The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-09-16
THE FACTS
m OUR NEWS
By HORACE A. WHITE


PA.C. AND VOTE REGISTRA-
TON P.A.C. stands for Po-
liticAl Action Committee (CI.OJ.
P.A.C. Is the political arm Of Ia
Dor during this coming national
election. Labor Is aware Of the
fact that Il must get Its people reg
istered II the will Of the common
people In the coming election Is to
be made known. A lot Of people
have tried TO discredit P.A.C. In
the minds Of the general public
by stating that labor has no busi-
ness to enter politics. These peo-
pie maintain that P.A.C. Is An at
tempt at political domination by
the CLIO. II would be sad indeed
II labor decided to make politics
Its main business. II would be
still sadder for the working people
Of this country IL P.A.C. became q
political instrument In the hand
OF any political party. Such .
stand on the part Of organized Ia
Dor would render II ineffective and
useless as far rs helping TO meet
the needs Of labor In terms Of po-
litical action. Labor must be free
TO change its support of candidates
and parties whenever these candi-
dates and parties failed to give due
recognition to the ambitions and
hopes Of the common people In
our general framework Of demOc-
racy. Today P.A.C. Is following
that course. Let US hope IL con-
tinues TO follow that course.
The workers in the Detroit area
who have contributed Of their
earnings in order that P.A.C. may
do its work in this coming cleo
ton have cause TO. be concerned
about the ineffectiveness of the
P,A.C. registration campaign at
this time. The people who are
given charge OF this registration
lpaign under PAC. are falling
down on the job. They are not
taking the registration campaign
TO the worker with any magma
ton and determination. The lead
ers OF this drive for registration
OF the workers are sitting around
tables discussing plans and dis
cussing more plans, and 10 date
have not aroused the 100000 work
ers in Detroit TO the necessity OF
being able 10 vote on election day
This situation is shameful in view
OF the fact that workers have a
right to expect a very strong and
vigorous leadership from PA.C. in
the matter OF getting workers reg
istered so that they may express
their will in November.
There Is Negro wing OF the
general P.A.C. program. supposed
ly functioning in the Detroit
area. This Negro wing Is most i'm
portant in the P.A.C. drive to get
people registered. In proportion
to the number Of people by race
In Detroit. the Negro citizen Is the
most unregistered citizen In De-
trOit. There are many reasons for
this: They have come from sec
tons where they are not allowed
to vote; there Is not much civic
organization among the masses Of
Negroes that would educate them
to the responsibilities Of citizen
ship and the ways by which peo-
pie might express that citizenship.
Political leadership among the Ne
gro masses Is almost nil. What
leadership the Negro masses have
trickIes down to them from the
top rather than being fomented
from the bottom up. This Is in
dicative OF disinterest on the part
Of the masses. Therefore. . P.A.C
program that has intimate contact
with the masses Of Negro people Is
in an enviable position Of making
the Negro voter conscious Of his
political responsibility and how to
exercise his franchise for his own
advancement.
The Negro PAGERS In the De-
troit area should begin TO bestir
themselves among the masses OF
Negro. people in order that the
thirty-five or forty thousand I'M
registered Negro citizens who
have come TO Detroit since 1910
will be able to vote in the coming
election. Not only must these peo-
pie be registered, but they must
be Taught the use Of the new ball
AOt 4OA MS lLidt Will NC OpCl dtcu III
Michigan in this coming election.
It Is . known fact that II the
common people are given an op-
portunity and enough facts. wheth-
er these facts are about themselves
or about the situation confronting
them, the people will be on the
side Of liberalism. The Conserva-
tives count on getting into power
by the default Of the peoples lead
ership. It makes no difference
how progressive labor thinks that
Congress ought TO be and how
much they want to see the head OF
government a man devoted "a
the welfare Of all the people, I'M
less labor follows through with Its
pledge to the common people to
give them leadership In this COM
ing election none Of what labor
wants and what the common pe0-
pie must have, can be possible
PAGERS must get busy on their
end Of the load. Negro P.A.C.ers