The Daily Record

Dixie Delegates Dare Northern Foes To Throw Them Out Of The Convention

Leftwingers Shove Loyalty Rule To Humiliate South

CHICAGO, (UP) --The credentials committee went to work today enforcing a new "Loyalist rule the Democratic national convention shoved down the throats of conservative Southerners.

Chairmen of every state delegation were ordered to "give assurance" that every delegation wil work to have the convention's presidential ticket listed on November ballots "under the heading, name or designation of the Democratic Party."

TRYING TO AVOID BOLT

The idea is to prevent Southern Democrats from bolting the party and running their own presidential candidate under the Democratic label as the "Dixiecrats" did in 1948.

The credentials committee was called into session at 10 a.m. CDT by chairman Calvin Rawlings of Salt Lake City.

Five Southern states-Mississippi Louisiana, Virginia. South Carolina and Georgia - held morning caucuses to determine whether to comply with the loyalty pledge or invite the dominant liberal wing to have them out of the convention. Leaders of all five protested they could not subscribe to the rule without violating their own state laws.

There was a chance the Southern delegations might just ignore the "loyalty" rule and renew the whole fight when the credentials committee reports to the convention tonight. Gov. Herman Talmadge of Georgia said that under convention rules a two-thirds vote is required (Continued On Page Two)
Leftwingers
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to expel a delegate who does not comply with a rule.

PLENTY OF DRAMA
The new rule was adopted at a drama-packed, marathon convention session lasting until 2:05 a.m. CDT, today.
Texas and Mississippi "regular" anti-administration delegations were primary targets. But Texas voted in an extraordinary caucus to go along with the rule.
Sen. Blair Moody of Michigan was the principal architect of the rule, stuck into temporary operating procedures of the convention in form of an amendment.
It was rewritten and revised often, and Texas' Gov. Allan Shivers scored the South's only victory when he succeeded in having stricken, before the rule was formally submitted, a sentence stating:
"Every delegate assumes a moral obligation to support the nominees of these convention and to bring about their election."
Shivers also spared the Southerners another humiliation by beating Moody to another punch. He announced Texas and Mississippi voluntarily surrendered any claim to vote on their contest with rival "loyalist" delegations until they are finally seated.
That maneuver forced Moody to strike out a "fair play" proviso of his resolution, which would have deprived the Texas and Mississippi regulars of voting rights until the contests are settled.

DENOUNCED BY TALMADGE
Talmadge angrily denounced the convention's action and said repeatedly that his delegation could not comply with the provision "even if we wanted to."
It is apparent that this is an effort to destroy the Democratic party and turn our nation over to the CIO, ADA, NAACP and all the other leftist, radical elements that would destroy our constitutional government," he said.
Govs. James F. Byrnes of South Carolina, Robert F. Kennon of Louisiana and Hugh White of Mississippi had no comment on the convention's action but immediately called meetings of their delegations.
Gov. John S. Battle of Virginia said he did not know whether his state's delegates "are going to sign that pledge."
"We'll do a little talking," he said. "We'll be guided by the wishes of our members."
Sen. Spessard Holland (D-Fla.), who led the fight against the "loyalty" rules, announced that the Florida delegation would also meet today. But he said "not any of us has a disposition to bolt." He did not say whether the delegates would sign the pledge.
Talmadge, Byrnes and White have openly hinted their states might bolt the party in November if the platform and candidates seem unacceptable to the South.