The monitor., 1928-10-12
PIckEns PREFERS
HOOVER TO SMITH
BECAUSE OF SOUTH
Field Secretary, National Advance
ment Association Sees Forces
Hostile to Race Among Smith
Supporters.
BOURBON SOUTH TO DOMINATE
The Eventuality of Vice President
Succeeding New Yorker Is Cause
for Serious Appre-
hension
(By the Associated Negro Pre.s)

/ (By the Associated Negro Press)
Chicago, Ill.-In statement to the
headquarters of the colored voters
division of the western branch of the
Republican National Committee, Will
Iliam Pickens, field secretary of the
National Association for the Ad-
vancement of Colored People, author,
and contributing editor to the Asso-
Iciated Negro Press, directs attention
to the fact that for colored Ameri-
leans, as for all other Americans,
there are now but two possible
choices for the administration of the
government of the United States for
the four years following March 4,
1929; Herbert Hoover and the con-
stituency represented by him, or Al
fred E. Smith and his followers.
A year or SO ago, Mr.. Pickens ad-
mits, others might have been consid-
cred against these two, but now the
choice has been narrowed by nomina-
tion to these two-third parties may
count in theory, but in fact the gov
ernment will be run by one of these
! two.
(which of the two will colored
Americans prefer?" Mr.. Pickens in
lquires. 81 do not ask whether col
ored people regard either group as
perfect and without faults, but which
| is better for the interests and welfare
of colored Americans.
"That simplifies the matter: Smith
and his organization are dominated
now, and will be dominated even if
he is elected president, by the South.
The South does not even want the
Negro in the democratic party, for
fear he may claim some right or priv
! ilege from democratic powers. In
Texas today colored men are bring
ing suit against democratic registrars
for denying colored people the right
to register in democratic primaries,
even though the colored men in ques-
ion have been voting the democratic
ticket all their lives. In Florida and
Georgia colored people have been
forcibly denied the right to register
in the democratic party.
"The man nominated for vice pres
ident with Smith is Robinson of Ar
kansas, state where the Negro has
no right which the rest Of the popu-
lation is bound to respect. When
man is elected vice president, only
one little frail human life stands be-
tween him and the presidency. If
Robinson becomes president by the
natural death of Smith, no Negro
could ever forgive himself for having
voted for the national democratic
ticket. Robinson is from state
where Negroes are expected to come
in at the back door. He would ex-
pect the same if he were in the White
House. Colored people complain now
of discrimination against them in gov
ernment departments at Washington.
If Robinson becomes president, they
will not be Disseminated against
there, they will be ousted and kept
out altogether. This is real menace
to colored pople.
"The American Negro has the same
interest in the tariff, prosperity, farm
relief, that all other Americans have,
but this menace of prejudice and big
otry gives the Negro an extra inter
est against the democratic party in
this present election. In fact, the
Negro is the only element that has a
set of interests at stake peculiar to
itself. On the other issues the Negro
can stand for as much as the whites
can stand for; but in the matter of
the peculiar situation of his race he
has special interests, and the demo-
cratic party is special menace to
every one of those interests. The re-
lpublicans have not always lived up
to their obligation and opportunity
with the Negro, but the democrats
have been far worse.
Democrats run the South abso-
jlutely and without rivals, and the
South is the worst part of the world
for the Negro except South Africa,
and in some ways it is worse than
Sorth Africa. One does not have to
theorize. He has but to open his
eyes. Not vote should be wasted.
The democrats must be defeated"