The Lexington advertiser. [volume] (Lexington, Miss.) 1904-1985, 1948-01-29

HAZEL
EYES
BY Hozel Brannon

BY Hozel Brannon
A bill has been introduced in the
Mississippi State Legislature by
Rep. Maurice Black, Of Carroll coun-
ty which provides that mo presi-
dental elector shall be legally re-
uuired to cast his vote for any per-
o for president or vice-president
by reason of any present or previous
party affiliation or pledge"
The purpose of this legislation is
to enable Mississippi electors to vote
as they please for president and vice.
president and not be bound by any
party ties, specifically Democratic
party ties.
The passage of this legislation by
Mississippi's state legislature will
implement into action Governor
Wright's warning to national Demo-
cratic party leaders that Mississippi
will no longer sit supinely by and
take anything dished out to her in
the way of anti-southern legislation
without trying to do something about
it.
II this, legislation is passed it will
certainly vindicate the stand of the
majority of delegates to the 1914
Mississippi state Democratic con-
vention . the convention that
passed a resolution releasing Mis-
sissippi's electors from voting a
strict party ticket.
The work of the convention was
undone, however. when our profess
sional politicians prevailed and the
late Governor Thomas L. Bailey
called an extraordinary session Of
the legislature to name presidential
electors pledged to support the De-
mocratic party ticket.
We only wish Governor Bailey was
here today to see that those of us
opposing the policies and politics of
the Democratic party four years ago
were not false alarmists but were
pointing to a very grave future con-
fronting the south and its institu-
tions under the banner Of the Demo-
cratic party as then and now on
;stituted.
If all of the southern states would
enact legislation permitting their
electors to cast their votes as they
please rather than adhere strictly to
the party line we would have a
pom to WELD over the national De-
-~~s4ocratic party that would get the
results we might want whether
it be in naming a candidate or in
writing the party platform or enact
ing wanted Or unwanted legislation.
Unless the south does something
along these lines, finds some remedy
to get more of a controlling voice in
Democratic party affairs, we might
as well secede from the Union again
for we have no voice whatever in
the way things are run now.
Those persons responsible for do
ing away with the two-thirds rule
on the naming of candidates Cat the
Philadelphia convention in 1892 per-
formed a great disservice to the
south. They lost for us forever u
veto power on candidates and rend-
cred us helpless in party matters.
This rule requiring a two-thirds
vote of the Democratic convention
to name a presidential candidate
gave the solidly Democratic south
virtually a veto power on any candi-
date. It made our voice count in the
selection of a candidate and the De-
mocratic party would not have dared
to ram just anyone down our Threats.
This rule was done away with at
the Philadelphia convention in order
to allow the late Franklin d. Roose-
welt to get the presidential nomina-
ton those attending the conven-
ton agreeing that we would never
have whipped two-thirds of the de-
1egates into line, whereas he could
and did command a majority.
The late Pat Harrison and Ark
ansas' late Senator Robinson first
fought abrogating the rule and then
they were won over and swung
the rest of the southern delegations
into line.
How Senator Harrison and Senat-
or Robinson were ever able to put
anything like this over we cannot
understand it's just like agree
ing to give e a knife when
you know all they're going to do
with it is cut your throat.
The Democratic party must have
the solid south's electoral votes to
stuY in power. This good Yeur of
ls4s is the time for the south to re-
gain its voice in purtY affairs and we
"a do it If Mississippi and oil the
other southern stutes free our elect
ors from voting the Democratic tick
ct and making it possible for them to
vote for anyone they deem wise or
necessary.