St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1944-04-14
Hell Has No Fury Like
a Southern Congressman

be literally interpreted as meaning
shotgun, rope, faggot, and blood
hound in the true tradition of COM
passionate, southern brotherhood
and forgiveness.
These are the states that bar
Negroes from Democratic pri-
maries: South Carolina, Georgia,
Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Lou
isiana and Arkansas. All except
Louisiana and Florida have poll
taxes which remain the stOnewall
against Negro exercise of the
American function of voting for
those who make and carry out the
laws that govern them.
Two of the poll tax states, Vir-
GINA and Tennessee, do not prevent
Negroes from voting in the pri-
mary. The poll tax issue is due
to be debated again in the U. S.
Senate when on April IL, Theodore
Bilbo and others of the southern
mob get together on another war
time filibuster to talk the measure
to death.
That the Negro must be prepared
to match fire with fire, blow for
blow, word for word with his enc
mics on the primary issue can be
seen from these typical statements
about the Supreme Court decision
from the lips of the South's top
crusaders for White Supremacy:
Senator John H. Overton, Louisi-
ana: "The South at all costs will
maintain the rule Of white suprem-
acy. The Negro can be kept from
the polls by educational qualifca-
ton tests, and such tests are I'M
equivocally guaranteed by the Con-
stitution." Judge Herbert Holmes,
Democratic state chairman of Mis-
sissippi: Negroes will not vote in
the primary, despite the Supreme
Courts ruling. They might as we'll
abolish all states rights. Neither
the Supreme Court nor anyone else
can control a Democratic primary
in Mississippi"
Rep. Lindley Beckworth, Texas
Democrat: "The people of Texas
will suitably take care of the stu
alton for Texas" Rep. Neal Pat
ton, Texas Democrat: "Our Demo-
cratic people in Texas will find some
way to work out a Democratic
primary for white folks" Rep.
Milton West, Texas Democrat: eff
the court has right to say Negroes
can vote in a party they do not
belong to, I suppose they have the
right to say that the Negroes can
join white clubs, fraternal organi-
cations and churches"
Senator Claude Pepper, Flo
rida Democrat: "The South will
allow nothing to impair white su-
premacy. Southerns will not allow
matters peculiar to US to be de-
termined by those who do not know
and understand our problems. I"
Cotton Ed Smith, South Carolina
Democrat: "The decision will cause
lot of trouble in the South"
1t was the National Association
for Advancement of COlOred People
that won the Supreme Court vic
tory. The NAACP's strategy to
make Negro voting an actuality in
the South as outlined by C. A.
Scott, chairman of the public affairs
committee, will probably be based
on action due soon in Georgia.
There the Negro leaders will confer
with Gov. Ellis Arnall and J. Lon
Duckworth, chairman of the State
Democratic Committee, with a re-
quest for voting privileges. In any
case, Negroes will show up at poll
ing places July and if refused
ballots, the matter then will be
carried to the federal courts. Duck
worth contends that the decision
applied only to Texas, not to GeOr-
gia.
"What to do now" The ques-
ton probably rings disturbing
note in a million ears in the South.
Those Negro leaders who have ad-
vocated appeasement and "peaee in
our time" in the troubled South as
they scurry at the white mans bid
ding; those average Negroes who
work in the factories, in the farms,
in the kitchens, or who operate
their own small businesses, must
be prepared to thrust aside mealy-