Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-12-19
Gray Plan Foes
Open Richmond
Headquarters

/
Opponents of a Gray Commits
sion recommendation to amend
lVirginia's constitution today
Iopened a State headquarters in
Richmond. just three weeks be-
fore referendum will be held
on the proposal.
The announcement came from
Delegate Armistead L. Boothe of
Alexandria. who voted at the re-
cent special session of the Gen
leral Assembly against holding
the amendment referendum on
january g.. The amendment
would permit State tuition
grants to children in private
schools if they object to attend
ling integrated classes.
Mr.. Boothe said the headquar-
tiers of the group, to be known
las the Virginia Society for the
preservation of Public Schools,
was established Gin response to a
widespread and increasing de-
Imand for information.
| People want to hear both
sides of this important ques-
ton"
Cites Varied Backing
He said the headquarters
would be backed by educational
associations, civic groups and
ministers across the State as well
as fellow legislators from North |
Iern Virginia who were among |
the five House members to vote
against the referendum in the
recent Assembly.
Office manager for the new
headquarters is George Harris OF
Hopewell, a senior at the Uni \
versity of Richmond Law School. \
/ A Statewide advisory commit \
tee for the headquarters viii 4
he announced later in the week, |
Mr.. Boothe said.
The new headquarters oppos- A
ing the change opened in Room |
40 OF the Hotel Richmond. di-
rectly above Room $40 in which |
headquarters were opened last I
Monday for those favoring the |
referendum.
Mr.. Boothe, who is a State
Senator-elect. said that those re-
sponsible for opening the head
quarters today agree with the
Gray Commissions proposed
pupil assignment plan but are
sincerely. and definitely OPP
posed" to the tuition grant plan
for private schools.
Mrs. Stone Fears Dislocation
! Delegate Kathryn Stone, an
other organizer of the State
headquarters. said, "A fresh
retaliation OF the vital import
lance of public education Is
/ dawning on citizens.
when a government institu-
ton basic to our American way
of life is threatened by plan
which would surely bring dislo-
lcation and deterioration. citizens
must go into action. -. Our
efforts must be devoted to fur
ther strengthening pubiieI
schools, not to weakening them.
/ In another development. Dele
gate Robert Whitehead of Nell
son County. leader of anti
Organization Democrats. said he
would vote for a convention to
make the constitutional change.
! His statement was in accord
with the organization leader,
Senator Byrd, who issued a.
statement Saturday urging Vir-l
ginians to vote for the conven-
tion.
/ Senator Robertson. Democrat
of Virginia, today also took
stand in favor of the referendum.
Mr.. Whitehead, regarded as
likely candidate for Governor in
1857. had voted in the recent
special session OF the Assembly
ito submit the referendum ques-
ton to the voters but had re-
served the right to oppose the
convention.
On the other side. the presi-
dent of the Norfolk Ministerial
Association. the Rev. r. Stuart
Grizzard. came out yesterday
against the amendment plan.
| In the course of a sermon at
the First Baptist Church in Nor
folk, the minister broke into his
text to state, ANY tampering
with the public school system
hurts democracy and freedom.
You may say that our country
had no public schools when ii
was established. That's true.
but we could not have preserved
d emocracy without public
schools, for they provide us with
an informed electorate
Mr.. GrizZard also said he
wanted to know ''who is to define
the exact difference between
State supported private and
parOchial Schoolsp"