The Petal paper. [volume] (Petal, Miss.) 1953-19??, 1957-02-21

February 10, 1857
Mr.. P D. East,
The Petal Paper
Petal, Mississippi
Dear P. D.:
| finally got hold of booklet
OF your writings. / don't know
Just what you are trying to do
| but | can tell you one thing, you
are impairing the reputation OF
your people. Everybody knows
the reputation of the folks from
Mississippi. At least all of us
yankee squares" do. Now you
come along and disturb that re-
putation and make life difficult
for all of us.
You see we were pretty sure
that your Gem" danes Oliver
Eastland), was the true repre-
sentative for all the people of the
Magnolia state. He doesn't seem
to speak for, you, Easton King,
Ira Harkey, William Faulkner
Holding Garter and maybe lots
of other folks eMajor Sullens
Fielding Wright and the actual
voters of Magnolia land told us
that your Cen" even spoke for
the 'Nigras." rc@k
Your Petal Paper spoils that
impression. 1t makes trouble for
us because we have to begin to
think of you people as ordinary
people with all kinds of opinions
on all kinds of subjects and even
people who respect the law. We
also have to think that some
people in Magnolia land are God
fearing people.
Now while you may be making
it tough on us yankee squares"
| imagine you must be making
1t tougher on some of the folks
IN Magnolia land Why are you
kicking up such fuss. If only
you didn't sound off, everything
would be all right. No one would
bother US. You seem to be very
much concerned about old-fash-
Toned laws and principles about
equality. You seem to be con-
cerned about freedom of the press
and speech. / have a bunch that
you are not. SO much interested
in segregation as you are in the
law. / don't know if you are
interested in the problem of the
Supreme Court decision because
of your concern for this or that
'Nigra". What | think you are
concerned for is you own free
dom, your own right to speak
and vote and write. Now, don't
1you think that's selfish?
When the traditions of the Mag
nolia land are placed in jeopardy
by the law, shouldn't you be will
ing to forego the protection OF
the Constitution and Bill OF
Rights for which our fore-fathers
died and which has given sc
much hope to the world?
| | suspect that if you had il
your way the law would be re-
spected and there would be big
changes in Magnolia land. These
changes might raise the Mag
nolia state from its low rank and
permit it to develop all of its re-
sources, human and natural. This
is selfish on your part and the
part of those who agree with you
because it would mean you would
all get richer. There are many
who frown on getting rich al
the cost of traditions, especially
those which are in conflict with
the law
To sum up, / feel that you and
others like you, who speak and
write of the ideas that you do
are damaging the reputation
which the acknowledged leaders
of the Magnolia state are fight
ing to preserve. You are doing
this because you want to protect
your own rights. The kind OF
thing you are doing is Wright
selfish. If necessary to protect
your rights you would permit
the 'Nigra" to achieve his rights.
Maybe l am being unfair Maybe
you also mean that as a God
fearing person., your conscience
bothers you when you see other
human beings treated in a fash
ion contrary to your religious
| principles. In doing this you put
me on the spot because l, too,
am selfish and | guess | have
to support you in the desire to
protect you rights. / guess / will
have to support you and others
like you (even though you may
be acting selfishly), to preserve
the law so that | can guarantee
my own own rights and there
fore, the rights of all. However,
would like to say that where
the Negro is concerned, or any
man for that matter, | want to
protect his rights and accord him
equal treatment because he is
created in the image of God who
has made me.