Bronze Reporter [Volume: 7, Issue: 33]

VOLUME 7~NUMBER 33

Miss Taxpayers Finance

State Segregation Program

JACKSON, Miss. ~ Mississippi
taxpayers, including Negroes are
paying $5,000 a month to help
finance radio and television programs sponsored by the White
Citizens Council to preserve segregation.

This was admitted recently by
Gov. Ross Barnett, who said the
funds were allocated by the State
Sovereignty Commission which he
heads. Spending of the money,
was authorized last July at the
usual closed sesioa of the Commission.

At least four Commission members are on the 1961 executive
committee of the Mississippi Association of Citizens Councils. The
radio-TV programs are in charge
ef W. J. Simmons, administrator
of the councils and editor of
their newspaper.

The councils are dedicated to
~preservation of segregation and
constitutional government.~ The
radio-TV programs feature speakers on states~ rights, constitutional

government, and segregation. ~

grams are provided free to broad~casting stations in 28 states
~throughout the nation:

The - 1960 Legislature voted
$350,000 to finance operations of
the Commission for two years.
The $5,000-a-month subsidies are
in addition to the Commission's
allocation of $20,000 made last
June to the radio-TV program.
There is no provision for the
Citizens Council to account to
the Commission or to the state
auditod for use of the funds.

Three white and one Negrc
citizen have filed suit in Federal
Court here to stop such payments.

They contend that the expendi- |.

tures are in violation of their
rights under the Fourteenth
Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

The four plantiffs aré: Lonnie
B. Daniel, area director for the
Communication~ Workers of
America; William L. Higgs, ~At
torney: C. E. Schaeffer, electriciar
and union official; and Robert
L. T. -Smith, Jr.; Negro grocer.

Support Sought For
Southern Negroes

ANN ARBOR ~ A letter proposing national attempts to. provide economic support for Negroes undergoing social and economic pressures in two Tennessee
student groups at 40 U.S. universities.

Sharecropper Negroes in Fayet
te.and Haywood counties claim
they: were evicted by landowners
because they registered to vote,
in et satinnal lection:

Local Witnesses
Back From Meet

NICHOLAS KOVALAK, JR.

Jehovah~s Witnesses from this
area have returned from a three
day Bible convention in Bay City
this- past weekend. As a climax
to the gathering, Nicholas Kovalak Jr., New York minister, delivered a public Bible discourse.
~Is God Interested In The Affairs Of Men?

Kovalak has been a Witness
minister for the past twenty-five
years and is a native of New
Jersey. He brought his audience
of 1,948 to attention when he
asked the question. ~With. the
world in he throes of disunity
and hatred, is Almighty God really concerned with the affairs of
men? Does God.really care?~
Kovalak continued, ~He must
care; he gives us water, food, air
and all the necessary things for
life itself, Yes, God does care.~

Using numerous scriptural references, the speaker traced Bible
prophecies pointing ahead to our
twentieth century. ~We are living
at an unparalleled time in human
history,~ Kovalak asserted, ~A
time when Jehovah God has turned his attention to this earth.
Since 1914 he has set up a Kingdom, a real government, in the
hands of his Son, Jesus Christ,
the Prince of Peace. This act
proves that God really cares since
Kingdom rule will bring eternal
peace to this war torn. earth.~

_ Mr. Kovalak atone his listeners

sured that God's sierveted in
those who serve Him.~
g with delegates.
ing determined to

plete mem, * petit aii ad
Noting that needs are for cloth:

Asking for clothing, food, uti~lities, and fund drives, the letter is signed by Thomas Hayden,
University of Michigan student,
and Sandra Cason of the University of Texas. A Royal Oak senior,
Hayden is editor of the Michigan
Daily, U~-M student. newspaper.

