Americans by Choice

by John Palmer Gavit

Per Cent of New York City Vote Cast for McCall in 1913 and Dix in 1910 by the Italians

Assembly District		Per Cent of Italians	1913 McCall	1910 Dix
3d	Manhattan	30.3	67.6	77.7
1st	“	25.2	59.6	67.8
28th	“	26.8	42.6	55.8
3d	Brooklyn	23.2	63.7	73.1
2d	Manhattan	18.5	57.6	67.4

“We are able,” says Doctor Lipsky, “to say that a decided ‘no’ was given to Tammany by native Americans of native parents, and by the Russians and Germans; a decided ‘Yes’ was given by the Italian and Irish.”

The thing that stands out in these figures, whatever else may be said, would seem to be the fact that, like the native Americans of native parentage, the voters of foreign racial antecedents changed their support with changing circumstances and influences. The conventional view of the foreign-born voter is that he votes in herds, as he is told to vote, and that in New York City Tammany does the herding. Well, in the mayoralty election of 1913, judging by these figures, it is evident that Tammany’s “herding” was not wholly successful with those “new-immigration” voters classed as Russians and Austrians! All sorts of factors, local and general, fundamental and temporary, almost Wholly incalculable, enter into elections, and one is free to analyze and interpret to suit himself.

On the subject of the “political mind of the foreign-born voter” as regards Socialism, Doctor Lipsky presents some interesting figures from ten assembly districts in which the Socialist candidate for mayor in 1913 received over 10 per cent of the total vote.

TABLE XLII

Per Cent of Socialistic Vote in New York City in 1910 and 1913 by Nationality

Assembly District		Socialist Vote		Native of Native Parentage	Aus­trian	Ger­man	Irish	Ital­ian	Rus­sian
		1910	1913
21st	Brooklyn	12.4	16.1	12.6	5.9	4.1	....	9.1	31.2
23d	“	12.5	15.8	19.6	3.9	2.2	1.6	4.6	33.3
19th	“	11.0	12.8	12.6	.8	13.6	....	9.9	11.9
4th	Manhattan	12.6	11.9	7.0	25.2	.4	1.1	2.5	35.6
26th	“	10.2	11.8	7.1	6.7	4.6	3.8	1.4	34.6
8th	“	14.6	11.7	2.5	14.2	.7	....	4.1	54.4
22d	“	13.1	11.7	10.6	4.6	21.2	5.3	1.6	3.6
6th	“	10.0	11.2	2.4	30.8	1.1	.7	.7	30.4
24th	“	10.4	11.2	11.1	3.9	4.3	6.2	11.1	20.6
10th	“	11.1	10.8	5.9	12.5	4.7	....	13.9	22.3

“Our conclusion therefore is,” says Doctor Lipsky, “that the bulk of the Socialist vote is derived from the foreign Jewish element, and to a less degree from the Germans.”