The Augusta Courier

States Rights Democratic Party Of Ga. Holds Meet At Augusta, Elects Officers

Willingham Heads Group; Candidates For Presidential Electors Chosen

The States' Rights Democratic Party of Georgia held its first convention in Augusta on October 13th, 1948, elected officers and a slate of candidates for the office of Presidential elector to be on the ballot in the November General Election. Ed L. Willingham of Augusta was named Chairman, Walter Wainwright of Butler Vice-Chairman; Marvin E. Moate of Sparta. Vice-Chairman; and James C. Harrison, Jr., of Augusta, Secretary and Treasurer.

The keynote speech was made by William P. Congdon, prominent attorney of Augusta, who outlined the purposes of the States' Rights Democratic Party of Georgia. "The formation of the Party is a temporary expedient", said Mr. Congdon. The Democratic Party and President Truman have doublecrossed the South and stabbed the South in the back with the Truman civil rights program and the only way for the people of Georgia to register a protest against such action is to name delegates on a States' Right ticket and to vote the States' Rights ticket in the November election according to Mr. Congdon. Congdon issued a ringing call to the people of Georgia to vote the States' Rights ticket on November 2nd and teach the Democrats of the nation that the South must be respected and that the Democrats cannot win without the vote of the Southern states.

The Convention authorized the appointment of a State Executive Committee by the Chairman and the appointment of two members to the National Committee of the States' Rights Party. The Convention then nominated Governor J. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina as its candidate for President and Governor Fielding L. Wright of Mississippi as its candidate for the office of Vice-President and named the following Presidential electors to go on the November ballot, to-wit:

STATE AT LARGE:
J. J. Brown, Thomson
Chas. J. Bloch, Macon
1st District E. B. Register. Reidsville.
2nd District J. E. Brooks, Jr., Camilla.
3rd District Charles F. Crisp, Americus.
4th District M. C. Roop. Carrollton.
5th District Durwood T. Pye, Atlanta.
6th District Roy L. Dunn, Macon.
7th District Isaac Adams, Dalton.
8th District Ivy L. Echols, Patterson.
9th District George McFarlin. Cummings
10th District Mrs. Julius Y. Talmadge, Athens.

The Convention authorized the Chairman and the Secretary to qualify the candidates for President, for Vice-President and the twelve candidates for Presidential elector and they were qualified to the Secretary of State late in the afternoon of the 13th. This action of the States' Rights Democratic party will give the people of the State of Georgia an opportunity to choose between Governor Thurmond. Governor (Continued on page four)
Willingham Heads States' Rights Body
(Continued from page one)

Dewey, President Truman and Henry Wallace.

This action came as a result of the Act of the Legislature passed in the recent extra session called by Acting Governor Thompson to give the people of the State an opportunity to vote for any one whom they saw fit for President and Vice-President.

Chairman Ed Willingham stated to the Convention that it would be the purpose of the Party to go after a majority of the votes of the people of the State so that the electors could be elected by the people on November 2nd and it would not be necessary for electors to be thrown into the Legislature when it meets the middle of November.