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The Editor's Notebook Snick's Agents of A a c y Are Fomenting Urba:t;1 ts THE RECENT riots in Atlanta offer convincing evidence that most, if not all , of the racial violence in our large cities has been organized and led by a small minority bent upon the destruction of our society. My authority for this statement is Ralph McGill, publisher of the Atlanta Constitution, and long a moving and militant force fo r equal treatment of the Negro citizen as provided by law and the Constitution of the United States. McGill places responsibility for the Atlanta disturbances squarely upon the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (Snick) and its leader, Stokely Carmichael. Snick, according to _McGill, has no more than 300 members. These have been the a gents of anarchy in Watts, New York, Chic ago, Cleveland and other major cities. Snick's beginnings were more ausp1c1ous. Its early student leaders were motivated by high dedication to the civil rights cause. Now the John Lewises and other responsibles are out. Con trol of Snick is held by the ex treme radicals, of which Car:nichael is the dominant figure . As McGill says, Snick is no longer a civil r ights organizati on but an anarchistic group which is openly and officially commi tt ed to th e destruction of exist ing institutions. T hough small in membership, Snick appeals to all haters of the white man. Its slogans of defiance intrigue the very yo ung as was shown in A tlanta where the mob was largely com posed of youngsters in the 12 t o 18 age ran~e. the NAACP and Whitney Young who heads the Urban League have all repudiated Stokely Carmichael and h is tac~ tics. ·* THE CITY of Atlanta has long enjoyed an enviable reputation for racial amity. Ironically, it was Atlanta's splen,did image that the destroyers sought to tarnish. And yet, unwittingly, Stokely Carmichael and his followers performed a useful service not only for Atlanta but for the entire nation. For here was stripped away the myth that Negroes are always incited to riot over poor Jiving conditions, Jack of employment and denial of civil rights. Mr. Carmichael has now revealed · himself for what he isa scheminlg 'fomenter of disorder, a mad dog who attacks all whites indiscriminately, a revolutionist who seeks to burn and destroy, a terrorist who defies law and spits upon our flag .

THE RIGHT to pe~ceable assembly is guaranteed by th e Bill of Rights, as is the freedom to demonstrate and to seek redress of grievances. · Togeth~r and ip- a .spirit of constructive cooperation, the Negro and white communi~ies must find solutions and answers to the problems which beset our cities. For they are both numerous and difficult. A ma jor start has been made in m a ny areas. Where failures have occurred, the Negro is usually as much at fault as his white brother. Sus picions, distrust and fear of association have worked against the Negroes' best interests. But the effort must gc, ahead if we are to enj oy the fruits of a compatible society in which there is mutuality of purpose and respect for all.

THIS NATION will not, however, permit the destroyers of societ y - the Carmichaels and his ranting radicals - t o tear down what we have built, to burn and destroy, to defy law and order with- rocks and Molot ov cocktails or to hurl anarchi stic slogans and impr ecations at our public official s. The Ribicoffs and the Kennedys who continue to deplore "our trag ic conditions" from comfortable seats in t he U.S. Senate should visit riot areas and' seek to . quiet the mob, as did Mayor Allen. · If nothing else, the experience might leave them better informed and not quite so ·sure that all social ills can be cured by dispensing . a few hundred more millions from Wa~hington. Plus C<1 Change, Etc. TODA Y'S el ection in South Vietnam is largely an exercise in propaganda. I ts purpose is to elect a 117member assembly charged with writing a new national constitution. When that is done, a legislature is to be elected next year . . The election has been n eatly rigged by the ruling junta. Premier Ky's generals can change any part of the new constitution Unless two-thirds of the constituent assembly objects. This rneans the junta could control the assembly with a t hird of the Votes, plus one, or 40 votes. So despite ef fo r ts of t h e Vietco ng to di sru pt t h e elect ion by llcts of viol ence against those "who partic ipate, the outcome is assur ed. It w ill be acclaimed in W ash ington and Saigon as a trium ph ! o r representative government.

