Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-12-04
Virginia 10 Vote
On Gray Report
AT Polls Jan. 9
Referendum Set
By Stanley After
Senate Passes Bill
BY ALEX r. PRESTON
Star Stan Correspondent

Star Stan Correspondent
RICHMOND. Dec. 3.-The first
step in program designed to
give Virginians a means of get
ting around the Supreme Courts
public school segregation deci-
sion was enacted by the General
Assembly today.
Gov. Stanley quickley signed
the bill for which the Legisla-
ture was summoned in extra ses-
sion Wednesday.
He announced he would call
the special referendum for jan
uary 9, two days before the
regular session of the General
Assembly is scheduled to con-
vene and carry out other phases
Of the anti-integration program.
Earlier the Senate voted SO to
1 for the bill authorizing a ref
erendum to the use of public
funds for private schooling in To-
calities that abolish their school
systems and for parents who OBJ
ject to their children attending
integrated public schools.
Actually, there is expected to
be little change in Virginia's pub
lie school system in the next few
years-at least not until and
unless Negroes win a challenge
in the courts of today'S action
by the Legislature.
Student Withdrawal Seen
A countless number Of stu
dents. however. may be with
drawn from public schools in
the next school year or two If
Indignation is ordered. Their
education would be subsidized
partially by the State and par
TALLY by the locality under the
program initiated today.
Dalton Dissents
Republican State Senator Ted
Dalton of Rsdford, a likely can
didate for Governor two years
hence. cast the dissenting vote
In the Senate.
The bill had passed the House
Of Delegates yesterday. 95 to 5.
with four Of the opponents rep
resenting Arlington, Alexandria
and Fairfax.
Immediately after its work was
done, the Legislature received a
personal visit from Gov. Stanley,
who said:
IT am deeply grateful for the
cooperation of the General As
sembly in its deliberate and care
full consideration OF the subject
before this extra session.
'The manner in which you
have approached the problem is
a credit to you. individually, and
to the traditions of this historic
legislative body. Everyone who
wished to express himself. before
the committees and on the floor.
has been accorded full opportu-
nifty to do so during the past
four days. :.
First Step in Process
"This is the first step in a
process designed to preserve ed
ucational opportunities for chill
dren throughout Virginia and to
avoid enforced mixing Of the
races in the public schools"
The legislation is part Of the
i5-month labors of a special
Commission on Public Education
headed by State Senator Gar
land Gray of Waverley. 1t has
two principal features:
One is the private education
subsidy proposal which requires
q change in the State Constitu-
ton in the light of a recent State
Supreme Court decision banning
Use OF public funds for the edu-
cation Of certain war orphans in
private schools. This change re-
quired a special session Of the
Legislature authorizing the ref
erendum on the question of call
ing a limited constitutional con-
vention to deal with public funds
for private education.
Another Election Needed
If the voters approve the con-
stitutional convention another
special election will have to be
called to elect delegates, probably
late in the winter.
If the convention makes the
changes, necessary legislation to
carry out this phase of the pro-
gram may be enacted before
the General Assembly adjourns
around the middle of March.
The second main feature Of
the Gray Commission plan is au-
thorization for broader powers
to local school boards to assign
students to specific schools for
such reasons as health, intelli-
gence rating and other factors
but not because Of race.
Legislation for this phase also
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