"Presenting Dora Lee, queen of the campus," February 9, 1956

AIL, Thursday, February 9, 1956 ..^£ JOINS THE FIGHT FOR AUTHERINE She was nearly lynched^ says University chief [\ LonOoM From DON IDDON : New York, Wednesday PRESIDENT EISENHOWER entered tpday the battle ot words that is raging over the future of Miss Autherine Lucy, the 26- year-old Negro ^stti^ettt suspended by the University I of Alabama after tnob demon- strafionsfjm^^^^ J^lc-^!?' Public Uhdjfttident^to^ dignation^is so vlolfJAthow that ii is vlirtUj^l^^ i that Miss LUc^^B^M ler ^ iidmitted; • \§^^^^l^^::v:- v> In Washirigto&^ t^ IfcriBsi- detit said: *• :&II P iJiJ l!ei^^ what has happened lii Alabama." '^^'^. ¦ ^^^ ' '¦ ¦" - : But he add«d inat thc'Goy- ^rnment j^hould 150> intervene as lonj? a^ State find local authorities were coping with the problem. ': ¦:^ ? \M' 'J^ lU r^ The President' fe!d Hl^ IS- partment of Justice was investi¬ gating the incident;. and.^ he expressed confidence tjiat; In Alabama everyone firottC th* Governor down would do'etery- thing possible to W0tt:J9i|t a settlement. ''-Mr>'^:'' ¦ ''^y'Z:-r.'-::': These are the other voices in the conflict - , . , ^ THE MAN, AT TOP T\R. Oliver Cromwell Gar- JL^ michael. Oxford-educated presiderkt of the university- near collapse today—repeated his assertion that there miuht have been murder at the uni- versitv if Miss Lucy had not been suspended. " My assistant told me." he said, ** that 20 seconds' differ¬ ence on two occasions would hav^ meant stark tragedy. I can think of nothing darker to contemplate than that a student should be murdered on this campu!^ by a mob." And tonierht the President's Ps.^istarLt said the stoning of Autherine when she went to take her place afi a situdent» was an *¦ attempted lynching." TYENfns HOLT, president of -LTthe student^body of the admit Miss Lucy. He is backed ilV a fiaajority of the students. ;«Our University and •--: its trustees may well be famous for h ail time lor running away from a fight," he thundered. ^5^:^I|*ey have acquiesced %fe^ , i^ king on the campus today." He offered a resolution that t means be foimd to protect '^future safety of the students. White or Negro, and the faculty, and the retputoiion of the Univeraity." It was passed, no dissentienits. THE OPPONENT LEONARD WILSON. 19-year- old student who took part in the anti-Negro demonstra¬ tions since they began last Friday, d^lared today : ,* ^ " I severely deplore violence, and it would be the greatest thing Autherine Lucy ever did if she would withdTaw volun¬ tarily from the university. "The demonstrations here sh 0 w e d beyond reasonable doubt that integration will not work. For the safety of herself and of all the other students she should not be admitted. "I don't think Autherine Lucy is responsible for what she is doing. miy AUTHERJNE mp^fitp. . JN Birmingham, 60 miles irom Tuscaloosa, the seat of the university, Autherine Lucy told her own story, read it out, and signed it for naUonal publication : *^I am a humble Negro srlrl, not a crusad^, but I will not turn back now that the fight 4ia^ begun. ^ -* God knows that I didn't in¬ tend to^c^u^ aU this violence and agitation among my fellow- cit:?!ens: and fcUow-students. I nierely^ wantedto get the best education, possible, and I will It^ flgbtiiJIc until I get one. ^T^At^ the University of Ala- pama I vjtasted the goodness of tbj honey not? afforded my rac^. ii^^2?5i5 *^^^_^^«^« ^ ^'^ JW$, Jjanjbed *nd wher* I feel I IjfeO^ldha^ a Place. They stoned m. earsedine, tl^ey btBnaed me in efflgy. but. they did not dis¬ courage me. **I intend ^ s^ that others SJ^^y l^ have a place beside me in the world. u "9'.S^"^^ ^ j^^ friifhtened by it alL But then, my whole ^fe has been flUed with fear; fear of growing up to be a nobody, :h' "As r grew up I saw so many things .b^ng hoar^Jrom me because of mv cda55Mr;^^oukht at least ^Ve A oapS txe good things iniife, ; fr^ ^^ * ft^v-b^ieve.the'1 Alabama student techhim JbrarlatI Ho other interm^w that '1-want ::-^|MS edtieation;^..^-#^ food University of Iowa Libraries. University Archives (?•) ^f 3)