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yflbjfc' V1AIL THIBUNE, MEDFORD, ORE,
to Stalemate in Somerville
Is Currently Under Consideration
(Kdltor's note: In recent months
a new "crisis point" In southern
race relations has arisen at Som
erville, Tenn., a small town near
Memphis.
The Issue Is the exercise by
Negroes of the right to register
and vote In a rural srea where
a Negro In a voting booth has
been a rarity for generations.
Negroes say that because they
sought to exercise their voting
rights, they are being evicted
from tenant farms and subjected
to economic boycott and pres
sure. Whites say the changing
economic pattern of the com
munity and the area Is respon
sible. The federal government has
stepped in, and a court bar
against evictions because of
voting Is in effect. But the stale
mate continues. A veteran UI'I
writer, who has covered south
ern racial developments and con
lllcts for many years, reports
from the scene in the following
dispatch.)
By AL KUETTNER
. United Press International
Somerville, Tenn. - OIPD -One
day last month a bale o
heavy, drab canvas was de
livered to a Negro -owned
farm on the highway between
Somerville and Moscow,
Tenn,
A small group o Negro
men spread out the canvas,
sharpened stakes from sap
lings hewn in nearby woods,
and soon erected a tent -about
10 by 14 feet.
That was the beginning of
what rapidly is becoming the
most highly publicized cam
paign yet on behalf of full
voting rights for Negroes In
the South. It has led to claims
of wholesale economic boycott
against Negroes who broke the
old local custom by register
ing to vote and charges that
Negroes have been evicted
from jobs on white -owned
farms for voting.
It has resulted in widely
publicized "relief" drives,
caravans of clothing and food
stuffs and one "relief airlift1
from Chicago.
It is just about Impossible
to separate fact from fiction.
Forced To Leave
Ostensibly, o c c u pants of
the tents are Negro farm fami
lies forced to leave farm ten
ant houses because they regis
tered to vote.
The outward facts are these:
There are 13 tents now,
occupied by about 80 Negroes,
most of whom are children.
Only four or five families are
representee!, and virtually all
of them came off three farms.
Reporters dubbed it "Tent
City" but Negroes call It
"Freedom Village."
Press Conferences
John McFerren, local Ne
gro leader, and Chicago
school teacher James Forman
run the village on a system
that Includes two press con
ferences daily - one In the
morning to catch the after
noon newspaper deadlines and
one in the afternoon to catch
the morning papers. No re
porters are admitted without
press cards, and none may
question the tent dwellers too
freely.
Federal District Judge Mar
ion Boyd at Memphis, 41 miles
to the west, said he -would be
gin Jan. 16 deciding "one by
one" whether 700 Negroes are
being evicted by white land
owners because they register
ed to vote.
...... -'i; . : -
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INSTALL TENT Unidentified Negroes put up a tent in
"Freedom Village" in Somerville, Tenn., a small farming
town. Thirteen tents are now on the site. Occupants are
J-s....
Negro fumilies who say they were required to leave tenant
houses after they registered to vote.
(UPI Telephoto)
Sporadic violence and van
dalism have raised the danger
signal for law enforcement
officers. One Negro has been
wounded in the arm - shot by
unknown parties who sped
past in a car. The tent in
which the Negro said he was
sleeping is only 75 feet from
the road.
scores of while persons
have been brought into fed
cral court to answer affidavits
from Negroes who charged
they were evicted for votlnR,
The NAACP telegraphed
President Eisenhower:
"Now that the crops arc in.
hundreds of the people arc
being driven from the lands,
White Arguments
The white leadership argues
that:
1. Changes in the farm
economy (mechanization) and
transition from one crop agri
culture; have deceased Ihc
need for farm labor.
2. There is no greater In
crease in tenants leaving
farms this year than In recent
years.
3. No one has been legally
evicted from a farm - actual
ly a technical point because
most tenant contracts a r
made and broken orally. It Is
(rue that no legal eviction
steps have been taken bv th
courts, however, showing thn
no Negroes actually have re
sisted being made to leave.
4. The thing that Is hnp
penlng now is standard for
this time of year when farm
crs renew contracts for th
new crop year.
5. Only a few adults arc
actually involved in the cur
rent "Tent City" incident.
persons. Most of the Negroes
live along the rural roads. A
great number occupy the lit
tle tenant houses that dot the
farms.
A Rare Sight
On election days, until re
cently, only the white citizen
ry turned out. At the Fayette
county polls, an occasional
Negro was a rare sight. In
Haywood, a Negro voter had
n't been seen since Recon
struction days.
Then came 1957 and the
passage by Congress of the
first Civil Rights Act. It con
tained an inconspicuous little
sentence - specifying that no
one could be discriminated
against for voting. In Fayette
and Hayward counties, things
began to happen.
The Fayette County Civic
and Welfare league sprang
into existence. A similar
group developed in Haywood,
Their objective: campaign for
registration of Negro voters.
Strange Sight
As the books opened later
for registration, a strange
sight occurred - long lines of
Negro applicants. Today, an
estimated 1,400 to 1,600 Ne
groes in Fayette alone are
qualified to vote. .
