Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

Can natil Dennis snubs McGovern By MIKE HEMBREE They've called him a radical, a Communist, a hippe, and most recently, a socialist. Theyve cursed him, rebuked him., and haughtily ignored him. But now, George McGovern is smirking. He stood the old political base of the Democratic party on its ear with a swath of victories in the primary season. The leading candidate, they now call him. With a firm delegate grip on other sections of the country, McGovern braced himself last week for a bumpy trip through the stubborn South, where he hoped to round up the uncommitted delegates which could bring him a first-ballot victory next week in Miami Beach. That search brought McGovern and his kiddie crops of campaign workers to Columbia last Wednesday, and the State House may never be the same. It was an improbably visit, and it produced some improbably, though un derstandable for this area, circumstances. Consider, for instance, the efficient state highway patrolman who stopped McGovern as the Senator was leaving the State House to speak to a rally outside. "I'm very sorry, sir, but only authorized people are allowed to go through this door. I'm afraid you'll have to go out the other way," the patrolman said. One of the ever-present Secret Service agents informed the patrolman that the man he was speaking to was the guest of honor, and the rally proceeded unhindered. McGovern spoke to the state General Assembly at noon, although the assembly wasn't entirely assembled. After saying he had no time to listen to a ''socialist,'' Sen. Rembert Dennis, the Low Country bastion of neighborly politics, called a meeting of the Medical Affairs Coin mittee to coincide with McGovern's speech. Attending the meeting in addition to Dennis were six other senators. The committee has 18 members. Dennis said later that he would vote for Richard Nixon rather than McGovern, and added that the Democrats had no chance at victory in November unless they nominated Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy or Alabama Gov. George Wallace. But McGovern, still wearing his Leading Candidate label, stood strongly through it all, smiling his prairie preacher smile and looking forever like the gentleman Robert Kennedy once called ''the only decent man in the Senate.'' (Continued on page 3) VOL L X 1 - uN 89 U nivmesity didates onal ofi mpaigr nS.C. GEORGE tl tl FOR c WALL ACE F RcAEPR E S ID E N Ta U u I fc FOR TH \ iYOUN G p 1 AND THE YOUNG tt AT-HEART c tt S h b f o U POrTna Cou bi.c Legislators appear warm By SCOTT DERKS The Washington Post called her the "Jackie Kennedy of he rednecks." Others have compared her to Eleanor Roosevelt, citing he same fighting spirit that would allow them to pick up ne fallen banner. But as the wife of Gov. George C. Wallace, Cornelia is arving out a name for herself in the waning days of the 972 campaign. Once only an attractive ornament for the Vallace bandwagon, Cornelia has been forced to step out nd serve as proxy for her husband. Cornelia was the third in a series of political hopefuls to wunter through Columbia seeking delegate votes for the :coming convention. It was a beautiful day at the State House. A perfect day r a rally--a Wallace rally complete with singer Billy rammer and his rendition of "I Want To Go Home" and Dixie" and with a message for the "little people" and a ledge to "Send them a message." "Now this busing," George might have said. "I said iany years ago, if we don't stop the Federal takeover of te schools there'd be chaos. "Well, what've we got? haos. This idea they've come up with of busing little ildren to schools is the most asinine, atrocious, callous iing I've ever heard of in the v.h2!e history of the United rates. Why, when President Nixon was in China, so I hear, e and Mao Tse-tung spend half their time talking about rsing and I hear Mao Tse-tung told hem, "Well, over here China, if we take a notion to bus 'em, we bus 'em, hether they like it or not." Well, Mr. Nixon could have Id him that we do about the same over here.'' But George was the first victim of the 1972 campaign and >uldn't fulfill his commitment to speak. From his hospital ad he pledged to resume his campaign--in a wheelchair if acessary. But he was not ready for speechmaking yet, so s second wife, Cornelia--born and bred in a political mily--took his place. The legislators gave her a warm reception, much armer than George McGovern was to receive a week ter. They seemed glad she had dropped by for a sit...They weren't doing much anyway. She smiled her big practiced smile. ''I know that most of u share my husband's feeling on the major issues facing ~s country today.'' Cornelia was talking to her kind of people. They un rstood her. They understood that George would always (Continued on page 2) C. 29208 Thursday, July 6, 1972