Box 18, Folder 29, Document 9

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Box 18, Folder 29, Document 9

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The Editor’s Notebook





THE RECENT riots in At-

lanta offer convincing evidence
that most, if not all, of the racial
violence in our large cities has
been organized and led by a
small minority bent upon the de-
struction of our society.
' My authority for this state-
ment is Ralph McGill, publisher
of the Atlanta Constitution, and
long a moving and militant force
for equal treatment of the Negro
citizen as provided by law and
the Constitution of the United
States,

McGill places responsibility for
the Atlanta disturbances squarely
upon the Student Non-Violent Co-
ordinating Committee (Snick) and
its leader, Stokely Carmichael.

Snick, according to McGill, has

no more than 300 members. These
have been the agents of anarchy
in Watts, New York, Chicago,
Cleveland and other major cities.

‘Snick’s beginnings were more
auspicious. Its early student
leaders were motivated by high
dedication to the civil rights
cause. Now the John Lewises

and other responsibles are ne ;
/ Sn

is held by th
«treme als, of which -
mn chael Re. the dominant figure.

As McGill says, Snick is no
civil rights organiza- ,
id an anarchistic group
openly and officially







SS yp a

ae dala to all Titers of
f e mat Its slogans of de-



Sar

2 aa of

the NAACP and Whitney
Young who heads the Urban
League have all repudiated
Stokely Carmichael and his tac-

tics.
*

THE CITY of. Atlanta has
long enjoyed an enviable repu-
tation for racial amity. Ironi-
cally, it was Atlanta’s splendid
image that the destroyers
sought to tarnish,

And yet, unwittingly, Stokely
Carmichael and his followers per-
formed a useful service not only

for Atlanta but for the entire

nation.

For here was stripped away.
the myth that Negroes are al-
ways incited to riot over poor
living conditions, lack of em-
ployment and denial of civil
tights.

Mr. Carmichael has now re-
vealed himself for what he is—
a scheming fomenter of disor-
der, a mad dog who attacks all
whites indiscriminately, a revo-
lutionist who seeks to burn and
destroy, a terrorist who defies
law and EDA upon our flag.

THE RIGHT to peaceable
assembly is guaranteed by the
Bill of Rights, as is the freedom

to demonstrate and to seek re-
dress of grievances.

' Together and in a spirit of
constructive cooperation, the
Negro and white communities
must find solutions and answers
to the problems which beset our
cities. For they are both numer-
ous and difficult.

A major start has been made
in many areas. Where failures
have occurred, the Negro is usu-

ally as much at fault as his white

brother. Suspicions, distrust and
fear of association have worked
against the Negroes’ best inter-
ests.

But the effort must go ahead
if we are to enjoy the fruits of
a compatible society in which
there is mutuality of PuReaRS and
respect for all.

*

THIS NATION will
however, permit the destroyers
of society — the Carmichaels
and his ranting radicals — to
tear down what we have built,
to burn and destroy, to defy law
and order with-ro oe and Molo-
tov cocktails or to hurl anar-

not,

ent

Snick’s Agents of Anarchy
Are Fomenting Urban Riots

Senate should visit riot areas
and seek to quiet the mob, as
did Mayor Allen.

If nothing else, the experience
might leave them better in-
formed and not quite so sure
that all social ills can be cured —
by dispensing a few hundred
More millions from Washington.

Plus Ca Change, Ete. |

TODAY’S election in South
Vietnam is largely an exercise in
propaganda,

Its purpose is to elect a 117-
Member assembly charged with —
writing a new national constitu-
tion. When that is done, a legis- |
lature is to be elected next year. :

The election has been neatly
Tigged by the ruling junta. Pre-
™mier Ky’s generals can change
any part of the new constitution
unless two-thirds of the constitu-
assembly objects. This
Means the junta could control

i me

_ Votes, plus one, or 40 votes.

chistic slogans and imprecations i

at our public officials,
The Ribicoffs and the Ken-

nedys who continue to deplore —

“our tragic conditions” from
comfortable seats in the U.S.





| _Publea bead morning i) Kah Newspapers,

Detroit Sree Press

AN INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER .

