ustxtxb_obs_1956_05_23_50_00001-00000_000.pdf

We will serve no group or party but will hew hard to the truth as we find it and the right as we see it. of composition is to speak the truth. The one great rule Thoreau .04r Trxto!, An Indeper 040 Vol. 48 1T;t A Shivers Panel iept; Liberals Named e wspaper r\\ NPs `k Q-3 Nc k Sio 10c per copy No. 4 DALLAS The Democratic Party of Texas has decided to “go all the way” with Senator Lyndon Johnson as favorite son, presidential candidate, but it gale his leadership a bad jolt at the same time. Delegates to the state convention here promised him support as long as he is a candidate ; accepted his request to leave the State Democratic Executive committee intact, and elected Byron Skelton as national committeeman. But it handed him one crushing defeat. Despite his opposition, delegates nominated Mrs. R. D. Randolph, silverhaired strategist of the liberal Harris County delegation, as the national committeewoman. The Johnson-favored candidate, Mrs. Lloyd Bentsen, withdrew. Some political observers viewed Mrs. Randolph’s election in the teeth Bob Bray of Johnson opposition and pressure as an indication that the Johnson-Rayburn leadership of the Texas Democrats is in for serious challenges at the State and national levels hereafter. . Until the nomination of Mrs. Raivdolph, which was the’final action of the convention, Johnson had been suc cessful in running things the way he felt they should be handled. As an early order of business, his supporters had overwhelmingly blasted the effort of the Harris County delegation and other liberals to oust the executive committee. Johnson’s backers in firm control of the convention proceeded with convention business all day without deciding the contested delegations. This had the effect of permitting Shivers-controlled delegations which were later unseatedespecially the Dallas delegationto vote with Johnson against. unseating the executive committee. . But for the “out of order” debate of leather lunged former legislator Doss Hardin of Ellis County, Johnson’s Dallas County delegation of 135. votes would have waited outside even longer. Blasted Hardin through. a microphone \(which he really didn’t . “I demand recognition to matte the \(Second of three articles on one of the feW integrated ProtHOUSTON . Upon invitation of an Augustana parish worker, on March 27, 1955, two Negro women, a Mrs.. Johnson and Mrs. Williams \(no relation to the family which joined the church worship service. They were politely received, but their attendance touched off new consternation. At the next board meeting, one member demanded to know whether the parish worker was “inviting Negroes to our services.” Rev. Seastrand verified that such was the case; that he had instructed the parish worker to invite the Negro women to attend services . but had not invited them to membership. No action was taken on the matter. . From that time on a few Negroes, froin one to ten, attended worship services almost every Sunday. They were motion that convention business cease until the rightful Dallas County delegation is seated. There’s people who have been sitting outside in the hot sun all day long while a bunch of Republicans from Dallas have been sitting in here where good Democrats oughta be. This is what I call carrying harmony too far. I demand that the rightful delegation be seated. These folks. have worked as hard as anyone for Lyndon Johnson.” Chairman Raymond Buck of Fort Worth at first said the motion was out of order, but Hardin had stirred strong support through the crowd. When the motion was seconded, Buck submitted it to vote and it carried by a large margin. It ended a delaying action which had been underway since mid-morning, when Conrad Kambacher of Fort Worth had been thwarted in an effort to get a convention vote on seating the Dallas delegation. DALLAS It certainly was a spirited kind of harmony the Democrats had at Dallas. Lyndon Johnson’s forces won a thwacking victory by retaining the pro-Shivers state executive committee, but they took a serious defeat when they failed after days of maneuvering to -defeat Mrs. R. D. Randolph as national committeewoman. All day Tuesday at the state convention, rumors flew that the senator was using all his power and prestige to persuade the big city delegations to vote for Mrs. Lloyd Bentsen of McAllen. He called in several leaders of the Harris County delegation and both demanded that Mrs. Randolph withdraw and sent word that other honors would be available to her if she would do so. It was assumed on the floor that Johnson’s better than two-to-one victory on the executive committee issue assured Mrs. Randolph’s defeat. But welcomed by the congregation without incident. In the summer of 1955, Augustana held its first interracial vacation Bible school. Some 70 children attended, and approximately half of them were Negroes. “Although they had been invited, the Negro children came the first morning with reticence and reservations. When nine had arrived I looked down the street and could see other youngsters, all dressed up, but standing in their front yards to see what would happen,” Rev. Seastrand said. “I waved and called to them to come to the school, that they were welcome. “The first day 15 attended. The next day double that many came, and it was one of the most successful Bible schools we have ever had. When the two weeks’ period was finished, we served refreshments and parents of most if the children attended.” WHILE there were