The Big Parade: On the Road to Montgomery FREEDOM MARCH

BEGINS ATSELMA;

TROOPS ON GUARD

3,200 Take in Protest

as 54-Mile Rights Walk

to Montgomery Starts

DR . KING HAILS MISSION

Envisions Alabama'and New America '

Crowd's Mood Festive

By ROY REEDSpecial to The York Times

International

The Rev Dr. Martin Luther King Jr . leads marchers fromBrowns Chapel Methodist Church in Selma . He is flankedby the . Ralph D . Abernathy , left , and Dr. Ralph J .Bunche, U . . Under Secretary . Paul R . Screvane,

York City Council President, is third in line behind Dr.King. Mrs. Constance Baker , Manhattan Borough

President, is beside him . Mrs. Ruby Hurley, Southeastern

Secretary of the X . A A . C . P . is behind Mr. Abernathy.

SELMA Ala . March 21 -Backed by the armed might ofthe United States , 3,200 persons marched out of Selmatoday on the first leg of a historic venture in nonviolent protest .

The marchers , or at leastmany of them , are on their wayto the State Capitol at Montgomery to submit a petitionfor Negro rights Thursday to

George C . Wallace , a manwith little sympathy for theircause .

Today was the third attemptfor the Alabama Freedom

March . On the first two, themarchers were stopped

state troopers, the first time

with tear gas and clubs.The troopers were on

today, but they limited themselves to helping Federal troopshandle traffic on U . . Highway80 as the marchers left

Soldiers Line HighwayHundreds of Army and fed

eralized National Guard troopsstood guard in Selma and linedthe highway out of town to protect the marchers . The troopswere sent by Presidentson after Governor Wallace saidthat Alabama could not affordthe expense of protecting themarch .

The marchers were in festive humor as they started . Thetone was set by the Rev. RalphD . Abernathy , top aide to theRev. Dr Martin Luther KingJr . in the Southern ChristianLeadership Conference, as heintroduced Dr King for an address before the march started .

we get to Monigomery , Abernathy said

are going to up toGovernor Wallace ' s door andsay , George, it' s all over now .We' got the ballot.

The throng

cheered .

Seven Miles CoveredThe marchers a large ma

jority of them walkeda little over miles today .

Governor Wallace is not expected to be at the State Capitol when the marchers arriveat the end of their - journey . An aide has said that hewill probably be " in Michiganor someplace making aThursday .

Not enough buses could be

found to escort 2 900 the

3 ,200 marchers back to Selma

tonight in line with a Federal

Court order limiting the number

to 300 along a two - lane stretchof highway .

The authorities fcared for thesafety of those returning toSelma. Justice Department of

ficials finally arranged with the

Southern Railway for a specialtrain of the Western Railway ofAlabama to take them back .

The Western is a subsidiary ofthe Southern

Johnson PraisedHighway 80 narrow 's from a

four-lane to a two -lane roadabout five miles past the pointwhere marchers stopped tonight. It widens to four lanesagain as it approaches Montgomery .

his talk at the start of themarch .Dr.King praised PresidentJohnson of his votingrights message to Congresslast Monday "Never has aPresident spoken so eloquently

so sincerely on the questionof civil rights. "

Then he turned to the crowdin front of Browns ChapelMethodist Church, the thousands of whites and Negroesfrom Alabama and around thecountry who were congregatedfor the march , and said :

" You will be the people that

Continued on Page 26 , Column 1

Associated Press Wirepboto

Marchers on U . . 80 after crossing Edmund Pettus Bridge

The New York TimesPublished:March 22, 1965

Copyright © The New York Times

3,200 Begin Freedom March to Alabama' s Capitol as Federal Troops StandGuard

AFESTIVE CROWDHEARS DR. KING

He Envisions New Alabama

and a New America

Throng Is Heckled

the

Continued From Page 1, Col. 8

will light a new chapter in thehistory books of our nation .Those of us who are Negroesdon ' t have much We haveknown the long night of poverty . Because of the system ,we don ' t have much educationand some of us don ' t know howto make our nouns and verbs

agree . But thank God we haveour bodies, our feet and oursouls

" Walk together children ,don ' t you get weary , and it will

lead us to the promised land.

And Alabama will be a newAlabama, and America will be a

new America ."Dr. King' s sense of history

if not his optimism , seemed wellplaced . The Alabama march appear s destined for a niche inthe annals of the great protest demonstrations.

RESPITE ALONG U .S 80 : Civil rights on median during the first DESTINATION MONTGOMERY View of Edmund PetThe march is the culmination of 50-mile hike to Montgomery where they will press for Negroes rights . tus Bridge, across Alabama River, as marchers Selma.

of a turbulent nine-week campaign that began as an effortto abolish restrictions on Negrovoting in the Alabama BlackBelt and widened finally to

encompass a general protest

against racial injustice in thestate .

