The Farmville herald and farmer-leader. (Farmville, Va.) 1934-1957, 1957-03-29
Declaration of
Convictions

A policy. Declaration of Con-
victions", was adopted at the recent
convention Of the Defenders OF State
Sovereignty held in Richmond. Ex-
cerpts have been printed in news
stories. Because Of the interest in
the policy declaration in tnis area,
a full text has been secured and
is printed below
The Defenders Of state Sever
eighty and Individual Liberties in
convention assembled at Richmond,
Virginia this the 23rd day Of March,
deem it appropriate. that we should
declare and affirm iour convictions
We first affirm our deep and
abiding loyalty and devotion to our
country and its institutions We &C
knowledge the Constitution to be the
bulWark Of our liberties. eyer sub
iect to the sovereign powers re-
served by it to the states and 10 the
people We know that the liberties
Of all Americans Of all races rests
upon the Constitution and the di
vision of powers ordained therein
We deem it the obligation of free
men to preserve the powers re-
served under the Constitution TO the
states and to the people and to pre-
serve the constitutional separation
Of the powers Of government in the
legislative. executive and judicial
branches separately.
We believe that a policy which
undertakes to force the association
of one race with the other against
the viii of either. by court decree
under threat Of fine or inlprison-
ment, is destructive of mutual good
will and respect, breeds resentment
and animoSities. and is injurious to
rhe true interests Of all the people.
We believe that the nolding of the
minds and characters of our chill
dren is the sacred duty and the
priceless natural right and obliga-
ton Of parents.
Constitutional Right
Freedom Of decision with respect
to these considerations touching as
they do the most intimate relations
Of the people and the most cherished
natural rights and duties Of parent
hood is absolutely essential to the
maintenance. operation. manage
ment and control of our public
schools. We conceive this freedom
to be among the sacred rights re
tanned by the people" under the
Ninth Amendment o the Federal
Constitution
Among the reserved rights and
powers of the states, guaranteed to
the State OF Virginia under the
Tenth Amendment. is the power to
maintain racially separate public
schools. We do not perceive that the
exercise Of this power has ever been
prohibited to the states by any pro
vision of the Federal Constitution /
We believe that this power can be
prohibited TO the states only by the
states themselves. To c0ncede the
right Of a Federal Court TO withdraw
this power from the individual
states is to concede that all the
rights and powers Of the states and
Of the people are enjoyed lat the
sufferance OF the judiciary and that
the guarantees of the liberties of
the people are no longer fixed in the
Constitution itself Therefore, Fed
eral Courts having refused to recog-
ME these most fundamental, init
mate and cacrcd rights and the pro
found necessity that they be res
pected, Virginia has been compelled
to fix its course III defense OF these
rights Of her people. We do most
solemnly commend his Excellency
Governor Thomas B. Stanley and
the members of the Legislature of
Virginia for their patriotic devotion
to the liberties Of their people and
for the leadership they have given
the people of Virginia in this crucial
time. We pledge our support Of the
policy implicit in the measures
adopted by the General Assembly
Of Virginia in its Special Session of
1856 We declare our conviction that
these policies founded as they are
upon that first American tenet of
liberty-that free men should not be
taxed against their will and without
their consent for a purpose to which
they are deeply opposed-to be both
sound and III the finest patriotic
tradition of the Commonwealth.
Sen. Byrd Praised
We do most solennly commend
our great senior Senator from Viz
ginia. Harry Flood Byrd for his