The Petal paper. [volume] (Petal, Miss.) 1953-19??, 1957-02-14

The reasons he gave were poor health and
the press Of business, but other reasons were
heard on the street corner. A Chamber of
Commerce official said that Bates had be-
come too dictatorial and that the merchants
and suppliers who were feeling the sting of
the boycott resented his pressure and inter-
ference. A Negro high in the states Negro
Republican organization said that the organ-
cation had refused to support the Republican
candidates in the November election unless
Bates head of the Orangeburg Republican
unit, stopped the reprisals against the Neg
roes in Orangeburg
The resignation Of Bates took some of the
pressure off the merchants and suppliers
who were anxious to win back the Negro
trade they had lost, but they proceeded
cautiously, for the Citizens Council was still
functioning Some of them quietly made it
known to N.AAC.P. leaders that they
would again open accounts for petitioners.
The local radio station WIND began to
ask its listeners not to shop in Columbia but
at home. The Times Democrat stopped its
editorial attacks against local NAACP.
leaders,
A new crisis threatened to develop when
it appeared that many Of the towns Negro
schoolteacllers would be fired as a result of
the new state law barring NAACP mem
bers from public employment To avoid a
new flare-up, the teachers were required on
ly to sign statements saying they would obey
the laws OF the state. There were no investi-
cations or questions about N.AAC.P. mem
bership.
10 promote good will, the white towns
people included the Sunlight Club in the list
of agencies that benefited from the towns
first United Fund Drive The Sunlight Club
is private Negro welfare organization head
ed by the vice-preSident of the NAAC.P
branch Few If any white people contributed
TO It's individual Embarrassing drive in 1855.
Leaders Of the local NAAC.P. have re-
peadly announced their readiness to meet
with white community leaders 10 discuss
ways and means of establishing better race
relations but have been ignored. A Group
OF them arranged meeting Z few months a
go with the mayor, the city administrator.
and the two town councimen and pronosed
that biracial committee be set up to study
local problems The mayor agreed to set M
such committee but has made no move so
far
When the South Carolina Council on HUI
man Relations and the Fellowship Of Re-
concllatlon tried to organize local interracial
groups 10 work on the towns problems thew
100 mad no success. The few white pe0ple
who might become interested under nooro
favorable circumstances still fear the Gift
zens Council and feel that "this is not the
time"
Nobody Wants Boycott. But
While many of the white townspeople
were ANXIOUS to END the boycott. some have
SHOWN no disposition TO end reprisals against
which the Negroes cannot retaliate The ma
tHloners still cannot get loans or financino
from the local banks No effort has been
iilaoe 10 Ielnstate the students and faculty
members dismissed from State COLLEGE and
student activities on the campus are still re-
strlcted. nevertheless, the reprsals have AL
most stopped and the boycott is qraduallv
diminishing.
Inc baslc controversy remains unresolved
Neither side is willing to compromise on tho
question of school segregation The white
people are determined not TO desegregate
ana threaten to close the schools if the courts
order 1t. The Negro people will not accent
anything less They have won important
court decisions and see the segregation walls
crumbling in the border states.
Inc one thing most white and Negro PEG
pie 90 agree on, at this point, is that renricale
and counter-boycotts are not the wav -
solve the problem Yet what other wav i
there IN Orangeburg? If, at some date n tho
near future, it appears that Negro child
might step into white Schoolroom who 30, ,
say that the reprisals will not begin anew
leaving the Negroes with no alternative but
another boycott?