Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-08-11
Crisis: Chain Reaction Of Violence Is Feared

Martin Luther King. jr., boy
cotted segregated bus lines in
Montgomery, Ala. They won.
The boycott, or "selective
buying" as the Negro leaders
prefer to say, began coming
into play as a potent weapon
In other parts Of the South.
Negro economists estimate that
the purchasing power of the
Negro, nationally. Is around
SIS billion q year.
"Selective buying" has put
Southern businessmen in a wise.
If they integrate some facilities
after a Negro boycott, they
may be hit by a white boy
colt.
Along with the boycott
came the "sit-in," the tactic Of
simply sitting quietly in q res
taurant, seeking service. Or the
''kneel-in," crowds Of Negroes
praying on the steps Of a public
building or in q main street,
stopping traffic.
These maneuvers were pio-
neered by the Committee on
Racial Equality (CORE). which
was founded in 1912 at the
University Of Chicago. It OBJ
tanned a foothold in the South
with the "sit-in" of 1860.
Parallel with action on these
fronts, the Negroes began con-
centrating their efforts in an
other Supremely important field
voter registration. Another
Negro organization, the Stu
dent Non-Violent Co. ordinating
Committee ("SNICK") has
been active in this work.
U. s. Pushes Voter Drive
The Justice Department has
assisted. Since 1861, it has
filed 20 suits against officials
for refusing to register quail
fled Negroes. About SO per cent
of these suits have been won.
The Southern Regional Coun-
Gil estimates there are 5,O45, 900
Negroes of voting age in II
Southern and border States.
About one fourth, some !, 344,-
900, are registered.
Many tactics have been used
to discourage Negroes from
registering - gerrymandering,
intimidation, widely spaced
meetings Of registration boards,
throwing out Negro applica-
tons on teohnicalities.
So concerted voter-registra-
ton drives began. Students
went through Negro communi-
ties ringing doorbells. Officials
stationed themselves In public
buildings in the South button
holing every Negro who came
in, whatever his business, and
urging him to register. there
and then. Voter "clinics" were
set up to instruct Negroes in
filling out the application
forms. and in meeting the tech
nicalities.
It is a long, slow process, but
the figures for Negro registra-
ton are rising, spectacularly in
some cases. In Bullock County,
Ala, there were four registered
Negroes in 1861. Now there are
1,341. This, Of course, is a
special case.
OF the registration drives,
Bishop George w. Barber, of
the African Methodist Episco-
pal Church, said:
"The detectives Of the cam
paign would be accomplished
substantially by registering and
voting every. single, eligible
Negro voter within sight or
hearing Of our membership.
Our goal is a minimum Of Q
million new Negro voters, North
and South"
African Leaders in q. 8.
In all probability, another
factor has played a part in the
Negro drive for equality, q
subtle, unreasonable factor -
the new African nations.
The American Negro has
seen African heads Of state
being received in the White
House and getting the red
carpet treatment from Soviet
Premier Khrushchev and other
powerful leaders. He has seen