no unpleasant incidents, one woman refused to let her seven-year-old boy attend Kambacher said he had approached the chair to present an amendment to seat the Johnson-supporting Dallas group, but the chairman had told him to go to the microphone on the convention floor where he would consider giving him recognition. But Kambacher was delayed from getting the floor until the question of adopting the temporary order was disposed of., It was after 8 o’clock . Tuesday night when the convention voted to seat the contested loyalist delegations from Dallas, Anderson, and Smith counties and the pro-Parr loyalist delegation from Duval County. However, even had Dallas and the other county delegations been seated from the start, it appeared unlikely that there would have been much change in convention decisions. Two hundred and 13 counties, virtually every one of the state’s sparsely populated ones and San Antonio and Caucusing Started Sunday; ‘They’ve Got Us’ Sellers then it became generally known that Mrs. Kathleen Voigt, who was. unanimously nominated by her Bexar County delegation for the committeewomanship, would support Mrs. Randolph against Mrs. Bentsen, In mid-afternoon Grover Sellers, the former attorney general from Sulphur Springs,_ convened the committee on the issue in a dinky off-stage dressing room. Pipes were exposed near the ceiling ; two naked light globes burned down on the committee members and reporters. Began Sellers: . “Most of us have been pretty well advised on what the leadership would like to have done.” Byron Skelton of Temple appeared, attested to his party loyalty, assured the group that he was not “a radical” \(as Governor Shivers had suggested, because of the Negro children. She sat in front of the church with the boy in the car. When the Negro youngsters arrived, she drove away. Augustana members who could not “meet the challenge of integration,” Rev. Seastrand said, at one time advocated a called meeting of the congregation to discuss and vote on the issue of whether Negroes should be permitted to come in the church. “It was my contention, and this was in consultation with the leaders of our church, that such an issue was nondebatable ; that the very nature of the Gospel is inclusive and absolutely allows for no discrimination on the basis of race or nationality. God so loved the world, His Gospel is for the people. The Constitution of our church allows for anybody to be a member of the church who professes faith in Jesus Christ; this is the basic qualification for membership.” During this entire period, Rev. Seastrand was faced with bitter criticism, most harsh of which came when one \(Continued on Dallas, backed Johnson on his decision to leave the executive committee in office. The delegate vote was 1,306 to 524. Throughout the debate members of the executive committee were conspicuous by their absence. The front rows of seats in the convention hall that had been reserved for them were vacant. ABOUT 6 p.m., four hours before the convention action in which the convention chose Mrs. Randolph committeewoman, Johnson, his wife, and his mother, appeared at the hall to present a victory speech. His arrival touched off the second frenetic, enthusiastic brass band led demonstration of the day. Delegates paraded around the auditorium for 30 minutes carrying Johnson for President placards while the band played “The Eyes of Texas.” Johnson declared : “We are meeting today to dedicate ourselves to victory. Four years ago we were a party on the verge of defeat. Our ranks were disunited and our future was unpredictable. And in as the unopposed candidate for the committeemanship. Mrs. Randolph told the committee that it was “a great day” and that she was interested in “the workers who -brought it about.” Mrs. Voigt, stating she was not an active candidate but would serve the party any way she could, said that the Democrats are now well-organized in the Plains, the Panhandle, and West Texas as well as elsewhere in the state. The group questioned former Congressman Lloyd Bentsen closely. He assured them he had always voted Democratic and scored “unsigned cin , Ronnie Dugger culars” that reproduced a clipping to the contrary. He said he now has no relationship with Governor Shivers politicallyhe supported Johnson in the recent contestalthough he just lives five miles from the Governor. He conceded he had had “varying degrees of enthusiasm for the various candidates, but we’re all guilty of that sometimes.” He cited the tidelands issue as the reason for his lack of enthusiasm for Stevenson. He emphasized that he had been asked and had refused to crossfile in 1952. Mrs. Bentsen said she had worked in her husband’s campaigns and had worked on benefit programs for the Women’s National Democratic Club in Washington but had not engaged in party organization work. The committee, it is understood, divided 17 votes for Mrs. Bentsen, five for Mrs. Randolph, and one for. Mrs. Voigt. N THE LATE afternoon the Dallas loyalists caucused and endorsed Mrs. Randolph overwhelmingly; no other name was put before the group. San Antonio and Austin were reported wavering in her direc. , tion, even under Johnson’s direct pres. sure from his improvised headquarters .room backstage. Nueces, Jefferson, and El Paso counties were recorded for Mrs. Randolph, as were Harris and Tarrant counties in ad100101 of the convention. Johnson Wins Strong Endorsement But Fails to Stop Mrs. Randolph Church Divided on Race Issue Cities Left Lyndon on Key Test