"In order to continue the betterment of our Great State I will run for a second term as Governor of Vermont."
Alexander Campbell speaks to a large group of ALP and Socialist supporters.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I must come out today in vehement opposition to Mr. Braxton Burpo's comments earlier. An integrated school system would bring only benefits to the youth of America, but Mr. Burpo obviously opposes such, and speaks of Negroes as if they were inferior to people like him. I know these are quite strong words, but Braxton Burpo is little more than a racist, ultrareactionary, dare I say, bumpkin, who has taken up the mantle of that of politician or "southern gentleman". As I said before, I know these words are harsh and could even be deemed offensive, but I exercise my right to freedom of speech, as does Mr. Burpo, however wrong he may be. With that, I hereby proclaim that desegregation and the restoration of legitimate human rights to Negroes in the deep south should be made a top priority for liberals in government immediately. The system is, and never was, equal, no matter what Burpo and his clique may say. Negroes are harassed, discriminated, humiliated, subjected to lesser conditions, and in the name of what, tradition? Mr. Burpo states that people of color have never complained of their predicament, perhaps it is because they are oppressed by crooked conservatives such as Burpo. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if ole Braxton himself dresses in white on the weekends and makes sure the Negroes don't get uppity! So in short, the close-mindedness of Burpo and his "clan" in government must go, and the rights of Negroes as human beings must be restored. Forward America, Forward desegregation!"
Campbell was met with thunderous applause, this would certainly gain some attention.
"Sir. if segregation was a communist plot. Then wouldn't Abraham Lincoln be considered a communist? The Great Emancipator and Great Unifier. Would not the Republican Party of the Civil War in all of its glory and righteousness be communists? The same could be said of the man who purchased Alaska Secretary of State Seward or the daring opportunist John C. Fremont. Sir, how can you call these men communists?Rep. Burpo responds with a brief statement in the Atlanta Constitution
"The evidence is clear and out in the open: desegregation is a communist plot. If you love democracy and the American Way, support segregation and make sure our schools are separate, but equal."
"Sir. if segregation was a communist plot. Then wouldn't Abraham Lincoln be considered a communist? The Great Emancipator and Great Unifier. Would not the Republican Party of the Civil War in all of its glory and righteousness be communists? The same could be said of the man who purchased Alaska Secretary of State Seward or the daring opportunist John C. Fremont. Sir, how can you call these men communists?
- Representative Horatio Agard of Minnesota
John Castle releases a small statement in the New Haven Times regarding his stance on desegregation.
People of Connecticut, it is imperative that as Americans we recognize and fix a broken system when we see it. Segregation is a broken system, and a moral wrong. It is a stain upon the American values of freedom and opportunity. How can we be the land of the free and promise opportunity to all, while at the same time forbading an entire race of people from using the same water fountains? How can seperate ever truly be equal? Why must we allow a superficial difference to divide us as a nation? When Americans are divided, Moscow wins. I have served alongside negro airman in Europe, and they were just as capable as many white pilots. Mr. Burpo said desegregation is a communist ploy. I say repression, division, and hatred, policies Mr. Burpo is endorsing, plays into the communists hands.
America has dealt with social progress before. The right to vote was expanded to include men who were not land owners under President Jackson, under President Lincoln negroes were made citizens and given the right to vote. In my lifetime, women were granted the right to vote. All these landmarks in expanding freedom were met with opposition. People conviced that this would surely spell the death of our great nation. And every time they have been wrong. We are Americans. Freedom is at the core of our country and I will continue to argue that expanding that freedom to more people, regardless of what race, will only make America stronger. We will only stamp out the scourge of communism together as one nation united, not as a house divided against itself.