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Atlanta Riots
Carmichael & Co.:
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
: ea, led by a small
minority bent
pon the de-
truction of
ur society.
My authority
or this state-
ment is Ralph
MeGill, publish-
© er of The Atlan-
) ta Constitution,
| and long a mov-
fing and mili-
a tant force for
Knight equal treat-
ment of the Negro citizen as provid-
ed by law and the Constitution of the
United States.
McGill places responsibility for
the Atlanta disturbances squarely
upon the Student Non-Violent Coordi-
nating Committee (Snick) and its
leader, Stokely Carmichael. Snick,
according to McGill, has no more
than 300 members. These have been
the agents of anarchy in Watts, New
York, Chicago, Cleveland and other
major cities,
Snick’s beginnings were aus-
picious. Its early student leaders
were motivated by high dedication to
. the civil rights cause. Now the John
' Lewises and other responsibles are
' out. Control of Snick is held by the
| extreme radicals, of which Carmi-
| chael is the dominant figure.
As McGill says, Snick is no longer
| a civil rights organization but an
' anarchistic group which is openly
. and officially committed to the de-
| struction of existing institutions.
Though small in membership,
. Snick appeals to all haters of the
' white man. Its: slogans of defiance
| intrigue the very young as was
_ shown in Atlanta where the mob was
largely composed of youngsters in
» the 12-to-18 age range.
There appears to be no question
but that Snick’s funds are supplied
from abroad. One of its lawyers is.a
registered Castro agent. Its agitators
shout Havana slogans to the effect
that we must live through violence.
“Black Power" is but the rallying
cry.
* * *
A Stand-Up Mayor
FORTUNATELY for Atlanta, it
has a mayor whe confronted the mob
with rare courage. Though physically
manhandled and taunted with shouts
of “white devil,” Mayor Ivan Allen
Jr. remained upon the scene until the
crowd had been dispersed.
Mayor Allen gave short shrift to
charges of police brutality. “I saw
plenty of brutality,” he said, “but it
was all directed against police offi-
cers.” At his press conference, Mayor
Allen stated that “If Stokely Carmi-
chael is looking for a battleground,
he has created one, and he will be
met in whatever situation he
chooses.”
Atlanta’s Negro community lead-
ers were quick to decry the rioting
and violence. The Atlanta Summit
Leadership Conference, a Negro orga~
nization, denounced both Snick and
Carmichael, while calling for con-
structive measures designed to allevi-
ate problems which directly concern
the Negro.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Execu-
tive Director Roy Wilkins of the
NAACP and Whitney Young, who
heads the Urban League, have all
‘ repudiated Stokely Carmichael and
his tacties.
kt ke *
The Truth Is Out
THE CITY of Atlanta has long
enjoyed an enviable reputation for
ents Of Anarchy
racial amity. Ironically, it was Atlan-
ta’s splendid image that the de:
ers sought to tarnish,
And yet, unwittingly, Stokely
Carmichael and his followers per:
formed. ai useful sary ea| Wee Barna :
Atlanta but for the er
For here was stripped away
myth that Negroes are always nt
ed to riot over poor living cond
lack of employment. and d
civil rights.
Mr. Carmichael has now revealed
himself for what he is — a schemin;
fomenter of disorder, a mad dog
who attacks all whites. _indise rimin-
burn and destroy, a terror
defies law and spits upon our alg,
kt ok
Good Start Made
THE RIGHT to peaceable assem-
bly is guaranteed by the Bill of
caetict and in a spirit of con-
tion, the ‘Negro and
e Negro is usually as
It as his white brother.
trust and fear of as
Ns ge egetillnees
ity of Sea ee epee for all.
‘slogans and imprecations at our pub-
lie officials.
The Ribicoffs and the Kennedys
who continue to deplore “our tragic
conditions” from comfortable seats
in the 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 Wash-
ae r
SS ‘
TODAY'S election in South Viet
Nam is largely an exercise in
propaganda. —
Tis purpose is to elect a 117-mem-
ber assembly charged with writing a
new nationa} constitution. When that
is done, a legislature is to be elected
next year.
