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A written representation of a document.
.J
I
STATEMENT
by
IVA N A L LEN, JR .
MAYOR OF ATLANTA, GA.
BEFO RE
COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE
REGARDING
s.
1 732
BILL T O ELIMINATE DISCRIMINATION IN PUBLIC
ACCOMMODATIONS AFFECT ING
INTERSTATE COMMERCE
July 2 6, 19 63
�STATEMENT BY IVAN ALLEN, JR.
MAYOR OF ATLANTA
July 2 6, 19 63
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Senate Commerce Committee:
I am honored to appear before your Committee.
At the beginning I would like to make it clear that I feel qualified to speak on the subject under discussion which is the elimination.
of racial discrimination, on what I have learned from personal
experience a nd observation in my home city of Atlanta, Georgia.
As perceptive men of wide experience I feel confident that you will
a g ree with me tha t this is as serious a basic problem in the North,
East and We st as it is in the South.
It must b e defined as an all-American problem, which requires
an all-American solution based on local thought, local action and
local cooperation.
The 500, 000 people who live within our city limits consist of
300 , 000 white citizens and slightly more than 200, 000 Negro citizens.
That makes the population of Atlanta 60 percent white, 40 percent
Negro.
That 60 - 40 percentage emphasizes how essential it is for the
people of Atlanta, on their local level, to solve the problem of racial
discrimination in order to make Atlanta a bette r place in which to
live.
Elimination of racial descrimination is no far off philosophical
the ory to the more than one million people who live in and around
Atlanta. The problem is part and parcel of our daily lives. Its
solution must be studied and wo rke d out on our homefront.
As the mayor of the Southeast ' s large st city, I can say to you
out of first hand experi e nce and first hand knowl edge that nowhere
does the p roblem of e liminating discrimination between the races
strike so closely home as it does to the local elected public official.
He is the man who cannot pass the bu ck.
From this viewpoint, I speak of the proble m as having b een
brought into sharp focus by decis ions of the Supreme Court of the
�United States and then generally ignored by the Presidents and
Congresses of the United States. Like a foundling baby, this awesome problem has been left on the doorsteps of local governments
throughout the nation.
Now to take up specifics. You gentlemen invited me to tell
you how Atlanta has achieved a considerable measure of comparative
success in dealing with racial discrimination.
It is true that Atlanta has achieved success in eliminating
discrimination in areas where some other cities have failed, but
we do not boast of our success. Instead of boasting, we say with
the humility of those who believe in reality that we have achieved
our measure of success only because we looked facts in the face
and accepted the Supreme Court's decisions as inevitable and as
the law of our land. Having embraced realism in general, we then
set out to solve specific problems by local cooperation between
people of good will and good sense representing both races.
In attacking the specific problems, we accepted the basic
truth that the solutions which we sought to achieve in every instance
granted to our Negro citizens rights which white American citizens
and businesses previously had reserved to themselves as special
privileges.
These special privileges long had been propped up by a
multitude of local ordinances and statewide laws which had upheld
racial segregation in almost every conceivable form.
In Atlanta we had plenty of the props of prejudice to contend
with when we set out to solve our specific problems of discrimination.
In attacking these problems, I want to emphasize that in not one single
instance have we retained or enhanced the privileges of segregation.
It has been a long, exhausting and often discouraging process
and the end is far from being in sight.
In the 1950 1 s Atlanta made a significant start with a series
of reasonable eliminations of discrimination such as on golf courses
and public transportation. We began to become somewhat conditioned for more extensive and definitive action, which has been
taking place in the 19 60 1 s.
During the past two and a half years, Atlanta has taken the
following major steps to eliminate racial discrimination :
-2-
�1. In September, 1961, we began removing discrimination
in public schools in response to a court order.
2. In October, 1961, lunch counters in department and variety
stores abolished discrimination by voluntary action.
3. On January 1, 1962 Atlanta city facilities were freed from
discrimination by voluntary action of municipal officials.
4 . In March, 1962 downtown and arts theatres, of their own
volition, abolished discrimination in seating.
5. On January 1, 1963, the city voluntarily abolished separate
employment listings for whites and Negroes.
6. In March, 196 3 the city employed Negro firemen.
ago employed Negro policemen .
It long
7. In May of 1963 the Atlanta Real Estate Board (white) and
the Empire Real Estate Board (Negro) issued a Statement of
Purposes, calling for ethical handling of real estate transactions
in controversial areas.
8 . In June, 19 63, the city government opened all municipal
swimming pools on a desegregated basis. This was voluntary action
to comply with a court order.
9. A l s o in June, 1963, 18 hote ls and motels, representing the
l e a ding pla ce s of public accommodations in the city, voluntarily
removed all segregation for conventions.
10 . Again, in June, 1963 more than 30 of the city's leading
res t a u r ants , of their own volition, abolished segregation in their
faci lities.
You can re adily see that Atlanta's steps have been taken in
s ome instance s in compliance with cou r t decisions, and in other
inst a n ces t he st e ps have been voluntary prior to any court action.
In each i nst a n ce the action has resulted in white citizens relinqu i shin g s pe cial p r iv ileges which they had enjoyed under the
practices of raci a l discri mination. E a c h action also has r esulted
i n the Negro c itize n being give n rights which all others previously
had enjoyed and whi ch he has been denied.
As I mentioned at the be ginni ng, Atlanta has a chieved only
-3-
�a measure of success. I think it would assist you in understanding
this if I explained how limited so fa r has been this transition from
the old segregate d society of generations past, and also how limited
so far has been the participation of the Negro citizens.
Significant as is the voluntary elimination of discrimination in
our leading restaurants, it affects so far only a small percentage of
the hundreds of eating places in our city.
And participation b y Negroes so far has been very slight. For
example, one of Atlanta ' s topmost restaurants served only 16 out of
Atlanta's 200,000 Negro citizens during the first week of freedom
from discrimination.
The plan fo r e liminating discrimination in hotels as yet takes
care only of conv e ntion de legates. Although prominent Negroes
have been accepte d as guests in several Atlanta hotels, the Negro
citizens, as a whole, seldom appear at Atlanta hotels.
Underlying all the emotions of the situation, is the matter of
economics. It should be r e membere d that the right to use a facility
does not mean that it will b e used or m i sused by any group, especially the group s in the lowe r e conomic status.
The statements I h ave givep you cover the actual progress
made by Atlanta toward total elimination of discrimination.
Now I w ou ld like to submit m y personal reasons why I think
Atlanta has r e s olve d s ome of t he se problems while in other cities,
s olutions hav e s ee med i mpossib l e and st r ife and conflict have
res ulted .
As a n illust ration, I would like to desc ribe a rece nt visit of
an official de legation fr om a gre a t Easte rn city which has a Negro
population of over 60 0 , 000 c onsisting of in e x cess of 20% of its
whole population .
The m emb e r s of thi s de l egation at first simply did not under stand and would hardly b e liev e t hat t he busin e ss , civic and political
intere sts of A tla nta h a d inte ntly c on cerne d themselves with the
Ne g r o population. I s t ill do not be lieve tha t they are convinced
t hat a ll of our c iv i c bodies b acke d by the publi c interest and sup p orte d by the City Governme nt have da ily conce rne d thems e lves
w ith an effort to solve our gravest proble m -- whic h i s re la tions
b etween our races . Gentlemen, Atlanta has n ot s wept t his
-4-
�question under the rug at any point. Step by step - sometimes
under Court order - sometimes voluntarily moving ahead of
pressures - sometimes adroitly - and many times clumsily - we
have tried to find a solution to each specific problem through an
agreement between the affected white ownership and the Negro
leadership.
To do this we have not appointed a huge general bi-racial
committee which too often merely becomes a burial place for unsolved problems. By contrast, each time a specific problem has
come into focus, we have appointed the people involved to work
out the solution . . . Theatre owners to work with the top Negro
leaders . . . or hotel owners to work with the top leadership . . .
or certain restaurant owners who of their own volition dealt with
top Negro leadership. By developing the lines of communication
and respectability, we have been able to reach amicable solutions.
Atlanta is the world's center of Negro higher education.
There are six great Negro universities and colleges located inside
our city limits. Because of this, a g reat number of inte lligent,
well-educated Negro citizens have chosen to remain in our city.
As a result of their education, they have had the ability to develop
a prosperous Negro business community. In Atlanta it consists of
financial institutions like banks - building and loan associations life insura n ce companie s - chain drug store s - real e state de ale rs.
In fa ct, they have deve lope d busine ss organizations, I b e lieve, in
almost every line of acknowledged American business. There are
also many Negro professional men.
Then there is another powerful factor working in the behalf of
g ood r aci a l re lations in ou r city. W e have n e ws m e dia , both white
a n d Negro, whose leaders str ong ly b e liev e a nd put i nto p ractice t he
great truth that responsibility of the press (and by this I mean radio
and t e levision as well as the written press) is inseparable from
freedom of the press .
T h e leade rship of our w r itten, s poken and t e levi se d news
m e dia join wit h the business a nd gov ernment leaders hip, both white
and Ne g r o, in working to solve our p r oblems .
We are f o rtun a t e t hat we hav e one of the wor l d famous editorial
spokesmen for reas on a n d moderation on one of our white newspape r s,
a long with othe r e dito r s and many r e porte rs who stre ss significance
rather tha n s e nsation in the reporting and interp ret a tion of wha t
happens in our cit y.
- 5-
�And we are fortunate in having a strong Negro daily newspaper,
The Atlanta Daily World, and a vigorous Negro weekly, The Atlanta
Inquirer.
The Atlanta Daily World is owned by a prominent Negro family the Scott family - which owns and operates a number of other newspapers.
The sturdy voices of the Atlanta Daily World and the Atlanta
Inquirer, backed by the support of the educational, business and
religious community, reach out to our Negro citizens. They speak
to them with factual information upon which they can rely. They
express opinions and interpretations in which they can have faith.
As I see it, our Negro leadership in Atlanta is responsible and
constructive. I am sure that our Negro leadership is as desirous of
obtaining additional civic and economic and personal rights as is any
American citizen. But by constructive I mean to define Atlanta's
Neg.ro leadership as being realistic - as recognizing that it is more
important to obtain the rights they seek than it is to stir up demonstrations. So it is to the constructive means by which these rights
can be obtained that our Negro leaders constantly address themselves.
They are interested in results instead of rhetoric. They reach for
lasting goals instead of grabbing for momentary publicity. They are
realists, not rabble rousers. Afong with integration they want
integrity.
I do not believe that any sincere American citizen desires to
see the rights of private business restricted by the Federal Government unless such restriction is absolutely necessary for the welfare
of the people of this country.
On the other hand, following the line of thought of the decisions
of the Federal Courts in the past 15 years, I am not convinced that
current rulings of the Courts would grant to American business the
privilege of discrimination by race in the selection of its customers.
Here again we get into the area of what is right and what is
b est for the people of this country. If the privilege of selection
based on race and color should be granted then would we be giving
to business the right to set up a segregated economy? . . . And
if so, how fast would this right be utilized by the Nation's people?
. . . And how soon would we again be going through the old turmoil
of riots , strife, demonstrations, boycotts, picketing?
- 6-
�Are we going to say that it i s all right for the Ne g ro citizen
to go into the bank of Main stre et to deposit his earnings or borrow
money, then to go the de partment store t o buy what he needs, to go
to the supermarket to purchase food for his family, and so on along
Main street until he comes to a restaurant or a hotel -- In all these
other business places he is treated just like any other customer - But when he comes to the restaurant or the hotel, are we going to
say that it is right and legal for the operators of these businesses,
merely as a matter of conve nience, to insist that the Negro's
citizenship be changed and that, as a second class citizen, he is
to be. refused s e rvice? I submit that it is not right to allow an
American's citi zenship to be changed merely as a matter of convenience.
If the Cong r e ss should fa il to cla rify the issue at the pre s e nt
time, then by inference it would be saying that you could begin dis crimination under the guise of private business. I do not believe
that this is what the Supreme Cour t has inte nded with its decisions.
I do not believe t hat this is the intent of Congress or the people of
this country .
I a.in not a la wyer, Se nators . I am not sure I clearly under stand all of the t e stimony inv o lvi n g various a m e ndments to the
Constitution a nd the Commerce cla u se which has been given to this
Committee . I h a v e a fu ndament a l res pect for the Constitution of
the Unite d Sta t es. Under t h is C ons tituti on we h av e a lways b een
able to do what is b e st fo r a ll of the pe ople of this country. I b eg
of you not to l e t t his issue of discrim ination .drown in legalistic
waters. I am firm ly convinced that the Supreme Court ins i s t s
tha t the s ame fundam e n t al rights must b e held b y every American
c itizen .
Atlanta is a case that proves that the proble m of discrimination
can be solved to s ome ext e nt . . . and I u se this "some ext ent"
cautiously . . . as we certainly have n ot solved all of the problems;
but we have met them in a number of areas. This can b e done locally ,
volunt arily, and by private busine ss itself!
On t he other hand, there are hundreds of communities and
cit ies, certainly throughout the nation that have n ot ever addressed
themse lves to the issue . Whereas, others have flagrantly ignored
t he demand, a nd today, stand in a ll defiance to any change.
The Congre ss of the Unit e d St a t es i s now confronte d with a
grave decision. Sha ll you pass a public accommodation b ill that
- 7-
�forces this issue? Or, shall you create another round of disputes
over segregation by refusing to pass such legislation?
Surely, the Congress realizes that after having failed to take
any definite action on this subject in the last ten years, to fail to
pass this bill would amount to an endorsement of private business
setting up an entirely new status of discrimination throughout the
nation. Cities like Atlanta might slip backwards. Hotels and
restaurants that have already taken this issue upon themselves
and opened their doors might find it convenient to go back to the
old status. Failure by Congress to take definite action at this
time is by inference an endorsement of the right of private business
to practice racial discrimination and, in my opinion, would start
the same old round of squabbles and demonstrations that we have
had in the past.
Gentlemen, if I had y our problem armed with the local experience I have had, I would pass a public accommodation bill.
Such -a bill, however, should provide an opportunity for each local
government first to meet this problem and attempt to solve it on a
local, voluntary basis, with each business making its own decis ion .
I realize that it is quite easy to ask you to give an opportunity to
each businessman in each city to make his decision and to accomplish such an objective . . . but it is extremely difficult to l egislate such a problem.
What I am trying to say is that the pupil placement plan,
which has been widely used in the South, provided a time table
approved by the Federal c ourts which h elped in getting over troubled
water of elimination of discrimination in public schools. It seems
to me that cities working with private business institutions could now
move into the same area and that the federal government l egislat ion
should be based on the idea that those businesses have a reasonable
time to accomplish such an act.
I think a public accommodation law now should stand only as
the last resort to assure that discrimination is eliminated, but that
such a law would grant a reasonable time for cities and businesses
to carry out this function before federal intervention.
It might even be necessary that the time factor be made more
l enient in favor of smaller cities and communities, for we all know
that large metropolitan areas have the capability of adjusting to
changes more r apidly than smaller communities.
-8-
�Perhaps this, too, should be given consideration in your
legislation. But the point I want to emphasize again is that now is
the time for legislative action. We cannot dodge the issue. We
cannot look back over our shoulders or turn the clock back to the
1860's. We must take action now to assure a greater future for
our citizens and our country.
A hundred years ago the abolishment of slavery won the
United States the acclaim of the whole world when it made every
American free in theory.
Now the elimination of segregation, which is slavery's stepchild, is a challenge to all of us to make every American free in
fact as well as in theory - and again to establish our nation as the
true champion of the free world.
Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, I want to
thank you for the opportunity of telling you about Atlanta's efforts
to provide equality of citizenship to all within its borders.
- 9-
�
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STATEMENT
by
IVAN ALLEN, JR.
MAYOR OF ATLANTA, GA.
BE FORE
COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE
REGARDING
S. 1732
BILL TO ELIMINATE DISCRIMINATION IN PUBLIC
ACCOMMODATIONS AFFECTING
INTERSTATE COMMERCE
July 26, 1963
STATEMENT BY IVAN ALLEN, JR.
MAYOR OF ATLANTA July 26, 1963
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Senate Commerce Committee:
Iam honored to appear before your Committee.
At the beginning I would like to make it clear that I feel quali-
fied to speak on the subject under discussion which is the elimination.
of racial discrimination, on what I have learned from personal
experience and observation in my home city of Atlanta, Georgia.
As perceptive men of wide experience I feel confident that you will
agree with me that this is as serious a basic problem in the North,
East and West as it is in the South.
It must be defined as an all-American problem, which requires
an all-American solution based on local thought, local action and
local cooperation.
The 500,000 people who live within our city limits consist of
300,000 white citizens and slightly more than 200, 000 Negro citizens.
That makes the population of Atlanta 60 percent white, 40 percent
Negro.
That 60 - 40 percentage emphasizes how essential it is for the
people of Atlanta, on their local level, to solve the problem of racial
discrimination in order to make Atlanta a better place in which to
live.
Elimination of racial descrimination is no far off philosophical
theory to the more than one million people who live in and around
Atlanta. The problem is part and parcel of our daily lives. Its
solution must be studied and worked out on our homefront.
As the mayor of the Southeast's largest city, I can say to you
out of first hand experience and first hand knowledge that nowhere
does the problem of eliminating discrimination between the races
strike so closely home as it does to the local elected public official.
He is the man who cannot pass the buck.
From this viewpoint, I speak of the problem as having been
brought into sharp focus by decisions of the Supreme Court of the
United States and then generally ignored by the Presidents and
Congresses of the United States. Like a foundling baby, this awe-
some problem has been left on the doorsteps of local governments
throughout the nation.
Now to take up specifics. You gentlemen invited me to tell
you how Atlanta has achieved a considerable measure of comparative
success in dealing with racial discrimination.
It is true that Atlanta has achieved success in eliminating
discrimination in areas where some other cities have failed, but
we do not boast of our success. Instead of boasting, we say with
the humility of those who believe in reality that we have achieved
our measure of success only because we looked facts in the face
and accepted the Supreme Court's decisions as inevitable and as
the law of our land. Having embraced realism in general, we then
set out to solve specific problems by local cooperation between
people of good will and good sense representing both races.
In attacking the specific problems, we accepted the basic
truth that the solutions which we sought to achieve in every instance
granted to our Negro citizens rights which white American citizens
and businesses previously had reserved to themselves as special
privileges.
These special privileges long had been propped up by a
multitude of local ordinances and statewide laws which had upheld
racial segregation in almost every conceivable form.
In Atlanta we had plenty of the props of prejudice to contend
with when we set out to solve our specific problems of discrimination.
In attacking these problems, I want to emphasize that in not one single
instance have we retained or enhanced the privileges of segregation.
It has been a long, exhausting and often discouraging process
and the end is far from being in sight.
In the 1950's Atlanta made a significant start with a series
of reasonable eliminations of discrimination such as on golf courses
and public transportation. We began to become somewhat con-
ditioned for more extensive and definitive action, which has been
taking place in the 1960's.
During the past two and a half years, Atlanta has taken the
following major steps to eliminate racial discrimination:
we
1. In September, 1961, we began removing discrimination
in public schools in response to a court order.
2. In October, 1961, lunch counters in department and variety
stores abolished discrimination by voluntary action.
3. On January 1, 1962 Atlanta city facilities were freed from
discrimination by voluntary action of municipal officials.
4, In March, 1962 downtown and arts theatres, of their own
volition, abolished discrimination in seating.
o. OnJanuary 1, 1963, the city voluntarily abolished separate .
employment listings for whites and Negroes.
6. In March, 1963 the city employed Negro firemen. It long
ago employed Negro policemen.
7. In May of 1963 the Atlanta Real Estate Board (white) and
the Empire Real Estate Board (Negro) issued a Statement of
Purposes, calling for ethical handling of real estate transactions
in controversial areas.
8. In June, 1963, the city government opened all municipal
swimming pools ona desegregated basis. This was voluntary action
to comply with a court order.
9. Also in June, 1963, 18 hotels and motels, representing the
leading places of public accommodations in the city, voluntarily
removed all segregation for conventions.
10. Again, in June, 1963 more than 30 of the city's leading
restaurants, of their own volition, abolished segregation in their
facilities.
You can readily see that Atlanta's steps have been taken in
some instances in compliance with court decisions, and in other
instances the steps have been voluntary prior to any court action.
In each instance the action has resulted in white citizens relin-
quishing special privileges which they had enjoyed under the
practices of racial discrimination. Each action also has resulted
in the Negro citizen being given rights which all others previously
had enjoyed and which he has been denied.
As I mentioned at the beginning, Atlanta has achieved only
-3-
a measure of success. I think it would assist you in understanding
this if I explained how limited so far has been this transition from
the old segregated society of generations past, and also how limited
so far has been the participation of the Negro citizens.
Significant as is the voluntary elimination of discrimination in
our leading restaurants, it affects so far only a small percentage of
the hundreds of eating places in our city.
And participation by Negroes so far has been very slight. For
example, one of Atlanta's topmost restaurants served only 16 out of
Atlanta's 200,000 Negro citizens during the first week of freedom
from discrimination.
The plan for eliminating discrimination in hotels as yet takes
care only of convention delegates. Although prominent Negroes
have been accepted as guests in several Atlanta hotels, the Negro
citizens, as a whole, seldom appear at Atlanta hotels.
Underlying all the emotions of the situation, is the matter of
economics. It should be remembered that the right to use a facility
does not mean that it will be used or misused by any group, espe-
cially the groups in the lower economic status.
The statements I have given you cover the actual progress
made by Atlanta toward total elimination of discrimination.
Now I would like to submit my personal reasons why I think
Atlanta has resolved some of these problems while in other cities,
solutions have seemed impossible and strife and conflict have
resulted.
As an illustration, I would like to describe a recent visit of
an official delegation from a great Eastern city which has a Negro
population of over 600,000 consisting of in excess of 20% of its
whole population,
The members of this delegation at first simply did not under-
stand and would hardly believe that the business, civic and political
interests of Atlanta had intently concerned themselves with the
Negro population. I still do not believe that they are convinced
that all of our civic bodies backed by the public interest and sup-
ported by the City Government have daily concerned themselves
with an effort to solve our gravest problem -- which is relations
between our races. Gentlemen, Atlanta has not swept this
question under the rug at any point. Step by step - sometimes
under Court order - sometimes voluntarily moving ahead of
pressures - sometimes adroitly - and many times clumsily - we
have tried to find a solution to each specific problem through an
agreement between the affected white ownership and the Negro
leadership.
To do this we have not appointed a huge general bi-racial
committee which too often merely becomes a burial place for un-
solved problems. By contrast, each time a specific problem has
come into focus, we have appointed the people involved to work
out the solution. . . Theatre owners to work with the top Negro
leaders . . . or hotel owners to work with the top leadership. . .
or certain restaurant owners who of their own volition dealt with
top Negro leadership. By developing the lines of communication
and respectability, we have been able to reach amicable solutions.
Atlanta is the world's center of Negro higher education,
There are six great Negro universities and colleges located inside
our city limits. Because of this, a great number of intelligent,
well-educated Negro citizens have chosen to remain in our city.
As a reSult of their education, they have had the ability to develop
a prosperous Negro business community. In Atlanta it consists of
financial institutions like banks - building and loan associations -
life insurance companies - chain drug stores - real estate dealers.
In fact, they have developed business organizations, I believe, in
almost every line of acknowledged American business. There are
also many Negro professional men.
Then there is another powerful factor working in the behalf of
good racial relations in our city. We have news media, both white
and Negro, whose leaders strongly believe and put into practice the
great truth that responsibility of the press (and by this I mean radio
and television as well as the written press) is inseparable from
freedom of the press.
The leadership of our written, spoken and televised news
media join with the business and government leadership, both white
and Negro, in working to solve our problems.
We are fortunate that we have one of the world famous editorial
spokesmen for reason and moderation on one of our white newspapers,
along with other editors and many reporters who stress significance
rather than sensation in the reporting and interpretation of what
happens in our city.
And we are fortunate in having a strong Negro daily newspaper,
The Atlanta Daily World, and a vigorous Negro weekly, The Atlanta
Inquirer.
The Atlanta Daily World is owned by a prominent Negro family
the Scott family - which owns and operates a number of other news-
papers.
The sturdy voices of the Atlanta Daily World and the Atlanta
Inquirer, backed by the support of the educational, business and
religious community, reach out to our Negro citizens. They speak
to them with factual information upon which they can rely. They
express opinions and interpretations in which they can have faith.
As I see it, our Negro leadership in Atlanta is responsible and
constructive. I am sure that our Negro leadership is as desirous of
obtaining additional civic and economic and personal rights as is any
American citizen. But by constructive I mean to define Atlanta's
Negro leadership as being realistic - as recognizing that it is more
important to obtain the rights they seek than it is to stir up demon-
strations. So it is to the constructive means by which these rights
can be obtained that our Negro leaders constantly address themselves.
They are interested in results instead of rhetoric. They reach for
lasting goals instead of grabbing for momentary publicity. They are
realists, not rabble rousers. Along with integration they want
integrity.
I do not believe that any sincere American citizen desires to
see the rights of private business restricted by the Federal Govern-
ment unless such restriction is absolutely necessary for the welfare
of the people of this country.
On the other hand, following the line of thought of the decisions
of the Federal Courts in the past 15 years, I am not convinced that
current rulings of the Courts would grant to American business the
privilege of discrimination by race in the selection of its customers.
Here again we get into the area of what is right and what is
best for the people of this country. If the privilege of selection
based on race and color should be granted then would we be giving
to business the right to set up a segregated economy? .. . And
if so, how fast would this right be utilized by the Nation's people ?
- « « And how soon would we again be going through the old turmoil
of riots, strife, demonstrations, boycotts, picketing?
-6-
Are we going to say that it is all right for the Negro citizen
to go into the bank of Main street to deposit his earnings or borrow
money, then to go the department store to buy what he needs, to go
to the supermarket to purchase food for his family, and so on along
Main street until he comes to a restaurant or a hotel -- In all these
other business places he is treated just like any other customer --
But when he comes to the restaurant or the hotel, are we going to
say that it is right and legal for the operators of these businesses,
merely as a matter of convenience, to insist that the Negro's
citizenship be changed and that, as a second class citizen, he is
to be refused service? I submit that it is not right to allow an
American's citizenship to be changed merely as a matter of con-
venience.
If the Congress should fail to clarify the issue at the present
time, then by inference it would be saying that you could begin dis-
crimination under the guise of private business. I do not believe
that this is what the Supreme Court has intended with its decisions.
I do not believe that this is the intent of Congress or the people of
this country.
Iam not a lawyer, Senators. Iam not sure I clearly under-
stand all of the testimony involving various amendments to the
Constitution and the Commerce clause which has been given to this
Committee. I have a fundamental respect for the Constitution of
the United States. Under this Constitution we have always been
able to do what is best for all of the people of this country. I beg
of you not to let this issue of discrimination drown in legalistic
waters. Iam firmly convinced that the Supreme Court insists
that the same fundamental rights must be held by every American
citizen.
Atlanta is a case that proves that the problem of discrimination
can be solved to some extent. . . and I use this ''some extent"
cautiously . . . as we certainly have not solved all of the problems;
but we have met them in a number of areas. This can be done locally,
voluntarily, and by private business itself!
On the other hand, there are hundreds of communities and
cities, certainly throughout the nation that have not ever addressed
themselves to the issue. Whereas, others have flagrantly ignored
the demand, and today, stand in all defiance to any change.
The Congress of the United States is now confronted witha
grave decision. Shall you pass a public accommodatinn bill that
forces this issue? Or, shall you create another round of disputes
over segregation by refusing to pass such legislation?
Surely, the Congress realizes that after having failed to take
any definite action on this subject in the last ten years, to fail to
pass this bill would amount to an endorsement of private business
setting up an entirely new status of discrimination throughout the
nation. Cities like Atlanta might slip backwards. Hotels and
restaurants that have already taken this issue upon themselves
and opened their doors might find it convenient to go back to the
old status. Failure by Congress to take definite action at this
time is by inference an endorsement of the right of private business
to practice racial discrimination and, in my opinion, would start
the same old round of squabbles and demonstrations that we have
had in the past.
Gentlemen, if I had your problem armed with the local ex-
perience I have had, I would pass a public accommodation bill.
Such’a bill, however, should provide an opportunity for each local
government first to meet this problem and attempt to solve it ona
local, voluntary basis, with each business making its own decision.
