Desegregation Demands in
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD, OREGON
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER S, IMJ
Danville
BBVIIIUIH
Stalemate
By CHARLES E. FLIWER
Danville, Va. (UPD Throe
months ago 30 or so Negro
youths, some wearing Bermuda
shorts and bobby sox, spilled out
o( the High Street Baptist
church and marched the six
blocks to city hall.
The temperature was in the
high 80s, one of those stifling
days that chases people to the
shade of wide porches or to air
conditioned stores on Main
street.
The date: Friday, May 31.
The Time: Shortly after 4
p.m.
Police, who knew the demon
stration was coming, provided
an escort. The small group dis
persed quietly.
More turbulent days lay
ahead.
Five days prior to the first
march, the city's National As
sociation for the Advancement of
Colored People and the Danville
Christian Progressive Associa
tion had met at the High Street
church and voted to begin street
demonstrations to achieve their
desegregation demands.
Truce Called
It had worked in Birmingham,
Ala., a few weeks earlier. A
truce was called in the Alabama
steel center and a start was
made toward desegregation of
downtown stores and job up
grading. Similar steps toward racial
peace were taken in Savannah,
Ga., and Charleston, S. C.
Whites and Negroes gradually
got together to try to settle
their differences.
Danville remains a stalemate.
Its white and Negro leaders
are at odds. Scores of Negroes
have been jailed. Demonstrators
have been clubbed. Fire hoses
have been used. Shots have
been fired at police cars cruis
ing through Negro neighbor
hoods. The four-story brick and stone
city hall is barricaded and
guarded. Sand bags are in evi
dence around the police depart
ment but this is a civil defense
measure (a relic of the Cuban
crisis) and has no bearing on the
racial trouble.
Sporadic
The demonstrations, which
still have not reached the pro
portions of those which shook
Birmingham, have continued
sporadically since tile citv
passed a tough ordinance ban
ning marches by groups of more
than six persons younger than
18.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,
who urged the city's Negroes to
fill the jails, calls Danville's re
sistance "the worst in the Unit
ed State." It seemed to be a
new label to replace the one
King once gave Birmingham
"The most segregated city in
America."
Atty. Gen. Robert Kennedy, in
testimony supporting the ad
ministration's civil rights bill,
said: "Dogs can get better ac
comodations than a Negro pass
ing through Danville."
Danville, halved by the Dan
River, lies in the foothills of the
Blue Ridge mountains.
Jefferson Davis in 1865, flee
ing from a fallen Richmond, ! population is Negro. The vast I sit-ins in 10 but the city conn
cnose a ma n street Duilding lor piant was ,he 0f a crucial
me laab tuu iduuii'i aeaaiuu w
the doomed Confederate States
of America. The building, now
the Confederate Memorial Li
brary, was the scene of a civil
rights battle three years ago.
Scene of Battle
In 1882, Dan River Mills was
founded and grew to employ
about one-fifth of Danville's
present population of 47,000.
About one-fourth of the city's
civil rights battic a few weeks
ago.
Most of the people here work
in one mill or another Dan
River's textile plant, the Corn
ing Glass Plant, the II. K. Por
ter Tool Plant or the P. Loril
lard tobacco processing plant.
Negroes, most of whom live
near the industrial-warehouse
areas, fared well at the hands of
the business community after
!ii ill l: -
ON THE MARCH Singing, hand-clapping Negro youths march
through downtown streets during a desegregation rally last
June in Danville, Va. (UPI).
cil stood fast, then yielded slowly-After
the sit-ins, lunch coun
ters desegregated. Negro em
ployment increased in plants
with Federal contracts. Negroes
became clerks in department
store bargain basements.
The city council reluctantly
reopened the library for limited
service. Later tables and chairs
were replaced.
Out of the library fight came
the Danville Christian Progres
sive Association. After three
years its president, the Rev. L.
W. Chase, 45, told colleagues
he was "fed up with the slow
action."
"We feel now the fight is to
be won in the streets," he said.
Negroes, mostly school chil
dren directed by i'liasc and the
Rev. L. G. Campbell, went to
the streets with these demands:
A full-lime principal for the
Negro Lungston High school, a
desegregated police force, a de
segregated city hall office force,
more employment at higher lev
els in local businesses and fac
tories and equal use of public
accomodations.
