- Collection:
- Georgia Government Publications
- Serial:
- By the Governor of the State of Georgia, a proclamation.
- Title:
- Addresses of Lester Garfield Maddox, Governor of Georgia, 1967-1971
- Creator:
- Georgia. Governor (1967-1971 : Maddox)
- Contributor to Resource:
- Maddox, Lester, 1915-2003
- Publisher:
- [Atlanta, Georgia] : [Office of the Governor]
- Date of Original:
- 1971
- Subject:
- Georgia--Politics and government--1951-
- Location:
- United States, Georgia, 32.75042, -83.50018
- Medium:
- state government records
- Type:
- Text
- Format:
- application/pdf
- Description:
- Description based on: January 18, 2012 ; title from PDF caption (Georgia Government Publications database, viewed February 16, 2017).
Latest issue consulted: September 16, 2015 (Georgia Government Publications database, viewed February 16, 2017). - External Identifiers:
- Call Number GA G600 .S1 M4 1967-71
- Metadata URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/id:dlg_ggpd_y-ga-bg600-b-ps1-bm4-b1967-h71
- Digital Object URL:
- https://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/do:dlg_ggpd_y-ga-bg600-b-ps1-bm4-b1967-h71
- Language:
- eng
- Holding Institution:
- University of Georgia. Map and Government Information Library
- Rights:
-
Addresses of Lester Garfield Maddox
GEORGIA'S SEVE TY-FIFTH GOVER OR Governor Maddox Placed This Photograph in the Capitol
Addresses of Lester Garfield Maddox
e./ Governor of Georgia, 7967-7977 ~
Frank Daniel, Editor
GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF ARCHIVES AND HISTORY
Carroll Hart, Director
Atlanta
Ben W. Fortson, Jr.
Secretary of State
1971
This book distrilmted by The Georgia Department of Archives and History Atlanta, Georgia 30334
PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. BY HIGGINS McARTHUR/LONGINO & PORTER, INC. ATLANTA, GEORGIA
uPreface~
Miss Carroll Hart, director of the Georgia Department of Archives and History, states that something like twelve hundred addresses which Governor Lester Garfield Maddox delivered during his administration (1967-1971) have been placed (along with press releases, proclamations, circular letters, etc.) in the state archives. All these speeches are represented here, as are a few other papers.
To encompass these documents in a single volume of convenient size, some speeches have been excerpted, some reproduced in full. This compression is an expedient borrowed from the example of states issuing similar collections. Its chief justification is perhaps that it avoids duplication, and its vindication would be that the procedure might encourage fuller, scholarly study and interpretation of the whole.
An editor must remember that repetition is not necessarily redundancy. Its most obvious use may be for emphasis, as Governor Maddox emphasized the goals of his term of office. And he was often emphatic about personal, local, or national matters. Not every new office-holder, for instance, enjoys the blessed assurance he expressed (August 25, 1967) when he said: "When I ran for governor. .. I never doubted for a second that I would win despite the odds against me." These odds, as he enumerated them (March 16, 1968) were: "All that was necessary was to defeat the Democrats, the Republicans---on the state and national level-159 courthouses, more than 400 city halls, the railroads, the utility companies, major industry, and all the daily papers and TV stations in Georgia." Yet becoming governor in the face of such opposition was hardly more remarkable than the growth of his popularity during his four years in office. If the General Assembly elected him to the governor's chair, Governor Maddox himself won the support he attracted during his gubernatorial term, as the polls soon began to show. As Georgia's chief executive he looked back to a time when he had been treated as something of a freak candidate: the news media sometimes ignored his candidacy and his campaigns when he earlier aspired to
VI
PREFACE
public office. But as governor he could no longer be ignored, with support growing in Georgia and beyond its borders. And during his busy 1960s, he saw three of his foremost adversaries-two Kennedys and a black leader-wiped out by assassins' bullets.
Sometimes Governor Maddox expressed himself vehemently on current topics at not necessarily large gatherings; again, he might review an experience several years after its occurrence. Two such instances took place a few weeks apart, in talks to parent-teacher groups. One, on March 26, 1968, is his account of events leading to the discontinuation of the Maddox-operated restaurant in August, 1964, which was notably influential on his political career. The other talk, on April 18, 1968, is his chief reference in these speeches to the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., at a time when the tragedy was vivid in the public mind.
Excerpting is always precarious, and proved especially difficult with speeches as colorful, confident, and outspoken as this governor's. Ideally, perhaps, passages cited from full addresses should provide a portrait of the speaker, a precis of his aspirations, and some clue to his growing consequence. In this instance, they should bear evidence as to how Governor Maddox (who had not won a majority in a general election) became during his incumbency a leading political power in his state, as was shown by the ease with which he won his race for lieutenant governor in the 1970 election.
Governor Maddox more than once speaks feelingly of his public image as depicted by news cartoons. Addressing inmates of the Meriwether Public Works Camp, on October 29, 1969, he said: "I know it's not a funny thing to be in prison. I feel the same way about cartoons. They're pretty funny unless you're in them." A sampling of such caricatures is included in this book for readers who happen not to be familiar with them. Cartoons reproduced are through courtesy of Mr. Clifford H. Baldowski (Baldy) of the Atlanta Constitution, Mr. Lou Erickson (Eric) of the Atlanta Journal, and Mr. Bill Daniels, of Station WSB-TV. Weare grateful to these artists for their cooperation, to Governor Maddox and his executive staff, to Mrs. Maddox and secretary, Mrs. Joyce Paxton, to various faculty members of Georgia schools, and to Mr. Ralph Stephens, of the University of Georgia Press. The entire staff of the Georgia Department of Archives and History lent ready assistance in transferring these addresses to book form, and special thanks go to them. The compiler, however, is solely responsible for the selections incorporated into this book.
July 1, 1971
F. D.
u Table of Contents ~
Preface Biography of Lester G. Maddox Governor Maddox's Election and Induction
V XXXII XXXIII
1967
Inaugural Address, January 11
3
State of the State and Budget Message, January 13
12
Jaycee's Outstanding Young Men, Jekyll Island, January 14
22
Association County Commissioners, January 16
23
"Eggs and Issues," January 17
25
Downtown Merchants, Columbus, January 19
26
School Boards, January 28
26
Weyerhaeuser Plant, Nashville, January 24
26
Annual Radio Institute, Athens, January 26
27
Georgia Day, Savannah, February 12
27
Freedom Shrine, Hapeville, February 16
29
Atlanta Bar Association, February 16
29
Jefferson-Jackson Day, February 20
29
Greater Atlanta Tech Alumni, February 21
29
Mobile Homes Plant, Richland, February 23
30
Vocational Rehabilitation Planning, March 1
30
March of Dimes, Decatur, March 1
30
Governor's Prayer Breakfast, March 2
30
State Patrol Graduation, March 3
31
Tau Beta Pi Honorary Fraternity, March 5
31
American Legion Birthday, Covington, March 7
31
Mobile Homes Association, March 9
31
Appalachian Highway Bill, Executive Department, March 13
32
Georgia Education Association, March 16
32
Legislation Session Clo,ses, March 17
33
Monroe County Development Bonds, March 21
34
U. S. Plywood Corporation, Waycross, March 22
35
Operation Bootstrap, Covington, March 22
35
Seminole County Fat Cattle Show, March 24
35
American Legion Post 77, Conyers, March 24
36
Easter Egg Hunt, Jekyll Island, March 26
36
Rural Electrification, March 27
36
Kiwanis Club of Atlanta, March 28
36
Cecil Cheeves Chapter DeMolay, Savannah, March 28
37
Tylac Chemical Plant, LaFayette, March 29
37
Project COG, Dublin, March 29
37
Personnel Officers Council, March 30
37
Kiwanis Club of Clayton County, Jonesboro, March 30
38
Georgia State College Young Democrats, March 31
38
Elberton Chamber of Commerce, March 31
42
Vill
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Association County Commissioners, Jekyll Island, April 3
42
Red Carpet Tour, Rome, April 5
42
YMCA Youth Assembly, April 6
43
Board of Education Members, April 8
43
Commission on Children and Youth, Athens, April 10
43
Graduate Embalmers of Georgia, Inc., Macon, April 11
44
West Point High School, April 12
44
West Point Lions Club, April 12
44
Jaycees Distinguished Awards, Cartersville, April 13
44
Phi Alpha Delta Fraternity, April 14
45
Hampton Kiwanis Club, April 17
45
Valdosta State College, April 19
45
American Turpentine Farmers Association, Valdosta, April 19
46
Ordinaries of Georgia, Athens, April 20
46
Chamblee-Doraville Businessmen, April 20
46
Atlanta Rotary Club, April 24
46
Oconee Area Planning, Eatonton, April 25
47
Dedication of Sinclair Building, April 26
47
Ingleside Kiwanis Club, Macon, April 27
47
Irwin County Democratic Party, Ocilla, April 28
48
Confederate Memorial Day, Kingston, April 30
48
United Cerebral Palsy Day Care Center, April 30
48
Flying Rebels, April 30
48
Fruehauf's Second Atlanta Branch, May 1
49
Rockmart-Aragon Chamber of Commerce, Rockmart, May 2
49
Data Processing Management, May 3
49
John Rosier Masonic Lodge, May 4
49
Blackstone Corporation, Statesboro, May 5
50
Jenkins County Dairy Festival, Millen, May 5
50
Pinetree Festival, Swainsboro, May 5
50
Jones County High All Sports, Gray, May 5
50
Junior Civitan Awards, Jekyll Island, May 6
51
Georgia Southwestern College, Americus, May 8
51
White House Inn Groundbreaking, Warm Springs, May 8
51
Automobile Dealers Association, Jekyll Island, May 8
51
American Trucking Association, May 9
52
Christian Business Committee, May 12
52
Department Heads Breakfast, May 15
52
American Chain and Cable, Stone Mountain, May 16
52
Candler County Civic Clubs, Metter, May 16
53
Middle Georgia College, Cochran, May 17
53
Peace Officers, Fort Valley, May 17
53
Fulton County Grand Jurors, May 18
53
Atlanta Transportation Club, May 18
54
Probation and Parole, Jekyll Island, May 19
54
Fulton County Prison Wardens, May 19
54
State Board of Accountancy, May 20
54
Carroll County Prison Chapel, Carrollton, May 21
55
Meeting of County Officials, May 22
55
South Fulton Chamber of Commerce, May 22
55
TABLE OF CONTENTS
IX
Wayne County Chamber of Commerce, Jesup, May 23
55
Public Health Association, Jekyll Island, May 24
56
Educational Television WCLP, Chatsworth, May 25
56
Cherokee County Democrats, Canton, May 25
56
Paulding Chamber of Commerce, Dallas, May 26
56
Hall County Dairy Day, Gainesville, May 27
57
Regional Youth Development, Gainesville, May 27
57
American Legion Post No. 220, Clayton, May 28
57
Cornelia Methodist Youth Fellowship, May 28
57
Joint Civic Clubs, Cordele, May 30
58
Augusta Chamber of Commerce, May 31
58
Georgia Bar Association, Columbus, June 2
58
Georgia Forestry Association, Jekyll Island, June 5
58
Lions and Rotary Clubs, Eastman, June 6
59
Putnam County Dairy Festival, Eatonton, June 7
59
Winterville Community Picnic, June 7
59
Swainsboro Vocational-Technical School, June 8
59
Modular Industries, Sylvester, June 8
60
Veterinary Medicine, Callaway Gardens, June 9
60
Travel Experts Meeting, June 12
60
Southeastern Peanut Association, June 12
61
Governor's Summer Internships, June 12
62
Georgia Retail Furniture Association, Jekyll Island, June 13
62
Teachers of Vocational Agriculture, June 14
62
Lawrenceville Kiwanis Club, June 15
62
Board for Children and Youth, June 15
63
Press Conference, June 15
63
Atlanta Lions Club, June 16
64
Brooks County Jaycees, Quitman, June 19
64
Atlanta Airport Rotary Club, June 19
65
Georgia Municipal Association, June 20
65
Tugaloo State Park, Lavonia, June 24
65
Rural Letter Carriers, June 26
66
Scientific Glassblowers, June 28
66
Coastal Area Planning, Brunswick, June 30
66
Fourth of July Celebration, Demorest, July 4
66
Patterson Lions Club, July 4
67
Morgan County Civic Clubs, Rutledge, July 5
67
Macon Exchange Club, July 6
67
Press Association, Jekyll Island, July 8
67
Central Georgia Democratic Dinner, Milledgeville, July 10
68
Trion Rotary Club, Summerville, July 12
68
Governor's Honors Program, Macon, July 13
68
District County Officers, Waycross, July 13
69
Joint Principals Conference, Athens, July 18
69
State Medical Education Board, July 19
69
New Georgia Tech Dormitories, July 19
70
National Interstate Council, July 20
70
Sheriffs Association, Jekyll Island, July 21
70
Gray Bonnet Regiment, Fort Stewart, July 21
71
x
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Commission on the Status of Women, July 22
71
Governor's Day, Fort Stewart, Hinesville, July 22
71
Hairdressers and Cosmetology, July 23
71
Retail Food Dealers, Jekyll Island, July 23
72
Opening Tobacco Market, Douglas, July 26
72
Tax Assessors Summer Conference, Jekyll Island, July 26
72
Lithia Springs Ruritan Club, July 27
73
Newnan Rotary Club, July 28
73
Ninth Annual Watershed Meeting, Talmo, July 28
73
Thomaston Kiwanis Club, August 1
73
Buckhead Fifty Club, August 1
74
Atlanta Masonic Club, August 2
75
North Georgia Electric Membership, August 3
75
Police Academy Graduation, August 4
75
Christian Crusade, Tulsa, Okla., August 4
76
Etowah Ruritan Club, Rome, August 7
76
Vocational Rehabilitation, Jekyll Island, August 9
76
Flint River Academy, Woodbury, August 12
77
Moose Association, August 12
77
Independent Automobile Dealers, Stone Mountain, August 14
77
Sigma Delta Kappa, August 17
78
Moultrie Appreciation Dinner, August 17
78
School Bus Drivers, Jackson Lake, August 18
78
Sherwood Plaza, Gainesville, August 19
78
Federation of All U. S. Veterans, August 19
79
Eighth District Democrats Dinner, Waycross, August 21
79
Downtown Civitan Club, August 22
79
State Chamber of Commerce, Savannah, August 22
80
John Hancock Academy, Sparta, August 23
80
Golden Fleece Masonic Lodge, Covington, August 25
80
Fellowship Baptist Church, Adel, August 27
81
Avondale Baptist Church, Macon, August 27
81
Kappa Sigma Fraternity, August 31
81
Walton County Chamber of Commerce, Monroe, August 31
82
Walton County Airport, Monroe, August 31
82
Community Recreation, Dallas, September 2
82
Kiwanis Club, Chattanooga Valley, Flintstone, September 2
82
Victory Homecoming, Tallulah Falls, September 3
83
Mt. Paran Church of God, September 5
83
Sylvester Kiwanis Club, September 6
83
Government Appreciation, Hartwell, September 6
83
The Conservative Club, September 7
84
Class B Truckers, Americus, September 9
84
Georgia National Guard, September 9
85
Grant Park Masonic Lodge, September 14
85
Fannin County Democratic Rally, Blue Ridge, September 16
85
Eighth District Maddox Clubs, Blackshear, September 17
86
Sandy Springs Kiwanis Club, September 18
86
Lakewood Heights Business Men's Club, September 19
86
Hot Dipped Galvanizing Association, September 19
87
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Xl
Adel Retail Merchants Association, September 20
87
Atlanta Optimist Club, September 22
87
Home Builders Association, Charlotte, N. C., September 22
88
Savannah Better Business Bureau, Savannah, September 26
88
Governor's Conference on Education, September 27
88
Association of Real Estate Boards, Augusta, September 28
89
God and Country Rally, Bainbridge, September 30
89
State Departments of Agriculture, October 1
89
Georgia Dental Association, October 2
89
Firestone Tire & Rubber, Albany, October 4
90
Homemaker of the Year, October 5
90
Augusta Rescue Mission, October 5
90
Association County Commissioners, October 6
91
Community Fish Fry, Richmond Hill, October 7
91
Georgia Recreation and Parks, Pine Mountain, October 9
91
North American Gasoline Tax, October 9
91
Dixie Authors and Journalists, October 10
92
East Point Rotary Club, October 10
92
Peace Officers Association, Jekyll Island, October 11
92
College Park High School, October 12
93
Downtown YMCA, October 25
93
National Tax Association, October 25
93
Effingham County Farm Bureau, Springfield, October 26
93
Floyd County Farm Bureau, Rome, October 26
94
Northeast Georgia Democrats, Gainesville, October 30
94
Atlanta Baptist Pastors Conference, October 30
94-
Jones Memorial Methodist Church, October 31
95
Governor's Conference on Tourism, Macon, November 2
95
Macon Junior College, November 2
95
Civic Clubs of Toccoa, November 2
96
Boys Club Area Council, November 3
96
Governor's Crime Commission, November 3
96
Christian Business Men's Association, November 4
96
Christmas Stamp Dedication, Bethlehem, November 6
97
Rome Jaycees, November 6
97
Tech Tringle Club, November 7
97
Engineering Experiment Building, November 7
97
American Zinc Institute, November 8
98
Future Homemakers, Summerville, November 8
98
Sertoma Club of Savannah, November 9
98
Chatham County Fund-Raising, Savannah, November 9
99
West End Rotary Club, November 10
102
Youth Fellowship, November 12
102
Sandy Springs Optimist Club, November 13
102
Institutional Food Service, November 14
103
Statesboro Jaycees, November 14
103
Sweetheart Plastics Plant, Conyers, November 15
103
Blakely-Early County Airport, Blakely, November 16
103
Smyrna Jaycees and Jaycettes, Marietta, November 16
104
Georgia Underwriters, November 17
104
xu
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Sweet Potato Festival, Ocilla, November 17
104
Church of the Annunciation, November 19
105
Mental Health Association, November 20
105
White Motor Corporation, November 21
105
Coffee County Farm Bureau, Douglas, November 22
105
First Baptist Church, Riverdale, November 26
106
Claxton Shrine Club, November 28
106
Hudson Wire Company, Trenton, November 29
106
Kennesaw Lodge No. 33, Marietta, December 1
106
Royal Matron Amity Court, Hapeville, December 4
107
Soil and Water Conservation, Macon, December 5
107
Two Macon Lions Clubs, December 5
107
Florida State University, Tallahassee, December 7
107
Livestock Association, Callaway Gardens, December 9
108
New Golf Clubhouse, Jekyll Island, December 9
108
Manhattan Shirt Company, Jesup, December 9
108
Ancient York Lodge No. 127, Worthville, December 9
108
Glen Haven High School P.T.A., December 11
109
American Oil Company, December 12
109
Rehoboth Lions Club, Stone Mountain, December 12
109
Governor's Conference on Traffic Safety, December 15
109
Soil and Water Conservation, Gainesville, December 15
110
Industrial Management, December 18
110
Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, December 18
110
Macon Association Brotherhood, Macon, December 19
111
Atlanta Press Club, December 20
111
Boy Scouts of America, Athens, December 21
111
Claxton-Evans County Airport, Claxton, December 28
112
Watch Night Fellowship, December 31
112
1968
State War Veterans Home, Milledgeville, January 3
113
Immanuel Schools Chapel Service, January 5
113
Jaycees Governmental Affairs, January 7
113
State of the State Message, January 9
114
Governer's Budget Message, January 12
128
Calvary Baptist Church, January 14
134
Association of County Commissioners, January 15
135
Georgia Milk Producers, Inc., January 16
135
Sharon Baptist Church, January 21
135
Georgia Municipal Association, January 22
136
Georgia School Boards Association, January 22
136
Poultry Industry Sales Club, January 28
136
Governor's Annual Prayer Breakfast, January 31
136
Education and Legislative Conference, February 7
137
Georgia Mobile Home Association, February 8
137
Abraham Baldwin Alumni Association, Tifton, February 10
137
Law Enforcement Day, Woodland Church, Augusta, February 11 137
Education Congress of Optometry, February 12
138
TABLE OF CONTENTS
xiii
World Carpet Company, Dalton, February 16
138
Gwinnett County Masonic Club, Grayson, February' 17
138
Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner, February 19
139
Mason Contractors Association, February 19
139
Food Up-Date Seminar, February 20
139
Hormel and Company, Montreal Industrial Area, DeKalb,
February 26
139
Little Red Schoolhouse, College Park, March 1
140
Broad River Soil and Water Conservation, Homer, March 1
140
Coeur de Leon Commandery No.4, March 4
140
Vocational Industrial Clubs, March 5
141
Southern Ice Exchange, March 11
141
Five Ladies Clubs, Columbus, March 12
141
Georgia Education Association, March 15
141
Annual Science Honors Night, March 15
142
School Food Service Association, March 15
142
Citizens Councils of Florida, Bradenton, March 16
142
Utah Forum for the American Idea, Salt Lake City, March 22
149
Tri-City Lions Club, Austell, March 25
157
Honoring Mr. Monroe Kimbrel, March 26
157
Floyd Junior High P.T.A., Mableton, March 26
157
YMCA Youth Assembly, March 28
158
Bacon County High School Assembly, Alma, March 29
158
Andrew College, Cuthbert, March 29
158
Waynesboro Jaycees, Waynesboro, March 30
159
Greenbriar Kiwanis Club, April 1
159
Madison County Industrial Authority, Danielsville, April 2
159
Air National Guard Commanders, April 3
159
Music and Arts Classroom Building, April 4
160
Newton County High School, Madison, April 5
160
St. Stephen Methodist Church, Marietta, April 7
160
Tattnall AA Group Spring Meet, Reidsville, April 7
160
Southeastern Regional Meeting, April 8
161
Optimist Club of Athens-Jefferson, April 9
161
Red Carpet Tour, Macon, April 10
161
Citizens Meeting, Bremen, April 12
161
South Cobb Lions Club, Mableton, April 15
162
Muscogee Civitan Club, Columbus, April 16
162
Salvation Army Banquet, Columbus, April 16
162
Distributive Education, Lawrenceville, April 17
162
Home Park P.T.A., April 18
163
Joint Water Pollution Control, Cave Spring, April 19
167
Christian Youth Crusade, Athens, April 20
167
Home Park Civic Club, April 22
167
Consumer Finance Association, Jekyll Island, April 23
168
Annual Meeting, Salvation Army, Brunswick, April 23
168
Young Democrats Club, Chapel Hill, North parolina, April 24 168
Bob Jones University, Greenville, South Carolina, April 26
168
Hillcrest Baptist Church, Swainsboro, April 28
169
Conference of Attorney Generals, Stone Mountain, April 29
169
xiv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Calhoun Lions Club, Calhoun, April 30
169
WakE' Forest University, Winston-Salem, N.C., May 2
169
Women in Construction, Regional Forum, Augusta, May 4
170
Jackson County Airport, May 5
170
Reliance Electric Company, Athens, May 6
170
First Baptist Church, Hawkinsville, May 6
171
Claxton-Evans County Airport, Claxton, May 7
171
Interstate Paper Plant, near Riceboro, May 7
171
DeKalb Board of Realtors, Decatur, May 8
172
Dublin Rotary Club, May 10
172
Furniture Dealers, Jacksonville, Florida, May 10
172
Inauguration of Dr. Fred C. Davison, Athens, May 11
172
Good Government League, Dalton, May 11
173
New Women's Dormitory Dedication, Culloden, May 11
173
New Softball Field, Cedartown, May 13
173
McLendon Elementary School P.T.A., Decatur, May 14
173
Dalton Junior College, May 15
173
Peace Officers Memorial, 'Fort Valley, May 15
174
Georgia's First Roadside Market Sign, Ft. Valley, May 17
174
United Commercial Travelers Banquet, May 17
174
Jonesboro Key Club, May 18
174
Marietta Civitan Club, May 21
175
History Class, North Fulton High School, May 23
175
State Merit System, May 24
175
Atlanta Marketing Council, May 24
175
Dairy Day, Gainesville, May 25
176
Therrell High Baccalaureate Service, May 26
176
Chipley Elementary School, Pine Mountain, May 28
176
Dedication of WDCO-TV, Cochran, May 29
177
Cochran Airport Dedication, May 29
177
Marietta National Cemetery, May 30
177
National Association Legions of Honor, May 31
177
Elementary and Junior High School, Richland, May 31
178
Gilmer County Airport Dedication, Ellijay, June 1
178
Montgomery County High School, Mt. Vernon, June 3
178
Putnam County Dairy Festival, Eatonton, June 5
178
Milledgeville Optimist Club, June 6
179
Nora L. Smith Day, Ashburn, June 6
179
Georgia Boys State, June 7
179
Northeast Georgia Radio Club, Inc., Cornelia, June 8
179
Disabled American Veterans, June 8
179
State Convention of Lions Clubs, June 10
180
First Baptist Brotherhood, Cedartown, June 10
180
Graduation, Adule Education Center, Waycross, June 11
180
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway, June 12
180
Armed Forces Management Association, Conley, June 12
181
Georgia Girls State, Athens, June 13
181
County Officers Association, June 14
181
Vocational Association Conference, June 14
181
Bethlehem Baptist Church, Bethlehem, Georgia, June 16
182
TABLE OF CONTENTS
XV
Atlanta Bar Association, June 20
182
Selective Service Statewide Conference, June 20
182
Georgia Press Association, Callaway Gardens, June 22
182
Hillcrest Baptist Church, Swainsboro, June 23
182
Outdoor Writers Association, Callaway Gardens, June 23
183
Seminar on State Government, June 24
183
Southern Dames of America, June 24
183
State Patrol Station, LaFayette, June 25
183
Dade County Lions Club, Trenton, June 25
184
Georgia Nursing Home Association, June 26
184
Cornelius-Moore Airport, Cedartown, June 29
184
Spring Place Baptist Church, Chatsworth, June 30
184
Chamblee Chapter, Order of DeMolay, Chamblee, July 1
185
Congregational Holiness Youth Camp, Cleveland, July 2
185
Fourth of July Celebration, Demorest, July 4
185
Fourth of July Celebration, Menlo, July 4
185
Dedication of Liberty Bell, Metter, July 4
186
New Bethel Community Building, Murrayville, July 6
186
Fanner Appreciation, Donalsonville, July 8
186
Pro-Lix Distributors Convention, July 9
186
LaGrange Lions Club, LaGrange, July 9
187
Woodmen of the World, Lincolnton, July 11
187
American Legion State Convention, Augusta, July 13
187
Sons of Confederate Veterans, Stone Mountain, July 13
187
Annual Management Seminar, July 15
188
Grace Methodist Church Men's Club, July 15
188
School Superintendents, Jekyll Island, July 16
188
Future Fanners Convention, July 18
190
Governors Honors Program, Macon, July 19
190
Sheriffs Association, Savannah, July 26
190
Tennessee Avenue Baptist Church, Bristol, Tennessee, July 28
191
Industrial Editors Association, July 30
191
Horne's South Motor Lodge, July 31
191
Atlanta Masonic Club No. 151, July 31
191
Commandery Patriotic Assembly, Huntsville, Ala., August 2
192
Youth Council, Rock Eagle, August 3
192
School Bus Drivers, near Covington, August 3
192
Metropolitan Marietta Kiwanis Club, August 5
192
Griffin Rotary Club, August 8
193
Georgia-Pacific Particle Board Plant, Vienna, August 9
193
Southeast Conference of Masons, August 9
193
Men's Brotherhood, East Point, August 9
193
Order of Rainbow Girls, August 10
194
Notchaway Baptist Church, Newnan, August 11
194
Holbrook Camp Meeting, near Canton, August 11
194
Petroleum Council, Savannah, August 12
194
Municipal Association, Savannah, August 12
195
New Civic Center Complex, Savannah, August 12
195
Mobile Housing Institute, Jekyll Island, Aug~st 14
196
Rotary Club of Albany, August 15
196
XVI
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Atlanta Lions Club, August 16
196
Maddox for President, August 17
197
Armed Forces Management, Fort McPherson, August 19
201
Recreated WestviIIe, near Lumpkin, August 31
201
Bible Baptist Church, September 1
201
Salzburger Association, New Ebenezer, September 2
201
Business and Professional Women, Folkston, September 2
202
Atlanta Airport Kiwanis Club, September 3
202
Rex Masonic Lodge No. 251, September 5
202
Atlanta Chapter, D. A. R., September 5
202
Ceremony at the Governor's Mansion, September 6
202
Rowland HiIIs Baptist Church, Stone Mountain, September 8
203
Muscogee Lions Club, Columbus, September 9
203
Chattahoochee VaIIey Chapter, Columbus, September 9
203
Opinion Forum, AIIegheny County, Pittsburgh, Pa., September 11 204
American Rose Society, September 13
208
First Presbyterian Church, September 15
208
Palmer Stone P. T. A., Oxford, September 16
209
Georgia Safety Council, September 17
209
Telephone Pioneers of America, September 17
209
Conference on Industrial Development, September 19
209
Brotherhood Dinner, Marietta, September 19
210
Youth FeIIowship, Stone Mountain, September 20
210
Accepting a Freedom Shrine, September 21
210
Governor's Conference on Arthritis, September 21
210
Short Line Railroad Association, September 23
210
Henry County Fair, McDonough, September 24
211
Griffin Kiwanis Club, September 25
211
Washington County Bar, Johnson City, Tenn., September 25
211
E-Z Mills Open House, CartersviIIe, September 26
211
State Conference on Aging, September 27
212
Sylvan Masonic Lodge No. 429, Sargcnt, September 29
212
Georgia Oilmen, Hilton Head Island, S.C., October 1
212
Electric Membership Cooperative, Newnan, October 2
212
Oklahoma City Speakers Forum, October 4
213
Governor's Marching Festival, Dalton, October 5
216
Calvary Baptist Church, Folkston, October 6
217
State Purchasing Department, Athens, October 7
217
Peace Officers Association, Macon, October 7
217
Sandy Springs Ministerial Association, October 8
217
Honoring Representative Richard Lane, October 9
218
Centennial Celebration, Blackshear, October 9
218
Governor's Conference on Planning, October 10
218
American Independent Party RaIIy, Dearborn, Mich., October 10 218
Masonic Lodge No. 276, Harlem, October 12
220
HartweII Kiwanis Club, October 14
220
Licensed Practical Nurses Association, October 16
221
Atlanta Real Estate Board, October 17
221
Inauguration Ceremonies, MiIIedgeviIIe, October 18
221
TABLE OF CONTENTS
XVll
Grady County Electric Corporation, Cairo, October 18
221
Order of Eastern Star, October 18
222
At the Mustang Football Stadium, Andrews, Tex., October 19
222
Weights and Measures Laboratory, Forest Park, October 21
222
Tuscaloosa Kiwanis Club, October 21
223
Dunlop Tire and Rubber Company, Hartwell, October 22
223
Hard Labor Creek Golf Course, Rutledge, October 23
223
Southern Shippers and Motor Carriers, October 23
223
Haralson County Baptist Association, Buchanan, October 24
224
Planning and Development Commission, Douglas, October 25
224
Pembroke Steel Company Plant, October 25
224
Business and Professional "Vomen, October 26
225
Garden City Church of God, Savannah, October 27
225
Savannah Exchange Club, October 28
225
Tallahassee Civic Clubs, October 29
225
Wallace Fund-Raising Dinner, October 29
226
Sylvania Rotary Club, October 31
226
Screven County Agricultural Center, Sylvania, October 31
226
Pro-American Party, Chicago, Ill., November 1
227
Auburn Masonic Lodge, November 2
227
Expanded Atlanta Merchandise Mart, November 3
227
Highway Patrol Post No. 17, Washington, November 4
228
Smyrna Rotary Club, November 5
228
State-Wide Planning Program, November 6
228
Governor's Conference on Tourism, Wilmington Island,
November 7
228
Savings and Loan Supervisors, November 8
229
Jasper County Deer Festival, Monticello, November 9
229
Youth Appreciation Day, Acworth, November 9
229
Glen Forest Baptist Church, Mableton, November 10
229
Hearn National Guard Armory, Monroe, November 10
230
Wilson Birthplace Foundation, Staunton, Va., November 11
230
Legislative Visit, Milledgeville, November 12
230
New Business Administration Building, November 12
230
Smyrna Junior Woman's Club, November 12
231
Chickamauga Lions Club, November 14
231
Georgia Farm Bureau Federation, Jekyll Island, November 18
231
Meriwether County Education, Greenville, November 19
231
Thiokol Chemical Corporation, Toccoa, November 21
232
Lake Lanier Islands Bridge, Buford, November 21
232
Green Carpet Program, November 22
232
Asphalt Plant Mix Institute, November 22
232
Cherokee Lodge No. 66, F. & A.M., Rome, November 23
233
Herbert R. Bridges Armory, Cedartown, November 24
233
Oakside Baptist Church, LaGrange, November 24
233
Edmund Burke Confrat<~rnity, Sarasota, Fla., November 26
233
Mount Vernon Baptist Church, Stockbridge, November 27
234
Forsyth County Masonic Association, Cumming, November 30
234
Instructional Supervisors Conference, Covington, December 2
234-
Emergency Medical Services, Athens, December 3
234
XVlll
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Student Bar Association, Decatur, December 5
235
