Battalion Editorials
Page 2 THE BATTALION
TUESDAY, MAY 18, 1954
Drastic Action Needed
To Stop Secret Groups
So the college has unrooted some more
TT’s. Back in 1952, the TT investigation
was quieted down by giving the involved
students probation. It’s better this time.
Indefinite suspension will keep them away
a little longer.
But it won’t keep them away permanent
ly. The college says it gives indefinite sus
pension instead of dismissal to “give the boys
another chance.” The college say® it will
investigate thoroughly before letting these
men back in.
These men obviously think more of the
organization than they do of the school.
When they come back, what is there to keep
them from starting again? Perhaps the col
lege has found a method to investigate mo
tives that will keep out men who would want
to start the group again. Perhaps.
And what of the person or persons who
live in College Station permanently and must
be providing continuity for this group?
The college is making an effort to abol
ish the TT’s and secret fraternities of this
type, but the effort is not quite enough. More
drastic action is necessary.
Segrega tion Bo tvs Ou i
Yesterday after months of deliberation,
the United States Supreme Court ruled seg
regation in public schools is unconstitutional.
This doesn’t mean integration of whites
and Negroes in public schools will start to
morrow or even next year, but it’s coming.
In the rush of statements howling about
how the rights of whites have been foully
invaded, very few have even considered the
Negroes, whose rights have been trampled in
legal hodge-podge of “equal facilities” for
scores of years.
The pretense of equal facilities has been
used so long the people assume it is so with
out bothering to check.
Here in our own community, one has only
to drive past the A&M Consolidated High
school, then by the Lincoln (Negro) High
school. It would take a shallow-minded hyp
ocrite to search his soul and say, “Yep, equal
facilities!”
They are considered equal only if the oth
er fellow has to use them.
While many Southern officials have al
ready cropped up with long-winded protests,
others seem willing to accept the decision and
are awaiting orders on how to comply.
Ever since the Civil War, Negroes have
been fighting to throw off the status of
“second class Americans” which has been
their lot because they were a minority with
out the voice to be heard, but now it’s over.
The United States Supreme Court has
made the Negro a full-fledged American cit
izen with equal rights.
On Segregation Ruling
State Studies Problem
By DAVE CHEAVENS
AUSTIN, May 18—(A 5 )—Official
Texas reaction to the Supreme
Court’s anti-segregation ruling yes
terday boiled down to this: “Mak
ing the change will be a big job.
Let’s get on with it.”
Gov. Allan Shivers asked the
State Education agency to speed up
its study of the mountainous prob
lems erupted by the ruling that
Texas and 16 other states must
eventually stop separating white
and Negro school children.
Shivers said it would take
“years” to comply with the deci
sion.
“I don’t think anyone can esti
mate the seriousness of this de
cision—what it will cost—what it
will do to the curriculum,” the
governor said.
‘Orderly Compliance’
“Orderly compliance” with the
ruling will require legislative ac
tion, to point the way, said J. W.
Edgar, state education commission
er. Separation of white and Negro
students in Texas public schools
has both constitutional and statu
tory bases, Edgar said.
But no state official was ready
to say yet whether a constitutional
amendment would be required to
bring Texas into line with the
Supreme Court ruling. All agreed
it presented the next legislature
in January with an issue that will
probably overshadow all others.
Atty. Gen. John Ben Shepperd
said he wanted time to study the
opinion before commenting.
One question not answered at
once was what, if any effect, the
decision might have on racial
barriers in state-supported col
leges. Official sources wanted
time to think that over.
Under the 1950 Supreme Court
ruling involving Heman Sweatt, the
Law school of the University of
Texas admits Negro students, as
do graduate divisions.
Students in these graduate divi
sions are already taking undergrad
uate courses. About 50 Negroes are
enrolled in the university there. In
summer school, the number is usu
ally doubled.
Many state officials said they
were relieved when they learned
the Supreme Court’s decision may
not have to go into effect for many
months, perhaps years.
Shivers said the matters of tim
ing and method of enforcement
were “all important.”
“I hope that it can be worked
out so as not to cause damage to
the school children and so that the
children themselves will not be
placed at a disadvantage,” Shivers
said.
“Sometimes those who seek re
forms go so far that the evils of
the reform movement are more
onerous than the evils they’re try
ing to remedy.”
Shivers said that the problems
were by no means insurmountable,
but that they could not be worked
Editors, The Battalion
In answer to the gentlemen who
yesterday cr-iticized the manner in
which the flag of the United States
is respected at Texas A&M.
In some respects you are correct
in your criticism, but in others you
are completely ignorant of the
situation. For instance, you pro
bably think that the raising and
lowering of the flag is a corps
function. Actually, the flag is
handled by the Housing Office and
is raised and lowered by the stu
dents that are working for this
out in days or weeks or months.
“I know of nothing that can- be'
done immediately except to inten
sify our study,” Shivers said.
Texas has 1,952 school districts;
864 have some kind of Negro
school, 1,089 no Negro schools.
Only 51 of the state’s 254 coun
ties have no Negro schools.