The election has been neatly
rigged by the ruling junta, Premier
_K Ky's generals ean change any part of
the new constitution unless two-
thirds of the constituent assembly
objects. This means the junta could
control the assembly with a third of
the votes plus one. or 40 votes.
So despite efforts of the Viet
Cong to disrupt the election by acts
of violence against those who partici-
pate, the outcome is assured. It will
be acclaimed in Washington and Sai-
gon as a triumph for representative
government,
* * *
Check The Facts
IT IS, of course, a first tentative
step in that direction. But lest we
attach too much significance to the
election returns, {hese facts should
be kept in mind. :
1. The balloting is not a test be-
tween the Viet Cong and the non-
Communist nationalists, for the Viet
Cong have been excluded, as far as
possible, from the candidate and vot-
er lists.
2, Charles Mohr, correspondent
for The New York Times, reports
that in two weeks of campaigning,
the candidates have not discussed
the war, how to win it or how to ne-
gotiate its end.
3, While there are no prohibitions
against debating government war
policy, the candidates are wary of
standing laws that could punish
those who “hamper” the war effort.
In Saigon's election district 3,
some 200 persons heard speakers
from 11, slates of candidates. “Not
one,” according to correspondent
Mohr, “mentioned the war, inflation,
the American impact on Saigon or
how soon the ruling junta should
step down,”
The wariness of issues was ration-
alized by one candidate who said:
“We must have a constitution as a
legal base for our government. With
a legal base, we can solve all prob-
lems.”
So when you read the optimistic
post election pronouncements to the
effect that democracy is thriving in
South Viet Nam, leave a little room
in your mind for some wholesome
skepticism.
The old French saying — the
more things change, the more they
remain the same — has specific appli-
vation to Viet Nam,
JOHN S. KNIGHT
Carmichael & Co.:
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
: ea, led by a small
minority bent
pon the de-
truction of
ur society.
My authority
or this state-
ment is Ralph
MeGill, publish-
© er of The Atlan-
) ta Constitution,
| and long a mov-
fing and mili-
a tant force for
Knight equal treat-
ment of the Negro citizen as provid-
ed by law and the Constitution of the
United States.
McGill places responsibility for
the Atlanta disturbances squarely
upon the Student Non-Violent Coordi-
nating Committee (Snick) and its
leader, Stokely Carmichael. Snick,
according to McGill, has no more
than 300 members. These have been
the agents of anarchy in Watts, New
York, Chicago, Cleveland and other
major cities,
Snick’s beginnings were aus-
picious. Its early student leaders
were motivated by high dedication to
. the civil rights cause. Now the John
' Lewises and other responsibles are
' out. Control of Snick is held by the
| extreme radicals, of which Carmi-
| chael is the dominant figure.
As McGill says, Snick is no longer
| a civil rights organization but an
' anarchistic group which is openly
. and officially committed to the de-
| struction of existing institutions.
Though small in membership,
. Snick appeals to all haters of the
' white man. Its: slogans of defiance
| intrigue the very young as was
_ shown in Atlanta where the mob was
largely composed of youngsters in
» the 12-to-18 age range.
There appears to be no question
but that Snick’s funds are supplied
from abroad. One of its lawyers is.a
registered Castro agent. Its agitators
shout Havana slogans to the effect
that we must live through violence.
“Black Power" is but the rallying
cry.
* * *
A Stand-Up Mayor
FORTUNATELY for Atlanta, it
has a mayor whe confronted the mob
with rare courage. Though physically
manhandled and taunted with shouts
of “white devil,” Mayor Ivan Allen
Jr. remained upon the scene until the
crowd had been dispersed.