Federation of Women's Clubs, December 5
235
Sportsmen's Federation, Macon, December 7
235
The Kingdom of Sausagia, December 7
236
Memorial Fundamental Congress, Knoxville, Tenn., December 8 236
Lithonia Exchange Club, Lithonia, December 9
236
Mayor's Motorcade to Milledgeville, December 11
236
Lilburn Elementary School, December 11
237
Science and Technology Commission, Marietta, December 12
237
Dale Carnegie Alumni Club, Columbus, December 13
237
Honoring Seventeen State Employees, December 13
237
Police Academy Graduation, December 13
238
Conference on Traffic Safety, December 16
238
Institute of Legislators, Athens, December 17
238
New Hope Baptist Church, December 22
238
Junior Achievement, Callaway Gardens, December 27
239
Ladies' Entertainment Committee, December 28
239
National Youth Alliance, December 28
239
Center for Retarded Children, Chattanooga, Tenn., December 31 239
North Atlanta Baptist Church, December 31
240
Glenwood Baptist Church, December 31
240
1969
Northside Kiwanis Club, January 3
241
Operation Patrick Henry, Decatur, January 4
241
Atlanta Press Club, January 8
241
Medical and Dental Assistants, January 8
241
National Alliance Football Rules, January 9
242
Governmental Affairs Conference, January 12
242
Award to John M. Olin, Callaway Gardens,
Pine Mountain, January 13
242
State of the State, January 14
242
Governor's Budget Message, January 16
250
Mayor's Day Banquet, January 20
262
Eggs and Issues Breakfast, January 21
262
Georgia Milk Producers, Inc., January 21
262
Ruritan National Convention, Jekyll Island, January 27
263
Atlanta Kiwanis Club, January 28
263
Congressional Medal of Honor Winners, Newnan, January 29
263
Association of Agricultural Fairs, February 1
263
New Dormitories, Sheriffs' Boys' Ranch, Hahira, February 2
263
Association of Conservation Districts, February 3
264
Macon Bar Association, February 7
264
Cattlemen's Association, Augusta, February 10
264-
School Boards Association, February 10
264
Georgia Day Festivities, Savannah, February 12
265
Pace Academy's Interact Club, February 12
266
AFL-CIO Legislative Conference, February 19
266
How Fulton County Would Benefit, February 19
266
TABLE OF CONTENTS
XIX
Christian Educators Association, Augusta, February 20
268
College Press Association, Athens, February 22
270
Adair Park Baptist Church, February 23
271
Schwinn Bicycle Company, February 23
271
North Decatur Lions Club, February 24
271
School of Business Administration, February 25
271
Southern Living Show, March 1
272
Southern Safety Conference, March 3
272
Mobile Homes Association, March 5
272
Murphy Candler School P. T. A., Lithonia, March 6
272
Honeywell Electronic Data Processing, March 7
273
Georgia National Guard Banquet, Macon, March 8
273
Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner, March 10
273
American Textile Machinery Association, March 11
273
Georgia Education Association, March 13
274
Brotherhood Supper, Ladies Night, Tifton, March 13
274
County Line Baptist Church, Covington, March 16
274
Cedar Grove P. T. A., Fairburn, March 18
274
Northside Interfaith Fellowship, March 19
275
Broad River Soil and Water Conservation, Homer, March 21
275
Children and Youth Meeting, March 21
275
Tobacco Road AA Group, Augusta, March 22
275
National Multi List Service, March 24
276
Produce Market Managers, March 27
276
Conference On State Legislation, March 27
276
Georgia Hospital Association, Savannah, March 28
276
Governor's Day, Milledgeville, March 31
277
Officers' Wives Club, Fort Gordon, April 2
277
Inauguration Ceremonies, Statesboro, April 3
277
Ringgold Rotary Club, April 4
277
Sunrise Service, Jekyll Island, April 6
278
Youth Development Center, Augusta, April 6
278
Tuxedo Elementary School P. T. A., April 8
278
Georgia Bankers Association, April 9
278
1969 Red Carpet Tour, Columbus, April 9
279
Dedication at Brunswick Junior College, April 11
279
Waycross Junior High Students, April 11
279
Brantley County Airport, Nahunta, April 12
279
Dedicating Schell Memorial Library, April 12
279
County Commissioners, Savannah, April 14
280
North Clayton High P. T. A., College Park, April 14
280
Phi Delta Kappa Fraternity, Athens, April 15
280
Georgia Day, Waleska, April 16
280
Ninth District Medical Society, Gainesville, April 17
281
YMCA Youth Assembly, April 17
281
Opening "Larutan of the South," Hiram, April 18
281
Bowling Association Tournament, Hapeville, April 19
281
Liberty Baptist Church, Doerun, April 20
282
Master Barbers and Beauticians, Columbus, April 20
282
xx
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors, April 21
282
Roper Pump Company, April 21
283
Science and Education Building, Savannah, April 22
283
McEachern United Methodist Church, Powder Springs, April 23 283
Eighth Grade Humanities Team, April 24
283
Columbus Junior Chamber of Commerce, April 24
284
Rotary's Interact Club, Smyrna, April 28
284
East Athens Civitan Club, April 28
284
Natural Food Associates, Callaway Gardens, April 29
284
Carl Vinson Building, Milledgeville, April 29
285
Cobb County Board of Realtors, Marietta, April 29
285
Tifton Rotary Club, April 30
285
Pro American Forum, Chicago, II!., May 2
285
Jonesboro Little League, May 3
292
Georgia Teenage Safety Council, Macon, May 3
292
Industrial Arts Clubs, Macon, May 3
292
History and Political Science, Lawrenceville, May 5
293
Oglethorpe College, May 5
293
American History Class, Decatur, May 7
293
Montezuma Kiwanis Club, May 7
293
Forsyth Exchange Club, May 8
294
Student Bar Association, May 9
294
Kingwood Community Club, Marietta, May 9
294
American Red Cross, May 12
294
American Society of Safety Engineers, May 12
295
Fine Arts Hall, Columbus, May 13
295
Columbus Senior Center, May 13
296
Columbus Chamber of Commerce, Columbus, May 13
296
Baldwin County Airport, Milledgeville, May 14
296
South Hall Touchdown Club, Gainesville, May 15
296
Cochran's Centennial Celebration, May 17
296
Dawson County Booster Club, Dawsonville, May 17
297
Clifton Elementary School, May 19
297
Druid Hills Lions Banquet, May 20
297
Governor's Day, Georgia Military College, Milledgeville, May 20 298
Public Health Association, Savannah, May 21
298
Probation and Parole Association, Savannah, May 21
298
Civil Air Patrol, May 23
298
Savannah Lodge of Perfection, Savannah, May 23
299
Alee Temple Shrine Mosque, Savannah, May 23
299
Camp Harmony, Elberton, May 24
299
Habersham County Airport, Cornelia, May 24
299
Moccasin Creek State Park, May 25
300
Alcoholic Beverage Control, May 26
300
Pennville Elementary School, Summerville, May 26
300
Antioch Baptist Church, June 1
300
Graduating Class, Harlem, June 3
301
Albany Rotary Club, Albany, June 5
301
Bridgeboro Baptist Church, June 8
301
Order of the Eastern Star, Macon, June 9
301
TABLE OF CONTENTS
XXI
Georgia Civil Defense Directors, Callaway Gardens, June 10
302
American Legion Post No. 134, June 11
302
Bekaert Steel Wire Plant, Rome, June 11
302
Groundbreaking for Allastics, Inc., June 11
302
Budget Message, June 12
303
Veterans of World War I, June 12
311
Girls State, Athens, June 13
311
Brotherhood, First Baptist Church, Fort Valley, June 16
311
Municipal Association, Jekyll Island, June 17
312
Americus Civitan Club, June 17
312
Printing House Craftsmen, June 20
312
Antique Automobile Association, Stone Mountain, June 21
312
Georgia Army National Guard, Fort Stewart, June 21
313
Order of the Amaranth, Inc., June 23
313
College Security Directors, June 23
313
Carrollton Lions Club, June 26
313
Joint Meeting of Commissions, Callaway Gardens, June 27
314
Fannin County Cancer Chapter, Blue Ridge, June 28
314
Nisarc Computers, Inc., June 28
314
Rainbow Girls, June 28
314
Harrison Road Baptist Church, East Point, June 29
315
Management Science America, Inc., June 30
316
Constitution Revision Commission, July 1
316
Georgia Press Association, Savannah, July 4
319
"We Hold These Truths ...", Cumming, July 4
324
Fourth of July, Demorest, July 4
325
Golden Jubilee Celebration, Moultrie, July 5
326
Christian Missionary Alliance Church, Savannah, July 6
326
Rotary Club of Columbus, July 9
326
County Welfare Association, Savannah, July 10
327
Civil Air Patrol Graduation, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama,
July 11
327
Logwall Baptist Church, Forsyth, July 13
327
Buckhead Lions Club, July 14
328
Association of School Superintendents, Jekyll Island, July 15
328
Church of God of Prophecy, Macon, July 16
328
Fraternal Order of Police, July 17
328
Governor's Honors Program, Macon, July 17
329
Morgan County Baptist Association, Covington, July 17
329
Trooper Training School, July 18
329
Sheriffs Association, Stone Mountain, July 18
329
Cherokee Atomedic Hospital, Woodstock, July 20
330
Chestnut Grove Baptist Church, Grayson, July 20
330
Second Baptist Church Brotherhood, Warner Robins, July 22
330
Linwood City Recreation Park, Linwood City, July 24
331
Oothcalooga Lodge No. 154, Calhoun, July 24
332
United Transportation Union, Savannah, July 25
333
Bible Baptist Church, Elkton, Maryland, July 27
334
Stay and See Georgia Week, July 28
334
Northeast DeKalb Lions Club, July 28
335
XXll
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Men's Club, Jones Memorial Church, Forest Park, July 29
336
Kiwanis Club of Decatur, Decatur, July 31
336
Georgia Youth Council, Eatonton, August 2
336
Community Baptist Church, Smyrna, August 3
336
Georgia Hotel-Motel Association, Jekyll Island, August 5
337
Penney Catalog Distribution Center, August 6
337
Kiwanis Club of Greater Columbus, August 6
337
School Bus Drivers Association, near Covington, August 7
338
Inside-Out Group, Alcoholics Anonymous, August 10
338
Independent Automobile Dealers, Jekyll Island, August 11
338
Gate City Lodge No.2, F. & A.M., August 12
338
New Quarters of Panasonic Atlanta, August 15
339
Dalton Kiwanis Club, August 18
339
Carrollton Rotary Club, August 19
339
Cobb County Masonic Convention, Powder Springs, August 20
339
Dino's Gondolas of Georgia, Tucker, August 21
340
Fairview Volunteer Fire Department, Ellenwood, August 23
340
First Alliance Church, August 24
340
Fulton Industrial Area Kiwanians, August 25
340
State \Varehouse Departments, Savannah, August 25
341
American Legion, August 26
341
American Legion Auxiliary, August 27
341
Citizens Council of America, Jackson, Miss., August 29
342
Salon National LaBoutique, August 30
348
Auditorium Bible Class, Jacksonville, Fla., August 31
348
Bemiss Road Baptist Church, Valdosta, September 7
349
Valdosta Christian Schools, September 7
349
Glenhaven Baptist Church, Decatur, September 7
349
Southern Bakers Association, September 9
353
Home Builders Association, September 9
353
Dolly Madison Bakery, Columbus, September 10
353
Industrial Management, September 12
354
United Van Lines Agents, September 12
354
Lions Club Regional Conference, Statesville, N. C.,
September 15
354
Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions, September 18
354
Georgia Peanut Festival, Sylvester, September 20
355
Justices of the Peace and Constables, Perry, September 21
355
Coweta Lodge No. 60, F. & A.M., Newnan, September 23
355
The Lovable Company, Buford, September 24
355
Phi Beta Kappa Society, Athens, September 24
356
Dedication, Kendall Company, Augusta, September 25
356
JC-VA Pre-employment Center, Augusta, September 25
356
Bremen First Baptist Church, September 27
356
Burgess Road Baptist Church, Pensacola, Fla., September 28
357
Sword of the Lord Foundation, Murfreesboro, Tenn.,
September 28
357
Research Lodge, No. 102, F. & A.M., Macon, September 30
357
Northwest Orient Airlines, October 2
357
Dedication of E-Z Mills, Inc., Wrightsville, October 2
358
TABLE OF CONTENTS
State AFL-CIO Convention, Savannah, October 2 Loganville Baptist Church, October 5 Hampton First Baptist Church, October 5 Governor's Conference on Education, October 8 Atlanta City Salesmen's Club, October 9 Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Tifton, October 11 Freedom of Choice Groups, South Hampton, Va., October 12 Jaycee State Governmental Affairs Conference, October 12 Flat Shoals Elementary School P. T. A., Decatur, October 14 Opening of Interstate 285, October 15 Business and Industry Association, October 17 Winterville United Methodist Church, Winterville, October 19 Georgia Roadside Council, October 20 American Association of Passenger Traffic Officers, October 20 National Transportation Conference, October 21 Public Safety Communication Officers, October 22 Doric Masonic Lodge No. 548, Decatur, October 23 Bible Believers and Patriots, Trenton, N. ]., October 25 Macedonia Baptist Church, Macon, October 26 Tifton Kiwanis Club, October 27 Meriwether Public Works Camp, Greenville, October 29 All South Credit Conference, October 30 Georgia Librarian Association, October 30 Youth Ranch, Forest Park, October 30 Mike Colwell Stadium, Blairsville, October 31 Governor's Day Celebration, Westville, November 1 Memorial Hospital and Nursing Home, Duluth, November 2 Civic Clubs of Lyons, November 4 Ideas and Issues Division, Athens, November 6 1970 Atlanta Automobile Show, November 7 Calvary Baptist Church, Rittman, Ohio, November 9 Democratic Leadership, Albany, November 10 Veterans Day Ceremonies, November 11 Veterans of World War I, USA, Inc., Macon, November 11 Columbus Traffic Club, November 13 A New Welcome Center, Augusta, November 13 Governor's Conference On Tourism, Augusta, November 13 American Association of State Colleges and
Universities, November 16 Pickens Industrial Management Club, Greenville, S. C.,
November 17 Atlanta Baptist Pastors Conference, November 17 Georgia Farm Equipment Association, November 18 R. ]. Reynolds Wildlife Refuge, Sapelo Island, November 18 Bolton Chapter Royal Arch Masons, November 18 State Legislative Leaders, November 20
Tech Inauguration Ceremonies, November 20
Industrial Development Council, November 21
Georgia Sweet Potato Festival, Ocilla, November 22
South Summerville Baptist Church, November 23
xxiii
358 358 358 359 359 359 359 366 367 367 368 368 368 368 369 369 369 369 370 370 370 370 371 371 371 371 372 372 372 373 374 374 375 375 375 376 376
376
376 377 377 377 380 380 381 382 382 383
XXIV
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Peace Officers Association, Inc., November 24
383
DeKalb Administrators Association, Decatur, November 24
383
College Park Masonic Lodge, No. 454, November 28
383
Grace Baptist Church, Simpsonville, S. C., November 30
384
American Society for Personnel Administration, December 1
384
Canton Rotary Club, Holly Springs, December 2
384
Big Shanty Elementary School P. T. A., Kennesaw, December 2 385
American Party of Louisiana, Baton Rouge, La., December 4
385
Georgia Products Dinner, Washington, D. C., December 5
385
Georgia Sportsman's Federation, Thomaston, December 6
386
Victory Baptist Church, Washington, December 7
386
Senate Sub-Committee on Aging, December 9
386
Gracewood State School, December 9
386
Gainesville Chamber of Commerce, December 10
387
Protropian Society, Piedmont College, Demorest,
December 10
387
Traffic Safety, December 12
387
Moore Avenue Baptist Church, Anniston, Ala., December 14
387
Georgia Educational Improvement Council, Athens,
December 14
388
Social Circle Lions Club, December 15
388
Law Enforcement Appreciation, Dalton, December 18
388
Warren Company Christmas Party, December 19
388
Rome Exchange Club, December 19
388
Altura Presbyterian Church, El Paso, Texas, December 21
389
Walton County Public Works Camp, Monroe, December 26
389
Norton Park Baptist Church, Smyrna, December 28
389
1970
Warner Robins Church of God, January 4
390
Hormel Company Tucker Plant, January 10
390
Veterans of Foreign Wars, East Point, January 11
390
State of the State, January 13
391
Budget Message, January 15
403
Auditorium Bible Class, Tampa, Fla., January 18
420
Association County Commissioners, January 19
421
Eggs and Issues Breakfast, January 20
421
Georgia Milk Producers, January 20
421
Central Atlanta Progress Meeting, January 23
421
Atlanta Touchdown Jamboree, January 24
421
Peachtree-Atlanta Kiwanis Club, January 27
422
Baptist Power Conference, Myrtle, Miss., January 28
422
Christian Citizens Academy, Douglas, January 31
422
Kiwanis Club of Atlanta, February 3
423
School Board Association, February 4
423
Monument Builders of North America, February 4
423
South Carolina Broadcasters, Greenville, S. C., February 4
424
National Freedom Organization, Albany, February 8
424
American Society, February 9
424
Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner, February 9
424
TABLE OF CONTENTS
AFL-CIO Conference, February 11 American Buildings Company, February 12 Georgia Day Festivities, Savannah, February 12 Knight Paper Company, February 13 Calvary Baptist Church, Pompano Beach, Fla., February 15 Institute of Chemical Engineers, February 18 Kiwanis "Operation Drug Alert," February 20 Greater Atlanta Reserve Officers, Forest Park (Conley),
February 20 United States Senate Subcommittee, Washington, D. C.,
February 24 Women's Bowling Association, Gainesville, February 28 National Guard Association, February 28 Calvary Baptist Church, Walterboro, S. C., March 1 Discount Center, Rome, March 2 South DeKalb Optimist Club, March 3 John Birch Society Council, Los Angeles, Calif., March 6 Forty-First Air Force, Jonesboro, March 7 Macedonia Baptist Church, Manchester, March 8 Former Governor Griffin, Stone Mountain, March 8 Savings and Loan Conference, March 9 East Marietta Lions Club, Marietta, March 10 West End Business Men's Association, March 12 Georgia Education Association, March 13 Teachers Hall of Fame Award, March 13 Concord Methodist Church, Americus, March 15 Wisconsin Cheese Festival, March 16 Canadian Appreciation Day, Jekyll Island, March 16 Marion Smith School P. T. A., College Park, March 17 Metro Atlanta Young Republican Club, March 18 Tattnall Square Baptist Brotherhood, Macon, March 19 Mobile Living Planning and Sales, Montezuma, March 20 Asphalt Pavement Association, March 20 Twiggs County Citizens, Danville, March 21 Dudley Baptist Church, March 22 Columbus Sertoma Club, March 23
Buckhead Exchange Club, March 24 Wayne Correctional Institution, Odum, March 26 YMCA Youth Assembly, March 26 Trooper Training Graduation, March 27 Broad River Soil and Water Conservation, Homer, March 27 Optimist Club Breakfast, March 31 Roosevelt High School, April 2 Committee on Children and Youth, April 3 Victory in Vietnam Rally, Washington, D. C., April 4 Trinity Baptist Church, Oxford, Ala., April 5
Jaycees Bosses Night Banquet, Tallapoosa, April 7 Habersham Central High School, Mount Airy, April 8
1970 Red Carpet Tour, Athens, April 8
xxv
427 427 428 428 428 429 429
429
429 434 434 424 425 425 425
444 445 445 445 445 445 446
446 446
446
447
447 447 447
448
448
448 448 449
449
450
450
450 451 451
451
451 452 452 452 453 453
XXVI
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Villa Rica Lions Club, April 9
4-53
Mutual Savings Life Insurance Company, April 11
454
Georgia's Mother of the Year, Decatur, April 11
454
Vesper Services, April 12
454
Stanley Home Products, Inc., April 13
454
Public Personnel Association, April 13
455
Association County Commissioners, April 13
455
Congress of Parents and Teachers, April 14
455
Elementary and High School P. T. A., Jackson, April 16
455
Association of Educational Secretaries, April 17
456
National Longhouse, April 17
456
Atlanta Baptist Ranch Banquet, April 17
457
Calvary Baptist Church, McIntyre, April 19
457
Atlanta Advertising Club, April 20
457
Georgia Military College, Milledgeville, April 20
457
Exchange Club of North Raleigh, N. C., April 22
458
American Government Class, Forsyth, April 23
458
Southern Governors Conference, April 23
458
National Campers and Hikers Association, Adel, April 25
459
Sardis Civic Center Dedication, Gainesville, April 25
459
American Local and Short Haul Carriers, April 27
459
Encounter '70, Birmingham, Ala., April 28
459
Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs, Birmingham, Ala., April 28
460
Travelodge International TRI-ARC, April 28
460
Citizenship Assembly, Chamblee, April 29
461
Gaylesville High School, Gaylesville, Ala., May 1
461
Crestview Baptist Church, Griffin, May 3
461
Military Order of the World Wars, May 3
461
Southern Paper Trade Association, May 4
462
Operation Flag Ceremonies, Hapeville, May 5
462
Buckhead Fifty Club, May 5
462
Pardon and Parole Board, May 6
463
Clarke County Women Voters, Athens, May 6
463
West Telfair Academy, Inc., Milan, May 8
463
Standard-Coosa-Thatcher Company, Washington, May 8
463
Dodge County Centennial, Eastman, May 9
464
Stone Mountain Memorial, May 9
464
Chaplain of Bourbon Street, Marietta, May 10
464
Parents Appreciation Banquet, May 11
465
Distributive Education Club, Jonesboro, May 12
465
Peace Officers Association, Fort Valley, May 13
465
Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, Woodbury, May 14
466
Atlanta Transportation Associations, May 14
466
Citizens Councils, Clayton, Mo., May 15
466
Wayne Correctional Institution, Jesup, May 17
467
Southern States Correctional Association, May 17
467
Bland Memorial Gymnasium, Reidsville, May 17
471
Metro Living Classes, Suwanee, May 18
471
Atlanta Chapter, Deck and Derrick Clubs, May 18
471
Hallie Turner Private School, Columbus, May 21
472
TABLE OF CONTENTS
xxvii
Opening of IBS Auto Importers, May 21
472
Berkmar High School, Lilburn, May 22
472
Exchange Club of Perry, May 22
472
N. B. O. C. (No Bussing Our Children), Winston-Salem, N. C.,
May 23
473
Northside Baptist Church, Charlotte, N. C., May 24
473
Greater Los Angeles Citizens Council, Pasadena, Calif., May 26
473
Wade Hampton-Taylors Jaycees, Fountain Inn., S. C., May 28
474
Trooper Training School Graduation, May 29
474
Rotary International, June 1
474
LaGrange Rotary Club, June 3
475
Cerebral Palsy Center Graduation, June 3
475
Georgia Tech Student Center, June 4
475
Murray County Junior High School, Chatsworth, June 5
475
Cloud Springs Baptist Church, Rossville, June 7
476
Cartersville-Bartow County, Cartersville, June 7
476
Cumming Kiwanis Club, June 8
476
Georgia Wardens Association, Savannah, June 8
476
Citizens of Washington County, Sandersville, June 9
477
Camp Safety Patrol Governor's Day, Cordele, June 14
477
DeKalb Life Underwriters Association, Decatur, June 18
477
Columbus Real Estate Board, June 26
478
Georgia Press Association, Jekyll Island, June 27
478
Douglas County Lions Club, Douglasville, June 30
478
Colonial Cleveland, July 2
478
Independence Day Celebration, Demorest, July 4
481
Independence Day Celebration, St. Marys, July 4
481
For God, Family and Country, Boston, Mass., July 5
481
Environment Planning, July 10
482
Modular Home Plant, Arabi, July 11
482
Gordon-Ivey Independent School, Gordon, July 11
482
North Atlanta Baptist Church, July 12
483
Cuthbert-Randolph County Airport, Cuthbert, July 12
483
Rome Kiwanis Club, July 13
483
Lakewood Heights Baptist Church, July 14
484
Society of Industrial Security, July 15
484
College Park Kiwanis Club, July 17
484
Northside Kiwanis Club, July 17
485
Colonial Hills Baptist Church, East Point, July 21
485
Upper Chattahoochee Development, Buford, July 22
485
County Welfare Association, Savannah, July 23
486
Downtown Exchange Club, Albany, July 23
486
Georgia Sheriffs Association, St. Simons Island, July 24
486
National Association of Counties, July 27
486
National Exchange Club Convention, July 27
487
Georgia Electrification Councils, July 27
487
Stay and See Georgia Week, July 27
487
Catoosa County Water Works, Ringgold, July 30
487
State Highway Patrol Barracks, Calhoun, July 30
488
Georgia Youth Council, August 1
483
XXVlll
TABLE OF CONTENTS
American Business Club, Augusta, August 6
488
School Bus Drivers, near Covington, August 7
489
Heavy Equipment Operation Project, Blairsville, August 7
489
Fraternal Order of Police, Tucker, August 8
489
DeMolay Chapters State Conclave, August 8
489
Columbus Lions Club, August 11
490
Eastern Federation Gem and Mineral Show, August 13
490
Waycross Kiwanis Club, August 14
490
Driver and Traffic Safety Education, August 17
490
Donalsonville Lions Club, August 18
491
Savannah Teens for Decency, August 18
491
Airport Kiwanis Club, August 19
491
Camilla-Mitchell County Airport, Camilla, August 21
492
Thomas Livestock Auditorium, Thomasville, August 21
492
Dougherty Christian Academy, Baconton, August 22
492
Madison County High School, Danielsville, August 23
493
First United Methodist Church, Tucker, August 24
493
Newnan Kiwanis Club, August 25
493
Newnan-Coweta Jaycees, Newnan, August 25
493
Vehicle Equipment Safety Commission, August 26
494
Washington-Johnson Community School, Harrison, August 26
494
Exchange Club of Forsyth, August 27
494
Governor's Youth Opportunity Council, August 27
494
Southeast Shrine Convention, August 28
495
Shrine Peace Officer Award, August 28
495
Holly Springs Baptist Church, August 30
495
Buckhead Kiwanis Club, August 31
495
Atlanta Civitan Club, September 1
496
East Point Kiwanis Club, September 1
496
Atlanta Exchange Club, September 2
496
Council on Environmental Affairs, September 3
497
Trooper Graduation, September 4
497
Norcross High School Stadium, September 4
497
Citizens Councils of America, September 4
497
North DeKalb Boys Athletic Association, Doraville, September 5 505
Ben Hill-Irwin School Dedication, Fitzgerald, September 7
506
Bekaert Steel Wire Plant, Rome, September 10
506
Wilbert Manufacturers Association, September 14
506
American Pathology Foundation, September 15
506
Bank Administration Institute, Dallas, September 15
507
Governor's Conference on Aging, September 17
507
First Day of Issue Ceremonies, Stone Mountain, September 19
507
Southern Governors Conference, Biloxi, Miss., September 22
507
DeKalb County Jaycees, September 24
509
United States Gypsum Company, Stone Mountain,
September 25
509
Governor's Kick-off Breakfast, September 25
509
South Park Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, N. C.,
September 27
510
Fraternal Congress of America, September 28
510
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Game and Fish Commissioners, September 28 Business and Professional Women, Roswell, September 28 Conservative Club of Georgia, October 2 Governor's Conference on Drug Abuse, October 2 Governor's Marching Festival, Dalton, October 3 Harbor Baptist Church, West Columbia, S. C., October 4 American Forestry Association, October 5 West Georgia College Symposium, Carrollton, October 5 Conference on Hiring the Handicapped, Rome, October 6 Governor's Conference on Education, October 7 Revolutionary Battle Park, Savannah, October 8 Environmental Rally, Elberton, October 10 Olive Street Baptist Church, Lakeland, Fla., October 11 DeKalb County Masonic Association, Clarkston, October 12 Peace Officers Association, Augusta, October 13 Jaycees Judicial Service Project, Albany, October 15 Conference of Zonta International, October 16 Doc Mancil Softball Field, Pearson, October 17 Seventh Region Jaycees, Martinez, October 17 Society of Sanitary Engineering, October 20 Inter-Agency Council, Human Resources, October 20 Alterman Office and Warehouse, October 21 Electric Membership Corporation, October 22 Office Managers Conference, October 22 Phillipi Baptist Church, Locust Grove, October 25 High Hope School, Macon, October 25 Elbert County Youth Development, Elberton, October 26 Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation, October 27 Richmond County Political Club, Augusta, October 28 Licensed Practical Nurses, Augusta, October 28 National Newspaper Association, October 29 Lawrenceville Kiwanis Club, Lawrenceville, October 29 State Finances, News Release, October 31 Walter Matthews Memorial Chapel, Alto, November 1 Southern Society of Orthodontists, November 2 Commission for Coastal Zone Management, November 5 Georgia Tech Student Center, November 6 Jaycees Law Enforcement Appreciation, November 7 Southeastern Theater Owners, November 9 "The Flame of Freedom," Decatur, November 11 Veterans Day, Legion Post No.1, November 11 Governor's Conference on Tourism, Columbus, November 12 International Apple Association, November 13 Central Baptist Church, Greeneville, Tenn., November 15
Post 7, Highway Patrol Barracks, Toccoa, November 15 National Agricultural Credit Conference, November 16 Clarkston United Methodist Men's Club, November 16
Governor's Youth Opportunity, November 18
Briar Creek Soil and Water Conservation, Waynesboro, November 19
XXIX
510 511 511 511 511 512 512 512 513 513 513 514 514 514 514 515 515 516 516 516 516 517 517 517 518 518 518 519 519 519 519 520 520 520 520 521 521 522 52:3 523 523 524 524524 525
525 525
525
526
xxx
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Trooper Training School Graduation, November 20
526
Ocilla Sweet Potato Festival, November 21
526
The Federation, Savannah, November 21
526
First Baptist Church, Springhill, La., November 22
527
Order of Eastern Star, November 23
527
Four Square Sunday School Class, November 29
527
Georgia Sheriffs Association, Macon, December 4
528
Southside Baptist Church, Greenville, S. C., December 4
528
Rath Packing Company, Morrow, December 5
528
Samuel S. Lawrence Masonic Lodge, Marietta, December 5
528
Thornton Street Baptist Church, Houston, Tex., December 6
529
Henry County Chamber of Commerce, McDonough,
December 7
529
Bethany Baptist Church, Madison, December 8
529
Phelps Dodge Industries, December 9
529
First Baptist Church of LaFayette, December 9
530
Governor's Conference on Traffic Safety, December 11
530
Peachtree Presbyterian Church, December 13
530
Chatsworth Lions Club, December 15
531
Georgia Municipal Association, Milledgeville, December 16
531
Work Release/Pre-Release Center, Columbus, December 16
531
Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation, December 19
531
Interagency Council, Outdoor Recreation, December 22
532
Metro Atlanta Civitan Club, December 22
532
Reed Bingham State Park Dam, Adel, December 31
532
Metropolitan Baptist Church, December 31
533
Bible Baptist Church, December 31
533
North Atlanta Baptist Church, December 31
533
1971
Inauguration as Lieutenant Governor, January 11
534
Address to the Georgia Senate, January 13
537
u List of Illustrations ~
Early photograph of Governor Maddox, sister and brother Governor and Mrs. Maddox and children The Maddoxes at New Governors' Mansion Youngsters visit Maddox Offices The Maddoxes Held Frequent Open House Governor and Mrs. Wallace address Georgia legislature Graham W. Jackson joins Board of Corrections Governor Maddox with Aubrey Morris, WSB-TV Governor Maddox with Secretary of State Ben W. Fortson, Jr. A Sampling of News Media cartoons of Gov. Maddox
Page 132
425
U Biography ~
From the Georgia Official and Statistical Register
LESTER GARFIELD MADDOX, Atlanta. Governor. Born Sept. 30, 1915, in Atlanta, Fulton Co., Ga. Educated in Atlanta public schools. Engaged in Industrial-Manufacturing Management; owners and operator of restaurant, grocery and furniture stores. Baptist. Democrat. Moose, Mason, Jr. Order American Mechanics, Shriner. Governor, Jan. 10, 1967 - Jan. 13, 1971. 'Family details: Married May 9, 1936 in Cobb Co., Ga., Hattie Virginia Cox (born Aug. 17, 1918, in Jefferson Co., Ala.), daughter of Samuel Oscar Cox (born Apr. 30, 1875, in Cobb Co., Ga.; died Nov. 3, 1950) and Hattie Lee (Mattox) Cox (born Feb. 1, 1881, in Hogansville, Troup Co., Ga.; died Nov. 26, 1945, in Fulton Co.). Children: Linda Sue (Maddox) Densmore (born Apr. 22, 1938, in Fulton Co.), Virginia Louise (born Aug. 17, 1940, in Fulton Co.); Lester Garfield Maddox, Jr. (born Mar. 16, 1944, in Fulton Co.); Larry Reigs Maddox (born Mar. 8, 1947, in Fulton Co.). Five grandchildren: Tanya Denise, Tamara Dolin, Tori, and Tara Dawn Densmore and Tracy Maddox. Lester Garfield Maddox is the son of Dean Garfield Maddox (born Jan. 3, 1888, in DeKalb Co.; married Nov. 12, 1912; died Sept. 1961) and Flonnie Belle (Castleberry) Maddox, and the
grandson of George J. Maddox (born May 21,1862, in DeKalb Co.).
u Governor Maddox's
Election and Induction ~
From the Atlanta Constitution,
January 11, 1967
By Sam Hopkins
The Georgia legislature, in an historic day-and-night session, elected Atlanta segregationist Lester Maddox governor Tuesday night. He was quickly sworn in behind closed doors in the governor's office.
