The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1959-06-30
Editorial Excerpts From Newport News Times-Herod
Prince Edward BlaZeS A Trail

is not acting in defiance Of any law
or Of any court. And that above
all we do not act with hostility
toward the Negro People Of Prince
Edward County The hope was
expressed that I'VE may in due
time resume the operation Of pub
lie schools upon a basis &C
ceptable to all the people of the
county" That removes from the ac
ton any animus and asserts de-
sire for friendliness among tn e
people of both races in Prince Ed
ward. 1t is simple assertion of
the right of local self government.
A c t 0 n Of the Prince Edward
board of supervisors is taken in
conformity with Virginia law. and
under general principles Of law that
no one has to buy something that
he doesn't want And what t h e
people of Prince Edward did not
want was forced integrated schools
| in this instance, or in the broader
aspect Of the question federal in
! reference in something that has
additionally been the province of
state and local governments
AS the first Virginia locality to
take the step for this kind of To-
cal elf-government Prince Edward
will be a useful laboratory for other
communities, and even states, seek
ing to preserve rights that they
firmly believe are conferred on
them by the Constitution of t h e
United States. Under the rulings of
Supreme Courts for more than half
a century prior to the present So
called Warren Court" they have
had the power to run their schools
largely as they saw fit They have
had to conform. Of course, to state
law the while. !.
Meanwhile, as Governor Almond
said: Those who object to the &C
ton Of Prince Edward have only
to thank the NAACP National As
ISOLATION for the Advancement of
Colored P 0 p Ell and the courts
which do their bidding" A federal
district court had ordered integra-
ton Of schools racially in Septem-
Der, overruling District Jud 2 I
Sterling Hutchinson who had G
1865 as the date for racial lntegra
ton Of Prince Edward schools
Federal officials. educatonists I
and the Northern and Western press
are likely to 60 into dire discus
sions Of the decision by Prince Ed
ward County. Virginia. To abolish
its public schools There are likely
to be tear jerking meanings from
such sources at the ''loSs Of school
ing to Virginia children While the
nation cries out for more people
trained in science, the professions
and business There's a general
shortage Of trained people for al
most every occupation in the die
tionary. here in the United States.
But to condemn the children of
Prince Edward To the ranks Of the
unschooled and ignorant ~ to belle
the situation entirely. 1t is to CON
denim all those children who at
tend private and parochlal schools
Or who gain an education without
attendance al the conventional pub
lie school
For Prince Edward is going TO
have schools II is going ID have
good schools unless We miss our
guess Il is going to have schools
taught By teachers who have been
teaching III public schools and VIII
met tho standards for public school
instructors These teachers now
have an added incentive. as do
their pupils. to make the private
school system work They are en-
gagged in battle for d principle
which should make school work ar
added adventure What more TILL
white school organization has offer
ed to help the Negro citizens get a
private system of their own started.
So the tears Shed fol the poyf
children Of Prince Edward ar e
likely to be crocodile tears in the
final analysis. They are to have