The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1936-11-13
HAAcP Says Race
Does Not Belong To
Demos. For Votes

NEW YORK The heavy vol
or President Roosevelt by colo
I'd people November 3 does NJ
mean the race is now the propert
Of the Democratic party, 1t wa
declared here today in a statemer
BY the NAAcP.
Pointing out that the size Of u
vote frees the President of obligs
lion to the South, Walter Whit
NAAcP secretary, warns ths
must be done about di'
in the civil service. r.
lief and employment. snd lyncl
nf, or else the Negro Is likely I
vote with some other party {
group in 1888 and 1910. The tea
If the statement:
Mr.. Roosevelt's phenomen-
al victory should be soberly
and intelligently considered by
Negro Americans in all of its
implications. Frankly, we of
the NAACP would have been
happier had the results been
more close as the efforts for
fair play of minority group
are always more effective
when there is greater balance
between political parties. This
fact, however, is balanced by
certain other realities. Per-
haps the most significant of
these is that Mr.. Roosevelt's
Victory was so overwhelming
that he is the first Democratic
President in History Who could
have been elected had not a
single vote been cast for him
by the solid South. This cir
cumstance should free Mr..
Roosevelt and the enlightened
wing of the Democratic party
from control by the South of
= the Cotton Ed Smiths, the Bill
hos and the Talmadges. The
abolition of the two-thirds
rule by the Democratic con-
vention. which rule has per-
mitted the South hitherto to
exercise veto power on many
presidential candidates, AMI
the new nobility of the Negro
vote with the attendant at
tention paid to it in pivotal
states, can mean a new deal
politically for the Negro.
Negroes, however, must
wisely and unselfishly utilize
this new power and these new
situations. They must let the
Democratic party know that
all elections will not be won
by the overwhelming majority
of 1886. They must let the
Democratic leaders know that
the overwhelming vote for Mr..
Roosevelt is an enthusiasm
for Roosevelt the individual,
and must not be interpreted as
unequivocal approval of the
Democratic party.
"They must also let demo-
cratic leaders of the country
as a whole know that the Ne
gro is not now chattel Of the
Democratic or any other party
and that we can and will vote
for other parties in 1888 or
1910 as overwhelmingly as he
did for the President in 1886
if campaign promises are bro
ken. They must let Democra-
tic 1ers know that Negroes
want something done about
lynching, discrimination in re-
lief, and jobs and in the civil
service.
1.-THE Presidents overwhelm-
majority not only means that
the anti-Negro South no long
er dominates the Democratic
party, but that northern Demo-
Gratis can no longer Offer an
excuse on such matters as the
anti-lynching bill that they
are helpless in the face of
the southern opposition. The
South is less a unit on the Ne
gro issue now than it has ev-
er been before and this years
election has helped to streng-
then the hands of those lib
eral forces in the South who
want the Negro given a square
deal.
1--WE do not surrender the
right of individual Negroes to
be appointed to responsible
posts, but we are and must
continue to be much more
deeply interested in legisla-
ton and in executive and 9TH
er action affecting the welfare
of the masses Of Negroes r.
-ther than in jobs for individu-
ais.
Finally, a significant devel-
opemnt of this years election
is its complete and over
whelming repudiation by the
South itself of the attempts of
Talmadge in Georgia, the
Southern committee to Uphold
the Constitution, and others,