The vote in the legislature was 182 for Maddox and 66 for Republican Howard (Bo) Callaway.
It came after the joint session of the House and Senate had voted 148-110 to uphold a ruling by Lt. Gov. Peter Zack Geer, who was presiding, that a resolution calling for a runoff election was out of order.
PATROL ESCORT After the official election, Maddox, who had been closeted in the State Audit Department's office on the ground floor of the State Capitol for several hours writing his speech to the legislature, was surrounded completely by brusque state patrolmen and Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents who hurried him upstairs to the governor's office. A number of observers commented on how "tough-talking" the patrolmen seemed to be. Patrolmen even barred newsmen at first from entering the big reception room which is separated from the governor's office by another office. Only one reporter-from The Atlanta Constitution-actually heard Maddox take the oath of office. While standing outside of a closed back
xxxiv
GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
door to the governor's office, the reporter heard Judge Harold Ward of Dublin swear in Maddox as governor.
AN APOLOGY
"I'm sorry we've been so late getting out of that mansion," Gov. Carl Sanders apologized to Maddox after the press had been barred from entering.
Asked what his preference was in the swearing in, Maddox told Sanders, "I don't want the press in now."
Sanders then told someone, "Give me a Bible." But, the swearing-in could not proceed immediately because no one had a copy of the oath to be given Maddox. Someone rushed out to find one. Maddox took the oath of office at 7:30 p.m.-exactly 10 hours after the legislature convened in joint session at 9:30 a.m. He was certified as elected at 7:18 p.m. and the joint session adjourned at 8:17 p. m. "Congratulations, Governor," Sanders said to Maddox after he was sworn in.
GREATEST TRIUMPH
The election was undoubtedly the greatest victory of his life for Maddox, who gained national and international attention several years ago when he pulled out a pistol and handed out ax handles to keep Negroes out of his restaurant.
Maddox not only defeated five other Democrats in the primary and won the run-off, he now has come off with the most important election victory of all in the legislature.
Maddox's final victory climaxed probably what was the mOst hectic, confusing, complex elections in the history of the state, and he finally had both the U. S. Supreme Court and Georgia Supreme Court on his side.
The only election he didn't win outright was the Nov. 8 general election. Callaway won the most votes, but former Gov. Ellis Arnall's writein votes kept anyone from winning a majority.
In another development Tuesday, Legislative Counsel Frank Edwards ruled that the legislature does not have the authority to grant Maddox's request for a two-day recess to give him until Monday to present his budget message.
Maddox apparently now will deliver the message Friday. He is expected to make considerable changes in the nearly $1.7 billion budget prepared by Gov. Sanders.
Local and national newsmen and television crews kept a constant watch over the lengthy proceedings which were extended because of the
GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
xxxv
hundreds of different ways Ellis Arnall's name was used when voters wrote in for him in the Nov. 8 general election.
Each different name or spelling had to be listed and tabulated separately.
Maddox got a standing ovation when he arrived in the House chamber to address the legislators. As his wife and family stood by him on the Speaker's stand, the new governor was visibly nervous as he began to speak.
'Gov. Maddox said it has been "a long and difficult political year" and that he was now asking that all factions unite.
"I enter this office with no enemies to punish," the governor said, "and no friends to favor."
The "next four years," he added, "will be the most memorable and most successful in history."
An incoming governor usually would wait another day for the formal swearing-in ceremonies on the steps of the State Capitol, but Maddox, according to some sources, apparently wanted to take over the office before the possibility of any more court suits being filed.
He explained to reporters when he first let them into the governor's office-as he sat stiffbacked in the black-leather chair behind the massive chief executive's desk that he speeded up the swearing-in "so I can get on with the office of governor as quickly as possible."
Two cameramen--one local and one from a national television network-almost got into a fight jockeying from position in front of the governor's desk. A state patrolman admonished one of them not to get into a fight right under the new governor's nose.
The actual election in the House was mild-though long and tedious. Ten of the 11 Negro members in the legislature voted "present" rather than cast a vote for either Maddox or Callaway but Lt. Geer ruled them out of order. Rep. Richard A. Dent, Negro legislator from Augusta who is a floor covering contractor, voted for Maddox. Dent is a Democrat. Augusta and Richmond County went heavy for Callaway in the election. One white legislator-Rep. Nick Lambros of Atlanta--declined to vote for either of the two candidates. Rep. Julian Bond, Atlanta's Negro lawmaker who was sworn in after being refused a seat twice by the House, was among those who declined to vote for either Maddox or Callaway. A number of lawmakers voted for the candidate who was a member of the opposite party, explaining they were voting the way the majority of their constituents did. The outcome of the vote in the governor's race became obvious when
XXXVI
GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
the legislators upheld Geer's ruling on the runoff resolution proposed by Rep. Mac Pickard of Columbus. The vote on that was 148-110. Only 130 votes would have been necessary for a Maddox victory if all members were present.
The legislators and packed gallery guffawed when Rep. Donald Cheeks of Augusta, when his name was called, said he would "vote for Howard ... EXCUSE ME ... Lester G. Maddox."
The slip-up apparently indicated how many of the legislators had mixed emotions about whether to vote for Callaway or Maddox.
Rep. Reid Harris of Brunswick made the motion to appeal Geer's ruling on Pickard's resolution. He said he felt the Bill of Rights in the state Constitution gave legislators the right to hand the decision back to the people.
Harris' motion to overturn Geer's ruling was also supported by Rep. Robin Harris of DeKalb. Rep. Elliott Levitas of DeKalb asked that a roll-call vote be taken on the proposal to reverse Geer.
Sen. Leroy Johnson of Atlanta declared "I find it totally impossible" to vote for either of the candidates, and other Negroes in Atlanta metropolitan area followed his lead in voting "present" and being ruled out of order by outgoing Lt. Gov. Geer.
Rep. Bob Howard of Cobb County explained that although he was a Democrat he would have to vote for Callaway because his county went for the Republican, even though by a slim margin.
Addresses
o f the
Maddox Administration
IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER
u Inaugural Address ~
January 11, 1967
State Capitol
Lieutenant Governor George T. Smith, Governor Sanders, Speaker George L. Smith, distinguished members of the General Assembly, distinguished jurists and state officials and my fellow Georgians:
The emotions of this moment are many and mixed. But that which is uppermost in my heart . . . is a deep sense of humility. I am humbled by the honor you do me ... by the magnitude of the task you have entrusted to me ... by the gravity of the responsibility you have vested in me and-most of all-by the confidence you thus have demonstrated in me. For this I shall be eternally grateful. ... But, more than gratitude, I pledge to you my fullest energy and every effort for the next four years... to measure up to your honor. .. to fulfill your trust... to discharge the responsibility you have delegated to me... and to merit your confidence. And in setting out this noon ... to labor toward those ends I do so with the prayer of Solomon of old: "... 0 Lord my God Thy servant is in the midst of Thy people whom Thou has chosen give Thy servant therefore an understanding mind to govern this Thy people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to govern this Thy great people?" We meet today at the end of a long and tortured trail ... from the political platform, to the ballot box, to the courts and into the legislative forum. It has been a journey which has tried the public patience and has tested the procedures of democracy. There were issues which divided us and there were inconclusive results... which brought us several times to the brink of despair. But because of the vitality of our institutions... because of the ad-
4
GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
herence of our people to the processes of law and order. .. and because of the faith of Georgians in the ultimate triumph of their will. .. continuity of government has been maintained and an orderly transition of leadership effected.
We have reason to be proud of the restraint of the partisans of all sides... of the forebearance of the electorate as a whole... of the dispatch and dignity with which the courts resolved the points at issue... . . . of the statesmanship of our able and respected outgoing Governor, Honorable Carl Sanders... and, most particularly, of the courage and responsibility with which the members of this General Assembly faced up to and discharged the difficult duty imposed upon them by the constitution of our state.
One step yet remains to bring a satisfactory conclusion to our year of searching and indecision.
And that, my friends, is for all of us-those gathered here and the remainder of Georgia's four and one-half million citizens who are elsewhere-to unite in the cause we all hold in common esteem.
That cause is the building of a greater and more prosperous Georgia with expanded horizons of opportunity for all.
That is a cause which is greater than one or group of us. That is a cause which transcends all differences of philosophy and politics. That is a cause which requires the help and support of all Georgians-young and old, poor and rich, farmer and city dweller and Democrat and Republican regardless of race, creed, color or national origins. I seek that help. I ask that support. The great architect of our democracy-the revered Thomas Jefferson-faced division when he assumed the presidency. And the words with which he dealt with that subject in his inaugural address are as vital and as apropos to our situation now ... as they were to his then. "Let us," he declared, "restore to social intercourse that harmony and affection without which liberty and even life itself are but dreary things. And let us reflect that having banished from our land that religious intolerance under which mankind so long bled and suffered. . . we have yet gained little if we countenance a political intolerance as despotic... as wicked... and as capable of as bitter and bloody persecutions." Mr. Jefferson then went on to state that "difference of opinion is not a difference of principle." And he concluded that "error of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it." More than a century and a half have proved the Jeffersonian concept of government-that the people, when given the facts and the oppor-
ADDRESSES AND PUBLIC PAPERS, 1967-1971
5
tunity to act upon them, can be counted upon to decide public matters wisely.
I subscribe to the principles of Jeffersonian democracy with its emphasis upon unity in the pursuit of common goals... upon the free interchange of ideas in areas of differing opinion... and upon final determination of issues by the people themselves.
That is the American way. That is the Georgia way. That will be the way of the Maddox administration. Much has been said and written about there being no mandate for anyone in our primaries and election of last year. I dispute that. I consider the people to have spoken loudly and clearly... not only about what they want and expect from their new administration... but also about what they do not want and will not tolerate from it. They want a public school system equal to the best in the nation... and they want every child regardless of his circumstances or where he lives to be prepared to compete on an equal basis... with every other child in the country. They want a system of higher education adequate to the needs of today and of the twenty-first century just ahead... and they want that education made available to every youth capable of profiting by it. They want swift completion of our interstate highway system. a solution to the traffic and transit problems of our cities... and an end to the slaughter on our highways. They want dignity, comfort and adequate facilities and treatment for the mentally ill. .. the retarded and the aged... and they want a decent, modern correctional system dedicated to rehabilitation. They want training for the unskilled and unemployed... and they want a vigorous, effective industrialization program to assure jobs now and in the future... for all who can and will work. They want aid for our strangling cities and our struggling smaller communities and they want to be allowed to solve local problems on the local level. They want all citizens to be safe in their homes and on the streets... and for private property to be protected from the thief. .. the hoodlum and the mob. They want their state government to continue to be operated on a sound, economical, businesslike basis. . . with morality and honesty scrupulously enforced in all its agencies and activities. Those are the positive aspects of the people's mandate. On the other hand, we have been told:
6
GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
The people do not want any undue change in the direction or policy of their state government.
They do not want a single school closed or the right of a child to be educated or a teacher to teach to be impaired.
They do not want riots in the streets or breaches of the peace in public places or institutions.
And, above all, they do not want any extremist organization or group to have any voice or influence in any state programs.
These points, my fellow Georgians, constitute the mandate I read into the returns from the ballots you cast in 1966.
It is a mandate for progress and responsibility. . . which I accept wholeheartedly and without reservation. . . as your servant and as the instrument of your will.
It is a mandate which the Maddox administration will follow as the chart for its course over the next four years.
It is a mandate which will be carried out in accordance with the advice from the best minds in Georgia ... and the wishes of the people as expressed through their elected representatives.
No one realizes more than I that the administration of four years of multi-million-dollar-budgets... and the formulation and implementation of complex policies... is not a one-man job.
Immediately following this ceremony, I will announce my appointments to the key offices of the exectuive branch. I have called upon people I believe to be capable, competent and committed to no interest except that of Georgia and its citizens. . . to serve you in these jobs. I have impressed upon all of them that I shall expect their services to be in accordance with the yardstick set by Henry Clay when he said:
"Government is a trust, and the officers of the government are trustees, and both the trust and the trustees are created for the benefit of the people."
As soon as possible I will name a number of task forces to make specific recommendations for legislative and administrative action in fields of major interest and concern.
I will call on leaders in all areas of endeavor throughout the statewomen as well as men-to serve on these groups.
These men and women will make thorough studies of all aspects of our problem areas. In some cases they will hold hearings to ascertain public thinking and to get citizen recommendations. And in all cases they will be requested to present detailed programs dealing with how as well as what. . . for my consideration in time for presentation to the 1968 session of the General Assembly.
There will be task forces in the fields of education, mental health,
ADDRESSES AND PUBLIC PAPERS, 1967-1971
7
highways and highway safety, industrialization, corrections and law enforcement and perhaps others where the need for studies in depth is evident.
We will take steps to avoid any further repetition of the confusion and controversy caused by the primaries and general election last year.
'First, during the coming months, .. I will study and evaluate the State Election Code in light of our experience since its adoption in 1964. . . consulting election officials as to means to strengthening and improving our election machinery in Georgia... and such changes that might be needed will be prepared for submission to the earliest possible session of the General Assembly.
And, second, I will ask the General Assembly to submit to the voters for ratification in the 1968 general election a constitutional amendment to require a run-off election for governor between the top two candidates... in the event no candidate receives a majority in the general election.
The people have made it very clear that they want to do the electing of their governors themselves. That this is their right is a conviction I have long held and expressed often... and the assurance of that right under all circumstances is a priority goal of the Maddox administration.
The Maddox administration will not shirk its responsibility in the
matter of legislative reapportionment. Georgians believe, as do I, that the states should have the right to
apportion one house on the basis of population. . . as in the United States House of Representatives... and the other on the basis of geography ... as in the United States Senate.
But Georgia is under federal court order to reapportion the General Assembly in accordance with the "one man--one vote" principle by May of this year. The only alternative to acting ourselves is to let the federal courts do the job for us. And such a course is wholly unacceptable to all of us who believe in states' rights and states' responsibilities.
It would be unwise to complicate the deliberations of the regular session of the General Assembly now underway with this complex and controversial task. Therefore, I have decided to call a special session next spring for that sole purpose. And, at an early date, I will confer with the lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house to reach agreement on a date for a special session.
Believing... as I do... in the separation of powers of government, I will make no recommendation as to how reapportionment should be accomplished... unless it becomes evident... that a majority of the members of the General Assembly cannot agree on an acceptable plan. I am
8
GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
confident they will meet their responsibility in this regard and will enact a plan the federal courts will approve.
The Maddox administration will address itself to another grave need of our state-that of a new, modern state constitution.
It is all too obvious that we cannot expect our state and its government to continue to be responsive to the demands upon them under our present patchwork constitution. The multiplicity of amendments on which we had to vote last fall was proof of its failure.
We cannot legislate at the ballot box so we must have effective home rule and local self-government for our cities and counties. And the only way we can get them is through writing a new constitution attuned to a modern, growing Georgia.
r will ask the reapportioned General Assembly to call such a constitu-
tional convention. This will be done with a view toward submitting a new constitution to the people before the end of this administration.
We will not hesitate to meet head-on these and whatever other problems subsequently may arise and endeavor to resolve them in the best interests of the people.
Of this one fact, all Georgians may be assured:-We will solve Georgia problems in Georgia and channel change to the benefit of the people of our state while Lester Maddox is governor.
There is no necessity for any conflict to arise between federal and state authority. We should-and we can-solve any disagreements under the framework of the Constitution... respecting the authority of the national government... and being ever-mindful of protecting the rights of Georgia and Georgians.
That will be true because the Maddox administration will do its utmost here at home... within the framework of law and order. .. to solve those issues and problems which must be solved at home.
r say this to you: r will keep my eyes fixed awarely on the proper
conduct of state business and service to all the people of Georgia. Our single goal is that of restoring the voice and involvement of the people in determining their own destinies through solving local problems on the local level.
The Maddox administration will support and provide increased financial assistance to cities and counties... in solving their own problems locally, or, where those problems are state-wide in scope or beyond local capacity to solve, ... we will act promptly on the state level to deal with them realistically and effectively.
Law and order will be upheld in Georgia during the Maddox administration.
The first responsibility of government is protecting the lives and
ADDRESSES AND PUBLIC PAPERS, 1967-1971
9
property of all its people. That responsibility will be met! No person need counsel others to engage in riots and disturbances
because there will be no need for any person or group to take grievances or problems into the streets.
Should any person or group in the State of Georgia have any problems or grievance, the place to take it is to duly-constituted authority on the local level, if a local matter, or to me, as chief executive, on the ,state level, should it require a state solution.
There will be no place in Georgia during the next four years for those who advocate extremism or violence.
Peace and tranquillity will prevail in this state while Lester Maddox is governor.
The Maddox administration will be one of compassion and concern. Those Georgians who cannot help themselves will have a friend in the governor's chair for the next four years.
That goes for the school child who will be the product of the kind of education we give him.
That goes for the bright youngsters with the potential of greatness who cannot afford a college education.
That goes for the unfortunate victim of mental illness and for the forgotten and abused inmate of a correctional institution.
That goes for the poor fellow who has lost his job and would work if only he could find another or learn another skill.
That goes for the high-minded mother of the slum family who would inspire her children to a better future if only she could break the chains of poverty that bind her and them.
My friends, you now have a governor who knows what it is to be poor, .. to want an education and be denied one, .. to toil for a living and to meet a payroll the hard way.
I will not forget those lessons of the past but rather will do everything possible to apply them in a constructive way so as to spare the children who come after us some of those agonies and hardships.
In this moment of beginning and dedication, I would emphasize my total commitment to the proposition that there is room enough for everyone in our great State of Georgia.
There is room enough for every faith, every ideal and every shade of opinion-and room enough for full freedom to express them by the individual citizen... as well as by the press and communications media.
There is room enough for the right of dissent as well as the right to conform.
There is room enough for the right to pursue one's honest livelihood without fear of oppression, for the right to live at peace with one's neigh-
10
GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
bor and for the right to be left alone, secure and unafraid, by one's own fireside.
There is room enough for honest, effective, efficient government at all levels, .. each acting within its proper sphere of authority... and for the right of each person to speak out and to act when, in his own conscience, he feels there are things which must be set to rights.
Liberty! Freedom! Those are the watchwords of American democracy and the foundation stones of the Georgia philosophy of government. Georgians love their freedom and they believe with Daniel Webster that: "God grants liberty only to those who love it, and are always ready to guard and defend it." Thus, on this solemn occasion, I pledge myself and your new state administration... not only to the protection and preservation of these inalienable rights we hold so dear. .. but also to the responsible exercise of them. My deepest and most heartfelt desire is to weld all Georgians together into one unified force to improve our state and the opportunity it affords our people, particularly our children. Georgia belongs to all of us. She belongs to every citizen. Her interests and welfare are the interests and welfare of all. A~ I promised you as the people's candidate, I promise you as the people's governor, ours shall be a people's administration. Accordingly, the governor's office shall set aside specifically the first and third Wednesday afternoons of each month for the people to meet their governor and for their governor to confer with them. As I had the opportunity to shake the hands of Georgians during the campaigns of last year, so I look forward to having this twice-a-month opportunity to shake thcm again during my administration as your governor. When the rccord of this administration is written four years hence, let it be said that in the conduct of daily affairs of the office of governor the people's interests were protected first, last and always. Let it be said that bold, courageous leadership was offered. Let it be said that in all state dealings, they were handled honestly. Let it be said that the rights of the state and her people were guarded jealously and protected fully. Let it be said that in these four years emphasis was put on the true values of government and of life.
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Let it be said that those who worked in this administration did so with sweat, toil and prayer in dedication to get the job done.
Let it be said that there was full citizen participation in the state government during these years.
Let it be said, .. notwithstanding the fact that the goals set at the outset were high, .. that they were achieved in the realization... that no worthwhile accomplishments can be attained without setting great goals.
Let it be said that we did not seek things merely because they were easy to accomplish.
Let it be said that we recognized the challenge and met it. Let it be said that we were not content with being average but rather sought and achieved nothing less than leadership in all areas. The task is before us. Our duty is clear. Georgia's destiny is in our hands. Toward its realization I ask for your advice, your support, your help and your prayers... and, in turn, pledge to you my best and my all. Thank you and God bless you!
12
GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
STATE OF THE STATE AND BUDGET MESSAGE
January 13, 1967
State Capitol
On Wednesday we inaugurated our administration and defined its goals.
Today we meet to roll up our sleeves and to get on with the task at hand.
I am pleased to report to you that, although the problems we face are many, the state of our state is excellent.
And, working together-you and I-we shall over the next four years make it better.
At the outset there are several fundamental facts I wish to outline and emphasize.
First, honesty and morality in government will be the watchwords of the Maddox administration.
Second, efficiency, sound economy and good business practices will characterize all state activities for the next four years.
Third, prudent expenditure of all public funds to assure maximum return for the common good from every tax dollar spent will be our constant policy.
Fourth, every state employee in his or her job is important in carrying out our mandate to serve the people and each will be expected to give of his or her best at all times.
BUDGET SYSTEM For four years now, the State of Georgia has had in operation a modern budgeting system. It has worked well. The success in the administration of several budgets serves as proof that Georgia's new budget law are fulfilling a need long felt in this state. We meet here today to chart a course of fiscal integrity for the next two year period. We are fortunate, indeed, that our new budget machinery assures a smooth transition from the old administration to the new. This allows a continuity of sound fiscal policy as Georgia approaches thc challenges of the future. Under Georgia law, it is the duty of the outgoing governor to have a budget report printed and transmitted to you within five days of the organization of the General Assembly. This has been done and that document is now on your desk. The law also provides that the governor-elect shall be thoroughly conversant with the budget report and that the budget bureau shall give
ADDRESSES AND PUBLIC PAPERS, 1967-1971
13
the incoming governor every assistance in acquainting himself with it. This has been done. The assistance which has been provided me has
been invaluable in familiarizing myself with the intricate operations of the various departments of state government. It has afforded me a sound basis for making decisions as to what I am recommending to you in connection with the appropriations bill which you will consider during this session of the General Assembly. This bill also has been introduced today for your study and analysis.
ASSEMBLY COOPERATION
First, in considering the allocations for the various operations and functions of the state government, I want to say to you as clearly as I know how that the Maddox administration expects... intends... and is determined to work in the closest harmony with members of the General Assembly to enact into law a biennial budget bill which is sound in its inception... which is commensurate with the state of our economy and reasonable revenue estimates of anticipated collections and, which will meet the essential and growth needs of a vibrant state which is on the move.
Our job, yours and mine, is to enact a bill along the lines I have stated... one that does not appropriate... on one hand... an inordinately excessive amount of money far beyond all reasonable revenue expectations... and, on the other hand, one that does not appropriate too little which would result in curtailment of services and not meeting the needs of our state.
I am confident that you will work with me and with budget officials in finding this sound middle ground upon which we can build a fiscally responsible budget and enact a sound appropriations act.
The budget laws of the State of Georgia authorize the General Assembly to appropriate anticipated revenue together with whatever portion of the anticipated surplus might be required to meet the upcoming needs of the state.
REVENUE ESTIMATES
After conferring with budget officials and economic analysts, it is our considered judgment that total state revenues and income for fiscal 1968 will be $734,000,000 and for fiscal 1969, $806,000,000.
You will note in the green budget document on your desk that the revenue estimates for the remainder of fiscal 1967 and for fiscal 1968 and 1969 are approximately $14,000,000 higher than estimates in my supplemental budget document, also on your desk. Let me emphasize
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
to you. . and reemphasize. . . that these estimates were made last fall and were based upon information available at that time, and they are too optimistic in view of current national economic conditions and in view of the trend of receipts coming into the state treasury. I will point out to you specifically that the percentage increase in collections during the month of December over December of 1965 was only four and onehalf per cent. Likewise, the percentage increase in revenue collections for the current fiscal year projected to the end of the year will not show as great a percentage increase as was shown in fiscal 1966 over fiscal 1965.
Last Tuesday night, the President of the United States called for a tax increase in the form of a 6 per cent surtax on net income tax liabilities of both individuals and corporations.
All of these things suggest prudence and caution to me and, I know, to you. And these are the reasons I have reduced revenue estimates.
During the past five years, we have been in the midst of a rising economy. We hope this condition will continue. But we do not know that it will. We are confronted with what kind of year 1967 will be. We know that we are entering an era of uncertainty where there are contradictions among fiscal experts as to what is in store and many are predicting a leveling off in our economy.
You and I are familiar with the budget laws. We know that if we appropriate too great an amount of money and income does not materialize, it is necessary that I, as budget director, in carrying out the directive of the General Assembly, apply pro-rata reductions to every agency in state government.
We want to avoid this hazard.
We can do so by writing a sound bill in the knowledge that if additional income is in hand, we can come here twelve months hence with a supplementary appropriations bill and utilize this accumulated income.
SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET
In fact, during this session of the General Assembly, I will present for your consideration a supplemental budget to meet the critical needs of the State for the biennil.lm ending June 30, this year. Detailed descriptions of each agency's needs are contained in information furnished you for your consideration.
By enacting into law the proposed supplemental appropriations, and taking into account the revenue estimates, the State can expect an anticipated surplus on July 1, 1967, of $121,000,000.
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NEW BIENNIUM
The anticipated surplus, together with revenue estimates will permit the enactment of an appropriations act appropriating $785,000,000 in fiscal 1968, and $877,000,000 in fiscal 1969.
This is one billion, six hundred and sixty-two million dollars to finance the services of our state government, to accelerate the growth of our state and to minister to the needs of our people during the twentyfour months beginning next July 1.
In a moment, I will detail to you the recommendations I am making for expanding state services in the major agencies of the state government. These expansions will account for increased expenditures of more than $412,000,000 in the two-year period, above expenditures in the 1965-67 appropriations act.
This increase in appropriations and services is the greatest ever undertaken by any administration in any biennium in Georgia history.
SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES
In every town and hamlet in Georgia, I visited with parents, students and educators last year. I talked with those vitally interested in the eause of education, many times. I sought to acquaint myself with their hopes and aspirations-what was needed to bring to the children of this state knowledge and learning.
Ladies and gentlemen of the General Assembly, no one knows more than I that a Georgia of liberty, progress and prosperity is dependent upon improved education.
That is the goal of the Maddox administration. The appropriations bill which I have submitted to you is designed as the first step in implementing the Maddox administration's education program. I am proposing to you an expenditure for public and higher education of $973,000,000 over the next two years-an increase of $252,000,000 over the current biennium. This represents the largest single increase and the most far-reaching advance in the history of public schools and higher education in Georgia.
TEACHERS SALARIES
My budget recommendation will provide for: A salary increase of $700 in fiscal 1968 and $558 in fiscal 1969 for our deserving elementary and secondary public school teachers. These increases are the largest that have ever been proposed for our teachers.
16
GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
Also, I have recommended an increase from $620 in the present year to $750 in the first year of the biennium and $850 in the second year for maintenance, operation and sick leave grants to our 195 systems. I am recommending that funds be provided in this budget to help pay school lunchroom workers and if the object of this expenditure is found to be unconstitutional then these funds will be transferred to the grants for maintenance and operations of our public schools.
I have asked for many new and improved programs in educatiop, such as driver education, increased funds for textbooks, school library materials, public library materials and additional funds for educational television.
I am also asking for increased funds to provide necessary classrooms for the systems feeling the pinch of expanding enrollment.
In the field of higher education, I am proposing the largest percentage and dollars increases to the University System of Georgia in the history of our state.
During fiscal 1968 I have proposed an increase of 39.3 per cent over the amount appropriated this year to the University System. For fiscal 1969, I am asking an increase of 70.7 per cent over the amount of funds appropriated this year to the University System.
These unprecedented increases will provide for a 10 per cent salary increase each year of the biennium for academic personnel and a five per cent increase for non-academic personnel. I am asking the General Assembly, for the first time in the history of higher education in Georgia, to appropriate $5,000,000 in each year of the biennium for improved quality of the University System's program.
An increase in authority rentals of $2,500,000 in each year of the biennium will build approximately $70,000,000 worth of additional college facilities.
These expenditures which I am recommending that you approve for education, will assure every Georgia student a brighter opportunity in the form of better qualified teaching personnel, more adequate classroom and instructional facilities, and in the form of a generally-enriched educational program from beginning grades through graduate levels.
WELFARE SERVICES
Now, permit me to move into the delineation of a broad program of social, welfare and health services which will be undertaken during the Maddox administration.
The most significant development in welfare assistance programs since its enactment into law in 1937 will come in the next two years. New
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17
additions to recipient budgets under Title Nineteen of the Federal Social Security Act will provide increased benefit payments for all categories of assistance-aged, blind, dependent children and totally disabled.
Another item of great social impact in the proposed appropriation bill is the proposal for an appropriation of $2,000,000 to finance the construction and equipping of a new Youth Development Center to be used for housing and training 150 girls.
This facility will be operated in conjunction with presently established Youth Development Centers.
Early in the next fiscal year we will open the six new regional detention centers for youth committed to the custody of law enforcement agencies and the budget I submit today provides funds for their full operation. This represents a long-desired step toward getting children out of the common jails of Georgia and into a wholesome environment for the beginning of their training and rehabilitation.
Concurrent with this, we also will provide $175,000 for each of the two years of the biennium to assist the seven existing county-owned detention centers. This is another first for state assistance in this important field.
Another important new program we will be launching will be known as "Medicaid," and funds are being provided for it in this budget contingent upon the expected approval of the Georgia program by federal authorities. Under this program all recipients of welfare assistance will be provided with physicians, laboratory, out-patient hospital and inhome advisory services.
This is another phase of Title Nineteen of the Federal Social Security Act. Georgia's full participation in this program will mean that the state will receive $35,000,000 from the federal government over the next biennium for an outlay of less than $2,000,000.
That, my friends, I regard to be an excellent investment-one which will pay untold dividends in terms of improved health and increased comfort for the less fortunate of our citizens.
MILLEDGEVILLE HOSPITAL
In accordance with my promise to the people of Georgia, I have included in the proposed budget an increase in funds for Milledgeville State Hospital which is more than twice as large an increase as that provided in any other biennial budget in the state's history.
It is my recommendation that more than $26,000,000 be appropriated for the 1968 fiscal year and almost $27,300,000 for the 1969 fiscal year.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
This will make possible many important advancements at that institution.
It will mean the hiring of 440 new employees and the placing of all employees on a forty-hour week-an improvement in working conditions long overdue.
It will provide more than $3,000,000 for capital outlay. And that will be in addition to the construction of an $8,700,000 medical-surgical unit under the authority lease rental program.
In addition we propose to do something about overcrowding in the institution by quadrupling the patient load at the new Southwestern State Hospital in Thomasville. Funds will be provided to increase the number of patients there to 800 over the two-year period.
During the second year of the biennium, we will open the regional hospitals in Atlanta and Augusta. And during the biennium, we will begin construction on three other regional hospitals at Columbus, Rome, and Savannah.
All of these steps in total will constitute the largest single effort to improve and upgrade mental health facilities and programs in the history of our State.
RETARDATION CENTER
We will make a substantial beginning on a needed expansion program to care for retardates waiting for admission to Gracewood State Hospital. It is proposed that $700,000 be spent over the two-year period for new housing of patients and staff there. It is anticipated that this will make room for between 175 and 200 additional patients at that facility.
