Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1944-03-31
UncOvering
Washington
By Harry S. McAlpin
(White House Correspondent
NNPA)
abolishinp the poll tax worth

Senate over passage of HR Z, the
anti-poll tax bill, with Senator Bill
DO of Mississippi and his poll tax
colleagues openly threatening to
filibuster the bill to death, some
Negroes have raised this question.
They are in a minority, to be
sure; but their public stature and
positions of influence make their
statements difficult to ignore.
It is true, Negro ministers deep
in Alabama and Texas and Georgia
have joined five hundred strong in
a statement to the United States
Senate in favor of abolishing the
poll tax. Students in Negro col
leges throughout the country have
circulated petitions and collected
money that has helped make the
fight possible. Our women's clubs
have organized vigorous letter writ
ing campaigns. Negroes in Unions
and business organizations have
gone on record for the pending bill.
Leaders of every major Negro Or
ganization in Washington have
helped in every crisis to guide the
bill through Congress. The Negro
people, as a whole, have united with
all liberal forces, the church, labor,
civic and fraternal groups, to work
for passage of HR7.
STILL no less a figure than Perry
w. Howard, Republican National
Committeeman from Mississippi,
says the anti-pOll tax bill is not
worth the paper it is written on
without certain amendments. He
says even after the poll tax has
been wiped off the books, the ballot
boxes will be locked still to the
Negro people because of white
primaries" false literacy tests, and
all the other means known to cor
rupt politics.
With Difference to Mr.. Towards
political sagacity and his knOwl-
edge of the South, it is neverthe-
less a fact that the poll tax was one
of the methods used by a ruthless
minority to deny democracy to the
majority. 1t was only one Of the
techniques; but it was the most
skiIlful.
It was the most skillful because
it was so well put beyond the reach
of the majority. The ruthless
minority worked also in more open
ly brutal ways; but these ways
were also more openly undemO-
cratic. Some day, this ruthless
minority realizes, these other meth
DDS might be exposed and over
thrown. But the poll tax is safely
rooted in the state constitutions so
deeply that only a constitutional
amendment in each state could up
root it-or federal action.
As Negroes, and as loyal Ameri-
cans, working to push aside all the
barriers that keep US from full citi-
zenship so that we may take our
places shoulder to shoulder with all
free people, we have neither time
to waste nor opportunities to lose.
We must do what we can, as best
we can, whenever we can.
We must take every practical
step in every state to expose and
to overthrow discrimination, injus-
tice and corruption. Our fight for
a full democracy goes forward only
as it grows stronger and wiser with
every step, however short that step
may be.
While Negro soldiers are dying
in the air over Italy, and in the
jungles of the Pacific, it is timely
and right to hold up now the right
Of free ballot as a free right.
This idea and ideal must go side
by side with the different practical
things that have to be worked for
at every polling place.
The enemies of the poll tax bill
have never denied its effectiveness.
They have never passed up an OPP
portunity to delay or defeat it.
They have worked tirelessly and
they have never said at doesn't
matter" They have seen it is not
anything less than the common
people on the march.
When the anti-pOlI tax bill is
passed by the Senate - and the
swelling support of its passage can
make that inevitable-the most
skillful hidden weapon of those who
would disfranchise the people is
gone. No longer will minority in
each state be able to hide behind
state constitutions. They still will
have other means left true. And
against these we must continue to
fight. We must fight them every
where until we all have the right
to vote.
But the fight will be easier after
passage of HR Z. 1t will be easier
because the ideal of voting will
be clear and bright. 1t will be easier
because the federal government
will have reaffirmed our demOc-
raey. II will be easier because the
unity won in working for the repeal
will have brought about a working
alliance Of democratic forces and