The president of Bob Jones University accused the Supreme Court Tuesday of murdering religious freedom in America, but a civil rights leader hailed a decision to deny tax breaks to schools that practice racial discrimination.
Bob Jones III ordered that flags on the campus at Greenville, S.C., be flown at half-staff, and bemoaned 'the death of religious freedom in America.'
'It was murdered by the Supreme Court today,' the fundamentalist said.
But Thomas Atkins, NAACP acting executive director, said in New York:
'The Supreme Court decision today puts the country back on track. The decision says if you practice discrimination you are not entitled to public support.'
Margaret Bush Wilson, chairman of the NAACP national board of directors, predicted hundreds of discriminatory institutions will fail because of the financial consequences of losing the tax exemptions.
At least 111 schools around the nation that had applied for restoration of the special tax exempt status also are affected by the decision, Ms. Wilson said. The Internal Revenue Service began denying the exemptions during the Nixon administration.
Atkins predicted most of the schools would 'dry up' when potential contributors learn donations they make will no longer be tax deductible.
In Washington, Rep. Dan Rostenkowski, D-Ill., chairman of the House taxwriting committee, said, 'For those of us who strongly opposed the administration's attempt to reverse long-standing civil rights policy, today's Supreme Court decision is a moment of vindication.'
President Reagan had argued the IRS overstepped its power when it denied special tax status to Bob Jones and the Goldsboro Christian Schools in North Carolina. But when he said last year he would reverse the longstanding policy against exemptions a storm of protest forced him to back off.
Reagan asked Congress to rewrite the tax laws to clear up confusion over the issue. The high court concluded there was no confusion -- the 8-1 ruling said the tax breaks violated a fundamental national policy of eradicating discrimination in education.
The special status included exemption from Social Security and federal unemployment taxes, as well as making contributions tax deductible for givers.
Speaking to reporters in Greenville, Jones said he was not surprised by the ruling. 'This is the same court that has decided to murder innocent babies and take prayer -- the word of God -- out of our public schools,' he said.
Bob Jones University now admits students of all races, but forbids interracial dating or marriage. Less than 100 black students are enrolled among the 6,000 students, but Jones said he would not change school rules.
'The policy that got us into this is a viable one, and we intend to hang on to it,' he said.
Jones, who said he has no idea how much the school owes in back taxes, remarked, 'I'm sure the Internal Revenue Service will let us know soon enough.'
Earlier, speaking to the student body at a chapel service, Jones said, 'I have pity for the heathens who sit on the Supreme Court, pity for their damned souls and their blighted minds.'
Bob Jones Jr., chancellor of the school, was equally harsh in assailing the decision.
'This is the end of liberty in America,' he said. 'We're in a bad fix in America when eight evil old men and one vain and foolish woman can speak a verdict on American liberties.'
