Newspaper Page Text
JULY 12, 1963
THE CRUSADER SAVANNAH, GEORGIA
Past 5
VOTE HELP KEY TO
HEQRO ADVANCEMENT
DESIRES FOR FULL RIQHTS MEANS JAIL
SENTENCES FOR AMERICA?! CITIZENS
CRUSADE STEPS UP
REGISTRATION DRIVE
Night demonstration,; ;m«l
matin marches arc only a purl of
tiic program of the* Chut hum
County Cru.'udo for V' tern. Of
equal importance, and perhaps
in the long run of greater im j
porta nee, are the lens public!'/ 1
od hut intensive day-to-day <*f
foi ls of the Crusaders to rogis-|
t<*r to vote every eligible Negro
in the city of Savannah and in
Chatham 1 County.
According to l!J<>2 statistics
there are less than 9,BOO Suvan
nab Negroes registered to vote ;
in a city with a Negro popula
tion of over 59,000, ot whom
over 30,000 are eligible to r<\g- j
ister.
There seem to be several fac
tors which explain the low per-,
{•outage of Negro voter regis
trants. For one thing, it was
not until recently that many Ne
groes in Savannah were secure |
enough even att nipt this:
small but significant step to
ward their freedom. Even to-;
day in Chatham County residual
fears exists among some Ne
groes, fears which continue to
paralyze treir will and which
serve as a block to voter regis
tration. Hut also, there seems
to bo the more important fac
tor, which may he described as i
a lack of imagination on th-•
part of a large sector of the 1
.Savannah Negro community.
What many Negroes have fail- I
ed to realize is that by the rel
atively simple procedures of
registering at the Court House
and voting on election day, they
can affect their own destinies j
and the future and well-being
of the entire Negro communi
ty in this city.
Indeed, few Negroes seem to ;
realize (hat were all Savannah
Negroes of voting age to rev-
inter to vote they would consti
tute a bloc of over 35,1)01) vot
er and would fur outnumber
the twenty-eight or twenty nine
thousand registered while vot
er,'.. No longer would the
gro have to choose between two
white men for Council positions
or the Mayor’s office. Instead,
with a Negro registration ma
jority, he could pick the best
man, very possibly a Negro, to
be the Mayor of his city.
The Savannah citizens involv
ed in the Voter Education Pro
ject of the Chatham County
Crusade for Voters are con
vinced that the voting power of
the Negro community, if prop
erly actualized and directed can
be of great benefit to both
Negroes in particular and the
city of Savannah as a whole
Alert and conscientious Negro
voters can help elect the Icind.
of City officials who will see
to it that the city’s responsibil
ities to its citizens will he dis
charged with greater dispatch
and efficiency.
Officials in city, county,
state and the national govern
ment, elected by Negro votes,
can move to correct a host of
wrongs. They can legislate
the death of the segregation sys
tem, end slackness in law en
forcement and injustice in the
court room, and, on the city lev
el, make improvements in such
community facilities as sewer
age systems, street •, and side
walks.
The Negro in Savannah, and
Negroes throughout the South
have a resevoir of political,
power they have yet to use ef
fectively. If this power is to
he employed, all Negroes must
register and vote.
FIERY BEVEL
! est extent of the laws applicable.
A write man can commit a crime
Continued From Page 7 against a Negro and the courts re
ground. This is why Savannah’s; fus e to punish him in most cases,
good name is being bombed with . but be is severely punished when
racial and labor violence. Sa- bbs crime is committed against
vannah has overlooked 38 per cent w hites.
of her population. Not only in Rev - Bevel’s speech criticized
industry but in government the j the Negro Ministers and profes-
black people have been denied 1 sional Negroes. He defined Negro
equal job and promotion oppor- j preacrers as “religious prostitutes.’
tunities. The courts have allow- j He also called them “Sunday r-
ed crimes number games, moon-1 hgious and collection takers. If
shine, prostitution, etc., among y° ur pastor leads you on Sunday
Negro people to thrive. If a; but can’t be found Monday when
Negro rapes or kills another Ne- j > ou £ et ready to fight the evils
gro, a little money will fve° him,! of segregation, find yourself an-
but if he involves himself with ; °ther pastor. If your minister is
whites, he is punished to the full-' afraid to lead you to jail for your
j freedom, he is not worthy of your
support come Sunday,” so fin^
| yourself another religious leader
“The so-called professional or!
j educated Negro who is too afraid j
ro help in this struggle, should be ;
I run out of this county. In many I
cases, he is the biggest holdback
I the Negro race has. He is too; DEMONSTRATORS FOR HUMAN DIGN ITY HAULED INTO POLICE VANS
scared to march or protest and
SNICK
too cheap to make a contribution.j
He the professional Negro will
give you $10 or $15, then tell you t Continued from Page 1
how not to be a bad Negro and tion, then bury the corpse with
how to keep the white folks hap- 1 the vote. We must mount a mas-
py.” Rev. Bevels said the, s j ve struggle, well-organized, dra
matic in its planning. Tim ob-
and to draw national and interna- lie’s eye with picketing and dem-
tional attention and concern to our onstrations, while working to reg-
work. When the first campaign ister every Negro who is eligible,
is successfully concluded, we set and organizing an intelligent cf-
the second phase of the strategy fort to obtain our desires by the
into operation: we demand equal- vote. By this means we will win
ity on the job and greater employ- our freedom, which, after all, U
ment opportunities. This phase the human right to live as well as
SCLC was behind the Crusaders
Movement and he will pitch tent . . . . . ..
in Savannah any day Dr. King ’ Ject,vc m thls phase ,s to hurt the | has two complimentary tactics: is possible, and to have a hand in
gives the order. I economy of segregated Savannah, } keeping the issue before the pub- i the decision of cur dest‘ni<»3.