The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1958-12-09
John Temple Groves
Southern Lines Holding Firm

THE most civil Of all civil rights is
the right to be let alone by the gov
ernment."
Palatka. Fla.-Perhaps we should
hold fire until we sec the whites Of
the new Civil Rights Commissions
eyes.
In my audience at Tampa last
night was Doyle E. Carleton. able
lawyer and constitutionalist. one
time governor, who Is a member Of
the Commissioners is Virginia'S ex-
Governor Battle. When l said the
South expected these two South
erners to influence the Commission
as much as the Commission might
the South. l was not taking mean
advantage of Mr.. Carleton before
his people who love him. He had
told me several hours before Of a
surprising lot OF sympathy for the
Southern plight and position among
members OF the Commission.
We shall see what we shall see.
But the most civil Of all civil lib
critics is liberty from too much gov
eminent too far from the governed.
Onetime Southern governors never
forget 1t. surely.
Pity famous Publisher John
Knight, who Just can't cem TO com
prehend his Southern investments or
get editors who do. His Miami Her
aid. fatally jumping the gun. opined
last Tuesday that Virginia has
done some sober thinking about
massive resistance. and SO its poll
ticians are beating their way back
to reality" Describing Virginia as
the "bellwether OF the old South
The Miami Herald rcjoiced that il
the old Dominion gives a little
ground now" on integrated schools
land backs into the goth Century
the effect will be profound"
BY the next dawn's early light
Virginia had failed to back. Norfolk
had voted for segregated schools
and by exactly the three to two
margin by which it voted for Harry
Byrd a few weeks before.
Everywhere the Southern lines
are holding and firming up. And
nowhere so much it seems TO me as
in North Florida. one OF the South
priced three corners. scene Of the
outpouring that returned Senator
Holland to Washington last summc
in defeat OF Claude Pepper. I felt II
In the huge overflow audience tc
which ! al permitted TO talk In
Jacksonville last week under aus,
pieces OF the high-hearted. passion
ately single-minded Duval County
Federation for Constitutional Gov
eminent. Every time you scratch a
surface Of the South you find this
passion. this unanimity. All OF q
sudden the major minority In
America begins to be the South. tic
South set free and ardently in
motion.
We need to know it against the
optical illusion OF a nation gone FAN
Deal Democratic. The next word or
where the nation is going may be
written in these states.
SO many people asked me after
the Jacksonville meeting what they
could do as individuals in this bat
tie for the Constitution and common
sense against socialism. centralism
and integrationism. 1t seems to me
there r three very evident things
One Is to join an organization de-
voted to this ideal. Join it not only
to swell its numbers and powers
but to hold its majority against the
constant Inevitable trend to domi-
nation by fascists. dcmagogs and
foolish knights.
A second Is 10 become active In
the Democratic party. if you are a
Democrat. doing everything possible
to keep M precinct free Demo
cratic and pulling It's weight. Ditto
for Republicans.
A third Is personal propaganda
writing letters fliteratc ones, and In
Ink or on a typeWriter). or sending
clippings and other printed matter