Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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The The Supreme Court decision handed down this week outlawing segregation in public schools dealt the Southern states the most bitter blow since the Reconstruction Period after the Civil War. Not only was a half a century of precedent broken by the court, the decision also demon strated clearly that the Constitution of the United States is being given such broad in terpretation that the federal government is, in many instances, replacing the state gov ernment. The decision on segregation shocked many, but in the light of New Deal legislation and constitutional interpretation since the early 1930's it should have been expected. This step by the court is the most recent Indication of the applied theory of tight fed eral control over the states. It is a culmina tion of the broad interpretations given the constitution during the past twenty years, regardless of what else it may seem to be. Despite the recent trend toward stronger federal power and lesser states' rights, the fact that the Supreme Court itself handed such a smashing blow to the states will no doubt cause it to lose prestige and respect in many areas. And such social legislation by interpretation may find much opposition in the South. Stepping Out With this issue the spring staff of the Gamecock officially ends its journalistic du ties. As in the past, the Fall staff will take over and will publish next week's paper, the last of the semester. When we first assumed our duties at the beginning of this semester we stated that "--we have only one reason for survival to crusade continually for what we feel will benefit the university and those within the university, and to inform students and fac ulty members." We have made an honest endeavor to follow that policy. The present administration has given us very little about which to crusade or "raise hell." It has brought more progress to the school than any previous administration. Those things which we did attack and criti cize were minor in comparison with some under other administrations. Perhaps one of the most notable accomplishments which the Gamecock helped to bring about was voting power given the student representative on the Disciplinary Committee. This new pro cedure is scheduled for operation next semester. Hard work and long hours put in by our small staff may have caused grades to drop, but the Gamecock came out on schedule every week. Letters to the Editor 'Blushing C( Draw C< SUMMER SCHOOL RATES . make further sac Dear Editor Ray, may remain in s< I appreciate your article in increase in-fees. the May 7th issue of the Game- know why this ni cock giving the new policy of of others who w summer school rates. I was more than I, fr rather startled to see that the crime committed rate per hour had been increased more of the vete 50 per cent. Therefore, I made press their opinli< a little private investigation and could sway the found a rather interesting con- F~rankly, it look: dition- trying to force u It seems that the summer Sincerely, school is trying to become self- DUILE' supporting by raising the hour ____ fee, reducing the teaching staff and increasing the number of BEER DRINKIN students per class. Strange that Dear thar:h operating costs have increased Nwta h that much when you take into fit to give such consideration that no services toerage th waite outside of the main office are bre scorehs wro furnished to the summer school sorrige scoos fr and the fifteen dollars tuition fror rooms th fee which in regular sessions sente awll theu is (I understand) remitted to lien a thel U t'he state, is in the summer re- leae no tne,i tained by the school. unred n ftone I realize that the administra- uinreinfl tion Is trying to beautify the o. usup campus with a green lawn and arad or supp new shrubs, etc. That pleasant ack"ge tor incud surroundings increase the ability sudck sopingc to study is well recognized but spors sectionc does it not seem more plausible Leots setin s? that if the administration must Let ounalithig pr beautify that they beautify the o oraitcp dull drab class rooms and filthy Sincerely dormitories ? William In conclusion, I'd like to state (Ed. note--The that I am a veteran with two Gamecock has be4 children going to school under news as it happe P.L. 550 and I, for one, cannot happens. The acti see where I benefit from the fin- on the Student provemients at school when my and the details wife and children will have to willingly by the fi and the South Already there have been indications that some Southerners will not accept the de cision. Feelings, for the most part, are high. The "cooling off period," which is actually set aside to determine what methods should be used to abolish the present segregation system was, for the South, the most rational action the Supreme Court took. With the ac tual abolishment of segregation probably two or three years away, the Southern peo ple will have time at least to become some what accustomed to the idea. At any rate, that is the desired effect. The majority of the people in South Caro lina feel that the state's power has been swallowed by the federal government. De spite the bitterness that does and must fol low such a decision, however, law and order must be maintained in the state. Collective reasoning by the people will aid in solving the heretofore dormant racial problem. No law, however unjust it may seem, should cause loss of reason. Governor Byrnes' advice to exercise re straint and to maintain order is worth heed ing. Disappointment should be tempered with reasoning and thought if South Caro lina is to meet the problem gallantly and creditably.