St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1946-05-24
Ru RnRERT DuRR


voted in the Democratic primary in
Alabama on May Z for the first
time in seventy-five years.
A few weeks before the people
of Alabama went to the polls some
one, repeatedly identified with the
Christian Temperance U n,
caused to be published and distrib-
uted throughout the state a state
ment to the effect that one candi-
date for the governorship or his
campaign workers had gone among
Negroes in the Tennessee Valley,
urged them to pay their poll taxes
and, in the case of Gls, register for
voting, and then had transported
them to the polls where they cast
ballots for prohibition in that area.
The vets won.
The statement referred to was to
the effect that the carpetbaggers
had returned and the white voters
of the state were faced with a
"Negro-vote" menace. The impli-
cation was that since in some sec
tons Of the deep South there are
more or as many Negroes as
whites, and, since Negroes are gull
lible, INSCRIPTIONS politicians with
their bags of filthy lucre will take
over the government. The circu-
lar attempted to create a Negro
DOGGY to the end that board of
registrars would make it most diff
ficult for Negroes to register which
is a prerequisite to voting after
payment of accumulated poll taxes.
1t was also designed to give
grounds for resurrection of the
Klu Klux Khan to combat this So
called "Negro-vote" menace.
Prior to the May primary this
columnist had got all the candi-
dates for public office in Alabama,
except one, to promise not to in
ject the so-called race issue into
the campaign. The writer urged
Negroes throughout the state, who
were to vote in the democratic
primary for the first time in sew
enty-five years, to keep their bal
lots clean, to vote their conscience
as a contribution to good govern
ment, and to desist from casting
their ballots on the basis of race,
promises of vengeance or special
consideration for any group.
One candidate for Congress
made bold to state that he was the
only candidate who, if elected,
would do all in his power to stop
Colored people from voting, tighten
the segregation laws, and main
tain white supremacy. We let him
rant and rave on the so-called race
issue without Identifying his bill
lingsgate by any kind of reply.
When the votes were counted
this man, who obviously was
backed by powerful interests judg-
ing from the tremendous amount
Of space he bought in newspapers
and time purchased over radio sta
tons, got only 5000 votes in a
district in which there are 100000
people. Two other candidates for
the same office got upwards of
10000 votes each.
Big Jim Folsom, who was the
first gubernatorial candidate in
Alabama to give me his pledge
that he would not inject the race
issue into his campaign, ran II 900
votes ahead of the next highest
among the four other candidates,
but failed to receive a majority
and will enter a run-off election
June 4.
Big Jim and Senator Claude Pep
per were the two deep South
Democrats who supported Henry
Wallace for the Vice Presidential
nomination to the very last at the
Democratic National Convention in
Chicago in 1914. Jim is one of
these big, friendly country type of
men, and the fact that he got more
votes than obviously smarter and
more experienced opponents is in
dicative of the fact that the people
are tired of smart men in high
places unless those men are hon
est, decent, fortnight, courageous
and audacious when it comes to
facing up TO what is right. People,
it seems, want good men but not
men who are so good they are good
for nothing. They want them good
but good for something. The days
Of tricksters are numbered.
There is no need to get overly
excited over the fact that Negroes
are voting in the South for the first
time in a big way in seventy-five
years. No matter who gets in Of
fee in the South-he or she must