Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-02-26
Virginia Editor
Asks NAACP
To Slow Down
Pushing Inteerotion
Too Fast Called
An Unwise Policy
BY JOHN McKELWAY

pealed to the National Associa-
ton for the Advancement of
Colored People to slow down and
refrain from pushing integra-
ton so fast that "a point of no
return" will be reached.
Speaking to the National AS
ISOLATION of Secondary School
Principals, Virginius Dabney,
editor of the Richmond Times
Dispatch. said the deep South
has no present intention of in
tegrating its public schools. He
added some States have a fixed
determination to close their
schools entirely, rather than
mingle the races in them"
He then implored the NAACP
to see the folly of forcing the
issue in these States" and asked
for "Statesmanlike restraint on
the organizations part. Other
wise. Mr.. Dabney said. the cause
of Negro advancement will be
done irreparable harm.
The editor feels that the
NAACP insists on having "the
moon handed them on a silver
platter. and are unwilling to
proceed by gradual steps. Such
an unstatesmanlike attitude is
hard to reconcile with the genu-
inc advances the NAACP has
achieved for the colored people
of this country"
Move Regretted
AT the same time, MIR. Dabney
said he regretted the recent
move by his State to pass legis-
lation designed to harass the
Negro organization by obtaining
and publicizing the names of all
its members and their financial
contributions.
This is a dangerous action"
he said, land one which the
Virginia Assemblymen may well
live to regret. The legislative
harassment of an organization
which happens to be unpopular
could easily prove boomerang
for the responsible parties.
Mr.. Dabney said that the
growing intensity in the
struggle over indignation in some
eight or nine Southern States
may disrupt. and even close
down entirely. the systems of
public education in several of
these States. A more chaotic
condition would be difficult to
imagine. Aside from the edu-
cation problems involved. con-
slider the enormous rise in jul
venile delinquency which would
inevitably accompany such a de-
velopment."
One tragic fact kicked up by
indignation moves has been the
collapse Of liaison between white
and Negro leadership throughout
the South, Mr. Dabney said.
Rift Is Cited
THE two races" he said. "have
been driven apart by the ran
corous arguments over segrega-
ton, with the result that hardly
any avenues of communication
exist in most cases. The NAACP
has committed all Negroes so
completely to its drive for total
indignation that any white who
dissents from this view is stie-
matized as an enemy of the
Negro race"
He touched on the problem OF
pupil performance by Negro
students IN integrated schools
an achievement lag compared to
white students Of the same age
and said this problem was
particularly acute in Washing
ton.
1T seems clear to me-" he said.
that mixed schools were put
into effect here the DISTRICT
with too much haste and too
little preparation"
Baltimore Praised
He said Washington made the
mistake OF trying to integrate
everybody almost overnight. He
praised the system of integra-
ton practiced in Baltimore -
allowing pupils of both races TO
decide which schools tn e.
wished to attend.
The South's chief argument
against indignation. Mr.. Dabney
said. while emphasizing he does
not believe in it. is that mixed
schools would lead to "mongrel-
ization.
Even" he said, "if we accept
this argument, which I do not,
the desirability that every race
strive to maintain its own in
tegrity seems to me to be in
disputable
MY point" he said. "is that
the Negro should wish no less
than the white to retain his
racial identity and his cultural
heritage to the end that his races
lindisputably great achievements
can be properly recognized and