Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-01-07

vate institutions in teacher
training, nurse training, med
icine, ETC., but whose grants
can no longer be paid by the
State because of the decision
of the Virginia Supreme Court,
holding such grants to be in
violation of section l4l of the
constitution as it is now
worded.
Do they realize that unless
section 14l is amended as pro-
posed in the election of Janu-
airy 9. the State cannot pos
sibly restore these grants and
that many of these students
will be compelled. for lack of
this financial aid. to abandon
their schooling?
Do they realize that these
students are compelled to at
tend non-Virginia-owned
schools because the latter are
already enrolled to full ca
pacity?
Do they realize that APP
proximately 600 of tn es e
grants have been going to
Negro students for such pro-
fessional courses as medicine.
law. engineering. ETC.?
If the ministers do realize
these things. one cannot but
wonder by what criterion
they determine Christian con-
duct. 1t is well-known that a
vote for the convention is the
only means by which the es-
sential State aid for these
1000 can be saved. and the
aid of other hundreds in flu
ture years. 1t is also we'll
known that a vote for the con-
vention will not. in itself. eff
fectuate the Gray plan tuition
grants. These will require &C
ton by the General Assembly.
which may not and need not
enact them into law if they
are found upon further DELHI
Grafton to be wrong.
Arthur Orr,
Past President, Arlington Coun-
Civic Federation.
I am in favor of the Gray
referendum. because I do not
want to be integrated. Al
though I have no children, it
would be hypocritical for me to
favor school indignation and
be for segregation otherwise.
Most of us in Arlington left
the District to get away from
integrated neighborhoods.
Those who want indignation
can easily return to the Dis
trict. for residential property
values there are dropping fast.
Immediate indignation Of
Virginia SC hools would no
doubt result in more block
busting" in white areas, rumors
Of which are already current
in Arlington. Many Of us hope
for reversal Of the Supreme
Court ruling. and it would be
well If we could defer complete
school indignation until that
time.
Pro-White.
Virginia voters who are be-
ing lulled to sleep by the re-
Gently published argument that
they really have nothing to
fear by indignation because
the ratio of colored children
in Northern Virginia public
schools. under present popula-
ton figures, would be only
about 4 to 6 per cent, and in
some cases even less, would do
well to stop, look and listen.
In the District of Columbia
the percentage of colored stu
dents in the public schools was
once that low; today it is
steadily climbing, and getting
close to IS per cent.
Northern Virginia property
owners would also do well to
consider the depreciation Of
District real estate because Of
the encroachment of colored
populations.
There seems to be good
reason to believe that defeat
of the Gray plan will mean a
large increase in Northern Vir-
ginia's colored population and
a correspondingly large in
crease in the enrolment of
colored students in It's public
schools, with the same net re-
suit that the District has ex-
perienced.'
Subscriber.
Virginia Senator Garland
Gray claims a wholesale exc
dus of white people from
Washington as a result OF
school indignation and cites
an increase of from SO to
"a per cent of the Negro
school population in Washing
ton between 1853 and 1854 as
indication of this migration of
whites. He does not indicate
the relative decline of white
pupils. What the Senator does
not know is that whites have
been moving out of Washing
ton for at least ten years
long before segregation suits
were filed. AS fast as newer
homes were made ready in the
suburbs beyond the small con-
fines of the Federal district of
Washington, young white fam
lilies have been moving out to
avoid the dangers of the traf-
fic-laden streets and for more
growing room for children. On
the other hand, Negroes have
been coming to Washington to
find more of security and hap
piness for themselves and their
children. not to be found in
the South.