Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1944-07-08
Officials Appear
All 6 Precincts !,
In City Wards
No Disturbance;
Foundation Laid
For Suit In Court
BY WILLIAM A. FOWLKEs

| ATLANTA, Ga.-(SNS)-
Polite refusal uf ballots was ac-
corded Negro Democrats who
appeared at six precinct poll
ing places of the primary bere
independence Day,
In accordance with plans, a num-
Der of officers and members of the
Citizens Democratic Club laid the
foundation for a court test of the
Georgia White Democratic Pri-
mary. They were greeted at the
doors of the polling places, given
application for ballot forms on
which to place their, addresses and
signatures and then told that their
names were not on the lists as Sc
cured from thee county registrar
There was no disturbance from
the attempts to vote. It had been
clearly stated through the press and
radio that only a restricted vote
would be attempted and masses Of
Negro voters were advised not to go
to the polls under tn circum-
stances 81.
NATIONWIDE INTEREST
The attempts were made to vote
at various hours of the day Tues
day. AT virtually every polling place
there were batteries of photograph
ers and magazine and newspaper
reporters. indicating a nationwide
interest in the voting attempt by
the Negro Democrats.
G. A. Scott, editor and genera
manager of the Atlanta Daily
World and president of the Citizens
Democratic Club of Fulton County;
j. A. Bats, district manager of the
Afro-Americar Life Insurance
Company and Henry F. Shorter,
barber and businessman, appeared
at precinct &C, which is at the j.
c. Harris School, l444 Lucille Ave-
nue., S. W.
Cordially greeted at the door.
they were given applications for
ballot, which they filled out and
presented to Mrs. Ralph w. Nit
chell, white, a clerk. After looking
at her lists, Mrs. Mitchell Informed
the trio that their names were not
on the registration list furnished
her. Scott, Bats and Shorter
thanked her and departed as
photographers snapped pictures ali
around.
COUNSEL APPEARS
At Precinct e In the Third Ward,
located at Rompley and Bundy's
Barbershop, Bankhead Avenue and
Franklin Street, Attorney A. t.
Walden, president of Georgia Negro
Democrats and counsel for the At
lanta branch of the NAACP, put
in his appearance with Prof. c. A
Bacote, of the history department
of Atlanta University; E. M. Mar
tin, secretary of the Atlanta Life
Insurance Company and v. w.
Hodges, of the Atlanta Daily
World.
Attorney Walden approached o.
L. Walker, white, the box manager.
and presented his poll tax receipt.
Mrs. T. H. Leather, manager in
charge of the Democratic registra-
ton list, was given the receipt and
after comparing the address and
name with her records informed
Attorney Walden that his name
and address did not appear on the
list. Mr.. Walden asked why his
name was not there and was in
formed that only the names of
white voters were there. He thank
ed her and left Bacote, Martin and
Hodges went through the same
procedure.
Later, Miss Irene Harris, execu-
tive secretary of the Phyllis Wheat
ley YWCA, attempted to vote at
this same polling place.
AT Precinct A, Ward 3, at the
Benjamin Pharmacy, 1876 Mitchell
Street, five persons appeared, in
Guiding DR.. Ira De A. Reid, of the
Department of Sociology, Atlanta
University; DR.. Wallace Van Jack
son, librarian of Atlanta Uniyer-
Continued on Back Pagel