Flushed with success in Bir
mingham, the Student Non-vio-len
Coordinating committee, the
Congress on Uncial Equality and
the Southern Christian leader
ship conference all converged
on Danvillo to join the battle.
The campaign stepped up. The
city fought back.
Gov. Alberlis S. Harrison sent
a force of stale police to bolster
the 75-man city police force un
der Chief Eugene G. McCain, a
tough, no-nonsense cop.
Negroes picketed. The SCLC
sent in Dr. Martin Luther King
and other ministers to speak at
mass meetings.
Two justice department civil
rights troubleshoolers came and
left.
Issue Injunction
The city judge issued an in
junction against demonstrations
and meetings where they are ad
vocated. The ordinance sharply
curbing pickets was enacted.
Negroes countered with a vot
er registration drive and went
to the federal courts with nine
civil rights actions.
During the struggle, Dan Riv-
Travel Bug
McNeil Points Out Places
Of Interest for Tourists
Editor's Note "Travel
Bug" is sponsored by the
Oregon Welcome committee.
Purpose of the column is to
provide readers w ith a week
ly calendar of events and fea
ture highlights of "places and
things to do" in Oregon. Inter
esting activities, events, travel
news, comments and questions
may lie sent to Travel Bug.
Si'i Pittock Block, Portland,
Ore.
Just a reminder for persons j "Travel Bug" that in addition to
who haven't vet seen the 1963 i 'mat week ot the festival. Jack-
Oregon Shakespearean festival j
at Ashland. Each evening!
through the remainder of the !
week players will be on-stage
and final presentation of the sea-1
son, "liomeo and Juliet
is scheduled for Saturday, Sept.
7, beginning at 8:45 p.m.
Talked to Don McNeil, man
ager of the Mcdford Chamber
of Commerce. He reminded
aaaans
ioaoi
muii
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aipim on
Octotui Jl.
Tint coupon
r. .iOVr - A
sonvilles famous museum is
open and attracting hundreds of
visitors daily. McNeil mentioned
the Doll House, a comparatively
new feature of this southern
Oregon citv. "Some of the dolls
are over 300 years old," he said.
"And there's always a sports
man in the crowd," he suggest
ed, "don't forget to tell them
about the run of fall stcelhcad
in the Koguc river. They are
around Agncss now, and hitting
flies like mad," he exclaimed.
Tourist business in southern
Oregon? McNeil tied in a com
pliment for the state's Tourist
Information division with his
answer to this. He said the Med'
ford office has had a 300 per
cent increase in tourist inquiries
since the Tourist Information
program was initiated this year
"The directional signs pointing
out location of our information
office did the trick," he suggested.
The Britt Music Festival at
Jacksonville, recently conclud
ed, made such a successful de
but that the association is al
ready planning the 1W4 pro
gram. Tentative dates have
been set for Aug. !) through 22.
Friday, Sept. 6, D'Ann Fuller-
ton, Miss Oregon of l!)fi3, will
appear on Bud Collier's "To Tell
the Truth" program. Channel 6
will carry the show here in the
Northwest. Chock television list
ings for oxact time.
Oregon State Fair at Salem
has attracted tremendous
crowds this year. Dennis Clarke,
director of the state's Travel
Information division, says "It'i
the best fair yet." He comment
ed on the variety of educational
and informational displays. "Of
course the Jimmy Hogcrs re
view isn't bad either," he said.
Fair closes Saturday night, Sept.
7.
Other places in the state we
have (lie Harney County fair,
rodeo and race meet at Burns,
Sept. 5 through 8. Annual Ya-
quina Art center show opens Sat
urday at Newport for two days,
and the Whcatley Elks Memor
ial Golf tournament starts at
Gearliart Sunday, Sept. 8.
Nrxt Week's Events
Next week it's the Pendleton
Roundup and Happy Canyon
Pageant, starting Wednesday,
Sept. II, and running through
Saturday, Sept. 14. The Sherman
County fair and rodeo opens
Thursday, Sept. 12, at Moro and
continues through Sunday. On
Saturday, Sept. 14, don't miss
the Indian Style Salmon bake at
Depot Boy.
Upcoming events that you
may want to plan for include
North Marion County fair at the
National Guard armory in
Wondburn, Sept. 19 to 21, and
the annual Redmond Potato fes
tival one day, Saturday, Sept.