I realize that it is quite easy to ask you to give an opportunity to
each businessman in each city to make his decision and to accom-
plish such an objective . . . but it is extremely difficult to legis-
late such a problem.
What I am trying to say is that the pupil placement plan,
which has been widely used in the South, provided a time table
approved by the Federal courts which helped in getting over troubled
water of elimination of discrimination in public schools. It seems
to me that cities working with private business institutions could now
move into the same area and that the federal government legislation
should be based on the idea that those businesses have a reasonable
time to accomplish such an act.
I think a public accommodation law now should stand only as
the last resort to assure that discrimination is eliminated, but that
such a law would grant a reasonable time for cities and businesses
to carry out this function before federal intervention.
It might even be necessary that the time factor be made more
lenient in favor of smaller cities and communities, for we all know
that large metropolitan areas have the capability of adjusting to
changes more rapidly than smaller communities.
Perhaps this, too, should be given consideration in your
legislation. But the point 1 want to emphasize again is that now is
the time for legislative action. We cannot dodge the issue. We
cannot look back over our shoulders or turn the clock back to the
1860's. We must take action now to assure a greater future for
our citizens and our country.
A hundred years ago the abolishment of slavery won the
United States the acclaim of the whole world when it made every
American free in theory.
Now the elimination of segregation, which is slavery's step-
child, is a challenge to all of us to make every American free in
fact as well as in theory - and again to establish our nation as the
true champion of the free world.
Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, I want to
thank you for the opportunity of telling you about Atlanta's efforts
to provide equality of citizenship to all within its borders.
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Box 17, Folder 15, Document 34
Box 17
Box 17 Folder 15
Folder topic: Civil Rights Bill | 1963
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https://ivanallen.iac.gatech.edu/mayoral-records/traditional/files/original/2bff3a3215166c522878258ae1548b65.pdf
6ae00f62a230a62349505bdef6bf33f7
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A written representation of a document.
520 P i n e
Goleta , Ca lif
July 16, 1 963
Ivan Al len, fa y o r
City of Atl anta , Ge orgia
Ho no r able Sir :
In t h e city of Atlanta , live descendants of t h e Ifuguenots I , too ,
am d e s c-e nd ed from .. And aft er reading t h e e n closed sto r y by cle-arwr iting Cathe ri n e Ma c k in
I ' m glad t h ey we n t to Atlanta !
Throu~h tut t h e est, and I assum e t h ro ughou t t h e Unit e d States ~ ne ws p-ape rs c a rry front pag e s -tories n early every da y about t h e Sout h ' s
racr~ i n ci den ts. In t h e gro ce ries~ i n t e l aundr oma ts , i n t h e a ters ,
on ve h icles of ub lic tr ansportation , wh erever c asua l co nversat io n s
occur - r a c e p roble ms are dis c us sed .
0--
I wa s born and live d until I wa s 9,. in a v ery segr ~te d ,, very lo ya lly
S o uthern , Texas to wn . Th en we moved to Seattle - a t a ti me wh e n very
few So uth erners ev e r left t h e So uth , i n 1915, just be fore
orld ~ r I ~
Here I was c a ta pu lted into a melting - p ot t yp e s c ho ol~
The teac:hllr t augh t Ci v il Wa r History rral l wrong," and inward ly I r ag e d ..
She t h o ugh t I p ronou n ced " p ou nd s when we studied a rit hmetic, all wro ng ,
and kept me in du ring t h e lunc h hour to le arn to p ronounce o ur l ang u ag e
ri gh t."
I cried and k e p t protesting I was p ronou n c ing it right .. My
fam ily was i ndignant a t h er intoleran c e ~ a c hild ' s· Southern accent but in time, of course , she s u ccee d e d in ob liter at i ng it.
ITy happ ier means , my fe eli ng that only those
s-kin the color o f mi n e , ha ir wit h t h e d e g ree
best " people .
There wer e Chinese, J apanese,
Negro , Canadian ,, Italian and F re n c h c hildren
with e y es sha p e d l!_ike mine,,
of curl of mine,, wer e 111 the
Russian Jew , German Je w ,
i n my room.
I le arned with awe, that the very short-sighted little Chinese gir l and
her e qual ly short-sighted lit tl e ye llow b IJ-othe r,, struggling with English ,,
wer~ t h e best students in the room . I learned that the Jewish youngsters
went not only to our school, but a t 4, to one c ondu cted by the rabbi,
and Saturdays,, for piano a n d violin lessons - and I saw no signs they
were "less than me" in anything they accomplished •. They were ttbetter l "
And the Negro c hildren awed us with songs t hey knew from a slave· grandm,ot 1er - songs sung throatily in mel odious voices. They got along as well
in sc ho ol as I did 9 and I ~
~ ~ ~ r o moted twice in Texas .
Wh en race problems occur~
t a y ,, or I hear them discussed ,. I think how the
Negro c h ildren sympathized wh en I skinned my knee - and tore up a handkerchief to bandage it~ When
fought Japan, and hated" the Japanese~ I
re c alled truth and loyalty - not treachery - from my days with Ja p anese
playmates .
When I attended University of Wash in g ton, I attended a Sociology course
"Race Problems" with students from all over the world - and earnestly we
explored ou.:r likenesses - as wel l as the differences environment proclucea,
�2'- 2 - 2
The le a rned, worl d- tr a veled p rofessor,, R .,D .. Mc Kenzie ,. no w dead, p r e·di c·ted even t h en ( 1 927) eve ntua l
ar with Japan - be c aus e , he sa i d ,.
" t h e Uni t ed States· re pudia ted the "Gentle men ' s Agreement ' wh ile t h e
Ja pan ese · were a ssi du ously keep i ng t h eir side of t h e b a r ga in - and
Ja panese. ' fa c e ' will never recover wit hou t return i ng
t h e blow~'n
().A?
ffe p're d i c ted tro ub l e a he ad in the United St at es ,
e groe s slowly
i mp roved fr om t h eir state of servitud e;- be c am e able to le arn o f
free dom ,, e qu ality and d e mocr a c y - for whi tes but not for them .
In t wo World Wa rs , Negroes le a rned abroad of an e qua lity of tre a t ment t h ey had not known at h ome .
They le a r n ed Ameri c a loves their
music, and t h eir strength in athleti c pu rs u its . The inevitab le dem a nd
for c ompiete e qua lity of tre a t ment , so upsetting to so many wh ites ,
our Dr~
e n z·~
~ o p ro phesied .
Iir i's(Jrd to u e a rn any att itude ga i ned in c h il dho o d ,, and Americans
toda y . in ever stat e , are b eing ask e d to unlearn more attitudes and to,
ad o p t new ones
tan ha s ever occurred before . This is tr u e a ll over
the wo rl d . Fo hundr eds - nay , t housands , even milli ons , of years,
generat ion aft r gene r at io n live d a li ke , thought a li ke ,, p roduced cra ft
alike ., Dr ., Adan r.11reganza , speaking of Ca lif ornia Indians , de cl are d that
any Indian girl who might want t o c reat n e w designs to weave into h er
baskets,, would
thoug~t sick~ Basket designs , at tit udes toward neighboring tribes , ways to, deal with the god s , mag ic for inaking the game a·pvea r for the hu-:::Oter - t h es e were· le a rned from tribal me mbe rs, and for
untQ]d ages, went unqu e st i oned .
To day - Grand f ath ers
ar e s c ar cel y done v owi ng man wi l l never penetrat~
oute r spac e ,, when a grands on - aged youngester d oes it., And in our re'lations with ot h er nati on s, c h il dr en either study . and come to re~ p e c~,,
cultures of o th ers - or , if at the moment we are having differences with
thhee nations - c hildr en le arn a t titudes of suspicion and fear toward
them .,
Somehow, in Atlanta - fortunately - a ttitudes must have been long agrowing of "live and let live." How wonderful i f
more cities can
follow Atlanta ' s example. But even more wonderful it wold be i:f
cities· can go one step further :
" Live , and help live!
B'ecause America ' s Negroes. do1 need he lp,, in order to 1 i ve . It isn ' t
Christian , it isn ' t neighborly t to become observers,h ere :- to say,"Okay 9
now NBgroes have their freedom .. Let ' s just wait - they ' 11 make a bust
o f us i ng it ! "
inclined to ward
They d~ need friendly guidance : people mml!l.IUl mnm neighborliness or
m,ore formally trained inteaching to point out ," VTe do things this way. 111
Heck ,. I didn ' t know why cli pping the grass edging t1e sidewal·~ of my
new trailer home was so difficult until a neighbor pointed out I
didn ' t
have the right tool !/
Uses of language, housekeeping methods , persona l grooming - these things,.
some Negroes need to le8rn. Other Negroes or whites need teach them: people
·
·
·
·
who are white
living
in
farm areas,. are a so " 0 t1t of place" when first the)
move to •own.'
• More· po ver to you ,
a yift,; to ~ tlanta !
Very truly yours
~ ~
.
·t
ois Hennessy - retired newswri er
'
s_: ,
�
Text
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Text
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520 Pine
Goleta, Calif
July 16, 1963
Ivan Allen, Mayor i
City of Atlanta, Georgia
Honorable Sir:
In the city of Atlanta, live descendants of the Huguenots I, too,
am descended from. And after reading the enclosed story by clear—
writing Catherine Mackin — I'm glad they went to Atlanta!
Throughtut the West, and I assume throughout the United States, news—
papers) carry front page stories nearly every day about the South's
race: incidents. In the groceries, in the laundromats, in theaters,
om vehicles of public transportation, wherever casual conversations
occur — race problems are discussed.
I was born and lived until I was 9, in a very segrdated, very loyally
Southern, Texas town. Then we moved to Seattle — at a time when very
few Southerners ever left the South, in 1915, just before World Wr Tg
Cn or ee ee Here I was catapulted into a melting—pot type school.
The teachbr taught Civil War History "all wrong," and inwardly I raged.
She thought I pronounced "pounds" when we studied arithmetic, all wrong,
and kept me in during the lunch hour "to learn to pronounce our language
right." I cried and kept protesting I was pronouncing it right. My J
family was: indignant at her intolerance of a child's Southern accent —
but in time, of course, she succeeded in obliterating it.
By happier means, my feeling that only those with eyes shaped like mine,
skin the color of mine, hair with the degree of curl of mine, were "the
best" people. There were Chinese, Japanese, Russian Jew, German Jew,
Negro, Canadian, Italian and French children in my room.
I learned with awe that the very short-sighted little Chinese girl and
her equally short-sighted little yellow byother, struggling with English,
were the best students in the room. I learned that the Jewish youngsters
went not only to our school, but at 4, to one conducted by the rabbi,
and Saturdays, for piano and violin lessons — and I saw no signs they
were "less than me” in anything they accomplished. They were"better !"
And the Negro children awed us with songs they knew from a slave grand—
moter — songs sung throatily in melodious voices. They got along as well
in school as I did, and I hag been doubly promoted twice in Texas.
Negro children sympathized/when I skinned my knee - and tore up a handker—
chief to bandage it. When fought Japan, and "hated" the Japanese, I
recalled truth and loyalty — not treachery — from my days with Japanese
playmates.
When race problems occur woes or I hear them discussed, I think how the
When I attended University of Washington, I attended a Sociology course
"Race Problems" with students from all over the world — and earnestly we
explored our likenesses — as well as the differences environment produces
2-2-2
The learned, world-—traveled professor, R.D. McKenzie, now dead, pre—
dicted even then (1927) eventual war with Japan — because, he said,
"the United States repudiated the "Gentlemen's Agreement' while the
Japanese were assiduously keeping their side of the bargain — and
Japanese: 'face' will never recover without returning the blow."
Co
He predicted trouble ahead in the United States, end Negroes slowly
improved from their state of servitudes became able to learn of free—
dom, equality and democracy — for whites but not for them.
In two World Wars, Negroes learned abroad of an equality of treat—
ment they had not known at home. They learned America loves their
music and their strength in athletic pursuits.The inevitable demand
for complete equality of treatment, so upsetting to so many whites,
our Dr. McKenziey long ago prophesied.
Wyre race feo,
It is Mard to uplearn any attitude gained in childhood, and Americans
today{ in every state, are being asked to unlearn more attitudes and to
adopt/new ones than has ever occurred before. This is true all over
the world. For hundreds — nay, thousands, even millions, of years,
generation aftdr generation lived alike, thought alike, produced craft
alike. Dr. Adan\ Treganza, speaking of California Indians, declared that
any Indian girl\who might want to creat new designs to weave into her
baskets, would thought sick. Basket designs, attitudes toward neigh—
boring tribes, ways to deal with the gods, magic for making the game ap—
pear for the hucnter — these were learned from tribal members, and for
untold ages, went unquestioned.
Today — Grandfathers are scarcely done vowing man will never penetrate
outer space, when a grandson—-aged youngester does it. And in our re—
lations with other nations, children either study, and come to respect,
cultures of others -— or, if at the moment we are having differences with
thhese nations - children learn attitudes of suspicion and fear toward
them...
Somehow, in Atlanta - fortunately — attitudes must have been long a-—
growing of "live and let live." How wonderful if more cities can
follow Atlanta's example. But even more wonderful it wold be if
cities can go one step further:
"Live, and help live!
Because America's Negroes do need help, in order to live. It isn't
Christian, it isn't neighborly, to become observers,here: to say,"Okay,
now Neproes have their freedom. Let's just wait — they'll make a bust
; are
of using it! inclined toward
They do need friendly guidance: people hmannerimmm neighborliness or
more formally trained inteaching to point out," We do things this way."
Heek, I didn't know why clipping the grass edging the sidewalx of my
new trailer home was so difficult until a neighbor pointed out I didn't
have the right tool lf
Uses of language, housekeeping methods, personal grooming — these things,
some Negroes need to learn. Other Negroes or whites need Segoe them: ye.
« ;
who are white, living in farm areas, are, so “out of place” when firs
- I
move to tom. . . More power to you, 8: a to Atlanta?
Very truly yours
6is Hennessy — retired newswriter
Dublin Core
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Title
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Box 17, Folder 15, Document 33
Box 17
Box 17 Folder 15
Folder topic: Civil Rights Bill | 1963
-
https://ivanallen.iac.gatech.edu/mayoral-records/traditional/files/original/d3a4c96ec5dee64b94fcf13eea22ce3e.pdf
0f4d7a1d364224cb822a2124e4bbb18a
Scripto
Transcription
A written representation of a document.
Section Teno If any of the provisions of this Ordinance
or portions thereof or the application of such provisions or portions
to any person or circumstance shall be held invalid 1 the remainder
of this Ordinance and its application to persons or circumstances
other than those to which it is held invalid shall not be affected
thereby.
Section Eleveno This Ordinance shall become effective
120 days after the dat e of the passage thereof 1 and a,pprovat
Is/
Jack Sherman (Acting COBoAo
APPROVED~ 5/1 5/63
Is/ Kenneth Ao Schmied,
/ s/
p . B. A,
William O. Cowger 1 MAYOR
�
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Section Ten, If any of the provisions of this Ordinance
or portions thereof or the application of such provisions or portions
to any person or circumstance shall be held invalid, the remainder
of this Ordinance and its application to persons or circumstances
other than those to which it is held invalid shall not be affected
thereby.
Section Eleven. This Ordinance shall become effective
120 days after the date of the passage thereof, and approval.
/s/ Jack Sherman (Acting C. B.A. /s/ Kenneth A. Schmied, P. B.A.
APPROVED: 5/15/63 /s/ William O. Cowger, MAYOR
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Title
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Box 17, Folder 15, Document 32
Box 17
Box 17 Folder 15
Folder topic: Civil Rights Bill | 1963
-
https://ivanallen.iac.gatech.edu/mayoral-records/traditional/files/original/24c6a9c803211f43ba104bf856099780.pdf
0563addc6a417f6fa12991a2924af194
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Transcription
A written representation of a document.
CITY OF ATLANTA
.J .
Date
Area
A ction
Schools
Court 01·der
Department & variety stores
lunch counters
voluntary action
1/ 62
City Facilities
voluntary (city officials)
5/62
Downtown and arts theatres
voluntary*
ff-
5/63
Negro firemen hired
voluntary (city officials)
Cr
6/63
Swimming pools
court order - voluntary
decision to open pools
c
.
I)~
flE' 9/ 61
-
A -7- rl'
BJ)
,+
r+
10/ 61
£"1i,)1 ~1<EB
fiff .. ()
n
V
(city official )
6/63
18 leading hotels
voluntary
6/63
approx. 33 le ding i-estaurant
voluntary
lle/1 I Jid'/fJ. ~
In ach instance voluntary action consisted of coop rative
action betw en operators of affected busine
N gro 1 ad rship.
e
and r
pon ibl
�
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Text
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Date
Coe BE9/61
Q-T - Ww 10/61
(ell
a2 1/62
Hat 5/62
5/63
-
2 6/63
”
R-8 6/63
A 6/63
CITY OF ATLANTA
Area
Schools
Department & variety stores
lunch counters
City Facilities
Downtown and arts theatres
Negro firemen hired
Swimming pools
E, ap) ¢*EB
18 leading hotels
approx. 23 leading restaurants
Nero 4 be vA 23 (
a
Action
Court order
voluntary action *
voluntary (city officials)
voluntary *
voluntary (city officials)
court order - voluntary
decision to open pools
(city officials)
voluntary *
voluntary *
* In each instance voluntary action consisted of cooperative
action between operators of affected businesses and responsible
Negro leadership.
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Title
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Box 17, Folder 15, Document 31
Box 17
Box 17 Folder 15
Folder topic: Civil Rights Bill | 1963
-
https://ivanallen.iac.gatech.edu/mayoral-records/traditional/files/original/0f964d528b5c909824787a316208dd70.pdf
44ced5b8e9f71d8f2da47111c7d849e2
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Transcription
A written representation of a document.
ORDINANCE NO. 66 SERIES 1963
AN ORDINANCE DEFINING DISCRIMINATORY
PRACTICES IN PLACES OF PUBLIC ACCOMODATION; PROHIBITING THE SAME; AND
PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR THE VIOLATION
THEREOF.
WHEREAS, each member of the Board of Aldermen recognizes
that the government of the City of Louisville was organized to protect and promote the health, safety, and welfare of all persons in the City of Louisville,
including minority groups; and
WHEREAS, each alderman is cognizant of his duty to protect and
foster the welfare of persons residing in his ward and to prevent, insofar as
possible, any discrimination in places of public accomodation on account of
a person't race, color, religious beliefs, ancestry or national origin; and
WHEREAS, in order to insure that there be no discriminatory
practices in places of public accomodation on account of race, color, religious
beliefs, ancestry or national origin
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN OF THE CITY OF LOUISVILLE:
Section One. It is hereby declar ed to be the policy of the City of
Louisville in the exercise of its licensing and police powers for the preservation
of the peace and the protection of the comfort, healthl' welfare and safety of
persons in the City of L:>uisville and to prohibit discriminatory practices in
places of public accomodation as hereinafter defined.
Section Two. When used herein:
(a)
The term "person" includes one or more individuals, partner-
ships, associations, corporations, legal representatives, or other groups of
persons.
(b)
The term "Commission" means the City of Louisville Hu·m an
~elations Commission as established by Ordinance No. 33 of the 1962 Ordinances
�of the City of Louisville; and the t erm "Anti~Dis crimination Division" means a
Boardj any three members of which sha ll constitute a quorumj consisting of
five (5) members of the City of Louisville Human Relations Commissionj said
five members to be designat ed by t he Mayor of the City of Louisville.
(c)
The phrase "Place of public accomodation" means any place
of bus iness offering or holding out to t he gener al public services or facilities
for the peace, comfor t j healthj welfare or safety of such general public includingj public places providing food~ shelt er 9 recreationj · enter tainment or
amusement.
Section Threeo Discr iminator y practices il as hereinafter defined,
in places of public accomodation are hereby pr ohibited and declared unlawful.
(a )
It s ha ll be a dis criminator y practice for the owner j lesseej
manager j pr opritor j concessionair ej custodia:nj agent or employee of a place
of public accomodation within t he City of Louisville to deny j to a ccord or to
treat differently any per son in the s er \rice or sa le of any privilege j facility
or commodity on account of his racej color j religious beliefs j ancestry or
national or iginj or to segregate or requir e t he placing of any person in any
separate s ection or area of the premises or facilities j of such place of public
accomodation, or to deny j refuse or withhold from any pers on, on account of
his race, color j r eligious beliefs j ancestr y or national or iginj full and equal
accomodation advantages 9 facilities a nd pr ivileges in any ,p lace of public ac comodationo
(b)
It shall be a discriminatory practice t o place, postj main-
tain, displayj or circulatej or knowingly cause 9 permit or a llow t he placingj
posting, maintenance j display or ctrculatf.on of a ny written or printed advertisementj notice or sign of any kind of description to the effect that any of the
accomodationsj advantages, facilitiesj or privileges c;>f any ,pla~~ of public
accomodation will or may be r efused~ withheld from or denied to any person
on account of his r a cej color religious beliefs j ancestry or national origin,
2
�.
or that the patronage of any person is unwelcome 9 objectionable, or
not acceptableil desired or solicited on account of his race 51 color ii
religious beliefsil ancestry or national originj or that any person
is required or requested to use any separate section or area of the
premises or facilities on account of his race 9 color 9 religious
beUefs, ancestry or national origino
Section Four o The administration of this Ordinance shall
be the responsibility of the City of Louisville :Suman Relations
Commissiono The Anti-Discrimination Division shall have full
operating responsibility under the supervision of the Commission
for carrying out the provisions of this Ordinanceo In addition to
any powers or duties heretofore conferred on said Commission it
shall have the power and duty to~
(a) Receiveil investigate and seek to adjust complaints
of diSCJ;'iminatory practices prohibited by this Ordinance and to
initiate such complaints itselfo
(b)
By itself or through its Anti~Discrimination Division9
to hold publi~ or private hearings 9 administer oaths 9 and take the
testimony of any person under oath relating to any matter under
investigation or in questiono If a person9 against whom a complaint
of discriminatory practice is made 9 shall be notified to attend any
hearingil public or private, before the Commission or the AntiDiscrimination Division and he shall fail to attend such hearingil
the Commission or the Anti- Discrimination Division 51 as the case may
be1 may proceed to hold such hearing and make a determination in
such persons absenceo
Section Fiveo
(a) Any person claiming to be aggrieved by a discriminatory practice prohibited by this Ordinance may make,_
.. $.ign and ·file
·,,··.·
with the City of Louisville Human Relations Commission a complaint
- 3--
�in writing under oath 1 which shall state the name and address of the
public accomodation alleged to have committed the discriminatory
practice and which shall s et forth the par ticular s thereof and
contain such other information as may be required under rules established by the Commission. Such complaints shall be filed within
thirty (30) days aft er the alleged discriminatory practice is committed. Th~ Commission1 if it has reason to believe that any person
has engaged in a discriminat~rJ practice prohibited by this Ordinance,
may adopt a resolution to that eff ect 1 whi ch resolution shall ·have
the legal effect and status of a complaint filed with the Commission
on the date s uch resolution is adopted.
(b) Upon receipt of a complaint 1 the staff of the Commis sion shall promptly conduct a preliminary investigation. Upon
the completion of such investigation 9 the complaint together with
the results of the investigation sha ll be referred to the AntiDiscrimination Division. If the Anti-Dis_crimination Division determines from such investigation that a discrilninatory practice has
been committed 9 that Division sha ll attempt an adjustment by means
of conference and negotiations. A ten (10) day period after the
filing of the complaint with the Commis s ion shall be allowed for
this purpose. If the Anti-Discrimination Division det ermines that a
discriminatory practice has not been committed 9 then it shall enter
an order dismissing the complaint and s hall _promptly send copies
thereof to the complainant and to the person complained against
(hereinafter referred to as the respondent) of its action. The
Anti-Discr ~mination Division shall report to the Commission at each
of its monthly meetings the disposition of all comp.~ ints referred
(c) In case of failure of conference or n~gotiations to
obtain compliance with this Ordinance 9 the Anti-Discrimination
Division1 no later than twenty (20) days after the complaint has
- 4-
�been r ef erred to it~ shall (unless the complaint has been dismissed
as aforesaid) either certify the entir e case to the Director of I.aw
for prosecution 1 or cause to be issued and served in the name of
the Commission a written notice~ together with a copy of such complaint j requiring the respondent to answer the charges of such complaint at a hearing before the Anti-Discrimination Division at a
time and place to be specified in such noticeo The notice of hearing shall be served upon the respondent no later than twenty (20)
days after the complaint has been r eferred to the Anti- Dis crimination Divisio:no The place of such hear ing may be the office of the
Commission or another place designated by ito The case in sqpport .
of the complaint shall be presented at the hearing by a member of
the Depart ment of Law of the City of Louisville who shall be counsel
for the City of Louisville Human Relations Commissiono Any endeavors
or negotiations for counciliation~ or admission or statement made in
connection therewith shall not be received in evidenceo The respondent may file a written aMwer t o the complaint and appear at
such hear ing in per son or ~ er wis e 1 with or without couns el~ and
submit t estimony and be fully heardo The Anti-Discrimination
Division conducting any hear ing may permit reasonable a mendments
to any complaint or answer o The t estimony taken at such hearing
shall be under oath and be t ranscribed at the request of either party
or by direction of the Anti-Discrimination Divisiono Ji~ upon all
the evidence~ the Anti- Discrimination Division finds that a respondent has engaged in any discr iminatory practice as defined in
Section Three (3)j it shall state in writing its findings of fact
and conclusions of law and shall issue and file with the Commission
and cause to be s erved on the complainant and the r e~pondent an
order requiring such respondent to cease and desist from such discriminatory practice or practices j and/ or requiring such affirmative
action as it shall deem necessary to r emedy the violation and to
- 5-
�prevent its continuation or reoccurrence. If~ upon all the eviqence:,
the Anti-Discr i mination Division finds that the respondent has not
engaged in any alleged discriminatory practice~ it shall state its
findings of fact and conclusions of law and shall similarly is~ue
and file an order dismissing the complaint and cause copies thereof
.i
to be served upon the complainant ~ and the respondent. The Commission may establish rules of procedure to govern~ expedite and
effectuate the procedures of Section Five of this Ordinance.
d) If either the complain.ant or the respondent is not
satisfied with the determination of the Anti- Discrimination Division:,
he shall have the right to appea l such determination to the Commission with in ten (10) days after the date of entry of the order of
said Division. No member of the Anti=Discrimination Division may
participate in determination of an appea l. All decisions of the
Commission o~ such appeals shall be by a majority vote. A quorum,
for determination of appeals, shall cons ist of six (6) members.
On appeal the Commis sion may affirm 9 modify or set aside the AntiDiscri mination Divisionvs ·order or make such other appropriate order
as shall effectuat e the purposes of this Ordinanceo
(e) In the event that the Anti-Discrimination Division
shall have entered an order against the respondent from which no
timely appeal is takeny and in those cases where such an order is
entered by the Commission after appeal~ the Commission shall, in cases
of non- compliance therewith9 certify the entire case to the Director
of Law for prosecution. No prosecution shall be brought under th.is
Ordinance except upon such ce~cation or upon certification to the
Director of Law pursuant to Section Five (c) hereof. After certtfication7 the Director of Law shall prosecute the offender for violation of this Ordinanceo
(f) All complaint.s 9 a nswers~ investigations, conferences and hearings held under and pursuant to this Ordinance shall
- 6=
�be held confidential by the Commission~ the Anti=Discr imination Division
and their agents and employeeso The Commission or the Anti-Discrimination
,,f
Division at the request of the,. .,complainant 9 or the r espondent 9 or on its
own initiative 9 shall declare the hear ing provided for under Section Five (c)
this ordi~ance to be a closed hearingo Ji no r equest is received from
either the complainant or the respondent by the Commission or the AntiDis crimination Division r eque ting a closed hear ing 9 the hear ing provided
for under Section Five (c) may be an open and public hearingo Provided9 how:.
