Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 18, Number 41, DeMotte, Jasper County, 10 September 1948 — Indiana Bans Dixiecrats By Court Ruling [ARTICLE]

Indiana Bans Dixiecrats By Court Ruling

Circuit Court Judge Restrains Election Board From Placing Party on Ballot Indianapolis, Sept. 8. A circuit court judge today temporarily restrained the Indiana State Election board from placing the names of states rights Democrats on November ballot. The order was asked in a suit which charged that . the states rights platfojrm 4o discriminate against minority groups. It charged that this violates both the U. S. and Indiana constitutions. The suit also charged that the petitions asking that the states rights candidates be on the ballot are illegal. The Election board had ordered the states rights names on the ballot after a petition bearing 11,000 names had been filed. The two Republican members of the joard overrode Die one Democrat

in favor of the Southern party. The suit was filed last week by Ralph E. Hanley, as an Indianapolis taxpayer, and the order was issued without a hearing by Judge Lloyd Claycombe. 'Fraudulent Names’ Joseph Workman, secretary pf the states righters in Indiana, said today there may be some fradulent names on the petitions. He said that an organizer of the party, who came in from out of the state, had paid Solicitors to get signatures. “He paid them for each sheet,’’ Workman said. “I don’t know just what happened, but I guess that those getting the signatures just saw an easy way to make money and turned in fradulent signatures. Now everything is ruined.” The rebel Democarts, already under fire from the regular Democrats, individuals and progessives, drew another suit today. Reccie T. Avington, an Indianapolis insurance man, asked an injunction against the party to keep the states righters off the ballot. His suit charged the party, platform violates Indiana’s Anti-hate law. Hearing Friday The suit charges that the party was founded to uphold “states” wrongs, consisting of lynching, mob violence, disfranchisement of voters and involuntary servitude on the basis of race, color and ancestral origin or religious belief.” Pat Powers, states rights chairman, and Workman are named in

the suP, Governor Gates, chairman of the Election board, said that the question is whether there are the necessary valid signatures on the petition and that he would confer with Cleon H. Foust, attorney general, before making a state- 1 ment. Foust said that “we will be in court Friday when the hearing on the permanent injunction will be held.” Meantime the regular Demo- j crats again tore into the rebel group. Ira Haymaker, state chairman, renewed the charge that the petitions are fraudulent and said he would urge again that the Marion county prosecutor make an investigation. He charged that the prosecutor, Judson Stark, a Republican, had been “quibbing.” Meanwhile time grew short for j printing absentee ballots. County clerks must pick them up in 10 days and they have not yet come from the printer, and , may be delayed by the legal ac- | tion.