Southern Politics Revisited

Abstract

1 HE FINDINGS of two recent studies of political South, Southern Politics in State and Nation by V. 0. Key, Jr. and A Two-Party South? by Alexander Heard,1 prompted investigation which this paper reports. Both studies, in broad lines, submit following propositions (using Key's words): that (1) the politics of South revolves around position of Negro; (2) the hard core of political South-and backbone of southern political unity-is made up of those counties and sections of southern states in which Negroes constitute a substantial proportion of population; and (3) it is whites of black-belts who have deepest and most immediate concern about maintenance of white supremacy.2 These understandings form backdrop for this inquiry into voting behavior in 1948 and 1952 of four southern states, Dixiecratic states. These states-Mississippi, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Alabama-besides being only states to cast electoral votes for Thurmond and Wright in 1948,3 also lead all others in proportion of total population which is Negro.4 Both Key and Heard studies are concerned with hypothesis: intensity of southern feeling on position of Negro varies proportionately with concentration of Negroes-in areas of high concentration concern over Negro-white relations is greatest, in areas of low concentration concern is least; and, in areas with large colored populations this leads to a subordination of all other issues to race issue. This paper reports correlations, relating to above hypothesis and arrived at through simple statistical methods, between voting behavior in Dixiecratic states in 1948 and 1952 and Negro-white ratio of election units. It also seeks to assess prospects for development of two-party politics in these states.