Has the privilege cost them
anything? That's where you
get many answers on the road
from Somerville to Moscow.
On Somervillc's courthouse
you read on a historical plaque
that this district was once
represented in the legislature
by Davy Crockett, the pioneer
made famous in song for his
bear-hunting prowess. A near
by highway markers says:
"Moscow 13 miles. '
in surplus commodities to the
Negroes.
Htitchcns said both while
and Negro leaders told him
there was no need - yet - for
emergency supplies.
While McFerren talks, cus
tomers come and go in the
store, making small purchases
trom limited stocks of staples
and meats. The two gas pumps
outside are idle.
McFerren says that when
the Negro voter registration
campaign started, he was one
of the first to be hit in an
economic boycott. Negroes
around here call it "the
squeeze."
McFerren says he now has
to travel up to 75 miles to
obtain supplies for his store
and that it is Impossible to
obtain gasoline. He claims
that one gas truck which at
tempted to deliver a sunnly
to him was turned around by
a deputy sheriff. Such stones
are firmly denied by offi
cials. The scores of Negroes who
line up each day for supplies
at McFerrcn's warehouse-are
carefully checked by volun
teers. A "clerk" stands at the
warehouse entrance in front
of piles of clothing and food
packages.
Get Supplios
The attendant yells out
'District Three" and the dis
trict chairman steps up with
a list of those who are to gel
supplies. Soon, Negoes trudge
off down the road toward
their tents a mile away, lug
ging their bundles.
You tell McFerren about
the contention of the people
downtown that voting regis-
Soon, the houses thin out irMon by Negroes had little
asked for FBI help in investi
gating the recent shooting.
The shooting occupies the
main interest of the FBI and
other authorities at present
They are looking for the bul
let, still missing, that made
the flesh wound in the arm
of Early B. Williams Jr.
Williams pointed to the
bed where he was sleeping,
his head toward the entrance
of his tent.
"The bullet went through
the mattress but this isn't
the one," he said. "The FBI
came after that one."
Men Lie Awake
Williams and his compan
ions said that only the wo
men and children sleep at
the camp now during the
night. The men lie awake or
sit up talking and waiting
for daylight. When dawn
comes, they sleep.
Williams said he has no
plans for the future but will
try to find another farm that
will take him on as a tenant
this year. He said he was
asked to leave a farm where
he and his family had lived
for 10 years. He said that
during his life he has lived
on a number of farms, all in
Fayette, going from one to
the other as a tenant.
County authorities say they
have requests from other
counties for more than 200
tenant families. The local
weekly newspaper has pub
lished numerous adver
tisements asking for such
help. There have been no
lakers from Tent City,
Somerville is a typical
southern rural town whose
economy Is governed by the
crops produced on the rolling
farms that begin a few hun
dred yards from the city
limits.
Over the years, Negroes
have been a vital part of the
farm economy. Today Fayette
county and Its ncigllbor, Hay
wood county, have about three
Negroes for every two while
and grow smaller. Two and
one-half miles distant, your
road forks to the right. You
stop at a spot where there is
heavy traffic and a large con
gregation of Negroes gathered
around a store with two gas
pumps out front. A sign over
head reads "McFcrren's Gro
cery." Over the door inside, a sign
says:
"Don't t ti tic politics in here
unless you are a registered
voter."
Another, containing the pic
lures of two children, says:
"We are loo young lo regis
ter. What s your excuse?
Forefront of Drive
John McFerren is a tense
and intense Negro of 3(1 who
has lived in the county all
his life. He has been In the
forefront of the voting drive.
even before the civil rights
law was adopted
"I know this country like a
book," McFerren said. "I
know the white people and
some of the best folks I know
are white. And I know the
Negroes. 1 know how they
have been treated. I know
the county is run by three or
four white families. 1 know
there is only one cure for
what's wrong in this county
and that's the ballot box."
McFerron's words spill out
fust. He is often interrupted
by the jangling of a telephone
Hint hangs on a wall In the
front of the store. Callers ask
for instructions or want to
know when the next food
shipment Is expected.
Wait For Supplies
Thai's what the crowd Is
doing outside, waiting for sup
plies. Food and other articles
are trucked In from far-away
points. Word came during the
afternoon that a truck was
leaving Chicago with equip
ment including refrigerators.
James W. Ilutclu-ns Jr., di
rector ofr the distribution
branch of the Agriculture de
partment, visited the county
lo determine whether the fed
eral government should lend
or nothing to do with their
departure from the farms-the
argument by whites that it
was an economic situation
and not discrimination.
"Down In the county there
is a farm with a creek run
ning through it," McFerren
answers. "Three fumilies on
one side of the creek had lo
move. They were registered
to vote. On the oilier side,
there were three families that
didn't have to move. One of
them was registered but didn't
vote and the two others were
not registered."
"You tell me what that Is."
At the Tout City down the
road, blue smoke from num
erous small fires curls over
head. You hear the baying
of hounds, the biting of an
axe Into firewood and the
laughter of young children
who seem not to Know or
care's what's going on.
