Minneapolis spokesman., 1962-09-28


to understand one thing more clearly. The problem
of the South is not as the South continues to in
sist, "the Negro problem" It Is the problem per-
sonified by Mississippfs Governor Ross Barnett
the problem Of the southerner in high social and
official places who spurns the responsibilities Of
such high position and behaves like an ilIiterate
redneck
So long as men like Barnett and Faubus can
become governors Of their states, so long the
courts can be manned by men of similar ilk, and
so long as the southern counterpars of northern
civic leaders-editors, professional and business
people educators, social workers-ether go along
with their antics lack the courage to speak up;
so long will the South have problem Of egregious
proportions, which will continue to break out with
increasing frequency in the headlines of the worlds
press and world public opinion
Governor Barnett's performance in seeking to
bar the enrolment of Negro American Miss
issippian at the University of Mississippi has al
least the virtue Of putting nearly all facets Of the
problem of the South in very clear focus.
l. He seeks to deny a citizen of Mississippi and
the United States access to publicly supported edu
cational facilities on the basis Of the applicants
skin color This is outrage against decency and
humanity
2. He defies the law of the land. This is an
anarchistc gesture which those responsible for law
full and orderly procedures cannot ignore.
3. He thumbs his nose at the courts, and defies
the judges to put him in jail This is invitation
which the judges cannot afford not to accept By the
time this is in print we trust that appropriate
action will have been taken. If it is not we sure
that any explanations from the officials responsible
for taking action will be examined with the most
concentrated attention by all thoughtful citizens.
5. He appeals to, encourages and infames the
lowest elements in Southern society The hooliguns
the gangsters the terrorists riding again. The
civic leadership and ethical conscience of large
areas Of the south are more firmly in the hands OF
characters who would be promptly clapped in jail
if they brought their behavior patterns to state
This Is the problem of the South Decent people
everywhere, at all times in history have ever beer
up against the necessity to respond, with varying
requirements upon their courage, intelligence and
ingenuity to the challenges of such as Barnett
Human history is in big part the history Of theil
successes and failures.
Decent people are responding in the South. Fol
this fight is not in any fight of the Justice
Department the Kennedy administration against
the Barnetts of country. 1t Is the fight of de-
cent southerners, backed up by Justice Depart.
ment and the other agencies of government Other.
wise the effort would be without meaning and
without possible result.
In this fight, we are happy in the knowledge
that many If not most Of the heroes are Negroes
because otherwise again - the effort would bt
without meaning.
On the basis Of this new and circumstantia
evidence involving Of those who were put Il
death the Minneapolis syndicated Tribune chortles
that the liberals lie. defenders Of civil rghts)
stumbled into a trap Of their own creation: thai
they were too ready to defend a man who held un
popular and extreme political opinions. The i'm
pcaton is clear that Kirk believes that such people
are not entitled to the protection Of the Bill O
Rights that by embracing unpopular opinions the,
sacrifice this right
Such position is indefensible It is a denial o
the basic assumptions upon which humanity depend
everywhere in the world-for that freedom of tn
person. the mind and the spirit which are essentia
to the full development Of the human personality.
It has sometimes been remarked that certain
groups in America, and especially Negroes, Jews
and recent immigrants are especially aggressive II
the defense Of their civil rights This Is true, ant
the is that they have to be. It is for thes
that the civil rights principles have been evolved
Unless they assert their rights the rights deaC
letters. In the South, the advocates of civil right
are up against various degrees Of official and non
official Violence today. In the north at least
no authority, reputable or otherwise, would agail
put his name to the papers and processes that sen
Sacco and Vanzeth to their deaths-unless O
course, the views Of the Tribune columnist Russell
Kirk should begin to prevail In the north.