Address of Governor S. Ernest Vandiver, of Georgia, "The fate of public education in Georgia," January 18, 1961

FOR RELEASE: P11L8E0A0Sl~Po,OlMB. S.E, R(~WLEeLd'ln;NeE0sW0dSaPyM,Jm~MDJ.aIAJnM.uBarAyRGQ. )

SSLEPIEENUAATKTEEENRAANSNMTD-IGTOOHFV'TEHRGNEEONRTHLOEBUNYSIEERNDO, OFHFROETUHPSEERE~~ri:~ii~EiStE!~~,~SANf~~~~ENS OF GEORG A:

JointT~~:sr~iin5gganYggc:~~ofi wr:!o~~g*t~!rjnHg~~is

I am addressing you not only as your Chief Executive but as a devotetl father with one son and two daughters in the classrooms of our public schools.

I am speaking to them about their future, as much as I am speaking to you and your children about yours.

We meet together to proclaim to the whole world that:

PITBJ ,IC EDUCATION WILL BE PRESERVED!

OUR GEORGIA CHILDREN WILL BE PROTECTED!

LOCAL ADMINISTRATION AND AUTONOMY WILL BE MAIN-
TAINED!

GRANTS WILL BE AUTHORIZED!

I~ LIFE

i8x~~T~?H~~ttBEH~T*~dT~iE~8 OF OUR COMMUNITY

~& ifft~ETHTE~:iGfHaTflt~OEF [:4U)0RtfuCHHIrL1D~cr~DA:MijI~N?EbtT~O~~N~BtDr,E:vr~~ EDU-

I have summoned the Assembly here in this unusual and emergency session in order that what I will have to say can go into the living rooms of as many Georgia homes anti reacfi as many mothers and fathers as I can.

May I extend my warmest and heartfelt gratitude to the ownership, management and staffs of Georgia radio and television stations for responding so quickly and generously to bring this message to the people.

The fate of public education in Georgia rests with

mAes,semasblyGoavnedrnworiu1 hwSittha

t

you, e and

as members of the local educators.

General

Moreover! its ultimate fate rests with that great body of Georg ans that go to make up our citizenry.

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TRYING TIMES
of usT-h-esdeaypsasot ffeswhodckay, s frhaayveed bteeemn pterrysi,nganogneers, sfohrouatilnlg, aevlelnshvoionelenacesteabduyt, liogvhetr i-n- tthhee dliigsthatncoef, Gtehorroguigahcihtaracter, the innate, inbred integrity of our people.
We hold fast to a common heritage and share a mutual destiny.
our minds, our hearts, our roots grow deep in Georgia's sandy soil, in her rolling plains and in her red clay hills.
On her landscape, we have felt the joys of youth, the experiences of growing and on her ground we have shed our tears.
Ingrained in each of us, is the deep personal unchangeable conviction that separate public education -- segregated facilities -- not only are best but are mandatory, under the circumstances existant here, if peaceful relatiinonthseapreastto. continue between the two races as they have
ASSEMBLY SENTIMENT studyFinrogmvtaarlikoiunsgbtiollsthealrmeeamdbyersintorfodthuecedA,sseImbbelylieavned that it is the sense of this body that its faith in separate education remains unshakeable -exerc-is-e-thoaf tFietdedreapl lmoriegshti,natphpeliesdtrobYngsewsteetpeirnmgs juthdeicriaawl decrees, seeking to brlng the injunctive process to bear upon thousands of our people.
---that this hand of Federal force moving into Georgia's hallowed halls is repugnant to practically every person in this chamber.
---that many of Georgia's existing laws, though valid when enacted and having served a good :purpose, have been transformed by recent decisions ana events fdrooomm aptostshiebleouitnssettr.uments of defense to instruments of
---that these very laws have been so interpreted by the Federal courts ln such manner as to no longer support the principle for which they were enacted and, infleed, have been utilized to accomplish just the oppoasiftfeaiarnsd. to justify Federal intervention 1n purely local
This General Assembly recognizes, as do I, unless psoumbelicnewschlaowosls, sionmtehenewfuwtueraepownsillabree tsaokuegnhtonvoewr , anodurrun by Federal injunction and policed by Federal troops. wthiellipnTrgehriostogGastoiivvteersbnyoorafn-dS- tatlheteitsathnGdeenFleoercdaalelrAaglsosecvmoerubnlrymtse-nt-taska. ere onvoert everyWae catiroendweteercmanine-d- ttoo dporevevenertyitth1ing we can -- take

-3-

CRISIS AT HAND

The crisis is upon us.

