BEFORE HIS TIME

"Once Truman was renominated in August , [Harry T.] Moore eagerly threw his support behind him. '[Truman had] stuck his neck out farther for the Negro race than any President--perhaps even farther than Lincoln ,' Moore enthused. "Throughout the summer and fall, he sent out repeated mailings to Florida 's black leaders, comparing Truman 's record to those of Thomas E. Dewery, the Republican nominee, and Henry Wallace. After Truman pulled off his miraculous comeback in November, Moore called it 'one of the greatest political upsets in American history' and boasted of the importance of the black vote in putting Truman over the top. "By most standards, Moore's first two years as a full-time NAACP executive secretary had been a dazzling success . He had chartered over thirty new branches and revived a half-dozen defunct ones, bringing the total to seventy -eight. In 1947, the Florida conference had led the nation in branches formed... "At an NAACP Southeast Regional Conference in March 1947, Moore reviewed his successes in a report to the 235 delegates. 'We are pushing into areas where the name of this organization could hardly be whispered a few years ago,' he said, proudly noting the seven new branches in the panhandle. Moore also described his frustrations with 'an uneducated citizenry' that bought newspapers 'just to get a [bolita] number ' and with black ministers who '[teach] the people nothing but Heaven and immortal glory.'... "His eloquent writing was also drawing attention .... "Despite his success , however, there were ominous storm clouds on the horizon. Moore 's greatest achievements had come in the political arena, with the PVL [Progressive Voters' League], yet his only financial base was within the NAACP. And here there were signs of trouble . The voluntary quotas assessed on each branch, which Moore was counting on for his salary, had been a dismal failure....Total contributions to the state conference had been less than $4,000--far short of his proposed budget of $7,000--and Moore had been forced to abandon plans to hire a stenographer and rent an office. By November 1948, he has an operating deficit of $800, including $250 in salary and $328 in travel and office expenses... "On top of his financial problems, an even more threatening schism was developing within the state conference over Moore's political activities. Through his leadership of the PVL, Moore was pushing to register blacks as Democrats, at a time when many prominent black leaders were life-long Republicans whose status, prestige, and political connections were entwined with the GOP. And while Moore was actively endorsing candidates for state and local races, the NAACP was strictly nonpartisan, with a constitutional provision against any partisan political activities. Some NAACP leaders were apparently frightened by Moore's forays into the dangerous waters of southern politics." P. 75-77, BEFORE HIS TIME: THE UNTOLD STORY OF HARRY T. MOORE, AMERICA'S FIRST CIVIL RIGHTS MARTYR (1999) by Ben Green