, ever that the complaint and the t r anscript of any hearing held under Section
j)
Five (c) of this Ordinance are declared to be public recordso
Section Suto Subject to the certtfi cation required by Section
Five (e):1 any persons violating any of the provisions of this Or dinance
shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be subject to a fine of not mor e
than One Hundred Dollar s $1000 00) for ea ch offenseo
I
Section Seveno Three or more convictions of any person for
violation of Section Three of this Ordinance shall9 if the Commission finds
(after due notice and an opportunity to be heard) that the respondent is a
continual offender ~ be deemed to constitute a public nuisance and a
contumacious inter fer ence with the spir it and purpose of this Or dinanceo
In the event of such occurrence 9 the Commission shall be empowered to refer _.
the matt er to the Director of Law who shall ther eupon apply for appropriate
injunctive reliefo
Section Eighto In computing ti ire or periods of time 9 in this
Ordinance 9 Sundays and legal holidays shall be excludedo
Section Nineo All notices requir ed to be s ent to the comp],ainant,
· respondent or any persons by any provision of thi.s Ordinance shall be sent
by,_certifi ed United States Mail with a r eturn r eceipt requestedo
�
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Text
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ORDINANCE NO, 66 SERIES 1963
AN ORDINANCE DEFINING DISCRIMINATORY
PRACTICES IN PLACES OF PUBLIC ACCOM-
ODATION; PROHIBITING THE SAME; AND
PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR THE VIOLATION
THEREOF.
WHEREAS, each member of the Board of Aldermen recognizes
that the government of the City of Louisville was organized to protect and pro-
mote the health, safety, and welfare of all persons in the City of Louisville,
including minority groups; and
WHEREAS, each alderman is cognizant of his duty to protect and
foster the welfare of persons residing in his ward and to prevent, insofar as \
possible, any discrimination in places of public accomodation on account of
a person't race, color, religious beliefs, ancestry or national origin; and
WHEREAS, in order to insure that there be no discriminatory
practices in places of public accomodation on account of race, color, religious
beliefs, ancestry or national origin
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN OF THE CITY OF LOUISVILLE:
Section One. It is hereby declared to be the policy of the City of
Louisville in the exercise of its licensing and police powers for the preservation
of the peace and the protection of the comfort, health, welfare and safety of
persons in the City of Louisville and to prohibit discriminatory practices in
places of public accomodation as hereinafter defined.
Section Two. When used herein:
(a) The term "person" includes one or more individuals, partner-
ships, associations, corporations, legal representatives, or other groups of
persons.
(b) The term "Commission" means the City of Louisville Human
Relations Commission as established by Ordinance No. 33 of the 1962 Ordinances
iF
of the City of Louisville; and the term "Anti-Discrimination Division'' means a
Board, any three members of which shall constitute a quorum, consisting of
five (5) members of the City of Louisville Human Relations Commission, said
five members to be designated by the Mayor of the City of Louisville.
(c) The phrase "Place of public accomodation" means any place
of business offering or holding out to the general public services or facilities
for the peace, comfort, health, welfare or safety of such general public in-
cluding, public places providing focd, shelter, recreation, entertainment or
amusement.
Section Three, Discriminatory practices, as hereinafter defined,
in places of public accomodation are hereby prohibited and declared unlawful.
(a) It shall be a discriminatory practice for the owner, lessee,
manager, propritor, concessionaire, custodian, agent or employee of a place
of public accomodation within the City of Louisville to deny, to accord or to
treat differently any person in the service or sale of any privilege, facility
or commodity on account of his race, color, religious beliefs, ancestry or
national origin, or to segregate or require the placing of any person in any
separate section or area of the premises or facilities, of such place of public
accomodation, or to deny, refuse or withhold from any person, on account of
his race, color, religious beliefs, ancestry or national origin, full and equal
accomodation advantages, facilities and privileges in any place of public ac-
comodation.
(b) It shall be a discriminatory practice to place, post, main-
tain, display, or circulate, or knowingly cause, permit or allow the placing,
posting, maintenance, display or circulatfon of any written or printed adver-
tisement, notice or sign of any kind of description to the effect that any of the
accomodations, advantages, facilities, or privileges of any place of public
accomodation will or may be refused, withheld from or denied to any person
on account of his race, color religious beliefs, ancestry or national origin,
~2-
or that the patronage of any person is unwelcome, objectionable, or
not acceptable, desired or solicited on account of his race, color,
religious beliefs, ancestry or national origin, or that any person
is required or requested to use any separate section or area of the
premises or facilities on account of his race, color, religious
beliefs, ancestry or national origin.
Section Four. The administration of this Ordinance shall
be the responsibility of the City of Louisville Human Relations
Commission. The Anti-Discrimination Division shall have full
operating responsibility under the supervision of the Commission
for carrying out the provisions of this Ordinance. In addition to
any powers or duties heretofore conferred on said Commission it
shall have the power and duty to:
(a) Receive, investigate and seek to adjust complaints
of discriminatory practices prohibited by this Ordinance and to
initiate such complaints itself.
(b) By itself or through its Anti-Discrimination Division,
to hold public or private hearings, administer oaths, and take the
testimony of any person under oath relating to any matter under
investigation or in question. If a person, against whom a complaint
of discriminatory practice is made, shall be notified to attend any
hearing, public or private, before the Commission or the Anti-
Discrimination Division and he shall fail to attend such hearing,
the Commission or the Anti-Discrimination Division, as the case may
be, may proceed to hold such hearing and make a determination in
such persons absence.
Section Five.
(a) Any person claiming to be aggrieved by a discrimina-
tory practice prohibited by this Ordinance may make,. sign and file
with the City of Louisville Human Relations Commission a complaint
in writing under oath, which shall state the name and address of the
public accomodation alleged to have committed the discriminatory
practice and which shall set forth the particulars thereof and
contain such other information as may be required under rules es-
tablished by the Commission. Such complaints shall be filed within
thirty (30) days after the alleged discriminatory practice is commit-
ted. The Commission, if it has reason to believe that any person
has engaged in a discriminatpfy practice prohibited by this Ordinance,
may adopt a resolution to that effect, which resolution shall —
the legal effect and status of a complaint filed with the Commission
on the date such resolution is adopted.
(b) Upon receipt of a complaint, the staff of the Com-
mission shall promptly conduct a preliminary investigation. Upon
the completion of such investigation, the complaint together with
the results of the investigation shall be referred to the Anti-
Discrimination Division, If the Anti-Discrimination Division deter-
mines from such investigation that a discriminatory practice has
been committed, that Division shall attempt an adjustment by means
of conference and negotiations. A ten (10) day period after the
filing of the complaint with the Commission shall be allowed for
this purpose, If the Anti-Discrimination Division determines that a
discriminatory practice has not been committed, then it shall enter
an order dismissing the complaint and shall promptly send copies
thereof to the complainant and to the person complained against
(hereinafter referred to as the respondent) of its action. The
Anti-Discrimination Division shall report to the Commission at each
of its aeathly meetings the disposition of all complaints referred
to it.
(c) In case of failure of conference or negotiations to
obtain compliance with this Ordinance, the Anti-Discrimination
Division, no later than twenty (20) days after the complaint has
=4-
= ey =| -
=“ esr: al
been referred to it, shall (unless the complaint has been dismissed
as aforesaid) either certify the entire case to the Director of Law
for prosecution, or cause to be issued and served in the name of
the Commission a written notice, together with a copy of such com-
plaint, requiring the respondent to answer the charges of such com-
plaint at a hearing before the Anti-Discrimination Division at a
time and place to be specified in such notice. The notice of hear-
ing shall be served upon the respondent no later than twenty (20)
days after the complaint has been referred to the Anti-Discrimina-
tion Division, The place of such hearing may he the office of the
Commission or another place designated by it. The case in support
of the complaint shall be presented at the hearing by a member of
the Department of Law of the City of Louisville who shall be counsel
for the City of Louisville Human Relations Commission. Any endeavors
or negotiations for counciliation, or admission or statement made in
connection therewith shall not be received in evidence, The res-
pondent may file a written answer to the complaint and appear at
such hearing in person or @therwise, with or without counsel, and
submit testimony and be fully heard. The Anti-Discrimination
Division conducting any hearing may permit reasonable amendments
to any complaint or answer. The testimony taken at such hearing
shall be under oath and be transcribed at the request of either party
or by direction of the Anti-Discrimination Division. If, upon all
the evidence, the Anti-Discrimination Division finds that a res-
pondent has engaged in any discriminatory practice as defined in
Section Three (3), it shall state in writing its findings of fact
and conclusions of law and shall issue and file with the Commission
and cause to be served on the complainant and the respondent an
order requiring such respondent to cease and desist from such dis-
criminatory practice or practices, and/or requiring such affirmative
action as it shall deem necessary to remedy the violation and to
ae
prevent its continuation or reoccurrence. If, upon all the evidence,
the Anti-Discrimination Division finds that the respondent has not
engaged in any alleged discriminatory practice, it shall state its
findings of fact and conclusions of law and shall similarly issue
and file an order dismissing the complaint and cause copies thereof
to be served upon the complainant, and the respondent. The Com-
mission may establish rules of procedure to govern, expedite and
effectuate the procedures of Section Five of this Ordinance.
(d) If either the complainant or the respondent is not
satisfied with the determination of the Anti-Discrimination Division,
he shali have the right to appeal such determination to the Commis-
sion with in ten (10) days after the date of entry of the order of
said Division. No member of the Anti-Discrimination Division may
participate in determination of an appeal, All decisions of the
Commission on such appeals shall be by a majority vote. A quorum,
for determination of appeals, shall consist of six (6) members.
On appeal the Commission may affirm, modify or set aside the Anti-
Discrimination Division's order or make such other appropriate order
as shall effectuate the purposes of this Ordinance.
(e) In the event that the Anti-Discrimination Division
shall have entered an order against the respondent from which no
timely appeal is taken, and in those cases where such an order is
entered by the Commission after appeal, the Commission shall, in cases
of non-compliance therewith, certify the entire case to the Director
of Law for prosecution. No prosecution shall be brought under this
Ordinance except upon such certification or upon certification to the
Director of Law pursuant to Section Five (c) hereof. After certifi-
cation, the Director of Law shall prosecute the offender for viola-
tion of this Ordinance.
(f) All complaints, answers, investigations, confer-
ences and hearings held under and pursuant to this Ordinance shall
=6=
be held confidential by the Commission, the Anti-Discrimination Division
and their agents and employees. The Commission or the Anti-Discrimination
Division at the request of thé complainant, or the respondent, or on its
own initiative, shall declare the hearing provided for under Section Five (c)
this ordijnance to be a closed hearing. If no request is received from
either the complainant or the respondent by the Commission or the Anti-
Discrimination Division requesting a closed hearing, the hearing provided
for under Section Five (c) may be an open and public hearing. Provided, how-
ever, that the complaint and the transcript of any hearing held under Section
Five (c) of this Ordinance are declared to be public records.
Section Six. Subject to the certification required by Section
Five (e), any persons violating any of the provisions of this Ordinance
shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be subject to a fine of not more
than One Hundred Doliars ($100, 00) for each offense.
Section Seven. Three or more convictions of any person for
violation of Section Three of this Ordinance shall, if the Commission finds
(after due notice and an opportunity to be heard) that the respondent is a
continual offender, be deemed to constitute a public nuisance and a
contumacious interference with the spirit and purpose of this Ordinance.
In the event of such occurrence, the Commission shall be empowered to refer _
the matter to the Director of Law who shall thereupon apply for appropriate
injunctive relief.
Section Eight. In computing time or periods of time, in this
Ordinance, Sundays and legal holidays shall be excluded,
Section Nine, All notices required to be sent to the complainant,
respondent or any persons by any provision of this Ordinance shall be sent
by certified United States Mail with a return receipt requested.
sie
Dublin Core
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Title
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Box 17, Folder 15, Document 30
Box 17
Box 17 Folder 15
Folder topic: Civil Rights Bill | 1963
-
https://ivanallen.iac.gatech.edu/mayoral-records/traditional/files/original/a21ba21d016a14f27bed42e58fdab818.pdf
44d4f991d95ed11eca8967a85d2c8c6e
Scripto
Transcription
A written representation of a document.
(G
July 2, 1963
WILLIAM 0 . COWGER
M A YOR
Honorable Ivan Allen, J r.
Mayor of Atlanta
City Hall
Atlanta, Georgia
Dear Ma yor Allen:
In answer t o your request of July 1, we are enclosing
a copy of Ordinance No. 66, Seri es 1963.
If this office may be of further assistance t o you,
please do not hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
WOC :lo
�
Text
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Text
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Le 7
osc dace! Ciry OF LOUISVILLE
Oe + « RENTUCKY
“4 77R
WILLIAM ©. COWGER OFFICE OF THE MAyvorR July 2, 1963
MATOR
Honorable Ivan Allen, Jr.
Mayor of Atlanta
City Hall
Atlanta, Georgia
Dear Mayor Allen:
In answer to your request of July 1, we are enclosing
a copy of Ordinance No. 66, Series 1963.
If this office may be of further assistance to you,
please do not hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely,
+
Vibe cae
WOC:lo
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Box 17, Folder 15, Document 29
Box 17
Box 17 Folder 15
Folder topic: Civil Rights Bill | 1963
-
https://ivanallen.iac.gatech.edu/mayoral-records/traditional/files/original/06cd80516097a8637e242bafb57906f8.pdf
2903022454ff8e0f81a61616a4fb24e0
Scripto
Transcription
A written representation of a document.
News Release
IVAN ALLEN, JR.
Mayor of Atlanta
Mrs. Ann Drummond
For further informa tion c al l , J a 2-4463
Executive Secretary
FOR USE UPON RECEIPT
July 11, 1963
Mayor Ivan Allen, Jr. has accepted an invitation from the
United States Senate Commerce Committee to testify before the
committee Friday, July 26, on bcliu1i; .ef Senate Bill 1732.
This bill
is to eliminate discrimination in public accommodations affecting
interstate commerce.
Mayor Allen said "I welcome this opportunity to tell the
committee of the fine relationship which exists among the citizens
of Atlanta and to describe how we have faced our problems and worked
out solutions."
- 30 -
�
Text
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Text
Any textual data included in the document
News Release SS VAN REN RY
Mayor of Atlanta
Mrs. Ann Drummond
For further information call — Ja 2- 4463 Executive Secretary
FOR USE UPON RECEIPT
July 11, 1963
Mayor Ivan Allen, Jr. has accepted an invitation from the
United States Senate Commerce Committee to testify before the
committee Friday, July 26, on betméeef Senate Bill 1732. This bill
is to eliminate discrimination in public accommodations affecting
interstate commerce.
Mayor Allen said "I welcome this opportunity to tell the
committee of the fine relationship which exists among the citizens
of Atlanta and to describe how we have faced our problems and worked
out solutions, '!
—30ie
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Box 17, Folder 15, Document 28
Box 17
Box 17 Folder 15
Folder topic: Civil Rights Bill | 1963
-
https://ivanallen.iac.gatech.edu/mayoral-records/traditional/files/original/bc84a9d9e54724cf21b3d7cd1498fa1e.pdf
d87b46ba0b68f5b63aa6e1589669cd4a
Scripto
Transcription
A written representation of a document.
D· c mber 12 1 1960
lialph McG111 1
. le:..'!') t ~- ~ 0
t , eo .. g1 •
., l
l
r)n
t
For yuu.r -tnfor, t 1on. 'I th1nk tl10 f'olloi.. 1r.g has a
b..,arJng o~ tn~ segregat!on quest1o~.
,-n 1.91\)
.
14'-- ;a. ~'-'.I,
i 1
the case v-"' Ql2ver· v.
_911.Y
.>f At! n
a~
.o:.1rL o-? Georg:ia :.~
..mai.1.mous \.:.sc1s1
held 1m"on::;~1t Lonal a ··1t:, of !·.'·lant- Ord1nance h1c .. 1 f ... rb
colore pc-H·son 1.0 :JccL~PY .;} '"t.:r.· 1n i.. lccL::. ,· ~r~ ._,1.1. . ~:..v 1.. !'
number o,,.. .,~-,~e·· · r~ o,'.."c 1 ad by ,-·h1tt De. :r:nf. (Pi-; .•. r-.i i.3.
R.issel . a, -r !0-.,1 ~l
I · ~ ·1e ,.._..,titjG:!v,!'.:: 1 h;) ..: ....,'lr--u tt.L.
ru11·
4'-f' · 1-.
,,
~ :·:1- , ·3c-'s1on 1_ st:1 1 " t. _ 1£',' o. (' org ~.
vJ.lJI·E-me
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t~)
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p! ?.T _ r·o.,rt r•. u ....... t_ e n fo r cE.: a c v'l .. "\+ t:1at nron.rty
not b. . . lf,t:::a or v ·e-1pf1:><.l by an;j erson u: ·:~J·- .., . ... .::,~~ c..,.. tL
""He co:.irt 1L.ld that tho <-lI'o::~c·~1..nt . t~.~li J1 .1
~4ch \rnendm~n~ . s - the }.~Li1 Amt:.,d.rr("nt ~ d"rt.-::· cd
.~ ')n - l: i •
. -- the "vi...r': f' .'.l' ,; -r h~lu. that t' J
c.t:!on u ,...,a
, , 1rt~. in e 1f')rc ·nG tn1~ 1·0str r-t.,., , ccJenar1t
• : t be r -~ r( ·,d fJ t. a t1on of" t1 e st t~ -( · :J~ th,~ 1 1+th Am.dnd<..;
1
rr.ent, and. a
s ·o
01.... +.
1 to·
denial of' the equa l prcitec t 1on of th13
1n1~ 1s ~ot f or publi cation .
Eist v11shes.
S1nc rely•
•
�
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
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December 12, 1960
Mr. Ralph McGill,
fue Atlanta Constitution,
htlanta, Jeorglas.
Dear Kalph:
rH Ri: Seereratton
For your Information, I think the following has a
bearing on the segregation question.
‘
Tn 1916 tn the case.of G Vie Ot by: entas | e
148 Ga. 205, the Supreme Court of Georgia by unanimous decisteat 0
held unconstitutional a City of Atlanta Ordinance which forbade
colored persons to occupy houses in Liccks whera the greater
number of housee ars occupied by white persons. (Richard RB.
Russell was of counsel ‘or the petitioners who secured the
ruling of the court.) Taat dectsion is still the lew of Georgia.
In 1945, in Shelly vy. Kramer, 34+ U.S. 1g the United
States Supreme Court refuse. to enforce a covenant that property
should not be usea or occupied by any person except those of ths
faucasian race. The court held that the agreement Itself did
not violate the 14th Amendment as. the 14th Amendment is directed
against state section only. ut the court further held that the
action of state courts in enforcing this restrictive Tee i
was to be regarded ac action of the state within the 1th Amend=
ment, ané amounted to a denial of the equal protection of the
laws to the petitjoners.
This 1s not for publication.
Best wishes. : Nee hae ahs
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Box 17, Folder 15, Document 27
Box 17
Box 17 Folder 15
Folder topic: Civil Rights Bill | 1963
-
https://ivanallen.iac.gatech.edu/mayoral-records/traditional/files/original/988eefb68cda61eb32efc3e91f98453a.pdf
8e531622682c9b606bb77a9f3fc6f445
Scripto
Transcription
A written representation of a document.
22,
1963
Mr. R lph
cG111 1
'rhs Atlanta Constitution.
AtlB.Dt, Georg1a.
Dear F.alpn:
I was a.el1ghted with your handlii;g oi tlle Glover · c se
(January 21st) columrJ entitled "The olly of
Barriers." It was splenu:1d.
iii your I
c, .iday
'lb r
a,.; 111d ed an a
11 r Georgi
c se t
the ·
~lo~er ca~e decidea by th~ 3upreme Court 0£ Georgia 1n 1915 1
1
eJy ,2..~rel'.·
r,1,1;y 9,r Atl Mk~~ ,.143 Ga, ,192,
.v,
While the. GlovGr cas~ was s:tmply a ptH' curjam i..lead.uote
d.c1~~C>! s" w'1th uo wr1tteu op1n10ll, 1n the C:1' ,:' c se Judge S
Atk1nson for the court wrote a magnificent opinion declaring
1913 .r\tlai1ta C:Jty Ordji.ai~ce proh:1b1t1DF. vh1te and colored perso.oa
1·ro res1d.tug :hJ the same block uucons Li t~ti oual. '£h1 s "' s lso
W·rujjmous dec!s:10n aud ~as later c1ted by the Supreme Court of
tht: \.1111 teu States :n JJµc.haµa.u y, }io[leY, 24;5 u,s, 6.0, where t
op1.n1on of the court !ncluded a lollg excori,t :from Judge Atk1nscm •s
op1n·i o.n 111 tne Carey case.
ncu
similar ord1nailce came oe1·ore the court, Judg
.Atk11.soll also wrote a short but vigorous diss~nt:!ng opjn10ll ill
liHclOl} Ye City 01' Atlanta, 14,
b:1
18
the O 1
v 14, wh1ch ca.,e w s subse"'uent
overruled by the Glov r
decision.
Gt'~ •..
H
C
1
CAM
ra
�Page
12
1963
This perhaps 1s a sh1niDg example of one of Ch1ef
Justice Bleckley's terse say1Jlgs: "That court is the best
which rel1es as 11ttle as poss1blG Oll its own opin1ons."
Best wishes.
S1Jlcerely•
Leonard Haas
1,HsLPM
P.S. Judge Atkinsou's decis1o.u in the Carey case as
also c1t~d w1th approv 1 by Judge Tuttle 1L! wr1t1ng for the F1tth
C1rcu1t Couxt of ; rpeals an opinion aff1rm1Dg o ... c of Skelly
right 's decj s1 vns str1kh!g Jown the ~ ...::,ui s.tana Statute seek:Jng to
ma11lta1n
re ' • T-
•J
.c.J -iu'"
1 " ,,
I::'
.._, _ ,. ~~ 164.
' ,. < "°
._. '-.> ·.-1,. •1
242 lid, 2d 119,
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Text
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Mr. Ralph McGill,
Ths Atlanta Coustitution,
Atlanta, Georgia.
Bear Ralph:
JT was delighted with your handling of the Glover case
In your Mouday (January 2ist) column entitled "The Folly of
Barriers." It was splendid.
lhere was {nudeed an earlier Georgia case than the :
Glover Gass decided by ore puEeees | Court of poperets in 1915,
namely Carey v, G: _Ga Pe
While the Glover case was simply 4a "per curiam beadnote
decision," with no written opinion, in the Cerey case Judge Sam
Atkinson for the court wrote a magnificent opinion declaring a
1913 Atlanta City Ordinance prohibiting white and colored persons
from residing in the same block unconstitutional. This was also
& ulanimeus decision and was later cited by the Su Court of
the United States tn bY,
epinion of the court ane luded A Tong excerpt from
opinion in the Carey case.
When a similar ordinance came before the court, dudes
eee eeu alge pen dutanee. 6! but a sich noid the ord
January 22, 1963
This perhaps is a shining example of one of Chief
Justice Bleckley's terse sayings: “That court is the best
which relies as little as possible on its own opinions."
Best wishes.
P.S. Judge Atkinson's decision in the Carey case was
also cited with approval by Judge Tuttle in writing for the Fifth
Circuit Court of Appeals an opinion affirming ote of Skelly
Wright's decisions striking down the pe shan eee seers to
mainvatn sectegated fea schools.
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Box 17, Folder 15, Document 26
Box 17
Box 17 Folder 15
Folder topic: Civil Rights Bill | 1963
-
https://ivanallen.iac.gatech.edu/mayoral-records/traditional/files/original/9da7877cf2061c98cd10f44e7b54d23d.pdf
e5dfe10ca51907e502fdd30553f45927
Scripto
Transcription
A written representation of a document.
HAAS , DUNAWAY , SHELFER &
HAAS
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
LEON-ARD KAAS
JO H .N A .,.,DUNAWAY
SU IT E
WM . S . SHELFER
60 1 HAAS-HOW ELL BUI L DING
ATLANTA , GEORGIA
G E ORGE A. HAAS
JAMES B . P ILC H ER
HUGH F. N E WB E RRY
TE L E PH ONE
JACKSON 1- 1151
J ul y 11, 1963
Mayor Ivan Allen , Jr.,
City Ha ll ,
Atlant a 3, Georgi a .
De a r Ivan :
I am wr i ting you at t he r e que st of my wif e, and
a cknow l edg e I am gl ad t o do s o.
(1 Y Ge orgia Code , Sec, 5 2-101 reads as fal lows:
11
Under t he t erm 'i nn ' t he l aw includes a ll t averns,
hotels , and hou ses of publ i c gene r a l ente r t ainment
f or gues ts. All pers on s ent ertained f or h ire at
an inn are guests."
Georgia Code , Sec. 52- - 103 reads as f ollows:
"The innkeeper who advertises himself as such is
bound to receive as guests, so far as he can
accommodate them, all persons of good character
offering themse l ves, who are willing to comply
with his rules . 11
These Georgia Code Sections are codifications of
the common law which has been of force for more than a hundred
years both jn England and in all the states of this country.
(2) With respect to the decisions of the Supreme Court
of Georgia holding unconstitutional an Ordinance of the City
of Atlanta which prohibits colored persons from occupying
houses in blocks where the greater number of houses are occupied by whjte persons, I am giving you copies of two letters
which I wrote to Ralph McGill, one on December 12, 1960, and
the other on January 22, 1963.
�Page # 2
July 11, 1963
You will note that in my letter of Decembe r 12th
to Ralph, I men tioned that Richard B. Russell was of counsel
for the petttioners who secured the ruling of the Court decla~ing the Ordinance unconstitutional. Ralph was of t he
opinion that t he Ri chard B. Russell referred to as counsel for
the negro must have been t he father of Dick Russell, a s it was
de cided in t he year 1918 . Ra lph may be correct, I have no way
of knowing .
· Best wishes and mo re power to you.
Sincerely,
143.215.248.55 16:32, 29 December 2017 (EST)
LH:LPM
ENC.
Leonard Haas
�
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HAAS, DUNAWAY, SHELFER & HAAS
. ATTORNEYS AT LAW
LEONARD HAAS
BORK aoatcoawaes SUITE 601 HAAS-HOWELL BUILDING
We. S. SHELFER TELEPHONE
ATLANTA,
GEORGE A. HAAS hp OER JACKSON I-1I5!
JAMES B.PILCHER
HUGH F. NEWBERRY July Thy 1963
Mayor Ivan Allen, Jr.,
City Hall,
Atlanta 3, Georgia.
Dear Ivan:
I am writing you at the request of my wife, and
acknowledge I am glad to do so.
(1) Georgia Code, Sec. 52-101 reads as follows:
"Under the term 'inn' the law includes all taverns,
hotels, and houses of public general entertainment
for guests. All persons entertained for hire at
an inn are guests,"
Georgia Code, Sec. 52--103 reads as follows:
"The innkeeper who advertises himself as such {fs
bound to receive as guests, so far as he can
accommodate them, all persons of good character
offering themselves, who are willing to comply
with his rules."
These Georgia Code Sections are codifications of
the common law which has been of force for more than a hundred
years both jin England and in all the states of this country.
(2) With respect to the decisions of the Supreme Court
of Georgia holding unconstitutional an Ordinance of the City
of Atlanta which prohibits colored persons from occupying
houses in blocks where the greater number of houses are occu-
pied by white persons, I am giving you copies of two letters
which I wrote to Ralph McGill, one on December 12, 1960, and
the other on January 22, 1963.
Page #2 July 11, 1963
You will note that in my letter of December 12th
to Ralph, I mentioned that Richard B. Russell was of counsel
for the petitioners who secured the ruling of the Court de-
claring the Ordinance unconstitutional. Ralph was of the
opinion that the Richard B. Russell referred to as counsel for
the negro must have been the father of Dick Russell, as it was
decided in the year 1918. Ralph may be correct, I have no way
of knowing.
Best wishes and more power to you.
Sincerely,
LH: LPM Leonard Haas
ENC s
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Title
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Box 17, Folder 15, Document 25
Box 17
Box 17 Folder 15
Folder topic: Civil Rights Bill | 1963
-
https://ivanallen.iac.gatech.edu/mayoral-records/traditional/files/original/edbb9a37bbd8b1441cc5eefef49619d9.pdf
585439ce5a6983382fadc3faa771b650
Scripto
Transcription
A written representation of a document.
r
"
GREATER ATLANTA q::>UNCIL ON HUMAN RELATIONS -:- 5 FORSYTH STREET. N.W. -
Announcements •••••••P• 1
Atlanta Notes ••••• _. •P• 2
ATLANTA 3. GEORGIA
INSIDE
Civil Rights Bill ••• • • ••P• 3
Hotels & Rest·aurants •••• •P• 4
REPORT FROM.VvHITE HOUSE CONFBRENCES BY ATLANTA PARTICIPANTS, Monday, July 22,
7:p.m., Stouffer's Hearth Room. Dinner $2.40. Make reservations at Council
office (523•1581) by July 18, 1963. ·
I
In response to requests, more opportunitities for "members to know each other
and respond to interest in what went on at the recent series of White House
conferences on civil rights, the Greater Atlanta Council on Human Relations
has arranged for members and friends this dinner meeting, at which time 6
of the 25 Atlantans who met with President Kennedy at the recent series of
meetings will report informally on the significance of the meetings and their
application to the Greater Atlanta area. The others will be invited to attend
and to participate in the discussion. (We are proud that 6 of the 25 are
members of the Council. Those invited to speak on July 22, however, will
include some members and some non-members) COME AND BRING YOUR FRIENDS!!!