-JWR of the Picture A lack of student interest robbed the Gamecock of reporters and sufficient per somiel during the year. Regular staff mem bers carried the extra burden. Despite this deficit in personnel the business staff did an unusually good job and helped bring the Gamecock out of a nearly $2,000 deficit. With the paper breaking even in finances it seems that the time has come to give top staff members some enumeration for the time and effort contributed. It can hardly be denied that such enumeration is deserved. We hope that the Student Activities Board and the Board of Publications-each individ ual member-will take this into considera tion for next semester. It's not a small issue, and without some consideration from them, in the light of current disinterest of the po tential journalists not on the staff, the Gamecock may not exist and retain its pres ent quality. This has been our first and final word on the subject this semester. We hope it is considered. Relinquishing our duties is not an easy thing. Habit of responsibility is hard to lose. Having worked with members of the new staff, I know that the Gamecock will be un der capable guidance. Here's wishing them luck on the road ahead.-JWR >-Ed', Rates, >mment rifices so that I cernedl. What may b)e frowned 'hool due to the up gon b)y sonlic may be entirely I would like to aIcc-eptable to others. This story must be. I know was acceptable to us.) ill suffer much H~SIGC-l E om this undue UHN COE LT .. against us. Jf Dear Editor. rans would ex. A fter reading the letter from >ns, perhaps we t he "blu ishing (Co-ed"' last week adm inistration. "in" nIIdy wonder. why she walks as if they're across the camp;us gazing into Sout of school, the windows of th ae' dorm, when it is common knowledge i ANDElRSON. that their shades are never .. losedl. HIowever, there are many G . more guilty than the one or ganizationf mentioned, even in Gamecoksees t.he girls' dorms. comprehensive If she were going to complain r dinkng on- I should think that it would be wonders why our sunJ bathers who use the hegames in campus as their own personal ren' pulishd.heach. Imagine the shock a Caro >pemublshpe. lina co-ed would get on leaving ided review of teChapel and finding herself in rsity. It should the midst of sun lovers, v?ho are or bee mug, rather scantily attired. Restric orin beer mug, tions have been made for the iligti i- girls and it seems that some ac se it could be tion should he taken so that our "Garnet and campus will return to a college a wrte-u of campus rather than a resort. ntat winte-u of And doesn't it seem almost as inet nte ridliculous that the once-called nd i theway men on our campus have lost gr ites wa. their dignity by returning to gress. childlhod shorts? Is it not again the same thing for the women ) lyon our campus to wear shorts to policy of The class ? So let us ask the men to n to print the cover up their Monroe knees un ns and how it tIl a proper occasion arises and vity was listed let them try t.o net like college Activities book studlents. vere furnished Name Witheld by raternities con- Ruest. "I hear that the Universit: ing trouble."9 AL TISON -mAnd the C Is an. H-on< Chief Justice Warren has said segregation in public schools is not constitutional, and the Chief Justice is an honorable man. The South has spent millions on equalized education, but this is unconstitutional, says Justice Black, and he is an honorable man. The South has preserved and protected the principle that a man is as good as he can prove himself to be, but the South has violated the 14th amendment, and Justice Clark, an honorable man, has said so. The South has spent 800 years in civilizing and rearing a sav age race (a process which re quired some 2000 years for other race.-, who had to be fit to sur vive), but the justices have said that her procedure is unconstitu tional, and they are honorable men, all of them. Lest you be misled, I come to praise segregation, not to join in funeral proceedings. The South fougfit and lost; began repairs and was recOn structed; elected Congressmen and had to filibuster in order to be heard; protested freight-rate discrimination for 50 years and were finally vindicated; began school equalization and permitted Negro jurors; and was beginning to benefit from a greatly Im proved Negro population,- from the end of the War until Mon day, May 17th, 1954, progress was made on the bAsis that the majort rue Chog h rereetaiv - Hoeer h Spee or has now re that ithe Uiterst Then theaC Isanpu Ho notrconstitteioal and the ies Jtoibe isenonoriseaeated Thser Soupih hs sndeetillions isunmostitutonal sayens Jstice tbjck,t anh increaseonnrroom ren. hnn foti aeb the Sounithraio poreerlydcun proecedr cthepinil. ta mahis ascood has he the prove votbenued the criticmezemthe adinistraion,seeing al hoorabl man, hars, said sonecntaes Thc aSot harickn wa0k