Evening star., 1948-10-12
ThurInond Rally
AtLynchburg
P|eases Party
Stotes' Fighters See
Victory in City and
Nearby Counties
By John v. Horner
Sssv Staff Cey,esnendent

pt Jonu V. noInef
Ster Stoff Correspondent
LYNCHBURG, Va, Oct. 18th,
States Rights Democratic move
ment definitely has taken hold IL
Piedmont Virginia.
With this assurance after O DO
htical rally here last night, Gov
Thurmond of South Carolina, th'
presidential nominee, wound up hi
Virginia tour ana prepared to leav'
for q campaign in Kentucky. He wa
to address the students Of Ran.
dolph- Macon Womans College a
noon today, then depart by plant
for Lexington, KY. A speech ther'
will be followed by a series Of ap.
pearances in other Kentucky citiei
during the next three days.
Overjoyed by the reception giver
Gov. Thurmond last night, th'
States Rights leaders here predicted
that the Southerner would carry
Lynchburg and some Of the sur
rounding counties over Presiden
Truman and Gov. Dewey. Hereto
fore, they had been doubtful.
Denounces Other Candidate.
Gov. Thurmond's supporters hao
hoped for a crowd of 600 at the rally
In City Armory. The Governor drew
1900. He was interrupted by ap.
plause IS times in a fiery speech
denouncing the President, Gov
Dewey and Henry A. Wallace.
State Senator Mosby G.. Perrow
1r., who has taken no public stand
on the presidential candidates, said
the reception convinced him that
Gov. Thurmond would win a ma.
jority of the votes here. Senator
Perrow is identified with the BYRD
State Democratic organization.
One of the biggest boosts given
the States Rights candidate was
an unqualified Endorsement by Car
ter Glass, jr., publisher of the two
Lynchburg newspapers and son OF
the late Senator and former Secre-
tary of the Treasury.
Mr.. Glass, himself former State
Senator, introduced Gov. Thurmond
at the rally, and called on his fel-
low citizens to support the States
Rights ticket on November 2.
Welcomed by Mayor.
Earlier, at a dinner attended by
90 leading residents, Gov. Thur
mond was warmly welcomed to
Lynchburg by Mayor Clarence G.
Burton, now the Democratic nomi-
nee for House of Representatives
In the 9Th Virginia district. Six OF
the seven city councilmen were on
hand to greet the candidate and
the seventh explained that his alb
sence was due TO . previous en-
gagement.
The Lynchburg meeting was cas-
lily the most enthusiastic for Gov.
Thurmond in his week-long tour of
Virginia. Its significance was under
stood by the makeup Of the audi
ence The crowd was q cross-section
Of the city and its environs. In ad-
dition to the leading politicians 1t
included industrialists, bankers,
lawyers, teachers, farmers and la
borers. Housewives and college
students were present In sizable
numbers.
II am particularly impressed by
the people who came to this rally
Mr.. Glass said There are many
citizens we know to- be for Gov
Thurmond who did not come. They
will vote for him anyway. The peo-
pie at this meeting were the ones
we especially wanted. Many of them
had not made up their minds be-
tween the candidates. They in
cluded Republicans. They were
convinced"
Republican Votes Switched.
His observation was borne out by
some of those to whom he referred
Half q dozen prominent Republi-
cans said they were greatly i'm
pressed by the States Rights argu-
ments Gov. Thurmond advanced
Several said they were switching
their votes to him from Gov Dewey
This rally differed from other
Thurmond meetings in Virginia in
that it had old-fashioned political
pep. The 500 the States Fighters
spent to bring the Bedford Fire
mems Band here paid dividends in
whipping up interest before the
speech. The band also helped swell
the crowd by playing martial music
while escorting the Thurmond party
four blocks from O hotel to the
armory.
The candidates address was a re.
furnished version of the plea for re-
tention Of governmental control by
the States, and a blast at the civil
rights proposals OF his opponent. He
called the civil rights program un-
American, unconstitutional ano
dangerous.
Gov. Thurmond held the audience,
attention throughout the reading ot
his prepared speech, and brought
them up cheering Justify when, az
customary, he launched into extern.
poraneous oratory at the end Some
In the crowd waved small! Confed-
crate flags, some whistled and q
few gave appreciation with noise
making devices.