The Washington times., 1935-12-16
GOV. .TALMADGE
READY T0SEEK
PRESIDENCY

Gov. Eugene Talmadge Of
Georgia, who has won national at
tention through his vitriolic at
tacks on President Roosevelt and
his policies, will be a candidate
for the presidency If his State
holds Q primary.
He said this to newspapermen
when he announced he and John
Henry Kirby, wealthy Texas oil
man, have called a national con-
vention of Jeffersonian Democrats
to meet in Atlanta the last week
in January to make plans to de-
feat Mr.. Roosevelt'S denomination
or reelection.
The red-suspendered governor
said If enough Democrats support
him for the Democrats nom1na-
ton he will accept it, saying:
do you know any sane man
who would refuse the Presidency
or the nomination for it? Show
me the mani would like to
examine his head"
I'll Lick Roosevelt
But he was more definite as to
his plans when he discussed the
Georgia situation.
'The Georgia Democratic State
Committee has the right to name
its presidential candidate or call
for a primary. If there Is q
primary I will run against RooSe-
velt and lick him"
Talmadge's friends say he plans
to enter primaries in other States,
too, but the governor was silent
on this score.
The governor doubts that the
Georgia congressional delegation
is 100 per cent for Roosevelt. He
said they have learned things"
during the recess of Congress.
Kirby is president of the South
ern committee to uphold the Con-
stitution, with active organization
in l8 Southern and border States.
He raised 100000 for AL Smith
in 1928 and contributed heavily
to Roosevelt's campaign.
Talmadge is 100 per cent op-
posed to the Roosevelt spending
politics.
Talmadge, here for Saturday
nights Gridiron Club banquet,
yesterday laid down these pro
posals:
/. President Roosevelt must be
defeated either for denomination
or reelection to preserve the fun.
damentals'' Of the Democratic
party.
2. Talmadge will lead q move
ment in the South to send dele
gates to the Democratic national
convention opposed to Roosevelt.
3. Talmadge is convinced that
every Southern State can be swung
against Roosevelt with q proper
and unified" campaign.
4. # Roosevelt is renominated
and either Senator Borah Of Idaho
or Governor ALI Landon Of Kansas
is the Republican nominee, Tai
madge Is not certain what course
he will follow, but he will never
support Roosevelt.
5. If sufficient Democrats sup
port Talmadge for the Democratic
presidential nomination, he will
run.
Talmadge vigorously denounced
the Townsend old-age pension plan
of $200 a month for everyone over
so.
Sabbatical Plan
He declared he was for "sabbat.
ical" substitution of farm legisla-
tion in place Of the AAA. Under
his plan, every seven years no
major crop would be raised. He
said:
"Go back to the Bible and you
will find authority for this"
To q suggestion that Huey Long
also used the Bible as his text
book in politics. Talmadge de-
clared:
"Huey and were close friends.
We had the same objective. He
sought to climb one side Of the
mountain and I was going up the
other side"
On the Townsend plan, he said:
'That proposal contains more
hypocrisy than all other oid-age
pension plans put together. The
only justified pensions are these:
PAY the soldier bonus debt in
cash out of the 1880 million dol
lar appropriation made at the last
session. Give the wounded and
unemployed veterans pension.
Don't let man sit around a pool
room all his life and then get a
pension from the Government
after he is co."
Tradition Hailed
OF the Atlanta convention Tai
madge said:
1.-The convention will be held
to formulate a program to COM
bat actively the New Deal and
the candidate elected on the Dem
ocratic ticket. The Southern and
border States have $50 votes in
the Democratic National Conven.
ton. It takes but 367 votes to
block a nomination.