~Scattered student and adult
groups have undertaken highly
valuable ~aid for Fayette~ campaigns,~ the letter reads. ~But

helpful as such provisions have |;. the future greets and
ete &

ing, food money for expenses and
utilities, the letter calls for supply-raising drives:

~These are the immediate needs
of the Negro community, and
are prerequisites to any of the
proposed plans for alleviation
of the crisis, such as the plan
for a sharecroppers~ cooperative.
Further, they are obviously vital
prerequisites to even broader
programs, such as the one for
equal: voting rights.~

Letter explains that supplies
should be delivered to FayetteHaywood areas by truck to draw
national attention. If not. possible,
the letter requests that. supplies
be sent to ~Tennessee Campaign,~
802 Oakland S., Ann Arbor, Mich.
They will be forwarded by truck.

Seek To Unity
Aid To Tenn, Co.

NEW YORK~The NAACP met
with representatives of four other
national groups here this week
in an attempt to coordinate relief
activities for Haywood. and Fayette County, Tenn., sharecroppers.

Representatives of the American Friends: Service Committee,
the National Sharecropper~s Fund,
the Congress of Racial Equality
and the National Committee for
Rural Schools met at the call of
Roy Wilkins, NAACP executive
secretary.

The organizations agreed tc
work toward coordinating their

relief activities and to look fo1-|

a solution to the Tennessee crisi
on other than a relief basis.
Negro farmers there, who reg
istered to vote Nev. 8, have un
dergone endless economic reprisals. Many have been driven from

the land they have farmed for 3

years.
At present, 13 families are ~liv

ing in a temporary communit.|

known as ~Tent City~ where the}
are housed in surplus army tents

The NAACP national office ha:
sent more than $8,000 to the dis
tressed area since July.

Jesse H. Turner, president of
ae Memphis NAACP, and Allen
founded Somerville NAACF

branch (county seat*of Fayette)
attend the meeting at the NAACF
naional office.

~ They served as resource per
sons and gave first-hand reports | 5

Ss
Fs, president of the newly

~Honoreti: recently at ~toga lur

Post Office. Department ~Regional.
of Pgstal Employees, Rae F

Mr. arter, NAACP general
counsel, said that Alabama is
~denying NAACP members their
civil and constjtutional., rights.~

He added that federal court
action is needed if Negroes are
to ~enjoy freedom of speech and
association and) access to the
state~s courts.~ |

The ~NAACP was banned from
Alabama in 1956, without notice
or opportunity to be heard.
Alabama enjoined all Association
activities, charging it had failed
fo register as a ~foreign corpora:
tion.~

Subsequently, the NAACP was
~found in contempt and fined $100,|000 for refusing to hand over
membership lists. This ~move
would have exposed Negro citizens to the naked violence often
documented in Alabama current
events.

~The U.S. Supreme Court void
of Detroit, is.shown above: receiving che ~Postm aster General~s~ < Meri
ognition.of his, leadership: and. administrative ~abil ity. Reading Lots deft. to right: Arnold C. Petersen,

Pre, faassen Rawaay Lo

~NEW: ~ORLEANS, be In its latest move to secure}!
the return of the NAACP to-action in the Staté of Alabama,;
Robert*L, Carter argued here, January 17, in the United:
States Fifth Circuit Cotirt of Appeals that the NAACP ~will
never be permitted to function in Alabama~ unless the
Federal courts take jurisdiction over a 1956 temporary injunction action now frozen by the state in its courts.

Operations~ Dire ctor; John

ed the @labama contempt ruling
in 1958; threw out the $100,000
fine; and upheld the Association's
right not ~to reveal its membership lists.

did not say whether-the injunc
tion~ against the NAACP was
valid.

The Alabama high court held
the U.S. Supreme Court mandate
for six months before it elected
to reaffirm ~its old contempt cifation.

Alabama said this time. that
tthe NAACP was in contempt for
reasons other than refusing to
hand over membership lists. The
NAACP returned the case to the
U.S. Supreme. Court.

The Supreme Court again
struck down Alabama in June

However, the Supreme Cour~.

ik

master Edward L.' Baker
torious Service Award~ in rec -

bb, 42g warm National ap eee

shas of the Alabama high court,
~which again elected to do nothing.
The NAACP filed several mo~tions, requesting the Alabama
Supreme Court to send the man.
date to the Circuit Court of
Montgomery County so the vali:
dity of the injunction against
NAACP activities could be tested

Again the Alabama Supreme
Court did nothing and advisec
the NAACP. to file ~no further
motions on the matter.~ |

A temporary injunction ha:
been outstanding against. the NA4~ for four years and the
~ ation has been unable to
test its validity.

