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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.