In this connection, we also are proposing the appropriation of $1,250,000 for completing, staffing and opening the new Georgia Retardation Center in DeKalb County to serve retardates.
And we propose to step up our attack on health problems on the local level by increasing grants-in-aid to counties for local health services by more than $2,600,000 over the biennium.
HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION
As you know, the constitutional allocation to the State Highway Department for highways is the total amount of motor fuel tax collections less cost of collection and refunds. The appropriations bill submitted to you provides for the general operations of the Highway Department, for authority rentals to amortize the costs of bridges, rural roads, and department quarters, for maintenance and betterments; for planning and construction; and for statutory grants to counties as provided under
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19
the 1945 act for fixed distribution and under the 1951 act based upon a state road mileage ratio formula.
All Georgians are concerned about and inconvenienced by the clogged condition of highways leading into our major metropolitan areas, particularly the Capitol City of Atlanta. This situation is of special concern to me because of the fact that some ~80,000,000 in interstate federal-aid primary and secondary projects are being held in abeyance because of the freeze on federal highway funds.
We cannot afford to stand still in this state or the nation in this vital field. As governor I feel that some relief must be given to the states in this matter, and I am confident other chief executives throughout the nation share this view.
EXPRESSWAYS
It is my intention, therefore, to communicate with the president and other appropriate officials to seek a solution and, if necessary, I will call upon him in person to relate to him the urgency of an early release of these road funds.
In my opinion, a release of highway funds will do more to relieve the areas of stress in the economy-particularly here in Georgia-than any single program the chief executive might initiate at this time.
AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT
You will note a proposed appropriation for capital outlay-airport development of $1,440,000 during the period. These funds for the first time will allow the State of Georgia to provide aid for major commercial airports. In addition to that, this will provide assistance for 20 communities in building new airports, extending runways, constructing taxiways and aprons. For this state expenditure, with federal aid and local support for this purpose, these projects will total $6,000,000 during the first fiscal year and $2,000,000 in the second.
During the current fiscal year grants to municipalities and total grants to counties are $9,317,000 to each category. In the new budget submitted to you, there are large increases in the first year and even larger increases for both in the second year.
This is but the beginning of an effort by the Maddox administration to carry forth my program for substantial state assistance to help meet the fiscal needs of our cities and counties.
CORRECTIONAL REFORM In keeping with our mandate to give Georgia a decent, modern cor-
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
rectional system dedicated to rehabilitation, I am proposing that we make the largest single increase in operating funds for the Department of Corrections in the history of this state. Over the biennium, we propose to add more than $1,700,000 or 50 per cent above the total for that purpose during the current biennium.
This money will make it possible to place all personnel on a forty-eighthour work week and to add an additional 219 positions over the two-year period. It will also permit an extensive program of replacement of outdated and worn-out equipment.
During the biennium, we will complete and open the $8,000,000 Butts County Classification and Diagnostic Center which will include a fullyequipped hospital for the treatment of inmates throughout the state corrections system. And we also are including funds for building an honor institution for 500 young offenders at a site yet to be selected.
In an effort to provide more adequate probation and paroles services, it is recommended that funds are to be allocated for the employment of fifteen additional probation officers and to raise the salaries of all probation and parole officers to Merit System salary levels.
Toward the goal of reducing the slaughter on our highways and in the interest of assuring adequate strength for the Georgia Highway Patrol and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, we are recommending additional funds to employ 100 new state troopers and sixteen new GBI agents. In addition, we propose to establish a Crime Information Center which will be tied into the national FBI network~making Georgia the first state in the southeast to add this valuable tool to its law enforcement machinery.
DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS
Other major proposals included in the budget I am submitting today include:
~an increase of more than $1,250,000 to expand and strengthen the programs of the Department of Agriculture.
~a contingent cost of living salary increase of three per cent per year for all permanent state employees.
~an increase of more than $1,000,000 to enlarge the industrialization and development programs of the Department of Industry and Trade.
~an increase in lease rentals for the State Ports Authority to provide $6,000,000 to build new bulk handling facilities for clay, fertilizers, minerals and ores at the Savannah Port.
~an increase in lease rentals for the Parks Department to provide $7,000,000 in capital improvements at all parks including $400,000 each
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21
year for acquisition and development of four new park areas. -an increase in the level of college loans guaranteed by the Higher
Education Assistance Committee from $2,500,000 to $6,500,000 by 1969 and an increase from 495 to 1,203 in the number of scholarships issued by the Scholarship Commission.
-provide funds to construct and equip a 150-bed addition to the Georgia War Veterans Home at Milledgeville and to staff and operate the Veterans Nursing Home in Augusta.
-provide $250,000 in each of the fiscal years of the biennium to match federal and local funds for Rapid Transit in Atlanta as soon as the authority qualifies for the assistance.
-provide $350,000 in grants to twenty-eight remaining counties that have not initiated a tax re-evaluation program.
I have presented to you the highlights of the appropriations bill now before you. What I have presented is the executive budget proposal for your consideration. It represents a balanced program designed to meet all of the current and growth needs of the state, to take into account the requirements of all and to utilize the resources of the state to the best advantage in terms of service to the people.
NO NEW TAXES!
I do not ask for any tax increase at this seSSlOn of the General Assembly.
We will finance this budget through utilization of anticipated revenues and surplus, as provided by law.
While I realize that there are some proposed expenditures which have much merit, that should or would have been included had prospective income permitted, I ask you that, in consideration of the budget, you keep in mind our efforts to achieve a proper balance among essential services.
We must look constantly toward meeting effectively the growth challenges of the state consistent with the resources available to us.
By so doing, we can do the best and most effective job for all Georgians.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I am grateful to each of you for your help, support and cooperation which you have given in the operation of state government. I assure you that I will be readily available to you at any time to discuss the details of the budget, as will the budget officer and his staff.
At this session, you and I will make a substantial beginning in implementing a platform which means progress for all Georgians.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
To that end, I am dedicated. To that end, the Maddox administration proudly joins with you.
JAYCEE'S OUTSTANDING YOUNG MEN, 1966
January 14
Jekyll Island
I am honored that this-my first address-as Governor of Georgia, except for my inaugural and budget messages, is to such an outstanding group of young Americans.
I have always been an admirer and supporter of the United States of Georgia Jaycees. The ideals you espouse and the principles of your creed are, and will be, akin to my own during my years as a public servant.
I have demonstrated my faith in the ability of young men of action like you, by appointing to my executive staff several current members of the Georgia Jaycees.
On behalf of the citizens of our state, I extend to you a cordial welcome to Georgia and, invite you to return as often as you can.
We consider it a great honor to have the opportunity to host such an outstanding event and join you in honoring America's Ten Outstanding Young Men in the year 1966.
The accomplishments and records of achievement of the honorees are testimonials to the ideas set forth in the tenants of the Jaycee Creed.
They serve as inspiration to those of us who aspire to do good deeds. These young men realize that every right bestowed us as free Americans begets a corresponding duty. We are not promised happiness, but the pursuit of happiness. We are not promised riches, but equality of opportunity. We are not promised wisdom, but freedom to speak. We are not promised peace, but liberty. In meeting their responsibilities and duties as American citizens, they have realized the sin of omission is as dastardly as the sin of commission. As Dante said, "The price good men pay for their indifference is to be ruled by evil men." We live in a time when every minute the price of freedom goes up. Democracy must be defended. Only devotion to duty and self discipline will assure our freedom. Americans have become tired of the same old forever-aggravating and seemingly insolvable problems of our time. Weare demanding answers that ring true ... answers that hold some prospect for the solution of the problems in our time. We need more than just citizens, we need disciples of this country ... people who are willing to stick and stand up ... and then stoop
ADDRESSES AND PUBLIC PAPERS, 1967-1971
23
down to share their load of the responsibility that goes with being an American citizen.
Leadership cannot be given by those who seek the ready answer, or the easy method.
America needs stalwart men and women who profess a fierce loyalty to constitutional principles, and possess unflinching patriotism to flag and country. Every man and woman has a vital stake in freedom.
We must develop leaders who act, rather than react, for democracy is founded upon the belief that there exists extraordinary possibilities III common men.
I am sure that each of you, as you pursue your careers as young men of action, will find the principles I have outlined to be the foundation stones of a successful and meaningful career.
If you cannot get the necessary inspiration to meet the challenges of American citizenship from the leaders of your organization, its creed, and these young men you honor here tonight, take it from the stanza of an old often-sung hym, "Battle Hymn of the Republic," in which we say "He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free."
ASSOCIAnON COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
January 16, 1967
Breakfast Meeting
As it was a pleasure for me to address you as a candidate, so it is a privilege for me to appear before you as your governor.
I am profoundly grateful for the opportunity that is mine to work with you during the next four years to make our beloved State of Georgia a better place not only for us but also for our children and theirs who follow after us.
I am resolved that the conclusion of these four years ahead will see the task well done and all of us proud of what we have wrought together for the common good.
I am not unmindful of the magnitude of the challenges or the complexity of the problems we face and that is why I am here-to ask your support and to seek your help in meeting the challenges and in solving the problems. Counties are the backbone of our government. They are the keepers of the peace in our rural areas and unincorporated communities.
They are the depositories of our vital records. They are the jurisdictions which operate our schools, keep our roads open and administer to the welfare needs of our people. We could not do without them! If our counties are strong and vital so are all other levels of government. But if they are weak and ineffective then our whole system of government by, of and for the people is jeopardized.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
It is a truism of government that where any level of it fails then a higher level inevitably will fill the vacuum.
If counties fail, then the state must act. And if the state fails to act, then the federal government certainly will.
No one is more dedicated to the proposition of local self-government than Lester Maddox. It is the thing I have been advocating ever since I entered politics.
And I have dedicated my administration to the restoration of the voice and involvement of the people in determining their own destinies through solving local problems on the local level.
It is my intention to support and assist counties in solving their problems. But, by the same token, I wish to make it clear that I will not hesitate to act promptly on the state level to solve those county problems which counties either are unwilling or unable to solve for themselves.
We cannot make problems go away by ignoring them. Neither can we make progress by blindly refusing to seek new approaches to the solution of problems. We live in an era in which there is no constant except change. And if we do not recognize that change and act to channel it to our benefit then we are destined to be engulfed by it. It has been said that counties of Georgia do not have any problems that more money would not solve. Perhaps so. And I certainly would be the last to minimize the urgent necessity for providing additional financial resources for our counties. Rut in itself it is an over-simplification. Counties must streamline their operations and improve their efficiency. Counties must put the needs of their citizens ahead of county lines and join with neighbor counties in consolidation of vital services. Counties must do more than give lip service to the necessity of tax re-evaluation and must act decisively to bring their tax structures, policies and procedures up-to-date. Counties must cooperate with the state government, through their elected representatives in the General Assembly, in finding a permanent solution to their chronic financial dilemma. As a candidate I promised you that the Maddox administration would provide substantial increases in grants to counties. The budget I proposed for the 1967-69 biennium makes a significant beginning toward the fulfillment of that pledge.
The amounts contained in that budget for counties would have been greater were it not for the fact that the state of our economy is uncertain and a downward trend in state revenue has been forecast.
\Ve are hopeful that present economic stresses are temporary and the
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25
rising trend which has characterized our economy for five years now will continue.
If it does, you may be assured the counties of Georgia will share fully in it.
But more than that, I plan to seek ways of broadening the county tax base to make it possible for counties themselves to contribute more to the solution of their financial problems.
What we need is more tax sources for our counties. And this is an area which requires a thorough study by the best minds on the subject.
Accordingly, it is my intention to appoint a task force to go into all aspects of this matter. I will ask it to make specific recommendations to me for my consideration of and presentation to the next session of the General Assembly.
This task force will be a balanced group. Its members will include county officials-probably some of you in this room-economists, political scientists and experts in the fields of budgeting and taxation. We will also have some representatives of the taxpayers.
I hope that this group can be named and organized shortly after the end of the present session of the General Assembly. And once it is, it will get down to the business at hand immediately.
Ladies and gentlemen, the fact that we face problems that are many and serious is no cause for despair.
If we have to have problems, ours are the kind to have because they are problems of growth and progress.
We all know that nothing good comes easy. And, while we don't like to admit it, we must admit that life moves on and-as much as we all would like to bask in the comfort of the status quo -we must move with it. Let us, therefore, shake off the chains of fear and put on the wings of hope. Working together and looking toward the better and greater future which can be ours, we cannot help but succeed. Together we can write a record which will say county government in Georgia came into the full flower of its great potential during the People's Administration of Lester Maddox.
EGGS AND ISSUES BREAKFAST Of the State Chamber of Commerce
January 17, 1967
As a member of both the Georgia State and the United States Chamber of Commerce, I have long taken pride in the role they have played in the
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
economic development of our state and nation.... I am tremendously proud and happy to be Georgia's governor at this
particular time in our great state's history. It is a time of many perplexing problems but a time of many challenges ... and a time of unparalleled opportunities. Georgia stands today on the threshold of the greatest advances and most spectacular progress in history....
DOWNTOWN MERCHANTS ASSOCIAnON
January 19, 1967
Columbus
Christopher Columbus found a world and had no chart except his faith in the skies. It is with that same vital faith in the future of our great State of Georgia that I stand before you as your new chief executive. As we view in retrospect the events and experiences which have led to this moment, I am sure that all of us are well aware that the journey was not without its travail. We have moved from the political platform to the ballot box, to the courts and into the legislative forum. Indeed, at times it has tried the public patience and tested the procedures of democracy. As of this moment, however, I can safely and confidently declare that we have now reached a new plateau in our upward climb, both as a people and as a state. Untold vistas of promise and opportunity now lie before us.
STATE SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION
January 23, 1967
Throughout a long and arduous political year, I traveled into all areas of the state and into practically every county and individual school district. The people have told me what they want. They want a public school system equal to or better than any in the nation, and they want every child regardless of his station or where he lives to be prepared to take his or her place on a equal basis with every other child in the country. They want a system of higher education adequate to fulfill the needs of today, and of the twenty-first century just ahead, and they want that education made available to every youth capable of profiting by it.
WEYERHAEUSER COMPANY PLANT
January 24, 1967
Nashville, Georgia
Our goal is to make Georgia the industrial leader of the nation. The \Veyerhaeuser Company is a part of our growth, and we are proud to have this important manufacturer. Let me say to you from the bottom of my heart that it is my pleasure to make myself available whenever I can be
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of service to you. And I think that all Georgia joins me when I bid you welcome.
ANNUAL RADIO INSTITUTE
January 26, 1967
Continuing Education Center, Athens
It has fallen my duty to plan and organize my administration and to assume command of the ship of state actually after my administration began. Almost every other Georgia governor has had that period of time between his election and his inauguration to organize his administration. Although this opportunity was not mine, I am proud of our accomplishments during these fifteen days. I have appointed the best possible people to serve in key posts in my administration. I have sought honest, capable Georgians....
GEORGIA DAY
February 12, 1967
Savannah
As we gather on this Georgia Day to pay homage to our glorious past, let us do so in the knowledge that-as Edmund Burke so accurately said"people will not look forward to posterity who never look backward to their ancestry."
This celebration of our state's birth is eloquent testimony to our close kinship with the past, and it serves as visible proof of our dedication to the future.
I wish to oommend the Historic Savannah Foundation for its excellent service to our state in arranging this observation of the anniversary of Georgia's founding.
I particularly want to congratulate Mrs. Rhangos and all others who worked so hard to bring this event to fruition.
Hopefully, your Georgia Day of the future will rival Florida's Gasparilla Festival and Louisiana's Mardi Gras as events of historical importance which will attract nationwide attention and attendance.
Certainly I, as Georgia's governor, want to help in any way that I can to make this an annual celebration so that Georgians can take time out to salute their beginnings. It is through our periodic conversations with the past, such as this, that we perceive the outline of our future.
As we relive a moment from history today, let us turn our eyes to the future, and re-dedicate ourselves to the task of building a brighter, more prosperous tomorrow for those who will inherit this state from us, even as we have inherited it from the stout-hearted pioneers who first landed on these shores, 234 years ago.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
The mISSIon of General James Edward Oglethorpe and his group of settlers on that day differs very little from our mission today.
His was the desire to establish and build for his people a new life a life free of oppression and tyranny, in a land where they might exercise their own individual initiative in pursuit of their own chosen goals . . . and where they might be bound only by their own individual limitations . . . rather than an unjust and punitive class system.
Ours today is more than a desire ... ours is an absolute mandate ... to protect and strengthen the liberty and the freedom, with which they so graciously endowed us.
And, to assure not only today's Georgians, but also future generations, of the right to live their own lives as they please ... and the right to take advantage of their own opportunities to the full extent of their aspirations and abilities.
Our state . . . our nation . . . and indeed our very way of life, are grounded deeply in the principles of free enterprise and free, individual initiative.
We are governed by the laws rather than by men. Our laws were designed to protect and preserve the rights of the individual ... the right to seek our own fortunes in our own way.
There is not now and there can never be any individual right that crushes and destroys the rights of another. For this then is not a right, but is instead a license.
In the protection and the preservation of our precious liberty and freedom as a people and as a nation, we must issue no license ... rather we must adhere to the principles so eloquently set forth by our forefathers in the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence.
James Russell Lowell was once asked, during the early days of our country, how long he thought the republic would last.
To which he replied: "Sir, the republic will last as long as the ideals and principles of the founders remain dominant in the hearts of the people." His answer becomes more timely and carries a message of greater import to Georgians and Americans with the passing of each day and each year. So then, my fellow Georgians, as we have paused here today for a brief moment to relive the past, let us proceed from this place and turn our eyes, our minds, and our hearts to the future, for therein lies our challenge, and our opportunities.
And as we look to the past for wisdom, let us use that wisdom to be effective today.
As we honor the past, let us dedicate ourselves to the future. Our forefathers laid the foundation for a great Georgia.
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29
It is our duty-yours and mine-to continue to build upon that foundation until we have built the kind of State for which our ancestors in years past-and we today-are striving.
EXCHANGE CLUBS FREEDOM SHRINE
February 16, 1967
Hapeville High School
There is no greater gift that the present can give to the future than an understanding and an appreciation of the past. Exchange Clubs have traditionally played a leading role in the promotion of a true appreciation for the freedom and the liberty which has characterized the United States of America from the very beginning. And for this all Americans are grateful.
ATLANTA BAR ASSOCIAnON
February 16, 1967
All the philosophy, all the good intent and all the good works mankind conceives and performs would go for naught were there not lawyers who can bring order to the best that is in us and translate it into a society of well-ordered liberty for all mankind. So, in this occasion, I shall not presume to talk to you about law, about the problems of your profession, or even what should have been done to improve the legal profession in Georgia. Rather, I shall talk about the present administration.
JEFFERSON-JACKSON DAY
February 20, 1967
This assemblage of Democrats is one of which Thomas Jefferson himself would be proud. Perhaps never before in the history of the Democratic party of Georgia has there been a gathering more representative of the people of our great state. That this is the case is no accident. The uniting of Georgians of all shades of opinion is the goal for our state which I enunciated in my inaugural address, and Chairman [James H.] Gray and I have adopted the same objective for our state's Democ:ratic party.
GREATER ATLANTA GEORGIA TECH ALUMNI
February '21, 1967
It is an honor indeed to be among such an illustrious group of "Ramblin' Wrecks." I have always had a warm spot in my heart for Georgia Tech for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that a large number
30
GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
of students and faculty were among my loyal Pickrick customers. It was my pleasure to serve many Tech students on credit when times were hard and, as testimony to their honesty, only one ever failed to pay. If any of you ever see George P. Burdell, class of '57, please tell him he owes me for eight Pickrick chicken dinners....
RICHLAND MOBILE HOMES PLANT
February 23, 1967
We have learned from experience that prospective industrial investors look for certain things in the areas they aonsider. They want to know about educational facilities, churches, recreation, civic organizations, and many other things. We are getting our message across, and we will make it louder and clearer in the future. Georgia has everything to make industry welcome.
POLICY BOARD AND ADVISORY COMMITTEE Vocational Rehabilitation Planning Study
March 1, 1967
By working together, we must make certain that Georgia's program is properly balanced and effective ... that every eligible citizen is given an opportunity for evaluation and training ... that every single person who is trained and who is qualified is given an opportunity to work.
MARCH OF DIMES AWARDS
March 1, 1967
Decatur
Employers now report that a disturbingly large number of their employees actually appear not to want to advance-arc afraid of and unwilling to accept the added responsibility of a promotion-are perfectly willing to accept mediocrity for security. This is true far too often in government, too.... We are witnessing a creeping federal government with growing and virtually limitless power. ...
GOVERNOR'S PRAYER BREAKFAST
March 2, 1967
It is indeed reassuring to me to see that we have so many high officials who publicly acknowledge our need for God and our dependence upon His help. Never has it been more important that men and women in positions of responsibility at all levels of government pause to renew their
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31
strength and seek divine guidance through prayer.... We cannot expect our culture of freedom to survive if its foundation upon God is removed and our constitutional guarantee of freedom of religion is changed to freedom from religion.
STATE PATROL GRADUATING CLASS
March 3, 1967
Police Academy
Your graduation as the first class of state patrolmen to receive such an honor from our fine new Georgia Police Academy is, indeed, the beginning of what we all are determined will be a state law enforcement agency without equal. The paramount duty and obligation of any government is to preserve law and order, to insure domestic harmony, and to promote peace and tranquillity.
TAU BETA PI National Engineering Honorary Fraternity
March 5, 1967
As a candidate, I traveled every highway in Georgia, meeting and talking with the people in every seotion of the state. As governor, I feel that I know my people, what's in their hearts, their minds, and what their hopes and dreams are. . . .
I want to make it clear that I-of all people-am not anti-advertising. To the contrary, I am sold on it, and, in many respects, my public career is a product of it.
AMERICAN LEGION BIRTHDAY
March 7, 1967
Covington
I thank God that we have men like our own Senator Richard Russell as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Mendel Rivers as chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. With men like these in high places, I am confident that we can expect to be done what needs to be done to assure our liberty and freedom. American democracy is this day and this hour under attack from those whose avowed purpose is to destroy us.
MOBILE HOMES ASSOCIATION March 9, 1967
For too long, we in Georgia have attempted to lure new plants and pay-
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
rolls by preaching what their coming will do for our state rather than what our state can do for them.
Well, beginning right now we are going to rcverse this. We are going to sell Georgia as Georgia has never been sold before. We're going to do it through a reorganized and revitalized State Department of Industry and Trade.
LEGISLATIVE APPROPRIATION BILLS
March 13, 1967
Executive Department, State Capitol
In signing this bill, I would like to point out some of the vital programs it will benefit.
First, there is an appropriation of $16,000,000 to the State Highway Department to match federal funds to construct a section of the Appalachian Highway from the 1-285 connector north of Atlanta ... to a point six miles past the Fulton-Forsyth County line.
This highway, as we all know, will open up new opportunities for North Georgia and, at the same time, will go a long way toward solving Atlanta's traffic problems.
Also included in these appropriations are $1,900,000 to the State Dt'partment of Corrections for badly-needed improvements at Alto.
$1,100,000 for Milledgeville State Hospital ... $83,000 for Gracewood State Hospital . . . $395,400 for the State Department of Public Safety to hire fifty additional State Troopers and to finance a salary increase of $50 per month for all uniformed patrolmen. These programs are important to Georgia and are in keeping with my platform promise to provide modem programs of highway construction, mental health, corrections and public safety.
GEORGIA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
March 16, 1967
I join all Georgians in wishing your association a happy 100th birthday. I join with you in sharing pride in the contribution you have made to growth and progress in our state....
Ladies and gentlemen of the GEA, no one knows better than I that a Georgia of liberty, a Georgia of progress, and a Georgia of prosperity depends upon improved education.... I submitted to the Georgia General Assembly during this session the largest budget for education in the history of our state....
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LEGISLATIVE SESSION CLOSES
March 17, 1967
To the House and Senate
It was two months and seven days ago that events cast our lot-yours and mine-together.
We have reason to be proud of what our joint labors have brought forth during that time.
I t has been a period of testing for us all. And, while the final verdict will be that of history, I feel we can stand before the people confident in the knowledge that we have measured up to our responsibility. We have measured up to the responsibility of running the state with dignity and with honor. We have measured up to the responsibility to assure the continuity of our state government during a period of electoral crisis. We have measured up to the responsibility to give Georgians the productive representation which comes through true legislative independence. We have measured up to the responsibility to fashion a program of progress and growth which will assure the fulfillment of the high hopes we have for Georgia's tomorrow. Specifically, we have maintained control of our own affairs by acting to reapportion the General Assembly rather than leaving the job to the judiciary. And we have done it without incurring the cost of a special session. We have enacted a record biennial budget which provides for the increasing needs of our state and her people without sacrificing fiscal responsibility. We have provided the largest salary increase in history for school teachers and college faculty members. We have provided a long overdue, cost-of-living increase in payments to recipients of public assistance. We have provided increased aid for our hard-pressed municipal and county governments. We have provided funds needed to expand and improve our mental health institutions and to upgrade their staffs. We have acted to modernize and revitalize our correctional institutions and their programs of rehabilitation. We succeeded in getting at least a portion of our Federal Highway funds unfrozen to prevent a shut-down in our road building program. We appropriated funds for the Appalachia Highway and the completion of that segment of the Atlanta perimeter highway which will connect it to metropolitan Atlanta. This will be of substantial assistance in relieving
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
highway congestion in and around our Capital City. We expanded the Georgia Highway Patrol and increased the salary of
troopers to make possible an expanded and more effective program of highway safety.
And we have acted in all areas of endeavor to make certain the future needs of our people will be met by providing the means for expanded state services.
Our accomplishments in total form a solid foundation for the remaining three years and ten months of this administration.
Looking ahead, there are still problems we must solve. We must act decisively and continuously to combat and thwart the inroads of organized crime. We must revitalize our programs to attract new and expanded industry and to promote tourism. We must assist our cities and counties in solving their fiscal and administrative problems. We must streamline and modernize our tax structure to make it more productive and equitable and to overcome the undue burden now being placed on property owners. We must complete our interstate highway system and, especially, the expressways and perimeter routes around and through our metropolitan areas. And, above all else, we must be alert to protect and preserve that most cherished right of all liberty-loving people-the right to determine their own destiny and to govern themselves. The achievement of these goals will not be easy. But the pursuit of them will be satisfying. And, success in achieving them will be the greatest legacy we can leave to our posterity. You have demonstrated your dedication to these goals. And I know I can count upon your cooperation, your counsel and your support as we work together toward those ends. I congratulate you upon the outstanding job you have done. I wish you Godspeed in your return to your homes and your normal pursuits. And I shall look forward to the day of our meeting again.
MONROE COUNTY DEVELOPMENT BONDS Industrial Development Authority
March 21, 1967 Of course Bibb Manufacturing Company IS not new to Georgia. Its
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35
operations have meant much to our state's economy for many years. But I look upon its new offspring at Peraale as a brand new member of our state's rapidly-growing and ever-expanding textile industry.... There are ninety textile corporations in Georgia which operate 175 plants and employ 110,000 people. The annual payroll at these facilities amounts to approximately $420,000,000.
u.s. PLYWOOD CORPORAnON
March 22, 1967
Waycross
It is my firm conviction that cities like Waycross and counties like Ware, assisted by an aroused and determined citizenry, are certain to share in the wealth our cherished system of free enterprise holds in store. The coming of this outstanding company to your community serves as eloquent testimony that industry goes where the resources are.
Few states approach our own in the production of wood and wood products. Last year alone, fourteen forest-oriented industries either located or expanded their facilities in Georgia.
OPERATION BOOTSTRAP
March 22, 1967
Lake Jackson, Covington
Our joint labors-yours as school superintendents and mine as governor -have wrought new opportunity for our state in the field of education. We have fashioned a program which will move our state ahead in all fields of learning. And we did it at a time when the future demands that we provide nothing less than the best education possible for Georgia children.
SEMINOLE COUNTY FAT CATTLE SHOW
March 24, 1967
Donalsonville
I campaigned last summer all over Georgia-including your countyand believe me, it is good to be back here among friends on a somewhat more leisurely visit. It is especially gratifying after the demanding session of the General Assembly recently concluded. It is a delight to be here with you for Seminole County's twenty-ninth annual Fat Cattle Show and Sale. . . . The purpose of this show has always been to teach boys and girls the practical side of beef production.... There are currently about 1,800,000 cattle and calves on Georgia farms. This is cattle country, here in Seminole County. And I'm happy to say it's also Maddox Country.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
AMERICAN LEGION POST 77
March 24, 1967
Conyers
I see our national situation today as a sign that our democracy is suffering from its own inward sickness. We are asked to surrender our liberty and to look to others to solve our problems. We are witnessing a creeping federal government with growing and virtually limitless power over the lives and property of the people.
EASTER EGG HUNT
March 26, 1967
Jekyll Island
I look into the eyes of these hundreds of children before me and I am inspired by the responsibility that is ours, as adults, to see that their future is one of opportunity and fulfillment. And I renew my determination that my administration will be one in which its first and foremost commitment is toward that end.
RURAL ELECTRIFICATION ADMINISTRATION
March 27, 1967
Convention
Today Georgia's forty-one electric membership cooperatives serve over 350,000 members who receive electricity over 71,000 miles of distribution lines. . . . The demand for electricity has grown tremendously over the past fifteen years. In 1950, your systems used 370,000,000 kilowatt hours of electricity, purchased from you at a cost of more than $2,000,000. In 1965, your power demands increased to more than two-and-one-half billion kilowatt hours, purchased at a cost of $15,500,000. Your systems are presently on the brink of another giant step---one which could lead to eventual financial independence from the federal government.
KIWANIS CLUB OF ATLANTA
March 28, 1967
The time has come for us to stop talking and start doing something about matters which will vitally affect futures of our capital city and our beloved state. . . . The time has come for every American to become concerned about-and to do something about-the direction of his national government.... The time has come for Georgia to identify our needs and apply all of our brainpower, energy and ability toward fulfilling them. And the time has come for us to realize that growth and prosperity come only to those who are willing to work for it.
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CECIL CHEEVES CHAPTER, DEMOLAY
March 28, 1967
Savannah
In this modern day when the most popular pursuit of many young Americans is protests and demonstrations, it is refreshing to visit with DeMolay boys and Rainbow girls, and to consider the record of you youngsters. . . . How many boys do you know who are dropping out of school to support a car? And how many do you know who are still in school and failing for the same reason? There is absolutely nothing wrong with an automobile but we should consider the cost and decide if it's worth it.
NEW PLANT IN WALKER COUNTY
March 29, 1967
LaFayette
It gives me great pleasure to extend an official welcome from all of the people of Georgia to the officials and representatives of Tylac' Chemical Corporation. I am sure the decision to come here will prove to be one of the soundest moves Tylac and Stanley-Walker ever made. I commend Mr. Ledford and the members of your County Development Authority for the successful drive to improve economic conditions in your county. The state stands ready to assist in any possible way this company and this community to realize their goals.
PROJECT COG OFFICIALS
March 29, 1967
Dublin
Project COG offers us new incentives and new opportumtles for cooperation, so that all the energy of local committees-as well as state and federal government-arc meshed into one solid front in this war on poverty. It affords community leaders with a chance to use their ingenuity and creative ability to solve their own problems at the local level without interference. Our struggle against poverty is more than a concern for economic realism and local initiative. It is the basic struggle of organized society.
COUNCIL OF PERSONNEL OFFICERS
March 30, 1967
The proportion of trained professionals and technicians to employees with lesser skills in the state work force has increased dramatically in the last decade. And it is to this former group that we can attribute the fact that our state government now performs a variety and volume of work which would have been virtually impossible a few years ago. And as we
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
continue to increase and expand state services, our needs for employees in all occupational areas and categories must, of necessity, increase accordingly.
KIWANIS CLUBS OF CLAYTON COUNTY
March 30, 1967
Jonesboro
It is no accident that companies like J. C. Penney decide to locate their
southeastern distribution centers here in Clayton County. Neither is it accidental that the industries now located here----companies like SherwinWilliams, Capital City Warehousing, American Can and D. H. Overmyer -are expanding their services and facilities. This serves as visible proof that you have marketed your resources weB and that you offer an opportunity for profit, which, after all, is the reason any company is in business.
GEORGIA STATE COLLEGE* YOUNG DEMOCRATS
March 31, 1967
As one who regards himself as young at heart, I am happy to meet with you ladies and gentlemen who are young in years as well as in spirit and outlook.
We live in an age of youth and young ideas. This is good. Youth is idealistic. Youth is optimistic. Youth is active. And we must have ideals, optimism and action if we are to improve our society and make this world a better place for those who come after us.
