3. Strain, Christopher Barry. “Civil Rights and ... - Freedom Archives

Southern Regional Council, a moderate biracial committee on race relations, "it could
mean the end of nonviolence in some areas of the South . Potentially, this is an extremely
serious development, which could cause a wave of violence with national repercussions."
Oull Sutton, associate director of another moderate group, the Arkansas Council on
Human Relations, said : "Someday there's going to be a real bloodbath somewhere . I hate
to say it, but by nature Negroes aren't any more nonviolent than anybody else ." 33
Segregationists shared the same sentiment. For example, W. J . Simmons,
National Coordinator of the Citiuns Councils of America, predicted : "The Deacons will
move southern whites toward more violence, besides costing the civil rights movement a
lot of liberal sympathy in the North." A local Klansman offered : "If violence has to settle
this, then the sooner the better." With regard to the Deacons, he said, "I don't care how
many guns that bunch of black Mau Maus has, they don't have the prerequisite--guts ."~
On July l3, Governor John J. McKeithen, concerned with the damaging effect of
demonstrations on the state's effort to attract northern industry to Louisiana, flew to
Bogalusa to make a personal appeal for the cessation of protest activities for a thirty-day
"cooling off period ." Promising that demonstrations would be "stepped up," Bogalusa's
black leaders rejected the plea, saying that the governor offered "nothing in return ." 3s
McKeithen washed his hands of the matter and lamented, "I think they have made a tragic
22 .
3sRoy Reed, "Negroes Reject 19ogalusa Truce," New York Times (July 14,1%S) : 1,
12 6