Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-09-25
Low and LowIessness


the fact that the tables have
turned. Generations of expe-
rience have tempered the Ne
gro's emotions with patience.
ability to roll with a punch.
and above all the knowledge
that his only chance for adj
vantage is inside the law.
He has accepted the leader
ship Of the intellectual in
stead of the emotional bully.
With a lower average 10.
and a naturally higher emo
tional nature than his white
brother. he has gradually &C
quired leadership and support
whose decisions usually show
reason. fairness. dignity and
respect for authority; while
organized efforts to keep him
under control are led by
bot heads who. naturally,
are usually block-heads.
Every picture Of a white
person sneering at a digni-
fed Negro child. every ston-
ing. every wild Khan meet
ing. every bombing. loses
some decent. more reasonable
people from the active segre-
Rationist side. And many Of
these people are remaining
voiceless and without infiu-
ence.
Meanwhile the solid. actual
issues OF these reasonable
people 60 without adequate
leadership. They have real
reason to be concerned about
lower scholarship standards.
higher delinquency, ETC.; they
have as much right to protect
their children from these
things as the Negroes have to
protect their children from
discrimination because Of
color.
But with leaders whose
thinking springs from their
own animal emotions and
that Of the mob. they stand
a good chance Of seeing the
pendulum swing far to the
other side.
II is time for the violent
ones to wake up and begin
to think like the superior
white beings they say they
are-to realize that they, too.
have their rights under the
law. but that they cannot
achieve them unless they
work within the law. under
leaders who respect the law
and the courts for what they
are, and who consequently
work in an atmosphere con-
ducive OF rational planning.
H.W.
A&&
Some are quick to blame
the NAACP for current ten
sions by pressing too hard for
immediate results. 1t is my
impression that in any area
where the authorities have
been willing to sit down and
in good faith discuss with
representatives of the Negro
community the practical
problems involved. the Ne
groes and the NAACP to the
extent that it does have an
influence have refrained from
pressing any new court cases
or renewing old ones. This is
true even where the initial
indignation plan has provided
for very gradual or token
steps. This is also in accord
ance with a statement made,
as / recall it, by Thurgood
Marshall. the NAACP chief
counsel. soon after the SUI
preme Court decision, in which
he pledged the cooperation
of his organization and recog-
nized that different parts Of
the South had different
problems and would require
different timetables.
think the record is clear;
Good faith. discussion and
preparation: no court cases.
No good faith and no prepa-
ration: court cases.
David II. Scull.
-
As an ex-United States at
torney and member Of the
bar for 80 years, 1t is my
opinion that David Lawrence.
strictly on legal grounds. is
absolutely right about Little
Rock. There was no need TO
disturb Plessy VS.. Ferguson,
a case which held the sep
arate but equal" doctrine.
The May, 1854, decision Of
the court was political and
the court appears TO have en-
tered the field Of sociology.
Some hold that II the segre-
cation decision was abro-
gated by popular will, we
would have to strike that
portion Of the Declaration Of
Independence that says all
persons are created as