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G~ IA EDI TORS SPEAK: t, Civil Rights Proposat\ 1 Shakes American System Waycross Journnl-I-l('Tatd WE ARE in accord wilh the views of Sen. Richard B. Russell on U1e Kennedy administration's nC\v civil rights and the racial situation in general. Among other things, the distinguished Georgia lawmaker said "no American citizen has the right to select the laws he will obey and those he will disobey." Referring lo Lhe wave oC racial demonstrations in recent weeks, he said the American system has always rejected the idea that one group of citizens may deprive another of legal rights in property by process of agitation, demonstration, intimi· dation , law defiance and civil disobedience. The civil rights proposals sent to Congress by the President cont.a.in a section that should be repugnant to all Americans, regardless of race. This public accommodations proposal would cnab!e the federal government to enforce desegregation of private establishments catering to the general pltblic. It seems to Sen. Russell, to many other members of Congress and to us that this is itself a move to ·v. ericans of property rights. Court decisions have laid down a public facilities supported by tax r elaled to interstate commerce such as But the move to dictate to the owner of .., urant WW he may or may not serve is a more eruel . Should th1i ·right of property owners be taken away, it would represent the fall of one of the last great bulwarks of the American initiative and fr ee enterprise system. WASHINGT ON - While the heal and thunder across the ~out h is being concentra ted on the public accom modations section of P resident J ohn F . Kennedy's civil ri ~hts bilJ! a_ recen t study of Negro votin g and po pul~t1on has 111d1cated t ha t a nothe r civi l rights measure might have a fal'-reaching political effec.t. The public accommodations seclion of the Kennedy bill c'rit lc I() is the one that would outlaw racial discrimination in such busi- the state·s counties. In Louisjana the ··pattern" is seen in over a third of the counties. In Mississi ppi i 6 of the 82 counlies have reg- nesses as hotels and restaurants. Hea rings are being held on that measure now by two commiltees of Coa&ress. La~ week Sen. Richard B. Russell o( Winder told a J asper au· dience that such a bill " levels an all buti•ftlOr tal blow at the right or a man who owns property to decide llow 1 the property shall be used . 'J ·

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less than 15 per cent are rcgistered in over ha lf of the counties. Those 36 counties in Georgia represent less than one fourt h of the state·s 159. If Negroes were suddenly reg istered to vote in relatively large numbers iii counties and congressiona l districts where they had nol parlicipatecl befor e, what would the result be·? CALLED49i)cJALISTI C Earlier the Georgia senator and leader of ~ Southern group in the Sen~ d called Title fl •·socia listti' communistic . Howevenwre and more intei-est is beffll"'lhown in Washington about ~ civil rights proposal. the voling rights section of ill the President a~!143.215.248.55-~ TO LIBE RAL IZE POLITICOS? Some Southern poli ticians thi nk it would be to "liberalize the politicians from many of the areasin economic matters if not in civil ri_ghts a.natters. 111e reasoning behmd this seems to be that most of the Negroes thus rcg~stered wou!d be those who are mterested m ~:.:i;l~O~ra%asg:n~e143.215.248.55a143.215.248.55.. welTheir votes. together with whites similarly inlerested. would be a powe1· in congressional districts and probably to a greater extent, statewide. It is unlikely. aceordiQI to severa! Georgians in eoa,re.a, that these Negroes would ilarelthe numerical strength .. conCOULD GET ORD ER: gressmen who w or Here is how it would work : In champion civil r i Miller County. Georgia, no Ne· groes are registered to vote. The Justice department would file a suit charging tha t there is a ··i:mttcrn of di scrimination." If a federal district court agreed. then any Negro in that county could get an order decla ring that he was entitled to vote. if the judge fm:nd tha t he was qualified under state law and that he· had been denied the opportunity re3!P. The county btlltfs ;, Uie state A majority of the counties would could contest , ruling, be affected by the new law in all but meanwhile uld be but one South Carolina congreste. The s!ona~ district. Most_~r l~e c~unallowed to reg~ court could re 11,m or it ties 1n two of Lou1s1ana s eight could appoint f ferees. lf districts would be affected. before the One Georgia congressman bean election came a case had fina lly been sett led, the lieves that the impact of registerNegro voles wou ld be impounded ing Negroes would be less than exuntir there was a decision. peeled. He says that most of the counties where the abuses have 26 1 COUNTIES rNVOLVED occurred are rura l and that a ma. A somewhat similar provision jority of the Negroes in sul!h was written into law in 1960. TI1e counties would not be qualifi ed lo important difference was this: vote even if the registrars were Negroes could not register or vote fair. This is because of low eduuntil after the case had been de- cation standards, he says. cided. IN' URBAN AREAS According to a study just comBut he. too. concedes that conpleted by a non-government organ ization. there are 261 counties gressmen would have to take the wishes of the newly registered Nein the South in which less than groes into account. He thiuks the 15 per cent of the adult Negroes state's two senators would be are registered to vote. more likely to feel "pressure"' Thirty-six of those counties are from any drive to r~gister Nein Georgia. mostly in south Geor- groes. gia. Jf fede ral referees were to His reasoning here was that be allowed to register Negroes to vote in all those counties, it there is al ready a substantia l Necould very well have a decided gro vote in urban a reas in the impact at the polls on local races state. That prus .. a li tlle here and though probably not in congres- a little there from elsewhere in sional races, with two possible the state would. he says. "add up to a real force in statewide elecexceptions. tions. TI1e exceptions are lhe Second Another congressman sees the District tsouU1west Georgia ) repmost important result of a new resented in Congress by J. L. Pilcher of Meigs and the Third voting Jaw as being its contribu/southwest central ! represented tion to the early death of whatby E. L. (Tic ) Forrester of Lees- ever two-party system may be developing in the South. He points burg.' oui that Negroes a re going to vote WHERE THEY' RE FEW Democratic more and more in the The Second District has 14 coun- South because they are mostly. in ties. In half of them less than the lowest economic level and the 15 per cent of the Negroes are Republican appeal lo the poor is registered to \'Ole. The Third Dis- \'C ry slim. trict has 24 counties. In 14 of them The only reason that Negroes less than 15 per cent of the Ne- voted Republican in the South in groes are registered to vote. the past is that the "aura or In Georgia's other districts, the Lincoln" accord ing to this consituation is this: First-In only gressman, lingers on. That is three of 18 counties are Jess than being replaced. he says by the 15 per cent of the adult Negroes "aura or Bobby and Jack. registered. Fourth - two of 15 counties. Sixth-four of 16. Eigh th -two of 20. Tenth- four of 17. In Atlanta i Fifth District) and t'.,,e two north Georgia Districts 1Seventh and Ninth ) there are no counties in which less than 15 per ceni or the Negroes are registered. The Georgia situation compares

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the countryi,had reached lhe fever pitch of today. Part of that bill would allow the federal government to go irlto counties where fewer tha n 15 per cent of the adult Negroes were rcgisterecl to vote and put them on voting rolls. n 143.215.248.55O~t:~S.t~n8 ~ 1:~~mo~hf~el~U

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less than 15 per cent of the Ne~roes registered to vote in half �