AN IN DEPENDENT NEWSPAPER JOHN S. KNI G HT, PRESID ENT AND E0 ITOI!. JOHN B. O LSON, GENERAL MANAGER • b . morning y Kn ight N1wspap1rs, Inc., 321 Laf•Yaff• ll•d., D•holt. Mlchlgin et LEE HI LLS, EXECUTl ~E EDITOR A NO PUBLISHER Published every IT I S, of cours e, a first tentat ive step in that directi on. But lest we attach too much significance to the election returns, these facts should be kept in 111ind. 1. T h e balloting is not a test between the Vietcong and the tlon-communist nationalists, for f.1- ,:,;_,.___ .. ' �:mrae s ffi - -ofritifflfit f-frrgu f-i:r'F;:;._ , ,,.,_,,._,,.-----...........,,~,,,.,...,,..,.-,,..-_.-----T ~ ~e"""'lRl!:"l'16l1!111•c'"o"'s " -.a'"'n!l!!l:"~ t h:--e--::K;,e-n------a=i!!'!'!!r~,e~dr-.-1~~w~1-;;n~ b:.;e;,;a;;att

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As McGill says, Snick is no THE RIGHT t o peaceable nedys who cont inue to deplore Wash ington and Saigon as a trilonger a civil rights organizaassembly is guaranteed by the "our tragic conditions" from umph for represe~tative govti on but an anarchi st ic group Bill of Rights, as is the freedom comfortable seats in the U.S. ernment. wh_ich is openly ·and officially committed to the destruction of IT IS, of course, a first tentaexisting· institutions. t ive step in that direction. But Though smRll in membership, ~ ... tf!1. tf!1. lest we attach too much signifiSnick appeals to all haters of ~ '-' ,1,, 1,, .,...., ;;., cance to the . elect ion returns, the white man. Its slogans of dethese facts should be kept in fiance intrigue the very young AN INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER mind. as was shown in Atlanta where JOHN s. KNIGHT, PRESIDENT AND EDITOR 1. The balloting is not a test LEE HILLS, EXECUTIVE ED ITOR AND PUBLISHER JOHN B. OLSON, GENERAL MANAGEII. the mob was largely composed bet ween the Vietcong ana the of youngsters in the 12 to 18 . Publiahld •••rv morning by Knight Nawspapar1, Inc., 321 Lafayette Blvd., Detroit, Michigan 4ml non-communist nationalists, for age range. the Vietcong have been exThere appears to be no ques2 ·B SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1966 eluded, as far as possible, from ti on but that Snick's funds are t he candidate and voter lists. supplied from abroad. One of its 2. Charles Mohr, correspondlawyers is a registered Castro ent for the New York Times, agent. Its agitators shout Ha\ / 1/ / reports that in two weeks of 1 vana slogans t o the effect that , \ \\ campai gning, the candidates . ,/ we must live through violence. ~ ,have not discussed the war, "Black power" is but the ra11ynow to win it or how to negoing cry. tiate its end. 3. While t h ere are no prohibiF ORTUN A TELY fo r 'Aflanta, t ioi:ia . a-gainst de bating governit has a mayor who confronted ment war policy, the candidates the mob with rare courage. are wary of standing laws that Though physically manhandled could punish those who "ham. and taunted with shouts of per" the war effort . "white devil," Mayor Ivan Allen In Saigon's election district 3, Jr., remained upon the scene some 200 persons heard speaker s until the crowd had been disfrom 11 slates of candidates. persed. "Not one," according to correMayor Allen gave short shrift spondent Mohr, "mentioned tb e t o c_h arges of police brutality. "I war, inflation, the American imsaw plenty of brutality," he said, pact on Saigon or how -soon the "but it was all directed against ruling junta should step down." police officers." At his press The wariness of issues was conference, Mayor Allen stated rationalized by one candidate that "if Stokely Carmichael is who said: "We must have a conlooking for a battleground, he stitution as a legal base for our has created one, and he wi!J be government. With a legal base, met in whatever situation he we can solve all problems." chooses." So when you read the optirnistic post-election pronounceAtlanta's N e g r o community f leaders were quick to decry the r:nents to the ef ect that democrioting and violence. The Atlanta racy is thriving in South Vietnam, leave a little room in y our Summit Leadership Conference, a Negro organization, denounced mind for some wholesome skep. ti cism. both Snick and 0armichael, while calling for constructive measures The ol d French saying ,._ t h e more things change, the more designed to alleviate problems which directly concern the Negro. they remain the same - has spe• Dr. Martin Luther King, Execif ic application to Vietnam. cutive Director Roy Wilkins of JOHN S. KN IGHT

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