Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1945-02-03
Strategy Missed
Boat In A, He
Tells Leaders
Must Change Bait
To Garner Votes,
Says Memphian

INDIANAPOLIS amp ~ Re-
publican leaders missed the boat
during the 1914 presidential elect
lions, said Robert r. Church, vete-
ran Tennessee COP leader, in a
letter blasting DR.. c. B. Powell,
justice Francis Rivers and ex-Judge
Patrick Prescott.
Church offered his singing cri-
ticism of 1914 COP political stra-
tegy during last weeks meeting of
the Republican National committee
here pointing OFT III letter to
each committee member ''the Re-
publican party has never won a
presidential election since colored
people left the party"
POWELL AN INSULT
Church said DR.. Fowell's appoint
ment to handle publicity for the
Republican party by Chairman
Prownell was AN insult by t h e
chairman to every colored Repub-
lican man and woman in America.
"You can not use the same bait
to catch colored votes in 1916 that
you used in 1920" Church remind
ed his white colleagues. "Colored
people today are alert, and are well
aware of the use to which the bal
lot can be put. They know that the
ballot is negotiable and can be ex-
changed for definite social i'm
! proyements for themselves. There
is no longer blind loyalty to one
party based on traditional attach
ment.'
| APPOINTMENT of George 3. Mcktb-
bin of Illinois as assistant manager
of the western division was blasted
as rotten strategy since it was
common knowledge among Negroes
that McKibbin had signed anti
Negro restrictive residential COW
enants McKibbin then appointed
Prescott as his Negro assistant"
Church said, and Prescott h n
called meeting of Negro leaders
which was addressed by McKibbin
Prescott, who was McKibbin's
assistant was also candidate for
office, and it is the first time, SO
far as 1 know, that the Republican
party has appointed man as an
assistant manager of national cam
paign who himself was a candidate
| for Office" declared Church. Sue
cessful national campaigns are not
run that way"
He also reminded the commit
| teemen of how Mrs. Ruth Hanna
Mccormick Simms, veteran white
Republican leader, was pushed
around on the question of selling
the COP to the colored voters, and
said that Notwithstanding t h a t
New York's Harlem is the largest
colored community in America,
there was not one major political
meeting there for colored people by
the Republican party. Not one"
Church charged t h a t juctice
Francis E. Rivers was too far re-
moved from the man in the street
to know what he is thinking, al
though Justice Rivers was Chair
man Brownell's sun down advisor
on colored strategy" The judge
lives on Sugar HILL Church said,
"and to know what the little man
on the street is thinking you must
come to New Yori's Leaox Ave.
81 could go on anc on and EMU
merate the unforgivable mistakes
and plumbers all through the CAM
paign, but those in authority SEEM
ed to feel secure" Church pointed
out. Dewey was never sold to the
colored electorate and these leaders
did not know the real issues upon
which to sell him. All Of them, In
Guiding the chairman, Missed the
boat"
The veteran COP leader suggest
ed that the Republican party APP
100000 for the purpose of
educating Negroes about the Re-
publican party, proposal he has !
made before he said.