"'**********
SAVE AUGUST 19 FOR A PICNIC SUPPER FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS AT PIEDMONT PAP.!. To
avoid reservations and money, eaoh family is asked to bring your own food.
The Pavilion at the Fourteenth (14) Street entrance, has been reserved for
6: p.m. to 9& p.m. This will be a purely social affair•-no program, just
food and conversation for all age~.
BELATED CONGRATULATIONS TO GACHR MEMBER, MORGAN STANFORD, upon his recent
appointment to the Georgia Advisory Committee to the u.s. Civil Rights
Commission.
SWIMMING POOLSa It would be worth a special effort for white GACHR members
to use recently desegregated "white 11 pools to a.void "resegregated" Negro
poolse Encourage use of the pools by friends, neighbors and groups to which
you belong. This is one way !2!! can respond to the President's appeal.
"'
From President Kennedy's Radio 611d Television address on June 11• "We face,
therefore, a moral crisis as a country and as a peoplee ••• It is time to
aot in the Congress, in your state and 1ooal legislative body, and above all,
in all of our daily lives."
July, 1963
.•,,,
~
.
�APOLOGY TO MR. HOLTs
·---~[.,. ' J<Jiti·~:~ B:01t; President of the Atlanta Board of Education, at the
Eo,.:; N". :,ri:,~'i-.J. ·:~ on Ju:.-.e ~o., said that he had been misquoted when the Council
J.b :1 i--J ,, r:A. ~; '.: hat i ~~- ' 1 t' -. >u] dn •t think of anything to say" in response to. GACHR' s
'.I.ff~ ·:·., _~ ,.. ~). .. .::. .:1 i t; ~1:i.1 ti"il1. :c·:.0n ·(;o ph.ns for an At'.'.f'.,:.'.· ~ ·:5.g h school with a Negro
· He: :c.: ,-, ,· <I~ ,·., 1.e.1 ..:.1· ··;o ·.,e··:~ <). m ual outing to CaL.r,··r-r,. ~,- ~>.rdens., which does not
c..~l ·, ·.-:- x ~·g .. ·,~ Q ,; -q _ .-i :.·, 1:c,.,8.-'.: i ng suggestion made ~ f . ...r:Y: ,,·30.r that Board adopt
p~ :(:....,y ri :·•:, r ~.;,r r; l sp·or.J ored i•mctions held 1vh, .re all students would not
h -~ 'r. .-.-o·i_-;, -r:<-1 ,:'.c
!1, ·,· . liolt se.:~d ".;ha."t "this Board i\::..t for 'it to intercede and
ci,C: 11.::c. -~;> <:'- r, r·t .,r-r: -':- ,1 be N1"'. :t.e r.: off would resuJ-f: ·1 r . urifavora.ble reaction of
·:::,,2 ,."1. -,.::: _.. 1: ·: i ;.,.°'.•i<c :-- -, ·l v >,,n i the communit~, c,·,,1 ·:i.rds the student involved •
11
.,,._
. 1. t s power +..,.. :-:- ~·;3vent sue h reac t ion.
.
u ::.... s 1 ,) ·.: ·..1- l , il , -1. ·· :.-.,, - ~,,;··: :,-,.~.; .,. ,(; in
'.:.'_;: ·. .~-'- ·.;,t, :::..l; .'i.:::-,...,..:. l ,,, :3 . • c -). :cs.cted the Co~_;; -...·:_ several times saying that
s>e 1• 11,,: · . ••1. :· ~ ·.' :-, J._._, v~· c.,n th:- :picnic." Wo a _.:,,,~.:,: ize for .misquoting Mr. Holt.
W.s -, ., : i. ~- ~1 " ';:; , .- l c. · ~"' "? ~, ~:-d's ,:~rmitting a svJ:-.o....,l sponsored event to be
s r.1, ·3c, d .,,·:1 .,f· .;,. :-:,:. , , ~,.;) ' 'l:"t'b :te it is knoi•m in advanoe that even one of the
s1·;,__ I=
,,.~-~ ·n 1,c °LI ;; c-. :~;,;: .J.-1 not be admitted and question the advisibal:.ty of
Jl':'.i:..J..ic, ···' ::1 ·-· ·" :' .. ·:-·;_
c r- ,.c a stud:!n:t to bB placed in the position of making
8. <
.i.':.' : ,. :J ·_,,,., i,l _. :: .-J~ .1. r' T,);_'.! ~S a ch oice between participating in SC~ OOl a ffairs
o:· c . , ..: :.!l2· · 1-1.': j p _,, ,J ;:.'.~ ~.'.'l reaction of the class., the student body and the
C.JIDnl:,ir.i :~·/1 to·, /T;l;l JJj himself Or herself•
1,;
1
1
1
*******
lluri o g the, ,a.st few weeks, the GACHR has been asked to assist in efforts
tc s ·K uru ::-.r.. :::-ol).'.'ll0nt of a Negro in a typing cour:3e a.t the Northside YMCA and
en:.·c.:..lment of a H,3gro ohild at the -~+.lanta Speech School.
"'**********
Bishop Ra.nd,,•.ph Clairborne of the Epis copal Diocese of Atlanta has
anno'.Jn~ed ~!1e wi t ·. H1.r awa.l of any affiliation between the Episcopal church
anc't -~i1e L:.7.;·~t Schr; ol 3 following the announcement by the Trustees of a
po} i 0y of ra ~ia~ s 1:e;rt:g:ation.
Rev,1 John Mc-:--~ i e h.P.s anno'..mced that " o .. steps will be taken in the f a ll
at -;~h :3 c:,1'7ning u f .:; --:'1.1;,-:l to p:r-;;f e:::+, the Trustees ' decision which lea ve s some
c.c;·. t,.:: c.::: ·r.c, t h A ~\,:. ~;;1 <·u1nes : u °l' ·x th Ep h .lopa.1 clergy and laity. · • uSupport
wi.L1. ·.:i o 2;;'.'\_:·!n. -:.;.-, Ji. L~.,.,-•_ a ot·bn ;_: )::.:-. s st a.5.ws d. a.t both the school itself, a s
W'3U as t
P,13 LtE;m~,_, :r~ of t ho i:,_~.· '. who , 1·A Episcopalians . Most l i ke l y t hi s
will L1111.,_('e ·,:1-:.,:.i !rLa,~::.ng: of p~'-:t,-.-~·~·- a·t t :v} !:lchool ancl at othe r point s
10.i,p re, pri,1.t; :.:- ·i:;r) ·:;he redpe ·::iti78 'i: r . 3"C,':' •H l "oo 1:
~ ~~*· ¥* ****** ***
DEC.Ni:'L'R G1,.C:T:? r5~P.':i:R8
1q
tc : .-t;J. .c,:-;t ;
S!::10 01~
f ;• .-. u.c:.Jµ,r
whi..;r. 0r:",D.~ :..: _• c-:.ho .:>ls..
>or-'i th ,:'": N0gi·o chHdrAn in DE.'ca t ur must oome in
-1,:1 ( '~.:>;.:1 many Negro~s liv0 a few blockn from the
The ~c::n1,1.tur schools off ered no s ummer courses in
cc,lorod so~.00 ~.z:.
No rop.~J; ·':;~ inq_,,d . ries to WES"l_'MHlffTER SCHOOLS about pol icy of accepting
appl icatj .,:....z I':;: 0.u Negro es, for s tur.;ner or regular sesslonse
IN
TI~~'.::?~t£t
Factual chronological account of desegregation to date in Atlantr
Copies of Dr. Mart1n Luther King., Jr's • ., LETTER
FROM Bli.liiI:;;;.fi.AM Ji.\Ti~JAIL.
AVAT:.~!,? :~0 0N R~Clt'ES'i:
Nots~
We urge you to support the desegregated restaurants and to state
your appl'O'VS.l of such~ policy.
�l
GREATER ATLANTA COIDJCIL ON HL'VlAN RELATIONS
July, 1963
-3-
SUMMARY OF ANALYSIS BY SOUTHERN REGIONAL COUNCIL OF CIVIL RIGHTS BILL
(You are urged to express your views to Congressman Charles Waltner, Senators
Richard Russell and Herman Talmadge.)
Voting: Forbids use of different standards, practices or procedures for
whites and Negroes, bars denial of right to vote in a federal election because
of certain immaterial acts, provides for federal voting referee when lawsuits
·a.re pending in county in which fewer than 15% of eligible Negroes are
registered; preferential treatment of voting rights suits . on federal court
calendars; requires presumption of literacy on completion of 6th grade in
accredited school where instruction is predominantly in English.
Public Accommodationss Guarantees to all citizens full and equal enjoyment
of goods, serlices, and facilities of hotels, restaurants, places of amusement and retail establishments in interstate commerce, ieeo, where goods ,
_services, facilities or accommodations are provided to substantial degree
to interstate travelers; substantial portion of goods has moved in i nterstate conunerceJ activities of establishment substantially affect interstate
c~mmeroe; establishment is integral Ra.rt of est~blishment covered by above
(bonefide private clubs and establishments not open to public not covered);
persons denied access because of race can institute court action; AttorneyGene ral can bri ng suit upon written complaint by aggrieved party, i f pa rty
i s unable to finance suit, obtain effective legal representation, or t here
is fea r of economic or other injury; before such suit, A- G; must refer
case to Communi ty Rel ations Se rvi ce (see below), give est ablishment time
to correct practices; permit state and local equal access laws to ope r ate J
if plaintiff wins suit, loser pays attorney' s fees.
School Deseg r egat i on : The u. s. Commis sion is requi r ed to re port in 2 years
on ext ent of s chool segregation on a ll l evel s; Commiss ione r aut horized t o
give t echnical and f i nancial assist ance , upon request , t o school dist ricts
in process of school de segregati on ( financial assistance t o t rain pers onnel ) J
authorizes A•G to i nitiat e sui ts against local school boards and public
inst itutions of higher learning whenever complain of existing segregation
is received signed by parent or i nd i vidual; party is unable t o undertake s uit
for lack of money, effective counsel, fear of ec onomic or other injury;
A-G determines that such SU1it will further orderly process of desegregation.
Community Relations Service: Federal agency to work with local communities
Jp,roviding advice and assistance, help s olve inter-racial disputes and work
quietly to improve relations in any community, to be established by executive
order until given statutory action.
Civil Rights Commission: Extension through 1967 and broadening of power to
serve as clearing house, Qffering i nformation, advice and technical assistance
to any public or private agency requesting it.
Equal Opportunity Commission: Permanent statutory Commission similar to
present Committeeo
Federal Programs' Any federal assistance program not required to give aid
where racial discrimination is practiced; n9 discrimination in employment
oontraetors or sub-contractors on grounds of race.
�GREATER ATLANTA COUNCIL ON HUMAN RELATIONS
July, 1963
-4-
RESTAURANTS AND HOTEL DESEGREGATIONc
Restaurants: The GACHR, along with the Atlanta NAACP, the Committee on
Appeal for Human Rights and individuals oonneoted with other organizations,
has been in touch with individual restaurant operators and with the Atlanta
Restaurant Association for the past several months, urging voluntary
desegregation of eating plaoese It has been stated repeatedly that no person
or persons may speak for the Restaurant Association end that any action taken
would be done by individuals in terms of their own places of business. The
individuals ta.king part in the discussions have changed from one time to the
next. To our knowlbedge, there have been no written agreements. There were
verbal agreements to desegregate the last week of June, after repeated
demonstrations by the Committee on Appeal for Human Relationse The understandings of' the verbal agreements he.ve varied in some oases on the part of
different persons at the same meeting. Some restaurants which we understand
did agree to serve Negroes decided against it before the appointed date.
Some served Negro·e s on the "first aay, 11 then refused to serve them the next
day. -Some refused at first but served later. A number served Negroes but
when asked by telephone if they were desegregated, said no. So--there is
no "official list," and any list would probably change from day to day.
Acting on the belief that desegregation cannot l::e in effect until those
who might be effected know of the change and on the belief that support from
those who favor the change can be more effective than withdrawal of support
by those who oppos·e it, we give here a list of restaurants in which the GACHR
members have observed Negroes being served within the past few weeks:
Yohannon's, Sellers (Piedmont Hotel). The Farm, Herren's, Camilla Gardens,
Emile's, Esooe's, Caruso's, D~:v.is Brothers, Johnny Rebb 1 s, Crossroads, Big
Boy Drive•in, Seven Steers, Miami Buff et, House of Eng, S&W, Bradshaw's,
Howard Johnson's, Dales Cellar, Rex' Fine Foods, (the ·:· Riv.bra and Four
Seasons for private parties).
Hotels 1 On June 21, Mayor 1van Allen announced that he had been
requested by 14 Atlanta hotels and motels 1~ 0 announce a plan for limited
.desegregation. The hotels listed were: the Air-Host Inn, Atlanta Americana
Motor Hotel, Atlanta Cabana Motel, the Atlanta.n Hotel, the Biltmore Hotel,
the Dinkler- Plaza Hotel, ~arriott Hotel (unfinished), the Hilton Inn, 3
Howard Johnson's Motor Lodges (South, Northeast, and Northwest Expressways),
the Peachtree Manor, the Piedmont Hotel, and the Riveria Motel .
The Council wrote Mr. Allen asld.ng if this in anyway changed the
situation of individual guest (s) since we are often asked to arrange lodgings
for foreign visitors. He replied that he had imde the announcement as
reqyestedq and was r efe rring our letter to the Hotel Assooiationo Mr. Styron
of the Hotel Association wrote that this was an individual act by each of
the 14 hotals and ea.oh would have to be contacted individually~ We a~e in
the process of doing that now 0 There have been reports that individual
Negro guest have been accommodated, but this has not been announced as a
public policye
Dr. Ce Miles Smith, NAACP president, said his understanding of the
agreement was complete desegregation of these establishments~
�..
'
BULi( R,i rr:-
RtA rr,RAJ1LM}1TI:1'\ iC OTI'NJ:W
l·N -~ l}MA:N RfLATIDNS
•HJ RSYTH ,ST .. N. w.
I
lLLANif'A :3, -G-E..OR.G-·-
U.S. PC ,-.~ ..
PAID~
Atlanta • Ge org1a
.
Perm it No. 281
�
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Text
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No WSL
GREATER ATLANTA COUNCIL ON HUMAN RELATIONS — 5 FORSYTH STREET, N.W. — ATLANTA 3, GEORGIA
- _ INSIDE
Announcements eovcosepe 1 Civil Rights 8311. eoecocePe O
Atlanta Notes eosevcepe 2 , Hotels & RestaurantsSeceseDe 4
REPORT FROM WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCES BY ATLANTA PARTICIPANTS, Monday, July 22,
7tpeme, Stouffer's Hearth Roome Dinner $2.40. Make reservations at Council
office (523-1581) by July 18, 1963.
In response to requests, more opportunitities for "members to know each other
and respond to interest in what went on at the recent series of White House
' conferences on civil rights, the Greater Atlanta Council on Human Relations
/ has arranged for members and friends this dinner meeting, at which time 6
' of the 25 Atlantans who met with President Kennedy at the recent series of
meetings will report informally on the significance of the meetings and their
ie application to the Greater Atlanta area. The others will be invited to attend
and to participate in the discussion. (We are proud that 6 of the 25 are
members of the Council, Those invited to speak on July 22, however, will
include some members and some non-members) COME AND BRING YOUR FRIENDS!!!
9 Ae ie A Re 6 ae a 2 ae 2B ae a As
SAVE AUGUST 19 FOR A PICNIC SUPPER FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS AT PIEDMONT PARK. To
avoid reservations and money, each family is asked to bring your own foode
The Pavilion at the Fourteenth (14) Street entrance, has been reserved for
63 peme to 9% peme This will be a purely social affaire-no program, just
food and conversation for all agers
Jeeta aie OK
BELATED CONGRATULATIONS TO GACHR MEMBER, MORGAN STANFORD, upon his recent
appointment to the Georgia Advisory Committee to the U.S. Civil Rights
Commissione
46 29s 2k 2s fe 2] ais fe of oh a he ok ac
SWIMMING POOLSs It would be worth a special effort for white GACHR members
to use recently desegregated "white" pools to avoid "resegregated" Negro
pools, Encourage use of the pools by friends, neighbors and groups to which
you belong. This is one way YOU can respond to the President's appeal.
Be 2 2 2 ae ak 2k ok oie slo ac ae ak fee
From President Kennedy*s Radio end Television address on June 113 "We face,
therefore, a moral crisis as a country and as a people. .eelt is time to
act in the Congress, in your state and local legislative body, and above all,
‘4 in all of our daily livese"
July, 1963
=2e
APOLOGY TO MR. HOLT:
is, Bei. Holt, President of the Atlanta Board of Education, at the
Boar’. wooriy on Jure "9, said that he had been misquoted when the Council
hea go nrked thet ne "eoldn't think of anything to say" in response to GACHR's
lov ver oe .llig obltonsten to plans for an Atiexe “igh school with a Negro
“HEenLor ehudect ca ties. aanual outing to Calion..v S>rdens, which does not
arith Negurss a4 vegeting suggestion made 2s.< ;2ar that Board adopt
tCiuuy ch me tcarol sponsored Iunctions held wi,.re all students would not
he ANobvtace ue, Holt said that "this Board fuit for it to intercede and
Chise the ovhirr ts be called off would resul+ ir unfavorable reaction of
She Glact, tis tient? boty ard the community towards the student involved.
This Lorri las ac.a cyevwsling in its power +. -:event such reaction."
save Sudvab davetend..co.tacted the Cow.:i% several times saying that
sme “wral Tits to go op tho pienice” We apotocize for misquoting Mr. Holt.
Di. gyesuie: tue Soard's permitting a svkcvl sponsored event to be
schacrisd ub 2 o1Ace where it is knowm in advance that even one of the
St.18h58 “nvely on soyla not be admitted and question the advisibality of
Mbing WL puss.tic for 4 student to be placed in the position of mking
A afc.un which usvelecs a choice between participating in school affairs
oO: ¢ ee ‘wievyur2l.a reaction of the class, the student body and the
community” toveids himself or herself.
Fe AG AOKI AOR
During the past few weeks, the GACHR has been asked to assist in efforts
te sxcure sarollment of a Negro in a typing course at the Northside YMCA and
enrcilment of a Negro child at the Atlanta Speech Schoole
of ee fe a 2 2 kha aa
Bishop Randotph Clairborne of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta has
annovneed the witudrawal of any affiliation between the Episcopal church
ang tne Lovzstt School, following the announcement by the Trustees of a
policy of racial segregatione
Rev, John Me>:is has announced that "oeesteps will be taken in the fall
at tha cpening of seaucl to prstext the Trustees’ decision which leaves some
@curt as to the faithfulness of cth Episcopal clergy and laitye »«seSupport
Witt oo gimen vo Jicect action jpxoelest aimed at both the school itself, as
well as t ite members of the Funst who ure Episcopalians. Most likely this
will ineliiwe ha placing of pitre7. at the school and at other points
lappropriate %o the respestive ir. sceaseec”
LR do ai Rai AA
DECATUR GACTR MEMBERS 1cvors thot Negvo children in Decatur must come in
to Jtlaity for cumaer school, tueugh many Negroes live a few blocks from the
Whice Oesatus ecshoolss The vexutur schools offered no summer courses in
cclored schoolte
No renly te ineguiries to WESTMINISTER SCHOOLS about policy of accepting
epplicsatiour rion Negroes, for sumer or regular sessionse
IN TEE WORKS Factual chronological account of desegregation to date in Atlant
ee et
AVATLAct# VON RYQURSTs Copies of Dre Martin Luther King, Jr's», LETTER
FROM BITIGGHAM SETS WAIL.
Nots! We urge you to support the desegregated restaurante and to state
your approval of such a policye
GREATER ATLANTA COUNCIL ON HUMAN RELATIONS July, 1963
aj=
SUMMARY OF ANALYSIS BY SOUTHERN REGIONAL COUNCIL OF CIVIL RIGHTS BILL
(You are urged to express your views to Congressman Charles Weltner, Senators
Richard Russell and Herman Talmadge.)
Voting: Forbids use of different standards, practices or procedures for
whites and Negroes, bars denial of right to vote in a federal election because
of certain immaterial acts, provides for federel voting referee when lawsuits
are pending in county in which fewer than 15% of eligible Negroes are
registered; preferential treatment of voting rights suits on federal court
calendars; requires presumption of literacy on completion of 6th grade in
accredited school where instruction is predominantly in Englishe
Public Accommodations: Guarantees to all citizens full and equal enjoyment
of goods, services, and facilities of hotels, restaurants, places of amuse=-
ment and retail establishments in interstate commerce, ieGce, where goods,
services, facilities or accommodations are provided to substantial degree
to interstate travelers; substantial portion of goods has moved in interes
state commerce; activities of establishment substantially affect interstate
commerce; establishment is integral part of establishment covered by above
(bonefide private clubs and e stablishments not open to public not covered);
persons denied access because of race can institute court action; Attorney=
General can bring suit upon written complaint by aggrieved party, if party
is unable to finance suit, obtain effective legal representation, or there
is fear of economic or other injury; before such suit, A=-G; must refer
case to Community Relations Service (see below), give establishment time
to correct practices; permit state and local equal access laws to operates
if plaintiff wins suit, loser pays attorney's feese
School Desegregation: The U. Se Commission is required to report in 2 years
on extent of school segregation on-all levels; Commissioner authorized to
give technical and financial assistance, upon request, to school districts
in process of school desegregation (financial assistance to train personnel)s
authorizes A=G to initiate suits against local school boards and public
institutions of higher learning whenever complain of existing segregation
is received signed by parent or individual; party is unable to undertake suit
for lack of money, effective counsel, fear of economic or other injury;
A=G determines that such suit will further orderly process of desegregatione
Community Relations Service: Federal agency to work with local communities
yroviding advice and assistance, help solve inter-racial disputes and work
guietly to improve relations in any community, to be established by executive
order until given statutory actione
Civil Rights Commission: Extension through 1967 and broadening of power to
serve as clearing house, offering information, advice and technical assistance
to any public or private agency requesting ite
Equel Opportunity Commission: Permanent statutory Commission similar to
present Committees
Federal Programs: Any federal assistance program not required to give aid
where racial discrimination is practiced; no discrimination in employment
contractors or sub-contractors on grounds of races
GREATER ATLANTA COUNCIL ON HUMAN RELATIONS July, 1963
ade
RESTAURANTS AND HOTEL DESEGREGATIONs
Restaurants: The GACHR, along with the Atlanta NAACP, the Committee on
Appeal for Human Rights and individuals connected with other organizations,
has been in touch with individual restaurant operators and with the Atlanta
Restaurant Association for the past several months, urging voluntary
desegregation of eating placese It has been stated repeatedly that no person
or persons may speak for the Restaurant Association and that any action teken
would be done by individuals in terms of their owm places of business. The
individuals taking part in the discussions have changed from one time to the
next. To our knowkhedge, there have been no written agreements. There were
verbal agreements to desegregate the last week of Jue, after repeated
demonstrations by the Committee on Appeal for Human Relations. The under=
standings of the verbal agreements have varied in some cases on the part of
different persons at the same meeting. Some restaurants which we understand
did agree to serve Negroes decided against it before the appointed dates
Some served Negroes on the "first day," then refused to serve them the next
_ deye Some refused at first but served later. A number served Negroes but
when asked by telephone if they were desegregated, said noe So==-there is
no "official list," and any list would probably change from day to daye
Acting on the belief that desegregation cannot te in effect until those
who might be effected know of the change and on the belief that support from
those who favor the change can be more effective than withdrawal of support
by those who oppose it, we give here a list of restaurants in which the GACHR
members have observed Negroes being served within the past few weeks:
Yohannon's, Sellers (Piédmont Hotel), The Farm, Herren's, Camilla Gardens,
Emile's, Escoe's, Caruso's, Devis Brothers, Johnny Rebb's, Crossroads, Big
Boy Drive-in, Seven Steers, Miami Buffet, House of Eng, S&W, Bradshaw's,
Howard Johnson's, Dales Cellar, Rex' Fine Foods, (the Rivbra and Four
Seasons for private parties )e
Hotels* On June 21, Mayor Tyan Allen announced that he had been
requested by 14 Atlanta hotels and motels %o announce a plan for limited
desegregetion. The hotels listed were? the Air-Host Inn, Atlanta Americana
Motor Hotel, Atlanta Cabana Motel, the Atlantan Hotel, the Biltmore Hotel,
the Dinkler=Plaza Hotel, liarriott Hotel (unfinished), the Hilton Inn, 3
Howard Johnson's Motor Lodges (South, Northeast, and Northwest Expressways),
the Peachtree Manor, the Piedmont Hotel, and the Riveria Motel.
The Council wrote Mr, Allen asking if this in anyway changed the
situation of individual guest (s) since we are often asked to arrange lodgings
for foreign visitorse He replied that he had made the announcement as
requested, and was referring our letter to the Hotel Association. Mr. Styron
of the Hotel Association wrote that this was an individual act by each of
the 14 hotels and each would have to be contacted individuallys We are in
the process of doing that now, There have been reports that individual
Negro guest have been accommodated, but this has not been announced asa
public policye
Dre C, Miles Smith, NAACP president, said his understanding of the
agreement was complete desegregation of these establishments
fe She oft os fe is afc ae at a fe a 3K a
REATER ATLANTA TOUNGIL)
IN HUMAN RELATIONS
FORSYTH-ST.. N. W.
TLANTA-3, GEORGM
BULK Ra
U. S. PC : :
PAID.
Atlanta, Georgia
Permit No, 2g 1
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Box 17, Folder 15, Document 24
Box 17
Box 17 Folder 15
Folder topic: Civil Rights Bill | 1963
-
https://ivanallen.iac.gatech.edu/mayoral-records/traditional/files/original/a257e67b2341266779bec2608031bdde.pdf
3d96cc3cc4d493b80e8474cdc02b43ba
Scripto
Transcription
A written representation of a document.
B~ NA D SOUlH
332 Piedmont Ave., . E.
n
.-TA12tGA.
July 10th, 1963
\
Senator Richard Russell ,
Washington, D. c.
Dear Senator Russell:
I have followed 1th interest and
admiration the position you have taken on t he
iniquitous prpposed civil rights bill 1th aJ.1
of its dastardly implications . I strongly endorse
all that I have read in tho press of the strong
opposition you are providing and I encourage every
act within your po er to defeat this proposed
measure with all of its heartbreaking possibilities
including the ruination of many business establishments that ou1d occur in addition to an ending of
.freedoms in this country long enjoyed by its citizens,
all for the on purpose of playing for political gain
or negro votes . It apparently has never oooured to
the Kennedy .fant1ly or the loss ot hlte votos. they
must consider or do they ever atop to consider anything
h nev r the negro rai o hi voio?
I did not vote for Kennedy (nor Nixon)
nd 111 never vote for this politic l dictator who
holds the south in such contempt, ho sho s such utter
l ck of acumen for the high office ot Prosident . I am
oppos d to the insidious methods ho and hie family use
to seize control of this country for their own political
po1er gin.
is handlin of the negro problom shoe utt r
laek of maturity.
At evory opportunity praoented I exprea~
my vies to nll with ars 1th which to listen and it
i
y hope that e 1111 hav several million citizo ·
do 1ik 1se so that e might not be burdened with the
Kenndy f ily fter th pr sent t rm of office expir
Cordially your •
_/-'.'(
~ l . C £'2. ~
B natid South
-
•
�
Text
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July 10th, 1963
Senator Richard Russell,
Washington, De Ce
Dear Senator Russell:
I have followed with interest and
admiration the position you have taken on the
iniquitous prpposed civil rights bill with all
of its dastardly implications. I strongly endorse
all that I have read in the press of the strong
opposition you are providing and I encourage every
act within your power to defeat this proposed
measure with all of its heartbreaking possibilities
ineluding the ruination of many business establish-
ments that would occur in addition to an ending of
freedoms in this cowmtry long enjoyed by its citizens,
all for the one purpose of playing for political gain
of negro votes. It apparently has never occured to
the Kennedy family of the loss of white votes they
must consider or do they ever stop to consider anything
whenever the negro raises his voice?
