St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1957-07-26

ored People, and communism.
While at the same time warning
among themselves for dominance
in various areas, the Khan groups
appear TO be making at least some
Roadway in certain states.
The Khan organizations, how
ever. are relatively negligible in
strength now compared with the
White Citizens Councils, which
can boast Of an impressive
growth, substantial funds, and in
| fluental leadership. Economic re-
prisals continue, and legal" re-
sistance grows. Meanwhile a few
Klan-type Citizens Council units
are beginning to add new efforts
to the overall resistance move
ment.
However, it seems to be fairly
well agreed among competent OBJ
servers in the South that the Citi-
zens Council movement has tend
ed to channel resistance to the
Supreme Courts school decision
away from violence into tech
niques, equally effective if not
more so, involving economic and
social pressures and legal" resis-
lance.
There is a rather marked differ
ence, OF course, between the open
control, which influential business
men, professional people and in
dustriaHsts assume over the var
ious prosegregation organizations
in the Deep South-i.e., the var
iously named Citizens Councils
and the leadership Of the Khan
movements.
The future of the Khan move
ments is, of course, uncertain. It
could gain momentum or it could
lose il, depending upon any num-
Der of events or circumstances.
As has been true always, the Khan
disclaims any violence while open
ly sponsoring a type of prejudice
and hate which is conductive to
violence.
Dilemma For Unions
The rise of the pro-segregation
organizations and the Ku Klux
Khan has affected many phases
of life in the Deep South. For the
labor union movement it is adj
mitted that the situation has pos
ed one Of the greatest dilemmas
of modern times-and has formed,
in effect, a new roadblock in the
one part of the country which or
ganized labor always has found to
be the hardest nut to crack that
it has encountered yet.
Growing uisaffection between
southern locals and the national
unions, due TO the latter's uncom-
promising demand for racial inte-
grafton, has been slowing down
organizational efforts among all
trades in the South in recent
months, and there has been some
detection among labor's ranks and
the formation of southern"
unions here and there.
While the issue has caused dis
sension in the ranks of labor, the
national leadership tends to dis
count the incipient revolt move
ment. which has been somewhat
scattered and abortive in charac-
ter so far. For one thing, the re-
gional labor leaders are very much
aware Of their dependence on the
/ big unions for financial support
and the complications presented
by existing contracts.
National leadership seems a
great deal more perturbed over
the fact that the situation makes
the unions even more vulnerable
than ever before in the South to
community political and economic
pressures. They have contended
the Citizens Councils as well as
the Klans are dedicated not only
TO preserving racial separation but
to fighting the labor unions
through the exploitation OF racial
prejudice.
There is no question. Of course,
that throughout the Deep South
many union members, as wen as
unorganized workers. belong 10
the Citizens Councils and to the
Khan. The largest Of the several
Khan organizations, the so-called
U. S. Klans, Knights Of the Ku
Klux Khan, whose imperial wizard
is Eldon Lee Edwards, Atlanta
suto u-,rker and a member OF the