St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1959-06-26
Three Sfufes In
School Integration
Spotlight Lost Week
BY Albert Anderson
BY Albert Anderson

BY Albert Anderson
Washington, D. G. - The
Nations spotlight on public
school desegregation conferred
this week on three states -
Virginia, Arkansas and Illinois.
In Virginia, Negro and liberal
white residents of Prince Ed
ward County loudly protested the
action of County officials to with
hold funds for operating 81 Negro
and white schools rather than fol-
low the Supreme Courts order to
desegregate.
Here in the Capital City, Sec
rotary Arthur S. Flemmings of the
Department of Health, Education
and Welfare, said the Prince Ed
ward County decision should be
reversed mot in the long run, but
in the short run"
Sad Day For The Nation"
The Secretary continued: IT'S
sad day for any community
when it decides not to provide ad-
equately for the education of its
children. It's not only a sad day
for the community, but for the
Nation"
In Front Royal, Va, Gov. J.
Lindsay Almond Jr., did an about
face, when he addressed those at
tending the first commencement
exercises of a private white" high
school, which was organized when
the public school was closed by the
state under the now-defunct mas
sive resistance laws. When the
law was repealed, Warren County
High - the county's only high
school, was re-opened, but with an
all-Negro student body of 81. The
800 white students refused to reg
ister and the all-white private
school was organized.
"Give Up WishfuI Thinking
Gov. Almond advised the white
students and their parents attend
ing the commencement to give up
wishful thinking" that indignation
can be avoided or that the Su-
preme Court ruling can be re-
versed. Virginia's greatest mistake
would be to succumb to the blan-
dishments of those who would have
Virginia abandon public education
and thereby consign a generation
Of children to the darkness Of illit-
eracy, the pits of Incidence and de-
spondency, and the dungeons Of
delinquency"
Gov. Almonds stirring speech
found its echo In Little Rock, Ark,
when residents Of both races wild
ly cheered the three liberal men,
bers Of Little Rocks Board Of
Education who replaced the three
segregation supporters Of Gov.
Orval F. Faubus. The latter were
ousted in a special recall election
on May rs.
New Board Members
The new Board members are
State Rep. J. H. Cottrell Jr., an
attorney and loan company exec
utive; B. Frank Mackey, retired
police detective and an insurance
company employee and H. L. Hub
bard, a building contractor. Rep.
Cottrell, IL, and father of two
teen-age boys, told newsmen that
he was very much in favor Of
public schools and did not
subscribe to the theory that he
would rather be ignorant and I'M
educated than to go to school with
Negroes"
Again, on the indignation front,
in Illinois, State Superintendent Of
Public Instruction, stated Thurs
day at the State Capitol in Spring
field, that he will make a full
investigation of charges that there
are Jim Crow schools in IS Illinois
counties. The charges were made
by DR.. L. H. Holman of Joliet, Of
the Illinois NAACP Branch.
VIII Gut Off State Funds
wilkins said: IF we determine
that segregation actually exists we
win request officials to halt such
practices. If local officials fail to
act and make no effort to eliminate
outright segregation, then we will
enforce our policy OF Withholding
state aid funds. including school
lunch funds"