Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-03-23
BY DAVID KOONCE
Star Stan Writer

The first civil rights law to
pass Congress in more than 80
years last summer strengthened,
in theory at least. the voting
rights of 4,9S0.000 Negroes Of
voting age in the South.
Now, six months later as the
spring and summer primaries APP
proach, Negro organizations have
modified to implement the theory
with fact. to raise the number Of
registered Negro voters in II
Southern States from 1898, 900
to 3 million by 1860.
If the regionwide campaign,
just getting Of the ground, is
successful the result could be a
revolution in Southern politics
just as vast and yeasty as the
current revolution in the Southern
economy. Oficials Of the National
Association for the Advancement
Of Colored People declare that
success of their efforts will bring
the end Of demogoguery in South
ern politics. Some even say that
the day may not be far distant
when the South may become the
Nationals citadel Of democratic
liberalism.
Voter registration among South
ern whites runs to about so per
cent of those eligible. Among
Negroes. according to the South
ern Regional Council. the ratio is
about IS per cent. Clarence
Mitchell, director Of the NAACP's
Washington bureau, believes that
If the Negro ratio can be in
creased to so per cent also, then
there will be a vigorous effort by
whites to raise the white ratio to
$50 or 80 per cent Of the eligible
white voters"
That, says Mr.. Mitchell, will In
turn spur the Negroes to greater
efforts, with the result being more
voter participation by everybody,
and therefore more democracy for
everybody"
Hard Work Aheod
But the Negro groups sponsoring
the voter registration campaign
are under no illusions about the
difficulty of their task. At rallies
in 81 Southern cities on Lincoln's
Birthday kicking of the campaign
it was agreed that speechmaking,
propaganda and pep rallies will
not be enough.
Instead there will be door-to-
door, foot-pounding drive. aimed
at reaching every individual po-
tential Negro voter who is not
registered. The initial efforts are
being made in the cities of the
South, where whites generally
seem to be less resistant to Negro
advancement and where the more
militant Negroes are found.
Negro groups in some cities are
planning to use a system which in
Baltimore resulted in adding TO-
900 Negroes to the registration
books in the nine months from
April, 1857, to January. 1858. Under
this plan each Negro minister is
responsible for the registration of
every eligible voter in both his
church and his precinct. This re-
suits in some overlapping efforts
which only increases the pressure
on the potential registrant.
Churches have set up trans
portation pools and baby-sitting
pools to make it easier to get the
registrants to the places of regis
tration. Prizes are given to work.
ers who bring in large numbers Of
new registrantS. Since virtually all
Negro organizations are particle
pating in the effort. very few po-
tential voters will be missed. Clubs,
fraternal organization, lodges
and dozens of organizations spe-
officially set up for the purpose are
assigning sections of Negro neigh
borhoods to door = to door can
vaSSerS.
Kelly Alexander, a North Caro-
lima NAACP official who is han
ding the policy end of the cam
paign, explains how the campaign
is co-ordinated.
Each congressional district is