I congratulate you Young Democrats upon holding this seminar. Such a dialogue is long overdue. I hope it will be productive of good result and trust it will be the forerunner of many more such occasions.
At no time in our history has it been more important that we define our goals and plan our actions. Yet, at the same time, never have there been greater pressures to stifle discussion and to silence dissent. By sponsoring this seminar and by promoting an atmosphere of open conversation about where we are going as Democrats and how we plan to get there, you have performed a great service in staying the forces of conformity and coercion which would compress us all into the same mould.
For every problem that has confronted us as a nation, the Democratic party has come forward with a positive approach to its solution. The Democratic party has not been afraid to face reality, to innovate and to compete. And out of this willingness to be a growing force for the advance-
*Georgia State College became Georgia State University on September 10, 1969.
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39
ment of society it has produced the really meaningful programs that made the lives of the American people happier and fuller.
We have to look at history to find that nearly every major economic advance in this country has been accomplished under a Democratic administration-rural electrification, bank deposit insurance, unemployment compensation, regulation of securities, old-age assistance and insurance, to name but a few.
I am a Democrat because the Democratic party has been-and will always be-the party of the people. With all of its faults, it remains the best political party ever known to man. I sought the office of Governor of Georgia as a Democrat because-as a Democrat-I can do more for my people and my state. The Democratic party is the controlling party. It is a forward-moving party. And the Democratic party has been good for Georgia. National Democratic administrations have provided us the means for continuous growth and progress.
They have given us military bases like Ft. McPherson here in Atlanta, Turner Air Force Base in Albany, Ft. Gordon in Augusta, the Navy Station at Brunswick, and Dobbins Air Base in Marietta.
They have provided us national parks and recreation facilities. They have awarded defense contracts to Georgia-based companies such as Lockheed in Marietta and others to stimulate economic growth and industrial development.
And state Democratic administrations have provided Georgia unchallenged growth and progress. Under a Georgia Democratic administration came Georgia State College and under Democratic administrations Georgia State College has grown faster than any Georgia College in our history.
Under the Maddox administration-a Democratic administrationGeorgia State will have its greatest expansion and growth.
I am often asked why I remain in the Democratic party. My answer is there is nothing to gain by changing parties because of party faults. The only way to improve our party is from within. Those outside the party can do nothing to improve it. Members of other parties have no real influence in the Democratic party.
It is only good sense to believe that splintering within the Democratic party cannot make it stronger. Just as you cannot divide a family and make it stronger, neither can you divide a political party and make it stronger. Many marriages end in divorce but most married couples attempt to stay together and seek divorce only as a last resort. What I am saying is that most people had rather fight than switch. And that is why I am a Democrat. I'd rather fight than switch.
Traditionally and historically, the Democratic party has been large enough for all degrees of political opinion and for all political factions.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
Just as most people would not swap countries because they do not like some of the things about their country, neither should one leave his party because there are things he does not like about it.
To those who say "How can you stay in the party with Johnson, Kennedy and Humphrey?" I ask: How can I improve my country, my state and myself by changing from the party of Johnson, Kennedy and Humphrey to the party of Rockefeller, Javits and Warren? So far, no one has satisfactorily answered this question.
Our party had its birth in the South. And it is in our beloved southland that the people have remained closer and more loyal to the principles upon which it was founded.
Because of that and because Georgia is emerging as the undisputed political and economic leader of the South, we have a great opportunity to lead our nation toward a more perfect democracy.
But this cannot be accomplished without unity of purpose and full participation on the part of all Democrats.
As I stand before you this morning, I cannot help but think of my own young years and the trials and happiness I experienced or enjoyed, as the case might be.
When comparing those days with the ones you are living today, I can see marked contrasts in the opportunities but marked similarities in the prinoiples which govern human society and human conduct.
These times demand a resiliency and the ability to recognize the demands of the day ... the ability to live up to one's responsibility and the ability to meet the challenges which seem to grow more difficult as each year passes.
No one realizes this more than 1. I become more and more conscious of the fact that if we allow government at any level to become stagnant we are inviting danger. Fear. Timidity. Absolute conformity. Failure.
Laziness. A willingness to leave well enough alone. Accepting the status quo. Not caring. These are the crippling effects which today's young people must banish from their thinking and their daily lives.
I have never sold America and our form of government short. And I never shall so long as it is truly the people's government. I am heartened by the interest young people have in government and I am confident that, in the years to come, they will provide the visionary leadership necessary to bring our nation to its pinnacle of achievement and influence.
And I am determined that young people will play an active role in the Georgia Democratic party's renewed effort to build a strong, effective grass-roots organization.
I am delighted to announce this morning that Chairman James Gray and I have decided to appoint a vice-chairman of the state party and
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41
assign that person the specific duty of youth affairs. We have reached the point in Georgia where we can no longer fail to recognize the great contributions young people can make to our party's affairs. And the day has passed when we can take our party and victory for granted. No candidate is assured of victory simply because he or she is a Democrat.
There is but one solution for this and that is hard work ... hard work on the part of every Democrat, young and old, in every part of the state. And I am sure that it is not necessary for me to remind you what our fate will be if we do nothing.
As your governor and head of the Democratic party, I have made a special effort to assure our party of broad representation by appointing members from every political faction to the executive committee.
The new state committee has been described as a "consensus" group. While I think "representative" might be a more appropriate adjective, its composition nevertheless does evidence the sincere effort we are making to give our party the broadest possible base of political leadership.
Some have said that it is impossible for an all-inclusive party to be a cohesive, decisive and victorious instrument of the public will. I have never, nor will I ever, share their fears. From its very beginning, the Democratic party has drawn its members from all segments of society and has derived its strength from the diversity of its membership.
Its appeal to the clectorate has been greatest at those times it has come closest to being a true cross-section of the populace. And its greatest victories have come when its members have exercised tolerance for their differing views on specific questions and worked together toward their common goal of advancing the general welfare.
I believe that the principles which unite us are greater than those which divide us. For that reason, it is imperative that we give emphasis to those subjects which bring us together and sublimate those matters which tend to pul1 us apart. Unity of purpose and action was never more important than during this current emergence of a two-party system in our state.
This new political day of which you are a vital part has placed the spotlight on the informed citizen who thinks for himself. To win his vote in the future, we must appeal to his reason and sell him on our platforms and our programs as wel1 as our candidates.
We must heed the words of Thomas Jefferson who said: "Men by their donstitutions are naturally divided into two parties-those who fear and distrust the people and wish to draw al1 the powers from them into the hands of the high classes; and those who identify themselves with the people, have confidence in them, cherish and consider them as most honest and safe."
What we Democrats need is a revitalization of the philosophy and prin-
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
ciples of our party. Let us, therefore, pledge ourselves anew to the achievement of what Jefferson called the "sum of good government" which, in his words, is: " . . . a wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvements, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned."
By so doing, we shall assure that the party of our fathers becomes also the party of Georgia's future.
ELBERTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
March 31, 1967
Secing so many politicians here reminds me of the days when Lt. Governor [Gcorge T.] Smith, Commissioner [James L.] Bentley, Congressman [Phil M.] Landrum and other elected officials and I toured the state looking for votes.
During those days, I told everyone that Georgia was Maddox Country. Many didn't believe me. But you know, nobody doubts it nowadays. As a matter of fact, a friends of mine told me the other day that Maddox Country has already extended halfway through South Carolina and clear to Miami, Florida. Of course Elbert County has been Maddox Country all along. And I am grateful to you for giving me such solid support.
ASSOCIAnON COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
April 3, 1967
Jekyll Island
Georgia people deserve more than being average, and I will not be satisfied until we pass the average and head for the top. As your governor, it shall always be our policy to activate plans and programs to remove these inequities and to help our state and our people forge steadily ahead toward greater opportunities and more happy and prosperous lives.
This is an age and day of problems. They come thick and fast. I never realized just how fast until the past few months. Demand after demand are being made on state government.
GOVERNOR'S DINNER, RED CARPET TOUR
April 5, 1967
Rome
We are delighted to have you visit Georgia and unwind-as the television commercial says tired businessmen do-in our state.
Of course, while you're here, we hope you will watch and listen carefully to what you see and hear about our great state.
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43
We in Georgia take pride in our natural and human assets. So it's natural for us to brag a little about what our state has to offer.... There is hardly a manufacturing enterprise known to man which cannot find ideal manufacturing and marketing conditions in Georgia. This includes labor, water, climate, transportation, raw materials, power, ports and people.
YMCA YOUTH ASSEMBLY
April 6, 1967
State Capitol
This is my first opportunity to meet with the Youth Assembly and I am certain that none of my predecessors ever met with a finer group of young Georgians. . . . I am told that more than 13,000 young Georgians have participated in these annual sessions since the founding of the Assembly in 1946. This means that 13,000 young people have seen and learned about their state government. 316 persons attended the first Youth Assembly. More than a thousand are here for the 1967 session. There is no practical and readily-available way to learn how many participants of past Youth Assemblies have since gone into public service at the various levels of government. I did learn, however, in glancing over your program for this year, that several people who have served as Youth Governor and as Youth Lieutenant Governor in the past are now serving in state government.
BOARD OF EDUCAnON MEMBERS Southeastern States Association
April 8, 1967
The problems we face in Georgia are not unlike those in the nation's other forty-nine states. First and foremost, there is the problems of finances. We in Georgia are spending state funds at the rate of approximately sixty cents out of every budgeted dollar for education. We rank seventh in the country in this regard. . . . Second, there is the problem of providing qualified and dedicated classroom teachers. Third, there is the problem of providing skill training for those students who lack either the incentive or the ability to pursue a higher education. We in Georgia have reason to be proud of our accomplishments in this area....
COMMISSION ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH
April 10, 1967
Athens
Throughout my campaign, I tried to emphasize that Georgia's young people must be given our full attention and concern and that we must not
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
only continue our programs for children and youth, but also strengthen and expand them. This means we must provide better education, better job opportunities, a wholesome political climate in which to grow up and raise their families and, above all, an opportunity to become useful and contributing members of society. I want history to record the Maddox years as good years-compassionate years-for Georgia youth.
GRADUATE EMBALMERS OF GEORGIA, INC.
April 11, 1967
Macon
Past experience has shown us that the communities which plan ahead are the ones in which industry are most interested. We in Georgia must take a new, fresh approach to industrial development. We have played follow-the-leader too long. The time has come for us to capitalize on our resources and lead the way toward economic development and prosperity.
WEST POINT HIGH SCHOOL
April 12, 1967
I am convinced that most of you here today and the vast majority of young people throughout Georgia believe in God and in our system of government, the greatest in the world. I can promise you this. This administration will for the next three years and nine months do everything possible to create opportunities for young people to participate in their state government. But we need your help. We want your energy, your faith, your patriotism, and, frankly, your active hard work in helping make Georgia the greatest state in this nation.
WEST POINT LIONS CLUB
April 12, 1967
The Maddox administration is a people's administration. One of the great tragedies of our times is that the people's voice is far too weak and too often falls upon deaf ears. I am determined to change that in Georgia. I am determined to return government to where it rightfully belongsin the hands of the people. The times cry out for a return to the basic principles upon which our nation was founded and grew great and strong.
JAYCEES DISTINGUISHED AWARDS
April 13, 1967
Cartersville
Leadership cannot be provided by those who seek the ready answer or
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45
the easy method. America needs stalwart men and women who profess a fierce loyalty to constitutional principles, and possess unflinching patriotism. We must have leaders who act, rather than react, for democracy is founded upon the belief that there exists extraordinary possibilities in common men. The people of our nation and state deserve nothing less. The Maddox administration will give Georgia nothing less.
PHI ALPHA DELTA FRATERNITY
April 14, 1967
Emory University
We have drifted through the years into a situation which I feel places federal bureaucracy above the United States Constitution. This is not the intention of the drafters of that precious document and that is not what Americans want. I am convinced that the United States is growing more conservative. I believe thinking people see that we cannot continue to bypass the very document which assures freedom and liberty and expect to keep those cherished rights.
HAMPTON KIWANIS CLUB
April 17, 1967
God demands that \ve speak out against dishonesty in government, crime, violence and immorality. And, if there is one point we can get across to our children, it is that tomorrow's life depends upon today's training.... Many of you heard me say during last summer's campaign that we didn't need more Democrats or Republicans in government, but we did need more Americans. And that still holds true today.
VALDOSTA STATE COLLEGE
April 19, 1967
Groundbreaking
Valdosta State College over the years has compiled a magnificent record
as a four-year liberal arts college. President Emeritus J. Ralph Thaxton
and many other capable and loyal people are due great credit and appreciation for their past achievements. The college grew in enrollment and improved its programs under their leadership. In this new era of education, even greater things are taking place on the campus under the leadership of President S. Warner Martin and other new and long-time officials. Now, fortunately, Valdosta State is adding a graduate program in teacher training.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
AMERICAN TURPENTINE FARMERS ASSOCIATION
April 19, 1967
Valdosta
These offices here-the hub of the industry-represent not only Georgia's turpentine farmers, but-I am happy to say-those of several of our sister states. From these states, almost 3,500 members of one of the nation's oldest industries joined hands. And because of their splendid cooperation, the naval stores operation has become one of the most important in the Southeast. Your industry does some $25,000,000 worth of business every year.
ORDINARIES OF GEORGIA
April 20, 1967
Athens
Since the political structure of our state was first formulated, counties have served as the very backbone of our governmental system. And you, my friends, are the backbone of county governments.
Yours is a thankless job because your constituents expect the most from you and worry little about the problems which you confront in performing your duties. But never feel that your contributions to your counties and your state are unnoticed.
CHAMBLEE-DORAVILLE BUSINESSMEN
April 20, 1967
I am convinced that comprehensive planning for every Georgia county and municipality could well mean the difference between moving forward and sliding backward. In almost every case where communities have developed long-range plans they have been rewarded with new industry, new jobs and new payrolls. We have missed many golden opportunities in Georgia because we have failed to provide the catalyst to bind our industrial efforts.
One of the tasks I will assign to my Committee of One Thousand is that of community development. I will ask these grass-root Georgians to serve as a sounding board for Georgia progress.
ATLANTA ROTARY CLUB
April 24, 1967
Someone told me I set a world's record the day I took office. According to one fellow, no other man ever rose from chief cook to chief executive in such a short time.
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47
I told him that I'm not through cooking. I'm going to cook up and serve some good government to Georgia. My friends, this is the beginning of a new day for Georgia.
I am more confident than ever that Georgia people want unity in the pursuit of common goals. The people of Georgia want good government, better education, more jobs and better employment. They want improved programs of mental health, highway construction, traffic safety and corrections. And they want to live without fear, at peace, to find contentment in their homes and at their hearths.
OCONEE AREA PLANNING And Development Commission
April 25, 1967
Eatonton
You have effectively utilized your local physical, human and economIc resources. You have upgraded the basic educational and skill levels of the Oconee area citizens. You have assessed employment opportunities and channeled them in the right directions. You have planned a program of water and sewer development, built local recreation facilities, and shown that you are willing to work~and work hard....
DEDICATION OF SINCLAIR BUILDING
April 26, 1967
It is a great honor for me to witness the addition of a new facility by one of the state's most widely known and respected industrial citizens. This great industrial park is but one of hundreds scattered throughout the state.... I am extremely impressed by the new Sinclair Service Station which you have erected at the entrance to the park..
INGLESIDE KIWANIS CLUB
April 27, 1967
Macon
Your new administration will retain and improve the best of the past and the good of the prcsent, and mold them into the best four years Georgia has ever had.
You have moved ahead rapidly in your program of industrial development~bringing eight new industries in your modern Airport Industrial Park. I want to compliment you for having one of the most forwardlooking master plans for the development of your downtown area that it has been my pleasure to see.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
IRWIN COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY
April 28, 1967
Ocilla
My friends, the Georgia Democratic party is back where it belongs~ in the hands of the people. That is where Lester Maddox wants it, and that is where he will keep it. All that remains is for us to join together to build a strong, grass roots organization which will assure the election of Democrats in every courthouse and city hall, as well as in our state and national capitols. With all its faults, the Democratic party remains the best political party known to me.
CONFEDERATE MEMORIAL DAY PROGRAM
April 30, 1967
Kingston
Kingston was a vital link in the Confederate military establishment because it was an important railroad center. And a major part of the South's munitions were manufactured at Cooper's Iron Works just north of Cartersville. Southerners have always been staunch supporters of their rights of state and local governments to solve their own problems in their own way. We believe in the Jeffersonian philosophy of government~that people, when given the facts, can best determine their own destiny. We fought a civil war in defense of these beliefs. We stand ready at all times to protect and defend them.
UNITED CEREBRAL PALSY DAY CARE
April 30, 1967
Greater Atlanta
We cannot cure cerebral palsy, but we ean help those who suffer from it. We can help them function with a high degree of efficiency in spite of their crippling misfortune. But even more important, those of you who established and will operate this Day Care Center will be giving hope to your fellow human beings.
April 30, 1967
FLYING REBELS
Atlanta
Let me say at the outset that I am highly honored to have been invited to address the Flying Rebels. I have just recently become a regular flyer, and I have just recently become governor. I want to emphasize to you tonight that I am fully aware of the importance of aviation in the accomplishment and achievement of our goals. Modern airplanes and the development of airports are new and very powerful business tools used by industry.
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FRUEHAUF'S SECOND ATLANTA BRANCH
May 1, 1967
This new facility stands as proof that Georgia is a good place to do business. For an existing industry to enlarge its facilities is an indication of solid progress. Especially a company which has served Georgia for so many years as well as the Fruehauf Corporation. And it compliments the economic climate of Atlanta and Georgia.
ROCKMART-ARAGON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
May 2, 1967
Rockmart
Here in Rockmart you have a tire and rubber company which provides employment for more than 1,000; you have a large cement plant and other industries which contribute to your economic well-being. So I am sure there is no need to convince you that industries such as these are the key not only to your prosperity but also to Georgia in the years ahead.... I can assure you, my friends, that we have embarked upon a program which will mean richer and fuller lives for all Georgians.
DATA PROCESSING MANAGEMENT ASSOCIAnON
May 3, 1967
Atlanta Chapter
The best way to attract attention there is to appoint a watchdog committee. Or veto a few bills, invite the George Wallaces over to speak, or meet Vice President Humphrey.
My friends, a sharp line has been drawn between the two schools of political thought in the United States~liberalism on the one hand, and conservatism on the other. And unfortunately some of the news media and the left-wingers have attempted to paint those who disagree with their views as "extremists" and "clandestine." We are experiencing in the United States~of all places~a brand of bureaucratic dictatorship unparalleled in the history of this great land.
JOHN ROSIER MASONIC LODGE
May 4,1967
When I sought the governorship of Georgia, I said many times that God was my campaign manager. And I never doubted for a second that I would win despite the odds against me.... My administration will follow to the letter the precepts of integrity as set forth by the Masons. Georgia's future is far too important to be treated carelessly. We have too far to go
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
and too little to get us there to be unrealistic and wasteful. You are about to become a part of the most progressive period in the history of our state.
BLACKSTONE CORPORATION
May 5,1967
Groundbreaking, Statesboro
The officials of this fine company have recognized the vast industrial potential of this section. And what's more, they will move into one of Georgia's most progressive and forward-looking counties. The spirit of cooperation between business and government which exists in Bullock County should serve you well.
JENKINS COUNTY DAIRY FESTIVAL
May 5, 1967
Millen
You may be sure that we are constantly looking toward meeting effectively the growth challenges of the state consistent with the resources available to us. By so doing, we can do the best and most effective job for all Georgians. This, my friends, is the Maddox program ... a program of progress for Georgia, a program of which I am proud and a program which I know is good for Georgia. I seek your help in making absolutely certain that our efforts bear fruit....
PINETREE FESTIVAL
May 5, 1967
Swainsboro
Seems like everywhere I go these days, I find Maddox Country. But I'm proud to say that this was Maddox Country when it wasn't exactly popular to admit it. I very deeply and humbly appreciate the confidence the good people of Emanuel County displayed in me then and now. And you may be sure that I shall always strive to merit your faith and confidence. . . .
Our state stands as a giant among those which produce naval stores, pulp and paper products, building materials and pine paneling. This means much to the economy of our state....
JONES COUNTY HIGH ALL SPORTS
May 5, 1967
Gray
While there will always be situations and circumstances existing in our nation with which not everyone agrees, there will never be~in my opinion~one so bad that it cannot be overcome within the framework of constituted legal authority. Our system of protest by legal~rather than
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51
physical-means has meant the difference between orderly and final solution to problems and revolution.
JUNIOR CIVITAN STATE CONVENTION AWARDS
May 6, 1967
Jekyll Island
Today we are faced with a concentrated attack on states rights and local self-government. An overpowering central government places the hands of federal power on nearly every activity of man and would place all the control over the actions, movements, property rights and lives of our people in one gigantic, impersonal, monolithic centralized government. ... The greatest danger which confronts the freedom won by arms and safeguarded by the Constitution is acceptance by the American people of the constantly reiterated suggestion that they can get something for nothing if they will only place their personal liberties and all they have in the hands of centralized government.
GEORGIA SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE
May 8, 1967
Americus
To say that we must improve education in Georgia is an understatement. We must constantly strive to take whatever steps are necessary to upgrade it at all levels. We have every reason to be proud of the programs our University System provides, but we also must realize that every new day brings new and exciting challenges which our youth must be prepared to meet and to seize.
WHITE HOUSE INN GROUNDBREAKING
May 8, 1967
Warm Springs
Georgia has too much to offer its travelers, and travelers from every part of the country, to allow them to pass us by. It is the duty of the State of Georgia, and all Georgians, to capitalize on it. This new vacation center is a product of the initiative and resourcefulness of our state. And we can take pride that it will be owned and operated by hundreds of Georgians. It will demonstrate just what the free enterprise system can do in America.
GEORGIA AUTOMOBILE DEALERS ASSOCIATION
May 8, 1967
Jekyll Island
We [Georgians] have proven time and time again that we are capable of solving our own problems in our own way according to the will of our
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
people. We are going to lead the way, light the path, toward economic progress, social advancement and cultural achievement. We are going to provide for our state a new dimension of greatness by providing the bold leadership necessary for any state to achieve greater heights. The time has come for us in Georgia to roll up our sleeves and go to work.
AMERICAN TRUCKING ASSOCIATION Southern Council of Safety Supervisors
May 9, 1967
When you asked me to address you on the subject of "Seeing the other fellow's point of view" I am sure that you were well aware that you invited an experienced man. I have been attempting to get some people to see my point of view for a number of years but it took getting elected governor to make them listen.
So I speak to you this morning as a man with first-hand knowledge of the difficulty we encounter on having others share our views.
CHRISTIAN BUSINESSMEN'S COMMITTEE
May 12, 1967
Nothing is more pleasing to me than to have the opportunity to meet with a group pledged to religion, liberty and law. These have ahvays been and will forever be the guiding principles in the life of Lester Maddox. As your governor, I have a commitment to all Georgians to uphold and defend these fundamental beliefs which all Americans hold dear.... Only God can solve the problems of mankind through the actions of men, which means that we cannot expect the world to be righted until men get right with God.
DEPARTMENT HEADS BREAKFAST
May 15, 1967
State Cafeteria
As a people's candidate and now as a people's governor, I am determined to provide four years of honest, efficient and effective statc governmentone responsible in its conduct and responsive to the needs of the people.
AMERICAN CHAIN AND CABLE COMPANY
May 16, 1967
Stone Mountain
A splendid cooperation between government and free enterprise has emerged in Georgia in recent years which almost directly accounts for our state's recent economic boom. We intend to develop this new relationship
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53
to its fullest potential in our state. We in government stand ready at all times to provide whatever assistance our experience, our talents and our pocketbooks will permit.
CANDLER COUNTY CIVIC CLUBS May 16, 1967
Metter
Our system of locally controlled education is under heavy attack and under grave pressure because of these so-called guidelines which follow the dangled federal dollar. I am opposed to this type of heavy-handed power-grab and those of you who know Lester Maddox know that I believe in fighting with every ounce of my energy for what I believe. You likewise know that I will oppose with every fiber of my being that which I do not believe in.
MIDDLE GEORGIA COLLEGE
May 17, 1967
Cochran
This is indeed a golden year for Middle Georgia College. I t marks three important milestones. It was eighty years ago-in 1887-that this college opened its doors as Ebernezer College. It was fifty years ago-in 1917-that Ebenezer College was chartered as a state institution. It was forty years aga--in 1927-that the General Assembly bestowed the official status of a junior college within the University System. It is now the largest junior college in our system.
PEACE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION May 17, 1967
Fort Valley
I come before you on this Peace Officers Memorial Day as the best friend law enforcement has ever had in the State Capitol. Each of the fifty names read and inscribed here today represents a life dedicated to the preservation of the lives and property of all Georgians. Five of them literally gave their lives in defense of law and order. A law enforcement officer who falls in the line of duty does so in defense of his country and her freedoms just as surely as does the GI in Viet Nam.
FULTON COUNTY GRAND JURORS ASSOCIAnON
May 18, 1967
Grand jury service is one of the most important areas in which responsible citizens may individually take part in government. It is the final protector of the individual from the state-and the state from the indi-
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
vidual. I have always regarded this service not only as a personal privilege, but as an essential contribution to the process of democracy. And your presence here today is proof of your confidence in this great process.
ATLANTA TRANSPORTATION CLUB
May 18, 1967
I do not believe we have nearly achieved the rate of growth which is possible and which might reasonably be expected-judging from our resources and assets. I also believe that the years ahead will see a drastic change in our rate of growth. I am confident that the industrial climate of our state is such that the growth and development of Georgia can only be impeded by our own failures and lack of imagination.
PROBATION AND PAROLE ASSOCIATION
May 19, 1967
Jekyll Island
Those of us who truly believe in giving our fellowman a second chance are grateful to you for the outstanding work you are doing in making useful citizens of those who, for one reason or another, left the path. Someone has said that the probation and parole officer is a parent, teacher, preacher and friend all rolled into one. He is the symbol of trust and personification of hope.
FULTON COUNTY PRISON WARDENS
May 19, 1967
Within the next eighteen months every Georgian will be proud of the progress the state has made at Alto. I want that same type of progress at our remaining correctional institutions.
There are seventy-four county prison branches in Georgia with a population of 3,600 inmates. Some of these branches are excellent. Some are not so good. And some need improving. To me, there is no excuse in failing to provide sanitary and comfortable prison camps which provide the proper type of discipline and rehabilitation for inmates. I have asked you to come here to request that you help this governor and the State Department of Corrections to improve our prisons and our rehabilitation program.
STATE BOARD OF ACCOUNTANCY May 20, 1967
The thirty-two men who receive these certificates today have passed one of the most difficult examinations in Certified Public Accounting ever
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55
devised. They have achieved the highest degree of accountancy that is possible in the State of Georgia. Our State Board of Accountancy and the Georgia Society of CPAs are to be commended for their diligence to strengthen the status of the accounting profession in our state.
CARROLL COUNTY PRISON CHAPEL
May 21, 1967
Carrollton
Some who come here will be as a matter of course make full use of this chapel. Others will need the inspiration and the leadership of you who are charged with their welfare and their rehabilitation in order to establish a good relationship with God. I am fully convinced that there is no more effective way to rehabilitate lost men than by introducing them to God.
MEETING OF COUNTY OFFICIALS
May 22, 1967
One of the most repulsive situations with which our law enforcement officers must contend is that of lawless demonstrators and rioters. The protesters who march and sing and rebel against what they call needless loss of life in Viet Nam are causing our law enforcement officers to turn away from their jobs of protecting lives and property here at home. Just last Saturday, it became necessary for the Georgia State Patrol to take forty men from regular duty and send them to the Armed Forces Day celebration at Dobbins Air Base....
SOUTH FULTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
May 22, 1967
Woodward Academy
It is my belief that South Fulton County stands on the threshold of becoming one of the most prosperous industrial districts not only in Georgia but in the entire nation. Already in this decade your area has experienced a growth of such phenomenal proportions that not even the most daring of prophets would have imagined them. In the Fulton Industrial District alone, more than seventy-five business concerns have opened operations in the past seven years.
WAYNE COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
May 23, 1967
Jesup
As you know, I am a champion of private business and private property rights. I have suffered as much as any American, except those who have
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
given their lives to protect freedom, to uphold them. You know, nowadays they have federal programs for everything. Why, they've even reached the point where they want to guarantee everybody an income whether they work for it or not. But you know, and I know, that a man who wants a job and who will work can usually find one.
PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION
May 24, 1967
Jekyll Island
You must draw on the dedication which has sustained you in the past as well as the inspiration for the renewed devotion and determination which your work in the future will demand. As each year passes, and as the world around us grows and changes, the concept of public health becomes broader and more complex. We have reached the time when we must think of the services we provide in terms of a comprehensive public health program.
EDUCATIONAL TELEVISION WCLP
May 25, 1967
Chatsworth
We now have eight educational television stations in operation in Georgia and another is scheduled to begin broadcasting this fall. This means we are now able to beam educational and classroom instruction programs to ninety per cent of our population. These stations perform a vital service by providing night classes for adults. Not only can adults learn the three R's, but also specialized courses such as agriculture, sewing, art and many others.
CHEROKEE COUNTY DEMOCRATS
May 25, 1967
Canton
What we Democrats need is revitalization of the philosophy and principles of our party, all the way from Washington down to the smallest precinct in the country. Let us, therefore, tonight pledge ourselves anew to the achievement of what Thomas Jefferson called "the sum of good government."
PAULDING COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
May 26, 1967
Dallas
More and more businessmen are accepting the fact that by what they do -or don't do--they can directly influence the environment in which they live. You have seen the results in Paulding County in recent years as you
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57
have helped to acquire new industry and mapped out your plans for the future .... I believe that unless the business leaders of this nation involve themselves completely in all aspects of society, we have no hope of restoring the system of free constitutional government upon which this nation was founded.
HALL COUNTY DAIRY DAY
May 27, 1967
Gainesville
Your contributions to Gainesville's growth and progress can be accurately measured by the growth in recent years of this industry. And just as it is true that the Georgia dairy industry is growing, so the same is very true of all other areas in our state's economic life. Georgians are fully aware that we have come a long way, but we have much further to go.
REGIONAL YOUTH DEVELOPMENT CENTER
May 27, 1967
Gainesville
This center will complete the six regional detention centers authorized by action of the 1965 General Assembly. Its addition to our state-wide system will mean that Georgia will have the finest system in the nation for state-wide care of children in trouble. We have provided funds to make grants to the seven urban counties which own and operate their own detention centers, to improve their programs and bring their juvenile detention homes up to statc standards.
AMERICAN LEGION POST NO. 220
May 28, 1967
Clayton
We in Georgia are standing on the threshold of what is certain to be the most dramatic economic surge in the history of our great state. I am confident that we will achieve our goals because of people like youGeorgians who place faith in the future and who are aware of their responsibility to address themselves to the challenges ahead. Georgia's veterans have upheld the honorable traditions of this nation and have set an example which all present and future Georgians should follow.
CORNELIA METHODIST YOUTH FELLOWSHIP
May 28, 1967
We have a moral obligation to the people of Georgia to profit as much as is within our power from every dollar we spend in state government. And when this four years have ended, may all Georgians say that the
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
administration of Lester Maddox was the most profitable, progressive and rewarding of any state government ever known in Georgia. We will not fulfill our goals without the support, help and cooperation of every man, woman, young person and child in the State of Georgia.
JOINT CIVIC CLUBS
May 30, 1967
Cordele
Crisp County is often called the Watermelon Capital of the World. Leaders in Crisp County can take pride in your outstanding achievements, not only in watermelon production, but in all phases of the agricultural field. This is one of the most diversified farming regions in Georgia. All Georgians are aware of your valuable contributions to our state's economy through your pecan and peanut production, cotton acreage and livestock.
AUGUSTA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
May 31, 1967
It will be a sad hour when we permit our system of free enterprise, trade and commerce to become diluted to the point where it is no longer the combatant of poverty and the strong foundation of our affluent society. You say it can't happen? Well, it can. And it will unless this nation gets back on the right road. It will unless this nation ceases the centralization of governmental power and enables each citizen to determine his own course, limited only by his initiative and ability and the dictates of his conscience.
GEORGIA BAR ASSOCIATION
June 2, 1967
Columbus
There is a trend throughout the nation to approach the problem of education with the idea that schools are too many and too small. I do not hold to that theory. I believe that we in Georgia must work toward a middle ground on the question of the size of schools and the quality of education. I know of no better way than to permit the people of each school district to determine for themselves where their schools are located and how they will be operated.