Mayor Allen gave short shrift to
charges of police brutality. “I saw
plenty of brutality,” he said, “but it
was all directed against police offi-
cers.” At his press conference, Mayor
Allen stated that “If Stokely Carmi-
chael is looking for a battleground,
he has created one, and he will be
met in whatever situation he
chooses.”
Atlanta’s Negro community lead-
ers were quick to decry the rioting
and violence. The Atlanta Summit
Leadership Conference, a Negro orga~
nization, denounced both Snick and
Carmichael, while calling for con-
structive measures designed to allevi-
ate problems which directly concern
the Negro.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Execu-
tive Director Roy Wilkins of the
NAACP and Whitney Young, who
heads the Urban League, have all
‘ repudiated Stokely Carmichael and
his tacties.
kt ke *
The Truth Is Out
THE CITY of Atlanta has long
enjoyed an enviable reputation for
ents Of Anarchy
racial amity. Ironically, it was Atlan-
ta’s splendid image that the de:
ers sought to tarnish,
And yet, unwittingly, Stokely
Carmichael and his followers per:
formed. ai useful sary ea| Wee Barna :
Atlanta but for the er
For here was stripped away
myth that Negroes are always nt
ed to riot over poor living cond
lack of employment. and d
civil rights.
Mr. Carmichael has now revealed
himself for what he is — a schemin;
fomenter of disorder, a mad dog
who attacks all whites. _indise rimin-
burn and destroy, a terror
defies law and spits upon our alg,
kt ok
Good Start Made
THE RIGHT to peaceable assem-
bly is guaranteed by the Bill of
caetict and in a spirit of con-
tion, the ‘Negro and
e Negro is usually as
It as his white brother.
trust and fear of as
Ns ge egetillnees
ity of Sea ee epee for all.
‘slogans and imprecations at our pub-
lie officials.
The Ribicoffs and the Kennedys
who continue to deplore “our tragic
conditions” from comfortable seats
in the 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 Wash-
ae r
SS ‘
TODAY'S election in South Viet
Nam is largely an exercise in
propaganda. —
Tis purpose is to elect a 117-mem-
ber assembly charged with writing a
new nationa} constitution. When that
is done, a legislature is to be elected
next year.
The election has been neatly
rigged by the ruling junta, Premier
_K Ky's generals ean change any part of
the new constitution unless two-
thirds of the constituent assembly
objects. This means the junta could
control the assembly with a third of
the votes plus one. or 40 votes.
So despite efforts of the Viet
Cong to disrupt the election by acts
of violence against those who partici-
pate, the outcome is assured. It will
be acclaimed in Washington and Sai-
gon as a triumph for representative
government,
* * *
Check The Facts
IT IS, of course, a first tentative
step in that direction. But lest we
attach too much significance to the
election returns, {hese facts should
be kept in mind. :
1. The balloting is not a test be-
tween the Viet Cong and the non-
Communist nationalists, for the Viet
Cong have been excluded, as far as
possible, from the candidate and vot-
er lists.
2, Charles Mohr, correspondent
for The New York Times, reports
that in two weeks of campaigning,
the candidates have not discussed
the war, how to win it or how to ne-
gotiate its end.
3, While there are no prohibitions
against debating government war
policy, the candidates are wary of
standing laws that could punish
those who “hamper” the war effort.
In Saigon's election district 3,
some 200 persons heard speakers
from 11, slates of candidates. “Not
one,” according to correspondent
Mohr, “mentioned the war, inflation,
the American impact on Saigon or
how soon the ruling junta should
step down,”
The wariness of issues was ration-
alized by one candidate who said:
“We must have a constitution as a
legal base for our government. With
a legal base, we can solve all prob-
lems.”
So when you read the optimistic
post election pronouncements to the
effect that democracy is thriving in
South Viet Nam, leave a little room
in your mind for some wholesome
skepticism.
The old French saying — the
more things change, the more they
remain the same — has specific appli-
vation to Viet Nam,
JOHN S. KNIGHT