The Gleaner, Henderson, Ky., Frank Boyett column
By Frank Boyett, The Gleaner, Henderson, Ky. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
People who lived through the turbulent 1960s probably remember Wallace well. He was the long-time
"In the name of the greatest people that have ever trod this earth, I draw the line in the dust and toss the gauntlet before the feet of tyranny, and I say segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever."
That's pretty inflammatory talk, even for 50 years ago. It got him a lot of attention, which is probably what he'd been aiming for, but he lived to regret it because, as it turned out, he was on the wrong side of history.
But he was pretty successful for a while. He served four terms as
He was best known in 1964 for forcefully opposing integration. He stood at the front steps of the
He ran for president four times, losing every time, of course, and the first time was in 1964, and while campaigning in the
"He was met by a parade of pickets, both white and Negro," The Gleaner reported
That didn't at all deter Wallace, a pugnacious former boxer. He quickly entered the hotel for a scheduled press conference that also turned out to be a political speech.
"Wallace recalled that he had sold magazines up and down the
That would have been the northwest corner of the intersection, with a street address of
During the 1930s, Wallace was part of a group of five young men from the
The story ended with Wallace relating that his step-grandmother had been a native of
As it turns out, Wallace was probably more of a populist demagogue than a racist; he was mostly echoing what his constituents wanted to hear. Originally he had been part of the more liberal wing of the
Several days after Wallace's local appearance he was taken to task on The Gleaner's editorial page by
"Wallace stresses points in which most people believe," Whittington wrote. "He is strong for local government and state rights -- meaning that
But Wallace's actions belied his words, Whittington maintained.
"His record of protecting individual rights obviously does not extend to the Negro race ... The only way in which the individual freedom of any single American can be guaranteed is for the freedom of all Americans to be guaranteed. This is the real basis of individual freedom. If an individual or a particular class of people are denied their rights today no one can predict who will be denied his rights tomorrow."
100 years ago
Lt. Husband Kimmel was stationed on the battleship
Kimmel, as most of you already know, was a
75 years ago
Kimmel was also in the news in 1939, according to
In the mid-1890s, Kimmel went sailing on the
25 years ago
Big crowds turned out to enjoy the second Tri-Fest, The Gleaner reported
"The weather has really been cooperating," said
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Wordcount: | 1074 |
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