GEORGIA FORESTRY ASSOCIATION
June 5, 1967
Jekyll Island
Just as we seek tall, strong, productive trees in forestry, let us produce tall, strong and stalwart and productive Georgians who will stand tall for
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59
the highest and the best all the time in every field. Our state government must stand tall. And I call upon you to join those who stand tall in the forest of government-for our children, our freedom, for free enterprise, for God and for right, for crash programs in education, mental health, business and industry.
June 6, 1967
LIONS AND ROTARY CLUBS
Eastman
You in the Lions and Rotary Clubs have devoted your attention not only to building better communities but also to providing a great number of humanitarian services. It is this spirit of dedication-and compassionwhich I am determined will guide us through all of our affairs in state government. We hope that we can teach all Georgians and all Americans to see better, not just with their physical eyes, but with their minds, so that they will improve both intellectually and spiritually.
PUTNAM COUNTY DAIRY FESTIVAL June 7, 1967
Eatonton
Just as the Georgia dairy industry is growing, so are other areas of our economic life. We have evinced our desire to set an example for the rest of the nation by investing heavily in our future through expanded programs in education, mental health, prison reform and rehabilitation, job training and industrial development.
WINTERVILLE COMMUNITY PICNIC
June 7, 1967
I am grateful to the Winterville Civitans for making this meeting possible. . . . When I stood on the inaugural platform accepting the highest honor which can be bestowed on any man, I looked across the sea of faces gathered on that chilly afternoon. I saw in their eyes hope, optimism and a desire to become a part of their Georgia. I intend to give that opportunity.
SWAINSBORO VOCATIONAL-TECHNICAL SCHOOL
June 8, 1967
Graduation
These seventy students are undisputed evidence that our efforts to provide vocational and technical training for today's youth are paying untold dividends. Georgia's youth have never had a greater opportunity for success in their home state. We need look no further than previous graduates of this school to see that this is true. The training you have received
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
qualifies you for roles of leadership. Take it from one who has risen through the ranks in this system that it is not an easy road. Nothing worthwhile has ever been accomplished without hard work and sacrifice.
MODULAR INDUSTRIES CORPORATION
June 8, 1967
Sylvester
This occasion is more than the opening of a new industrial plant. It is an opportunity to focus the attention of the State of Georgia-indeed, the entire Southeast-upon the splendid manner in which the citizens of Sylvester, and of Georgia, are working together to promote industrial and economic development. This represents community pride and community spirit in the truest sense.
VETERINARY MEDICINE ASSOCIATION
June 9, 1967
Pine Mountain
My administration will bequeath to Georgia's young people the greatest opportunity for an education, a job, a place in a vibrant state that Georgia has ever known. While I was a candidate for governor, I proposed a Society of Liberty program for the people of Georgia. This is the great inheritance that our administration, with diligence, dedication and determination, will leave to the people of Georgia.
TRAVEL EXPERTS MEETING
June 12, 1967
I am grateful for this opportunity to stop by this afternoon and welcome this distinguished group of travel experts to Georgia.
We are delighted to have you here in our state, and think it quite appropriate that you are meeting here in our Capital City of Atlanta.
I say this, not only because of our great pride in Atlanta, but also because of the fact that Georgia is a travel-minded state.
We are not unmindful of the economic impact the vacation and recreation industry has upon our state.
During 1966, for example, vacationers and recreationcrs spent a record $496,300,000 in Georgia-an increase of 11.6 per cent over the preceding year.
Six hundred new travel serving firms-creating 4,280 new jobs-were established in Georgia during 1966. This brings to 21,000 the total number of travel serving businesses in our state and to 99,100 the total number of employees working in the industry.
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In 1966, more than 10,000,000 vacation/recreation trips were taken in private automobiles in Georgia involving more than 30,000,000 people--an increase of 9.4 per cent over the previous year.
The Southeastern states and the Great Lakes and the Mideast regions continue to provide the most out-of-state recreation travelers on Georgia's highways. The State of Florida leads all other states in the number of its residents who come to Georgia for vacation and recreation. Out-of-state visitors accounted for 50.7 per cent of the trips taken in Georgia while 49.3 per cent were taken by Georgians vacationing in their own state.
Weare delighted about this because it is obvious that people are spending more time and more money in Georgia than ever before.
The Georgia State Treasury benefited from the tourist spending by $39,000,000 in revenue tax in 1966.
Taxes from the travelling public furnished 6.4 per cent of Georgia's total revenue collections last year.
These figures are based on studies by the Bureau of Business and Economic Research of the University of Georgia Department of Industry and Trade.
The Tourist Division has reported that a spot-check of certain attractions indicates a banner year in 1967 for the state's tourist industry.
Based on the first three months of this year, our state parks have shown an increase in attendance of 66 per cent and Jekyll Island a 51 per cent increase over the same period last year.
In another comparison study, based on the first four months of this year, Stone Mountain has shown an increase of 29 per cent, the Okefenokee Swamp Park a 25 per cent increase and a 121 per eent increase in visitors at Georgia Welcome Centers.
So, you can see that tourism is big business in Georgia. Not as big, perhaps, as some other states but growing bigger each year.
Permit me while I am here to say that we in Georgia are proud of the good work of Bill Hardman and his staff in promoting tourists and recreation in our state.
We believe we have in Bill one of the most dedicated and determined state tourist directors in the country.
And we are greatly indebted to him for the fruits his labors have wrought. Again, let me express to you my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity to come here and announce to you travel people the new figures on Georgia's tourist industry.
SOUTHEASTERN PEANUT ASSOCIAnON
June 12, 1967
Atlanta
Agriculture production in the United States is a miracle. Farm income
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
is higher than ever. There is increased production, a direct result of research and study, better farm practices, better machinery and the tremendous job done by farmers in management. This progress in production has kept prices in farm products at the same level it was twenty years ago when labor and materials were less.
GOVERNOR'S SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
June 12, 1967
State Capitol
In the next two-and-a-half months you are going to learn more about how state government works than you have learned in the last ten years. At the same time you are going to teach those of us in state government about the kind of outstanding students we are producing in Georgia. We want you, in this relatively brief time as a part of the Maddox administration, to be as proud of your work as we are proud of you.
GEORGIA RETAIL FURNITURE ASSOCIATION
June 13, 1967
Jekyll Island
If you gentlemen have a bad day, you can get by without anyone knowing about it but your chief assistant and your wife. When the Governor of Georgia finishes a day's work, he not only has to read about it in the newspapers and watch it on television, but he must be ready to explain his every action to some 4,500,000 people.
TEACHERS OF VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE
June 14, 1967
Annual Conference
If we are to feed and clothe our people in this time of a booming population explosion, every farmer must be knowledgeable in the latest farming methods. Therefore the teaching of vocational agriculture in our high school and post-high school program is essential to the future of the state and nation. The agricultural industry provides many auxiliary jobs which require an agricultural background combined with marketing, research, and related skills.
LAWRENCEVILLE KIWANIS CLUB
June 15, 1967
Almost overnight, you have been transformed from a rural to a suburban area. And this has brought unlimited opportunities. The manner in which you have profited from these opportunities has meant much to your growth
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63
and progress, and this is not only a feather in your caps, but also a feather in the cap of the entire state of Georgia.
BOARD FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH
June 15, 1967
Annual Meeting
Your good works in rehabilitating troubled youth have penneated the entire state, and this alone is sufficient reason to be proud. But beyond that,
your efforts in providing the foundation for a model program for youth here in Georgia have captured the plaudits of the entire nation. As we join together to build upon this foundation, let us do so with the goal of providing a program that will reach every family and every child who need the help.
PRESS CONFERENCE
June 15, 1967
Executive Department
Gentlemen of the News Media: The commissioner of labor and I have asked you to gather this afternoon to announce the State Building Authority's purchase of the One Peachtree Building at a cost of $1,400,000 for the purpose of developing a state employment center to serve the people of the Atlanta metropolitan area.
This is the first step in our efforts to provide employers and job applicants with a modern manpower employment center which matches employment needs with available manpower, efficiently, effectively and with lasting results.
It is our joint desire to have an efficient public employment service in the Atlanta area ... one which can be managed efficiently, one responsible to present-day demands and one flexible enough to meet the demands of the future.
We believe that to accomplish this, we must bring together all of the employment services in the metropolitan Atlanta area into a central location which is accessible to those who need them.
Far too often this approach to solving the problems of metropolitan areas has been overlooked.
The development of this new center in Atlanta, in my opinion, will correct that imbalance in so far as the State Employment Security Agency is concerned and will bring it to a first-class position in the nation within a relatively short time.
We are particularly fortunate that a combi~ation of factors has made this project possible, and that it can be accomplished much quicker than might have been possible had not the State Labor Department, the Execu-
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
tive Department, State Building Authority, and U.S. Department of Labor worked so energetically and so cooperatively on the project.
All of Georgia is interested in sound growth and intelligent development of the metropolitan Atlanta area, particularly in stimulating and providing job opportunities for all our people.
If we succeed in this endeavor, our capital city and the entire state will grow and prosper and our people will enjoy happy and useful lives.
We simply cannot afford either the cost of failure or running the risk of having our metropolitan areas become like those in some other parts of the nation where decay has set in and brought its resulting consequences. We believe that the development of a modem manpower employment center at the location we have chosen will make a lasting contribution toward orderly growth and development in the Atlanta metropolitan area.
We will strive to make this center a model for the nation. I wish to report to you that I have transferred $100,000 from my emergency fund to make the purchase of this building possible. I have done this because of my faith, not only in the future of the metropolitan area, but also because of my personal desire to provide opportunity for our people. I am convinced that the impact this new center will have upon the economy of the entire metropolitan area will more than reimburse us for our efforts. And now, permit me to present Labor Commissioner Sam Caldwell, who will give you the details on this new center.
June 16, 1967
ATLANTA LIONS CLUB
No one knows better than I the manifold opportunities which our state offers its citizens today and its young people who will be our citizens tomorrow. And there is no reason whatsoever for any divided goals or uncertainties in formulating a plan for tomorrow's greatness. The main thing we must do in Georgia is to provide all our citizens~no matter what their economic background or circumstances~theopportunity to earn a decent living and to be secure in their daily lives. Weare in a period in our existence as a state when vision is necessary and when we need to put our best thoughts and efforts toward building for the future.
June 19, 1967
BROOKS COUNTY JAYCEES
Quitman
You are embarking upon a broad community project~OperationBrooks Uplift~even before you receive your charter. This is the brand of com-
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65
munity leadership Georgia needs and it is the type of leadership the Maddox administration is providing in state government. ... I do not think anyone has the right to decide which laws he will or will not obey or to engage in acts of civil disobedience. I do not think anyone has the right to incite or engage in riots, to destroy private property or to disrupt the peaceful pursuit of lawful activities by any individual or group.... What I am talking about are the abuses that are taking place in the name of those rights and objectives. License in the name of liberty is nothing more than anarchy.
AIRPORT ROTARY CLUB
June 19, 1967
We in state government realize that without South Fulton County-and its growth-Atlanta would not be the great metropolitan area that it is today. We realize that unless South Metropolitan Atlanta flourishes, Atlanta will not become the even greater metropolitan area that it is predicted to be in the future. And no one perhaps more than I could be conscious of the tremendous development potential which lies in wait here.
GEORGIA MUNICIPAL ASSOCIATION
June 20, 1967
You will recall, in 1962, when I sought t~ become lieutenant governor, I proposed to your association that, if elected, I would provide Georgia's municipalities one-half of one cent collected in state sales taxes. No other candidates for lieutenant governor or governor made such a pledge, and it was considered so far ahead of the times that your association wouldn't even adopt the proposal. ... You will recall, in 1966, I again came to you as a candidate for governor, and pledged to provide Georgia's municipalities the same amount of state aid. You will recall that, in 1966, your association adopted my proposal as one of its major goals...
TUGALOO STATE PARK DEDICATION
June 24, 1967
Lavonia
These fine facilities are testimony to our efforts in Georgia to provide the very best in accommodations for recreation-minded Georgians and thousands of out-of-state visitors. Perhaps more than any other, Tugaloo State Park reflects the new trend in the design of state parks for broader and more extensive use.
Our parks in the past have been used primarily for picnics and family
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
reunions. But this is no longer true. Georgia's state parks today provide our people and our visitors with many recreational uses.
RURAL LETTER CARRIERS ASSOCIATION
June 26, 1967
All Americans owe a great debt to the mail carrier for his role in the transition from the old to the new rural America. He has been termed not only the bearer of news, but the friend and neighbor of his patrons, a politician, a handyman-and perhaps the most versatile public servant in the nation's history.
SCIENTIFIC GLASSBLOWERS SOCIETY
June 28, 1967
Members of your organization are the hidden forces which guide and facilitate research projects to conquer disease, to advance space exploration arid to open the doors of the seas to a vast world of resources to benefit all mankind. There was a time when the knowledge of this art was something each artisan kept to himself. Your organization shares your knowledge and technique to the end that there might be progress and that the growing needs for your products and services might be met.
COASTAL AREA PLANNING And Development Commission
June 30, 1967, First Annual Meeting
Brunswick
Your success in combining the efforts of the people in the six counties which comprise your membership is further proof of the soundness of Georgia's multi-county planning concept. As a governor who believes deeply in the involvement of the people in government and public affairs, I want to extend to you a personal commendation for your program of bringing together civic, business and industry leaders to discuss progress through your "Project Ten" seminar.
July 4, 1967
FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION
Demorest
I don't mean to say that anyone should be forced to accept any particular religious teachings not in keeping with their own personal faith,
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67
and I am the last who would advocate government-imposed religion. But what I am saying is that boys and girls--our hope for keeping our nation free and our institutions strong~should have the same opportunity to express their faith in God and to learn to appreciate the great heritage passed on by patriotic, God-fearing men.
PATTERSON LIONS CLUB
July 4, 1967
There is need today more than ever before for true patnotIsm. Until recently our country has been received with honor and the love of the whole world. Our flag, widely known as "Old Glory," aroused a cheer wherever it appeared. The light from the Statue of Liberty shone round the world as a beacon of hope to oppressed, suffering people everywhere. The highest ambition of multitudes in many lands was to get to America.
MORGAN COUNTY CIVIC CLUBS
July 5, 1967
Hard Labor Creek, Rutledge
Georgia today IS m the midst of a great revolution in agriculture, in industrialization and in population shift from rural to urban areas. This type of change always brings problems, some of which seem insurmountable at times and some of which test the public patience, but I'm happy to say that Georgians have profited, rather than lost, from it. This has been true because our people have not permitted differences of opinion and different outlooks.
MACON EXCHANGE CLUB
July 6, 1967
As we work together, opening up lines of communication, sharing ideas, and joining hands, we can walk into the future that is as vast as space itself. For this reason, and for this purpose, I call upon you~the leaders~in business and professional life~to seize the opportunity of a lifetime in the lifetime of opportunity. Now is the time for action, for imagination and planning, for boldness and building, to open the door of the Georgia of our dreams. It is time for each one of us to assume our share of responsibility.
GEORGIA PRESS ASSOCIATION
July 8, 1967
Jekyll Island
There are some elements of our citizenry who subscribe to the theory
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
that Georgia cannot properly develop her great resources without a complete "give-in" to the federal government. I have never-and I shall never -believe that we Georgians are not capable of doing for ourselves what we must do to achieve greatness. The Maddox administration is setting new standards in government with particular emphasis on state sovereignty and the rights of all of our people.
CENTRAL GEORGIA DEMOCRATIC DINNER
July 10, 1967
Milledgeville
Both I and Chairman Gray adopted the objective of a "consensus" Democratic party for Georgia in which all views and all shades of opinion are recognized. Weare determined to give our party the broadest possible base of political leadership. I have urged the national Democratic party to do the same, and I believe that if the national Democratic party and the present national administration will follow Georgia leadership, the national Democratic party and its nominees will be successful in 1968.
TRION ROTARY CLUB
July 12, 1967
Summerville
You hear a lot of talk about the state authorizing city councils and county governing authorities to levy an additional one cent on the sales tax. It is suggested that the state collect this additional money and return it to local authorities to be spent as they desire, without regard to what produced the tax in the first place.
That would mean that when you go to Atlanta to purchase some of your needs, this extra one cent would be collected and find its resting place in Atlanta, never to return to your community. The State Capitol, the General Assembly would be bypassed. The right of the people to say how that tax money would be spent would be bypassed and ignored.
Your city hall and your county courthouse would be bypassed. Georgia children, teachers and education in this state would be bypassed. Our unfortunate mental health and mental retardation patients would be bypassed. That group in Atlanta seems to think that your local government should be run from Atlanta's city hall, their local newspaper office, and the offices of the financial czars which surround Five Points.
GOVERNOR'S HONORS PROGRAM
July 13, 1967
Wesleyan College, Macon
I am a strong believer in this program because of the inspiration and
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69
encouragement it provides you and other young Georgians as you put forth strong effort to attain recognition and participation in the Governor's Honor Program.
Just as you are not average young people, neither can I afford to be just an average governor. For any other person sitting in the governor's chair, being average would suffice, but for Lester Maddox this is not enough. To achieve the future which we adults want for you, we must have four years of excellence in all phases of government.
EIGHTH DISTRICT COUNTY OFFICERS
July 13, 1967
Waycross
You often hear the same old voices saying, "Let's close our courthouses." This song is heard most often from the "establishment" in Atlanta. I told you and I told the people of Georgia as a candidate that this must not happen. I believe in strong local government and will resist with all the power of my being those who advocate that it be destroyed, weakened or removed from control of local citizens....
JOINT PRINCIPALS CONFERENCE
July 18, 1967
Athens
American orator Wendell Phillips once said that "the best education in the world is the one got by struggling to make a living."
If his observation is true, my friends, then Lester Maddox is a welleducated man. As your governor, I hold a degree in hard work and a master's degree in self-reliance. I am now at work on a doctorate thesis called "Excellence in State Government." And I can assure you-as a governor who was not able to get the formal education he wanted as a young man-that a major part of our program for excellence is the finest educational system the State of Georgia has ever known.
The rewards of such a system are more than evident. We know what high quality education will mean to the social, cultural, economic and industrial future of our state. We know that placing the best education in the hands of every child is a debt due from the present to future generations. We know that every dollar we spend for education will pay us untold dividends for decades to come in Georgia.
STATE MEDICAL EDUCAnON BOARD July 19, 1967
As one who knows what it means to struggle to make ends meet, I am
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
especially proud of the young men and women who have taken part in this program. For many of them, it has meant the difference between receiving an education and facing the complexities of life without one.
And equally important, this program has provided rural Georgia with badly needed doctors to minister to the physical illnesses of Georgia people. I am not unaware that this commission needs more money for increasing the number of scholarships [and] the amounts of the scholarships.
NEW GEORGIA TECH DORMITORIES
July 19, 1967
Groundbreaking
Today I feel we can truthfully say we stand at the threshold of a new era here at Georgia Tech-already one of the most outstanding technological schools in the nation.
These new dormitories will stand as solid proof that the State of Georgia is determined to carry out its commitment to the new campus expansion plan for Georgia Tech which was developed three short years ago. As most of you know, this plan will allow us eventually to close part of Hemphill Avenue and make the Georgia Tech campus the dominant feature of the northeast area of Atlanta.
NATIONAL INTERSTATE COUNCIL
July 20, 1967
State Board of Cosmetology
I greatly admire any profession and any organization which seeks to improve itself through meetings and forums such as this. We have taken a somewhat similar approach to state government in Georgia. We believe the best way to have truly self-government is to have the people themselves deeply involved it in at all levels. Therefore, we are holding a series of citizens' meetings....
SHERIFFS ASSOCIATION
July 21, 1967
Jekyll Island
In my opinion, the intervention of the national government in local law enforcement and judicial matters has fostered the wave of crime and lawlessness now sweeping our nation. This wave of violence and criminal activity is a blight upon our country's name throughout the world. How can we expect to talk peace when other nations reply only, "You want peace? Look at Newark, look at Watts, look at Chicago, look at your own national capital, Washington, D.C."
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GRAY BONNET REGIMENT, 121sT INFANTRY
July 21, 1967
Fort Stewart
I wish all Georgians could have seen your mounted review this afternoon, and the powerful pieces of armor and other equipment. It certainly has heartened me to see such tremendous power and to know that our state has sufficient force to deal with any enemy which confronts this division . . . .
May you continue to render to your state and nation the loyal service that has marked your membership in the Gray Bonnet Regiment. For whatever role there might be for you in the future troop structure of the state, your service will be invaluable to the Georgia National Guard and to your country.
COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN
July 22, 1967
House Chamber
One of the proudest accomplishments of my administration has been our success in bringing together the various political and social factions of the state into one dynamic, moving force. This could not be possible and Georgia would not profit if we failed to recognize and utilize the talents and energies of women. That is why I asked you to serve on this commission. There are many women in Georgia who can perform useful and meaningful tasks for their state. One job is to find such talent and bring it to public light.
GOVERNOR'S DAY
July 22, 1967
Fort Stewart, Hinesville
I t is heartening to me to see here such a fine group of Americans who are meeting the responsibilities of citizenship in the finest traditions of military service. As citizen-soldiers you are volunteers who realize the importance of serving your state and nation in this time of brush-fire conflicts and international tensions.
HAIRDRESSERS AND COSMETOLOGY
July 23, 1967
National Association
I want to commend the members of your organization for the work you
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
do with the state in your institutional program and welfare work. I understand you have eight beauty shops at the Milledgeville State Hospital. The work you have done to help in the cure of the mentally ill, the depressed and the hopeless, is magnificent.
RETAIL FOOD DEALERS ASSOCIATION
July 23, 1967
Jekyll Island
Now our state government IS III the hands of the people. And I shall work harder every day to be sure that it remains there. We have just reason to be proud of every county and every city in Georgia. There are problems----certainly-but we are moving ahead more rapidly that ever before into a position of leadership among our sister states.
OPENING THE TOBACCO MARKET July 26, 1967
Douglas
Last year this county led the entire state in agriculture. The market which officially opens today is the oldest and the largest in Georgia, and this occasion marks its fiftieth consecutive year of operation....
I think all of Georgia knows, and all of the nation knows, what Lester Maddox wants for Georgia. I decided long ago, and promised, and planned. Now, with the help of God, and the good people of this state, we will continue to make the changes that are necessary, the improvements that are long overdue, and carry out the programs of the people's administration....
TAX ASSESSORS SUMMER CONFERENCE
July 26, 1967
Jekyll Island
Those who can only see part of Georgia, those who are obligated to special areas and special interest groups, and those who care not for the rest of our great state, must lose in their fight to discriminate against the rest of Georgia through enactment of the "local option" sales tax.
As your governor, I promise to oppose with all my energy, ability and authority those who now demand your tax dollars that would make the rich richer and the poor poorer. Some of the people who are now pushing for local option are the same ones who have for years pushed for consolidation and the closing of schools, courthouses and city halls throughout Georgia.
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LITHIA SPRINGS RURITAN CLUB
July 27, 1967
Your accomplishments here in Lithia Springs are evidences of hard work and solid citizenship. Your organization is responsible for street signs and house numbers for postal service-as well as the postal service itself. Your organization is responsible for a fire department and an excellent community library. You are also, I understand, working on plans for landscaping and beautification of Lithia Springs....
NEWNAN ROTARY CLUB
July 28, 1967
People who riot, burn and loot have lost all claim to protection of any alleged rights they might have, because they have forfeited them by their anarchy. Any rights to be protected are those of peaceful and law-abiding citizens. It seems to me that far too many people, some in high federal positions, have this reversed and are worrying about the rights of people who loot, burn and kill, rather than the rights of those about whom they should worry.
NINTH ANNUAL WATERSHED MEETING
July 28, 1967
Talmo
The fact that you have local people in control of the soil conservation program makes this project one of the best the federal government helps finance. The magnitude of what you are doing in Georgia is difficult to describe. Georgia leads the whole Southeast in the number of watershed plans being provided through federal assistance. We have actually completed construction of dams in four projects and contracts have been made on enough construction work to complete six more projects this year.
THOMASTON KIWANIS CLUB
August 1, 1967
It is a distinct honor for me to return to "Maddox Country." Isn't it amazing that we have much more Maddox Country now than we did this time last year?
For this, I am indeed grateful, and I expect to see more next year than we have this year.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
I heard of a Senator who went to South America on vacation and was taken on a special tour through dangerous waters~infestedwith alligators, and one of the alligators jumped up and bit off his leg.
His wife heard about it and called and asked, "Which one?" He replied: "I don't know, I can't tell one alligator from another." Well, my fellow Georgians, I have learned to keep my feet in the boat as I travel rivers of publie life and service. Because it is awfully hard to tell one alligator from another. But I do know how to distinguish and identify people, and I want to say that here in Georgia we have the very best people in the world. I am especially thankful as I remember the enthusiastic efforts and personal dedication of my many friends here during my campaign for governor. Your presence, which makes me remember your tireless loyalty and earnest counsel, gives me a feeling of great joy and thanksgiving. Permit me to commend your community for the spirit of initiative, hard work and cooperation. I am especially thankful for the outstanding job the Kiwanis Club does to promote your community. Your dedication to building~the building of character, as well as building industry, is worthy of praise from all Georgians. It is people like you who are helping to build the kind of Georgia, and the kind of America we need, and can have. We have many problems facing our society in these days. We see the sweeping tide of international communism, the tragic trend toward the welfare state, the attempted destruction of our free enterprise system and the right to private property. We are faced with more and morc federal control over our lives....
BUCKHEAD FIFTY CLUB
August 1, 1967
My membership in this fine organization caused quite a stir among some of my staff members not long ago. Someone sent out biographical sketches that listed me as a member of the "Buckhead Fifth Club.". . .
It would be extremely difficut for me, in just a few words, to evaluate the first six months of my term of office. To say that we are satisfied with our accomplishments so far would most certainly hint of complacency ~where complacency most assuredly docs not exist. To say that we look forward to great accomplishments in the future would no doubt indicate that we consider our gains this far of little import, and this my friends, is not the case. So tonight I will sum it up in this way: We have demanded
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action in areas which have lain virtually untouched, or neglected, for years.
ATLANTA MASONIC CLUB
August 2, 1967
Shrine Temple Ballroom
I come before you today as a friend, as a brother, as an admirer of your . good works ... and as a governor completely dedicated to the principles of God, religion and Christianity. I was particularly pleased when you asked me to speak to your fine organization on building a better Christian government in Georgia. This, my friends, is one of my firmest intentions.
NORTH GEORGIA ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP
August 3, 1967
Annual Meeting
I've made quite a few speeches around Georgia in the past few years, but this is the first time anyone has put me in a circus tent. I think this setting would have been more appropriate during the campaign last fall when the real circus was going on. There were quite a few clowns around then. And elephants. Somehow we haven't heard much from them lately. . . .
Any company or organization would envy your financial record. Your prudent handling of fiscal affairs is reflected not only in the fact that your corporation has retired all of its indebtedness, but that you have on hand more than $1,000,000 surplus funds for future expansion. Perhaps even more significant is the role the North Georgia Electric Membership Corporation has played in getting industries to locate in Northwest Georgia....
POLICE ACADEMY GRADUATING CLASS
August 4, 1967
You are now entrusted with the safety of the lives and property of all Georgians. Let me emphasize that your job as a law enforcement officer is a demanding one. It will not be easy. But let me also point out that law enforcement knows no better friend than Lester Maddox. And I can assure you of my unending desire to improve law enforcement as a profession. This administration is determined to provide better working conditions and better compensation for those who are responsible for keeping the peace and maintaining law and order.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
CHRISTIAN CRUSADE
August 4, 1967
Tulsa, Oklahoma
I come before you on this occasion as proof that the cause of living, responsive and responsible conservatism has become revitalized, and emerges as a complete instrument of effective public policy and serviceone which retains the best of the past, develops the soundest philosophy of the present, and prepares in all areas of the greatest public need to stand tall in the battle of tomorrow. As Governor of Georgia, my administration is proving day by day that constructive conservatism is the surest method of solving the problems confronting our people....
What happened in Georgia last year heralds what I am confident is happening throughout the nation. That is, that constructive conservatism is now being returned to the seat of power in all levels of government....
It is my hope that the federal government and local governments everywhere will emulate the example of what we are doing in Georgia....
The Maddox administration in Georgia is promoting its program of honesty, efficiency and morality in government which I say to you with due modesty is unparalleled in twentieth century America.
ETOWAH RURITAN CLUB
August 7, 1967
Rome
Government is a business ... a big business. It's the people's business. It should be operated-and will be-during the Maddox administrationin a businesslike manner, assuring that the interest of the Georgia people, its stockholders, are represented at all times. I believe that most Georgians are eager to see what can be done in state government by a governor who has never been under the fingers of pressure groups, special interests or powerful political figures, a man whose hands are not tied.
VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION CONFERENCE
August 9, 1967
Jekyll Island
... In the twenty-seven years that [the late Dr. Polk] Jarrell was associated with this department the State of Georgia moved steadily and forcefully ahead to a first-class rehabilitation program. Under his leadership Georgia became foremost in the nation-and even the world-in vocational rehabilitation. . . . It is not necessary for me to tell you that the Maddox administration has undertaken some of the most progressive reforms in state government ever known in Georgia.... It is not secret in
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Georgia~or anywhere else in the country~that our state has long been at the bottom of the list in the matter of prisons and correctional institutions. The Maddox administration is determined to reverse this trend.
FLINT RIVER ACADEMY
August 12, 1967
Woodbury
It is wonderful to be back into some of the heart of what has always been "Maddox Country." ... I am happy indeed to know that this community has taken such a deep interest in the future of your young people, and that in the building of this academy, many of you have joined together to do the work without any pay except the joy of a job well done. . . . It is certainly praiseworthy that the conservative educators of this area have joined hands in the building of this academy in Woodbury which will also serve the other two counties, Pikc and Talbot.
MOOSE ASSOCIAnON
August 12, 1967
Of all thc organizations to which it has been my good fortune to belong, nothing gives me any greater pridc than my membership in the Loyal Order of Moose. . . . My administration will follow to the lettcr the precepts of integrity as set forth by the Moose order in all its endeavors. When this administration has ended, I hope the people of Georgia will be able to say that Lester Maddox did more to bring clean, honest govcrnment to Georgia than any other official who has ever occupied the chair of chief executive.
INDEPENDENT AUTOMOBILE DEALERS
August 14, 1967
Stone Mountain
I don't need to tell you how important thc automobile is to our economy. You know or you wouldn't be a member of this organization. What I do want to tell you is that your governor has pledged to bring more business to Georgia, and that's what he's doing. New business brings with it new peoplc and ncw money. A lot of that new money will go into the
pockcts of pcople right hcrc in this room. Georgia is growing. Georgia is
getting more new industries and there will be even more. I can assure you of that.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
SIGMA DELTA KAPPA
August 17, 1967
National Convention
I feel close kinship with all of you here today for more than one reason. First-as many of you know-I was made an honorary member of this fine organization last May. I deeply appreciate such an honor. I consider it one of the finest affiliations of my career-and my association here has been most meaningful. Second, although I am not a lawyer by profession, my knowledge of the law is far more than just superficial. I have had about as much experience with the law as any lay citizens in the country. In fact, I have been in the courtroom as often as some lawyers.
MOULTRIE APPRECIATION DINNER
August 17, 1967
The first words I said publicly after being elected Governor of Georgia were "My heart is full." Indeed, my heart is full at this moment because of your honoring me with this appreciation dinner. It is because of people like you and events such as this that I am inspired to work harder to be the finest governor Georgia has ever had. The Maddox administration has laid the foundation for a progressive and responsible state government....
SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS
August 18, 1967
Jackson Lake
I have always been grateful for the hospitality shown me by the Georgia School Bus Drivers Association. When I was a candidate for governor last year, there were some groups that seemed reluctant to seat me on the platform or even list me on the program! But the reception you have given me here today was equally as cordial during last year's campaigning-and farther back than that: during my campaign for lieutenant governor in 1962. And I deeply appreciate such fricndship and such warm support. I can assure you that the feeling is mutual.
OPENING OF SHERWOOD PLAZA August 19, 1967
Gainesville
My friends, this new shopping center is solid proof that the Gainesville area is on the move. There is no doubt that it is a direct result of able
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local leadership, individual initiative, and community spirit. These are the qualities we are striving for in all the towns and communities throughout our state as we lead Georgia to the heights of plenty and prosperity. These are the qualities which have brought to Hall County in the past year-and-a-half more than $16,000,000 in new and expanded industry....
FEDERATION OF ALL U.S. VETERANS
August 19, 1967
Third National Convention
Permit me to commend you for the outstanding job you are doing to help veterans, their widows and dependents and for opening the door of service and fellowship to a host of people across the nation. I know I speak for all Georgians when I express my appreciation for the service you have rendered in the hospitals, the assistance you have given families with special needs and the project of placing flags in nursing homes. It is especially heartwarming to know also that ladies can be members of your organization, and I am proud that my mother is a member in good standing.
