St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1957-01-18

no leaders asking him to enforce
CATION rulings,
2. Decision OF a group OF At
lanta Negro attorneys TO AJAX the
Federal District Court here for
a deolaratory judgement TO end
segregation on the buses Of the
Atlanta Transit Company. A
petition for the Judgement Is ex-
pected to be filed early this week.
3. The converting Jan. IA In
regular session OF the Georgia
General Assembly. which win
make 1t possible for Gov Marvin
Griffin TO ask for the passage Of
emergency legislation dealing with
the present situation. so far, the
Governor has not indicated that
he win ask for any new laws.
Statement Issued
The conference which issued the
appeal to the President consisted
OF 90 leaders from 20 communities
IN 10 states. II was in session here
Jan. 10 and II. and was called by
the Rev NJ. L. King Jr.. OF Mont
gomery Ala; the Rev. r. l.. Shut
Ellsworth. Birmingham. Ala and
the Rev c. X steele, Tallahassee,
Fla.
Reporters were barred from the
sessions OF the conference in the
Wheat street Baptist church.
Findings OF the group were issued
in a lengthy statement, which re-
lated the struggle OF American
Negroes for "first-class citizen
ship" with democratic racial move
ments In Asia, Africa, and other
parts OF the world.
The document was challenging
and concillatory. II charged that n
state OF terror prevailed In tho
South and appealed to the Preai-
dent 10 make a major speech In a
large southern city pointing up the
moral and legal aspects Of ssgre-
cation.
The conferces also asked that
Vice. President Richard NJ. Nixon
make a personal tour Of investi-
CATION In the South similar 10
the one he recently concluded In
Austria.
At the same time. the statement
appealed 20 white and Negro cit-
gems OF the South to avoid violence
and 20 deal with the racial prob
lem In a spirit OF Christian
brotherhood. In section adj
dressed particularly TO Negroes,
the statement said, mot one hair
OF one head OF one white person
shall be harmed"
COmpany's Position
Meanwhile, II was learned that
T. A. Walden, prominent Atlanta
Negro attorney, and four col
leagues plan early next week TO
seek a Federal Court order TO
end segregation on Atlanta buses.
This strategy Is expected TO
obtain earlier court action than
could be expected from trial in
Georgia state courts Of the six
Atlanta Negro ministers lead by
the Rev. william II. Borders, pas
tor OF the Wheat Street Baptist
church. who was arrested Jan. 3
FOR boarding an Atlanta bus and
seating themselves in the front
among white passengers. All are
now free on $1,000 bail.
Buses Break Down
The Rev Mr.. Borders frankly
admitted that the purpose Of his
action was 10 obtain a court ruiz
ing on segregation in buses. The
way was paved a few days earlier
when Mr.. Walden wrote TO Robert
l.. sommerville, president Of the
Atlanta Transit. asking whether
the company intended TO continue
segregation.
Mr. sommerville replied that as
Georgia laws requiring segrega-
ton had never been declared I'M
constitutional. the company had
no choice but to obey them.
Several factors here make the
issue Of segregation on the buses
less likely to produce violence than
in Montgomery. There are no
boards arbitrarily dividing buses
into white and colored sections
The law merely provides that
white passenger shall be seated
from the front backward and Me-
gro riders from the rear forward
On lines heavily patronized BY
Negroes they frequently occupy
virtually the entire bus
(See Editorial: Invitation To
Defend Our Citizens" page -
Blllfold Pound