_ JOHN S. KNIGHT, PRESIDENT AND
LEE ita ecutive EDITOR AND PUBLISHER

= Detrot, Michigan en: |

Pa

ated ae

ell
JOHN 8, OLS





‘a

So despite efforts of the Viet-
Cong to disrupt the election by
Acts of violence against those
who participate, the outcome is
assured. It will be acclaimed in

ashington and Saigon as a tri-
umph for representative gov-
€rnment.

|
the assembly with a third of the
|

* i

IT IS, of course, a first tenta-
tive ‘step in that direction. But
lest we attach too much signifi-
fance to the election returns, |
these facts should be kept in





ae oh
; a balloting is not a test
- between the Vietcong and the
Ron-com r nist nationalists, for


F michder fs the doninant TIgure,

|

As McGill says, Snick is no
longer a civil rights organiza-
tion but an anarchistic group
which is openly and officially
committed to the destruction of
existing institutions.

Though small in membership,
Snick appeals to all haters of
the white man. Its slogans of de-
fiance intrigue the very young
as was shown in Atlanta where
the mob was largely composed
of youngsters in the 12 to 18
age range. :

There appears to be no ques-
tion but that Snick’s funds are
supplied from abroad. One of its
lawyers is a registered Castro
agent. Its agitators shout Ha-
vana slogans to the effect that

“we must live through violence.

“Black power” is but the rally-
ing cry.

* d

FORTUNATELY for/Atlanta,
it has a mayor who confronted
the mob with rare courage.
Though physically manhandled
and taunted with shouts of
“white devil,” Mayor Ivan Allen
Jr.. remained upon the scene
until the crowd had been dis-
persed.

Mayor Allen gave short shrift
to charges of police brutality. “I
saw plenty of brutality,” he said,
“but it was all directed against
police officers.” At his press
conference, Mayor Allen stated
that “if Stokely Carmichael is
looking for a battleground, he
has created one, and he will be
met in whatever situation he
chooses.”

Atlanta’s Negro community
leaders were quick to decry the
rioting and violence, The Atlanta
Summit Leadership Conference, a
Negro organization, denounced
both Snick and Carmichael, while
calling for constructive measures
designed to alleviate problems
which directly concern the Negro.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Exe-
cutive Director Roy Wilkins of

7

THE RIGHT to peaceable
assembly is guaranteed by the
Bill of Rights, as is the freedom

nedys who continue to deplore
“our tragic conditions” from
comfortable seats in the U.S.





Hetroit Sree Press

AN INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER
JOHN S. KNIGHT, PRESIDENT AND EDITOR
LEE HILLS, EXECUTIVE EDITOR AND PUBLISHER

Published every morning by Knight Newspapers, Inc., 321 Lafayette Bive., Detroit, Michigan 48231

JOHN B. OLSON, GENERAL MANAGER





2B



SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1966





The Ribicofis and the hen. assured. It will be acclaimed im

Washington and Saigon as a tri-
umph for representative gov-
ernment.

IT IS, of course, a first tenta-
tive step in that direction. But
lest we attach too much signifi-
cance to the election returns,
these facts should be kept in
mind.

1. The balloting is not a test
between the Vietcong and the
non-communist nationalists, for
the Vietcong have been ex-
cluded, as far as possible, from
the candidate and voter lists.

2. Charles Mohr, correspond-
ent for the New York Times,

Yeports that in two weeks of

campaigning, the candidates
have not discussed the war,
how to win it or how to nego-
tiate its end.

3. While there are no prohibi-
tions), against debating govern=
ment war policy, the candidates

‘are wary of standing laws that

could punish those who “ham-
per” the war effort.

In Saigon’s election district 3,
some 200 persons heard speakers
from 11 slates of candidates.
‘Not one,”’ according to corre-
spondent Mohr, ‘‘mentioned the
war, inflation, the American im-
pact on Saigon or how soon the
ruling junta should step down.”

The wariness of issues was
rationalized by one candidate
who said: “We must have a con-
stitution as a legal base for our
government. With a legal base,
we can solve all problems,”

So. when you read the opti-
mistic post-election pronounce-
ments to the effect that democ-
racy is thriving in South Viet-
nam, leave a little room in your

‘mind for some wholesome skep-.

ticism.

The old French saying — the
more things change, the more
they remain the same — has spe-
cific application to Vietnam.

JOHN S. KNIGHT

vi cleat lll

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