Henderson daily dispatch. (Henderson, N.C.) 1914-1995, 1940-03-04
Campaign
Still DraSs
CONTINUED From Page One)

where gubernatorial campaigns are
usually filled with excitement,
charges and oratory-althOugh its
been Il long time since the Tar Heel
National Guard was called out 10
'preserve order" as has been done
in some Of the fellow states of the
South III recent years
This situation, it can be said with
out any bias or prejudice, is MAX
ing for the present benefit Of the
three candidates who are generally
regarded as having something Of an
edge over Their competitors. The trio
is composed of J. NJ. BroughtOn, y
P. Horton and A. J. MaXWell-and =
will be noted they are listed al',A2-
betically and without any Attempt
at ranking them as to their relative
status with the voters.
Lee Gravely, Paul Grady and Tom
Cooper, the other potentially power
ful candidates, are not getting the
mention, in Raleigh talk at least,
that is coming to the three already
named.
Two others who call themselves
candidates Colonel Arthur Simmons
of BurlingtoE and Bryant Thompson
of HamleD are ignored in this sum-
mary as they are being ignored by
the wholesale all over the state. 1t
would take nothing short Of a series
of political miracles to make either
Of them a contender worth talking
about-and it's been long time since
any such miracles have been worked.
There is some doubt in the mind
of your Raleigh reporter whether
Gravely, Crazy and Cooper are real
ly as far behind as reports heard
here would indicate on their face. It
must always be kept in mind that
practically all the Raleigh folk who
do any political talking are state Of
ticials, employees or otherwise close
ly connected with the administra-
ton Visitors who are closely con-
nected with political affairs, too, are
for the most part tarred with the
administration stick.
It follows that the talk heard here,
both from homegrown politicians
and from visitors, is likely to be tint
ed according to the speakers desires
as well as his honest judgment.
That being true. readers IN the
hinterluuds are warned that they
should take most of the political
prophecies from Raleigh with at
least good-sized grain of salt.
There is no escaping the cOnclu-
sion that the three candidates upon
whom the administration (meaning
the governor, the state department
heads and the great army Of the
dominant political faction in North
Carolina) prefers Broughton, Horton,
or Maxwell to any of the other three.
That's perhaps why almost every
body talked to here puts one or the
other of this trio in front.
But every one who does talk
visitor or home folks-readily adj
mits that there isn't even a flicker
of real, honest interest among the
great bulk of those who are quail
fled to vote on May Is. The papers
are carrying political news and Cos
sip, the politicians are guardedly try
ing to make up their minds whom
to back, the candidates are making
all the noise they can but SO far they
might just as we'll all be shouting up
a chimney or into deep, dark we'll
When, if ever, this situation will
change. remains to be seen; but if
something doesn't occur to shake the
populace out of its lethargy there's
going to be record-breaking low
mark for votes set in the coming
primary.
AS matters now stand, nobody has
attacked anybody; nobody's mad at
anybody; nobody seems to have any
appealing issue beyond the Il want
to be Governor" appeal; and it all
adds up to almost complete blank
in the public mind.