Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-08-29
veteran-Nonpartisan
Weakened Machine in
Poll Tax Skirmish
Continued From First Page :,

Continued From First Page.)
onicers to be filled August /. They
had no idea how much work they
were getting into.
Paul Cantrell and Pat Mansfield,
Democrats. had run the county since
they wrested 1t from the Republi-
cans in 1896. The county had a
Republican background dating back
to the Civil War, when many
McMinn County men fought for the
Union. In the Cantrell regime, the
people were disturbed by the vio-
lence of "fee-grabbing' deputy
sheriffs. Men arrested for minor
offenses were dubbed in the Jail.
Planned Nonpartisan League.
Clyde Rogers, county clerk passed
over by the machine for renomina-
ton, had placed an ad in the Athens
newspaper intimating that the 1886
election had been stolen from the
Republicans. The ad said the peo-
pie were paying too much for gov
eminent and cited from the records
Of the county clerks Office the sums
paid by the county to the sheriff.
1t was after this ad appeared that
Jim Buttram, "a, back clerking in
his fathers grocery store after be-
ing wounded in Normandy on D day
plus 16, called a meeting of three
GIs. including himself, and three
businessmen, at which the CT Nom
partisan League was planned.
Then Mr.. Buttram got together a
larger group of veterans and pro-
posed the plan to contest the county
elections. Most of the ideas about
democracy and politicians discussed
in rest camps in Africa, Europe and
the islands of the Pacific came to
the fore. The boys were against
politicians. They liked the idea of
q non-partisan banner.
Some of them wanted to have
the Nonpartisan League declare
against Ed Crump, the Shelby
County (Memphis) boss who con-
trolls the Democratic party of the
State. They wanted to aid in the
primary campaign of Edward W.
Carmack running for the Demo-
cratic senatorial nomination against
Senator Kenneth Mcclellan, candi-
date of the Crump machine. But
they were reminded that this was
a nonpartisan league asking sup
port of Democrats and Republicans
for a change of government in the
county.
COP Chairman Contacted.
Lets carry the county first"
said Mr.. Buttram. well go after
Crump later"
They went to Otto Kennedy, ga
rage operator who is chairman of
the Republican party in the coun-
ty. Mr.. Kennedy, a quick-moving
man with grizzled temples and an
aquiline nose, is not a war veteran.
He came of age between wars and
at 43 is grandfather.
They told Mr.. Kennedy they
wanted his support-but without
strings. The ticket and the move
ment was to be nonpartisan but
they knew they would have to
have what Republican votes were
left in the county to win. MIR. Ken
nedy gave them assurances that he
would give them the complete sup
port of the party and it would be
their show If they won. He was
willing to do anything to beat the
opposition machine.
And he showed them how much
work it was going to be; how much
money it was going to cost. That
didn't discourage the GIs-they set
out to do the job.
Connections Are Handicaps.
They encountered the usual
ruling -class connections of any
political machine in power. The
wealthiest man in town would not
help them. His son-in-law was
mayor. The most respected man In
town, an elder statesman who had
been judge of the State Supreme
Court, remained neutral. He had
acted as attorney for Paul Cantrell,
the Democratic leader. Members
of the ministers association assured
the boys they were with them. But
there was not much they could do
All had members of the Cantrell
machine in their congregations.
Among the merchants, the GIs
found more willingness to contrib
ute money than to declare for the
cause. The GIs appointed Harry
johnson, jr., 81, former infantryman
and son of hardware merchant,
treasurer. They received a con-
tribution of $3.50 from an unnamed
organization and three individual
$500 contributions. Before they were
through, they had raised $4,000
a sizeable war chest in a county of
10000 population. And they hus-
banded their fund so carefully that
at the end of the campaign, instead
OF the usual deficit, they had funds
to aid in the formation of a Good
Government League.
They went about things in a
business-like way. They put Jim
Buttram on a salary so he could
leave the grocery store and devote
all his time to the management of
the campaign. They rented a store
lust off Courthouse Co,,ora Aul