Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1947-08-16
WHITE man KILLED, ANOTHER WOUNDED IN FIGHT
OVER RIGHT OF NEGRO TO VOTE IN STATE PRIMARY
Jones County Has Only Election Day
Violence; Party Principles UncaIIed For

Jackson, Miss - Aug. IL (DSN)
= One white man was killed, an
other seriously wounded at Mosel-
lie, a small Jones County Town, in
an election day shooting growing
out of an argument over the right
of Negroes to vote in the State
Democratic Primary.
Involved in the argument were
two sets of brothers. The dead,
R. w. Phillips. The wounded, OF
is Phillips. Charged with the
shooting are three brothers, Wal
ter, Curtis, and Ellis Gerald.
According to reports Ellis Ger
aid started shooting, urged on by
his two brothers had called them
niger lovers for upholding the
right of Negroes to vote in the
state Democratic Primary.
At Laurel Monday, with war
rents already issued for Walter and
Ellis County Attorney Albert Eas-
terling daid that murder charges
had been placed against all three
Of the Gerald brothers as a war
rant was issued for the arrest of
Curtis Gerald.
The MoselIe affair marked the
only incident of election day, Aug
ust 5th, when some 5000 Negroes,
in scattered sections of the state,
mostly Urban Areas, voted for
the first time in Mississippi in
state wide Democratic Primary
with nc Federal officers at stake.
Negroes in Mississippi made their
first breach in the State Demo-
cratic Primary in1 GAG when some
$500 voted in the election of a
United States Senator in which
Senator Theo. G. Bilbo, up for
reelection, was the principal can
didate.
At Moselle, where the shooting
took place a number of Negro vo-
tiers cast there ballots although
there was strong tension in the
town following the shooting.
Negro voters are reported to
have cast their ballots in Mound
Bayou, Greenville, Clarksdale, La
urel, Meridian, Greenwood, Nat
chez, Jackson and other sections
of the state with but a few chal-
langes used against Negro voters.
The Widely heralded 10 point
principals which including being
against Federal Anti -Lynching
Tnti Poll Tax and FEPC when
it was thought would be the means
by which attempts would be made
to disqualify Negro voters, ac-
cording to reports used anywhere
in the State.
In the states Negro town of
Mound Bayou with a population
of 1000 and some 100 or more
qualified voters, the entire vote
was challenged on the ground
that all of the Mound Bayou Neg
roes are by nature Republican.
The challange was overruled by
the three Negro election Judges
of the town.
In Jackson where the largest
number of Negroes voted a new
device to disfranchise Negro vot-s
ers was brought forward when
a few who had paid there poll
tax in the period fixed by law
was challenged for delinquency.
A number who were thus chah-
ange in the more were permitted
to vote in the afternoon after
bringing the matter to the at
tention of high officials.
At the election day ended DR..
James M. Dumbroski, of The Sou
thern Conference for Human Well
fare, in Jackson to observe the ell
ection said that the organization
would start an immediate cam
,paign to have white religious Pol
itical and Civic Leaders through
out the state to join in state
ment to affect that the right of
the Negro to vote in the State
Democratic Primary is no longer
an issue that should be made the
basic of fears distrust and an
tagonism between the White and
Negro citizens of the state.