Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-08-26
Boothe Proves Prophetic
On Inteqrotion Events
BY MARY LOU WERNER

BY MARY LOU WERNER
If Alexandria State Senator
Armistead Boothe wanted to, he
could lean back in his chair at
the State Capitol in Richmond
today, flash knowing smile and
say: II, told you So"
For the better part of 10 years
the prophetic Virginia legislatc>
has been foreteiling indignation
developments--right up to the
situation now confronting the
General Assembly.
The Supreme Court school seq
regation decision, its effect on
the South,.moves to close public
schools, and even a possible
solution have been forecast by
the student of law and history
who in 1854 was named Virginia's
outstanding legislation by the
reporters who cover the assem-
bly,.
Prophecies Began in 1949
"Army" Boothe began to put
his prophecies in writing in 1949.
when he published an article on
civil rights for the Virginia Law
Review. 1t was an exhaustive
analysis of litigation and court
decisions affecting civil rights.
beginning with the Declaration
of Independence.
The concluding chapter was
devoted to THE Future" 1t re-
ferred back to a dissenting opin-
ion by Justice Harlan in an 1896
segregation case which said:
But in view of the Constitution,
in the eye of the law. there is
in this country no superior, dom
inant ruling class Of citizens.
Our Constitution is color blind"
Mr.. Boothe's article predicted
that sometime in the not too
distant future. Justice Harlan
will be found to be speaking for
the majority of the Supreme
Court of the United States"
Dire Prediction
The article also said: when
the past's minority becomes the
futures majority, the most stag
gering impact will be on seq
regation generally. more partic-
ularly on segregation in educa-
ton. If segregation in pri-
mary and high schools is de-
clared unconstitutional in the
near future, this declaration will
be the keynote to tragedy. +. ;.
1t will usher into the South, in
Guiding Virginia, an era of Chi
canery. hatred and violence"
In the same article he said
Virginia could prevent "calam-
ity' by proving to the Federal
legislature and courts that the
State was ready to eliminate
discrimination as fast as public
opinion would accept it.
His suggestions that Virginia
do something fell on deaf ears.
He tried unsuccessfully to get
the legislature to appoint a spe-
cial commission on race rela-
tions. He couldn't even persuade
the Assembly to scrap the old
legislation that requires separa-
ton of white and colored pas
sengerS on steam-powered trains
within the Saskatchewan there
aren't many steam engines. and
the same rule doesn't apply to
dieSelS.
Had Plan in 1854
On october Is. 1854, Mr.
Boothe was the first to outline
a so-called pupil assignment plan
to cope with the Supreme Court
segregation decision.
The speech was made at Nor
folk the day Hurricane Hazel hit
Virginia, and got little attention
at the time. 1t wasn't until the
Gray Commission came out with
Its pupil assignment and tuition
grant plan last fall that anyone
seemed to pay much attention
to the idea.
He acknowledged in the 1854
speech that it was political
dynamite" to mention the sub
ject of segregation. But he went
on to support his pupil assign
ment program as follows:
Stresses Limitation
ut will necessitate permission
to outstanding Negro students
who have all the mental, moral
and physical qualities, to attend
and pass through any school of
their choice whether it be white
or colored if they are in the
proper geographical districts
Now understand what this prin-
clple means. 1t does not mean
that a predominantly white
school will have a large number
OF Negro pupils or that a pre-
dominantly white school may
have a limited number of quail
ned Negro students who want to
60 there"
He said at the time his views
would seem radical" and would ,