The drive has left two mendead and scores injured . Some3 .800 persons have been arrestedin Selma and neighboring communities .

The march got under wayat 12:47 P .M . 2 hours 47 minutes late, after a confused flurryof last -minute planning andganizing

The marchers reached the

first night' s campsite, 7 . 3 mileseast of Selma, at 5 : 30. When

they got there they found four

big pitched in & Negrofarmer ' s field

Leading march with Dr.King were Dr. Ralph J . Bunche,United NationsUnder Secretaryfor Special Political Affairs;the Right Rev . Richard Millard,Suffragan Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California , andCager Lee, grandfather of Jimmie Lee Jackson, the youngNegro killed by a state trooperlast month at Marion, Ala

Also among the leaders wereJohn Lewis , president of theStudent Nonviolent Coordinating Committee ; DeaconessPhyllis Edwards of the Episcopal Diocese of Californiabi Abraham Heschel professorof Jewish mysticism and ethicsat the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York . Abernathy, and the Rev. Frederick International

D . Reese , Negro ministerFEDERAL PROTECTION Soldiers, prepared to prevent trouble . posted along the line of march outside Selma

from Selma, who is presidentof the Dallas County VotersLeague. Provost Marshal General of the About 30 gathered at Mr Screvane explained why began to ask ourselves . What

2 .000 Spectators United States Army the Broad Street and Alabama Ave he there. can we do to change the climatescene as the personal represent

About 2.000 white and nue at midmorning to wait for We cameto represent Mayor of an entire state?

ative of the Army Chief ofspectators watched the proces

Wagner and we hope, Black movement be

Harold K . Johnson . the march to go by. The march gan that year . Thesion leave town. That was 4 . 000

people of New York in whatBy radio . Federal agents re was late expected , and while we consider to be a just cause ,

Nonviolent Coordinating Comfewer than Army Intelligence ported minute by minute to the they waited half a dozen spec he said mittee moved into Selma , which

had predictedJustice Department and the

About 150 whites watched in

calls itself queen of the Alatators joshed with the four Dozens of union officials and

Pentagon in Washingtonbama Black Belt - the swath of

silence as the march turned armed military policemen sta clergymen came in today and

M . P ' s guarded every crossrich , dark soil and heavy Negrojoined the hundreds of minister sfrom tioned there.

Alabama Avenue androad, leapfrogging in Jeeps to

population across south -centraland students and civil rightsheaded down Broad Street to The state and local authori Alabama and began holdingstay ahead of themarch

ward Edmund Pettus Bridge. Aworkers already here .ties have repeatedly urged Ala meetings and demonstrations.

There was one report of vio Abama whites to stay away from

freshwhite man hoisted his young

college group ar King and the Southernlence. An unidentified white rived 33 students and three

U . S Highway 80 while theson to his shoulder to give the

Christian Leadership Conferminister riding in an advance professors from

march is in progress .Canisius Col

lad a better view . Several per ence came here last Januarycar was said to have been at lege , a Roman Catholic instituEarly this morning . or and put the Selma movement

sons snapped pictures. tacked by four white men when tion in Buffalo Nthree M . P ' s were deBrig. Gen Henry V . Graham .on the map.

he got out of the car on thea National Guard officer, com

thrust up from the group said .ployed at each intersection on

side of road. " Civilthe march route in the city.

Man Wantsmanded all Federal troops on

CivilA spokesman for the march Rights . "

the scene, including the Regu ers said the minister had beenMore were string out along

Highway on the other sideEarly today, plans for the

lar Army military policemen . struck on the face once and march were still being hamGeneral Graham , a tall square of Edmund Pettus Bridge . Sevknocked to the ground but had mered out . At A M . , 400

jawed man , stood in the middle not been seriously hurt

eral state troopers were sca

500 persons milled in the street.

of Bridgewearing a hel Today' s leg of the journeytered along the highway on the Milling has become the style

met as he directed the opera cut short four miles by a outskirts of the city

At Craig Air Force Base fiveof the movement in recent

tion. court injunction obtained by a weeks, and the character ofmiles east on 80 a

Two state trooper cars led white landowner who did not the milling has changed as

the procession across the dozen big Army trucks couldwant the marcher camping hundreds of whites from the

be seen fromovernight on his land. A Negro

the road. Theybridge. In the lead car was North East and West have

were filled with armed troops.Maj. John Cloud , the man who tenant had agreed to let them

come into town to add their

directed the rout, with tear gas camp there .The temperature was 2 de protest to the Negro ' s . The

and nightsticks, of 525 Negro marcheaders found afreezing when peo outsiders mill with a greater

marchers near the foot of the new campsite . The Negro farm ple began gathering in Sylvan air of purpose .