EIGHTH DISTRICT DEMOCRATIC DINNER
August 21, 1967
Waycross
What we must have in America today is a return to sensible, constitutional and conservative government. To do it, the conservatives of this land must stand up and speak out for what they know is right. We hear a lot of talk about a third party. What we need is not a new party, but a revitalization of the one we have. If the conservatives of America are strong enough to form a successful third party, then we are strong enough to have an influence and dominant voice in the national Democratic party.
DOWNTOWN CIVITAN CLUB
August 22, 1967
The Maddox administration is and will continue to be an action administration. And by action I mean doing-not just talking. This has been the philosophy of the Civitans. You do your good works quietly, without boasting, and without any expectation of any reward except that which the Good Lord has promised us in the hereafter. But as chief executive of Georgia, I cannot afford to be quiet. The people of Georgia have given me a job to do and they want to know that I'm doing it.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
STATE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE EXECUTIVES
August 22, 1967
Savannah
What we're striving for in Georgia is a state in which business and industry flourish, where all of our resources, both natural and human, are fully utilized for the benefit of the entire state, where merchants and industrialists make a profit, and where those who will work can find a job.
No one recognizes more than I what a tremendous undertaking it is to build a business from the ground up. I've done it. And no one knows better than I what a defeat it is to have government move into private business and make decisions for those who own and operate them. I say that we do not need this type of government interference in our state, and I am determined to do all within my power to see that we don't get it.
JOHN HANCOCK ACADEMY
August 23, 1967
Sparta
It is a real joy for me to return to Sparta and once again fellowship with those who have always been proud to live in "Maddox Country." . . . I want to commend you for your determination to provide quality education for the children of this community and for the highly successful accomplishments of your first year of operation. It has also been a source of inward joy for me to know that your interest goes beyond "readin', writin', and 'rithmetic" to include religion, and that as a part of your program you begin each day with a ten-minute devotional. Many of the things I desire for all of Georgia are being done in a beautiful way here at the John Hancock Academy, and I want you to know that I am truly grateful for the progress you have made. This progress along with your noble purposes deserve the admiration of all Georgians.
GOLDEN FLEECE MASONIC LODGE
August 25, 1967
Covington
When I sought the governorship of Georgia, I said many times that God was my campaign manager. And I never doubted for a second that I would win despite the odds against me. I'm proud to say that Newton County has always been "Maddox Country" and I am grateful for the support and help the people here have given me. And I want you to know that as your governor, I am demanding the strictest code of ethics in the conduct of public husiness.
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FELLOWSHIP BAPTIST CHURCH
August 27, 1967
AdeI
I ask for the support and prayers of all Christians as I carry out my responsibilities.
I know the people of this state know what kind of society they want to build-they know the better Georgia they desire and I believe they are willing to take their tools in hand and build it.
But I must challenge you-God's people-to a life of prayer and dedication-to repentance and humility before God.
We can never build the walls until we have the blessing of God.
AVONDALE BAPTIST CHURCH
August 27, 1967
Macon
Friends, as governor of this great state-and as a Christian-I want you to know that I have a vision of Georgia and America. The Georgia and America that I envision is one of hope and promise. It is: A Georgia and an America where the individual is important-where initiative and industry are encouraged and rewarded-where freedom is real-where faith in God is strong-where property rights are respected-where women and children are safe on the streets. My vision for America and Georgia is one where local people are allowed to solve their own problems in their own way, where the people-and not power-hungry political opportunists-run their government. This dream pictures a society where free enterprise flourishs, and where the rights of people are married to responsibilities.
KAPPA SIGMA NATIONAL FRATERNITY
August 31, 1967
It is my fervent hope that the federal government and local governments will emulate the example of what we are doing in Georgia. Therefore I urge you to go back to your people, back to your state, and tell them that in Georgia the Maddox administration is taking a strong stand for liberty and constitutional government and freedom. Yes, my fellow-Americans, tell them that in Georgia as nowhere else in the United States, this administration has taken a stand for honesty, efficiency and morality in government.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
WALTON COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
August 31, 1967
Monroe
My friends, we have the resources, talent and desire in Georgia to build a truly great state. My administration is dedicated to that end. We seek your help, your prayers and cooperation as we go about the task of providing Georgia with the kind of state government she wants and deserves.
WALTON COUNTY AIRPORT DEDICATION
August 31, 1967
Airports attract industry and industry attracts more industry and the community which has the foresight to build a facility like the one you have developed here in Monroe is the community which will share the profits of our great system of free enterprise. There is no doubt that this facility will mean much in the future growth and development.
GEORGIA COMMUNITY RECREATION BUILDING
September 2, 1967
Dallas
It is a source of great pride to me to come herc and see with my own eyes this fine recreation facility which you have provided.... I am a great believer in Ruritan because I know that its mission is one which is badly needed in America today. In an age when almost everything is geared to urban areas, it is necessary that we have organizations such as yours to build up our rural areas.
KIWANIS CLUB OF CHATTANOOGA VALLEY
September 2, 1967
Annual Barbecue, Flintstone
I do not believe that it is right or American to close or consolidate schools against the wishes of the majority of the people. That is why I seek a local referendum on the question. The people have the right to speak out on matters of education, because education has traditionally been in the hands of local people. Georgia's future depends in large measure on how well we educate our children. Any attempt to dilute our system of public education or lower its level of success will strike a crippling blow to our future.
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VICTORY HOME HOMECOMING
September 3, 1967
Tallulah Falls
It is to your everlasting credit that through your treatment of alcoholism through spiritual guidance you have followed the eternal teachings of Christ and the Holy Bible. As you no doubt know, I am convinced that the use of alcohol is one of the most destructive influences to humanity today. Far, far too many men turn to crime, lose their jobs and break up happy homes and families because of this dreadful disease.
MT. PARAN CHURCH OF GOD
September 5, 1967
Men's Fellowship
You have given yourself to the faith of your fathers-the fundamentals of the Bible-the power of God's holy spirit-and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Your church is dedicated to the old time religion. And your religion is not a philosophical football-it is real. I think all of you will agree with me that what our nation needs today more than ever before is a great spiritual, Holy Ghost revival that will bring us back to God and the Bible, to be saved from the evils that are out to destroy us.
SYLVESTER KIWANIS CLUB
September 6, 1967
Georgia has never had a stronger supporter of local government in the State Capitol than Lester Maddox. It was local citizens who built this great nation of ours and if we fail to maintain control of government at the local level then America will not endure. Even if it is 200 miles from here to the State Capitol, I can hear Sylvester's voice from my office. I think that one thing that makes the acoustics so good now is that the door of the governor's office is always open.
GOVERNMENT APPRECIAnON DAY
September 6, 1967
Hart County Jaycees, Hartwell
The problems we face are serious and demand positive and permanent solutions. The quality of education now afforded Georgia children can and must be improved and the Maddox administration is doing it. We have provided the most far-reaching advances both for common school and
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higher education in the history of Georgia. We in the Maddox administration are fully aware of the mandate which the people of Georgia have given us and we are working daily to discharge our responsibilities in a fashion that will reflect great credit upon our people.
THE CONSERVATIVE CLUB
September 7, 1967
Ours has been an administration of fiscal responsibility-one that leaves to local government the problems of local government and one which resists on every hand the octopus-like arms of the federal establishment which attempts to reach into every area of human life.
Of course I have been criticized. One who stands up and fights for what he believes in and what he knows is right will always be criticized. But criticism from the left-wingers and the socialists affects this governor about as much as water does a duck's back.
The sad thing about it, however, is that the self-styled "do-gooders" and the self-acclaimed prophets simply won't admit they're wrong. But after all, I'm not surprised. It takes men of strong character to admit they're wrong. They seem to forget that Lester Maddox defeated the big-name Democrats and the big-shot Republicans, the daily press, the Atlanta establishment and the Democrats for you-know-who with nothing on his side but God and the people.
CLASS B TRUCKERS ASSOCIATION
September 9, 1967
Americus
Tragedy, rioting and death stalk America today because the United States Supreme Court has for many years been striking down our Constitution with numerous decisions in support of world communism . . . and against America. . . . The only answer is for our national leaders to recognize that they have failed in the first responsibility of government, that of protecting the lives and properties of its citizens, and return that right to the local people at the local level. It is time they learned that law and order will be restored only when the right to police ... the right to run their own business . . . the right to protect their families and their property ... is returned to the local people rather than taken from them.
This, my friends, is the answer. And in Georgia-as long as I am governor-I am determined that freedom, private property rights, free enterprise and respect for the law and order will be maintained.... I am not ashamed of my beliefs. I am proud of them.
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GEORGIA NATIONAL GUARD ASSOCIATION
September 9, 1967
Banquet Meeting
We have much to be proud of within the National Guard of this state. I have mentioned the 48th Division's remarkable record at its summer training in July. But I cannot fail to mention the incredible job that has been done by Georgia's transport squadrons of the 116th Military Airlift Wing. Both of our Airlift Squadrons at Dobbins Air Force Base and at Savannah's Travis Field have been flying an average of six missions a month to Southeast Asia, most of them directly into war-ravaged Vietnam, for the past year and a half.... Regardless of its present or future role, the Guard will continue to perform its vital missions with a high sense of responsibility.
GRANT PARK MASONIC LODGE
September 14, 1967
As I stand before you tonight I am conscious that I am a debtor to my friends-especially the friends of this lodge-men who are more than friends, who have stood by me through the years and have helped to open the doors of opportunity in a manner never experienced before in this state. Friends and brothers like you have made me feel instinctively that I am in "Maddox Country," and a surge of gratitude springs up within my soul over the knowledge that it is your dedicated support, daily prayers and determined enthusiasm-along with a host of other Georgians-that made "Maddox Country" a possibility and a living vibrant reality. Now that the geographical limits and the numerical proportions of "Maddox Country" have been greatly expanded since this time last year, we are faced with the day-to-day fulfillment of those aspirations, pledges and promises which earmark the Society of Liberty.
FANNIN COUNTY DEMOCRATIC RALLY
September 16, 1967
Blue Ridge
As governor of this state and head of the Democratic party, I have made it known in no uncertain terms that if the national party and the national administration expect our help and support, then they must recognize that the gate swings two ways. If they expect us to enter, then they must open the door for us.
Both I and Chairman Gray adopted the objective of a "consensus" Democratic party for Georgia in which all views and all shades of opinion
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are recognized. I have urged the national Democratic party to do the same, and I believe that-unless the national Democratic party and the present national administration follow Georgia's example-then the Democrats will likely lose the White House and Congress in 1968.
EIGHTH DISTRICT MADDOX CLUBS
September 17, 1967
Blackshear
I will always remember that it was here-in the Eighth district-that we held our first big rally during my campaign last year. I will always remember that through your leadership in this district, your organization, your effective promotion, you cleared the political forest and helped blaze the trail which led me to the office of governor. And I will always remember that it was your part of "Maddox Country" which swept through opposition to let the voice of grass roots conservatism echo and vibrate with the sound of victory. Victory, truth, right, liberty, for our children, for the people.
SANDY SPRINGS KIWANIS CLUB
September 18, 1967
I have said many times-and I repeat it to you tonight-the answers lie in a complete return to patriotism, to states rights, and to constitutional government. These principles have not by any means been applied to our political affairs in recent years. . . . It seems we have reached the point where we no longer have government by and for the people. Rather, we are coming nearer and nearer the point of government by guideline.
LAKEWOOD HEIGHTS BUSINESS MEN'S CLUB
September 19, 1967
South Bend Park, Atlanta
Your governor is proud of this state and is doing everything within his power to keep it great and make it greater. This is why this administration is working hard to carry out the crash programs promised to the people last year. We are determined to provide a public school system equal to the best in the nation; we are pushing for completion of our interstate highways; to improve our prison system; accelerate our mental health program; supercharge our industrial promotion; strengthen local control
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of government; provide an administration you can trust, depend upon and look to for liberty, states rights, free enterprise and private property rights. We have launched programs without parallel in the history of Georgia.
HOT DIPPED GALVANIZING ASSOCIATION
September 19, 1967
Our nation became the greatest on earth not because of big men in government but because of big men in free enterprise. I firmly believe that the avenues of opportunity for our people opened by business and industry will go further toward establishing a greater society than any program any government can devise or afford. And I am determined to lead Georgia to the forefront in economic progress in the South and in the nation.
ADEL RETAIL MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION
September 20, 1967
One of the problems we have in this country is the problem of federal aid. According to Lawrence Sullivan, federal aid is a "myth~a hoax~an illusion." I agree with the proposal he made in 1962 that the federal government relinquish about ten per cent of its tax area to the states in order that local programs could be handled by them. Such a program would eliminate a vast compliance bureaucracy in Washington, reestablish states rights, eliminate meddling from Washington, and would create more incentive by placing the responsibility for these programs on the shoulders of the people at the local level. This would return federal government to its intended sphere.... All funds received in the form of "kick-backs" to the states came from the taxpayers. Therefore "federal aid" is a misleading term.
ATLANTA OPTIMIST CLUB
September 22, 1967
As not witnessed during your lifetime, the Maddox administration is in truth the people's administration. We are providing government of, for and by the people. Our actions are not based upon what may be best for Democrats, Republicans, Lester Maddox, Washington, rural or city, rich or poor, or any other special group, regardless of race, creed, color or national origin, but what is best for all Georgia. I seek your prayers. I ask your cooperation. The task is before us all. Our duty is clear. Georgia's destiny is in our hands.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
CHARLOTTE HOME BUILDERS ASSOCIAnON
September 22, 1967
Charlotte, North Carolina
We in the Southeast have proven what individual initiative can do. We have shown the way, lighted the path. We have made great progress, although the course has not always been easy. Yet it is my firm conviction that all of our efforts will go for naught if we do not preserve our great institution of local self-government and self-determination. Achieving this task must be the cooperative task of many individuals and many groups. Each of you here has a vital role to play, and I know that you will give your best.
SAVANNAH BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU
September 26, 1967
I have strived at all times to alert all citizens, both in Georgia and without our state, of the peril that is threatening our freedoms. If my actions have been too strenuous, as some critics say, I say that whatever is needed to be done I will do to warn our people of what is happening in this nation today. Perhaps the greatest of all freedoms is the freedom to criticize. No one should disdain constructive criticism. As Governor of Georgia, I appreciate fair and just criticism. It makes a better husband, governor and citizen of me. So, just criticism cannot bother Lester Maddox. But unjust, untrue and unfair criticism of me and my administration, the brand which certain newspapers are now using, gives me no alternative other than to set the record straight.
GOVERNOR'S CONFERENCE ON EDUCAnON
September 27, 1967
We must work together to answer to vital questions: First, what do we seek for our educational system? Second, how can we best provide an opportunity for a quality education for all Georgia children whether they live in the city, the suburbs or the rural environs? To put it candidly, we cannot afford to give one child a good education and another no education at all, simply because one child might live in a richer neighborhood or a wealthier school district than another.
It is my desire to have you examine very closely the type of instructional materials and textbooks now provided the schoolchildren of Georgia. Some of you will be asked to make a thorough study of the textbooks used in our classrooms between 1940 and 1967 and answer such questions as: What were we teaching in 1940 that we should be teaching today? What
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is the responsibility of the school in citizenship programs? ...
ASSOCIATION OF REAL ESTATE BOARDS
September 28, 1967
State Convention, Augusta
I appreciate especially your attitude and your stand concerning the federal government's unfair interference in real estate transactions. I commend you for your efforts to preserve the American right of individual citizens to own, develop and sell real estate. Because of your interest in the basic rights of businessmen-and all people, and your insight into the encroachments of big government into the affairs of private business, and your advancement of ethical practices in real estate, you have helped to bring about the wholesome economic climate we now enjoy in Georgia and the Southeast.
GOD AND COUNTRY RALLY
September 30, 1967
Bainbridge
I may be an extremist, for I am extremely concerned about the welfare of the people in our country. I am extremely concerned about those who have destroyed our Bill of Rights and Constitution, and our right to determine the destiny of our children. And I am so dumb that I believe a man should keep his promises, not just campaign by them, but live by them, regardless of political consequences. If this is being dumb and ignorant, extreme or irresponsible, then I am happy to wear those labels for I am going to continue, as Governor of Georgia, to be faithful to my convictions as well as my promises.
STATE DEPARTMENTS OF AGRICULTURE
October 1, 1967
National Association
Today we need businessmen, community leaders, public officials-all over Georgia and America-to sound the trumpet of free men. This trumpet can sound out the alarm for rededication to God and to America. It can stimulate more religious faith and more true patriotism. Your influence and the influence of us all is needed to insulate our nation from the dangers of communism, violence and atheism....
GEORGIA DENTAL ASSOCIATION CONVENTION
October 2, 1967
We are now in the process of building a multi-million dollar dental school in Augusta. This new institution will be operated in conjunction
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with Georgia's outstanding medical-dental complex at the Medical College of Georgia. Emory University has let the contracts for the construction of a $6,000,000 dental school building. We feel that these institutions will provide dentists to serve the people of Georgia and the people of other states. These forward strides are but a few of the advances being made by a progressive state on the move.
FIRESTONE TIRE & RUBBER PLANT
October 4, 1967
Groundbreaking, Albany
As proof of our faith in what the future will bring, we have demonstrated-and will continue to do so-to Firestone and other giant companies, as well as the smaller ones, our desire to be a partner in whatever they do. While we need them, and their payrolls and their taxes, we simultaneously realize that they need us. For only with a working partnership between government and free enterprise will we be able to attain our goals for the state of Georgia....
GEORGIA HOMEMAKER OF THE YEAR Delivered by Mrs. Maddox
October 5, 1967
Southeastern Fair, Atlanta
As Georgia's First Lady, I offer my warmest congratulations, not only to the winner, but to the winners from each congressional district and to all women in Georgia who spend their full time as homemakers and mothers. Since the women here outnumber the men, I don't think it would be too risky to say that I wholeheartedly agree with the old Chinese proverb: "A hundred men may make an encampment, but it takes a woman to make a home."
AUGUSTA RESCUE MISSION
October 5, 1967
Just as you desire to reach the lost and tell them that God is the answer, and that He can give them new direction and new purpose, we in the Maddox administration are carrying out programs under the guidance of God, knowing that we cannot succeed without Him, and that no state or nation can be rightly governed without God and the Bible. Because of the similarity of ideals and methods, I am all the more pleased with this opportunity to fellowship with you.
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ASSOCIATION OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
October 6, 1967
Mid-Year Conference
Georgia with her resources, Georgia with her people, Georgia with her pride and traditions, Georgia with her ambition, Georgia with her burning desire for success, Georgia with all this, is emerging as the brightest star in our galaxy of states. A large portion of the credit for this, my fellow public servants, is due to you and to other government officials who place the will of the people and the public good above personal ambition and politics. At a time when local government is struggling just to survive, it is refreshing to sec local officials tackle local problems and seck local solutions. This is truly the American way.
ANNUAL COMMUNITY FISH FRY
October 7, 1967
Richmond Hill
When you have experienced trials and tribulations in your private life as I have, you learn quickly to distinguish between what is and what is not important. You learn because your role in the so-called "American dream" is at stake. You learn because your future and that of your family, your home, and your business depend upon it. You learn because the fate of the entire nation depends upon it.
GEORGIA RECREATION AND PARKS SOCIETY
October 9, 1967
Annual Conference, Pine Mountain
Georgia's state government recognizes its responsibility in recreation. A State Recreation Commission has been created and provided funds with which to develop and implement recreation programs. In addition, local governments also have made tremendous progress in this vital public service by creating recreation boards and providing them with the means to improve existing recreational programs and implement new ones. And last, but by no means least, professional and lay men have devoted their time and their know-how to devising workable programs of leisure-time activities for Georgia people.
NORTH AMERICAN GASOLINE TAX CONFERENCE
October 9, 1967
When you delegates go back to your homes, I want you to tell your people that Georgia is standing for patriotism and promoting Americanism. Tell them that we are standing for free enterprise, the right to private
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property, states rights and freedom. Tell them we are working for peace and tranquillity, law and order, and the protection of the lives and property of our citizens.
DIXIE COUNCIL OF AUTHORS AND JOURNALISTS
October 10, 1967
Most of you know, I'm sure, that I was once a newspaper columnist myself. My Pickrick column on politics, patriotism, religion, and fried chicken prompted response from all over the world. Of course, I suffered many of the heartbreaks of others during my writing days, even though I paid for my own space. One such heartbreak was having my column ... placed on the obituary page. But I proved to the editors that neither Lester Maddox nor the Pickrick is dead. I became governor, much to their chagrin, and the Pickrick, although not now a restaurant, became a furniture store. But I can tell you that not nearly so many people are as crazy about my furniture as they were my chicken.
EAST POINT ROTARY CLUB
October 10, 1967
Today as never before we need men of courage, men of conviction, men of principles, who will not let thinking of what is best for the pocketbook, or personal power or status, be put ahead of what is best for America, our children and our future as a free people. The future of Georgia is golden. The future of America is bright, but to realize our potential, we must work. To see that great things happen in this land of ours, we must make them happen.
PEACE OFFICERS ASSOCIAnON
October 11, 1967
Jekyll Island
It is my finn belief that law enforcement in Georgia is better than ever before. This is true, I feel, because of the spirit of cooperation which I mentioned earlier. It is also true because of the desire of peace officers to improve themselves and become better law enforcement agents. Our new police academy has made it possible for new officers-and those already in service to their communities, state and nation-to receive good training in police techniques in all types of law enforcement. Weare particularly proud of our specialized schools in such fields as arson, burglary and homicide, as well as many others.
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COLLEGE PARK HIGH SCHOOL
October 12, 1967
Speaking to young people is always a pleasure for me. I feel a special concern for young Georgians, because their alertness, enthusiasm and intelligence are so vital to the welfare of our state and nation. We need your energy and your ideas, now as well as in the future. Today, more than ever before, teenagers are actively influencing the cultural, economic and political developments of the society in which we live. They are the most powerful single group of consumers in the United States.
DOWNTOWN YMCA
October 25, 1967
I feel very much at home with you, for the goals of your organizationas they relate to civic, economic and social life, and the building of character-have been purposes to which I have been dedicated while a businessman in Atlanta, and to which I am still dedicated as chief executive of Georgia. I appreciate especially your noble project of sending underprivileged boys to camp each year with funds collected through the sale of Christmas trees, and for the confidence, self-respect and personal initiative you help to develop in these young people.
NATIONAL TAX ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE
October 25, 1967
We are striving in our administration to make Georgia's Revenue Department the finest in the nation. We are continuously modernizing it, and as a result we have lowered the cost of collections considerably and are providing better services for the taxpayer. And simultaneously we have worked energetically to improve our relationship with the individual businessman and corporations throughout the state. This effort to bring private citizens and big businesses into more contact with day-by-day operation of state government has paid dividends. Many of you read, I'm sure, that Georgia people are so interested in becoming a part of their government that on one occasion they broke out of prison to come to the governor's manSIOn.
EFFINGHAM COUNTY FARM BUREAU
October 26, 1967
Springfield
As a candidate for governor, I proclaimed that my stand of a lifetime for God, liberty, constitutional government, states rights, free enterprise and
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the right to private property would not be forsaken when I entered the office of governor. As Governor of Georgia I am placing special emphasis to see that I meet this pledge. It is another major plank in my administration that cannot be legislated. It is my hope that by the time this administration has ended, many of those who have refused to speak out or take a stand because it was not popular, or maybe it would cost them a few dollars or a few votes, will have gained sufficient courage to speak out and take their stand for God, family, liberty and America.
FLOYD COUNTY FARM BUREAU
October 26, 1967
Rome
Even though Georgia's economy has advanced far beyond that of the one-horse farm, our strength is still in the soil. Therefore, we must strengthen the economy of our rural areas so that our people can remain on the farm and continue to produce the food and fiber upon which we depend for sustenance. Our government must be geared toward an ultimate goal of providing education and training where the rural people are, rather than forcing them into cities where living and employment conditions are less desirable.
NORTHEAST GEORGIA DEMOCRATIC DINNER
October 30, 1967
Gainesville
I'm sure there's not a person here tonight who does not believe that the Democrats might well lose the White House as well as control of Congress next year. The people are looking for responsible government, and if the present crowd can't give it to them, then they'll go elsewhere. What the Democrats in Washington must do is decide whether they're running with the hounds or the hares. They must decide whether they want responsible, conservative government or whether they want bankruptcy, socialism and loss of liberty.
ATLANTA BAPTIST PASTORS CONFERENCE
October 30, 1967
In II Chronicles we have the story of the first revival in recorded history ~the revival in Israel under the leadership of the prophet Elijah. He lived in a time of great evil, idolatry and complete God-forgetfulness, much like the times in which we are living. Elijah prayed and God sent fire down from heaven, and revival came.
We are told in Chapter 7, verse 3: "And when all the children of
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Israel saw how the fire had come down, and the glory of the Lord upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshiped, and praised the Lord."
America, my dear brethren, cannot survive and fulfill its God-appointed mission without the spiritual emphasis which was hers from the beginning. America was born in a prayer meeting, and if America is to continue we must get back to that prayer meeting.
JONES MEMORIAL METHODIST CHURCH
October 31, 1967
Times change, but great principles never change. In these modern times, we must have the old time religion and the old time love for America that our forefathers had. Through God's power we shall stand and endure. I can think of no better time in history to be living. I can think of no better time in history to be living in Georgia. I can think of no better time in history to be Governor of Georgia.
GOVERNOR'S CONFERENCE ON TOURISM
November 2, 1967
Macon
I have long been an advocate of doing for oneself what can be done and appeal for help only when help is needed. While it's true that state government has what is considered to be an outstanding program of tourist promotion, it is my feeling that local communities should do even more.
This has been the case in several areas of the state where local chambers of commerce have augmented the efforts at the state level with many innovative programs to promote local attractions. [There] is the City of Brunswick and Glynn County, where a tourist welcome station has been developed with local funds, and an overlook for visitors to view the marshes of Glynn is under construction....
MACON JUNIOR COLLEGE
November 2, 1967
I am a firm believer in junior colleges as a bridge between high school and a college degree. Georgia's approach to community junior colleges is the soundest of all because it enables young people to remain at home while pursuing at least two years of their work toward a sheepskin. This has many benefits, because the student is still under the supervision of his or her parents, and, second, it eliminates any behavioral problems the college might otherwise encounter.
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CIVIC CLUBS OF TOCCOA
November 2, 1967
We are maintaining our stand for private property rights, free enterprise, respect for law and order, local control of law enforcement agencies and schools, states rights, liberty and constitutional government.
You encourage individual interest in community life, and we in the Maddox administration are constantly making it possible for the people to share in the actions and activities of state government.
BOYS CLUB AREA COUNCIL CONVENTION
November 3, 1967
Atlanta
A boy is a bundle of possibilities, and you are dedicated to helping that boy become what he is capable of becoming. Since 1938 businessmen and professionals in the Boys Club movement have given guidance to over 50,000 boys-a gigantic contribution to the strength of our nation.... You are providing the leadership and resources to meet their present needs as you prepare them for the future.
GOVERNOR'S CRIME COMMISSION
Novmber 3, 1967
State Capitol
We have witnessed terrible outbreaks of violence in America which resulted in the needless loss of life and the wasteful destruction of property.
All of you know that I have vigorously opposed this type of violence for many years, and I am now convinced that our nation is in great danger because of it.
In taking an objective look at crime and its causes, it is not difficult to see that there are several major contributing factors to the rapid rate of increase we are witnessing in America.
But the major contributing factor, in my opinion, is the current trend in our nation toward pampering and petting the lawless.
CHRISTIAN BUSINESS MEN'S ASSOCIATION
November 4, 1967
I feel very much at home with you, for the goals of your organization, as they relate to reaching other businessmen for Christ, are purposes which I have been promoting all these years ... in real estate, sales, the food and furniture business, and all my endeavors and relations with others. In your witnessing for the Lord you go to see the sick, the aged, the im-
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prisoned and the lonely, and carry the message that Christ can "heal the broken-hearted and set at liberty them that are bound."
In a similar manner, as your chief executive, I am traveling throughout this state advancing the spiritual, moral and physical well-being of our citizens. And I am doing it through the strength which comes from the Lord . . . Who, in His good providence, has clothed me with such an honor.
CHRISTMAS STAMP DEDICATION
November 6, 1967
Bethlehem, Georgia
In His name more activity is promoted, more gifts bought and wrapped, and more business is advanced, than in any other name in the Yellow Pages of the telephone directory. There is power in the name of Jesus. And this, my dear friends, is why the name of Bethlehem means so much. This is why, at Christmastime, your post office is overloaded with letters and Christmas cards-just to get the Bethlehem cancellation.
ROME JAYCEES
November 6, 1967
It is sickening to me to see and hear of the escapades of this misguided group of young Americans. Surely their time and effort could be better spent in worthwhile activities like those undertaken by the Jaycees and other civic organizations. I am confident that there is not one single Jaycee among that group of unshaven, undeodorized, so-called "disciples of peace and love" which marched on the Pentagon protesting the war in Viet Nam.
TECH TRIANGLE CLUB
November 7, 1967
Brittain Dining Hall
The role Georgia Tech has played in this resurgence cannot be measured. Your magnificent department of planning has provided communities with assistance in developing their industrial potential. Your division of research has provided the facts necessary to convince industrialists that they can make a profit in Georgia. Your system of industrial development stations throughout the state has helped local industrial authorities locate and convince industrial leaders who are looking for a place to build a plant.
ENGINEERING/EXPERIMENT BUILDING
November 7, 1967
Georgia Tech
I am very proud to join you in turning ground for this Engineering and
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Experiment Station Building which will mean so much to Georgia Tech and to the growth and progress of Georgia. This new center will stand forever as a monument to the faith of the people of Georgia in this great institution as visible proof of their gratitude for the great contribution Georgia Tech has made, and is making, to the state.
AMERICAN ZINC INSTITUTE SEMINAR On Corrosion Protection With Zinc Coatings
November 8, 1967
Your success in controlling corrosion by the application of zinc coating saves millions of dollars worth of equipment and structures. As a governor who is committed to economy in government, I am especially concerned with your achievements in the prevention of corrosion of the highway guard rails, bridges, light standards, culverts and other materials for highway departments. Taxpayers save millions of dollars through your process methods. These procedures for "galvanizing after fabrication" gives a heavier, more durable coating, and provides longer life.
FUTURE HOMEMAKERS OF AMERICA
November 8, 1967
Chattooga High School, Summerville
I know of no greater goal young people can set for themselves than that of being a good citizen, a good parent and a man or woman of good character and good morals. These virtues are absolutely necessary in these times because our nation needs to strengthen its moral fiber and only through strong young people can we ever accomplish it. I am one who believes that our young people are our greatest asset.
SERTOMA CLUB OF SAVANNAH
November 9, 1967
Somehow I feel very close to what you are doing, for in a real sense, and on a broader scale, the Maddox administration is striving every day to put into practice the same concern-the same compassion-the same spirit of helpfulness-to the people of Georgia, that you are extending to the people of Savannah. Frankly, I am convinced that we are running one of the biggest service clubs, if I may use the term, in the whole state, for we are serving the people-all the people of Georgia-with faithfulness and moral courage.
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CHATHAM COUNTY FUND-RAISING DINNER
November 9, 1967
Savannah
It is a great pleasure for me to be here among this distinguished group of Georgia Democrats.
It is always good to see Democrats get together. As a matter of fact, that's exactly what Chairman Gray and I have been doing since we took over the reins of the Georgia Democratic party-getting Georgia Democrats together.
I'm happy to say that we have made progress. Although we may not win all of the elections, Georgia Democrats are more united today than ever before.
As most of you know, I attended the National Governors Conference aboard the S.S. Independence, but it seems that I was the only governor there who was independent.
By this time, everyone knows that Ronald Reagan got LBJ's message. I hope everybody got mine.
My message was-and is-simply this: That thc American people are not looking for Democrats or the Republicans-they're looking for leadership. Both parties are falling short in providing the type of leadership the American people want and-unless they heed the voice of the electoratethere's a strong possibility that neither party will win the White House next year. About the only way I could tell the Democratic governors from the Republicans was by their name tags-there is certainly no difference in their philosophy. I came away from the conference convinced that the Republican presidential hopeful who claims he was "brainwashed" is more than-he's washed up. The one who said he wouldn't run under any circumstances is going at it faster than a pack of hounds after a swamp coon. And the one who is supposed to be the Republican party's "golden boy" looks much better as a television star than he does as a presidential candidate. Now, I'm the first to admit that the national Democratic party leaves much to be desired as far as I'm concerned, but when you look at what the Republicans have to offer, you don't see any improvement. It is my opinion that, on the national issues, neither party offers a haven of comfort for Georgia Democrats. The candidates now under discussion have similar views, similar backgrounds and similar beliefs.
