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Then, at week's end, after Faubus had left Little Rock for the Southern Governors' Conference in Lexington, Ky.. came the most significant rebellion of all. In an advertisement published in both Little Rock dailies, 61 (of 260) practicing Little Rock attorneys—including the son of Arkansas' Congressman Brooks Hays—called for a vote on behalf of integration in this Saturday's referendum.
"Existing public school facilities of this district," they wrote, "cannot be legally operated with any public funds as segregated private schools. Consequently, the real issue before the voters of this district . . . will be whether we shall open our schools under the court-approved plan of limited integration or close them altogether . . We regret that the alternatives are harsh, but nevertheless, as attorneys and citizens we feel compelled to take our stand for public education."