Evening star., 1952-10-26
Mrs. John Spar rkmon A Campaign Veteran
AEvovs Him
By IsobeIIe Shelton

Wife Of Der
By Isabelle Shelton
Campaigning across the Natior
for the vice presidency isn't yer.
different from campaigning fol
Congress or the Senate down home
in Alabama. says Mrs. John Spark
man, wife Of the Democratic vic'
presidential nominee.
Although not herself the candi.
date, Mrs. Sparkman qualities al
somewhat of an expert on cam
lpaigning techniques, having ac'
companied her husband on all hi
vote-getting expeditions since HI
first ran for the House in 1886.
In the vice presidential rac'
alone, since September /. thu
Sparkmans have travelled abou
$4,000 miles through q States
The record would be longer by
several States and several thou.
sand miles if it weren't for the
cold and laryngitis which sent the
Senator to Bethesda Naval Hos
Ipital for several days last week.
Sparkman campaign aides say
their candidate has rolled up more
mileage and made more campaign
speeches than any of the Other
three major candidates-which i.
possibly why he is the first to have
his voice give out.
Beck on the Rood
The Senator is back on the roac
now, and Mrs. Sparkman. as usual
is right along with him.
"The friendly, warm response
of people everywhere" is the thing
that has impressed her the mos
in the last few months of travel
she says. plus the fact that people
all over the country aren't really
very different from people down
in Alabama"
The only hard decision she hac
to make was to fly. she says. "I've
always been afraid of planes. I've
only flown twice in my life. But
it was a question of fly or stay
home this time" The Senator.
tight schedule didn't allow time
for train trips. And John likes
me to campaign with him, and
like to. so that was that"
AS a matter of fact, she has de-
cided that flying isn't nearly as
hazardous as tearing around 8
State in a motorcade with a po.
lice escort.
Down in Alabama we did oul
own driving" she says. Il did
a lot of it because John can fall
asleep anywhere. and he got 8
lot of cat maps that way. I don't
mind going 80 when I'm in the
drivers seat, because I know what
I'm doing. I'm really very care
full.
Even the motorcade isn't SC
bad if you're in the first car" she
added. "The motorcycle escort
goes ahead. with sirens screaming
clearing everything out of the way
But I'm always back in the Sec
ond or third car. Often the traffic
has started up again before we
come along. We've had some very
narrow scrapes."
Wanted to Whistle Stop
Mrs. Sparkman is frankly dis
appointed that her husbands S
schedule didn't call for any whistle
stop campaigning. II was talking
to Mrs. Joseph T. Robinson, whose
husband ran for Vice President
with AL Smith in 1923, and she
said it was wonderful experience.
wish we could have had a little
bitty whistle stop trip, at least"
Different campaigning customs
in different parts of the country
fascinate the wife of the Alabama
Senator. In Delaware political
meetings are usually clambakes
In Cleveland we went to a steer
roast. In California they seem to
go in for small living room meet
ings, where q group meets the
candidate Informally for q chat
Down home we do our politickine
at clambakes and fish fries"
During the Sparkman's Alabams
campaigns Mrs. Sparkman was a
combination chauffeur, secretary
doorbell ringer and general all
around handyman.
Eyes, I've done a lot Of doorbell
ringing" she says. II didn't want
to much at first. but people were
all so friendly. I found out they
really appreciate it If you take the
trouble to seek them out and say
you'd appreciate their vote"
She did this particularly in 1916