Letter to President Dwight D. Eisenhower from Mrs. Jane Adkins Regarding the Integration of Schools

10/17/57 Okl ahoma City, Oklao October 9th, 1957 Dwight Eisenhower President Washington, D. C. . Dear Mr. President: Your use of Federal Troops at Little Rock, Arkansas is viewed with dismay. As a constituent I have never written a letter to a politician or statesman before. I have been a good Repulbican. and wholehartedly supported you in your two previous elections. I am the Mother of three children and have not here- tofore been particularily concerned on the school integration question; however, I am againstiit now. Our separate neighborhood sections here in Oklahoma have attributed to the fact that we have not encountered serious difficulty in rolation to amounced integration of schools which I feel is comparative to other Northern sections of the country In view of my previous agreement with the moderation view slupporting the principles of integration, I now wonder if any principles ever existed excepting the desire of politicians to incite race hate and gain more Negro votes in strategic areas of our country where this vote might normally be of value in an election We get along since the 18th, Amendment was appealed and the local or state option system appears satisfactory to all concerned. If you would advocate letting the people decide the racial situation either in their own communities or nationally through the ballot boxes instead of with guns and bayonetts, we might get back to our old and good system of government It is very improhable that this letter will ever came to your attention, Mr. President; however, it would do well for party statisticians to note the possible en-masse deflection of good Republicans from the folds of party alignmento Respectively yours, Jane adkin' Mrs. Jane Adkins 2244 SW 49th, Oklahoma City, Oklao ja/