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the purpose for which this meeting has been called, the objects thereof, and what the Resolution of the Arkansas Legislative Council directed this Committee to do, The Resolution authorized the Special Education Committee to "conduct such hearings of subversion present in Arkansas which has encouraged racial unrest", and invited the Attorney General of Arkansas to conduct the interrogation of witnesses that might be called at such hearings. Congressional committees conducting investigations on the same subject matter have the power of nationwide subpoena; the subpoena power of this investigation, by law, does not extend further _thanthe borders of our State, As a further comparison, this Committee does not have the power to cite a balky witness for contempt. So we must of necessity proceed with those witnesses within the borders of Arkansas and with those that will come into our State by invitation. Last year, the Supreme Court of the United States in the case of Pennsylvania v. Nelson, 350 U.S. 497, 100 L.Ed, 640, directed its opinion at "suspending the enforceability" of state laws imposing criminal sanctions on subversive activity directed against the Federal government. In the Nelson decision, the Court pointed out that it did not void provisions of state law insofar as they made it a crime in the States to attempt to overthrow the Federal government by unlawful means, but merely suspended their enforceability while the Federal Smith Act remained on the books. We are probably in the second most serious crisis that our State has undergone in its entire 124-year history. For many decades the different races in Arkansas have lived in peace; they have made progress in the educational, cultural and economic fields. Our people in this State have always lived in peace, The recent em-~ otional explosion here was not the result of something that occurred overnight. It will be the purpose of this Committee to learn ~ - - and I believe the witnesses will so establish, who did what, where, when, and how - = = on world, national, regional and local basis, asp Stat sy to wacial unrest in Arkansas. a rae ee Senna eemnenananamemanemenmianiiuienaeedl aS oo