Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-20
HE DIDN'T SIGN
HE DIDN'T SIGN
Voters Still Like CooIev
Despite Manifesto Issue
By DAVID KOONCE
Star STAFF CORRESPONDENT

RALEIGH, N. elf the 4th
congressional district of North
Carolina is at all typical of this re-
gion, civil rights is by no means the
only issue the Southern voter will
consider when he goes to the polls
this year.
In this District, Representative
Harold d. Cooley, chairman of the
House Agriculture Committee and
member of Congress for 90 years,
is facing stiff primary opposition
based almost solely on his refusal
to join 70 other Dixie Congressman
in signing the Southern Manifesto"
attacking the Supreme Courts seq
regation decision. Victory in the
Democratic primary on Saturday is
tantamount to election in the
fourth district.
w. E. Debnam, Mr.. Cooley's OPP
ponent, is taking an appeal to the
voters of this predominately rural
area that is an old and familiar
litany to the Southerner. Mr.. Deb
nam charges that Mr.. Cooley is
being backed by the National Asso-
citation for the Advancement of
Colored People. He implies that the
veteran Congressman refused to
sign the manifesto because he is for
indignation in the public schools.
Mr.. Cooley has explained that, as
a lawyer. he could not "in good
conscience" put his name on the
document. This was the position
taken by most of the other Is House
members from the South who re-
fused to sign.
Virulent Issue in Post
The list of Southern politicians
who have been felled by the race
issue in the past is a long one
Claude Pepper, Frank Graham,
Hugo Sims and Sidney McMath, to
mention few recent ones.
But Mr.. Cooley's constituents,
even those with the reddest neckS
and the poorest land, apparently
are not convinced that their Con-
gresham, one of the most faithful
of the many farm champions in
Congress, is ready to desert his
Southern heritage"
What appears at this point in
the campaign to be the predomi-
nant feeling was summed up by
the owner of a farm tool business,
Roy E. Medlin of Benson: IF
there's any farmer that will vote
against Harold Cooley, he ought to
have his brain looked at
Mr.. Medlin said that concern
over Mr. Cooley's failure to sign the
manifesto was slight. This opinion
also was expressed by w. D. Tyson
of Wendell, who, speaking of the
State generally. said he believed
that only minority considers civil
rights and indignation the only big
issue this year. Most folks" he
said, "are not blaming the respon-
sible Southern politicians for this
indignation business. They blame
fanatic Northerners."
A Johnston County farmer said
that Mr.. Cooley has done more
for the farmer than any 20 others
up there" He added that Cooley.
Roosevelt and Truman have been
the best friends the farmer has
had" A farmer from Zebulon. in
Raleigh on a shopping visit. said
Mr.. Cooley had always taken care
of us, and it don't matter how ne
figures this race business, I'd still
vote for him"
Bill Byrd, tobacco farmer. said
he was getting fed up with race
talk. What I'm worried about he
said. lis my (acreage) allotment.
l don't see how I'm going to make
it this year with no more than
l got"
Voter Books 'Fiosco'
Strong Debnam sentiment in the
district was difficult to find. Much
of his support seems to come from
those who have not received all
that they might have from North
Cardinals public school system,
which is far ahead of that in most
other Southern States. A Debnam
supporter, for instance, explained
his preference this way: Cooley
has got too yankeefied and cityfied,