21.
First college foolhall 'clash of
the year schedules University of
Oregon against Pennsylvania
State on Saturday, Sept. 21, at
Multnomah stadium, Portland.
Next Portland game will be
Sept. 28 when OSU faces Colo
rado at the Multnomah stadium.
I Special recreation suggestions
this week include these remind
I ers . . . The Oregon coast is
1 never more attractive than ciiir-
ing the month of September and
j part of October. Normally
you II find warm days with no
wind and parks and recrcalion
areas not quite so crowded. Fall
salmon fishing is running "hot1
in most bays and rivers. The
ocean has been flat and peace
ful
(lame commission informa-
lion officer Mill (Jiiymon, re-
minds u.s, too, that dove and
pigeon season is open through
Sept. 30. Blue and ruffed grouse
opens Saturday, Sept. 7, and
runs through Sept. 22, east of the
Cascades, and through Sept. 15,
west of the Cascades. Sage
grouse, chukar and Hungarian
partridge season opens Saurday,
too, . nd general deer season
Sept. 28 through Oct. 20. Elk,
Oct. kk through Nov. 11. That
in itself includes a big bit of
real recreation potential.
For further information on
"places to go and things to do"
in Oregon call your Chamber of
Commerce office or your local
Oregon Welcome chairman.
er Mills became a focal point.
The company loaned a public
relations expert to the city. He
returned to the plant when pick
ets showed up there and at the
New York city sales office.
W. J. Erwin, president of the
mills, ordered "white" and "col
ored" signs painted over and
opened the plant cafeteria to
Negro employees.
Erwin also organized a three
member committee that became
the mayor's raciul advisory
committee to hear Negro de
mands.
Thirteen white ministers called
for a bi-rncial committee and
later 45 of the 60-memhcr all-
white League of Women Voters
urged good faith negotiation.
But the talks never got oil
the ground and the Negroes
have called for a "worldwide
boycott" against Dan River
Mills. Its New York offices were
picketed.
Sole Spokesman
Mayor Julian K. Minson, Be
spectacled, oil company exec
utive is the sole, official spokes
man for the council. The coun
cil, the long-time mayor said,
will not talk with these crim
inals."
We should not be called mm
inals until we have been proven
Awards Authorized
For State Workers
Salem (UPD Cash awards
totaling $1,590 have been auth
orized for state workers, the
Board announced Tuesday.
Maximum award of $500 each
were presented to two em
ployees. One went to Louise
Bates, Salem, a clerk for Ihc
Industrial Accident Commission.
The other went to William C.
Kccfer, Salem, an employee of
the Department of Veterans' Affairs.
guilty of some crime," said the
soft - spoken Campbell. "After
this is all over, we want to con
tribute our talents to the com
munity at large."
Councilman John W. Carter,
handsome, gray-haired lawyer,
has labeled the Negroes "Mail
Mau terrorists."
"We are American citizens
not outsiders," said Chase, fath
er of five. Chase was arrested
early this month in the pre-dawn
hours and appeared in court the
same day as he was arrested
and jailed barefoot and clothed
only in a bathrobe, lie walked
to his office that way later.
"Even if the courts dropped
all charges," he said, "we would
not have accomplished very
much. We'll go right back to
jail until this thing is resolved."
College Team Plans
Lunar Probe Package
College Station, Tex. (UPI)
A Texas A&M college scien
tific team is working on an in
strument package to analyze the
moon and report its findings
back to earth.
Working under a grant from
the Atomic Energy commission
and the National Aeronautics
and Space administration, the
researchers hope to solve
weight and size problems
through miniaturization to get
the package smalt enough to (it
a rocket to the moon.
The package will work by
bombarding a small area of the
moon with neutrons, recording
the rays given by elements in
Ihc area, then identifying t h e
elements by analyzing the pack
age's "report" to earth.
RESIGNATION ACCENTED
McMinnville (UPD The city
council Tuesday night unani
mously accented the resignation
of Police Chief Roy Brixey, 41.
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I Came Back fr
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By JAMES WINCHESTER
This victim of the nation's third largest killer
tells what science and family can do to return
an invalid to a normal life.
Read the absorbing personal story o his attach,
his treatment and his return to normal life in the
SEPTEMBER 8TH
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