Concern At Hardening Of U.S. Racial Crisis

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30145, 31 May 1963, Page 11

Concern At Hardening Of U.S. Racial Crisis

ISpecwm, written CM N IfA by FRANK OUVCKI

WASHINGTON, May 30. The racial crisis in the United States has undergone an important and probably a very serious change.- It is now open to doubt that the pace of the change which will give die negro the rights he should have under the Constitution will be determined by the white man.

The Birmingham crisis, apart altogether from its impact overseas, had repercussions across the country. It aroused negroes in all parts of the country and they are showing more unity and more determination than ever before. There are 20 million of them and voice calls to voice across the land. Obviously they are going to choose the time and the place for demonstrations that demand equal rights for all citizens.

What the effects of this will be are hard to say. Coolheaded people, mostly white, but some black, agree that gradualism would be the best bet in this tremendous change that must come to the United States; but among the whites there is no leadership for gradualism and it seems as if gradualism is going to be tossed out of the window by the negro.

These changes have caused many thoughtful people to reflect on all that has happened—and on some things that have not happened—since the Supreme Court made its historic decision nine years ago. These appraisals, some of them agonising, have resulted in considerable criticism of this Administration and its predecessor.

Only one branch of the tripartite government of the country has really concerned itself with the moral and legal issues involved. AJmost no leadership has come from either Congress or the White House. Only the Supreme Court has had much to say about it Head In Sand

Congress all along has played the part of the ostrich with its head in the sand The historic decision came m the middle of the first Eisenhower Administration General Eisenhower did send Federal troops to Little Rock, but during the last six years of his Administration he was repeatedly attacked by liberal-minded writers for failing to give any leadership in this matter He left it to local authorities and to the negroes themselves The negroes staged political demonstrations, sit-in demonstrations in shops and restaurants and attempts to register to enable them to vote. These things led to •etaliations and legal steps by city and State authorities Convictions were usually obtained and many of these over the years have been -ested in the courts But what has always been 'acking has been Government 'eadership, moral and legal, to assist in the great transformation which obviously had to take place It was completely lacking under General Eisenhower and has not been much in evidence in '.he Kennedy Administration Almost nothing has been done by the Administration to enforce the Constitution This has been left to Individual negroes or groups of negroes.

The position was put succinctly recently by Walter Lippmann when he said- “ When the Supreme Cour: mtlawed segregation m public schools and in public 'acilities. there was left unanswered the question of how when and by whom the new law which differed so radically from existing

custom and practice, was to be enforced.”

President Kennedy has from time to time spoken about the problems of integration, the moral issues involved, the duties of State Governments and so on, but it was not until after the Birmingham crisis that he spoke about the possibility of legislation. This came after the Supreme Court quashed the conviction of several negroes who had staged sitin demonstrations.

The present leaders of the negro movement for faster integration are classified as moderate men, people like Dr. Martin Luther King. The extreme Black Muslim movement has not made great inroads into the King movement but many believe that f the King movement slows up, extremists like the Black Muslims might well widen their influence—with unhappy results. Fears about the slowing of the moderate movement disappeared after Birmingham and after the Supreme Court decision on the sit-ins Both matters spurred the negro drive for equal status and the moderate movement is gathering a greater head of steam than it has ever had before.

This has caused the change in negro tactics Evidence of

the change lies in the many conferences the AttorneyGeneral (Mr Robert Kennedy) has been having with negro intellectuals and other prominent people concerned with integration. The main problem now seems to be to see how the negro movement for equal s'atus can continue in a peaceful manner. Lippmann refers to dangers that do undoubtedly exist and says: “The movement to equality must go forward peaceably, which means there must not be another struggle to preserve the Union. These are not idle words There are increasingly desperate men at the extremes on both sides.” He, and other writers, have recently been referring to a movement which has made progress in some southern States to whittle away the Constitutions by a series of constitutional amendments. The effect of these would be to lessen the power and authority of the Federal Government Supreme Court Congress and Executive —and make this nation a fairly loose confederation of States One amendment, already approved by 11 States, would make it possible for State legislatures to amend the Federal Constitution without reference to Congress Another would establish a new court consisting of State

Siupreme Court judges with power to over-rule the United States Supreme Court. Three States are already in favour of this. A third would give the States sole authority to set the boundaries of legislative districts. Twelve States have approved this. A movement for another amendment, said to be gaining ground, is for the abolition of Federal income tax.

Debate Urged

These amendments prompted Chief Justice Earl Warrent recently to recommend a great public debate. The “New York Times” commented that the amendments would upset the whole structure of Federal-State relations and establish a veto over the Supreme Court. ‘They marched through one State Legislature after another without debate or consideration of their destructive potentialities.” it said. Few believe that such amendments will become law; but if the extremists behind them push things to the limit, incalculable damage could result. To try to stop the negro drive for the equality the Constitution says is his, these extremists may possibly push their amendments to the limit. They could completely upset the gradualism which in post-war years has brought the negro a good distance along the road towards his goal. Birmingham demonstrated that the tempo of violence is rising; and it could rise still further if only because the movement towards equality has now reached the really hard core of resistance in the South