I did not vote for Kennedy (nor Nixon)
and will never vote for this political Valetator who
holds the south in such contempt, who shows such utter
lack of acumen for the high office of President. I am
opposed to the insidious methods he and his family use
to seize control of this country for their own political
power gain. His handling of the negro problem shows utter
lack of maturity.
At every opportunity presented I express
y to all with ears with which to listen and it
pe that we will have several million citizens
ae Be owtae so that we might not be burdened with the
Kennedy family after the present term of office expires.
Cordially yours, |
a ae ie? aA % e
9
Benard South
Dee Z/»,
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Title
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Box 17, Folder 15, Document 23
Box 17
Box 17 Folder 15
Folder topic: Civil Rights Bill | 1963
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d8184b98b282f8f8d0f7742cb317a1a5
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A written representation of a document.
CITY OF A TLANTA
Date
Area
A ction
9/61
S chool s
Court order
10/61
Department &t variety stores
lunch counte rs
voluntary action
1/62
City Facilities
voluntary (city offi cials)
5/62
D owntown and arts theatres
voluntary *
5/6 3
Negro firemen hired
voluntary (city ·o fficials)
6/63
Swimming pools
court order ... voluntary
decision to open pools
(ci ty officials)
6/63
18 leading hotels
voluntary,.
6/63
approx. 33 leading restaurants
voluntary*
\
In each instance voluntary action consisted of cooperative
action between operators of aff cted businesses and r sponsible
Negro 1 adership.
�
Text
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Text
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Date
9/61
10/61
1/62
5/62
5/63
6/63
6/63
6/63
CITY OF ATLANTA
Area Action
Schools Court order
Department & variety stores
lunch counters voluntary action *
Gity Facilities voluntary (city officials)
Downtown and arts theatres voluntary * |
Negro firemen hired voluntary (city officials)
Swimming pools court order - voluntary
decision to open pools
(city officials)
18 leading hotels voluntary *
approx. 23 leading restaurants voluntary *
* In each instance voluntary action consisted of cooperative
action between operators of affected businesses and responsible
Negro leadership.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Box 17, Folder 15, Document 22
Box 17
Box 17 Folder 15
Folder topic: Civil Rights Bill | 1963
-
https://ivanallen.iac.gatech.edu/mayoral-records/traditional/files/original/b0049b88bb5f1f5659ac303f5ffd720c.pdf
ef405467f0c0648dfa593c3933574c4b
Scripto
Transcription
A written representation of a document.
Gentl men, I hav-e the honor, privilege and r sponsi hility of
Mayo7 oi the leading South a tern Ci ty of Atlanta., Georgia.
rving a
I
Atlan.t a ha a Ci ty population of li htly oveJi' 500, 000 people and a
m tropoli tan popul tion lightly over l , 100, 000 people.
people that make up the c ntral Ci ty o:£
Th 500, 000
\
tlant c on i st of 300, 000
. bite citizen and slightly over ZOO, 000 Negro citiz n • In en ral,
Atlanta i
60% whi te and 40% Ne,g ro.
o here ii the probl mot th elim
. b tween th rac
ho must
more prevalent than it i to th local electe-d offiei
re tie with and . olve thi - problem ere ted by ci rcum tanee
beyond hi con.trol
lend defini'tio
d then ignor d by t
to th
brought into toe
i nor
tion ol. discrimination
by tb Pr
olution.
by Suprem
l
r
pon lbl
rtie
pe k of th problem
ving b e
Co\U't d ci ioae nd then
t
id nt and Congre • of th United S
•
ac d daily wltb Ui·· almost un olvable probl mo! th
ot di
criminatlon
r esofth U ited 5
d finitlo 01'
m
W ee
a• ce_r
v · ever
ot
lp
ber1 ft
t
•
nda In off ring
of th moat dilflcult
• lu ·
t
im!nation
dir et d by th F deral Court , local official• mu t
d.er
p1'0
ho hould
tional
d.
mue m nt. • • U ot
re•• a
1
clo
...
�Pagel
of the Supreme Court and offer no relief to the dilemma that local
officials are confr-o nted with in carrying out these decisions.
You
gentlemen must be conscious of the fact that whereas P resident Kennedy
ha.a made two a p pointments to the Court and there are
Eisenhower a pointm nts and
Trum an appointment
and
Roo evelt appointrrl! nts, only the Senate of the Uni.ted
States has as an elec:ted body the continuing :function ov r the ye rs of
What l am aying,. gentlemen is --
ppointm nts .
a pproving all of the&
This is your Cour t _that has brought into focu
this problem and only you
could have c hanged its overall makeup through the years.
Reg rc:ll
of our conviction , fe lings or emotion in the matter
of racial di crimin tion,
Tb a
simple fact •
hen we mu t f c
e tim ha come
f ct a.r . either --- w
discrit:nination or you mu t p~ovide
U\\Uit
le al mean for
in this country and c rry out through legal nact
· to d . l . ith such
ro
v
y tem.
m wh n it ldat in
ry
t
Yo
in Amerlc
v
--
sk d m
,,1
e rly
d all
her
to
• ful
cce
nt for loc
official ·
a local
t this i
v ry city in Am riea -- i
cro ·
rly
n
the N tion.
iv you th
r ve problem.
d
r&ci l
o-c ste sy tem
You cannot COAtlnu to say t
loc l au.cc as in de Un with this
su
elimin t
up to
ck ro
of Atlanta 1
ically
e in vitability !
v only
e Co rt••
�Page 3
deci s ion and ttempted to
ol v
It hould
them by loc 1 cooperation.
be perfectly pl ln that the solution in every instance granted to the
Negro citizen rights which white American citizens and American business
had previou ly r
erved to them elves as speci l privilege •
privilege have been carried out by a multitude of l ocal and
tatewide ordi
form.
n.c es that provtddd for
ve d
ellhanced or r
jt;J,tkJ-1,hA.td
in d aegr gated privil g
in.gle
wher we
It with thi . matt r .
ri
cour
e
egr gation in every cone iw.ble
1 make it p rfectly plain to you gentlemen that .i n not
instanc
Th,
in th
• and bu
of r a on ble de egre · ation such
50' ,
golf
tl nta took tb followin m jor tep
in the e rly 60' :
Act1o
Date
Court ord r
9/61
School
10/61
D
l'tment
ltmch C
1/
City F cilitie
volUD.tary (c:J.ty ofiiciah)
Do
vol~,_..,•
Z
5/62.
to
ri ty tor
nd arta the tr •
5/63
vol
6/63
wimmi I pool•
l
J
volun ry action•
lead!
tarr (city fficial•)
Coul"t order • volun ry
de i•i
,o
pool•
(city offieiale)
r1 •
.., *
�Page 4
In each instanc · volwitary ction consist d 0£ cooperative
action b tween o
pon. ibl
r
rator
of affected bu ines e
nd
Ne ro lead r hip.
You can readily see that in ome in tan.c s thi ha
Court action
ction.
din oth r instance
In
· wbicb he enjoyed unde:r
ulted in. t e N gro ditiz n
d
ry prior to Court
· re ulted in the white citizen giving up
epecial privil
r
been volun
been und r
d wbic:b h
did not previou ly
It would
tran Uion ba
ing giv n ri ht whicb all oth r people
njoy.
well for me to xpl in to you how limited tbia
n nd ho
m
ven t thb time.
d
e
little of it th N gro citi en can
Out of h
of r
dr d
d althou h prominent N
botele, th N
ro cltiz n
U~
aa a
T
le
hot 1
v,
0
te
abov
urant in Atlanta,
rea tio aff ct le a than fifty of them.
convention
rtici
b ea ace pted in ev r
hole s ldom •ho a up.
With
200. 000 Ne ro citb na in Atlanta, one of Atlanta'
d e1xte
a d
of eco
of th m to din
t bad
•
m
•
y
tl du
ince tbia day.
& t
fir t
All of
thl••
U ebould be r membered
doe• not ha an way lndlcat
l w r ecc>nomic :r
p..
tio
g
t1 me , l• a ueatlon
t the ri
t it WW. be uaed
~t
to us
• methlng
or mbueed y
�Pae 5
The abov
tat m uto c onc ern the
c tual c
in At1 nta•
~ng
e lim i nation of diae rixnination.
M y I now ubmit to you my
raon 1 r
on
by
e :r 1olv d ome of the
Atlan
in other South r n
cltie , the olution hae eemed to be impo
ibl and trife and conflict
v resulted.
It would
dele ation f r om a gr
t E stern city that
600, 000 conabtin of in
cam. to
r
to de c rib
be t £or m
tlanta to det rmine
hy we
bat Atl
racial peace br
•
nd
ta'
Ne r o popul tlon of o ver
d gone furth r with
Joytra. a s r e t economic pro
th:r e tiQ'l • of
s
of 2 Oo/. ol th ir whol e popul don.
xc
ullmit d r eial probl m
rec nt vi ii of an official
uce a
r
rity w
not
conomic pro•perity.
c •
t
rily r
How ver. in Atl
d
vinl
un mployment rate of pproxi
wa • 1
Th y
tely
rrlng t
t
ta. th
0
hav go e tq thei-.
that the .,-.,...,~••• civic
it
C
that
ma
d political lnter •C of AUanta ba in ntly
U with tt, N · aro
ey ar convt ced
arl'ied o t by
hltere•t
•
d hardly 1-li .
im y did not und retand a d
Thi•
tlo • I
l)O
t &11 of o
dle•
• City Go
th an ff. rt to a 1•
ot bell
r
nun
c
t
raveet probl m •·
e
ic
ed
t 1•
�Page 6
race telation • Gentlemen., Atlanta ha not w pt thi qu
tion und r
the rug · t any point. Step by tep - · ometime under Court ord r ometime voluntarily moving a.he d of pr s ure
and many time clum ily -
-
ometim
droitly -
olutiou through · n
have tried to find
reem-ent betw en th: effected whit own rship and th Ne ro leader hip
to acb of these probl mo.
To do thi we have ·n ot ppointed a huge bi- racial c:ommittee that
atop- ap for v ry cone lvabl qu
becomes
each tlm th
o
problem bas com into focu •
era to de
th the top N
th the top N gro le d r hip ,
n bl to r
ctabllity,
hav fail d and
d
r · .. or hotel own r
th
ly a
I
re
ould li
'I
to•
ve ao
Um
ch an
b rd
ain to you
rs d
th Un
d by d velo.
O~r cUlea la
eucc e
e have appoint d th atre
dere - or volun rily certain re taur
th top N gro 1
and r •
ro l
tion. but on th 0ath l' hand
lt
of commtmit
· ic bl a lutloJl.
in i:nany instaz:&ee•
_.Att/:llt
by I
V
fail d.
rl •
Ther ar• •ix 1• at Ne ro OnlveraUlee and C ll
CUy Umlt•.
rr a
v•
ro
ey are Atl
•• s
• locaw
ta Ulllv r•lty, Cla.rk Coll•& •
C 11
u•••
�high r education th y have had th capacity to deVI lop a . r at Negr o
ln Atlan
bu ine s community.
li
banks - building
d loan a
it c:on i ts of financial in titutio.ns
oc:iation - life in u ranc
li~ th Atlanta Life bwu:ranc Company - c:
lers. Jn fact, th y
d
cknowled
d Am rican bu ine s .
Own d
family .. th y operat
c
But it is the tr
&
N
J"O
ro ne
th of
in o!
d buslne
paper - T
f,
etor.
Atlut.a
ily
nt Negro family - th Scott
d w
dally n•w
k:11 s throug
ut · e country.
per with vest d inter
ta
c
iroua of ad.di o
Americ
cU:1•
ls.
ord "con er
tiv
omic
re
civil and
Th y simply r
it • to c:r
to~
•• rla te tbat ·t hey con•
tbem.e lVl ••
they ue •
u
ri hh •
lite tbat It i8 mor impor
obtdn th e rights
dot obtainiD
d by
community that carrl • it vole to the
citiseu.
Do ot be mlal d by th
d
in drug _tor e · .. r eal
n ther is anothe;r stron
d operated by a prom
an duca.ted r Ugioue
e •
ve d veloped. I b Ueve, in almo t ev ry lin of
In Atlanta there ie a stron dally N
World.
com
U. df;moaetratlon •
d U i•
tly a dr ••
y
t
,
�
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Text
Any textual data included in the document
Gentlemen, I have the honor, privilege and responsibility of
serving as Mayor of the leading Southeastern City of Atlanta, Georgia.
Atlanta has a City population of slightly over 500,000 people and a
metropolitan population slightly over 1,100,000 people, The 500, 000 ‘
people that make up the central City of Atlanta consists of 300, 000
white citizens and slightly over 200, 000 Negro citizens. In general,
Atlanta is 60% white and 40% Negro.
Nowhere is the problem of the elimination of discrimination
. bwtween the races more prevalent than it is to the local elected official
who must wrestle with and solve this problem created by circumstances
beyond his control and then ignored by the responsible parties who should
lend definition to the solution. I speak of the problem as having been
brought into focus by Supreme Court decisions and then generally
ignored by the President and Congress of the United States.
Faced daily with the almost unsolvable problem of the elimination
of discrimination as directed by the Federal Courts, local officials must
often wonder where the Congress of the United States stands in offering
definition or explanation in the solution of the most difficult national
problem that we have ever had.
We cannot help but look with amusement. . . if not suspicion...
as certain members of the Congress and the Senate denounce the decisions
Page 2
of the Supreme Court and offer no relief to the dilemma that local
officials are confronted with in carrying out these decisions. You
gentlemen must be conscious of the fact that whereas President Kennedy
has made two appointments to the Court and there are
Eisenhower appointments and Truman appointments and
Roosevelt appointments, only the Senate of the United
States has as an elected body the continuing function over the years of
approving all of these appointments. Whatlam saying, gentlemen is --
This is your Court that has brought into focus this problem and only you
could have changed its overall makeup through the years.
Regardless of our convictions, feelings or emotions in the matter
of racial discrimination, the time has come when we must face up to
simple facts, These facts are either --- we must eliminate racial
discrimination or you must provide a legal means for a two-caste system
in this country and carry out through legal enactment for local officials
to deal with such a system. You cannot continue to say that this is a local
problem when it exists in ¢d4# nearly every city in America -- in nearly
every state in America -- and all across the Nation.
You have asked me here to give you the background of Atlanta's
local success in dealing with this grave problem. Basically we have only
been successful because we accepted the inevitability of the Court's
Page 3
decisions and attempted to solve them by local cooperation. It should
be perfectly plain that the solution in every instance granted to the
Negro citizen rights which white American citizens and American business
had previously reserved to themselves as special privileges. These
privileges have been carried out by a multitude of local and éfalth/Whild
statewide ordinances that providdd for segregation in every conceivable
form. I make it perfectly plain to you gentlemen that in not a single
instance have we enhanced or retained segregated privileges where we
* ‘heave dealt with this matter.
Following a series of reasonable desegregation such as golf
courses and busses in the 50's, Atlanta took the following major steps
in the early 60's:
Date Area Action
9/61 Schools Court order
10/61 Department & variety stores voluntary action *
lunch counters
1/62 City Facilities voluntary (city officials)
5/62 Downtown and arts theatres voluntary *
5/63 Negro firemen hired voluntary (city officials)
6/63 Swimming pools Court order - voluntary
decision to open pools
(city officials)
6/63 18 leading hotels voluntary *
Approximately 33 leading restaurants voluntary *
Page 4
* In each instance voluntary action consisted of cooperative
action between operators of affected businesses and
responsible Negro leadership,
You can readily see that in some instances this has been under
Gourt action and in other instances has been voluntary prior to Court
action. In each instance it has resulted in the white citizen giving up
special privileges which he enjoyed under a segregated society and has
resulted in the Negro ditizen being given rights which all other people
had and which he did not previously enjoy.
It would be well for me to explain to you how limited this
transition has been and how little of it the Negro citizen can participate
in even at this time. Out of hundreds of restaurants in Atlanta, the above
desegregation affects less than fifty of them. The hotel plan is based on
conventions and although prominent Negooes have been accepted in several
hotels, the Negro citizen hdé as a whole seldom shows up. With
200, 000 Negro citizens in Atlanta, one of Atlanta's leading restaurants
had sixteen of them to dine/dad during the first week of its desegregation
and has not had any since this day. All of this, gentlemen, is a question
of economics and it should be remembered that the right to use something
does not in any way indicate that it will be used ¢f or misused by the
lewer economic groups.
Page 5
The above statements concern the actual changes in Atlanta's
elimination of discrimination.
May I now tubmit to you my personal reasons why we think
Atlanta has resolved some of these probleme whereas in other Southern
cities, the solution has seemed to be impossible and strife and conflict
have resulted, |
It would be best for me to describe a recent visit of an official
delegation from a great Eastern city that has a Negro population of over
600,000 consisting of in excess of 20% of their whole population. They
came to Atlanta to determine why we had gone further with success and
were enjoying a great economic prosperity whereas they were having
unlimited racial problems and an unemployment rate of approximately
three times of what Atlanta's was. Iam not necessarily referring that
racial peace brings economic prosperity. However, in Atlanta, the two
have gone together,
This delegation simply did not understand and would hardly beliefe
that the business, civic and political interests of Atlanta had intently
concerned itself with its Negro population. I do not believe until yet
that they are convinced that all of our civic bodies backed by the public
interest and carried out by the City Government have daily concerned
themselves with an effort to solve our gravest problem -- fif and that is
Page 6
race relations. Gentlemen, Atlanta has not swept this question under
the rug at any point. Step by step - sometimes under Court order -
sometimes voluntarily moving ahead of pressures - sometimes adroitly - ,
and many times clumsily - we have tried to find a solution through an
agreement between the effected white ownership and the Negro leadership
to each of these problems,
To do this we have not appointed a huge bi-racial committee that
becomes a stop-gap for every conceivable question, but on the other hand
each time the problem has come into focus, we have appointed theatre
owners to deal with the top Negro leaders - or hotel owners to deal with
the top Negro leaders - or voluntarily certain restaurant owners dealt
with the top Negro leadership , and by developing the lines of community
and respectability, we have been able to reach an amicable solution.
Other cities have worked equally as hard and in many instances
have failed and id I would like to explain to you #hbf/2 why I think we have
succeeded where they have sometimes failed,
Atlanta is the center of higher Negro education in the world,
There are six great Negro Universities and Colleges located inside our
City limits. They are Atlanta University, Clark College, Morehouse,
Morris Brown College, Spelman College and an interdenominational
religious seminary. As a result of higher education being available in
the area, @i/a great number of intelligent, well-trained Negro citizens
have chosen to remain in this city. As a result of their training and
Page 7
higher education they have had the capacity to develop a great Negro
. business community. In Atlanta it consists of financial institutions
like banks - building and loan associations - life insurance companies, \
like the Atlanta Life Insurance Company - chain drug stores ~ real estate
dealers. In fact, they have developed, I believe, in almost every line of
acknowledged American business. Then there is another strong factor.
In Atlanta there is a strong daily Negro newspaper - The Atlanta Daily
World. Owned and operated by a prominent Negro family - the Scott
family - they operate a chain of daily and weeklies throughout the country.
But it is the strength of a daily newspaper with vested interests backed by
an educated religious and business community that carries its voice to the
Negro citizens,
Do not be misled by the word "conservative as they are as
desirous of additional civil and economic and personal rights as any
American citizen is. They simply realize that it is more important to
obtain these rights than it is to create demonstrations. And it is
to the end of obtaining these rights that they constantly address
themselves,
Dublin Core
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Title
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Box 17, Folder 15, Document 21
Box 17
Box 17 Folder 15
Folder topic: Civil Rights Bill | 1963
-
https://ivanallen.iac.gatech.edu/mayoral-records/traditional/files/original/9d931a3523a64a5641d49f74bfdcf809.pdf
24bdca33fb1fa9fa5fb27710879c923c
Scripto
Transcription
A written representation of a document.
· I
!
Cientlemen, I bav the honor. privilege
ano r
spon ibility of
erving a.a Mayol" of th leadin Southea tern City of Atlanta, Ci orgia ..
Atlanta has a City population of li htly over 500, 000
ople and a
m tropolitan population lightly over 1, 100, 000 peopl •
Th,e 500, 000
peopl
that make up the central City of Atlan
consist of 300, 000
whit c:itizen and sli htly ov r ZOO, 000 Ne ro citizeiis.. In gel'J; ral,
Atlan
60% whit and 40% Ne ro.
i
Nowhere i _ the probl mot th
bwtwe
limin tion of di . crimination
the race mor pr v 1 nt th.an it is to the local el cted offiei
ith nd solv tbi - probl m creat d by circ
who must wre tle
b yond bi control and
n ignor d by th r
1 nd deliJ.lition to the olution.
brought into foe
I
peak ,o f the problem
i nor d by th Pre ident and Congre
F c d daily
,t,h th
i-
definition or
We c
h re
of th
t b lp
vin
hould
b en
nd then en rally
United S
~
th Feder
t ,.
Couts, loc
• of the Uni d Stat
tio
who
almost un•olvabl probl m 0£ th · imination
of di crimina.tion a, dir eted
often wond
rtie
pon ibl
by Supreme Court d ci iona
tanc s
ln th • luti
offic l• m · t
atan
in offerla&
of th molt dlfilcult
t loo wit amu
me.nt ••• U ot au.a
tional
elo
•••
• d cial
�Page Z
of the Supreme Court and offer no relief to the dilemma that local
official$ are confronted with in carrying out these decisions.
You
gentlemen must be conscious of the fact that whereas President Kennedy
\
has made two appointments to the Court and there are
Eisenhower appointments and
Truman appointtnents and
Roosevelt appointments. only the Senate of the United
States has as an lected body the continuing function ov r the yea.r ,s of
approving 11
the e appointme11ts.
o{
What I an'l sayin • gentlemen is ...
This is your Court that ha.a brought into fo.eu
d it overall makeup through the y~ar •
could have chan
0£ our conviction , feelings or emotion in the matter
Re ardl
of racial discrimination,, th
sbnple fa.c ts.
this problem and only you
Th s
tim has come
h n
e must fac
ither .. -· w mu t elimiaat
facts a.r
\1P to
radal
discrimination or you must provid a legal m ans for a two - CJ ·•te sy tem
d c rry out thr,o u h 1
in thia country
to d
l with au.ch
probl m
hen it e11bta in
v ~, atat· in
You
loc 1 succ aa
•
ystem.
m rlc
ve
d
Yo
al nactment for local officials
cannot contl :u to
y t
t this ia
local
ll:I early very city ln America -- 1n n
rly
-- and all c,:oae th N tion.
b
J:'
to
iv . you the
r ve p obl m .
ck ro
d o(
Uan '
B · sicaUy
· ccepted th in vita.bility f
e
Go r t'a
y
�P age 3
decisions an.d attempted to solve them by local cooperation.
It hould
perfe~tly plain that the solution in every instance granted to the
b
Negro citizen rights which white American citizens and American business
had previously reserved to themselves as speci l privileges.
privileges have been carried out by a multitude of local and
The e
jtt/,tk/lvUtd
statewide ordinances that providcid for segregation in every conceivable
form.
instanc
I make it perfectly plain to you gentlem n that in not
single
bav we enhanced or retained segregated privileges where we
have. dealt with thi matter.
F ollowing a s d
courses and bu
e of r a onable desegretation such
s in the
so• ,
Atla.nt
s golf
took the follo in m jor step
in the e r ly 60' s :
D te
Are
A ction
9/61
School
Cou rt ord r
10/ 61
D
1:tm n t
vari ty
lunch c unt r
l / 62
Ci ty Facilities
5/ 6Z
5/ 3
6/ 63
/63
'
3
nd arta th.
No ro fir m n bir d
wimmlng pool•
1 leadi
hotel
tot s
vol untary a c tion •
vol un ry (city official•)
tre s
vol'Wl
ry •
ohm r y (clty o£ficiala)
Court or ~ - vol ta.ry
d ciaio 'to o
pool
(city o!ficiab)
ry
y •
\
�Page 4
In each instance voluntary action consi ted of coo
'J:
tiv
action between. operators of affected business.e s and
respon ibl
Negro 1 adership.
\
You can r adily see that in some instances this has been under
Court action and in other instances has be n voluntary prior to Court
action.
In
ch in tance it has r
ulted in the .vbite citizen givini up
pecial pdvileg s which h enjoyed unde.- a
re ·u1ted in th. N gro ditizen
gr g ted society and ha
ing given rights which U other
ople
d and which he did not pr viou ly njoy.
It would be
transition h
in ven
d
b
11 for m
n and ho
t this tixn •
egre atio-n
conventions
to
little
ct it th N
Out of hu.ndr d
f cts 1
n to you how limited thi
xpl
ro citizen ean
of r
hot 1-, th Ne ro citlz n Uj
abov
The hotel plan i
don
oes bav be n
• a whol
te
taurants in Atlanta,
s than fUty of th m .
d lthou b promin nt Ne
rtici
ldom aho
cc pt d in e v r 1
up.
With
ZOO, 000 N aro citiz ne ln Atl n • on or Atlanta• le: ding r s urabta
th r
d •ixt e ot them to dtne/lbiti. durin th Cir t w k o! it d
gJ"e ation
d h&a not
of economic
doea ot in
lo e, eco
d
y inc
thi day. All of thl • aentl me , i
d it ehould be r mem
i-ed t
y w y indicate that lt will be
udc 1r u.pa.
a q
etio
t th right tc u•e eomethi
• d
4t or mhua d
by t
�Page 5
The bove
tatements concern th actual change in .Atlanta'
elimination of diacdmination.
May I now ubmit to you my per onal r aaons why w think
Atlanta ha
resolved some of these probl ms wherea
cities. the solution ha
se m d to .
\
in oth r Southern
impos ibl and trife and conflict
have re . ult d.
It
t for m
ould be
delegation from a gr
t E st rn city that
600. 000 conai tin of in xc
c
e to Atl
w r
ta to determin
enjoyi
a
to de cribe a r c nt vi it of an offici
Negro population of ov r
by w
They
h d gon furth r with ucc
t conomic: pro perity wher
r
popul tion.
of ZOo/• of their whol
d
they
vin
unlimit d racial probl m . and
un mployment rate of approxima ly
thr e tim
• 1 m not
r cial
V
of
t Atl
ce bl'
OD
to
e
eonomic pr.o pertty.
that
How ver, in Atl
lf
d polltl
th ita Ne ro po
ln.t r
t
• th two
tf.on. 1 do ot
d carried out by the City Gov rnm nt
maelve• wlt u
ffort to aolva
d
ould
rdly b lie
ts of Atlanta hacl int
ey are c;onvinced that all ol our c;lvlc bodl •
inter •t
rily r f rring
tlcm im y did not und r tand
ln ••• civic
c: med it
c
th r.
Thia dele
c
. ••
U ve
eked by
tly
tU yet
p&1
le
ve d.aily c:o ce:rn d
r grave•t problem -- N
d that i
�---------
P ge 6
race relation • Gentlemen. Atlanta ha not sw pt thi
omctimes under Court order -
Step by st p -
the rug , t any point.
sometimes voluntarily moving
cad of pre
and many tim
v
clums~l,y - w
que tion und r
ur
- soDletimes
tri d to find a
droitly -
olution through an
gre ment betw en th effected whit ownership and the Ne ro l · d r hip
to ach of th se probl m •
To do this w have not ppoin't d a huge bi-i-acial eommitte·e that
atop-gap for every cone ivable q11.estion, but on th oth r band
becom
ch tim th
probl m
come into focu ,
own rs to deal with the top N gro 1
r
e have
.... or hotel owner
the top N gro le dere • or voluntarily c rtain r
th th top Negro 1
dr
c
0th r
ded w
r
they ha
tor
Morri•
ro
'*lit t
why I thin
r N
ro due tion in the
e bay.
orld.
.
d Collea • loca din id o r
Th y are Atl 11ta UDiveraUy. Clark Coll•g • Mor
Colle
lt
aometim a f 1 d.
