The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-04-01

as as citizens to the board had their appointments
reduced to 15 In the past the Council appointees
were fairly representative of the various groups in
the city of Detroit
The reduced number Of appointments available
to the City Council led the councilmen to throw their
pums to the most important political blocs and
thereby deny representation to min0rities W 0s e
votes did not appear decisive in the last election AS
result of these Vaccinations the CLIO and the
Negro people were deprived Of representation. In
the last election the race-bating campaign of Mayor
Jeffries split the Clio. vote and rallied the most
reactionary elements in the population to win vic
tory over Frank Fitzgerald who had the support of
Negroes, the liberal wing of organized labor and all
citizens who were Disguised with the policies of
Mayor Jeffries.
1t goes without question that the victory Of the
reactonaries in the last election frightened City
Hall politicians who had pursued halfway liberal
policy Councilman Edwards who was the lone lib
era to survive the reactionary sweep did not place
Negro in the first three his list Of five,
but despite this concession to the reactionary boys
not of his nominees was appointed by the Council
which voted as committee Of the whole. The city
councilmen knew full we'll that both the Negro peo-
pie and the CLIO. deserve representation on tn e.
board and the fact that they did not appoint single
representative from t h csc two important groups
indicates that reaction is in the saddle in City Hail.
We join fundamentally in the condemnation of
this travesty justice committed by the City Coun
Gill; but we insist that until the CIO and the Negro
people make an alliance which cannot be broken by
or any other ISSUE the reactonary ee-
ments in the city of Detroit will remain in control of
city affairs. The Negro people lived up to their bar
gain in the last election, but the CLIO. politicians
failed miserably to rally their forces into united
front which could easily have overcome the race
batting of Mayor Jeffries, which is still having re-
percussions in the municipal government. The fact
that no representative of the CLIO. was appointed
should serve to convince some of the political master
minds of the labor movement that without unity moth
ing can be accomplished.
In the last election the Negro leadership insisted
that the City Hall must be cleaned out and they rallied
the masses of the Negro people to that end Despite
all the sound and fury the number of votes cast by
Negroes was not decisive, although more Negroes
task begun in the last election must be completed and
we are confident that our political leaders are de-
termined to bring out the total Negro vote in the
coming contests. The anti-Negro, anti-labor atti-
tude of the city government makes true alliance
between Negroes and the CLIO mandatory in the poll
tcal field The reactonary interests in the city have
used the time-worn technique of the tyrant, divide
and rule. Minority groups must now begin building
united front which no race-baiter or anybody else
will be able to split by raising false issues and ap-
pealing to popular prejudices.