Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-02-29
Moore Plan Faces
Senate Opposition
Majority Of Rules
Unit Against
School Proposal
BY ALEX r. PRESTON
star staff Correspondent

BY ALEX r. PRESTON
star STAFF Correspondent
RICHMOND, Feb. 20 - The
Moore resolution suggesting. as
one member described it, that
Virginia comply with the SUI
|preme Courts school segregation
decree with all deliberate de-
lay" today was headed for the
Senate Rules Committee where
Ia majority Of members are
against it.
Rough Shedding was in pros
peet for it in the upper branch
following House approval late
yesterday by vote of 81 TO. 50.
Three of the five members, OF
the Senate Rules Committee are
opposed to the resolution OF
House Speaker E. Blackburn
Moore which calls for contin-
uation of segregated public
schools in the 1861 school
year. The measure also declares
| a special session Of the. legis-
Ilature in the immediate future
lis neither practical nor desir-
able" to enact the Gray Com
mission recommendations for
avoiding forced integration.
Opposition Noted
1t. Gov. A. E. S. Stephens and
Senator Edward l.. Breeder Of
Norfolk previously had publicly
indicated their opposition to the
resolution. One of the other three
Rules Committee members. who
declined to be quoted by name,
told the Washington Star he also
is against the proposal.
/ During a three-and-a-half-
hour debate in the House, chief
objections centered around these
points.
! by deferring action on the
Gray Commission program, the
resolution deprives the State OF
la legal defense to meet the SUI
Ipreme Courts deliberate speed"
order for compliance.
by deferring legislative &C
ton, it breaks faith with the
people who voted about 2-te-1
on January 9 for constitutional
convention on the representation
that hasty action was needed.
3-That the resolution under
mines the work of the Gray Com
mission which worked for more
than IA months to evolve .
program to legally preserve or
minimize mixing of the races in
Iclassrooms.
Frees Stanley's, Hands
The House beat down two
major efforts to amend the
resolution and approved a lesser
one.
The one approved frees the
hands of Gov. Stanley to call q
special session Of the legislature
at any time he thinks it is to
the best interest of the State
to do so.
| Disapproved was an amend
ment stating that the special
session should be called prior to
September 26. ana another re-
Questing the Governor to sum-
mon the extra session in time
to enact plan prior to the OPEN
ing of schools next fall.
| E. T. Carleton of Richmond
said the Moore proposal "defies
openly the ruling of the Supreme
Court for compliance with all
deliberate speed. 1t spells out all
deliberate delay"
Almond Hears Debate
! Seated in the we'll on the floor
at the press tables was Attorney
General j. Lindsay Almond, jr..
listening to the debate.
! Only the day before. Mr.. AL
mond had strongly attacked the
Moore resolution in reply to
questions frcm two Senate MEM
bers. Part of his reply was re-
Ipeated time and again by various
opponents Of the resolution. Most
frequently quoted remark from
the Attorney Generals reply was
this:
Il cannot conceive how this
resolution, of itself. urlaccom-
panied by appropriate and prior
substantive legislative enact
iments. can be used as a defense
or bear any proper relation to
Isucn defense. I am convinced
that the resolution standing
alone would prove to be a ready
and dangerous weapon in the
hands of the opposition.
Most Recent Ruling
MI. Moores aid, 1.-The fact that
the courts have not seen fit to in
terpret all deliberate speed
makes it fitting for us Gin the
legislature to define that term"
Fairfax Delegate John Webb,
who opposed the Gray Commits
sion program prior to the Janu-
AIRY 8 referendum, said, Il find
myself in most peculiar situa-
ton. am one of the patrons on
the Moore resolution.
THE reson l agreed to sign it
is that it seems almost like an
apology to the people for the
rush we said was necessary to
enact the Gray Plan. The
language of this resolution says
what was apparent to the OPP
Iponents of the Gray Plan, all
along. 1t (the resolution) says
we need more time-that there
lis no rush to enact such radical
In the vote, Mr.. Webb and
Delegate James M. Thomson of
Alexandria supported the reso-
luton. Among those who voted
against it were Delegates Harri-
son Mann, Kathryn Stone and