Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-09-19
Virginia Senate
Battle Looms
0nIntegratiOn
BY ALEX II. PRESTON
Star stan Correspondent

OF the General Assembly ground
to a virtual standstill today
while administration forces ma
neuvered behind the scene for
support of Gov. Stanley's anti
indignation program.
This time, the battle is shaping
up in the State Senate.
The upper branch Of the Leg
islature was marking time, more
or less. while support was being
drummed up for the Governors
key bill to withhold State tax
revenues from any locality that
mixes Negroes and whites in
classrooms.
Gov. Stanley scored a 61-37-
vote victory in the House of
Delegates yesterday when his
fund withholding bill was sent
on to the Senate. The measure
was referred to the Finance
Committee. But the committee
chairman. Senator j. d. Haeood,
said he did not know when his
group would meet.
Twisted Arms"
A similar interlude of legisla-
tive inaction occurred last week.
That was when the Governors
bill was still before the House
Appropriations Committee. The
Governors supporters knew they
had a 10-to-7 disadvantage on
that committee and virtually
nothing was done for one day
while they twisted a few arms"
to pass the bill in its original
form.
The Appropriations Committee
put local option amendment
on the bill so a county or city.
forced to integrate under Fed
eral court order, could adopt a
pupil assignment plan and still
receive its proportionate share
of State funds to operate schools
The amendment was eliminated
on the House floor by a vote of
SO to 80.
Senator Eugene B. Sydnor was
chief patron of a new bill that
would, in effect, restore the House
Appropriations Committee
amendment but was revised to
meet objections of legislators
from areas where Negro popula-
lions are heaviest.
The Sydnor bill has 10 known
supporters, whereas 20 votes are
required to carry an issue in the
39-member Senate.
Tighter Contest Seen
Since the Sydnor bill poses
virtually the same local option
issue that confronted the House
when the Governors supporters
were pitted against each other,
the battle is shaping up as a
much tighter contest in the Sem
ate.
Under the House amendment,
any locality could exempt itself
from the funds Withholding plan
if 10 per cent of the voters pc
titioned for a successful referen-
dunn. Lawmakers from the Ne
dominated counties feared
that members Of that race could
force a referendum if the white
people preferred to close their
schools rather than permit in
tegration.
To give the white people con-
troll over any referendum petit
toned for by the voters, the
Sydnor bill would require that
the local school board would
have to give its approval for the
voting. In Virginia, school
boards are always composed of
white people because of the con-
troll of the Legislature over them
via the circuit court judges.
But Gov. Stanley does not
want any form of local option.
He insists that State funds be
withheld automatically from any
locality that has an integrated
school, either under court order
or by voluntary local action.
These are some of the factors
behind the inactivity in the
Legislature today. The Cover
nor's supporters, who probably
have a slim majority in the
Senate, are trying to win con-
verts to his overall program.
In the House, meanwhile, the
Courts of Justice Committee re-
ported a package of bills by
Delegates Harrison Mann of
Arlington and James M. Thorn
son of Alexandria. aimed at the
National Association for the Ad-
yancement of Colored People.
Probe Still Possible
The measures were extern
sively amended by the commit
tee after about a weeks study.
Clarifying amendments are de-
signed to eliminate the legisla-
tons application to such groups
as local parent-teacher associa-
lions and similar organizations
which might be concerned with
segregation problems created by
the Supreme Courts decision.
A bill by Mr.. Thomson, Great
ing a legislative investigatiye
commission to study groups ac-
tive in racial affairs and local
school systems. was curtailed in
its scope by the committees re-
visions. Local school systems
would be eliminated from the
area Of the proposed commits
sion's field of inquiry. except in
the overall effect of Indignation
on a school system.
Mr.. Thomson, however. dis
closed that under the legislation
as approved by the committee
the proposed commission Still
could be in position to investi-
gate activities of the NAACP.
He said that. if it is found that
just one Negro child involved in
m sr,fan~1s.N,. z,..t a:l.s.