-old fund drive to
assure the salaries OF white
eachers next year had brought
pledges totaling some $75,000I
oward a goal of $212,830.
The action followed in the
wake of a decision May 81 byI
he Prince Edward Board of
supervisors not to approve ap-
for the operation of
,ublic schools in 1886. The
'roup held that there was no
that integration
would not be ordered by that
ime. They stated, however, |
hat if assurances were later
additional appropria-
ions could be approved to oper-
tie a segregated public school
ystem in Prince Edward.
Asks Speedy Action
Urgency was stressed in the
recommendations submitted to
he commission by the Defenders.
Their statement said, Unless
omething be done now. integra-
ion will begin in Virginia, and
nee begun now, it, like every
ther vile pestilence, will spread
0 the point where it has COW
red the whole body polite"
"Virginians want nothing of /
n integrated school system"
he Defenders said.
They added that the school
ystem known for many years
4 Virginia cannot be pre-
srved. The United States Su-
RENE Court has killed 1t for
ears to come. :" |,