Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-03-07
School Chiefs
Offer Ideas on
InfegrdfiOn
BY CECIL HOLLAND
star stan Writer

I -
NASHVILLE, Tenn, Mar. Z.
Scores Of suggestions for cas-
ing the task Of school desegre-
cation were In the hands Of the
Civil Rights Commission today
after conferences with school
officials here.
One Of the more explosive
suggestions was for the Fed
eral Government to assume a
greater role In both q financial
land q police way in commune
ties which encounter difficul-
ties and violence In carrying
out the Supreme Courts school
decisions.
Clinton Proposal
The suggestion was made at
the windup Of the two-day
conference yesterday by r. q.
Crossno Of Clinton. Tenn,
where the high school inte-
grated on orders Of the Federal
Court was damaged in q dyna-
mite explosion last October
Mr.. Crossno accused the Fed
eral Government and its agen-
cies Of failing. and failing
miserably" to help communi-
ties carry out indignation.
A similar view was voiced, 1t
was learned. by Everett r. KEEL
ley. superintendent of the Van
Buren, tArk.) schools, in a
closed commission meeting. Mr..
Kelley requested the executive
session because of the high
feeling in his State growing out
of the Little Rock situation and
the use Of Federal troops to
enforce Federal Court orders
for integration.
DR.. John A. Hannah, presi-
dent Of Michigan State Univer-
sity and chairman of the COM
mission, said the conference
accomplished everything we
had in mind"
Cites Precedent
Before returning to his uni
versity post last night he said
in a brief interview that the
conference had compiled the
first written record of the ex-
periences Of educators in car
rying cut court-ordered de-
segregation Of schools.
Eighteen school superintend-
ents or representatives took
part in the meeting. Their re-
ports, DR.. Hannah said, re-
vealed that problems of de-
segregation differ widely and
that the solutions differ.
In many instances. the COM
mission chairman added, it
has taken courage for the
school boards to act.
Information obtained in the
meetings here will be used by
the commission In drafting
recommendations to the Presi-
dent and Congress. The rec
concentrations will be sub
mitted not later than Septem-
Der 9 when the life Of the COM
mission will expire unless 1t
is extended by Congress.
Conclusion Of Meeting
Commission members offered
no summary on their findings
during the meeting here, but
several conclusions seemed OBJ
vious. Among these were:
l. Desegregation even under
the most favorable circum-
stances becomes a ticklish busi-
ness. but once the step is taken
difficulties tend to lessen.
2. School superintendent are
divided over whether a rapid
or gradual approach is best.
"A majority Of those attending
this meeting indicated they
favored the gradual approach,
even over a period of years.
The commissions meeting
went of without incident, ex-
cept for a mild time bomb
scare in an anonymous tele-
phone call to a funeral home.
But the meeting was not with
out criticism.
The Nashville Banner, in an
editorial on the afternoon of
the commissions departure,
said the commission has
threshed with straws" and in
truded on the school question
without legal basis ''by a role
self-assigned." The hearing,
the Banner added. did not be-
long in Nashville and was not
invited and the commission, it
asserted, "can help not at all