Evening star., 1932-06-10
Six Southern Delegations in
Contests for Recognition
in Convention.
HOT WET AND DRY BATTLE
ANTICIPATED BY LEADERS
More Trouble Expected From Out.
right Repealists Than From
Strict Prohibitionists.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.
Staff Correspondent of The Star.

CHICAGO, June lO.-As the stage
was being set for titanic struggle
over prohibition in the Republican
National Convention, the Republican
National Committee yesterday got down
to work on the claims presented by con-
testing delegations from half-dozen
Southern States
What happens in these delegate con-
tests is not going to affect the presi-
dental nomination. In all probability
che decisions reached will not affect the
outcome of the fight over prohibition.
Nor will the contests result in Pepub-
llcan victory N any OF these Southern
States. They may. however, have their
effect on close contests at the polls
hext November in States of the North
and East where there is a considerable
Colored vote. perhaps holding the bal
ance of power. The efforts made to
do away with old G. o. P. leaders,
colored in most instances. in these
States have brought the charge that
the desire is for lilly white party In
the South.
So these contests filed in Georgia,
Louisiana, Mississippi South Carolina,
Tennessee and Virginia, in so far as the
race issue is involved. will be followed
with interest. There was report that
the Tennessee contests would be with
drawn. Only SIS delegates all told are
involved. and no matter how they are
settled there VIII be no change in the
plans Of the convention to renomlnate
President Hoover.
Georgia Contest First.
The first of the contests heard was
that of Georgia. where Mrs. George S.
Williams, colored, Republican national
committeewoman, is seeking to unhorse
State convention called by the ''organi-
cation" Ben Davis, colored, and for
many years power in the Republican
organization in Georgia, is among the
organization delegates. j. G. Lemon,
Colored, and one of the Contesting dele
gates, presented the case for the Will
liams slate CT delegates, charging that a
tidal wave Of lily whiteism" had
swept the State and that the colored
Republicans had been ousted and that
some of the so-called Republicans in
power were Democrats and Klansmen.
He said of the l6 delegates chosen by
the organization IA are white and only
two are colored. He said that a Repub-
lican white party in Georgia is an i'm
possibility.
James w. Arnold, Republican ma
tional committeeman. white, and Davis
presented the case for the organization
delegates. Mr.. Arnold declared that the
organization WaS regular" a continual
ton of the organization that had been
in charge for years. He said that the
contestants themselves had taken part
in all the proceedings. up to this Spring.
Then" he said, Il was informed in
a letter signed by u members of the
State Committee that nothing We had
done in the last two years was regular.
All of this contest is just tommy rot"
Contest after Thought"
Ben Davis said he hoped the National
Committee would exclude the race ques-
ton in consideration of the case. He
declared the organization had been reg
ular all the way through to the election
Of delegates. The contest by the Will
liams delegates, he said, was "an after
thought"
These people" he said. represent
no one in Georgia except their own
feelings"
The charge was made by Lemon that
Postmaster General Brown had decreed
that there should be a white Republican
party in Georgia, and indeed the con-
test is part of a protest against what
the Postmaster General had been doing
in the way of CLEANING up" Republican
organizations IN the South. Some OF
the older national committeeman have
resented this But the opinion is ex-
pressed that Brown will come out on
top in these contests.
The committee was informed today
of a settlement of the contest over
seats from the third district of Vir-
ginia, whereby Simeon M. Atkinson
and Cyrus w. Beale will withdraw and
permit the seating of Lewis S. Strauss
and George Cole Scott. All four are
from Richmond.
Preparing for Battle.
Wet and dry leaders are as thick as
fleas in this city of Chicago. This
means the heads of various organiza-
tions for and against prohibition as
well as wet and dry political leaders.
They are preparing for knock-down
drag-out fight.
Despite the threats of ardent drys to
form third party unless they have
their way with the Republican national
platform, it looks as though the con-
vention would take the bit in its teeth
and produce plank calling for re-
submission of the eighteenth amend
ment.
Indeed the sentiment for platform
declaration for outright repeal of the
prohibition amendment is on the in
crease, and the administration leaders
here fear they will have more trouble
with the repealists in the convention
than they will have from the drys
themselves. The hope was expressed
today by some of those who are trying
to steer the Republican bark between
the scylla of prohibition and the
cbarybdis of prohibition that it