The Chicago star., September 04, 1948, Star Edition, Image 1

About The Chicago star. (Chicago, Ill.) 1946-1948

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The Chicago
Published
Weekly
Vol. 3, No. 36
PROGRESSIVES BATTLE
GOP - DEM BALLOT DEAL
( Terming the unanimous ruling last Tuesday bar
ring the Progressive Party from the state ballot
"a shocking violation of the free election system,"
C. B. Baldwin, campaign manager for Henry Wal
lace, and William Miller, Illinois state Progressive
Party director, in a joint statement Wednesday
announced:
• Illinois Progressives will go before the state
Supreme Court to demand a review of the*three
man electoral board decision.
• At the same time. Progressives will appeal
,he constitutionality of the Illinois statute upon
h -
AN EDITORIAL
Dixie & Illinois
DIXIE and ILLINOIS . . . are geographi
cally separated. But this week Dixie
and Illinois marched arm-in-arm down the
front-page columns of the newspapers.
In Dixie: the former Vice President of the
United States, Henry A. Wallace—a man be
loved by millions of us who have put our
faith in him just as we did in FDR—was
drowned out by packs of Dixiejrat hirelings
who used violence against the many decent
Southerners who wanted to hear his message.
In Illinois: the three-man electoral board
composed of two Republicans and one Demo
crat swept aside their democratic responsi
bility to 75,268 of us in 62 counties who
signed Progressive Party petitions—arrogantly
ruling the Wallace parly off the ballot.
We in Illinois well understand what
prompted Henry Wallace to turn to an un
identified Southerner and earnestly ask: "My
friend, can this be America?" And we, like
Henry Wallace, know that jeering Dixiecrats,
that corrupt Republicans and Democrats who
fear us so greatly they must resort to undemo
cratic procedures—are not America!
Frantic opposition is to be expected—and
has been overcome many times already in
the history of this thriving, growing people's
party. But, no, what has happened in Dixie
and in Illinois this week are not setbacks so
much as they are shining victories. For
desperation which these moves betray on the
part of the Dixiecrats, their Northern Demo
cratic allies, and the Republicans who com
plete the-unholy coalition is a reflection of
the tremendous strength of the Progressive
movement—a power which they fully com
prehend . . . and fear.
'Dawson aids Jim Crow'! *
66
which the decision was based.
* * *
THE ILLINOIS ruling by the two Republicans and
one Democrat, who make up the electoral board,
was clearly a decision arrived at by the high com
mand of Ijpth parties and actually had nothing
to do with the counting of ballot signatures on the
Progressive Party ballot petitions.
It was learned that 30 minutes before the
ruling was announced the press was shown a re
lease by the electoral board indicating that it had
approved the Progressive Party petitions. How
ever, a phone call from COP headquarters was
reported responsible for the quick reversal of the
decision.
The clear indication of a "deal" between the
two old parties was contained in a Chicago Tribune
story Wednesday which stated:
"It was reported the three-man board originally
tended toward certifying the third party to the
ballot. The reason for the switch was a closely
guarded secret."
* * *
THE PROGRESSIVES had filed 75,268 signa.ures
with more than the required 200 minimum in 62
counties. The law specifies a minimum of 50
counties.
But the board upheld enough objections to sig
natures to disqualify the Progressives. Twenty-nine
counties were disqualified.
The objectors had retyped the Progressive Party
names and these lists were sent to the 29 county
clerks for verification. However, it was learned
that these lists had been falsified by omission and
misspelling.
* * *
WILLIAM MILLER declared the decision to be a
"(jood indication of what sheer nonsense is the
ancient claim that the Republicans are quietly en
couraging our camp. The fact that the Republicans
on the board voted with the Democrats shows that
they ore equally frightened by the growing millions
rallying to the Wallace-Taylor ticket.
Both Baldwin and Miller cited the board's action
as "another proof of the fact that the Democrats
and Republicans are but two factions within a »
one-party setup."
They concluded emphatically:
"It's a two-headed monster we're out to bury
for keeps, and the two old parties know it."
* * *
MILLER returned from the ballot hearings in
Springfield Wednesday with attorney Richard Watt
and Edmund Hatfield to plan a concerted Progres
sive , counter attack. The arbitrary ballot ruling
threw greater emphasis an the Sept. 14fh rally
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at Wrigley Field, where Henry Wallace will specik.
Meanwhile, a final verdict was expected this
week on the court fight of the Progressives for a
place on the Cook County ballot as a result of their
qualifying as a permanent party in last November's
judicial election.
Progressive Party signatures were gathered in
the course of an intensive three-month campaign
with hundreds of Progressives ringing doorbells,
especially in the downstate counties
* * *
THE REPUBLICANS at first attempted to dis
qualify Democratic Secretary of State Edward Bar
rett from illegally sitting on the electoral board.
However, this proved to be a sham battle since
the Republicans later agreed to join with the Demo
crats in ruling the Progressives off the ballot.
The method used by the objectors were exposed
as follows by PP attorney Richard Watt:
• The PP petitions were retyped instead of
photostated.
• In the retyping, many names were omitted
and others were misspelled.
• This made it possible for the county clerks
to testify that ballot signatures for their counties
did not come up to the required minimum of 200.
utm
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FEATURES
on Pages 6,7