same bridge two weeks ago. er ' s field where they slept toStreet this morning . The sun The marcherswho showed up

Themarchers passed the site night is about a quarter of acame out brilliantly . by 11 very early today in front of

of the bloody incident without A . M . the temperature was upmile south of the highway. Browns Chapel were from the

to 42 degrees.signal except for a reminder The field is about 500 yards hard core of the movement.

from a white heckler fromThe marchers were out in

the New Sister Springs Others did not begin to appear

It was to protest the officers' Baptist Church It was at the everything from shirtsleeves to on Sylvan Street until the sun

rout of the first marchers that church heavy coats. One elderly Negrothat the marchers was high

a dress Air Force topcoatthe Rev. James J . Reeb, a white returning to Selma tonight The Alabama Freedom March

a heavy woolheadpiece thatUnitarianminister from Boston, boarded rented Greyhoundbuses has a long history as the lead

covered his head throat andand numerous automobiles thatcame to Selma with scores of ers see it . The

other clergymen . While he was shuttled them to the railway most of his face . Young. assistant toPaul R . president

here, Mr. was fatally beat. loading point about a mile from Dr King in the Southern Chrisof the New York City Council

the campsite.en by a band of white men on tian Leadership Conference .showed up in a suit and

Most of those who left theMarch 9 .told reporters last night that

The heckler held up a march this way spent the night, overcoat He and Mrs. Con the whole Alabama project

as the procession left Pettus many had spent previousstance Baker Motley , Manhat went back to the Birmingham

nights , with Negro families inBridge early this afternoon . Ittan' s Negro Borough President, church bombing of 1963 injoined the milling crowd in

read, " Too bad, Reeb ." Selmawhich five Negro children were

few feet away another front of Browns Chapel at midSome will remain in Alabama

A

killed.

white spectator held a sign say and rejoin the march Thurs morning " At that time," he said , we

ing, " I hate niggers . day, the final day . Leaders of

More Hecklers the march hope to arrive at

MontgomeryMore whites heckled from a

in impressive

railroad embankment running numbers.

The military authorities arealong the highway. They ap

concerned about protection forparently were upset over the

way the marchers were carry the marchers at night. Show

ing United States flag They business personalities such as

Harryware carrying it upside down

Belafontethe position of the distress sig Horne are scheduled to enternal. tain the group every night.

On down the road, three cars The officials fear that outsiders

painted with anti-Negro slogans9may come to the camps to see

and hear the entertainers , andpassed in the south section of

the four - lane highway. One car , that troublemakers may infil

with a Mississippi license plate trate at the same time.

bore the words Meridian, Miss. A military spokesman said

the troops had no authority tohates niggers. A Confederate

flag flew from the radio aerial search cars for weapons .

The lettering on another car Although the weather was

said , " Go home scum . " relatively warm for the begin

Back in town some 20 ning of the march tempera

glers ran up Broad Street to ture dropped below freezing .

ward the bridge with knapsacks The coming of the troops to

bouncing on their backs, try Selma has produced none of the

ing to catch the procession crushing grimness of the Fedwhich had already disappeared eral presence that characterizedover the bridge. The marchers the Government' s interventionwalked on the left side of the at Little Rock , Ark ., in 1957 andhighway Oxford, Miss. , in 1962

The Federal presence was The main difference is thateverywhere even in the air . troops were used in the earlier NTGOMERYAbout a dozen planes and heli instances to suppress violencecopters, many of them manned already out of hand, or threatby military personnel, flew over ening to get out of hand while

the procession constantly . they were brought here to pre York Times

John Doar head of the Civil vent violence .MARCH ROUTE : Demonstrators Browns Chapel Church in Selma and marched to

Rights Division of the Justice Most of Selma' s whites today New Sister Springs Church ( 1) near where 300 camped . They were to stop overDepartment ,walked to one side went about their Sunday night Monday at a farm (2 ) Tuesday at a church (3 ), and Wednesday at the City ofat the head of the march , ing business , which is church St. Jude ( 4 ) , a Catholic institution serving Negroes . From there they planned to conwatching. and only a few bothered with the tinue until Thursday to the Capitol in Montgomery where the march will end .

Maj. Gen . Carl C . Turner commotion on Sylvan Street. The farm and the church on the route were not identified for security reasons.

POST

ALABAMASELMA

New TimesPublished :March 22, 1965

Copyright The New York Times