Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1962-09-29

Governor Barnett's Action And
The Drive For Negro Indignation
The action of Governor Ross Barnett in the
Meredith case, while it could concevaby bring a.
bout the final settlement of the question of nerpo-
sition and states rights opposed to Federal Gov
eminent, invented simultaneously by John C. Cal
houn of South Carolina in the effort to preserve
the institution of Negro slavery. Questions pre-
sumaby settled by the Civil War and the Emanci-
patton Proclamation. The Governors action is also
bound to a grave second look in many quar-
tiers. at the drive for Negro ntegration.
That the Governors action will cause grave
second look at the drive for Negro ntegration may
be easily seen by the fact that the population of
this country is made up of many racial ethnic,
cultural and national groups, whose desires to pre-
serve their heritage limits their acceptance of in
tegration with all of it's purely social connotatons
as purely political formula. And by the further
fact, that despite the magic of figures, after all
the money, sweat, and tears, only token ntegra-
ton of Negroes has been brought about anywhere
in this country
While there is enough evidence to show that
the people who make up the various racial, ethnic
cultural and national groups of this country at
times wish to preserve their own identity and heri-
tage without being forced to Indignation, there is
abundant evidence to prove their desire to Ne
groes have all that they can accomplish under the
tried American political formula of equality under
the law.
In country made up population wise as is
the United States it may yet appear that dem
onstration of the right Of each group to have and
enjoy its own institutions with the equal protec-
ton of the law is far better answer to the chal-
lenge of communism than racial tension, confusion
and hatred engendered by the Negro Indignation
drive.
In the light of such future possibility the
question Immediately arises what will become of the
prospects of Negro freedom A question which can
be considered intelligenty only in the light of the
past history of the nation
In the first place there many instances in
the nations history where laws enacted by the Con-
gress and subsequently upheld by decisions of the
United States Supreme Court, because of the over
whelmlng rejection of American public opinion,
with the consequent lack of public support, have
been finally repealed. Notable among which, in
what may be called contemporary American his
tory was the prohibition act, which remained on
the statute book for Is years. with many lives lost
and millions of dollars spent in attempting it's
forcement, only to have it finally repealed for lack
OF public support and the final overwhelming re-
lection of public opinion.
Any view or study of American history and of
the American ideal of democracy is bound to re-
veal that what brought peoples of all races, ma
tons, colors and creeds to these shores to join
in helping make the United States the great nation
it is today, was that each group could have their
own churches schools and other institutions and or
CARNATIONS under the guarantee of equal protection
under the law.
1t was the impetus of the idea and ideal of
equal protection under the law that created what
became known to history as the American Melting
pot, an expression the essence of which was the
fact that people of all races, nations colors cul-
lures, and creeds, upon reaching this country be-
came merged in the American spirit while at the
same time enjoying the privilege of their own
churches, schools, and other institutions and or
carnations, with equal protection of the law
1t was under the idea and ideal of equal pro-
lection of the law, and the right of each group to
have its own churches, schools, and other nstitu-
tions and organizations, that the American Negro
made his greatest progress. A progress primarily
possible because racial pride was then a powerful
motivating incentive, which is not and cannot be
true under the Interpretation of, and drive for
Indignation.
The idea of Indignation in this country was
born in the minds, first of those who saw in it
means of creating the division, and stirring up
strife and tension in the United States as an aid
to the cause and advancement of world commu-
nism and later by those who think the best way to
combat Russia and Communism is to make the
United States as nearly like Russia as possible un-
der the impossible assumption, as events are pro-
viding daily that this could be done without in
jury to the great idea and ideal of American De-
mocracy.
We see no reason why the aims of the Negro
for equal protection under the law would suffer as