Negroes Learning

HELLO FOLKS — "In Lincoln's time the question was whether the sovereignty of the States would destroy the sovereignty of the Union. Today it is the opposite, whether the concentration of federal power will destroy state and local responsibility and thus destroy the nation and the Constitution."
... Governor George Romney.

—o—

ALABAMA, CIVIL RIGHTS, voting rights, etc, have been on most peoples' lips the past few weeks; so I might as well indulge in it, too.

Whether or not we agree that the Negro should be doing many of the things he is doing now— sit-ins, sit-downs, marches, boycots or what-have-you—there is one aspect that hasn't been brought out.

For a century the Negro has made very slow progress in orienting himself with the white man's environment and behavior. How much of this is his fault and how much of it is the fault of white domination is hard to say and not for me to determine. Having never lived in the South, nor among Negroes, makes me unqualified to judge.

Doing Better
Now the Negro is doing something about his condition. Whether or not it is the right thing is not the most important factor. What is important is that he is doing something, and it should all be for the good.

The Negro is not apt to be as indifferent in the future as he had been in the past. He is being challenged today as never before.

He is more likely to think, act, and do things now.

The admirable this is that he...

Once of the big things being taught is that it must be "civil" disobedience, not "violent" disobedience. This alone teaches an important factor — self-control. From all I can gather much of the Negro population in the past has had a high degree of that social element.

More Leadership
Many actions being taken are bound to generate some more leadership. The Civil Rights Law will leave the Negro without an excuse for no self-development. The leaders know this and are preparing their people for it. This means there will be many more educated people among them. All this action should provide a real catalyst for the youth.

While it might seem to us that the Federal Government has done a lot in the way of encouragement for the Negro, there is a lot more that should be done.

For instance, there is a high per cent of the race on direct welfare. If the right attitudes were promoted there would be a minimum of rioting and associated evils. Welfare recipients should be in jeopardy of losing their eligibility by taking part in violent disturbances of permitting member of their...