Evening star., 1946-09-02

CT nonpartisan movement.
One of them asked me, "Are youn,
men-of no experience trying Il
throw every elected official out O
jobs in other parts of the country2'
The best answer I was able t,
give hin-from reading the news
papers-was that in other parts O
the country political machines tr
seeking vote-getting candidates hav,
nominated GIs for Office. Senator
La Follette's defeat in Wisconsin b,
Joseph r. Mccarthy, 81, a Marine
was the outstanding instance.
II know, I know" he said sadly
It's stupid not to nominate then
and head off any such movement
but down here the incumbent will
never give up his job"
Leader Grasped Messages.
Jim Buttram, who managed the
McMinn County campaign that
ended in pitched battle in Athens
for possession of the ballot boxes
with everything but artillery brought
into play, has become temporary
chairman of the Tennessee Vet
erans' Nonpartisan League. He is
planning to organize the other "a
counties Of the State-but he has
no funds as yet.
The Tennessee press has been
carrying stories of CT meetings In
Georgia and Florida. Everywhere
the battle cry is the same-"Throw
the rascals out" In Chattanooga,
four of the five CT groups who par
ticipated inconsequentially in the
August / election, have been brought
together. In Lafayette, Ga, Vet
erans' Good Government League has
been formed. and the men have
borrowed county road machinery
and started scraping the roads
a widespread source of political dis
satisfaction in the rural South.
In an Alabama town two armed
men held the post office for six
hours saying they were going to
take over the Government. One
of them was only 20. His brother
explained to authorities that the
youth had delusions that 1t was his
mission to clean up politics since
the Athens incident
Since this series started, an ennis
sary from a North Carolina county
called on this reporter to ask in
formation that would aid in the
start Of a CT movement there.
On the other hand, I heard moth
ing about CT political activity in
Knoxville, Tenn, city that un-
loads its shame to the visitor in
the initial conversations and where
vigorous press campaign is being
conducted against the city adminis-
tration. And Shelby County Mem
phis). where Ed Crump heads the
machine that controls the Demo-
cratic party of the State, sent no
delegates to the meeting only 70
miles away where the Tennessee
Veterans Nonpartisan League was
organized.
The CT campaign in McMinn
County was not directed against
Crump rule, but the current CT at
tempt to organize the State is an
anti-Crump movement.
How Veterans Won.
Perhaps the best way to convey
the measure of the Statewide
movement is to tell how it came
about. The call that formed the
Tennessee Veterans Nonpartisan
League was abortive. The fact that
anything came out of it indicates
the movement has vitality. From
Alamo In Crockett County in the
western end of the State, John Paul
Butler, rs, who ran as CT for the
State House of representatives
nomination and was defeated by IA
votes in the Democratic primary,
issued call to form National CT
third party
This bombastic announcement
had an effect in bringing delegates
from Athens. The McMinn County
boys determined to attend and head
of any such nonsense. They are
dead against any third party busi-
ness. Nonpartisan is the term that
appeals to the GIs.
Seven Of the McMinn CT leaders
made the 380-mile motor trip to at.
tend the meeting at Alamo, and /
went with them. We left the lush
dairy pasturage of the Sweetwater
Valley of which Athens is the trad
ing center, drove south to Chatta-
nooga, crossing the famous Chicka-
mauga and the Lookout Mountain
shoulder where the battle was
fought. We saw Missionary Ridge
on the way, then climbed the hills
to the Cumberland Plateau. In the
afternoon, at Sewanee, we rolled
through the grove of the University
Of the South, the Episcopal outpost
in the Bible Belt.
Later we dipped down to cross the
Tennessee River on its northward
curve where it returns from Ala
bama to the State of its origin flow
ing past fats rich with corn. From
there on, 1t was occasional small
cotton and corn patches in scrubby
country until we reached Alamo, q
county seat formerly Impoverished
but now bursting at the seams with
wartime prosperity.
Meeting Underway.
A protest meeting was underway
In the courthouse. Candidate But
Ter, tall, plump man with his shirt
out addressed the 500 overalled men
and two women crowded in the