◆ SpookStack

a0 NH ! a, Since that hot summee ‘lay. the tempo of the rumors about dis. sention in the flock, centering around Malcolm X, has increas- ed. Though he haa vehemently denied it when asked by report- ers, nevertheless they were nev. er stilled Shortly after President Kea- nedy's assassination, Malcolm apoke at a Manhattan Center ral- fy and characterized the Killing of the late President as an in- stance of ‘‘the chickens coming home to roost. Aud being’ an old farm boy myself, chickens com- ing home to roast never did make mé sad; they’ ve always ‘made me glad,” he chuckled. _ Within a few days Elijah drop- ped the axe on his top aide. His suspension added fuel to the zu mors, at that time, that it was the start of a struggle for control of the extremist movement. _ But with thie week's front page atory, signed by Elijah Muham- mad, this could be a damaging blow to Maicolm's prestige and standing within the organization. Belng “dismissed indefinitely" from public speaking means that a muzzle has been put on Mr. X, And without his ability to com-: mand attention on the nation’s TV, radio and newspapers, it meana that his star is descending. There's no one at present in the movement who is as controver- slal as Malcolm X. But this may be just what Mr. Muhammad and his aldes have figured out tc steer the movement ‘ints an orbit that will find them in agreement-on some points — with the nation's top Negro civil rights leaders, When Akbar made his historic epeech here in July even Mal- colm recognized it. for what :t! was worth and at the end con- fessed to the audience: “today we've heard a new teaching, aad we are all going to abide by it.” Perhaps he had forgotten his owl words when he vebyrascie:« bed SLE Way spanked publicly by his father, we