Evening star., 1946-07-18
Ta|madge Holds
Lead in Georgia,
Appears Winner
Carmichael Majority
In Popular Vote FoiIs
To Offset CountyUnits
(Ptcture on Page A-3.)
BY the Assoeioted Press

y
was headed for the Governors
Mansion again as his lead in the
States Democratic primary con-
tlnued its upward trend today.
The returns are not all in from
yesterdays voting-the counting may
last for hours yet-but unit votes
are what count in Georgia and Mr.
Talmadge has enough indicated unit
ballots to win, with some to spare
yet 36-year-old James V. Car
michael is leading in the popular
vote. He refused to concede.
Georgia's 159 counties, many of
them tiny, have 410 unit votes. A
candidate is elected with majority,
206. The latest count puts Mr..
Talmadge ahead in 98 counties with
234 unit votes.
Mr.. Carmichael, backed by Gov.
Ellis Arnall, who defeated Mr.. Tai
madge four years ago on a reform
platform, led in so counties with a
unit vote of 156.
TabuIatiOn of Ballots.
The popular vote was: Mr.. Car
michael, 212,472; Mr.. Talmadge,
184.419; former Gov. E. D. Rivers,
38,766, and Hoke O'Kelley, 6,Ss1.
Mr.. Rivers led in nine counties
W.h 20 unit votes. Mr.. O'Kelley had
no unit votes.
The returns were from all counties
but two, IS counties being complete.
and from I'LL of the 1,746 precincts.
Many counties apparently still had
blocks of votes unreported.
Incomplete returns showed Mr.
Carmichael leading in seven of the
heavily populated counties and Mr..
Talmadge in one. These counties
are allocated six unit votes each
They include the cities of Atlanta,
Savannah, Decatur, Rome, Macon,
Columbus, Augusta and Lagrange.
In these eight counties Mr.. Car
michael had popular vote of 90,034
to Mr.. Talmadge's 51,028, but Mr..
Talmadge was picking up his lead
in the smaller counties with two
and four unit votes, cashing in
heavily on the rural vote.
Three Legislators Trailing.
In the congressional contests,
3 of Georgia's 10 incumbents
were trailing in seven races Those
unopposed are Representatives
Camp, Pace and Brown.
Representative Tarver veteran of
20 years in the House, had II unit
votes and popular ballot of 1926,
while his opponent, Henderson Lam
ham, had garnered 81 unit votes and
a popular majority of 1853.
The States youngest congressional
candidate, w. H. Wheeler, 30-year-
old Army veteran, was leading Rep
resentative Gibson with II units
and 2,157 popular votes, against 10
units and 1,O86 popular ballot.
Representative Mankin trailed
Judge James c. Davis with six unit
votes against eight, but her popular
vote was 48,077 to 37,132 and Mrs.
Mankin announced that she would
claim denomination on the basis
of popular vote.
Primary Procedure Changed.
For yesterdays primary. the lame
duck" Democratic Executive Com
mittee decreed return to the coun-
ty-unit system Of nomination after
IA years of the popular ballot. Mrs.
Mankin has refused to recognize the
change.
The primary-equivalent to elec-
ton in Georgia-was the first time
Negroes had voted in great num-
bers in the Deep South. About 1885,
600 Of them registered and most
voted.
Yet Mr.. Talmadge's election may
mean the restoration of the tradi-
tional white" Democratic primary
in Georgia which the Supreme
Court has said must go.
Mr.. Talmadge promised to bring
back the white primary by putting
it beyond State control, as South
Carolina did two years ago.
Opponents of such change con-
tend, however, that it would en-
danger the States county-unit sys-
tenn which permits small rural coun-
ties to dominate State affairs.
White persons outnumber Ne
groes in Georgia nearly two to one,
although in some counties it is the
other way round. Total registra-
ton during the vitriolic campaign
exceeded a million-double the nor
NAL figure.
Voting Most Orderly.
1t was something new in the deep
South. Negroes have voted in other
Southern States this summer, but
not in such numbers. The voting
was orderly except in a few in
stances of apparent intimidation.
The repeal of the poll tax last
year, and the fact that teen-agers
could vote for the first time were
credited with adding to the vast
turnout of voters.
Mr.. Talmadge, whose red suspend
ers and unruly forelocks have made
him familiar figure on the Georgia
scene for years, concentrated his
flre on Gov. Arnall and what he
called outside influences"
Victory apparently tasted sweet to
llle o1-year-olo campa1gner. In
husky voice, he said over the radio:
1T looks like the white folks of
Georgia have voted for Talmadge.
There was a lot OF Negro money
that came from the North into
Georgia But we didn't get any
of it."
Virtually the entire Negro vote
went to Mr. Carmichael.
MIR. Talmadge accused James Cox.
Ohio publisher and owner of the
= Atlanta Journal and Benedict"
Arnall Of backing Mr.. Carmichael in
bid for the Southern Negro vote
: in 1948. Gov. Arnall, he says, will
seek the vice presidency then.
Piper Plans Bronch Plant