The Detroit tribune. (Detroit, Mich.) 1935-1966, 1940-11-16
BY Alfred Casey

ny aired Casey
MICHIGAN HAS just completed
." its greatest trek to the polls
and the Negro has also set n rec
ord In casting the largest vote In
Detroit's history. East side and
west side precincts where the Ne
gro population is congested, march
ed TO the polls with eighty to nine
~ per cent OF their registered vote.
This turnout OF Negro voters an
preached a mark that we have Oft
en- heard Negro statesmen say
could be done II the Negro would
vote.
Well. he voted last Tuesday and
how. My figures show that 7S.4O6
Negro voters went TO the polls and
cast ballots. This Is the highest
ever attained by Negro voters I'm
this city. Years ago we heard the
mark OF 10000 mentioned as the
goal the Negro should attain IN
casting ballots. In this last cleo
ton he came very near that mark.
On the east side 55.725 votes were
cast in Negro districts and this Is
still far from the full side strength
OF the registered vote. on the west
side in the Negro districts 22.ssf
votes were cast; this includes those
outlying precincts such as Eight
Mile road. North Detroit. Highland
Park and the Down River precincts.
The east side tabulation also in
cludes those outlying precincts.
Now there are some interesting
facts about the difference in cleve-
age OF the east side and west side
voters.
The east side precincts voted
one way and the west side pre-
cincts another.
m THE EAST SIDE there was the
preponderant 4 TO 1 vote for
Roosevelt. This same majority
held for the reelection OF Senator
Digs and for the defeat OF the
Republican. Donald Marshall nv
the same preponderant majority
II aided in pushing up the Rev
Horace White to the twelfth Mace
In the state representative race on
the Democratic ticket. The east
side Is where the Negro had n large
proportion OF the stranded popu-
lation during the depression and
the center OF the hlighted area M.
fecting a population OF seventy
thousand Negroes. Here Mrs
Roosevelt came and Wake
through the dirty alleys around
Hastings street before Brewster
Housing was started and before 2
crowd OF fifty thousand stun
dwellers. took a Negro child nv III,
hand and posed for pictures fol
me Negro photographers. Mrs
Roosevelt broke tradition on this
occasion and on many others In
which she has sought 10 give on.
couragement 10 minority groups
But since that time the east sid,
mas never failed TO 20 preponder.
antly Democratic when Mr.. Roose
welt was running. The east side ha,
never FORGOTTEN the humanity IN
the New Deal policies. II has ney.
or forgotten the good influence n
Presidents wife. who went abou
IN dark places among lowly people
urging the people to look I'm ant
the government bring down II,
amelioratiye policies 10 n neglect
ed population in the slum districts
ms four TO one vote for Roose
welt means that this population q,
the east side will vote that wav n,
long IS the President runs for Of
nee They remain unmoycd in thei
loyalty for the man that gave then
a lift during the dark days OF tn,
depression.
RUT THE WEST SIDE Nerr,
- precincts for the most part cav,
majorities for Wendell Willkie
ON the west side. we have a large
percentage Of the Negro population
painfully employed In Industry
ON the west side. the hank account
OF the citizens average high: OF
this side there has been no neces
silly Tor slum clearance projects. !
large degree OF home owners an,
more stable family life are In thi
area and the hope OF bringing abou
greater Industrial prosperity IN
ducod Negro VOTERS into fhe pan,,h