You Might Have Known

              EDITORIALS
You Might Have Known
For 20 years the State Student Legislature has been meeting in Raleigh to present, debate, vote upon, and request action on bills and resolutions pertinent to the day's society. For 20 years the assemblage of college students from all over the state has looked critically at all sides of
varying issues and has started rolling bills that in some cases eventually
become state law that benefits North Carolina's citizens and concerns.
For 20 years it has done this with little if any recognition by the press
and/or state officials—recognition commending or criticizing the group.
With the 21st year, precedent is shattered, and in the worst imaginable contortion of fact, misrepresentation of situation, and misjudgment
of college students by supposedly responsible intelligent individuals.
The press and several prominent state officials have seized upon two
resolutions introduced at the SSL assembly and without investigating
either fully, have pronounced students attending SSL as "somewhat
immature and somewhat irresponsible," as taking advantage of the
state's hospitality in such a way as to make future requests for the use
of the capitol for SSL sessions require a statements of "whom they
represent."
The two resolutions disputed are one to legalize prostitution and one
to repeal all State laws and constitutional provisions in prohibition of
intermarriage of the races.
The resolution concerning prostitution was defeated by a large
majority and was not on the formal agenda of the session. It was introduced at the close of a morning session of the House of Representatives
in accordance with the policy of allowing schools to introduce a second
bill, not on the agenda, if time is available. The resolution never came
up in the Senate. i «
The second resolution concerning interracial marriages was presented, debated, and passed on the ground of the human rights involved.
Approval of the SSL on these grounds did not constitute approval of
interracial marriage nor advocate them in any sense. As the president
of the student body of the University of North Carolina stated, the bill
was an effort "neither to condemn or condone, but to protect the civil
liberties of the individual."
This bill, in its entirety, is printed below; it is self-explanatory.
A RESOLUTION THAT ALL STATES LAWS AND CONSTITUTIONAL
PROVISION IN PROHIBITION OF INTERMARRIAGE OF
THE RACES BE REPEALED
Whereas, one of the bases of our Constitution is the right of the individual to
freedom of choice where basic human rights are concerned, as
guaranteed in the First Amendment to the Constitution; and
Whereas, it is an abridgement of the individual's rights in the pursuit of happiness to prohibit his marriage to the person of his choice; and
Whereas, twenty-four states now prohibit intermarriage, thereby limiting an
individual's choice of state residence and his opportunity; and
Whereas, the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution states: "No State
shall make any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities
of the citizens of the United States . . ."
Therefore be it resolved by the N. C. Student Legislative Assembly that:
Article I. All states having laws and constitutional provisions in prohibition of
intermarriage between the races repeal said laws.
Article II. No subsequent laws of this nature be enacted.
This bill did receive a great deal of debate in both House and Senate
and at the close of the session was awarded the best bill award because
of its timely interest, outstanding points for both sides of the issue, and
its debatable aspects. For the record, GC voted for neither bill.
Integration is a subject of great concern and interest at this time.
Interracial marriages naturally share this prominence. Therefore, anyone who can brand an intelligent discussion of the matter by the future
leaders of the nation as "immature and irresponsible" need to re-evaluate
his own outlook on life.
The tragedy of the situation, however, lies not in the publicity these
particular bills have gotten but in the continual over-looking of the
good done by the SSL.
At the 21st Assembly were discussed and passed the following bills
and resolutions: 1. a bill to provide for the gifted child in the schools
(GC); 2. a resolution to investigate the establishment of a Federal
Technilogical Academy to speed scientific study'(Davidson); 3. a.pro-
gram for the articulation and acceleration of the education system in
N. C. (ECC; and 4. a resolution to strengthen the traffic laws (Duke
Trinity).
These timely, beneficial bills got "lost" in the scramble about the
other two bills, but then, you might have known!