NEWS IN REVIEW
Little Rock Hits Headlines
By Carole Marshall ,
With the opening of classroom doors over the
U. S. during the month of September, the eyes of the
nation have looked with mixed emotions toward the
deep South. Increased interest in this annual happening results from a 1954 Supreme Court ruling
banning segregation in public schools. Since that
time segregated schools throughout the south have
made preparations for the expected move. South
Carolina, Georgia and Alabama, representative of
deep-south states who so violently opposed the plan,
considered changes of quite a different nature from
some states such as North Carolina who made plans
for gradual integration. These states considered
refusing Federal aid and operating their schools
privately.
First News
Quite in the background in the situation until the
opening of schools for the academic year 1957-1958,
the state of Arkansas suddenly hit headlines across
the nation when Governor Faubus of that state
ordered state guardsmen to bar Negroes from Little
Rock's Central High School in order to "protect the
peace."
Governor Faubus, while approaching a deadline
—the summons to appear Friday, September 17, before U. S. District Judge Ronald N. Davies, was
silent upon the issue and kept himself secluded from
news comments. On the eve of his court hearing, he
struck back at the Federal Government with two
last-minute legal actions. First he refused to honor
a Federal subpoena summoning him to court in a
suit involving four recently passed Arkansas segregation laws. His attorneys then moved to disqualify
U. S. District Judge Davies on grounds that Davies
was prejudiced against Faubus.
Faubus' Comments
Faubus commented that should Judge Davies
order him to withdraw guardsmen he would obey,
but he would also wash his hands of responsibility
for any violence that might break out in Little Rock.
On September 20, the Federal Court did order
Faubus to-stop interference with Little Rock Central
High School's plan for integration. The governor
regarded his earlier comment and complied with the
Federal Court ruling.
Still Unrest
Although complying with Federal Court rulings,
obvious unrest still prevails the state of Arkansas.
The removal of guardsmen from Central High School
has not prevented rioting by Little Rock white
citizens upon the entrance of eight Negro students
to the high school. As a necessary precaution President Eisenhower signed, on September 23, a proclamation clearing the way for possible use of
Federal troops to quash any further school integration violence at Little Rock, Arkansas.
Name-calling, stoning, spittings—all have accompanied American citizens to schools of their choice
and convenience this year, 168 years after the effective date of the Constitution of the United States of
America—the world model for democracy.