yr Sndn vl g and ar n anv ageoracelyaunncessr wichght iroace who hung tousft to sur vive) but the Justing aveaidi thrtder procedur mish unscontitme mulen wall of wn andwhe grast you blned misld cepatd phrie itreuaston grot tocause Th Soutak fogod pakn lost; thegn repis ime was speon agstrced;eete Cogresposmben and to ofilibister jantorde are beherd purtsted Cadight-rateh dcarim intionveort50bearos and wnerefally inditocady tega Nro juosi adwsn.inn To baefthig fone at getly tie, the eate of the Wne puaced on-h wahome n the basis tha tnow majority rue,twhrocnghe their reprehsetie. r petmc Hoevdeergyh premen Courte has no rul that i ol atemtres ofl sclsie, it wll ne loned T. E.pn BROWhNtPehp Tmtheaewudlo Great Perhaps wtheot o excal itm toe mentioned irs. exageate r has been having some plumb. hief Justice )rable Man be necessary to ratify a change in the constitution; all that is required is that a citizen be sin cere and Imposed on by the ma jority, and the Justices will re interpret the constitution, and, as any fool knows, they are honorable men. Notwithstanding, they are aware of the inconveniences that may affect these newly unseg regated people, but segregation is unconstitutional. They are aware that a princi pled people respect and honor tradition, per se, but segrega tion is unconstitutional. They are aware of Lt. Gov. Timmerman and others' propo sals to provide separate private schools and unsegregated public schools, but segregation is un constitutional. There is little we can do; the Supreme Court Justices and the NAACP have said so, and they are very constitutional men. Now, in all fairness, we must examine this unanimous decision from an international standpoint; no doubt it will cause many a communist copy-writer a sleep less night in order to revise their propaganda. Also, it will give the U. S. another selling point, especially when dealing with Asia. But, actual non-segregation Is a high p0ce to pay for the sup port of some communists who couldn't care less that members of the colored race have to go to separate schools--they probably think that they're damned for tunate to have a school to at tend! est Evil in iprovement more, the bricks that are sup posed to hold it up are too old to hold anything, and despite concerted efforts by the main tenance department, it is now almost ready to fall again. The grass in question is that behind the history building. It has for two years refused to produce a decent crop and the guys that see it would much rather have a parking lot back there, since many find it neces sary to park blocks away from school with the strict campus regulations of the day. Besides, that sheep manure is too much for any man to take. All of us have seen the carts now used by the janitors, and conveniences are fine, but when expensive covers are brought out to keep trash from getting wet, dion't we go too far? The janitors would probably appreciate a raise in pay more. All of this and a guy can't get a shade in his room to keep the sun out so that he can sleep later than six in the morning. It all adds up to a lack of con sidleration by the authorities for the poor guys that are trying to get an education here. Of course if we all drove Cadillacs there would be no objection, but this place is supposed to afford one an education at minimum costs. It is probably a good thing that the room reservation fee Is being kept in case of damage. The administration must foresee that by the time one gets through this place, he can't possibly have anythingr left over. GUS MANOS The Court Solution an The decision of tle Supreme Court to end segregation in the public schools has, as could have been expected, stirred up feelings of uncertainty and anger in the minds of many Southerners. Un fortunately many of us, follow ing the dictates of politicians and outmoded . tradition, think that the only way to solve the problem (which is not actually such a great one) is to abolish our system of public schools. This is the wrong way out and represents another farcical attempt, like the separate-but equal doctrine, to dodge a social injustice which has been with us since the Civil War. We have been avoiding the only real solution, and now we must accept it or else admit to ourselves and the world that we cannot face realities. The Su preme Court has made the de cision. To attempt to defy the decision or to get around it will be an indication of lack of faith in our entire form of constitu tional government. Just because the decision does not suit many people is not a sign that it is wrong or unconstitutional. There must be a Supreme Law of the land or else our entire system of courts will collapse. The Supreme Law has spoken and it must be respected. The time has come to mix the races in the public schools of South Carolina. The decision of the court has come swiftly, and perhaps the changes will not be as gradual as some people had hoped. It has become evident, though, that each succeeding generation has attempted to approach the solu tion in a' very gradual manner which would not force them to face the end of segregation in their own lifetime. If we really had intentions of ending segregation eventually there would have been no need for the tremendous financial out lay of recent years to provide more