I must tell you quite frankly that a failure to resolve it will blight our State.

Like a cancerous growth, it will devour progress

tfchroienesnuedmcoinn=o=gmadicelmlgorionrawlitithzsinogpf aatthhlel

-- pitting fri St ht aatte i s- - goanodd

end against d- e- nyfin:3gtiftlhineg

youth of Georgia their proper educational opportunity.

we have seen the destructive forces which can be loosed upon us.

we have seen reason give way to emotion.

We have seen destructive violence -- even mob rule.

That is too big a price to pay for inaction.

The time has come when we must act -- act in Georgia's interest -- act in the future interest of Georgia youth.

AND WE MUST ACT WITHOUT DELAY.

EVENTS MOVE SWIFTLY I say this, for in the past few days, we have
seen events move so swiftly that in was hard to keep them in their true perspective.
MY friends under Georgia's ~resent statutes, it has been demonsirated that it is futile even to send a lawyer into the court room to defend them.
The question tonight is -- are we going to have safeguards or not?
The answer is obvious. We have had a preview of what will happen. We have seen the results of being denied the right to defend a cause on its merits. We have seen the results of our attprneys being ahnadndtihcaeppoecdcawsiiothno. ut new laws appropriate for the time swoe ehvaevYre.ess, eeinn athesinSgtaletestsrtorikpepeodf tohfeanFyedperroatl~jcutidogne'swhpaetnemergTenhcayt sisesswihoyn.I have summoned you here in this unusual

ADVICE SOUGHT

There have been many meetings, many conferences, many discussions about this problem. I have consulted wmyithadmmeimnbiesrtsraotifontheandGewnietrhaithAesspemeobplyle, wofithGemoermgibaers-- otfhe industrialist! the businessman, the farmer~ the factory worker, the f lling station operator, the uruggist, the medoustcadtoirre, ctthlye mafifneicstteedr. -- and, yes, even with the youth

and

I if

have they

asked had a

qeaoclhutioofnt,hetmo

what come

solution th8y Jorward w1tll

had,
it novJ.

-4-
RegrettablY, no one has come forward with the perfect solution.
There is no perfect solution. I reject as I know you and the people of Georgia ddoe~iiaannycetnoofugIfaiwt~iuslupgrgoecsetisosnes, hoirnttheorsuenbcjoeucrtaingegmoefntthoef children of Georgia to the bodily hazard of violence and mob rule.

CLOSED SQHQOLS?
we muHstavminogvesetoenpwrohtaet cctanthehapppuebnlicinscthheooUlsniavnedrsGiteyorsgyisatem, school children within the legal framework left to us.
faDthonedarvte3tlho9uepnmidnDeedrneeptpcsaeernitrmndtaeetinnhnttescocUifrhcnEouiodvmluescrstsayaitnstiytocenemcsasanSsdmetaifrtgeoah-irtfsuentnhodetthseb15es9urecpcaopolonurspntttiey-ril
tutionally-permissible and might have to be withheld by the State.
In such circumstances, there could be only one result. farcedAltlo ocf lothsee. pub lic schoolsin the State could be
That is a possibility which you, I and the people of Georgia are unwilling to contemplate, much less permit!
After seven years of political debate -- after the enactment of many laws which have been put to successive tests in other states and have fallen -- Georgia at this hour is confronted sguarely with the inexorable hand of. Federal force, for tlie first time.
Her decision -- public education or no education -how most effectively to protect the welfare of her children in view of the lawsuits affecting the University faotllAowth.ens and the public schools, and others which may

I:EQPLE SPEAK

blindTdheersetruisc~nioon

--ofNOpu-b-licsenetdiumceantitonin

this S
witnuut

taotfefefroinrga

an effect!ve ctltt11nctt:tve.

There never h~~ been.

effecEtsveorrl tlheegadl emciesainosnc,tnyd els't.H::;ource to circumvent tne

Defiance, no.

Priv~te ocnools offered as a luot resort, yes.

Destruction or eaucution, no.