'
Tbet ar •ix gr at Negro Univ raiti •
Chy limit•.
d
ch an amic ble olutio •
· to xplaln to yo
cent . r of big
tlanta. l•
taurant owner
ve work d. qually aa hard and in many lnsta ces
hav fail d and U 1 ould U
•ucc
to de l with
d rehip , and by developing the line . of community
bility, we have been bl
cut •
ppoln d the tre
,
• Spelman Colleae a 4 a
1
•
t umber 0£ in lli1 nt.
re
•
Uy. A1 a eeult
,f
\
�pg 7
high r e ducation t
bu ine
y have bad th capacity to de
community. lo
lop a great N
tla.nta it con i ts of financial in tltutions
like bank - building and loan a
ociation - lif insurance companie •
lik, th Atlanta Life Insurance Company • cha.in drug tor
In fact, th y ha.v · d velo
dealer·s .
tlanta there i
a
tron daily N gro n
£ mily • tlley o
But it 1
nte
chain of
No ro citi
and busin a community that c: rri
cltb
la.
T
ord "con · rvatlv
d c:onomic
y simply realie
•• righte tbaD it le to er
d of obtatnln th a rights
them el
Atlanta Daily
ck d by
!ts voice to the
•
iroua of adclitlonal civil
Amelie
paper - T
tron ! ct.or.
per with ve ted inter . ta
Do not be mbl d by th
d
anoth r
ly and w ekliea thl'oughout th country.
atl'ength of
ducated r U o
i
promin nt Ne ro 1 mily - dl Scott
Own d and oper t d by
World.
. - r al e tat
d, I beli ve, in almost evei-y line of
cknowledg d Am dean bus in s • Then th r
In
ro ·
•·
ir
a
th y ar ·
raonal ri ht•
any
t it :la mor impoJ'taAt to
d monetrat1
•· And it i
t th y con tantly ddr ••
\
�
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Text
Any textual data included in the document
Gentlemen, I have the honor, privilege and responsibility of
serving as Mayor of the leading Southeastern City of Atlanta, Georgia.
Atlanta has a City population of slightly over 500, 000 people and a
metropolitan population slightly over 1,100,000 people. The 500, 000
people that make up the central City of Atlanta consists of 300, 000
white citizens and slightly over 200, 000 Negro citizens. In general,
Atlanta is 60% white and 40% Negro.
Nowhere is the problem of the elimination of discrimination
bwtween the races more prevalent than it is to the local elected official
who must wrestle with and solve this problem created by circumstances
beyond his control and then ignored by the responsible parties who should
lend definition to the solution. 1 speak of the problem as having been
brought into focus by Supreme Court decisions and then generally
ignored by the President and Congress of the United States.
Faced daily with the steven unsolvable problem of the elimination
of discrimination as directed by the Federal Courts, local officials must
often wonder where the Congress of the United States stands in offering
definition or explanation in the solution of the most difficult national
problem that we have ever had.
We cannot help but look with amusement. . . if not suspicion. . .
as certain members of the Congress and the Senate denounce the decisions
Page 2
of the Supreme Court and offer no relief to the dilemma that local
officials are confronted with in carrying out these decisions, You
gentlemen must be conscious of the fact that whereas President Kennedy
has made two appointments to the Court and there are
Eisenhower appointments and Truman appointments and
Roosevelt appointments, only the Senate of the United
States has as an elected body the continuing function over the years of
approving all of these appointments. Whatlam saying, gentlemen is --
This is your Court that has brought into focus this problem and only you
could have changed its overall makeup through the years.
Regardless of our convictions, feelings or emotions in the matter
of racial discrimination, the time has come when we must face up to
simple facts, These facts are either --- we must eliminate racial
discrimination or you must provide a legal means for a two-caste system
in this country and carry out through legal enactment for local officials
to deal with such a system. You cannot continue to say that this is a local
problem when it exists in 4d4# nearly every city in America -- in nearly
every state in America -- and all across the Nation.
You have asked me here to give you the background of Atlanta's
local success in dealing with this grave problem. Basically we have only
been successful because we accepted the inevitability of the Court's
Page 3
decisions and attempted to solve them by local cooperation. It should
be perfectly plain that the solution in every instance granted to the
Negro citizen rights which white American citizens and American business
had previously reserved to themselves as special privileges. These
privileges have been carried out by a multitude of local and dfalth/ Whild
statewide ordinances that providdd for segregation in every conceivable
form, I make it perfectly plain to you gentlemen that in not a single
instance have we enhanced or retained segregated privileges where we
_ have. dealt with this matter.
Following a series of reasonable desegregation such as golf
courses and busses in the 50's, Atlanta took the following major steps
in the early 60's:
Date Area Action
9/61 Schools Court order
10/61 Department & variety stores voluntary action *
lunch counters
1/62 City Facilities voluntary (city officials)
5/62 Downtown and arts theatres voluntary *
5/63 Negro firemen hired voluntary (city officials)
6/63 Swimming pools Court order - voluntary
decision to open pools
(city officials)
6/63 18 leading hotels voluntary *
6/63 Approximately 33 leading restaurants voluntary *
Page 4
* In each instance voluntary action consisted of cooperative
action between operators of affected businesses and
responsible Negro leadership.
You can readily see that in some instances this has been under
Court action and in other instances has been voluntary prior to Court
action. In each instance it has resulted in the white citizen giving up
special privileges which he enjoyed under a segregated society and has
resulted in the Negro ditizen being given rights which all other people
had and which he did not previously enjoy.
It would be well for me to explain to you how limited this
transition has been and how little of it the Negro citizen can participate
in even at this time. Out of hundreds of restaurants in Atlanta, the above
desegregation affects less than fifty of them, The hotel plan is based on
conventions and although prominent Negwoes have been accepted in several
hotela, the Negro citizen hdé as a whole seldom shows up. With
200, 000 Negro citizens in Atlanta, one of Atlanta's leading restaurants
had sixteen of them to dine/ ine during the first week of its desegregation
and has not had any since this day. All of this, gentlemen, is a question
ef economics and it should be remembered that the right to use something
does not in any way indicate that it will be used ¢f or misused by the
lower economic groups.
Page 5
The above statements concern the actual changes in Atlanta's
elimination of discrimination,
May I now tubmit to you my personal reasons why we think
Atlanta has resolved some of these problems whereas in other Southern
cities, the solution has seemed to be impossible and strife and conflict
have resulted.
It would be best for me to describe a recent visit of an official
delegation from a great Eastern city that has a Negro population of over
600, 000 eonsketing of in excess of 20% of their whole population. They
came to Atlanta to determine why we had gone further with success and
were enjoying a great economic prosperity whereas they were having
unlimited racial problems and an unemployment rate of approximately
three times of what Atlanta's was. Iam not necessarily referring that
racial peace brings economic prosperity. However, in Atlanta, the two
have gone together.
This delegation simply did not understand and would hardly beliefe
that the business, civic and political interests of Atlanta had intently
concerned itself with its Negro population. I do not believe until yet
that they are convinced that all of our civic bodies backed by the public
interest and carried out by the City Government have daily concerned
themselves with an effort to solve our gravest problem -- fi/ and that is
Page 6
race relations, Gentlemen, Atlanta has not swept this question under
the rug at any point. Step by step - sometimes under Court order -
sometimes voluntarily moving ahead of pressures - sometimes adroitly -
and many times clumsily - we have tried to find a solution through an
_ agreement between the effected white ownership and the Negro leadership
te each of these problems,
To do this we have not appointed a huge bi-racial committee that
becomes a stop-gap for every conceivable question, but on the other hand
with time the problem has come into focus, we have appointed theatre
owners to deal with the top Negro leaders - or hotel owners to deal with
the top Negro leaders - or voluntarily certain restaurant owners dealt
with the top Negro leadership , and by developing the lines of community
and respectability, we have been able to reach an amicable solution.
Other cities have worked equally as hard and in many instances
have failed and Kd I would like to explain to you Whbs/1 why I think we have
succeeded where they have sometimes failed,
Atlanta is the center of higher Negro education in the world,
There are six great Negro Universities and Colleges located inside our
City limits, They are Atlanta University, Clark College, Morehouse,
Morris Brown College, Spelman College and an interdenominational
religious seminary, As a result of higher education being available in
the area,@i/a great number of intelligent, well-trained Negro citizens
have chosen to remain in this city. As a result of their training and
Page 7
higher education they have had the capacity to develop a great Negro
business community. In Atlanta it consists of financial institutions
like banks - building and loan associations - life insurance companies, ‘
like the Atlanta Life Insurance Company - chain drug stores - real estate
dealers. Im fact, they have developed, I believe, in almost every line of
acknowledged American business, Then there is another strong factor.
In Atlanta there is a strong daily Negro newspaper - The Atlanta Daily
World, Owned and operated by a prominent Negro family - the Scott
. family - they operate a chain of daily and weeklies throughout the country.
But it is the strength of a daily newspaper with vested interests backed by
an educated religious and business community that carries its voice to the
Negro citizens,
Do not be misled by the word "conservative" as they are as
desirous of additional civil and economic and personal rights as any
American citizen is. They simply realize that it is more important to
obtain these rights than it is to create demonstrations. And it is
to the end of obtaining these rights that they constantly address
themselves,
Dublin Core
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Title
A name given to the resource
Box 17, Folder 15, Document 20
Box 17
Box 17 Folder 15
Folder topic: Civil Rights Bill | 1963
-
https://ivanallen.iac.gatech.edu/mayoral-records/traditional/files/original/46cf7f3a8c1ed9080da093ae9f514e32.pdf
968b4697321590b4ac298bd9219e4d80
Scripto
Transcription
A written representation of a document.
Gentlemen, I have the honor, privilege and responsibility of
serving as Mayor of the leading Southeastern City of Atlanta, Georgia.
Atlanta has a City population of slightly over 500,000 people and a
metropolitan population slightly over l , 100, 000 people.
The 500, 000
people that make up the central City of Atlanta consists of 300, 000
I
I
white citizens and slightly over 200, 000 Negro citizens.
In general,
Atlanta is 60% white and 40% Negro.
Nowhere is the problem of the elimination of discrimination
-b tween the race _ more prevalent than it i
to the local elected official
who must wrestle with and solve this problem created by circ"Um ta.nee
beyond bi control and th n ignored by the r sponsible
lend definition to th
solution.
I
rties who hould
peak of the probl ma having b en
brought into iocu by Supreme Court deci ion and then generally
i nor d by the Pr sid nt and Congre
Faced
ly with the
of di cl'imin tion
often wonder wher
most
t w
hav
ol
United Stat s.
bl
problem of the
i mination
directed by the F deral Court , loc 1 ofiici le mu t
the Con r
c:1 finition or - aplanation in th
probl m
'\Ul
of th
of the Uni d Stat a
tand in off ri
solution of th mo t diUlcult
tional
ver had.
W cannot h lp but look with mu ement. • • if not euapicion • • •
• c rtain member• of th Co
rea
dtb
s
4 nouno
th d ciaio a
�Page 2
of the Supreme Court and offer no relief to the dilemma that local
officials are confronted with in carrying out these decisions.
You
gentlemen must be conscious of the fact that whereas P resident Kennedy
has made two appointments to the Court and there are
Eisenhowel' appointments and
Tru.man appointments and
Roosevelt appointments, only the Senate of the United
States has as an el cted body the continuing function over the years of
approving all of thes
appointments .
What I am aying, gentlemen is --
This is your Court that has brought into focu
problem and only you
thi
could have changed it overall makeup through the ye rs.
fe
Reg rdlesa of our convictions,
ling
or . motions in th matter
of racial discrimin tion, the time ha c.om wh n we mu t fac
simpl f eta.
Thea
facts
either --- w
r
discrimination or you must provid
in thi
y t m.
probl m when it Kist in
l gal means for a two-cast
You c nnot continu to
-I a
sy tem
loa l suec
auc:c
v·
k d me her
in dealing with th!
ful b c us we
y tbat this i
arly v ry city in Americ
ry t te ln Am i-ic -· and all cro
You
be
must Uminate r cia.1
country nd carry out through legal el). ctm.ent for local offici 1
to deal with - uch
ev
up to
-- in nearly
th N tion.
to giv you th
r v
local
problem.
c
round of Atlanta'
~ically w
cc pted th in vitabllity e>.f th
ve only
Court's
�Page 3
decisions and attempted to solve them by local cooperation.
It should
be perfectly plain that the solution in every instance granted to the
....
Negro citizen rights which white American citizens and American business
had previously reserved to themselves as special privileges.
privileges have been carried out by a multitude of local and
These
,(..l,tkfy.,bJ.td
statewide ordinances that provided for segregation in every conceivable
form.
I make it perfectly plain to you gentlemen that in not a single
in tance have we enhanced or retained segregated privileges where we
have d ealt with this mattel'.
Following a series of reasonable desegregation such as golf
cour es and bus es in the SOi • Atlanta took the following major step s
in the early 60 1 s:
D ate
A rea
A ction
9/61
School
C ourt ord r
10/ 61
D partm nt
variety
luncb. c ount rs
l/ 6Z
C i ty FacUitie
voluntary (city official )
5/ 62
Downtown nd art - theatre
volun
5/ 63
N gro fi r etnen hir -d
voluntary (c i ty offici 1 )
6/63
Swimming pool
Court order - voluntary
d - ciai on to open pool
(city offici 1 )
6/63
18 1 a.ding hot l ·
voluntary
voluntary
6/63
tor
pproximat ly 33 le din
r
voluntary
.t
ction
ry •
�Page 4
In each instance voluntary action consisted of cooperative
action between operators of affected businesses and
responsible Negro leadership.
You can readily see that in some instances this has been under
· Court action and in other instances has been vol untary prior to Court
action.
In each in tance it ha
resulted in the white citizen giving up
pecial privileg s which be enjoyed under a segregated society and bas
Negro ditizen being given rights which all other people
re ulted in th
had and which he did not previously enjoy.
It would
tr nsition ba
well for me to expl in to you how limited this
b en and bow little of it tM Ne ro citizen can
in even · t this time.
Out of hundred of r
d segregatio.n: affect les
t urants in Atlanta, th
than fifty of them.
bov ·
The hotel plan is based on
d . lthough prominent Negvo s hav
conv ntion
rticipat
b e:n cc pt din
hotels, th Ne ro citiz n UI as a whole a ldom hows up.
With
in Atlan , on of Atlanta's leading r
urant
there
h d ixte n . of th m to din ;.-1,.a during th fir t w k of it d s gr
tion
Z0-0, 000 Negro citiz n
and
not bad
y
ince tbi8 clay.
All of thi ,
ntlern n, l
of economics and it ahould be remember d that the right to u
do
low
not in
y
omic
y indicate that it wW
roup.
uaed
qu ation
eom thing
91 or miau ed by
�Page 5
The above statements concern the actual changes in Atlanta' s
elimination of discrimination.
.....
May I now ubmit to you my per onal reasons why we think
Atlanta. ha . resolved ome of these probl ms whereas in other Southern
citi a , tb.e solution has seemed to be impossible and strife and conflict
have result d .
It would be best for me to de crib a rec nt visit of an offiei l
delegation from a gr
t Eastern city that bas a N gro population of over
600, 000 consisting of in
xc:e s of 20% of their whole population.
came to Atlanta to det rmine
we:i-
hy we had gone furth r with ucc s
njoying a great conomie pro
rity wher
and an un mploym nt rate of
three tim s of what Atl
'a wa.a.
ce bring
hav gon
to
conomic pro perity.
, th two
tall of our civic
ould
-rdly b li
ffort to solve ·oui- anv
t1l y t
di • · .eked by th
d e rrted out by the City Go~rnm•nt
. maelv•• with
d
d political int r st of AU nta had in~ ntly
U with ita N gro popul tion. l do ·
that they ar convinced t
int•re t
sadly referrin that
th r.
busln s , civic
concerned it
pproxima.ti ly
How v r, in Atl n
tion ehnply did not under tand
t th
and
they w re having
unlimit d racial probl m
I am not n c
They
blic
e daily co cern d
t problem •• 'Ill, and that 18
�Page 6
race relations.
Gentlemen, Atlanta bas n ot swept this question under
rug at any point. Step by step .. sometimes under Court order -
th
sometimes voluntarily moving ahead of preasures - sometimes adroitly' an.d many time
clumsily - we hav tried to find a solution through an
£feet d whit own rship and the Negro 1 adersbip
agreement between the
to each of these probl ms .
have not appoint d a. huge bi- racial eommittee that
To do this w
b com
a stop-gap for every cone ivable que _tion, but on the oth r ha.J)d
each tim th probl m bas eome into focus ,
own r
to deal with th · top N
the top N gro le der
ro 1
der
e have appointed th atre
.. or hot l own
l'
to de
- or voluntarily e rtain rest urant oWtl
l'
with
dealt
with th top N gro lead r hip , and by d v loping th lines of community
and
rt
pectability, w hav b en abl
0th r cit!
ba.v work d q
to r ac::b n amicable olution.
hard and in many in
lly
have £ led and U 1 would Uk to xplaln to you
ucc
d d wh r
v
th y
-1,,J:Jt.Mt
c
why I think we
om time f iled .
tla.nta b th c n r of high r N gro due tion in th · orld.
Th r
re six r
City Umita.
Morna Bro
d Coll I
They r
Atlanta Univ r lty, Cl rk Coll g , Mor
Colle e , Spelm
•
e area.
ve ·c
t
re
loc t d inside our
Colle
d an in rd
r •ult of high r
umber of int 111
in ln tbi• <:ity.
due tio
n1~ well-ti-ai
o
in a
oua •
t1onal
ble ln
d N 1ro cut~ n
reeuU f thelt tr ,
and
v
�---- -
Page 7
higher education they have had the capacity to develop a great Negro
business comm.unity.
1n Atlanta it consists of financial institutions
like banks . - building and loan associations - life insurance companie •
Uk the Atlanta Life Insuranc
dealers.
Company - chain drug stor s - real e tate
Jn fact, they have developed, I believe, in almost every line of
acknowledged Am rican bu in ss.
Then there is another strong factor.
In Atlanta there is a strong daily N gro newspaper - Th Atlanta Daily
World.
Owned and operat d by a prominent Negro family - the Scott
family - th y operat
chain of daily and we kli s throughout th country.
the str rngth of a daily n w paper with ve ted intere t
But it i
an ducated religious and bu in
community that carri
eked by
its voic
to th
Negro citizen •
Do not be mi led by th word 11 con erva.Uv " a
d
irou• of dditional civil
d economic
Am :ric n citi _n ie.
They imply r
obtain \h
nit i
right
to tb end of obtainin th
th m
iv · s.
to er ate
e r1 ht
th y
r
d per onal ri ht a
liz that it i
ae
y
mor impo,:tant to
mon tr tions. And it i
that th y const.antly addr •
�
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Text
Any textual data included in the document
Gentlemen, I have the honor, privilege and responsibility of
serving as Mayor of the leading Southeastern City of Atlanta, Georgia.
Atlanta has a City population of slightly over 500,000 people and a
metropolitan population slightly over 1,100,000 people. The 500, 000
people that make up the central City of Atlanta consists of 300, 000
white citizens and slightly over 200, 000 Negro citizens. In general,
Atlanta is 60% white and 40% Negro.
Nowhere is the problem of the elimination of discrimination
. bwtween the races more prevalent than it is to the local elected official
who must wrestle with and solve this problem created by circumstances
beyond his control and then ignored by the responsible parties who should
lend definition to the solution. I speak of the problem as having been
brought into focus by Supreme Court decisions and then generally
ignored by the President and Congress of the United States.
Faced daily with the aheaan unsolvable problem of the elimination
of discrimination as directed by the Federal Courts, local officials must
often wonder where the Congress of the United States stands in offering
definition or explanation in the solution of the most difficult national
problem that we have ever had.
We cannot help but look with amusement. . . if not suspicion...
as certain members of the Congress and the Senate denounce the decisions
Page 2
of the Supreme Court and offer no relief to the dilemma that local
officials are confronted with in carrying out these decisions. You
gentlemen must be conscious of the fact that whereas President Kennedy
| has made two appointments to the Court and there are
Eisenhower appointments and Truman appointments and
Roosevelt appointments, only the Senate of the United
States has as an elected body the continuing function over the years of
approving all of these appointments. WhatIam saying, gentlemen is --
| ‘This te your Court that has brought into focus this problem and only you
could have changed its overall makeup through the years,
Regardless of our convictions, feelings or emotions in the matter
of racial discrimination, the time has come when we must face up to
simple facts, These facts are either --- we must eliminate racial
discrimination or you must provide a legal means for a two-caste system
in this country and carry out through legal enactment for local officials
to deal with such a system. You cannot continue to say that this is a local
preblem when it exists in ¢d4# nearly every city in America -- in nearly
every state in America -- and all across the Nation.
You have asked me here to give you the background of Atlanta's
local success in dealing with this grave problem. Basically we have only
been successful because we accepted the inevitability of the Court's
Page 3
decisions and attempted to solve them by local cooperation. It should
be perfectly plain that the solution in every instance granted to the
Negro citizen rights which white American citizens and American business
had previously reserved to themselves as special privileges. These
privileges have been carried out by a multitude of local and ffalte/ Whild
statewide ordinances that providdd for segregation in every dontetvable
form. I make it perfectly plain to you gentlemen that in not a single
instance have we enhanced or retained segregated privileges where we
have dealt with this matter.
Following a series of reasonable desegregation such as golf
courses and busses in the 50's, Atlanta took the following major steps
in the early 60's:
Date Area Action
9/61 Schools | Court order
10/61 Department & variety stores voluntary action *
lunch counters
1/62 City Facilities voluntary (city officials)
5/62 Downtown and arts theatres voluntary *
5/63 Negro firemen hired voluntary (city officials)
6/63 Swimming pools Court order - voluntary
decision te open pools
(city officials)
6/63 18 leading hotels voluntary *
6/63 Approximately 33 leading restaurants voluntary *
Page 4 |
* In each instance voluntary action consisted of cooperative
action between operators of affected businesses and
responsible Negro leadership.
You can readily see that in some instances this has been under
Court action and in other instances has been voluntary priot to Court
action. In each instance it has resulted in the white citizen giving up
special privileges which he enjoyed under a segregated society and has
| resulted in the Negro ditizen being given rights which all other people
had and which he did not previously enjoy.
It would be well for me to explain to you how limited this
transition has been and how little of it the Negro citizen can participate
in even at this time, Out of hundreds of restaurants in Atlanta, the above
desegregation affects less than fifty of them. The hotel plan is based on
conventions and although prominent Negwoes have been accepted in several
hotels, the Negro citizen dé as a whole seldom shows up. With
200, 000 Negro citizens in Atlanta, one of Atlanta's leading restaurants
had sixteen of them to dine/dad during the first week of its desegregation
and has not had any since this day, All of this, gentlemen, is a question
of economics and it should be remembered that the right to use something
does not in any way indicate that it will be used ¢f or misused by the
lewer economic groups.
Page 5
The above statements concern the actual changes in Atlanta's
elimination of discrimination.
May I now submit to you my personal reasons why we think
Atlanta has resolved some of these problems whereas in other Southern
cities, the solution has seemed to be impossible and strife and conflict
have resulted,
It would be best for me to describe a recent visit of an official
delegation from a great Eastern city that has a Negro population of over
600,000 consisting of in excess of 20% of their whole population. They
came to Atlanta to determine why we had gone further with success and
were enjoying a great economic prosperity whereas they were having
unlimited racial problems and an unemployment rate of approximately
three times of what Atlanta's was. Iam not necessarily referring that
racial peace brings economic prosperity. However, in Atlanta, the two
have gone together.
This delegation simply did not understand and would hardly beliefe
that the business, civic and political interests of Atlanta had intently
concerned itself with its Negro population. I do not believe until yet
that they are convinced that all of our civic bodies backed by the public
interest and carried out by the City Government have daily concerned
themselves with an effort to solve our gravest problem -- ff and that is
Page 6
race relations. Gentlemen, Atianta has not swept this question under
the rug at any point. Step by step - sometimes under Court order -
sometimes voluntarily moving ahead of pressures - sometimes adroitly~-
and many times clumsily - we have tried to find a solution through an
agreement between the effected white ownership and the Negro leadership
to each of these problems.
To do this we have not appointed a huge bi-racial committee that
becomes a stop-gap for every conceivable question, but on the other hand
each time the problem has come inte focus, we have appointed theatre
owners to deal with the top Negro leaders - or hotel owners to deal with
the top Negro leaders - or voluntarily certain restaurant owners dealt
with the top Negro leadership , and by developing the lines of community
and respectability, we have been able to reach an amicable solution.
Other cities have worked equally as hard and in many instances
have failed and Kd I would like to explain to you Whef/J why I think we have
succeeded where they have sometimes failed.
Atlanta is the center of higher Negro education in the world,
There are six great Negro Universities and Colleges located inside our
City limits. They are Atlanta University, Clark College, Morehouse,
Morris Brown College, Spelman College and an interdenominational
religious seminary. As a result of higher education being available in
the area, @/a great number of intelligent, well-trained Negro citizens
have chosen to remain in this city. As a result of their training and
Page 7
higher education they have had the capacity to develop a great Negro
business community. In Atlanta it consists of financial institutions
like banks - building and loan associations - life insurance companies,
like the Atlanta Life Insurance Company - chain drug stores - real estate
dealers. In fact, they have developed, I believe, in almost every line of
acknowledged American business. Then there is another strong factor.
In Atlanta there is a strong daily Negro newspaper - The Atlanta Daily
World. Owned and operated by a prominent Negro family - the Scott
deci - they operate a chain of daily and weeklies throughout the country.
But it is the strength of a daily newspaper with vested interests backed by
an educated religious and business community that carries its voice to the
Negro citizens.
Do not be misled by the word "conservative" age they are as
desirous of additional civil and economic and personal rights as any
American citizen is. They simply realise that it is more important to
obtain these rights than it is to create demonstrations. And it is
to the end of obtaining these rights that they constantly address
themselves.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Box 17, Folder 15, Document 19
Box 17
Box 17 Folder 15
Folder topic: Civil Rights Bill | 1963
-
https://ivanallen.iac.gatech.edu/mayoral-records/traditional/files/original/2b6072a77d0c635d6f0f3e86f213247b.pdf
52d7bec4f1723ac080ad3091676dc240
Scripto
Transcription
A written representation of a document.
MEMORANDUM
OFFICE OF THE MA.YOR
WILL I AM 0 . COWG ER
MA Y OR
LEWIS C . TINGLEY
E X Ecu·Tl vE ASSISTANT
July 12si 1963
TO:
Al\ Depat>tment Heads
Dirrecto!' of Finance
City P.archas:wg Ageni:
FROM~
VJi l)l.iam 0. Cowge:r
l\rmyox- of I..i0uiS"1HJe
SUBJ"ECT:
Adminis~·ative Directive Concerning Non- Dim~ri miratio1.1
Clause in City Contracts
In .the oz·dinance ~stabHahmg the LouJ.swille Human Relations Commission;,
the B<"'sird of Ak1ermen and this offi~·d decla:red t~t nuie practice of disex-!mim.tion against any J.n:e:Uvidual ox- g?"oup because ·of 1raee, CR"eed., colior
or national o:rrigin~ is contrax-y to g!>Od public policy and detrimental to the
peace& prog-;:-ess and werl:a:re of the Cityo u We _alaQ :recognize that the
lack of full }.'l'Ai"tic1pation of a.ray lrnl!vidual in _the privileges of full member~
ship in the com.munity r·etards the p.?ogress oI the community and effects
the generral well-being of all ol its cftU.zenso " Fqrtliermol"e 51 it is :my s ince:re conviction. that
of the peoplt) of LmdsvHle arre e ntitled to benefit
an
equally from the expenditure of publ\c funds collected in taxes~ :regardless of tlieh' !"ace O:Z' religion_~
In fu:rtheram;:e of lilis policy again.st discrimination., I am issuimg this administrative direetive to all City De_r-a,rtment Directorso .Begbmmg Augins
1" 1968 51 all cont.r-a.cts and invitatiooo to bid which must be app:roved by me
under the Statui,,1as of the Commorrw<:ialth of Kentucky and. the Ordinances of
the City of Louisvillei11 the foUowi~.g ~J.ause is to be included:
Tne contt"~.etor a):rees that int.he performan~e
of this agreement with tile City of Loufaville, it
19
will comply with all a.pplicable State and local
laws and :1~egulci1:t1.ons r,md will not_discriminate
against ~ny emp·:oyee because of racep c:reed.,
COlOll"~ r,iligion or national OT!gmo The COntractOi' further a.gr1ies that he will not disc:rim!nate
in hls employm11r t pneticesp whi~h would include
"Find a way it can be done, instead of a way it cannot" ....•••. MAYOR COWGER
�July 12 9 1963
Page two
recruitment: demotion or iransfer, lay- off
or teX'mina.Honp OT in irate of eompensationo "
If anyone has any questior.1 a iconceTn!ng this memoram:llwnl) please con-
tact my office o
WOC/ mb
'
�
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Text
Any textual data included in the document
ett MEMORANDUM
> x » ty
77
———ve OreIcE Ok THE Mayor SETWE AieiCoAbe
July 12, 1963
TO: Ail Department Heads
Director of Finance
City Purchasing Agent
FROM: William O,. Cowger
Mayor of Louisviite =
SUBJECT: Administrative Directive Concerning Non-Discrimination
Clause in City Contracts
_ In the ordinance establishing the Louisville Human Relations Commission,
the Beard of Aidermen and this office declared that "the practice of dis-
crimination against any Individual or group because of race, creed, color
or national origin, is contrary to gocd public policy and detrimental to the
peace, progress and welfare of the City." We also recognize that "the
lack of full participation of any individual in the privileges cf full member-
ship in the community retards the progress of the community and effects
the general well-being of all of its citizens." Furthermore, it is my sin-
cere conviction that all of the people of Louisville are entitied to benefit
equally from the expenditure of pubilc funds collected in taxes, regard~
less of their race o7 religion.
