Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-06-20
Politicians Scrumbline
For Votes Of Negroes
Writer Finds Struggle
Not q Pretty Game
BY Frank z. Kent

By Fronk r. Kent
With some few exceptions, the con.
duct Of both Democratic and Repub-
ican politicians toward the Negroes
in this country has been marked by
cowardice, hypocrisy and demagoguery
Of the lowest type. This is not so true
among the Democrats Of the South.
Among them-and only among them
has there been so much as Q trace Of
sincerity. One reason for this Is that in
the South there Is slight competition
for the Negro vote; another is that the
overwhelming opinion Of the people
being for segregation, the politicians
can afford to 60 along with o public
sentiment that accords with their own.
Outside the South there are Is States
where the Negro vote is not only large
but often decisive. These are MaSsa-
chuSetts. Connecticut. New York, New
Jersey. Pennsylvania. Michigan, Della
ware, Maryland. Indiana. Ohio. Illinois.
Missouri and California. The compare
tive census figures show that in the last
two decades there has been q great in
crease in the Negro vote In all these
States. particularly In the big cities.
Prior to 1886, this vote was 95 per cent
Republican and had been for more than
70 years. It had been counted as basic
and increasing Republican asset ever
since the Civil War.
4
The change came in 1886 It was
then that ex-senator Joseph p. Guffey
of Pennsylvania and the then chair.
man Of the Democratic National Com
mittee. James A. Farley, conceived the
great idea Of stealing this asset. Mr..
Farley regards it-and with reason
as the greatest coup in American 20.
litical history. Though Mr.. Roosevelt,
then President, co-operated enthusi-
aStically with an unprecedented num-
Der Of Federal Jobs for the Negroes In
these States, Mr.. Farley conceded that
it could not have been done without
two factors. One was the influence Of
Mrs. Roosevelt. who, for years, had been
strongly against segregation. The other
was the active support Of the late Harry
Hopkins. head of the Works Progress
Administration who put many thou
sands Of Negro voters on the Federal
payroll In all those States.
Add to this the distribution in those
States Of million pictures Of Mrs.
Roosevelt, encircled and surrounded
by Negro students. plus the putting on
the Democratic committee payroll Of
scores Of Negro preachers. teachers
and speakers who carried the Roose.
welt gospel into those States and the
MeSsrs. Farley and Guffey had got
together an irresistible Setup. When
the Republicans woke up to what was
going on their basic asset had van
ished. To say they were stunned is an
underStatement. In every campaign
since they have Striven hard to re-
cover it-but. despite the fact that the
Democrats have failed in Congress
after Congress to enact Fair Employ
ment Practice Act or to advance
against segregation in any other way.
the great majority of Negroes have
remained Democrats. The competi.
ton, however, is fierce and the poll.
ticians are wholly INSCRIPTIONS about it.
The Democrats have been planning
to attack the Republicans this fall,
and in 1856. as having a weak record
on civil rights, notably on Negroes. In
most States the labor bosses, mostly
the Negroes in line. However some Of
the more astute among them have
suddenly become aware that the Re-
publicanS under Eisenhower have a
much better score with which to lure
back the Negroes than they. For
example. there is the great anti
segregation decision of the Supreme
Court. True, the court is largely
composed of Roosevelt and Truman
Democrats but the decision was writ
ten and read by the Chief Justice, who
is Republican and an Eisenhower APP
pointee. There are also these facts to
consider. Segregation in District of
Columbia restaurants and theaterS has
been abolished. All segregation has
been removed in Army-Navy establish
mentS, veteran hospitals and the armed
forces generally. No segregation at all
will exist in District Of Columbia schools
by the end of the year. Many more
Negroes are in higher and better-paid
Federal jobs than before. 1t is a rather
impressive record.
Considering all these things, the
Democrats are more uneasy about thu
Negro vote than they have been ir
Is years. It is the Eisenhower weight
which has brought these things about
and no one charges that he has done
it for political reasons. Every one gives
him credit for sincerity in these segre-
CATION matters. But that does not &C
for either the Republican or Demo.
cratic politicians. They are ready tt
go as far as Mr.. Eisenhower will 60 or
this road-and a good deal farther Il
1t seems expedient. The thing they are
after is votes. 1t isn't q pretty game
they play. Because, regardless of the
segregation decision, and the step,
taken toward narrowing it, this racia
gulf is still the deepest and widest In
the world. And to go too far too fast
is to invite trouble. Every thoughtful
man knows this. but that will not stoI
the politicians from going the limit.