The broad ax., 1924-10-04
The Straw Vote or Ballot Which Continues to Run
through the Columns of the Daily Newspapers
throughout the Country, Clearly Indicates, that
Hon: Calvin Coolidge will be Elected President of
the United States Tuesday, November
THE GRAND OLD PARTY WINS NEGROES; CONFUSES
DEMOCRATS, LAFOLLETTE
From The Man on the Corner"

Chicago, Ill.-The success which has
followed the colored organization
within the Republican party, practical
ly sewing up Negro support in the
coming election, has forced the Demo-
cratic party and the Third party, led
by La Toilette, to frenzied attempts to
deal with and entice away the northern
Negro voter. The action on the part
Of the Democrats is not restricted to
those of the north but is being under
taken by southern Democrats as we'll.
1t is understood that both La
Toilette and the Democrats preferred
to sit tight at the beginning of the
present campaign and profit from the
discomfort which was known to be
among the Negro voters. Those
leaders who had been watching the
signs, predicted that the Negro was
angry and that with the coming Of
November there was going to be a
breaking up of his vote which would
spell doom to the Republican party
and bring profit to some other.
Naturally, it was felt that Negroes
1-ould try something new, not the
Democratic party Of persecution, but.
say, Third party, the La Toilette,
Socialist, Labor, Red Group, anything
to get away from the Republicans,
who had done much for them, but
not all they wanted Or expected.
But things have not panned out as
the dopesters thought. Only one or
two so-called big Negroes have jumped
and they have gone to the Democrats.
in New York and Massachusetts,. The
Negroes who have joined the La
Toilette organization are the kind that
the average Negro voter is rather
wary Of anyhow Whereas most Of
the voters are far from believing that
the Republican party is all that Fred
Douglass said it was, they have sub
scribed to the national belief in Coo
lidge, his sanity, honesty and strength.
They know that this is no time to be
feeling around. They might have
gone to third party, but this new
thing that has sprung up is something
that they can't understand. All that
they can hear talk Of is an attack Oh
the Constitution, which they have
abided by; Of Reds, whom they fear,
and Of demagoguery which confuses
them. They have decided to come in
out of the storm and not try to reach
shelter which may not be safe after all.
This attitude has provoked direct
action on the part Of the other two
parties. Their hope lies in a deadlock
in the election When La Toilette
started that was all he hoped to do.
That would satisfy him now, but he Is
not sure that he can do it. The Dem
ocrats would prefer deadlock to Re
publican victory also, but victory for
the Democrats If possible.
Thus northern Democrats are court
ing the Negro voter at the Republican
party backdoor.
Conditions seem to Be % bad that
so-called big Democratic Negroes from
other sections have been called in to
talk over the situation. This week,
William III. Lewis, former assistant
United States attorney under a Repub-
Iican administration, who deserted the
g. Q. p for the Democrats this year,
and Ferdinand Q. Morton, civil serv-
ice commissioner from New York and
leader Of the Negro Democrats there.
came to town. They were ii frequent
consultation with local Democratic
leaders. Most Of these conferences
were with white men. Morton was
in conference with Oscar DePriest,
first Chicago Negro alderman and the
Moses who delivered the Negro to the
Democrats two years ago. DePriest|
has since expressed himself as being