The Farmville herald and farmer-leader. (Farmville, Va.) 1934-1957, 1956-11-02

must reluctantly report that in hi.
opinion. this hospitality was abused
by some Of the members Of the
} group who evidently had CLOSED
minds from the start On MiSsiS
sippi's social and economic prob
LENS. Some acted and talked like
Northern ambassadors rather thar
students and observers.
The Mississippi reaction to this at.
.itud@. received this comment from
one Of the states leading colum.
n.sts. Frederick Sullens in T h e
Jackson Daily News:
One of those Damnyankee edi-
tors now touring Mississippi at the
expense OF cur people says he finds
our Negroes have been brainwash-
ed. He has his diagnosis in reverse
l. is a pitiable fact that persons
/ who have been thoroughly brain
washed think everybody else is
SIT Harry afflicted. That Damnyan-
kee lad his mind made up on the
race question before he came to
Mississippi and he came with a de-
tern nation NOT to change h
minG.
However. in the group of l3. the
majority were sincere in their ef-
forts to learn. and as the days pro-
gress,d they assembled a mass of
f3ctual material which they OBJ
tanned by interviewing people of
both colors in every walk of life
i'll the cotton fields and on the city
streets.
To this writer. I cannot see inte-
grafton happening in the State of
Mississippi in my time. believe
am in the minority among my
colleagues III saying this. There are
too many complex problems. and
the people of both races l have
talked to do not seem to look for
ward to ,ningling of Negroes and
whites in the foreseeable future. It
must always be remembered in any
discussion of Mississippi and its fu-
ture tina: its population in many
counties is predominantly Negro.
Tine PEOPLE of Mississippi have lived
under segregation since the first
slaves were brought to the new
world
Many Northerners have no CON
ception Of the ravages of the War
Between the States. as it laid the
Southland bare and left it economi-
cal'y destitute In 90 short years it
has rebuilt its economy Slowly ii
has hroueht in new and needed in
duslrles to give its population work.
and a. tic same time It has admir-
ABLY somehow been able to preserve
It's heritage Of gracious living and
its guardianship Of its Negroes.
On onr trip We saw many new
educational facilities for both white
AMI Negro We saw new industries
obtained through Southern inge-
nulty such as tax concessions.
choice locations. with ample water |
and transportation facilities and a
compatible labor supply
We were served in hotels and res
taurants by cheerful Negroes who |
seemed as proud of the South and |
their Way OF life as we are of ours. |
They We're not Uncle Toms" They |
We're merely people going about |
their daily work.
On the other hand we talked with
Negroes harvesting a bumper cot |
ton c,op whose ignorance was APP
palline and who appeared Devil |
dered by cur presence and our ques- !
tons. Yet in their sorry plight they |
did not appear to be abused or
nCr was there a Simon |
Leglee lurking in the background .
In the citieS-Such as NatcheZ and !
ViCKSblrg where Negro school ia /.
cilltieS appeared to be superior. we |
found the blacks side by side on the |
same stereetS
Comparisons
We can honestly report that we
saw no signs of racial tension such (
as we have often observed in cities
like Baltimore. Washington. N W