After waiting until June, 1960,
the NAACP fiied a complaint in
federal court ~seeking to enjoin
state officials from refusing to
permit the Association to registei
as a foreign corporation.~

This phase of the. case was
argued last July and the district
court admitted that it had juris
diction, but concluded that it wa.
not proper to act since the matte
was: in the state court.

The NAACP then appealed te

of 1959.

The case again rested in the

the U.S. Court of Appeals of
the Fifth, Circuit.

~NEW ORLEANS ~ Sixty day
jaii séntences and fines. of $350
were handed out, to four ~New Or
~Women of this, area being of
fered an opport
woman outstandi
of: traffie safety,
Director of the Women~s Division
if the Automobile Safety Foundasion, sl a mle D., C.

unity to meet a
ing in the field
Mrs. B. V. Todd,

New Orleans Court Gives Jail
Sentence -To CORE Members

leans CORE members convicted~
of Criminal Mischeif. Criminal,
District. Judge Bernard Cooke

ence. -;

Rudolph Lombard, Oretha Castle, '

September 17. Goldfinch is also
chared with Criminal~ Anarshy
and faces- a possible sentence
of ten years.
set for the trial of that charge.

of appeal on the Criminal Mis-|
fusing to allow:testimony to prove
cheif conviction. They.. alleged
that Judge Cocke erred in reMecCrory~s to be in int

commerce. and to show a _conspiracy between. McCrory

agement and the New Orleans

in| Police. Such a conspiracy would
~| make the arrest unconstitutional._| State support of private discrimi~|mation.;

gave\the defendants the option)
of paying the fine or. serving an}.
additional 60 day prison sent
The arrests of CORE Chairman |. %

Cecil W. Carter, Jr., and L. Sid-;

ney Goldfinch grew out of a sit-':
in at a McCrory lunch counter |

No date has been ~

Attorneys Lolis P. Elie and
Jchn P.: Nelson, Jr. filed notice

x

tured are some ee the tents. purchased by NAACP for. Negroes
driven from their Fayette Coun
~ (Tenn.) homes for registering
to: vote Nav. 8 The association
launched the second national ap~peal for funds this week for victims of ~southern bias: ~NAACP

bag os that,

| phein? T baked )
send explained that no one talks |

ok

Rep. Townsend Fueds | 1

By Herman, Gibson
FLINT ~ A simmering feud loaded with political

dynamite cued into the public press,

Monday, as Rep.

Roger B. Townsend, D-Flint, filed a resolution with the

House clerk to set up a five member: legi
| gating committee to investigate. comp

racial discrimination in the
ctices of the State Highway

Com. John C. Mackie ~is report-; =
ed to have denied the charges as
~ridiculous~ and further stated,

~Pm sure that any fair: inquiry ~
will demonstrate this charge is|

not true~. As we go-to press,
reports from Lansing indicate
that Townsend refuses to be
~muzzled~ by Democratic bigwigs, and will not turn loose of
Mackie~s ~~~tail~~.

A rumor of discontentment with}.:

political patronage at the County
level last week took this reporter
to Rep. Townsend~s Office for
sonfirmaion or deriai, but the irate Legislator had just returned
from a ~battle~ with the local
County Democratic Committee

seeking to prevent an invitation |

for Highway Com: John C. Mackie

to address the Democrati~ Cou

Convention. Townsend was after &

much larger ~game~
He did not know of any complaints ~of local. dissatisfaction,

to his.good friend, John C. Mackie
you talk with his aides. ~I didnot help get his aides ~ elected,~
said Townsend,~ and I. will not
be taking his aides around for
reelection so they can explain

about the highway~s employment ag

and promotional practices. If
Mackie~s aides can elect him, then|!
he does not need me,~ said Townsend.

