Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-11-13
Prince Edward Test

Prince Edward County for the acid test
of Indignation in a community which is
prepared to close its public schools
rather than integrate them.
Prince Edward is relatively small
county in Southside Virginia. It's school
population is 81 per cent colored, 46 per
cent white, and all arrangements have
been made to close the public schools if
indignation should be finally ordered.
White parents have prepared make
shift private school system for their
children, but no provision has been
made, as far as we know, for a substitute
school system for colored.
In this situation, Federal District
Judge Sterling Hutchinson had refused
to specify time limit within which the
county must comply with an earlier
order forbidding discrimination. Judge
Hutchinson wrote what we thought was
a persuasive opinion in support of his
ruling He said that of course the law
as announced by the Supreme Court
must be obeyed, but that this would
take time and that the solution must be
worked out under the guidance of SEN
sible leadership" He then noted that
Prince Edwards schools for Negroes, in
terms of curriculum and physical equip
ment, are equal to, If not superior to,
those for white children. And then he
said this: 50
The children of both races consti-
tuting an entire generation of this county,
are the persons to be affected by what
ever action may be taken. and it follows
that theirs is the real interest at stake.
although closely connected with that of
their parents and guardians. Action
which might cause mixing the schools at
this time, resulting in closing them
would be highly and permanently injur-
ious to children of both races Relations
between the members of the two races in
the county would be adversely affected
and a final solution OF the vexing prob
lens delayed as a consequence.
This ruling was appealed to the
Fourth Circuit Court and that tribunal
now has reversed Judge Hutchinson. The
appellate opinion is unusual, to say the
least.
1t instructed Judge Hutchinson to
enter a decree directing the Prince Ed
ward School Board to make prompt
and reasonable" start toward complying
and to ignore the prospect that this
might result in closing the schools. But
then the appellate court went on to say:
'This does not mean that the defend
ants (the school board) should require
mixing of white and Negro children in
the schools but merely that they should
abolish the requirement of diScrimina-
ton QtalicS Supplied). If the children
of the different races should voluntarily
attend different schools, this would not
be violative of the Constitution or of
the courts order, so long as there was
no requirement of the school author
tiles to that effect"
On its face, the appellate opinion
seems to say that Negro children in
Prince Edward must be given the right
to attend white schools but that it
would be wiser if they did not attempt
to exercise that right.
How this will work out still is any,
ones guess. The Thomson Committee
of the Virginia Legislature, whose report
was released Monday, questioned the
Negro parents named as plaintiffs in the
Prince Edward deSegregation suit. Most
of these parents, who were represented
without cost by lawyers for the NAACP,
said they thought the purpose of the suit
was to obtain better schools for their
children and that they did not know it
was designed to bring about indignation
in the schools. A few of the parents
told the Thomson Committee, however,
that they understood the purpose of the
suit, and if these parents wish to do so
they can force the issue in Prince
Edward
The county authorities, Of course,
can ask the Supreme Court to review the
appellate ruling. But there is no reason
to suppose that this would result in any,
thing except more delay. If even one
Negro parent in Prince Edward decides
to force the issue, it probably will not be
long before the test will come-the test
of whether indignation can be enforced
in a community where majority public
sentiment is determined to resist it, even
at the price of abandoning its public
schools
There has not yet been any such
test as this-in Little Rock or elsewhere.
1t is test which will never arise in COM
munities where public sentiment is
against abandonment of public schools.
But it will arise--if the issue is pressed
in Prince Edward, and in hundreds of
other counties and cities Of the Deep
South So the progress Of the Prince
Edward case should be watched. For 1t