The Miami times. [volume] (Miami, Fla.) 1923-current, 1956-03-24

BreeS OF lnLHm10atlng medSurSS III
recent months since the issue Of
desegregation first hit the head
lines. Opposition to the Supreme
Courts edict and discussion OF
the merits and dement's Of the
issue is now voiced in every
quarter.
Largely in the states affected in
the Deep South the line is plain
ly drawn. Every legal means" Is
to be resorted to in order to cir
cumvent by the Manifesto"
signed by more than 100 con-
gressmen and senators and pre-
sented to the Congress last week.
The manifesto said in part: I'VE
pledge ourselves to use all law
full means to bring about a re-
versal of this decision which is
contrary to the Constitution and
to prevent the use of force in its
augmentation"
Entrenched in a way Of life
which runs counter to changes
required by the recent decisions
of the high court these Southern
gentlemen find themselves out on
a limb in an election year in
which the issue of integration
promises top billing. And thus
what was meant to be "domes-
tic" problem takes on national
proportions.
Ingrained through years Of
nourishment on the theory that a
Negro has no rights that a White
man needs respect, this is a tre-
mendous problem to solve. The
challenge is to local leadership in
all areas to meet that problem and
all its consequent, attendant diff
ficulties. Not only time but wis
dom and great patience will be
required of all concerned. This is
profoundly true. If we are to live
without fear of prejudice and vio-
lence, then we must learn to ac-
compliSh by reason and negotia-
tons the kind of changes which
will be satisfactory to all without
endangering life and property.
This can be done. But the in
telligent understanding of people
who are not tprejudiced is sorely
needed. Yet here we find that
one of the really frustrating as
poets of any attempt to encour-
age indignation is the apparent
fear of many to go afoul what
they believe to be the accepted
customs of the time.
It can plainly be seen that there
is no giving of ground where the
whites are concerned in this
struggle. They appear to be
staunchly refusing to consider the
many conceivable borderline
cases, where problems OF inte-
grafton have been met and now
are working out well.
The rising tide of opinion being
made popular from the viewpoint
of the opponents of desegrega-
ton is the adverse effect 1t will
tend to have on way Of life
which everyone else agrees Is
wrong. II they have considered ii,
1t has not been made public what
benefit the whole country, and
the South in particular will de-
rive from the good that can be
developed through migration.
The vast potential of the Negro
suppressed by his forced rele-
gation in the frame work Of So
ciety - seems to be lost upon
them as they snatch at every
thing else in a naturalization
that desagregation would not
work.
There is no better time for the
Negro to awaken to the position
he must take as this battle for
survival takes shape. HE MUST
REGISTER AND VOTE. He must
support whole heartedly those
organizations and institutions set
I'D and designed to work for his
complete emancipation. He must,
alas, awaken to the realization
that a balance of power lies in
his ballot as minority, the same
as the South points up that a
balance of power lies in its hands
as a minority of the nation.
The Negro must guard against
feeling that the OPP. osition shap-
iuz, I'D in this conflict is aimed
directly at him as an individual
or as a group and thereby allow
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