~Are you alone in this, Roger~,
I asked? You are a: Negro and
you know what people are subject to say.~ Townsend explained
that a group of Legislators, in
cluding Rep. Albert R. Horrigan,
knew of the situation and were
backing him.

The -next questions were whether the complaints were bonafide? Were the complainants qualified? The former president of
the NAACP threw a stack of
reports from State Civil Service
on the desk between Atty. C.
Frederick Robinson and myself,
and if Townsend and the State
Civil Service were correct, some
real sharp~ Negroes had been
jenied employment or advancenent with the Michigan Highway
Department,

Townsend~s resolution recties:

CORE Aids
Freedom Village

NEW YORK CITY ~ Emerzency Relief Committees for Fayatte and Haywood Counties have
been formed in Los Angeles, St.
Louis, New York City, ~Chicago
and in Lexington, Kentucky by
SORE groups.

Chicago CORE. has already sent
more than 100,000 pounds ~of food
and clothing by eight trucks and
an airplafie to the Tennessee farm- |
ers who have dared to register
and vote. Other groups have sent
truckloads of supplies to meet
the critical need for children~s

clothing, blankets and food.

National CORE has assigned

i field secretary Richard Haley to

West Tennessee to work in distributing the supplies, increasing
~he number ef registered voters,
and securing commynity: support.. More than 40 families. have

tl already been evicted from their
'} homes.. Most have doubled up

with neighbors but some have
been forced into tents of. ~Freedom -Village~ where they have

only. the most primitive sanitary
facilities. The Federal Courts are
now. considering an attempt to
eviet hundreds of additional families.

Help for the sharecroppers has
come from the AFL-CIO, the National Sharecroppers Fund, and
the NAACP as well as from
CORE. 2

lative investits of alleged
hiring and enaetie praDepervaregs,

~Evidence hes: ie submitted

to members of the House. of Reresentatives indicating racial dismination in. the employment
and~ promote pI practices of High.
wayCom. John~ ~. ~Mackie and
the ~Michigan 9 \ ay - Department; if such: changes prave to
be. factual, Sager ti pelisias constitute. die ilation- {OF the
statutes ~af this. stot a iba proa ae oa fdcnend feud. vf; He ~stage~, the shewings et ian
Socieat. th ah

sident: of the

#

ripe ruta Nake."

the local square.

Police attacked the studénts:
armed with Bibles and signboards,
using tear gas and high pressure
fire hoses. A record 338 soaking
students were arrested and forced
to shiver in the cold spring air
in: an outdoor stockade.

Miss Wright will work with
Herbert L. Wright, the Association~s youth secretary, and will
be based in the Atlanta regional
office of the NAACP.:

Phillip H. Savage, of Baltimore,
Md., has been named field secretary at large and will conduct
NAACP membership campaigns
in major cities.

He~ was chairman of the Civic
Interest Group that was responsible for breaking down segregated
eating facilities in four major
department: stores. and more than
100 restaurants in Baltimore.

A graduate of Morgan. State
College, Mr. Savage has worked
as'an organizer in the Association~s register to vote drive in
Baltimore. He also conducted an
NAACP membership drive there
that resulted in 11,254 members.

Mr. Savage also served as acting
executive secretary of the Baltimore branch durifig 1960. He
will work under supervision of
Gioster B. Current, NAACP director of branches..

Named To U S..
Comm. On CR

~ WASHINGTON ~ The Rev.
Olof~ Anderson, @f., of Louisville has been named to.the Kentucky Advisory Committee of the
U.S. Commission_on Civil Rights,
Berl 1., Bernhard, Acting Staff
Director of the Commission, has
announced.

Tae Kev. Mr. Anacrson, who
lives at 116 Edgehill Road; is
executive secretary of the Presbytery of Louisville, Presbyterian
Church in the United States.

He was educated at the University of Virginia, the Lovisville Presbyterian Seminary, the.
University of Edinburgh, Scot
~

He is a member of the board
of the Kentucky Council on Human. Rélations, a member of the
Family and Children~s Agency
of Louisville, and former moderator of the Synod of Kentucky,

ae

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