That has been tne policy.

That is the policy toa~y.

the cTlahsesrreooims snoofrehaerl sscehnotiomlsenatnaincGoleloerggeias. for integrating

-5-
We are the target of destructive forces beyond our borders, the evil effects of which must be neutralized by Georgians acting in concert for their best interests.
The great body of our people -- the masses -- white wanidthcooulorresydstaelmikeof -s-ewpaisrhateaeredupcraotuiodno. f, and, are content.
Its preservation is the fundamental objective of Georgia people.
It is the fundamental objective of the Vandiver administration.
Separate education -- segregated facilities -- are our objectives, first, last and always. proteGctivtihnegmosuerlvepseo1pnleliagnhet ffoefcptirveeseanntdcloengdailtiomnesan, s ptuoblic sentiment will see to it in practically every community that separate education is continued in Georgia, on a voluntary basis.
AFFORD THAT PROTECTION
and upTohneryeofuo~re1vheitm1esmbienrcsumofbetnhteuGpoennemrae1 aAsssGemobvleyr,notro,
act now to aiford that protection. It can be done. we can preserve public education. we can maintain separate facilities. We can preserve the peace and good order of the State. We can -- we must -- protect the children of Georgia. We can do this~ my friends, NOT by futile defiance
of Federal force ana authority ----not by allowing ourselves to come into irreconcil-
afebwlewcooulndflhiacvtewuisthdosupwehrieorer Fabedjeecrtaldaerfmeeadt afondrceas 1uuarns oaver of education to the tederal courts would be the ultimate catastrophe.
That is no strategy. That is no plan. our course is to evolve a sensible plan;'not to n~ungt afgue rtihneermaogtgiroanvaalv1 efuantilaelremaodvye-sbawdhischituaacctioomnp.lish nothing not voioulrenccoeu.rse is lawful resistance -- not defiance -our course is what is expected of a government of 1a,..rs. Our course is what is expected from responsible men. solutiOounr. course is the only effective remaining means and Georgians have maintained their position by acting wwiitthh cinotuerlalgieg.ence, with foresight, with initiative and
We will continue to do so.

-6-

GRANTS AMENDMENT

SeptemThbeerd2e9c,isi1o9~8o, f

wouhriche

dfuoclalotiwoend

~
5

ra

na~ves

i

nmtphlaaetdhneeFaiesLtdeinetrnetalcvleeiSssiRusoaponrrceyekmdetchainCsaeto1,uw9rae?tn6, drerevthniosdeseere

d

I am amendment

sinure1.95th4awt itlhlosje9inwhtoonopigphostedwitthhe

gran those

ts~f

in-aid us

who voted and worked actively f vr 1ts adoption in prv -

claiming it a farsighted act of statesmanship and leader-

ship.

Proposed bl the then Governor Herman Talmadge, it was the basis or our defense then.

It forms the basis of our defense now.

mdeecnitsiwIomanspslaedhmaoevpnetetadrteinoindne1lree9a6isital.anidtnioeifnnf
which these statutes envisaged,

ef1cco9atn~ringvt.ohete, Sno1iiwnn95c4telehggtaharta1anltYctstoicnmoadmmeieteinodn-s

into operation. Therefore, for the State to make grants,

new implementing legislation is necessary.

Also, in 1g56 and in 19~9, the Legislature enacted
statutes providing .for school closure when integrated. Rinectehnet idr ebceisiniognsstrdiecakleinng. with identical laws have resulted

In order to authorize the suspension of public schools and their re-opening, consistent with the wishes of their pa~rons, a new law covering this subject must be paseed.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON SCHOOLS tCoommmaiAkestsisiountcs_hl_aasthstetsGuedseyn.seironai AthsesemGbelnyerCaol mAmssiettmeeblyoncSrecahtoeodlsa settinTghefocortmhmoituterepmreasdeenat cleognasltrpucotsiivtieonc.ontribution in viewsTwhoeureghetxhperersespedo,rtinwatshonsoet ucnoanncilmuosiuosn, sw, hwilheerve atrhyeinreg was unanimity, the report is most enlightening and helpful. of theInptehoepslee a--retahse, wthiellcoomf btihneedpreeoppolertsofeGxperoersgsiat.he will strikiAnfgtesrimstuildayriintgiestheinsethreepirorrtesc,omI mfiennddattihoants. there are mitteeThaegsereeadreotnh: e points that every member of the com-
1. The people of Georgia are overwhelmingly in favor of both segregation and public education.
2. An overwhelming majority of the people of Georgia hold a deep convictio~ that separate facilities for the wrahcietes. and colored races are in the best interests of both
3. Compulsory association of the races through
enforced integration would be detrimental to the peace good order and tranquility of the State, and detrimental to progress, harmony and good relations between the races.
4. The vast majority of the people prefer taxssuchpopoolrste. d, segregated public schools rather than p rivate