The earth under fool Is
soft and gooey- rich farm
land ground into paste by
many feet. The tents, without
lights and with only the damp
earth for flooring, are heated
by small wood burners.
Kffnrts ait now being made
to got sufficient wood lo build
floors, and the local electric
cooperative has been petition
ed for electric service.
The management of the
co-op says the application will
be treated Just like any oilier
and that service will be pro
vided If Hie applicant qual
ifies. The Negoes will not lie
allowed, however, to string
extension lines into the tents
because of danger of short
circuiting the wires.
Group of Visitors
A fresh group of visitors
has been added to the Tent
City scenery In recent days,
patient white men who watch
and wait, talking with some
one now and then. These are
FBI agents, assigned to find
out if the Justice Depart
ment has a right lo enter the
case on grounds of civil
rights violin ions.
Sheriff lOWoncr
While Negroes are being
interviewed, Scott Franklin,
head of the Civic and Wel
fare League, stands close by,
coaching like an attorney.
When Wyatt Williams was
asked whether he farmed
with machinery, he was al
lowed to answer "with
mules." But Franklin would
not permit him to say how
large an area he had farmed.
The mechanization issue is
a touchy subject with Frank
lin who feels it is being used
as an excuse by whiles.
Negroes, particularly those
in Tent City, are sharply dis
couraged from expressing a
viewpoint other than the line
of the organization.
Wyatt Williams' brother,
for example, was stopped
short when he tried to tell
a reporter that if the tenants
of Tent City were offered
their old places back, they
would be wise to take them
and forget their present dilemma.
White leaders can assemble
mass of statistics to back
up their contention that eco
nomics has brought on the
present situation. They insist
it is just coincidental that
the same Negroes who have
registered very often are the
ones who must leave the
farms.
They point out that the num
ber of Negro voters who live
in Tent City can almost be
counted on the fingers of
two hands, whereas there
are, by the Negroes' own es
timate, approximately 1,600
of their number registered.
There is ample evidence
that the agriculture pattern
of this section has undergone
radical change that would
cause a sharp shrinkage in
the tenant population.
The 1959 farm census tak
en by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture shows 2,346 farm
tenants in the county as com
pared to 3,003 five years ago.
Farm mechanization and
the introduction of beef cat
tle to former cotton land have
been major factors in the
transition to a new kind of
agriculture.
In the past two years, 65
cotton pickers have been sold
in the county. One of these
machines picks five bales of
cotton a day, a job that would
require the services of 48
workers.
An implement dealer said
another big factor has been
the use of bigger machines
than ever before.
By using four-row planters,
for example, one farm family
can do the work of four who
use smaller two-row planters.
Articles Filed In
Salem by Mortuary
Ashland-Arlicles of incor
poration were filed this week
in Salem for Litwiller Fu
neral Home Inc., Ashland,
signed by Mr. and Mrs. C. M.
Litwiller and their son, Gene
R. Litwiller.
The firm lias previously
been a partnership, Litwiller
said today. He explained thai
with the change, Bill Drew,
who lias been employed there
since 1948.' now has part
ownership in the business.
Litwiller added that he and
his wife have retained a con
trolling interest in the stock.
K.
O
Pallat
Former Local Man
Receives Promotion
A former Medford man has
been appointed manager of
the Seattle branch of Parke,
Davis and company, accord
ing lo an announcement by
Graydon L. Walker, Parke
Davis vice president.
The m a n is William F.
Balman, a graduate of St.
Mary's High school, who was
a salesman with the firm in
the Medford arrt.
Bauman, who joined the
company in 1948, previously
was field manager in Los An
geles for Pioke-Davls. He is
a brother o( Holx-rl 11. Bau
man. 311 King ia) . Mij'ford
Farmer Aubrey Parks har
vested 60 bales of cotton and
other products with one help
er in 30 days. He said it would
have taken seven men 60 days
to do it with smaller equipment.
New chemical weed killers
also have cut down on the
need for farm labor, particu
larly the chopping of cotton
Newest equipment contains
a wheel that lays down 8
chemical film when the cot
ton seed is planted. The cot
Ion plant will poke through
It but the weeds will not.
Fayette county In recent
years has introduced herds
of the Black Angus strain
of beef cattle and from s
county with no beef produc
tion not many years ago Fay
ette is now first in Tennessee.
Fayette's population drop
ped from 27.535 in 1950 to
24,414 in 19(UI. The county's
cotton allotment is half what
it was in 1950-from 80.000
lo 40,000 acres.
"We just hope it will wear
Itself out before somebody
else gets hurt," a white busi
nessman said, adding that
"this sure is giving our coun
ty a bad name.
Business leaders express the
wish that "something could
be done" to bring about an
atmosphere of good will
which could lead to a solu
tion. But no one wants to
risk Hie consequences.
"Don't quote me because
it would ruin my businciw.
but 1 think the Nearoat and
whites ought to H ti-ywther
on this thing, one rAiaittt-
man said.
"It's the law that Negroes
can vote and we might v
well ,jot t(otjg with it." (
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