Evening star., 1956-08-30
Assembly Will Get
Bills Hitting NAACP
Stanley Booking
Is Expected for
New Measures
By ALEX r. PRESTON
Star stan Correspondent

ClO4l III tIiC AuVdAlCCiLiClIb Va
Colored People are being pre-
pared for the General Assembly
with indications that Gov. STAN
ley will back their introduction
when the lawmakers return here
Tuesday.
When the Legislature took a
recess from its special school
segregation session yesterday, II
separate bills dealing with the
racial issue had been offered for
their study over the long week
end.
The NAACP legislation origi-
mated with Arlington's State
Senator Charles r. Fenwick and
Delegate c. Harrison Mann and
State Senator Garland Gray Of
Waverly. Under the rules of the
limited special session of the
Assembly, bills not dealing di-
rectly with school segregation
matters must receive unanimous
consent or be recommended by
the Governor.
Governor Agrees
Delegate John B. Boatwright
of Buckingham said he attended
a conference between the Gov
ernor and the Arlington repre-
sentatives yesterday and that
the Governor had agreed to re-
quest that the bills be accepted.
The legislation is still in the
Drafting Bureau, however, and
will be resubmitted to the Gov
ernor, it is understood, before he
makes final decision to sponsor
1t.
The legislation was originally
included in four bills. 1t is
designed to require the NAACP
to file detailed records of its
officers, agents. employees, volun-
teer workers and associates and
accounts of its revenues and
expenditures.
4 The NAACP is not specifically
mentioned by name, and Mr..
Mann said it would apply to the
opposite group, the Defenders Of
State Sovereignty and Individual
Liberties and other organizations
engaged in attempting to influ-
ence legislation.
The bills would make illegal
any organizations attempting to
stir up litigation in which they
had no direct interest.
PTAs Would Be Excluded
I 1t is believed that some of the
kinks to be ironed out are Ian
guage that would exclude parent
teacher associations or similar
organizations which frequently
attempt to influence legislation.
Ten new segregation bills were
introduced yesterday to add to
the so bills and one resolution
offered since the special session
convened Monday.
Among them we're revised"
version of the pupil assignment
bill offered day earlier by Mr..
Mann, and four bills attacking
school segregation by Statewide
or local referendums.
The latest pupil assignment
plan sponsored by Mr.. Fenwick
and four co-patrons would work
this way:
AS with the Mann bill, the
Governor would name a local
Ithree-member board to take the
pupil assignment duty away
from the school board.
Avenues Of Appeal
But, for example, if a Negro
child's parents applied for his
admission to a white school,
there would be these avenues Of
appeal:
If the assignment board re-
Ijected the application, the par
ents could appeal to the Circuit
Court. If the court upheld the
ooard, the parents could then
appeal to the State Supreme
Court.
On the other hand, If the Cir
cult Court reversed the assign
ment board and ordered the Me-
gro child admitted, then the as
signment board could appeal the
Circuit Courts decision to the
Supreme Court.
BY way OF further example.
il the assignment board admits
the Negro child to the white
school, then the parents of one
or more white children could
appeal to the courts for a re-
versal Of the boards decision.
One Of the main attractions
to lawmakers who believe that
integration will come ultimately
is that the legislation offers
almost unlimited opportunities
for litigation and hence--delay.
Local Referendum
/ Senator Eugene B. Sydnor and
Delegate FitzGerald Bemiss Of
Richmond offered identical bills
for a local referendum on the
school issue, The measure pro-
vides that the governing body
may hold referendum on clos
ing either the school system or
one or more schools In that
system when. in their judgment,
"the efficiency of the public
schools has been or Is likely
to be impaired. !"
The schools could later be re-
opened by the governing body
without a referendum.
I Delegate Robert Whitehead Of
Nelson County called for a State
wide referendum in January.
1857. on the question. "Shall the
public free school system Of vir-
ginia be abolished?" Mr.. White
heads contention is that Gov.
Stsnley'S plan to withhold State
aid from integrated school sys-
TENS would result in abolition Of
public schools.