The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1939-12-28
Right Of SuHrdg
Continued From Pare One)


tutional and legal means were re-
sorted to to prevent the Negroes from
exercising their right of suffrage.
Origin of Grandfather Clause" and
White Primaries
"For instance, there was the IA
NOUS Grandfather Clause, which said
that any citizen who was able to vote
prior to 1866 or whose lineal descend
ants voted prior to 1866 be eligible to
vote. Well, of course, Negroes did
not vote prior to 1866. In fact, their
enfranchisement was not complete.
'sThe Supreme Court declared the
Grandfather Clause unconstitutional,
and then other means were resorted
to, such. as, for instance, the white
primaries and the poll tax. The white
primaries were designed to prevent
Negro citizens from participating in
what is known as the primaries OF the
South. According to the primary
election in the South, whoever is nom-
mated is elected. Therefore, you see
that when Negroes are barred from
participating in the primaries they are
actually denied the right to vote.
However, the Supreme Court de-
clared the primaries unconstitutional.
Associate Justice Holmes and Asso-
ciate Justice Cardozo wrote the opin-
ion declaring the primaries unconsti-
tutional, one case arising out Of Ell
Paso, Texas, and another out Of Hous-
ton, Texas.
Poll Tax Disfranchises Both White
and Negro Workers
Following the action on the white
primaries some Of the States of the
South adopted what is known as the
poll tax. A poll tax is tax upon
the heads of men. 1t is not prop
erty tax. 1t really means price
upon the vote and it also is handi-
cap to poverty. Although $1.50 a
year may not be much to the rich it
means whole lot to the poor, and
consequently the poll tax has served
not only to disfranchise Negroes but
white workers as well.
"For instance, in the poll tax States,
out of 100000 eligible voters only
16 per cent voted in 1886 whereas the
average vote throughout the nation
of the possible voters in 1886 was So
per cent. Only nine per cent of the
eligible voters in South Carolina voted
in 1886. Only eleven per cent of the
eligible voters in Mississippi voted in
1886. Only 26 per cent of the eligible
voters of Tennessee voted in 1886, and
only 81 per cent Of the eligible voters
of Texas voted in 1886, all indicating
that the poll tax has disfranchised the
poor whites and the Negro voters of
the South.
wherever you have a limitation
upon universal suffrage, such as the
poll tax, it makes for political cor
ruption and it makes for the oppres-
sion of the people. At the polls the
workers go to register their convic-
tions relative to certain governmental
policies. When worker is denied the
right to register his choice for repre-
sentatives to adopt laws in the vari-
Gus legislative bodies of the nation,
that worker is disarmed of defense,
and when he has no weapon with
which to defend himself as a citizen
he is subject to victimization and ex-
ploitation.
"That is shown by the fact that the
appropriation for the education of
Negro boys and girls in the South is
very much lower than the appropria-
ton for the education of the white
boys and girls.
Origin and Evil Effects of
"Know- -NOthingism"
"Now, as matter of fact, we have
had various movements that have op-
Grated against various groups in this
country, dating back to the early
1S20's, 1905 and lS40's. We had what
is known as knowNothingism in
America. Know-Nothingism was a
movement of persecution against the
Irish Catholics. The Irish Catholics
found themselves defenseless in the
various cities, and they sought to use
the ballot to protect their rights. That
is why the Irish were able to build
great political power in the various
cities of the East
hnOW-NOJnlnSlSm was cHpreSSeu
in the fight upon Alfred Smith when
he ran for President of the United
States The Solid South turned from
the Democratic Party and broke up
and voted the Republican ticket in
order to defeat AL Smith. AS mat
ter of fact, we know that if Catholic
were nominated for the Presidency
today whirlwind of religious bigotry
and hate would swhrl again and crush
him in defeat. Therefore Know Moth
ingism is not yet dead, know-Noth-
ingism is still alive.
"And just as the Catholics had to
employ the ballot to protect their
citizenship rights, the Negro workers,
too, must have right to use the bal
lot to protect their status in the ma
tion. Just as you had Know Moth
ingism against the Catholics you have
anti-Semitism against the Jews. AS
a matter of fact, in certain of the pub
lie utilities they will not permit Jews
to exercise any consideration in the
handling of managerial affairs or
In GnlI % l,k 10, 10,