Jackson advocate., 1962-09-01
The Department OF Justice Suit To
Outlaw State Voter Registration
Laws

In reading the remarks from many quarters
concerning the suit filed here this week by the
u. S. Department of Justice to outlaw the voters
registration laws of the state, our mind turned at
once tC the always hilarious, but tragic Joke often
told by Perry W. Howard longtime Negro Nation
al Republican Committeeman for the State, during
to register to vote.
According to Mr. Howard, the vote official
asked the Negro to give the meaning of a long
involved combination of latin legal phrases and
that at the conclusion of the question, the Negro
without hesitation answered. by saying dats less
somefn you alls done made-up to keep us from vot-
ing.
The tragic part of the joke is that it empha-
sized truth, that existed then, and that exists
today, that is known and understood by every in
tehgent white and Negro citizen of this state Yet
even IN the face of such general knowledge and un-
derstanding there is to Negroes obtaining the
right to vote and political participation generally
III the state that the filing of suits by the u S. De-
partment OF Justice, and the explanation for the
filing of such suits by Hon. Robert F. Kennedy. the
Attorney General of the United States
In the light of both it's past and contemporary
history the right of the Negro to vote and political
paftclpatlon, is the supreme challenge both to the
responsible white and Negro leaders of this state.
We would direct the first look at the RESPONSE
bllty of the Negro leaders of the state especially
snose VINO nave as yet no active identity with the
negro ClVll Rights Organizations. The Negro Civil
Klgnts organizations, the NAACP CORE, Martin
Luther King and his groups, having refused to give
primary consideration and support to Negro voting
ana political participation, before entering upon the
about campaign for total integration, difficult
ana rather dubious goal in their belated drive TO
increase the number of Negro voters in Mississippi
ana IN the rest of the SOUTH have for the most
part succeeded in creating the impression that the
ann OF Negroes is to take over" without regards
TO cooperation, goodwill and understanding of
white people. The challenge to the intelligent and
responsible Negro leaders Of this state at every
level is to do everything possible to dispel this
KIND OF thinking both on the part of Negroes and
white people.
In order to point out that it is possible for in
telligent and responsible Negro leaders to dispel
such thinking both the part of Negroes and
white people in this state we point to the perioti
oeglnnmg around 1910 and our subsequent organi-
zatlon OF the Mississippi Negro Democrats Asso-
cation when we submitted the case for the right
OF Negroes to vote, and for Negro political partic-
patton to the bar of Mississippi Public Opinion,
Dased on TINS one proposition that the only reason
tne intelligent and responsible Negroes of the state
wants the right to vote is to be able to join with the
Intelligent white people of the state to do what is
best tor all the people of the state The result of
TINS campaign saw the Negro vote in the state rise
from ess tnan 2Oo in 1914 to close to 10000 by 1854
supported by an ever increasing favorable public
opinion. This number of Negro voters and the
supporting favorable public opinion has been re-
duced to its present size and condition in the wake
ol tne impressions created in the drive since 1854
for total integration.
In aiming our thoughts toward the responsible
white leaders OF the state, again pointing to the
only reason for intelligent Negroes wanting to vote
we VIII simply say that there is nothing in the past
history, or in its contemporary history that rrht
ly prohibits communication with INTELLIGENT and re-
SponsDie Negr o!eaders; and that out of such COM
munlcatlon can be found far better answer to
Attorney General Kennedy and his voter reoistra-
ton SUIT tnan IS 10 be found in nvective and vitu-
of law. ee0S eo11s