The Miami times. [volume] (Miami, Fla.) 1923-current, 1956-10-13
Between The Lines
AVOICE FROM THE NEW SOUTH

in The Richmond Times Dispstch
of September 30. In a time like
this such sentiment is worth
passing on, written as il was by
a pastor of a local white church.
It reads:
"The advocates of brotherhood,
honor, Justice and all the ideals
leading to a society of good will
and to a bright new day, wherein
everyone alike may share in and
enjoy the fruits of the beloved
community, dark days indeed have
fallen on the Old Dominion state
of Virginia.
"Once a courageous and proud
leader of political thought and
social action, taking her place IN
the forefront of progressive llb-
eralism, today has fallen to the
low level of dubious distinction,
taking her place with such states
as Mississippi, Georgia, South
Carolina, as one of the Four
Horsemen of reaction. The sltua-
ton now apparently has come to
the place where, among our lead
ers in political circles (not daring
to think of such a thing as con-
structive craftsmanship that So
Der judgement, reasoned inSlghts
and progressive leadership have
been surrendered to the prelude
ed and almost fanatical outcries
of mob action What blot on the
name of Virginia - of all places
= that the N.AACP bills, intend
ed to intimidate and stifle the
spirit and right of dissent, were
passed by the recent befuddled
Legislature.
''The forces of unreaSoned re-
action, privileged conservatism,
hypocritical equalitarianism and
intellectual chauvinism, are in the
saddle, and riding hard toward a
(Pyr4hic) victory under the lead
ership. of their plumed knight,
Sir Harry (non de plume Sir
ThomaS). But Virginia one day
will awaken to the fact that she
has been led further down the
road to a benighted citizenry, and
our much Wanted democracy will
then taunt us to humiliation. The
hour is overdue for the liberal
and progressive forces within the
state to consolidate, organize and
become an influence in shaping
the thought life of the people.
zone is reminded of the great
Victor Hugo's classic statement:
There is nothing on earth so pow
erful as an idea whose hour has
come; it drives on like fate The
time has come for the complete
humiliation of racial segregation.
It can no more be stopped
than the incoming tide of the sea
It may be delayed in Virginia and
in the other seven states, where
as yet frenzied fanaticism of mis-
cegenation and mongrelization
and the appeal to states rightiSm
will have no permanent results.
Neither can Virginia solve its
problem nor cease its conscience
by making someone else its
whipping boy-neither the NAACP,
northern liberals, Yankee dema-
gogues,' nor especially the United
States Supreme Court.
Regardless of the action OF
the recent Legislature, or any
future sessions, we have not done
with this disruptive social prob
lem until legal segregation is
abolished. For as was the situa-
ton in another circumstance
centuries ago, you may mock hu-
man equality, scourge it, spit upor
it and and place upon its brow {
crown of thorns. You may even
cruelty it between the two felonS
Of segregation and interpoSition
But ever on the third day it rises
again and becomes even a greater
force against its adversaries. In
any given brief period of time
love and good will may turn out
to be ineffective forces to meet
the brute forces of prejudice
selfishness, complacency, and ig-