In furtherance of this policy against liscrimination, Iam issuing this ad-
roinistrative directive to all City Department Directors. Beginning August
i, 1963, all contracts and invitetions to bid which must be approved by me
under the Statutes of the Commonwwalth of Kentucky and the Ordinances of
the City of Louisville, the followiny clause is to be included:
"The contractor ayrees that in the performance
of this agreement with the City of Louisville, it
will compiy with all applicable State and local
laws and regulations and will not discriminate
against any emp ioyee because of race, creed,
eolor, religion pr national origin. The contrac-
tor further agrees that he will not discriminate
in his employment practices, which would include
"Find a way it can be done, instead of a way it cannot". ....... MAYOR COWGER
July 12, 1963
Page two
recruitment, demotion or transfer, lay-off
or termination, or in rate of compensation. "
If anyone has any questions concerning this memorandum, please con- *
tact my office. ~
WOC/mb
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Box 17, Folder 15, Document 18
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Folder topic: Civil Rights Bill | 1963
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WILLIAM 0. COWGER
<c:DIFIFil<C ill: <O>IF "IrIHI.IE:
MAYOR
MA Y<O>Jffi.
J uly 15, 19 63
LEWIS
C.
Mr s . Anne Drummond
Executive Secretary to the Mayor
City of Atlanta
City Hall
Atlanta, Georgia
Dear Mrs. Drummond:
I did so enjoy talking to you on the telephone last
Friday and look forward to meeting you personally while in Atlanta
on July 31.
On July 12, 1963, Mayor Cowger issued an Administrative Directive concerning non-discrimination in City contracts.
For your information I am enclosing a copy of t his m emorandum.
Until I see you on July 31, I r emain
LCT:lo
TINGLEY
E X ECUTIVE ASSISTANT
TO THE MAYOR
�
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SY
+= CiTry OF LOUISVILLE
ry KENTUCKY
OrricHh or rom MAyvor
WILLIAM 0. COWGER LEWIS Cc, TINGLEY
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
July 15, 1963 TO THE MAYOR
Mrs. Anne Drummond
Executive Secretary to the Mayor
City of Atlanta
City Hall
Atlanta, Georgia
Dear Mrs. Drummond:
I did so enjoy talking to you on the telephone last
Friday and look forward to meeting you personally while in Atlanta
on July 31.
On July 12, 1963, Mayor Cowger issued an Admin-
istrative Directive concerning non-discrimination in City contracts.
For your information Iam enclosing a copy of this memorandum.
a
Until I see you on July 31, I remain
LCT:lo
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Title
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Box 17, Folder 15, Document 17
Box 17
Box 17 Folder 15
Folder topic: Civil Rights Bill | 1963
-
https://ivanallen.iac.gatech.edu/mayoral-records/traditional/files/original/b024af6ec7d91f39b8f34fa78b94e429.pdf
4af03b8e3971e3233811cf4ab7bbe3f9
Scripto
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,,.
,/
STA~ OF
EDGAR S. KALB
of
MAYO, MARYLAND
BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE
IN RE:
s . 1732
The "Interstate Public Accommodations Act
lat Session
88th Congress
( l)
SCOPE OF STATEMENT
(a) The scope and purpose of this statement is to present to the Committee
evidence to show that the provisions of S. 1732 should not be made applicable to
the operation of privately owned and privately operated bathing beaches, which
beaches a.re located in states in which the State, Federal Government, or any
County or Municipal Corporation, or other public tax-supported body, operates
or maintains any beach or beaches, which a.re open to the use of all persona.
(b) To propose to the Committee certain amendments to S. ·1732 to effectuate
such exclusion, and to suggest certain amendments designed to eliminate certain
injustices from the Act.
( 2)
DESCRIPTION OF THE TYPES OF BEACHES FOR WEICH EXCLUSION FROM THE ACT
(S. 1732) IS REQUESTED.
I
(a) Examples of the types of beaches for which e:ic.emption from S. 1732 is
requested a.re the approximately twenty-one privately owned and privately operated
bathing beaches which a.re located on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay and
its tributaries in Maryland.
Of these twenty-one beaches, fourteen a.re located in Aime Arundel County,
south of Baltimore; four are located in Baltimore County, north of Baltimore City;
and three are located in Calvert County, within approximately 25 to 35 miles of the
District of Columbia. Approximately three of these privately owned beaches a.r"
fully "integrated."
(b) Gene,rally speaking, these twenty-one beaches, with a few exceptions,
are "family O'Wlled and operated, 11 and have been so owned and operated for several
generations.
(c) Moat of these small bathing beaches are located adjacent to small residential communities, and in a certain sense are practically part of those residential comm.unities.
(d) Based on personal experi-Mlce and personal observation it is estimated
that the total gross annual business done by these twenty-one beaches will be
le.as than five millions of dollars.
( 3)
PUBLICLY OWNED AND PUBLICLY OPERATED BATHING BEACHES LOCATED ON THE
WESTERN SHORE OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY IN MARYLAND •
(a) The State of Maryland operates two very beautiful public bathing beaches
on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay within easy access from Baltimore City,
Washington, D. C. , and the adjacent metropolitan areas; namely, Elk Ne ck State
Park and Beach, north of Baltimore City; and Sandy Point State Park and Beach,
south of Baltimore City (within Anne Arundel County). Both are within easy access
to both Baltimore and Washington by excellent roads. (Sandy Point State Park and
Beach ie located in Aime Arundel County and annually has more than 300,000 visitors.)
Baltimore City owns and operates a beautiful bathing beach, located in
Anne Arundel County, south of Baltimore, and within about 35 miles of Washington,
D.C.
Furthermore, according to newspaper reports, the Federal Governl119nt has
recently devised a beautiful waterfront property located in Anne Arundel County,
within 25 miles of Washington, D.C., and within about 36 miles of Baltimore City,
consisting of approximately 265 acres of land with more than a mile of waterfront.
This property could With little expense be converted into an additional waterfront
park and beach by the Federal Government for the use of all of the public.
1
�2
(b) It i s astimated that the total acreage and miles of waterfront available
to the pubii0 itl publicly owned beaches on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay
in Maryiarld i s in excess of the total acreage and the total mil.ea of waterfront
ope~eted as private beaches in Maryland by private ownership.
( c} In no instance does it appear that the patronage of these publicly owned
operated beaches has reached anything near their maximum potential patronage,
and there is absolutely no present lack of sufficient bathing facilities available
t o the general public, in the immediate vicinity of Baltimore and Washington.
and
(d) In addition, the many miles of beach front on the Atlantic Ocean at
Ocean City, Maryland., are owned by Worcester County and are available to all persons.
Furthermore, the State of Maryland is presently acquiring an extensive
eXl,)anse of Asseateague Island for use as a public beach.
SUMMARY
BASED ON A NEED FOR ADDITIONAL BATHING BEACH FACILITIES, THE
PUBLIC NEEDS ARE MORE THAN ADEQUATELY PROVIDED FOR, AND THERE
IS NO JUSTIFICATION FOR REQUIRING THE PRIVATELY OWNED AND
PRIVATELY OPERATED BATHING BEACHES TO ACCEPI' UNDESIRED PATRONAGE.
( 4)
THE "FINDINGS" AS SET FORTH IN SEC. 2 of S. 1732 FAIL TO ESTABLISH ANY
VALID FACTS SUFFICIENT TO JUSTIFY THE INCWSION OF PRIVATELY OWNED AND
OPERATED BATHING BEACT-lES WITHIN THE CLASSIFICATION OF BUSINESSES TO "WHICH
THE PROVISIONS O.F S. 1732 ARE APPLICABLE.
AS INDICATED BY THE FOLLOWING
ANALYSIS OF THE ~;FINDINGS: 11
Sec. 2 (a) of the "Findings 0 sets forth no basis for such inclusion, as
bathing beaches are abundantly available to all persons in Maryland. at publicly
owned and operated bathing beaches, and in addition in at least three privately
owned and operated beaches, which three beaches are fully integrated.
Sec. 2 (b) of the "Findings" sets forth no valid basis for such inclusion
as none of the twenty-one privately owned and operated beaches, insofar as known,
offer overnight accommodations (all being within commuting distance of Washington
and Baltimore, and all catering to daily transient business only).
Sec. 2 (d) of the "Findings" sets forth no valid basis for such inclusion
as the movement of 0 goods, services and persons" applicable to the operation of
bathing beaches; with but minor exceptions, does not 11move in inter-state cmmnerce_;,11
and, strictly defined, bathing beaches are not places of amusement as used in
Sec. 2 (d) but rather are places of participating recreational activities," as
distinguished from. places of 11 amueement. 11
COMMENT
The 1'Findings 11 as stated in Sec. 2 (d) would appear
to be mere expressions of opinion - entirely unsupported
with any factual basis in support of such opinions.
Sec. 2(e) of the "Findings" would not appear to be applicable to bathing
beaches, generally speaking, as they would not appear to fall into the classification of "retail establishments" as used in this sub-section.
Sec. ~( f) of the "Findings" sets forth no basis for the inclusion of bathing
beaches in S. 1732, as these beaches are not located in any city. They have no
facilities for holding conventions, and generally speaking offer no acconnnodations
for overnight visitors.
Sec. 2( g) of the 11Findings" sets forth no basis for the inclusion of bathing
beaches in S. 1732, as in no instance are there any business organizations seeking
services in any area affected by the operation of these beaches.
All of these
beaches are located in remote rural areas where their presence contributes ext~na1vely to the local economy, and which economy would be seriously injured as a
r esult of these beaches being forced by law to accept all persona. This would
result in a certain lose of business and a resultant loss of employment opportunity by the residents of these rural beach areas.
Sec. 2(h) of the 11Findings" sets forth no applicable principal or basis for
the inclusi on of pr ivately operated beaches in the provisions of S. 1732.
�j
In the caee of these priva~ly operat@d beaches, no discriminatory practice is
"encouraged, fostered, or to;l.erated" in any degree by the Governmental authorit10s
of the State in which they are located, or by the "activities of their executive
or judicial officers.
COMMENT
As applied to the operation of privately owned and
operated bathing beaches in Maryland., Sec. 2 (h) is
a statement of opinion unsupported by any factual
evidence .
Sec. 2 ( i) of the "Findings. 11 The conclusions set forth in this sub-section
are not applicable to privately owned and privately operated bathing beaches in
Maryland, as these beaches n~ither "burden nor obstruct commerce, 11 and the use
of the commerce clause of the Federal Constitution for the purpose of imposing
integration on these privately owned and operated beaches is a perversion of the
Commerce Clause, for the purpose of effectuating a highly dubious purpose, concerning which purpose there are wide differences of opinion 8.Il.Q. which principal
is not generally accepted by large segments of the population.
It is not the proper function of government to l egislate for moral
purpose e .
Nor is it a proper function of government to deprive any ee gm.en t
of the people of their inherent right of the self determination of their
associations for the sole purpose of appeasing the demands of another segment
of the people in their desire to satisfy their social ambitions.
(5) DESPITE THE FACT THAT TEE 11FINDINGS 0 SET FORTH NOT A SINGLE VALID BASIS
FOR THE INCLUSION OF PRIVATELY OWNED AND OPERATED BATHING BEACHES IN THE
PROVISIONS OF S. l 732 , NEVERTHEIESS SEC . 3 OF THE ACT . IS SO BROADLY
DRAFTED THAT SOME, IF NOT ALL, OF THESE PRIVATELY OWNED AND OPERATED
BEACHES WOULD BE INCLUDED .
(a) The provisions of Sec. 3 (a) (3) (1) and Sec. 3 (a) (3) (ii) apparently
would be applicable to any privately owned and privately operated bathing beach
which fell within the stipulations of these two sections.
(1) Considering sub-section (11) of Sec. 3 (a) (3) first, the
language used in this sub-section which states that if a II substantial portion of
any goods held out to the public for sale, use, rent or hire, has moved in interstate commerce, makes it almost impossible for any bathing beach operator to
determine whether or not his operation comes within the purview of this Act.
There is not a beach operator alive who
that a "substantial0 portion of the goods, sold at hie
inter-state commerce, because there is no standard set
anyone in determining what constitutes a "substantial"
for sale, rent or hire.
could know for a certainty
beach, had not moved in
forth in the Act to guide
portion of goods held out
To determine what constitutes a "substantial" portion of goods in
any case will require a court determination.
It well may be that there will be
as many different decisions as to what does constitute a "substantial" portion
of goods as there are District Courts and Courts of Appeals in the United States.
It would appear that even the Supreme Court would be unable to lay
down a hard and fast rule as to what constituted a "substantial" portion of goods,
which rule could be applied to all cases.
The inclusion of the word "substantial" in the Act does not appear to be a
loose use of terminology, but rather it appears to be a careful and well-studied
use of this word, for the purpose of making the Act uncertain and unclear, with
the object in view to force the operators of em.all businesses into compliance
with this Act, because they would be unable to stand the expense and difficulties
involved in litigating the question.
THE RESULT BEING THAT THE INCLUSION OF THE WORD "SUBSTANTIAL" IN
THE ACT WITHOUT A .PRIOR DETERMINED STANDARD AS TO WHAT DOES OR DOES NOT CONSTITUTE
A "SUBSTANTIAL PORTION OF GOODS MAKES THIS ACT LEGISLATIVE DURESS - - THE
OPERATOR OF A PI.ACE OF BUSINESS MUST EITHER YIELD TO THE DICTATES OF THOSE
EMPOWERED TO INSTITUTE LEGAL PROCEEDINGS AGAINST HIM ON A CHARGE OF NON-COMPLIANCE
wrrH THE ACT, OR ELSE ENTAIL EXPENSIVE UTIGATION.
The same lack of clearness and uncertainty as to what is intended
manifests itself in the u.ee of the words "moved in interstate commerce" in the
same sub- section .
�4
There ia, of co~se, no difficulty in determining that if goods
are transported in inter-state COlllJnerce directly to the operator of any place of
business, then cl.early such goods have moved in inter-state commerce and are
covered by the Act.
But what about goods which movt3d in inter-state commerce ih the
normal course of trade, and have come to rest vrl.thin a state, and are in the hands
of a dealer in such goods for re-sale in intra-state commerce?
If the operator
of a privately-operated bathing beach were to purchase such goods f'rom a dealer
in intra-state commerce after such goods had previously been transported in interstate commerce, would the prior inter-state transportation imprint follow these
goods into the hands of the beach operator who had purchased them in intra-state
cOlllI!l.erce?
How could a beach operator who had purchased such goods be certain
under the language used in this Act that he would not or could not be charged with
offering "goods which had moved in interstate commerce and thereby be subjected
to litigation or threats of litigation for being in violation of the provisions
of this Act?
Unless the words "moved in interstate commerce" are clearly defined
and limited in the Act by proper standards, the use of such undefined words will
enable those authorized to institute litigation uder the Act to use the Act as a
form of legislative duress - to com:pell the operators of ..email businesses and
others who cannot afford the costs of expensive litigation to either yield to
the dictates of those empowered to institute litigation under the Act, or become
involved in expensive litigation which they may be unable to afford.
The inclusion of the words "substantial portion of goods" and the
use of the words "moved in inter-state commerce" as used in the Act, give those
empowered to institute enforcement li~tgation the powers of AUTOCRATIC DICTATORS.
Furthermore, the inclusion of these words with no limiting or defining standards in the Act permits the Act to be used by persons with ulterior
motives as a vehicle for LEGALIZED BIACKMAIL AGAINST THE OPERATORS'- OF PRIVATE
BUSINESS.
FOR THE CONGRESS TO PIACE SUCH AN UNRESTRAINED POWER TO INSTITUTE OR THREATEN
TO INSTITUTE ENFORCEMENT LITIGATION IN THE HANDS OF THE PUBLIC WOUI.D BE A
BETRAYAL OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
(2) The provisions of Sec. 3 (3) (1) would appear to bring the operators of privately operated bathing beaches within the Act, if " goods, services,
facilities, privileges, or advantages or accommodations •....• are provided to a
substantial degree to interstate travelers. 11
The same uncertainty and requirements for a determination by the
courts, as previously discussed, would likewise face every operator of a private
bathing beach to determine what was, or what was not, a "substantial degree of
interstate travelers," as used in this sub-section, and the operators of private
bathing beaches would again be at the mercy of those empowered to institute
enforcement litigation, and would be subjected to duress and threats to instigate
enforcement litigation, with its resultant burden of heavy costs, or else surrender
and comply with the provisions of the Act.
As to the twenty-one private bathing beaches cited in (2) of this
Statement, the application of this particular provision of the Act would be
chaotic and unequal, as between the several private beaches, for the following
reasons:
( a) As to the beaches enumerated, which beaches are located to
the north of Baltimore City, it is probable that leas than 1 per cent of the
patronage of these beaches is from other than residents of Maryland.
{b) As to the private beaches which are located in Anne Arundel
County to the south of Baltimore and which beaches are not more than twenty
miles distant from Baltimore, a similar condition probably exists.
(c) As to the private beaches which are south of the Severn River
in Anne Arundel County, the proportion of out-of-state patrons may rise to as
much as 30 to 401,.
(d) As to the beaches which are located in Calvert County, the
percentage of non-Maryland. patrons may rise to as much as 60 or 701,.
The result being that out of the twenty-one beaches cited in this
Statement, possibly el.even would not have more than 1% of out-of-state patrons,
while the other 10 private beaches would possibly have from 30 to 7Cffo of out-ofatate 1>atrons.
�5
Under this situation it is possible that eleven of these local
private beaches would not have to integrate and could continue to operate on a
segregated oasis, while the remaining ten beaches would have to be integrated,
under the Aot, merely because their particular locations were more accessible
to out-of-state visitors.
ANY SUCH RESULT WOULD BE UNFAIR AND INEQJITABIE.
THIS POSSlBILITY IN rrSELF IS SUFFICIENT TO JUSTIFY AND TO
REQUIRE THE EXCLUSION OF THESE PRIVATELY OPERATED BEACHES
FROM THE PROVISIONS OF S. 1732.
{6)
THE SAME IACK OF DEFINI'IENESS AND CLEARNESS AND LACK OF STANDARDS IS PRESENT
IN SEC. 3 (b) OF THE ACT (PAGES 6-7 OF THE ACT).
THIS SUB-SECTION PROVIDES
FOR THE EXCIDSION OF "BONA FIDE PRIVATE CLUBS OR OTHER ESTABLISHMENTS NOT
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC."
What is a bona fide club? Are so-called "Key Clubsrr bona fide clubs as used
in the Act? If in the operation of our private bathing beach we limit ad.mission
to persons who have applied for and have been given a "Guest Membership Card"
entitling them to admission, with non-holders of such cards being excluded, does
that constitute a bona fide club or other establishment not open to the public?
Under our present operation, we have a sign at our entrance which reads that no
invitation is extended either expressly or impliedly to visit our beach, and
that admission is by invitation of the management only. Is this type of operation
covered by the exclusion as to "other establishments not open to the public" as
used in the Act?
The answer to these questions does not appear in the language of the Act itself. How are we and other beach operators to determine whether our operations
qualify for exclusion under this sub-section?
What standards are set forth in the Act to guide us in our determination of
these questions?
What standards are set forth in the Act to enable the courts to determine
what are bona fide clubs and what are other establishments not open to the public?
Under these conditions we, as beach operators, will be at the mercy of persons empowered to instigate enforcement litigation.
We would have to either submit to their dictates and abandon our right to
operate under what we construe to be the law, or else be subjected to expensive
litigation.
This makes it possible for those empowered to instigate enforcement litigation to exercise duress upon the operators of these private beaches in an effort
to compel them to integrate their properties.
(7)
JUSTIFICATION OF THE RIGHT OF THE PRIVATELY OWNED AND PRIVATELY OPERATED
BEACHES TO OPERATE ON A SEGREGATED BASIS.
(a) The "Findings 11 as set forth in Sec. 2 of the Act set forth no factual
basis for including privately owned and operated bathing beaches under the provisions of the Act.
(b) There is no lack of available publicly owned and
beaches in the Maryland area, and persons who for personal
to patronize these public beaches should not be denied the
to them for their patronage, privately owned and privately
patronage ia compatible to those persons who do not desire
publicly operated
reasons may not desire
right to have available
operated beaches, whose
integrated bathing.
(c) Privately operated beaches should not be denied the right to offer
segregated services for the use of such persons.
continued on page6
�6
ANALOGY
The operation of these privately owned and operated bathing
beaches falls into the same category as does the operation of private schools.
The State operates public schools, paid for by the taxpayers,
for the use of all persons.
Persons who for personal reasons do not desire their children to
attend public schools should not be denied the right to send their children to
private schools whose enrollment may be segregated, and such private schools
should not be prohibited by law from operating.
Likewise, the State of Maryland, the City ~f Baltimore, and
certain counties operate public bathing beaches, paid for and maintained by
the taxpayers.
Persons who do not desire to bathe with the persons who patronize
these public beaches should not be denied by law from having available to them
private beaches, whose patrons are compatible to their customary assoc~ations.
The Federal Government has available waterfront property in
Anne Arundel County for use as a federally operated public bathing beach.
( 8)
POSSIBLY THE MOST REPUGNANT AND UN -AMERTCA!IJ PROVISIONS OF THIS ENTIRE ACT
ARE THE PROVISIONS OF SEC. 5 (PAGES 7, 8, 9 OF THE ACT) , WHICH SECTION
EMPOWERS PRIVATE CITIZENS TO INSTIGATE ENFORCEMENT OF THE ACT.
This opens the door to harassment and worse by vindictive persona
and also opens the door to extortion through threats of instigating unfounded
enforcement litigation, and creates by law, as previously stated, a vehicle
which could be used by unscrupulous persons as the basis for Legalized Blackmail.
It is suggested that Sec. 5 be stricken from the Act in its
entirety, and that in lieu thereof, that criminal penalties be written into the
Act, to be enforced by the Attorney General.
The additional effect of striking from the Act the present provisions relating to so-called Civil Action for Preventive Relief, and substituting therefor criminal penalties, is that with criminal penalties inserted in
the Act, the language of the Act will have to be clear and ~efinite so as to
meet the Constitutional requirements relating to criminal laws.
�7
SUGGESTED AMENDMENTS TO S. 1732
Suggested Amendment No. 1:
Aft er the end of line 3 on page 7 of the Act, insert a new sub-section
to r ead as f ollows.:
(c)
The provisions of this Act shall not apply to a privately owned
and privately operated bathing beach nor to any facility contained
within the boundaries of any auch privately owned and privately
operated bathing beach, which beach is located within any State,
or in any County of any State, in which State or County the State,
County, any Municipal Corporation, the Government of the United
States or any Department or Agency thereof, or any other public
authority maintains, operates or makes available to the general
public without discrimination as to race, color or creed, the
facilities, services, privileges, advantages or accommodations
of such publicly operated or publicly o:wned bathing beach.
Suggested Amendment No. 2:
In pages 7-8-9 of the Act strike out all of Section 5 and insert in
lieu thereof criminal penaltie s.
Suggested Amendment No . 3:
On page 9 of the Act a.mend Section 6 by eliminating all reference to
i nstitution of remedies by other than the Attorney General of the
United States.
�
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STATEMENT OF
EDGAR S. KALB of MAYO, MARYLAND
BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE
IN RE; S. 1732 - The “Interstate Public Accommodations Act"
88th Congress - Ist Session
(1) SCOPE OF STATEMENT
(a) The scope and purpose of this statement is to present to the Committee
evidence to show that the provisions of S. 1732 should not be made applicable to
the operation of privately owned and privately operated bathing beaches, which
beaches are located in states in which the State, Federal Government, or any
County or Municipal Corporation, or other public tax-supported body, operates
or maintains any beach or beaches, which are open to the use of all persons.
(b) To propose to the Committee certain amendments to S. 1732 to effectuate
such exclusion, and to suggest certain amendments designed to eliminate certain
injustices from the Act.
(2) DESCRIPTION OF THE TYPES OF BEACHES FOR WHICH EXCLUSION FROM THE ACT
(S._1732) Is REQUESTED.
(a) Examples of the types of beaches for which exemption from S. 1732 is
requested are the approximately twenty-one privately owned and privately operated
bathing beaches which are located on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay and
its tributaries in Maryland,
Of these twenty-one beaches, fourteen are located in Anne Arundel County,
south of Baltimore; four are located in Baltimore County, north of Baltimore City;
and three are located in Calvert County, within approximately 25 to 35 miles of the
District of Columbie. Approximately three of these privately owned beaches are
fully “integrated.”
(b) Generally speaking, these twenty-one beaches, with a few exceptions,
are "family owned and operated," and have been so owned and operated for several
generations.
(c) Most of these small bathing beaches are located adjacent to small resi-
dential communities, and in a certain sense are practically part of these resi-
dential communities.
(a) Based on personal experience and personal observation it is estimated
that the total gross annual business done by these twenty-one beaches will be
less than five millions of dollars.
(3) PUBLICLY OWNED AND PUBLICLY OPERATED BATHING BEACHES LOCATED ON THE
WESTERN SHORE OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY IN MARYLAND.
(a) The State of Maryland operates two very beautiful public bathing beaches
on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay within easy access from Baltimore City,
Washington, D.C., and the adjacent metropolitan areas; namely, Elk Neck State
Park and Beach, north of Baltimore City; and Sandy Point State Park and Beach,
south of Baltimore City (within Anne Arundel County). Both are within easy access
to both Baltimore and Washington by excellent roads. (Sandy Point State Park and
Beach is located in Anne Arundel County and annually has more than 300,000 visitors.)
Baltimore City owns and operates a beautiful bathing beach, located in
Anne Arundel County, south of Baltimore, and within about 35 miles of Washington,
D.C.
Furthermore, according to newspaper reports, the Federal Government has
recently devised a beautiful waterfront property located in Anne Arundel County,
within 25 miles of Washington, D.C., and within about 36 miles of Baltimore City,
consisting of approximately 265 acres of lend with more than a mile of waterfront.
This property could with little expense te converted into an additional waterfront
park and beach by the Federal Government for the use of all of the public.
2
(bd) Tt is edtimated that the total acreage and miles of waterfront available
to the public in publicly owned beaches on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay
in Maryland i8 in excess of the total acreage and the total miles of waterfront
operated a8 private beaches in Maryland by private ownership.
(c) In no instance does it appear that the patronage of these publicly owned
and operated beaches has reached anything near their maximum potential patronage,
and there is absolutely no present lack of sufficient bathing facilities available
to the general public, in the immediate vicinity of Baltimore and Washington.
(a) In addition, the many miles of beach front on the Atlantic Ocean at
Ocean City, Maryland, are owned by Worcester County and are available to all persons.
Furthermore, the State of Maryland is presently acquiring an extensive
expanse of Asseateague Island for use as & public beach.
SUMMARY
BASED ON A NEED FOR ADDITIONAL BATHING BEACH FACILITIES, THE
PUBLIC NEEDS ARE MORE THAN ADEQUATELY PROVIDED FOR, AND THERE
IS NO JUSTIFICATION FOR REQUIRING THE PRIVATELY OWNED AND
PRIVATELY OPERATED BATHING BEACHES TO ACCEPT UNDESIRED PATRONAGE.
