Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-08-21

Stote.
LEGAL SUMMARIZING desesreeo-
zion deodIine set. Applications
just received from "A Negroes
seeking to enter four white
schools. No Iitieotion 50 far.
time to try to reopen them on
a segregated basis.
Tried Model SCHOOL,
The segregationists, to be sure,
have their spokesman. Most
often heard from is Jack Rath-
bone, the executive secretary Of
the Arlington Defenders of
State Sovereignty and Indivi-
dual Liberties. He also is an
officer of the 10th District Edu-
cational Corp. The latter group
attempted to operate a model
school" in a private home last
month to show how it could
be done if public schools are
closed by interrogation, and ran
Iafoul of all kinds of county reg
ulations.
Two Defenders have filed
applications for their white
children to attend Negro
schools in a move calculated to
see that Negro schools. as well
as white, are affected by the
school closing law.
In spite of the difficulties en-
countered with his model
school, Mr.. Rathbone remains
optimistic about the prospect
of continuing segregation.
We're not going to have any
Iintegration-we have laws that
say we won't" vows Mr.. Rath-
bone. 1.-THE county board might
be a soft spot. but not the
people of Arlington. They
don't want indignation"
The Arlington Defenders
once were 1000 strong, &C
cording to Mr.. Rathbone, but
have dropped off to around
200 members.
New Segregation Group
Newly organized on the side
of segregation is the Arlington
Citizens Council headed by Ed
mund Gibson, an education
specialist for the Navy Train
ing and Publications Center
Mr.. Gibson wants it understood
his group is not affiliated with
John Kasper's Seaboard White
Citizens Council.
Another organization, the
Federal Employees Protective
Association, once proposed a
bond issue to help finance the
private education of students
displaced from closed schools.
Other groups have appeared
from time to time to take part
in the county'S political and
racial struggles.
Issue Beaten in 1947
The race issue, which has
proved so disruptive politically
to integrated Washington's
nearest Virginia suburb, began
to stalk the county in 1947. A
Negro high school student, Con-
stance Carter, filed suit to win
equal high school opportunities
for Negroes. The first Negro
to take advantage of an order
directing equal opportunities
was Richard o. Green, who
was taught auto mechanics
alone in a shop at Washington
Lee High School for white stu
dents.
From that time on, hardly
a year has passed without some
difficulty or litigation. A suit
was brought against a former
school board to bar indignation
at a teachers meeting. Arrests
have been made at political
meetings attended by Negroes
and whites. Recently a Negro
was arrested at an integrated
church picnic.
The former elected school
board, in 1856, announced a
tentative school Indignation
plan to comply with the Su-
preme Courts ruling. School
board members thought what
they were doing was in keeping
with the original Gray plan.
The General Assembly re-
taliated by taking away Airing
tons elected school board, and
ever since then segregationists
have warned that localities
cannot be trusted to handle
the school problem-look what
almost happened in Arlington
Court Issues Order
Negro parents. meanwhile
went to court to ask for en-
forcement of the Supreme
Court decree in the county. In
July, 1856. Judge Albert "
Bryan issued an order forbid
ding the county from denying
students admission to public
schools because of race. En-
forcement of that order was
held up until the following year
by appeals, but has been in
effect against the school board
since last September-the first
actual desegregation order to
take effect in the State,