Johnson is getting the credit » « »« and the vote.
Reoord Negro enrollments in the North are also expected to. bring needed votes to the Democrats. Granville Reed, program director of the Chicago branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, pointed out that last winter's voter regis-~tration. drive raised the number of eligible Negro voters: by 39%. =: About 100,000 more Negroes will go to the. polls in Chicago in 1964: than went in 1962, Mr. Reed predicted that 99% of all Negroes wilt vote for President Johnson.
Bo
The most recent Harris survey, released during the week of October ll, indicated that President Johnson would get 96% of the nation's Negro vote.
Despite these rosy predictions, the future is not too bright for the Democratic party and its office-seekers. Growing disillusionment with the traditional parties of American racism and growing reliance on their own independent strength are turning Negroes into new political channels. The new-born Freedom Now party, which is running a total of 39 candidates in Michigan, is providing kingsize headaches for the old-line political machines. The Michigan Freedom Now party is still small, still in the process of building up its organization, program and leadership -- but it has already. provoked desperate moves on the part of the established power structure,
The Democratic party has arranged to import Negro Congressman Adam Clayton Powell from New York so that he can campaign for the local candidates in the First and 13th Congressional districts. ‘Powell has been hailed for many years as a leading militant Negro congressman and it is hoped that he can enthuse Negro voters in the First and 13th Districts about the Democratic candidates. The Democratic candidate in the First district is a Negro, John Conyers, who had a sure win in November untit” the Freedom Now party nominated Milton Henry to oppose him. —
Henry has been meeting Conyers in head-on debates in which he has stated, "They're talking about the Freedom Now party in the East, they're talking about it in. the West -- they're talking about it in the South and all over these United States the white man is. afraid because black men have at last begun to acquire power."
The Freedom Now party candidate points out that Negroes elected to office from the two major parties are generally ineffective, "We want to send men into office who are free to articulate the wishes of black people."
The other Democratic candidate whom Congressman Powell is running here to save is Charles Diggs, presently the only Negro oongressman from Michigan and one of the few in congress. Diggs helped push through the phony compromise at the Democratic national convention that denied members of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic party the right to be seated as regular delegates to the convention. He has always been faithful to the needs and wishes of his Democratic party bosses, Running against Diggs is the Socialist Workers party candidate, Richard T. David, also a Negro.
David and his supporters have been waging a door-to-door campaign in the 15th district, handing out literature and speaking personally to the residents. Street rallies have been held in the area. David had been a candidate in the 23rd state legislative district but withdrew when the Freedom Now party candidate was. named .-
for that office. He has urged all his supporters to vote for and campaign : ‘for the Freedom Now candidate and is campaigning in the 13th, district where there is no FNP nominee. ~
‘° ‘David points out in his campaign literature, “at a meeting on Vietnam, Sept. 25, Diggs stated 'I am in agreement with the govern- BARS viewpoint in this area (Vietnam) of foreign policy.!'
® " “Mas g congressman, “TI would introduce a resolution to bring ws. “troops home’ from Vietnam ‘and other countries where they are . uged to support tyrants over the people. I would vote against the military budget which supports this present policy.'
“Yes, Johnson ‘and the Democrats may very well win this election but the handwriting is on the wall. The creation of an active Freedom Now party in Michigan and the warm response received by” So¢falist Workers party candidates are symptomatic of the wish to break “with capitalist party politics,