Colored Vote

"There are at least ten states in which the colored vote is the deciding factor-- Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, New York." So say politicians oft and anon at this period of the presidential cycle. The man who said it last week was Perry W. Howard, Republican National Committeeman from Mississippi. Mr. Howard who is a Negro (light colored) also said: "The group I represent has unfortunate ly for years, and to a large extent, followed the political fortunes of Governor Smith in New York and it is essential that this support be brought-back to the Republican party, and not be permitted to extend into other states." The kind of extension Mr. Howard possibly had in mind was the Democrats' shrewd move last autumn in appointing Jack Johnson, oldtime Negro pugilist, to align votes in Chicago's black belt the way Tammany has succeeded in aligning dark Harlem in New York. Mr. Howard had a program, he said. His program was to nominate for Vice President that tall 39-year-oldster Repre sentative Hamilton Fish Jr. of New York. Mr. Fish who footballed at Harvard, is not a Negro. He is the third of a series of Hamilton Fishes who sprang from Nicholas Fish, a lieutenant-colonel in Washington's army. The first Hamilton Fish was Secre tary of State in Grant's Cabinet. Committeeman Howard's Hamilton Fish has yet to prove himself as sterling a statesman as his grandfather or as his father, who was speaker of the New York Assembly (1895-96) and a Congressman before his son (1909-11). But Committeeman Howard's Hamilton Fish commanded Negro troops in the War. He likes Negroes and they like him. "His nomination is logical," said Committeeman Howard. "There are ten states . . . etc." Other G. O. Politicians put the Fish idea aside and let it simmer.