Americans by Choice

by John Palmer Gavit

“CIVIC INTEREST” IN GRAND RAPIDS

When we come down to the larger question, of the response of voters of foreign birth and origin to constructive efforts to interest them in civic matters, we are on surer ground. Given a sufficiently comprehensive survey, we can tell whether the “foreign wards” of a city are apathetic toward movements which they can recognize as embodying concrete things close to their own lives, and meaning a forward step in public administration. The testimony of all sorts of workers among the foreign born is unanimous on this point. The foreign-born voters are more responsive to things of this kind than the native-born. Possibly this is because their more recent introduction into American life makes them more naïve, less blasé—what you will as to the reason, the fact remains the same.

It so happens that we have a peculiarly apt and informing exhibit of this in the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan, in statistics of five elections involving questions of municipal import, and showing in most striking fashion the results of a sustained effort, not to influence votes this way or that, but to impress citizens with the importance of voting at all. The following tables show the total vote cast in the three wards of the city of Grand Rapids at these elections:

TABLE XLVI

Vote Cast in Precincts of Varying Racial Make-up in Three Wards of Grand Rapids, 1918, 1919

First Ward
Pre- cinct	Racial Complexion	March 1918	August 1918	November 1918	March 1919	April 1919
1st	Lithuanian	95	144	178	222	316
2d	Dutch	267	402	443	483	601
3d	Polish	359	608	672	721	1,105
4th	American	197	311	347	358	593
5th	American	334	508	555	757	1,063
6th	Polish	239	386	407	532	764
7th	Polish	305	464	541	729	946
8th	American	213	338	386	536	719
9th	German	210	349	419	535	752
10th	Mixed	296	425	455	682	909
11th	Mixed	263	427	484	643	899
12th	American	260	403	461	685	940
Second Ward
1st	American	270	438	499	682	907
2d	American	251	322	423	557	796
3d	American	360	519	549	738	885
4th	American	227	393	434	475	658
5th	Polish	166	227	291	363	467
6th	Polish	277	449	514	721	952
7th	American	292	407	496	837	881
8th	American	206	300	375	574	732
9th	American	129	245	324	238	434
10th	Dutch	314	451	546	1,002	1,139
11th	Dutch	240	373	418	594	726
12th	American	231	399	476	783	931
13th	American	409	588	671	1,063	1,297
14th	American	331	457	544	1,085	1,229
15th	Italian and Syrian	291	486	618	1,168	1,357
16th	Italian and Syrian	89	155	187	187	285
17th	Italian and Syrian	115	164	209	253	326
Third Ward
1st	Italian and Syrian	178	247	328	379	540
2d	Italian and Syrian	98	135	258	263	440
3d	American	318	551	680	1,004	1,298
4th	American	354	546	619	980	1,203
5th	American	422	613	681	861	1,019
6th	American	241	380	433	674	848
7th	Dutch	292	480	511	628	952
8th	American	346	555	631	818	1,165
9th	American	255	416	509	720	979
10th	American	266	470	547	771	1,114
11th	American	188	360	450	516	812
12th	Dutch	291	488	578	717	986
13th	Dutch	218	367	413	463	658
14th	American	224	404	490	677	909
15th	American	124	224	272	417	604
16th	American	194	387	442	594	847
	Totals	11,245	17,820	20,774	28,705	37,983

The population of Grand Rapids, about 112,500 by the census of 1910, by the spring of 1918 had grown to approximately 132,000. This would afford a potential male vote of upward of 26,000; so that at the primary election that March, considerably less than half of the possible vote was polled. At the election in August, 1918, this was increased to nearly 70 per cent, and to 80 per cent in November.