equal-but-separate facili ties. It seems that after eighty years we would have at least made enough gradual progress to admit students to our state universities without regarding the color of their skin. Now we find that these thing% cannot be ignored forever. In our own way of alleviating an obvious problem, we passed local laws and restrictions which oppose the basic democratic con cepts on which our nation was founded. We have been the pup pets, in many instances of po litical demagogues who have found their strength in benevo lent suppression of a selected ra cial group. We have been in.flu enced by narrow-minded, self satisfied, and often ignorant "leaders" in church and commun ity life who have a big voice, a portly bay-window, a fat wallet, free cigars, and a - mouthful of "nigger" jokes. We have been victims of the propagan%la of "patriotic" groups who are will ing to sacrifice basic democratic ideals to keep alive the "glorious traditions of the past." There are few who will deny that segregation is undemocratic and un-Christian. It certainly opposes the universal religious concept of brotherly love. It op poses the words tolerance, jus tice, and liberty. And yet It Is IA CA CROWING FOR UNIVERSITY OF St Member of Assoeiate Foade au so isos, ih Unlvert of Sowib Cuula w. **dmma.. ie h de e ty EDITOR ............. MANAGING EDITOR BUSINESS MANAGER ASSISTANT MANAGING EDI NEWS EDITOR .... SPORTS EDITOR SOCIETY EDITOR FEATURE EDITOR CAMPUS EDITOR. ... CIRCULATION MANAGER ASSISTANT BUSINESS MAN STAFF REP Fais Giles, Bobby Alford, J R. 1 Parrish, Mike Lovejoy, Bo>b'Youm COLUMN John Duffy, Farns Giles, J. Alleri BUSINESS We. Sanders, Al Perry, Gibby I CARTO0b Bob Camro- Sai. May 21, 1954 s Decision d Challenge strange that so few people are willing to endure a little discom fort and inconvenience for th* "beliefs." Where are the religious organ izations who talk faith over - cup of tea ? Where are the tol erant and broad-minded elements of our society? Where are the millions who go to thurch to hear the golden rule preached? If these people be true now is the time for them to come for ward and "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." The only Christian, Jewish, Mohammedan, democratic, or honorable way is to quietly ad mit students to our public schools without considering the color of their skin. There may be some discomfort, but things will not be as bad as parents think. In stead of having four little ys -with 'white skin sitting aroAd him, little Johnny may have two with -white and two with dark skin. If any of Johnny's class mates are dirty, it will be be cause their parents are too poor to live in a house with a bath tub. Maybe when Johnny's chil Jren go to school everybody will have bathtubs. It is doubtful that in his classroom Johnny will contract any strange diseases or be retarded in his work by stu dents who must go through the same advancement testW as Johnny. If his parents do not create them, Johnny will find no problems. He will continue to make his friends as he chooses and eventually he will learn that it is best not to judge people merely by the color of their skin. Being the first generation to en counter such aft experience, Johnny's generation may find ad justment a little difficult at first. Gradually, though, tolerance and fair play will replace prejudice and social stigma. These changes in the sc I life of Johnny will have far reaching results outside of the schoolroom. The day will come when there will not be a largc segment of our population with an average yearly income of $700. Slums and odors will be eliminated, because an elevation in social and economic status will bring a higher standard of living. A higher standard of liv ing for one part of our popula tion will result in higher stand ards for all. There is nothing to lose, and everything to gain. There riVust be co-operation, re straint, and tolerance practiced all the way. If we are resolute and sincere, if we are democratic and lovers of peace, if we are honest in our religious convic tions, if we let our minds guide us-there will be no such prob lem to confront the next genera tion. The races will mix in the public schools, and we will sur vive and be better peopl'e for it. To accept and apply the Court's decision in our public schools will be a definite step toward prog ress and enlightenment. Any other course will lead backwards toward ignorance and injustice. The challenge must be faced now, by this generatgn. The manner in which we acebpt it is being watched today by the wvorld. More important our ae tions will, for better or for worse have a tremendous effect on the ediucation of succeeding genera tions. The solution is simple; the challenge is great. A GREATER - )UTH CAROLINA I Collegiate Press best EIUott Comme as the firt I by ad fee the st.dents .f the daFM..dmag the eenese ad etterv wfhrs are aee .eo.e BIhgdao noetitut. an ........JOHN W. RAY ........BILL LEGGITT ......DAN DONOVAN TOR.... ... . ....A l Lane .... .. .Btsy Ehrhardt .... .. .. .. ...ck Baa. ...... .Calyn Mc Clung .... ..... .. ..D w James ..... .. ..Pa tsy Penney .. ......W . L. Buffington ALGER. .. .. .. ...ck Field ORTER8 toeery Donna Hale, Bruce ag, Bertha Gardner. ISTS Tfison, Ralph Gregory, T. E. STAPF lean, D. J. Salley, Bill Dear. sley PapaJohn