~- The right of freedom of choice of one's associates is in violation of no laws, State or Federal. and is the foundation stone of all society and is the base upon which progress, happiness, good order and good feeling among people are built.

6. Both majority and minority reports favor the
adoption of an amendment to the State Constitution guaranteeing this same freedom of association under which no child would be compelled to attend a school wherein intolerable conditions exist.

be

7. That legally-effective, implementation
enacted authorizing tuition grants under the

1le97g4isalamteinodn-

ment.



8. That public education be preserved in Georgia.

Finally, most important of all

Georg9ia. bTe hhaet ldtheparbaemsot uinnt teanrdesatbsovoef athlel cohthiledrrecnonosfiderations.

THE ISSUE PRESENTED In the final analysis, the guestion -- the issue --
pourersednefteednsetos meentainredlytouypoonu, eixsiswtinnegthsetratwuetewsa,ntmtaonyreosf t which are identical to those which have fallen in other states1 or whether we shall re-build our defenses to withstand, uhese onslaughts in the courts.
Gentlemen, in laying a breastworks, it is elementary .wtahcictihcswhnenototnocerepliyercoenda, sthineghleo,rdaelsrewaoduyldvbuelnueproanbleusl. ine,
All of us remember the famed French Maginot Line rveamuenmtebderaas lsionvhionwcibitlemperlitoedr tboefWoroerldthewaor nIsIla. ugBhut towf ethe Blitzkreig.
The time is at hand, therefore, to seek new and better defenses -- to perfect alternative plans -- to act with courage and resolve -- to act declsively -- to determine to carry on legal resistance with every means available to us.
We must discard rusty and defective safeguards.

COURSE ESTABLISHED

We will follow Assembly of Georgia

the and

principle the people

laid down by of Georgia

i

nthe195G4eneral

wateatlh, ewbe ewgiinlnl inugtiloifzethtios sthtreugfugllele, sttha--t, in our common

COMMA~~E~Q k~~rAtj::H~PiffRt~y~~nc~,td:fu B38lm~~I~t OUR

That is our policy.

Let us pursue.it.with everything we have.

apcurtpwoLsieteh.t uims mperdoicaecyedtonowstrteongetxhaemnineit oaubr spoolustietiloynanadndwtioth

-8-

CHILDPROTECTION PLAN The administration will present to you a Freedom
of Association child protection defense package at this session, composed of a proposed Constitutional Amendment and three bills.
The amendment would guarantee freedom of association. One bill would provide for an effective system of grants-in-aid based upon valid premises rather than upon contingencies which are legally impossible under existing laws. Another would provide adequate legal machinery, which does not now exist, for suspension and re-opening of public schools. Another bill relates to new and effective appellate procedures of the State Board of Education. The amendment and bills are intended to be cumulative to all effective and subsisting school legislation on the books and to augment and supersede those enactments which are now ineffectual as enabling legislation for our constitutional provision authorizing grants-in-aid. Their passage is an additional and necessary step in Georgia 1s efforts to avoid the harmful effects of the deCltiion in the Brown case and tnotie which have followed. That is our task.

0

almosWt eulnisvoelvianbltei.mes and face problems that appear

But we must taKe heart.

on eaWrtehh. ave a great State here and the finest Citl.t.t:Hlo

Pr~ying for~ :pivine G-idance in all tha."t we ao, rededicating our Ib1tn in Education~ young Georgia eyes will look deeper iuto liue world OI the future.

for thAen eodetutc,eartmedenytooufthmwanikllinddi.scover oroad new horizons

to

And lead,

a ~eople difficult

atormoedrivweithanuknoimwpleodsgseiblewitlo~

oe easy enslave.

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