The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1960-02-05

Significant but not admirable are
the reactions of the President and
the Vice President Mr.. Eisenhower
dismisses the new plan as "a legal
istic amendment after having
washed his hands of the prior pro-
posal for Federal voting registrars.
And Mr.. Nixon, whose best friend
the Attorney General is supposed to
be - lets it be known that he had
nothing to do with working out the
new plan.
They wash their hands
This is significant of their increas-
ing South-consciousness. 1t is more
than any of the avowed Democratic
candidates would do. But it is not
admirable Especially in the Presi-
dent. Not all the soap and water in
Washington can wash his hands of
his own Acknowledgement. Yet with
Mr. Rogers as with Mr.. Brownen
he has tended to act as if the De-
partment of Justice were strange
world in which he didn't know his
way and must follow blindly where
experts" led.
AMAZINGLY A SOUTHERN hope
against this newest civil force may
be the Supreme Court, greatest sin
ner of all heretofore against dual
sovereignty The court may be be-
coming state-conscious. Fifth Fed
eral Circuit Judge Ben Cameron
cited five recent decisions this
month in his majority opinion on
case undertaking to have two City
of Fort Worth ordinances voided-
These actions Of the Supreme
Court in recent days and the langu-
age used by it point clearly in our
opinion wrote Judge Cameron,
to an increasing recognition Of the
important role of the states in the
proper functioning of the partner
ship of sovereignties which is the
American system.
Florida s distinguished constitu-
tional lawyer. Giles Patterson of
Jacksonville, must have noted this
indication of reversal with JOY and
no little pride a He is one of those
who have been fighting the contra
policy many years No later than
last October he reviewed the New
Deal Fair Deal history of en-
croachment in a brilliant Law Day
Address at Cumberland University.
finding its high water mark in the
case of United States versus Darby
where the court called it a mere
"truism that all is retained which
has not been surrendered and
scoffed (via Chief Justice Stone at
the idea that Constitution reserved
a legislative field to the states.
ONLY THROUGH PUBLIC opln-
ion was there hope Mr. Patterson
believed. But he called the roll Of
constitutional amendments to show
how public opinion had indeed been
effective of reversals. And he cited
the recent criticism of the high
court by sc Chief Justices of the
state courts as rejecting a gather
ing public opinion (which can ulti-
mately bring about a return by the
court to its long recognized con-
struction or to the adoption by the
people of an amendment that will
accomplish the desired result
In a letter to this column Mr..
Patterson fears the court is 50 COM
mitted that it is not likely they
will materially modify, much less
reverse themselves unless public
sentiment demands it,"
But public opinion may be
working on both court and Con-
gress. Senator Talmadges amend
ment specifying exclusive state con
troll of public education might just
possibly. through the public APP
prevail it is getting, amend the
court before it amends the Consti-
tuition. Certainly it is no lost
cause" as some have thought, cs-
pecially now that it has been re-
vised to provide for equal schools
in the separate but equal" ideal.
The Senator believes it can be
passed and he might be right 1t
could bring peace. constitutionalism
and education to this country in one
package.
BUT HOLD VERY THING.
An1ericanS
Ralph McGill has just spoken, or
dering the waves to recede. voWing
there are no real waves anyhow
Ipse dixit.
This state sovereignty stuff is
CUFF
He has SO decreed
1T is POETIC JUSTICE that poll
ticians who insisted on doubling
the size Of my states delegation to
Los Angeles. cutting each delegates
vote in half to make each more
subject to manipulation and con-
fusion, can't get anybody to run.
Or not nearly enough, at any rate.
Here is one more proof that
Southern politicians are out of line
with Southern thinking these DAYS.
The presumption that there would
be q scramble for the Los Angeles