~
(4) THE "FINDINGS" AS SET FORTH IN SEC. 2 of S. 1732 FAIL TO ESTABLISH ANY
VALID FACTS SUFFICIENT TO JUSTIFY THE INCLUSION OF PRIVATELY OWNED AND
OPERATED BATHING BEACHES WITHIN THE CLASSIFICATION OF BUSINESSES TO WHICH
THE PROVISIONS OF S. 1732 ARE APPLICABLE. AS INDICATED BY THE FOLLOWING
ANALYSIS OF THE "iVINDINGS;:"
Sec. 2 (a) of the "Findings" sets forth no basis for such inclusion, as
bathing beaches are abundantly available to all persons in Maryland at publicly
owned and operated bathing beaches, and in addition in at least three privately
owned and operated beaches, which three beaches are fully integrated.
Sec. 2 (b) of the “Findings” sets forth no valid basis for such inclusion
as none of the twenty-one privately owned and operated beaches, insofar as known,
offer overnight accommodations (all being within commuting distance of Washington
and Baltimore, and all catering to daily transient business only).
Sec. 2 (4) of the "Findings" sets forth no valid basis for such inclusion
as the movement of “goods, services and persons" applicable to the operation of
bathing beaches, with but minor exceptions, does not “move in inter-state commerce;!"
and, strictly defined, bathing beaches are not places of amusement as used in
Sec. 2 (d) but rather are “places of participating recreational activities," as
distinguished from places of “amsement."
COMMENT
The "Findings" as stated in Sec. 2 (d) would appear
to be mere expressions of opinion - entirely unsupported
with any factual basis in support of such opinions.
Sec. 2(e) of the "Findings" would not appear to be applicable to bathing
beaches, generally speaking, as they would not appear to fall into the classifi-
cation of "retail establishments" as used in this sub-section.
Sec. 2(f) of the “Findings” sets forth no basis for the inclusion of bathing
beaches in S. 1732, as these beaches are not located in any city. They have no
facilities for holding conventions, and generally speaking offer no accommodations
for overnight visitors.
Sec. 2(g) of the "Findings" sets forth no basis for the inclusion of bathing
beaches in S. 1732, as in no instance are there any business organizations seeking
services in any area affected by the operation of these beaches. All of these
peaches are located in remote rural areas where their presence contributes exten-
sively to the local economy, and which economy would be seriously injured as 4
result of these beaches being forced by law to accept all persons. This would
result in a certain loss of business and a resultant loss of employment oppor-
tunity by the residents of these rural beach areas.
Sec. 2(h) of the "Findings" sets forth no applicable principal or basis for
the inclusion of privately operated beaches in the provisions of S. 1732.
3
In the case of these privately operated beaches, no discriminatory practice is
"encouraged, fostered, or tolerated" in any degree by the Governmental authorities
of the State in which they are located, or by the "activities of their executive
or judicial officers."
COMMENT
As applied to the operation of privately owned and
operated bathing beaches in Maryland, Sec. 2 (h) is
& statement of opinion unsupported by any factual
evidence.
Sec. 2 (1) of the “Findings.” The conclusions set forth in this sub-section
are not applicable to privately owned and privately operated bathing beaches in
Maryland, as these beaches neither “burden nor obstruct commerce," and the use
of the commerce clause of the Federal Constitution for the purpose of imposing
integration on these privately owned and operated beaches is a perversion of the
Commerce Clause, for the purpose of effectuating a highly dubious purpose, con-
cerning which purpose there are wide differences of opinion and which principal
is not generally accepted by large segments of the population.
It is not the proper function of government to legislate for moral
purposes. Nor is it a proper function of government to deprive any segment
of the people of their inherent right of the self determination of their
associations for the sole purpose of appeasing the demands of another segment
of the people in their desire to satisfy their social ambitions.
(5) DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE "FINDINGS" SET FORTH NOT A SINGLE VALID BASIS
FOR THE INCLUSION OF PRIVATELY OWNED AND OPERATED BATHING BEACHES IN THE
PROVISIONS OF S. 1732, NEVERTHEINSS SEC. 3 OF THe ACT IS SO BROADLY
DRAFTED THAT SOME, IF NOT ALL, OF THESE PRIVATELY OWNED AND OPERATED
BEACHES WOULD BE INCLUDED.
(a) The provisions of Sec. 3 (a) (3) (i) and Sec. 3 (a) (3) (11) apparently
would be applicable to any privately owned and privately operated bathing beach
which fell within the stipulations of these two sections.
(1) Considering sub-section (ii) of Sec. 3 (a) (3) first, the
language used in this sub-section which states that if a “substantial portion of
any goods held out to the public for sale, use, rent or hire, has moved in inter-
state commerce,“ makes it almost impossible for any bathing beach operator to
determine whether or not his operation comes within the purview of this Act.
There is not a beach operator alive who could kmow for a certainty
that a “substantial” portion of the goods, sold at his beach, had not moved in
inter-state commerce, because there is no standard set forth in the Act to guide
anyone in determining what constitutes a "substantial" portion of goods held out
for sale, rent or hire.
To determine what constitutes a “substantial” portion of goods in
any case will require a court determination. It well may be that there will be
as many different decisions as to what does constitute a "substantial" portion
of goods as there are District Courts and Courts of Appeals in the United States.
It would appear that even the Supreme Court would be unable to lay
down a hard and fast rule as to what constituted a “substantial” portion of goods,
which rule could be applied to all cases.
The inclusion of the word “substantial” in the Act does not appear to be 4
loose use of terminology, but rather it appears to be a careful and well-studied
use of this word, for the purpose of making the Act uncertain and unclear, with
the object in view to force the operators of small businesses into compliance
with this Act, because they would be unable to stand the expense and difficulties
involved in litigating the question.
THE RESULT BEING THAT THE INCLUSION OF THE WORD "SUBSTANTIAL" IN
THE ACT WITHOUT A PRIOR DETERMINED STANDARD AS TO WHAT DOES OR DOES NOT CONSTITUTE
A “SUBSTANTIAL” PORTION OF GOODS MAKES THIS ACT LEGISLATIVE DURESS - - THE
OPERATOR OF A PLACE OF BUSINESS MUST BITHER YIELD TO THE DICTATES OF THOSE
EMPOWERED TO INSTITUTE LEGAL PROCEEDINGS AGAINST HIM ON A CHARGE OF NON-COMPLIANCE
WITH THE ACT, OR ELSE ENTAIL EXPENSIVE LITIGATION.
The same lack of clearness and uncertainty as to what is intended
manifests itself in the use of the words "moved in interstate commerce” in the
same sub-section.
\
There is, of course, no difficulty in determining that if goods
are transported in inter-state commerce directly to the operator of any place of
business, then clearly such goods have moved in inter-state commerce and are
covered by the Act.
But what about goods which moved in inter-state commerce in the
normal course of trade, and have come to rest within a state, and are in the hands
of a dealer in such goods for re-sale in intra-state commerce? If the operator
of a privately-operated bathing beach were to purchase such goods from a dealer
in intra-state commerce after such goods had previously been transported in inter-
state commerce, would the prior inter-state transportation imprint follow these
goods into the hands of the beach operator who had purchased them in intra-state
commerce 7 How could a beach operator who had purchased such goods be certain
under the language used in this Act that he would not or could not be charged with
offering “goods which had moved in interstate commerce” and thereby be subjected
to litigation or threats of litigation for being in violation of the provisions
of this Act?
Unless the words "moved in interstate commerce" are clearly defined
and limited in the Act by proper standards, the use of such undefined words will
enable those authorized to institute litigation uder the Act to use the Act as a
form of legislative duress - to compell the operators of -small businesses and
others who cannot afford the costs of expensive litigation to either yield to
the dictates of those empowered to institute litigation under the Act, or become
involved in expensive litigation which they may be unable to afford.
The inclusion of the words “substantial portion of goods” and the
use of the words "moved in inter-state commerce" as used in the Act, give those
empowered to institute enforcement litigation the powers of AUTOCRATIC DICTATORS.
Furthermore, the inclusion of these words with no limiting or de-
fining standards in the Act permits the Act to be used by persons with ulterior
motives as a vehicle for LEGALIZED BLACKMAIL AGAINST THE OPERATORS‘OF PRIVATE
BUSINESS.
FOR THE CONGRESS TO PLACE SUCH AN UNRESTRAINED POWER TO INSTITUTE OR THREATEN
TO INSTITUTE ENFORCEMENT LITIGATION IN THE HANDS OF THE PUBLIC WOULD BE A
BETRAYAL OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
(2) The provisions of Sec. 3 (3) (i) would appear to bring the opera-
tors of privately operated bathing beaches within the Act, if “goods, services,
facilities, privileges, or advantages or accommodations......are provided to 4
substantial degree to interstate travelers."
The same uncertainty and requirements for a determination by the
courts, as previously discussed, would likewise face every operator of a private
bathing beach to determine what was, or what was not, a “substantial degree of
interstate travelers," as used in this sub-section, and the operators of private
bathing beaches would again be at the mercy of those empowered to institute
enforcement litigation, and would be subjected to duress and threats to instigate
enforcement litigation, with its resultant burden of heavy costs, or else surrender
and comply with the provisions of the Act.
As to the twenty-one private bathing beaches cited in (2) of this
Statement, the application of this particular provision of the Act would be
chaotic and unequal, as between the several private beaches, for the following
reasons:
(a) As to the beaches enumerated, which beaches are located to
the north of Baltimore City, it is probable that less than 1 per cent of the
patronage of these beaches is from other than residents of Maryland.
(b) As to the private beaches which are located in Anne Arundel
County to the south of Baltimore and which beaches are not more than twenty
miles distant from Baltimore, a similar condition probably exists.
(c) As to the private beaches which are south of the Severn River
in Anne Arundel County, the proportion of out-of-state patrons may rise to as
mich as 30 to 40%.
(4) As to the beaches which are located in Calvert County, the
percentage of non-Maryland patrons may rise to as much as 60 or 70%.
The result being that out of the twenty-one beaches cited in this
Statement, possibly eleven would not have more than 1% of out-of-state patrons,
while the other 10 private beaches would possibly have from 30 to 70% of out-of-
state patrons.
Under this situation it is possible that eleven of these local
private. beaches would not have to integrate and could continue to operate on a
segregated basis, while the remaining ten beaches would have to be integrated,
under the Act, mere ly because their particular locations were more accessible
to out-of-state visitors.
ANY SUCH RESULT WOULD BE UNFAIR AND INEQUITABIE.
THIS POSSIBILITY IN ITSELF IS SUFFICIENT TO JUSTIFY AND TO
REQUIRE THE EXCLUSION OF THESE PRIVATELY OPERATED BEACHES
FROM THE PROVISIONS OF S. 1732.
(6) THE SAME LACK OF DEFINITENESS AND CLEARNESS AND LACK OF STANDARDS IS PRESENT
IN SEC. 3 (b) OF THE ACT (PAGES 6-7 OF THE ACT). THIS SUB-SECTION PROVIDES
FOR THE EXCLUSION OF "BONA FIDE PRIVATE CLUBS OR OTHER ESTABLISHMENTS NOT
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC." SS
_
What is a bona fide club? Are so-called “Key Clubs" bona fide clubs as used
in the Act? If in the operation of our private bathing beach we limit admission
to persons who have applied for and have been given a "Guest Membership Card"
entitling them to admission, with non-holders of such cards being excluded, does
that constitute a bona fide club or other establishment not open to the public?
Under our present operation, we have a sign at our entrance which reads that no
invitation is extended either expressly or impliedly to visit our beach, and
that admission is by invitation of the management only. Is this type of operation
covered by the exclusion as to "other establishments not open to the public” as
used in the Act?
The answer to these questions does not appear in the language of the Act it-
self. How are we and other beach operators to determine whether our operations
qualify for exclusion under this sub-section?
What standards are set forth in the Act to guide us in our determination of
these questions?
What standards are set forth in the Act to enable the courts to determine
what are bona fide clubs and what are other establishments not open to the public?
Under these conditions we, as beach operators, will be at the mercy of per-
sons empowered to instigate enforcement litigation.
We would have to either submit to their dictates and abandon our right to
operate under what we construe to be the law, or else be subjected to expensive
litigation.
This makes it possible for those empowered to instigate enforcement litiga-
tion to exercise duress upon the operators of these private beaches in an effort
to compel them to integrate their properties.
(7) JUSTIFICATION OF THE RIGHT OF THE PRIVATELY OWNED AND PRIVATELY OPERATED
BEACHES TO OPERATE ON A SEGREGATED BASIS.
(a) The "Findings" as set forth in Sec. 2 of the Act set forth no factual
basis for including privately owned and operated bathing beaches under the pro-
visions of the Act.
(») There is no lack of available publicly owned and publicly operated
beaches in the Maryland area, and persons who for personal reasons may not desire
to patronize these public beaches should not be denied the right to have available
to them for their patronage, privately owned and privately operated beaches, whose
patronage is compatible to those persons who do not desire integrated bathing.
(c) Privately operated beaches should not be denied the right to offer
segregated services for the use of such persons.
continued on page6
ANALOGY
The operation of these privately owned and operated bathing
beaches falls into the same category as does the operation of private schools.
The State operates public schools, paid for by the taxpayers,
for the use of all persons.
Persons who for personal reasons do not desire their children to
attend public schools should not be denied the right to send their children to
private schools whose enrollment may be segregated, and such private schools
should not be prohibited by law from operating.
Likewise, the State of Maryland, the City of Baltimore, and
certain counties operate public bathing beaches, paid for and maintained by
the taxpayers.
Persons who do not desire to bathe with the persons who patronize
these public beaches should not be denied by law from having available to them
private beaches, whose patrons are compatible to their customary associations.
The Federal Government has available waterfront property in
Anne Arundel County for use as a federally operated public bathing beach.
(8) POSSIBLY THE MOST REPUGNANT AND UN-AMERICAN PROVISIONS OF THIS ENTIRE ACT
ARE THE PROVISIONS OF SEC. 5 (PAGES 7, 8, 9 OF THE ACT), WHICH SECTION
EMPOWERS PRIVATE CITIZENS TO INSTIGATE ENFORCEMENT OF THE ACT.
This opens the door to harassment and worse by vindictive persons
and also opens the door to extortion through threats of instigating unfounded
enforcement litigation, and creates by law, as previously stated, a vehicle
which could be used by unscrupulous persons as the basis for Legalized Blackmail.
It is suggested that Sec. 5 be stricken from the Act in its
entirety, and that in lieu thereof, that criminal penalties be written into the
Act, to be enforced by the Attorney General.
The additional effect of striking from the Act the present pro-
visions relating to so-called Civil Action for Preventive Relief, and substi-
tuting therefor criminal penalties, is that with criminal penalties inserted in
the Act, the language of the Act will have to be clear and ¢definite so as to
meet the Constitutional requirements relating to criminal lews.
SUGGESTED AMENDMENTS TO S. 1732
Suggested Amendment No. 1:
After the end of line 3 on page 7 of the Act, insert a new sub-section
to read as follows:
(c)
The provisions of this Act shall not apply to a privately owned
and privately operated bathing beach nor to any facility contained
within the boundaries of any such privately owned and privately
operated bathing beach, which beach is located within any State,
or in any County of any State, in which State or County the State,
County, any Municipal Corporation, the Government of the United
States or any Department or Agency thereof, or any other public
authority maintains, operates or makes available to the general
public without discrimination as to race, color or creed, the
facilities, services, privileges, advantages or accommodations
of such publicly operated or publicly owned bathing beach.
Suggested Amendment No. 2:
In pages 7-8-9 of the Act strike out all of Section 5 and insert in
lieu thereof criminal penalties,
Suggested Amendment No. 3;
On page 9 of the Act amend Section 6 by eliminating all reference to
institution of remedies by other than the Attorney General of the
United States.
Dublin Core
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Title
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Box 17, Folder 15, Document 16
Box 17
Box 17 Folder 15
Folder topic: Civil Rights Bill | 1963
-
https://ivanallen.iac.gatech.edu/mayoral-records/traditional/files/original/3faa0fdafac838755bcbde35b7f892d4.pdf
e9b9144069ea6bfdf75544f139396954
Scripto
Transcription
A written representation of a document.
STATEMENT OF C. MAURICE WEIDEMEYER FOR THE U. S. SENATE COMMITTEE
ON COMMERCE
TUESDAY, JULY 16, 1963
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee:
My name i s C. Maurice Weidemeyer. I am a lawyer of Annapolis, Maryland,
a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from Anne Arundel County.
I wish to state that I am unalterably opposed to the passage of Senate Bill
1732, and I am also opposed to passage of any public accommodations law whether
by County, Municipality, State or Federal Government. The so-called public accommodations laws do not accommodate the public generally. They accommodate
only a small minority of the public. The vast majority of the public, in my opinion,
have their own desires and their own likes and dislikes and wish to choose their
associates, 1. e. , the persons with whom they socialize and the persons with whom
they wish to associate in the conducting of bu~ines.s.
In my opinion, it has always been an inherent, basic, and fundamental right
of all free men in a free society to associate themselves, socially and commercially
with persons of their own choosing.
It has often been said by proponents of measures like this that public ac-
commodations bills are bills to guarantee freedom. I think that the approach is
wrong. They should be called freedom depriving bills. The bills give an unwarrante<;i
freedom to a small minority while denying to the vast majority of our citizens and
business men a very basic freedom, namely, that of associating and doing business
with persons of his own choosing. The argument that because a State or Government
authority has licensed a person to do business, that they should be able to regulate
every facet of his thin.king and conduct is something foreign to the American system
of government and cannot help but lead to eventual socialism, dictatorship, and
complete control by the government of every act, thought and deed of every individual
citizen. The privileges and accommodations which the proponents of this measure
contend are denied to negro citizens are not d enied to them at all , b ecause they
have the same opportunity go into business and to conduct a hotel or restaurant
or other types of businesses, just as much as any other citizens who have previously done so.
�- 2-
I have said many times , and I say it to you sincerely, that if the NAACP, the
CORE and the other ultra liberal organizations, who are daily harassing and pestering
the American people , would spend their money and effort on promoting the welfare of
the colored ra c e by a s sisting them into getting into business where they could cater
to their own peopl e , they would be accomplishing something. For years, the NAACP
and CORE and ot hers have been collecting $1. 00 and $2. 00 dues from people all
over the United States and spending the money principally in agitation of the white
race whi ch neither gained respect nor promoted the negro economically. I would
s uggest to them that if they wanted to organize a hotel corporation or any other
bus iness corporat ion, and if they could not sell stock at $25.00 or $100 a share,
tha t t hey sell more shares at $1. 00 or $2. 00 per share and spend their money to
'
b etter use than by giving it t o the NAACP and CORE and other organizations.
The idea that people are helping themselves and promoting themselves by demanding that others furnish them and give them that which they could obtain for
themselves i s a false idea of promotion of that individual. Rights and privileges of
associ ation are obtained only through accomplishment and mutual respect.
Certai nly, nothing is furthered or improved by an insistent demand that people
be t aken in and accepted under circumstances where they have not as yet earned
that respect, and no law, whether of the Federal, State, County or Municipal government , attempting to force association of people, can be successful under such
forced conditions.
Certainly someone and some group in the process are bound to
wind up with receiving more contempt and ill feeling than with respect.
I di sagree also with those persons who would attempt to portray the present
disturbances in t his country as spontaneous outbreaks. I cannot be lead to believe
that t he colored people of Carrbridge would conduct themselves in the vicious manner
in whi ch they have, if they had not been engineered, guided and inspired and
finan ced by outsi de influences and capital.
It would seem to me that it would be the
wi ser thing for this Committee to consider the travelling in inter-state commerce of
persons like Martin Luther King and others whose sole purpose in going from state
to state i s t o cr eate dissens ion, confusion and unrest, and deliberately going in
are as where the col ored people have been very well satisfied and whipping them up
i nt o a fervid heat of passion and hate for t he white race.
�-3-
I say to this Committee, quite sincerely, that if the purpose of this Committee
is to promote the welfare of the colored race, that it is going about it in the wrong
way. Certainly, the attempt to promote the negro race of less than twenty million
people in the United States against the will and wishes of the majority of the remaining 160 million cannot do anything more than swell in the breasts of the vast majority of the American people a deep feeling of resentment and contempt and it is obvious upon reflection that such a condition in this United States has not improved
race relations.
It has often and falsely, I think, been said that it is necessary that we pass
public accommodations laws in_ the United States so as to impress foreign nations,
and naturally the question arises to me: what nations are we trying to impress? Are
they the nations that we have been continually financing and do we have to ruin our
whole civilization and our mode of living in order to try to create an impression? I
believe that a careful look at and a survey of many of the nations whom we think we
have to impress, would only serve to convince us of the utter futility of such an
attempt. Those nations, many of them, have century old customs, prejudices and
feelings which would never be changed even though the United States did a somersault and acrobated itself into ruination and oblivion.
There was a time when the Communist conspiracy talked in terms of worldwide
revolution. That attitude on the part of some Communist nations has now changed
to a policy of slowly degrading and d emoralizing the United States as one of the
main capitalist nations and with further attempts to harass and ruin us economically.
I believe, with other great and prominent men, that the Communist conspiracy to
wreck the United States is certainly being overjoyed at the almost fanatical attempts
being made by many organizations to ruin this great country and that the Communists
are well up in many of these movements of agitation for public accommodations.
As a Democrat, I sincerely regret the actions and statements of the President
and his brother, the Attorney General, because I realize that if they continue and
persi st in their course of conduct to promote the negro population without regard to
�- 4-
-the wishes of th e vast majority of white citizenry in this country, that neither have
they promoted the ms elves politically nor have they advanced the well being of the
United State s as a whol e .
It ma y well be t hat my remarks here today will go unheeded and that men in
high places cognizant of the voting power of certain groups, will continue in this
fa l se mov e until confronted at the polls by an overwrought voting populace, who
will be so angry and disturbed that many of the present day office polders will be
de feated at the polls. In conclusion, let me say that I hope that the United States
Senat e will not approve any public accommodations law and will not attempt to hamstring t he Ameri can businessmen and cram such a bill down the throats of the
American people. It would be l he wiser and safer thing to do to have the people of
the U . S. express themselves at the polls in matters of this nature.
�
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Text
Any textual data included in the document
STATEMENT OF C, MAURICE WEIDEMEYER FOR THE U. S. SENATE COMMITTEE
ON COMMERCE TUESDAY, JULY 16, 1963
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee:
My name is C. Maurice Weidemeyer, I am a lawyer of Annapolis, Maryland,
a member of the Maryland House of Delegates from Anne Arundel County.
I wish to state that I am unalterably opposed to the passage of Senate Bill
1732, and I am also opposed to passage of any public accommodations law whether
by County, Municipality, State or Federal Government. The so-called public ac-
commodations laws do not accommodate the public generally, They accommodate
only a small minority of the public. The vast majority of the public, in my opinion,
have their own desires and their own likes and dislikes and wish to choose their
associates, i.e., the persons with whom they socialize and the persons with whom
they wish to associate in the conducting of business.
In my opinion, it has always been an inherent, basic, and fundamental right
of all free men in a free society to associate themselves, socially and commercially
with persons of their own choosing.
It has often been said by proponents of measures like this that public ac-
commodations bills are bills to guarantee freedom. I think that the approach is
wrong. They should be called freedom depriving bills. The bills give an unwarranted |
freedom to a small minority while denying to the vast majority of our citizens and
business men a very basic freedom, namely, that of associating and doing business
with persons of his own choosing. The argument that because a State or Government
authority has licensed a person to do business, that they should be able to regulate
every facet of his thinking and conduct is something foreign to the American system
of government and cannot help but lead to eventual socialism, dictatorship, and
complete control by the government of every act, thought and deed of every individual
citizen. The privileges and accommodations which the proponents of this measure
contend are denied to negro citizens are not denied to them at all, because they
have the same opportunity go into business and to conduct a hotel or restaurant
or other types of businesses, just as much as any other citizens who have pre-
viously done so.
I have said many times, and I say it to you sincerely, that if the NAACP, the
CORE and the other ultra liberal organizations, who are daily harassing and pestering
the American esenncii, would spend their money and effort on promoting the welfare of
the colored race by assisting them into getting into business where they could cater
to their own people, they would be accomplishing something. For years, the NAACP
and CORE and others have been collecting $1.00 and $2.00 dues from people all
over the United States and spending the money principally in agitation of the white
race which neither gained respect nor promoted the negro economically. I would
suggest to them that if they wanted to organize a hotel corporation or any other
business corporation, and if they could not sell stock at $25.00 or $100 a share,
that they sell more shares at $1.00 or $2.00 per share and spend their money to
better use than by giving it to the NAACP and CORE and other organizations.
The idea that people are helping themselves and promoting themselves by de-
manding that others furnish them and give them that which they could obtain for
themselves is a false idea of promotion of that individual. Rights and privileges of
association are obtained only through accomplishment and mutual respect.
Certainly, nothing is furthered or improved by an insistent demand that people
be taken in and accepted under circumstances where they have not as yet earned
that respect, and no law, whether of the Federal, State, County or Municipal govern-
ment, attempting to force association of people, can be successful under such
forced conditions. Certainly someone and some group in the process are bound to
wind up with receiving more contempt and ill feeling than with respect.
I disagree also with those persons who would attempt to portray the present
disturbances in this country as spontaneous outbreaks. I cannot be lead to believe
that the colored people of Cambridge would conduct themselves in the vicious manner
in which they have, if they had not been engineered, guided and inspired and
financed by outside influences and capital. It would seem to me that it would be the
wiser thing for this Committee to consider the travelling in inter-state commerce of
persons like Martin Luther King and others whose sole purpose in going from state
to state is to create dissension, confusion and unrest, and deliberately going in
areas where the colored people have been very well satisfied and whipping them up
into a fervid heat of passion and hate for the white race.
=ju
I say to this Committee, quite sincerely, that if the purpose of this Committee
is to promote the welfare of the colored race, that it is going about it in the wrong
way. Certainly, the attempt to promote the negro race of less than twenty million
people in the United States against the will and wishes of the majority of the remain-
ing 160 million cannot do anything more than swell in the breasts of the vast major-
ity of the American people a deep feeling of resentment and contempt and it is ob-
vious upon reflection that such a condition in this United States has not improved
race relations.
It has often and falsely, I think, been said that it is necessary that we pass
public accommodations laws in the United States so as to impress foreign nations,
and naturally the question arises to me: what nations are we trying to impress? Are
they the nations that we have been continually financing and do we have to ruin our
whole civilization and our mode of living in order to try to create an impression? I
believe that a careful look at and a survey of many of the nations whom we think we
have to impress, would only serve to convince us of the utter futility of such an
attempt. Those nations, many of them, have century old customs, prejudices and
feelings which would never be changed even though the United States did a somer-
sault and acrobated itself into ruination and oblivion.
There was a time when the Communist conspiracy talked in terms of worldwide
revolution. That attitude on the part of some Communist nations has now changed
to a policy of slowly degrading and demoralizing the United States as one of the
main capitalist nations and with further attempts to harass and ruin us economically.
I believe, with other great and prominent men, that the Communist conspiracy to
wreck the United States is certainly being overjoyed at the almost fanatical attempts
being made by many organizations to ruin this great country and that the Communists
are well up in many of these movements of agitation for public accommodations.
As a Democrat, I sincerely regret the actions and statements of the President
and his brother, the Attorney General, because I realize that if they continue and
persist in their course of conduct to promote the negro population without regard to
the wishes of the vast majority of white citizenry in this country, that neither have
they promoted themselves politically nor have they advanced the well being of the
United States as a whole.
It may well be that my remarks here today will go unheeded and that men in
high places cognizant of the voting power of certain groups, will continue in this
false move until confronted at the polls by an overwrought voting populace, who
will be so angry and disturbed that many of the present day office holders will be
defeated at the polls. In conclusion, let me say that I hope that the United States
Senate will not approve any public accommodations law and will not attempt to ham-
string the American businessmen and cram such a bill down the throats of the
American people. It would be the wiser and safer thing to do to have the people of
the U.S. express themselves at the polls in matters of this nature.
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Box 17, Folder 15, Document 15
Box 17
Box 17 Folder 15
Folder topic: Civil Rights Bill | 1963