Of about 1,770,000 school age
children in Texas, 228,838 of them
are Negi-oes:
There are about 8,000 Negro
teachers, administrators and other
school personnel who presumably
would have to be absorbed some-
where in the non-segregated school
system. Negro schools are manned
now by Negro teachers, but some
special white teachers also work
with Negro students.
The State Board of Education
discussed in January but took no
action on what it might have to
do if segregation were outlawed.
Edgar had asked the board then
for guidance, and Education agency
officials have been straggling with
the problem since the anti-segrega
tion cases were first filed two years
ago.
office. It was a corps function at
one time but it seems that the duty
was passed on because “the corps
did not have enough men to handle
the job”. Even if it were turned
over to the corps now, who would
raise and lower the flag during
the holiday sessions ?
One man has the duty each day
of raising and lowering the flag.
It is impossible to observe the
proper ceremony when one man
must handle the ropes and spread
the flag at the same time. Oc
casionally the large flag is flown
for special occasions. This flag is
about three times the size of the
ordinary flag and it is impossible
for two men to fold the flag when
it is lowered. Nevertheless, one
man must raise and lower the flag
“in the proper manner”. Also you
say, “sometimes it touches the
ground other times it doesn’t”. I
have yet to see the flag touch the
ground when it is being raised or
lowered and I have been handling
my end of this duty for three
years.
How many times have you seen
the students on this campus stop
and stand at attention or salute
when the flag is being raised or
lowered? Not one single time for
the past year have I seen one per
son making any attempt to stop
when the flag is being raised or
lowered. Usually there are a group
of men passing the stand on the
way to the mess hall who don’t
even speak let alone watch the flag.
Mention it to them and they’ll stare
at you like you’re crazy. If no one
is going to respect the flag, why
raise it in the first place ?
I think the men who raise and
lower the flag should be commend
ed for accepting the responsibility
and doing a job for which they re
ceive no pay except their ow’n per
sonal satisfaction.
Grady Paul Pepper ’54
The Battalion
Lawrence Sullivan Ross, Founder of Aggie Traditions
“Soldier, Statesman, Knightly Gentleman”
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BOB BORISKIE, HARRI BAKER. Co-Editors
Jon Kinslow Managing Editor
Chuck Neighbors Sports Editor
George Manitzas City Editor
Barbara Rubin Womans Editor
John Akard Feature Editor
James Earle Cartoonist
Letters to the Editors
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TT Members
(Continued from Page 1)
tion, membership cards, and a list
of members. All of these items
are in the hands of the reviewing
board.
“I think we have all the mem
bers who are active now,” Pen-
berthy said. He said the group
might revive again in the future,
and that there might be “several
people locally who encourage the
boys.”
“There’s no place at A&M for
secret fraternities and no place for
a boy who believes in secret fra
ternities,” Penberthy said.
“Secret fraternities are contrary
to our philosophy of life, and our
objective is to stamp them out im
mediately, as soon as they are
found to exist,” President David
H. Morgan said last night. “I have
complete confidence that this time
the entire group has been obtained,
and there will be no re-occurence.”
Perlberthy said that as far as
the reviewing board could deter
mine, the organization had been
“purely social” this year.
An investigation in April of 1952
revealed that an “undisclosed num
ber” of students were members of
the organization then. All known
members at that time were placed
on conduct probation.
“Only the seniors gave up in
1952,” Penberthy said last night.
“These boys did not.” . ..
At that time the college admin
istration announced that the organ
ization was “dead,” and that effec
tive April 4, 1952, “membership in
secret organisations of this type
will be just cause for dismissal.” 1
UNITED STATES WINS
INTERNATIONAL TUSSLE
BALTIMORE — Judy and Sue
Devlin caused quite an Internation
al furor besides winning two titles
at the All-England badminton
championships in London.
The sisters told friends upon re
turning home here that fpup, Coun
tries wanted to claim them. : '
Their mother was born in Eng
land, their father in Ireland, Sue
in Canada and Judy in the United
States.
They stuck with the United
States and together won! the
doubles championship. Judy also
triumphed in the singles. ,
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Veterans Should See
Advisor About School
All veterans planning to attend
summer school should report to
room 102 Goodwin hall, said Bennie
Zinn, assistant dean of men for
student affairs.
If veterans don’t plan to at
tend summer school, they should
see the veterans’ advisor for a
change of address, Zinn said.
The ancient Druids believed that
the dead atoned for their sins by
residing in the bodies of animals.
IV/i at’s Cooking
7:15 p. m.—Pre - Law society
meeting, cabinet room, YMCA.
Very short meeting for the elect
ion of next years officers.
A I I E meeting, room 207, Engi-
neering building. Election of of
ficers.
7:30 p. m.—Accounting society
meeting, MSC. Officers and a
sponsor will be chosen for next
year.
Kream and Kow Klub meeting,
Creamery lecture room. Program
and refreshments.
Morning and Afternoon Service to
DALLAS - FT. WORTH
Lv 7:05 a.m. Daily.
2:15 p.m. Daily except Saturday
wish excellent connections at Dallas to
new
2v3 hrs. DC-7 service
new DC-7
6 hrs. service
CHICAGO
NEW YORK
WASHINGTON 4-a hr .
- _ a. - for information
P hone #-3 0 3# ond reservations