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No one knows whom the major parties will nominate for president or for vice president. But it is certain that the candidates of both parties will not have a record of supporting responsible government and sound fiscal policy.
In weighing the candidates and the parties-one against the otherit resolves itself down to a question of degree and a question of which candidates should serve the interests and welfare of our people best.
We can best judge the future by the past. This being the case, it is clear that the Democratic party has been more responsive to the needs of our state and region. Whether or not this will be the case in the future, of course, no one can accurately say. But in times of greatest need, it has been the Democratic party which has come forth with action. The Democratic party has always been the people's party. It was founded on the principle that the people, when given the facts, can make their own decisions. Its strength has been in its diversification and the fact that its house is large enough for all of its members. Here in our own State of Georgia, the leadership of stalwart Georgia Democrats has brought our state into the forefront politically, economically and industrially. Under the leadership of strong Democrats, vve have consistently maintained steady growth. Under the leadership of Georgia Democrats, we have made Georgia a better place and cared for the needs of our people. Under the leadership of Georgia Democrats, we have maintained a strong voice for responsible, conservative government and probably would have had one of our distinguished United States senators elected president of this republic had he not been a southerner. From all of our experience, it is clear and has been proven again and again that our best hope lies in the preservation of a strong state Democratic party organization and giving militant, active support to its nominees. I t would be tragic if we allowed our elections in Georgia to degenerate into a situation where the governor, our United States senators, our statehouse officials and members of the state legislature are chosen merely on the basis of some emotion-packed national issue which does not address itself at all to state issues and state affairs. What we must do is stand firm together and re-elect Democrats in Georgia at the state and local level despite our own personal feelings about what's happening within the Democratic party elsewhere. Like most Americans, we feel that our nation has undergone too much violence, too much lawlessness, too much "something for nothing" philosophy, too much helplessness and too much hopelessness.
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This administration serves as visible proof of what Dmocratic leadership can do for Georgia.
We have provided our children with their greatest opportunity for a quality education in the true Democratic party tradition.
We have upgraded our programs of treatment and care of the mentally ill in the true Democratic party tradition.
We have initiated sweeping prison reforms in the true Democratic party tradition.
We have provided increased funds to local governments and worked to strengthen them in the true Democratic party tradition.
We have provided our people with a state government dedicated to fill their needs ... and not the greed of the high and the mighty ... in the true Democratic party tradition.
That is why we cannot afford to let our emotions and our political beliefs turn us away from our Georgia party.
Believe me, it will not be fun for any Democrat who runs for office next year with LBJ at the top of the ticket, unless the national party gets its candidates and platform more in line with the thinking of Georgia Democrats.
No fight has ever been won by retreating. It is my desire to see the delegates to the national Democratic convention go to Chicago and insist upon a voice in the platform and decisions of the national party. It is my hope that our voice will be heard and that those in power will recognize that, not only will the national ticket suffer but also Georgia candidates will be hurt by a platform which promises the "same old things" we have promised for the past few years. The Georgia Democratic party is as much a part of the national party as is the California party, the Delaware party, or the party of any other state. Therefore, we are perfectly within our rights to demand equal recognition and equal treatment. The days when we could be taken for granted have long passed. Our support and our votes must now be courted and the party and the candidates which provide the best candidates and the best platform will be the one which gets them, be it Democratic, Republican or Independent. So, my fellow Democrats, it is my hope that you will remain calm while being tossed about on the stormy political seas of next year. We must remember that, whatever happened nationally, our Democratic party must remain the dominant force for responsibility and progress here in Georgia. I am confident that, under Democratic leadership, our state will continue
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down the road to sensible, constitutional government as we have done in the past and are now doing.
It has been a pleasure to be with you tonight and I look forward to the time when we meet again.
WEST END ROTARY CLUB
November 10, 1967
I have nothing but contempt for those in high offices in government who fail to take action against lawlessnss, crime and criminals. Since 1965, there have been 101 major riots in America which cost the people of this country some $714,800,000 in damages and 130 lives. In addition, 3,623 people were injured and our nation's prestige abroad severely damaged. Yet of the 28,932 persons arrested for committing various crimes during these outbreaks, only a small percentage were tried and convicted before the bar of justice.
November 12, 1967
YOUTH FELLOWSHIP Peachtree Christian Church, Atlanta
The same goals you have for the youth of your church, I, as governor, have for the youth of our state. The same principles your church seeks to promote, through the gospel, in this community, are those the Maddox administration is seeking to advance throughout Georgia. We in the Maddox administration are seeking to carry out the heavy responsibilities of state government under the guidance of God.
SANDY SPRINGS OPTIMIST CLUB
November 13, 1967
One of the things wrong with our nation today is that too many political leaders refuse--or are afraid-to speak out and tell the people what they think. I have been the subject of criticism on several occasions for doing it, and I offer no apology because I don't believe one necessary. When we stop and think back, we realize that it was the voice of dissent, the voice of faith, the voice of courage which built a chorus of freedom around the world-freedom hard fought to win, freedom hard to protect, freedom which challenges every man to attain his highest pinnacle.
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INSTITUTIONAL FOOD SERVICE MANUFACTURERS Fifteenth Annual Meeting and Management Seminar
November 14, 1967
The Maddox administration believes in the American way of life, and will guard and defend it against all enemies. Our ears have been sensitive to a sound we have been hearing across this land of ours. It is the sound of a mighty host of people who love liberty. It is the voice of America. The voice of America was heard in the elections of 1966 and will be heard more clearly in 1968. . . . The future the Maddox administration wants-and the future the voice of America is calling for-is a future based on law and order, respect for private property, states rights, local control of local government, education and law enforcement, freedom and free enterprise.
STATESBORO JAYCEES
November 14, 1967
You are fortunate indeed to have in the City of Statesboro the largest teachers college in the state-with the largest enrollment in history-with the largest number of physical education graduates in the Southeast.... While you in the Jaycees are seeking to build leadership for a better community, we in the Maddox administration are committed to honest, efficient leadership on the state level, as we practice fiscal responsibility and moral integrity. We are not only trying to build leadership throughout Georgia, but we are leading the way to a brighter future of progress and prosperity for Georgia and America.
SWEETHEART PLASTICS PLANT DEDICATION
November 15, 1967
Conyers
This new Sweetheart Plastics plant fits into and complements the industrial growth of Rockdale County.... We in government stand ready at all times to provide whatever assistance our experience, our talents and our pocketbooks will permit. For only a working partnership between government and free enterprise will be able to attain our goals for the State of Georgia and lead it into a bright and shining future.
BLAKELY-EARLY COUNTY AIRPORT November 16, 1967
I am confident that our industrial growth will continue to break all
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records because Georgia is becoming recognized throughout the world as a true economic opportunity.... Not only does an airport such as this give the community one of the major assets necessary to attract industry, but it also demonstrates to prospective industries that the people of the community know how to work together and to succeed in their enterprise.... By the same token, the partnership of the Maddox administration and the people of Georgia is certain to be productive of good results.
SMYRNA JAYCEES AND JAYCETTES
November 16, 1967
Marietta Country Club
Even the political leaders of this nation have resorted to desperate means and measures to persecute the people of the South for what they call "racial discrimination." Yet, relations between the races in Georgia and the remainder of the South are far better today than they are in some of the eastern cities which have been acclaimed as "havens of racial harmony." Let me tell you what has happened in American since the passage of the civil rights bill-a bill which forces the will of the federal government upon the people and robs them of their individual liberty. . . .
GEORGIA UNDERWRITERS ASSOCIATION
November 17, 1967
The field of insurance is one of the few remaining which is regulated by state government. This, of course, requires every state to measure up to the highest standards of conduct in regards to monitoring insurance rates and assuring fair dealing between insurance companies and their customers. I am happy to say that Georgia measures up to its responsibilities in this important area. We receive complaints, of course, but there are bound to be a few in every area of business.
SWEET POTATO FESTIVAL
November 17, 1967
Ocilla
The all-encompassing "Great Society" being promoted on a national level today is not a true American society and neither is it a "Great Society." It is a sick society. It implies that man is incapable of working out his own destiny, of providing for his own needs, either in his younger years or in his old age. It seeks to provide all things for all people from their cradle to the grave. It weakens initiative, it destroys self-reliance and fosters dependency--dependency upon government rather than God, dependency upon dollars from Washington rather than divinely inspired de termination.
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CHURCH OF THE ANNUNCIATION
November 19, 1967
Banquet Meeting
It is both an honor and a pleasure to be here tonight, both to meet with the many fine members of the Greek Orthodox Church, and to take part in the celebration of the opening of your new church. It is also a pleasure for me to have this opportunity to welcome to Atlanta and to Georgia our out-of-state visitors who are here to attend the semi-annual meeting of the diocese. As a Christian, I seldom pass up the opportunity to serve as a living testimonial to God's good and miraculous works because He has had such an influence over my own personal life.
MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION Of Metropolitan Atlanta
November 20, 1967
I want to take this opportunity to express to you my personal gratification for your unending contributions to the welfare as well as the wellbeing of those confined in Georgia's mental institutions. Your latest endeavor, that of obtaining more than half a million dollars worth of clothing and cosmetics, for the patients at Central State Hospital, is certainly commendable. . . .
WHITE MOTOR CORPORATION FACILITY
November 21, 1967
White began operations in Atlanta in 1901 on Ivy Street. That location served for two decades, until 1921, when the company moved to Boulevard, on the site where we are meeting today.... I think it is important to know that White has grown to a point that it now has a payroll in excess of $700,000, and an annual sales volume of more than $20,000,000 in Atlanta. Trucks and people who operate them have become an indispensable part of the great State of Georgia.
COFFEE COUNTY FARM BUREAU
November 22, 1967
Douglas
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. .. I call your attention to Psalm 103, verses 2 through 5 :
Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and forget not all his benefits; Who forgiveth all thine iniquities, who healeth 'all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.
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We are told to remember all God's benefits to us. Truly you vvho live close to the soil know the deep significance of these words. How grateful we should be for the good things we have received from the land that is ours in this state.
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH November 26, 1967
Riverdale
There are many reasons why I wanted to be governor. But above all others, I wanted to see what one free man could do-free from the establishment-free from the chains of political manipulators-unfettered by pressure groups-unshackled by special interest groups. I wanted to see what one man could do who was unrestricted, and not tied down by those organizations and individuals who have, in the past, controlled many in high public offices, and have maneuvered them as a man pushes checkers around on a checkerboard. I can truthfully tell you that Lester Maddox is no puppet governor.
CLAXTON SHRINE CLUB
November 28, 1967
My fellow Georgians, the conditions of our time demand the right kind of leadership. In Georgia-and all over America-those in positions of responsibility must meet the problems of our generation with courage. The people of this state and nation deserve that quality of leadership. This is why we in the Maddox administration are committed to a position of cooperation, action, compassion and vision. We have an administration based on God, brotherly love, good will, understanding and respect.
HUDSON WIRE COMPANY
November 29, 1967
Trenton
Georgia is moving ahead in areas which affect not only present-day Georgians, but also future generations, and it is through the same zeal for the present and concern for the future that we are making unprecedented progress. As you know, the Maddox administration has stimulated the participation of local citizens in their governments and, as a result, all of the important segments of our society have been working together as never before to create a genuine climate of confidence in Georgia.
KENNESAW LODGE NO. 33
December 1, 1967
Marietta
As a Master Mason, I feel a closeness to each of you. There is a
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fellowship enjoyed by Masons rarely experienced in any other realm. I am particularly impressed with the work of Kennesaw ~odge No. 33, the second largest in our state. In the 124 years since chartered, this lodge has exhibited the true spirit of Masonry and has made priceless contribution to our society.
ROYAL MATRON AMITY COURT NO. 16
'December 4, 1967
Hapeville
I come before you today as a friend, as a fellow Mason, as an admirer of your good works, and as a governor completely dedicated to serving his God and his country to the best of his ability. We in the Maddox administration have set out to restore in all our conduct the great principles set forth in our religious heritage and beliefs.
SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION District Supervisors, Georgia Association
December 5, 1967
Macon
In this so-called progressive age of "hippies, hallucinations and hogwash," too many people seem to pay too much attention to the dirt instead of the soil and to the waves instead of the water. By this I mean that the good works performed by organizations like yours seldom get the headlines they deserve.
TWO MACON LIONS CLUBS Vine-Ingle and Southside Organizations
December 5, 1967
I have asked the president to take steps to halt foreign aid and trade with those countries which do not support our cause for victory in Vietnam. The safety and liberty of all Americans demand such action, and I trust that he will honor this request. The challenge before us is great, but the future potential is also great. I am sure you are ready to face the future with courage and faith.
FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
December 7, 1967
Tallahassee
I am often asked by young people this question: "How can I be successful?" To these young men and women, I alway,s say that it is not difficult. You will find, as I have found, that the road to success is not overcrowded because few people are really trying to get there.
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Many of you are destined to become the political, business and professional leaders of the future. I ask you to use your voice and to speak outas Americans traditionally have done, and will continue to do-for the things in which you believe.
GEORGIA LIVESTOCK ASSOCIATION
December 9, 1967
Callaway Gardens
No God-fearing American can brush aside the modal degradation, the spiritual poverty and the filthy beatnik, pot-head philosophy that is spreading throughout our society. No freedom-loving American can tolerate the federal government's invasion of sovereign states and its snatching away the duties, powers and privileges rightfully belonging to state agencies, and local communities. There is a madness, an insanity being perpetrated upon the American people today, and many loyal Americans are beginning to wake up.
NEW GOLF CLUBHOUSE
December 9, 1967
Jekyll Island
The beautiful vacation spot where we are today has come a long way since 1947, when the state bought it, and began developing it as a beach resort. Its purchase is one of the greatest bargains our state ever had. The careful and farsighted guidance given the island's development by the Jekyll Island Authority has made Jekyll one of the most unique resorts in the world. State and private enterprise, working together, are responsible for this.
MANHATTAN SHIRT COMPANY OPENING
December 9, 1967
Jesup
We all have just reason to be proud of our success in developing our latent economic wealth and, at the same time, maintaining the high degree of respect for our system of law-and for our American heritage-which has .characterized the tremendous progress we seek to pass along to future generations. I appreciate the quality of your effort here in Jesup and your success in building a better community.
ANCIENT YORK LODGE NO. 127
December 9, 1967
Worthville
But just as the faithful Christian cannot be merely a Sunday school Christian, but must put his faith into practice seven days a week, we must,
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in order to be faithful to the Masonic order, live the principles of Freemasonry outside the lodge. There is no other organization I hold in higher esteem than this universal fraternity which has nearly 100,000 members in Georgia alone. The history of America and of Masonry are interwoven....
GLEN HAVEN HIGH SCHOOL P.T.A.
December 11, 1967
Atlanta
It has been a source of great discouragement to me and to school officials throughout our state to have the federal government disrupt school programs and school activities under the guise of enforcing the so-called "guidelines." This is a great tragedy, especially since the source of the problem is not local but can be traced directly to Washington bureaucracy. It has been my position that those responsible for enforcing these unlegislated rules and regulations have no authority to go beyond the law. But this is what they have done and this is what they are continuing to do.
AMERICAN OIL COMPANY HEADQUARTERS
December 12, 1967
Executive Park, Atlanta
Just as you of American Oil took the lead out of gasoline, the Maddox administration is taking as much of it out of state government as possible. A Greek philosopher once said, "Everything flows and nothing is permanent; one can never step twice into the same river." This is certainly true here in the State of Georgia. The Georgia we have today is not the same state it was yesterday, last month or last year. It is a state on the move....
REHOBOTH LIONS CLUB December 12, 1967
Stone Mountain
With the promising possibilities before us in Georgia, and with our state becoming more and more important in national affairs, I am indeed grateful to be serving as governor at this time. Last year, there were some prophets of doom who said that if Lester Maddox were elected, Georgia would decline economically. But I am happy to report to you that the overall economy of Georgia is better than it has been in a long time. '... With the glittering picture of the present and the attractive possibilities of the future of Georgia, I have the confidence to believe that through our combined efforts we can have unparalleled growth and prosperity.
GOVERNOR'S CONFERENCE ON TRAFFIC SAFETY
December 15, 1967
Atlanta
I am profoundly grateful to all of you-representatives from the state
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Departments of Health, Highways, Education, Public Safety and Comptroller's Office, the City of Atlanta, the automobile industry, insurance companies, local and national organizations, and other professional and well-informed citizens from all segments of our society in Georgia-who will participate in this unique conference.
I have called you together-and you have responded in a noble fashion by your attendance-because you are concerned, as I am, about what is happening on the highways of our state and nation.
SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION Upper Chattahoochee River Association
December 15, 1967
Gainesville
Georgia now leads the Southeast in the number of watershed plans provided through federal assistance. There are fourteen organized watershed projects in this district, four of which have been completed, placing this area in front of all others in the state in similar projects. The strides you have made prove that the very best programs are those planned locally and carried out by local citizens to the benefit of the community for which they were designed. The success of your ambitious plans is directly related to the local interest and local participation.
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION Of Industrial Management
December 18, 1967
Atlanta
You are seeking more efficient ways of manufacturing and better employer and employee relations. You are trying to find methods for developing the skills, knowledge, character, community spirit and individual responsibility in the lives of those you employ. In short, you are fulfilling your tasks as leaders.
SEABOARD COAST LINE RAILROAD
December 18, 1967
Atlanta
Today we focus the spotlight on two of America's foremost businessesSeaboard Coast Line and General Electric-pioneers who are blazing a broad and fascinating tra'il of progress in transportation. . .. I am sure that all Georgians join with me in congratulating the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad and the General Electric Corporation for proving once again the value, the power and the capacity of the American free enterprise system. The same spirit which you have demonstrated characterizes the actions of the Maddox administration....
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MACON ASSOCIATION BROTHERHOOD RALLY Macon Baptist Association
December 19, 1967
The American free enterprise system could never have been established if it were not for the birth of Christ. It has been in this free, Christian nation that men have been able to exercise their liberty, individual initative and self-determination to harvest the fruits of their labors in a manner not known in any other part of the world. The Christmas trade alone is an example of this truth.
ATLANTA PRESS CLUB
December 20, 1967
I cannot help but observe that I-perhaps more than any other individual-have had more of my copy printed in the Atlanta newspapers than any other person not a paid member of the staffs. Perhaps many of you remember my regular Saturday column. I penned it in long hand each week and the freedom afforded us in this country allowed it to be printed. One man persevering and trying to get his message across.
No one knows and appreciates more than the value of the printed word. My Pickrick column on politics, patriotism, religion and fried chicken prompted response from all over the world. Many lines of my prose were quoted in newspapers as far away as London and Paris.
Of course I suffered many of the heartbreaks of other writers during my writing days, even though I paid for my space. One such heartbreak was having my column removed from the front section of the Atlanta newspapers and placed on the obituary page. But I proved than neither Lester Maddox nor the Pickrick was dead....
BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA Northeast Georgia Council
December 21, 1967
Athens
As we approach Christmas 1967 we are confronted with many new and fantastic developments-as well as problems. Scientists are now talking about landing astronauts on the moon within two years. Plans are now being discussed by three of the largest aircraft firms in America for the construction within eight years of a new supersonic transport plane that will take passengers from Los Angeles to New York in ninety minutes.
With the advances of civilization have come many problems because men have not progressed spirtually and morally to the same degree that they have scientifically.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
CLAXTON-EVANS COUNTY AIRPORT
December 28, 1967
This modern facility for modern travel is not only a symbol of growth, but it is also a monument to the initiative, hard work and determination of the people of this region to meet the mighty challenge facing Georgia in the twentieth century.
Georgia's position and potential demand awareness and action to meet the urgent and ever-increasing needs in the field of travel and transportation.
WATCH NIGHT FELLOWSHIP North Atlanta Baptist Church
December 31,1967
This night is very special to me. It is a time of thanksgiving and appreciation to God for His blessings and for my opportunity to serve Him and my fellow-Georgians during this time in history. I am truly grateful to each of you, for the cooperation you have given me, for your standing behind me in the heavy duties that God has placed upon my shoulders.
c/1968~
STATE WAR VETERANS HOME (Groundbreaking Ceremonies)
January 3, 1968
Milledgeville
The fact that the Georgia Veterans Service Board has voted unanimously to name the new building in honor of Congressman Carl Vinson is a source of great satisfaction to all Georgians.
The dedication, the patriotic spirit and the tireless efforts of this real American stand before us as characteristics and examples for future generations to imitate.
Elected in 1914 to the United States Congress, he served our state and nation for fifty consecutive years-longer than any other congressman in history.
IMMANUEL SCHOOLS CHAPEL SERVICE
January 5, 1968
Education is becoming more and more materialistic, where true values are forgotten and lost in the shuffle, where more and more emphasis is placed on training students to earn a living, and less and less emphasis on morals, ethics and character building-and teaching students the real art of living.
It is just an education for social living-but not for spiritual living.... My fellow Christians, the world needs more than education which teaches men how to get to the moon but fails to teach them how to get to heaven.
JAYCEES GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
January 7, 1968
Conference at the Capitol
Now, after all these years of prosperity-with America, under the system of free enterprise, becoming the greatest free society on the face of the earth-we have those in high positions in our national government who would have us adopt a system our forefathers rejected.
This governor has taken his stand for a lifetime of the principles which made our nation great, powerful and productive, and I shall continue
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
to stand for America no matter how many obstacles may loom before me.
STATE OF THE STATE MESSAGE Joint Legislative Session
January 9, 1968
State Capitol
It is with pride In the past and optimism toward the future that I come before you today.
We have just passed through the greatest year in our history, far beyond our fondest hopes and dreams of a few years ago.
There has been progress on all fronts. Georgia has moved into a position of solid leadership In many, many areas. Americans are watching and listening. They welcome, they appreciate, \\"hat they are seemg and hearing here. They see Georgians strong in their faith and loyal to their country. They see Georgians who are not afraid to stand up for constitutional processes and who have the fortitude to fight for what made this nation great. They see a state of peace, progress, prospertiy and leadership. They see a state of harmony and tranquillity. They see Americanism alive. These great blessings are ours because of a unity of purpose, a unity of purpose on the part of this distinguished General Assembly, the governor, the constitutional officers and members of the judiciary, other officials and employees of state, county and municipal governments and the people. With a deep sense of appreciation, I express to each of you in this honorable body my everlasting gratitude for the friendship, understanding support, cooperation, and counsel which you have extended me in such large measure. I want to thank you personally on this occasion for I realize, as do the people of Georgia, that the contribution--the tireless contribution-you have made representing your people and your state has made all of this progress possible. The year I have served with you has been the most rewarding of my life. You helped to make it so. I want to thank you for that. And, too, there is a warm spot in my heart, as I know there is in yours, for the people of Georgia.
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PEOPLE FOUNTAINHEAD OF GOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITY
I feel sure that you would want to join me in expressing our gratitude to the wonderful people of our state for the opportunity to serve them, how fortunate we are that they have reposed in us, as their servants, their confidence, their hopes, their ideals, their aspirations, and their prayers.
And you know, as well as I, that as we begin our labors here we are detennined to keep their faith and trust and to ever hold it high.
Our duty-yours and mine-is to the people. They are the fountainhead of all governmental authority. Because of their involvement, their interest and their support, I am encouraged, I am inspired, I am dedicated to meeting the task ahead, to fulfilling my responsibility as governor of this state. As chief executive, one with enduring faith in our republican form ~f government, I support with all my being the re-emergence of the legislative establishment to perfonn its full, functioning role as a partner in the progress of our state. It is my fervent hope and prayer that our national Congress will do likewise.
PEOPLE WANT INDEPENDENT LEGISLATURE AND GOVERNOR
Believing this as I do, having been taught this . . . feeling it with all my heart, I am a finn supporter of legislative independence, legislative independence with a correspondingly high sense of responsibility, legislative independence coupled with constructive thought and with constructive action.
The people want an independent legislature, one detennined to carry out their wishes-and, an independent Governor-beholden to none, free to act with clear conscience as he has been taught by the word of God in accordance with the directions given him by the people he serves and bound only by his solemn oath of office and his pledge to serve the best interest of the people ... all the people ... all the time.
This is a task ever with us. Under this concept, you and I can carry out what the people deserve, what they expect of us, what they demand of us. During the coming weeks of this legislative session as has been my policy in the past-I will make myself available at all times to render whatever service and help that I can in matters of paramount interest to the growth and development of our state. As a strong advocate of self-government, I believe that we have proven to the nation and the world that we-as political leaders and citizens-
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can identify and solve our own problems in our own way. We have afforded the entire nation an example of the proper exercise
of states' rights and states' responsibilities as envisioned by our founding fathers.
And, by so doing, we have given an irrefutable answer to those who seek further consolidation of national power on the grounds that the states and their local political subdivisions are incapable of governing themselves.
GEORGIA IS SUCCEEDING IN EDUCATION
We are succeeding with the business of government in Georgia and proof of it is refleted in the record.
Within a few short months, we in Georgia have assumed a position of leadership in education.
At the stroke of midnight on December 31, 1967, Georgia completed its most historic and progressive year in both common school and higher education.
We opened the doors of our public schools to more than 21,000 new students and, have provided more than 1,600 new classrooms.
We have financed a $700 salary increase for public school teachers, enabling Georgia to close the gap on what heretofore has been a critical teacher shortage.
We have expanded and enriched the educational programs within the University System of Georgia by providing, for the first time, special funds to improve the quality of the programs at our state's institutions of higher learning.
The appropriations we provided the State Board of Regents this fiscal year amount to an increase of $30,000,000, a 40 per cent increase over the previous year, the greatest dollar increase ever in any single year.
This great advance in higher education not only improved its quality but also enabled us to provide a college education for an additional 8,000 young Georgians this year.
I know you share with me great pride in having been a part of this meaningful program for education.
Its end result, I am confident, will mean much to Georgia, our children and their future.
Our success in implementing a crash program in education, however, is but one of many accomplishments which our partnership has produced.
In the field of mental health, we have made greater strides than ever before in developing in our state a modern program of mental health and mental retardation.
Two new regional hospitals for the mentally ill are now under con-
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struction in Atlanta and Augusta. Construction will soon begin on another one in Savannah. Plans are underway to construct similar facilities in Columbus and Rome during this administration.
Each succeeding General Assembly has had to cope with an ever-rising population at Central State Hospital.
I am happy to report to you and to herald to all Georgians the most significant development in mental health in our time-a reversal of this trend, a reduction in the population there in the past year of 2,000 patients.
In agriculture, Georgia farms are producing more than ever before. 1967 was truly a banner year for farmers and the services rendered both to the farmer and the consumer by the State Department of Agriculture were expanded and improved. Our Forestry Department, acclaimed by many as one of the nation's finest, has expanded its program of forest fire protection into every Georgia county, a milestone which has been the goal of professional foresters and forest owners for years. The prompt and decisive action by you and this administration last year in traffic safety has resulted in the substantial saving of lives-the first annual reduction in the number of fatalities in six years.
TRAFFIC SAFETY LEGISLATION
Because of my personal concern about Georgia's traffic safety problems, I appointed a specific traffic safety study committee to recommend to me, and to you, solutions to these problems.
This committee will present to you a package of legislative proposals for your consideration during this session. I am sure that each of these measures merits your careful study. I want to emphasize, particularly, the need for your enactment of a law imposing jail sentences for those convicted of drunk driving. This, in my opinion, will do more to reduce slaughter on our highways than any other weapon in the arsenal of traffic safety.
I believe that elected public officials, law enforcement officials and the courts have evaded their responsibility in dealing with this serious problem.
It is a responsibility which we can no longer run from. We are dealing with a question of life and death and, in my judgment, we have failed to place the proper emphasis on life. Your enactment of strong and enforceable legislation to deal with the problem of drunk driving, coupled with vigorous enforcement and proper action by the courts can save hundreds of lives annually. I t could well be your own lives or the lives of your families or friends that you save.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
I urge you to give serious thought and immediate action to this matter. vVe created the state department of traffic safety, the first in the Southeast, and the second in the nation to receive federal approval. We have provided for the addition of 100 men to the force of the Georgia Highway Patrol and we are doing a better job than ever of enforcing traffic laws, rules and regulations. In the overall area of law enforcement, we have strengthened the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and transformed it into a more modern, effective and professional law enforcement agency. We have also declared war on erime in Georgia and made it known to one and all that crooks, criminals, and influence peddlers are unwanted in our state and while I'm governor they will receive my strongest opposition. For the first time in history, a special governor's commission is at work examining all aspects of organized crime, as well as law enforcement methods and procedures. This select committee will report its findings to me and to you and we, together, will determine what is needed to control crime in Georgia. In wildlife and fish conservation, the State Game and Fish Department has broadened and expanded its operations and has merited the confidence it now has among the sportsmen of the state.
RECORD OF HONESTY, EFFICIENCY AND MORALITY
1967 saw the Maddox platform of the previous year put into practice. vVe promised sound government, responsible, conservative government with emphasis on honesty, morality and efficiency and, with your help, we are providing our people just that. In keeping with my pledge and my own personal convictions, the ~Iaddox administration has removed the business of government from behind closed doors and from smoked-filled rooms. We have opened the doors and raised the shades so that the people can see the inside of the government ... the soiled, as "vel! as the clean ... the bad, as well as the good. This is true in corrections, law enforcement, industry and trade, and all other state departments. It is a policy we will continue and one which assures Georgians that they will get the kind of honest, progressive, efficient government they deserve.
RECORD YEAR IN INDUSTRIAL GROWTH
1967 was a banner year in Georgia for industrial growth.
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From a state of disorganization, we have reorganized the State Department of Industry and Trade, just as I promised you and the people of Georgia in 1966.
Georgia now has the most successful industrial development program in the history of our state.
We are moving! We are selling Georgia to the nation! Proof of this is found in the year end report of new and expanded industries issued only a few days ago. Contrary to the prediction in some quarters, this report shows that new and expanded industry last year reached an all-time high of more than $422,000,000, and this figure my friends does not include a $150,000,000 atomic power generating plant which Georgia vvon as the best location over several competing states. Not counting this, the total investment in new and expanded industry in Georgia during calendar 1967 was almost $50,000,000 more than in any preceding year. It is significant, I believe, that more than $327,000,000 of this industrial growth occurred during the last six months of the year, a growth in six months which is far greater than the average annual growth during the past ten years. And, all of this occurred since the first budget of the Maddox administration took effect on July 1, 1967. With the $500,000 I requested and which you appropriated, along with an additional $400,000 which I made available, we carried the message of Georgia's industrial potential and tourist attractions to the nation and the world. For the first time, we told the Georgia story on television in seventeen major markets from coast to coast. And we are pursuing a massive media campaign projecting the theme that "Georgia's got it!" in the newspapers, magazines, travel guides, periodicals and highway billboards. This one-year intensive advertising campaign of selling Georgia far exceeds any other four-year period in history.
TOURISM AND RECREATION REACH NEW PINNACLE
Tourism and recreation in Georgia today have reached new pinnacles. Visits to the state's seven operating welcome centers almost doubled in 1967 when more tourists than ever visited Georgia.
PARK ATTENDANCE UP SUBSTANTIALLY
Simultaneous with the growth in our tourist trade has been the public use of recreation and camping facilities at Georgia's state parks.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
Attendance at our forty-two state parks reached an all-time high during 1967-a total of almost 6,500,000. During the past twelve months receipts received from state parks totaled 28.7 per cent over the previous year. This is ten times the income from state parks only six years ago.
JEKYLL ISLAND, STONE MOUNTAIN SETTING NEW RECORDS
Two of the nation's top attractions-Jekyll Island and Stone Mountain -are undergoing their greatest period of development during this administration and both are setting new attendance records daily.
We extended Merit System coverage to seven additional state agencies which brings to 24,000 the number of state employees now protected by the State's Personnel Agency.
We instituted new purchasing procedures designed to make state purchasing more competitive and assuring that the taxpayers of Georgia receive the best quality and quantity for every tax dollar.
We provided the first general increase in state aid for our senior citizens, the blind, the disabled and dependent children since 1963 and the largest since November of 1958.
We moved ahead of many states in implementing Medicaid in order to provide every dollar and every assistance possible at this time under the program.
In the last six months, five regional youth development centers have been opened and a sixth one will soon be ready at Gainesville.
These, along with seven urban county detention centers that furnish services to adjoining counties under special arrangements with the Division for Children and Youth, give Georgia the nation's finest system of youth treatment centers.
Every public official who deals directly with juvenile offenders has been fully informed about the purpose of these centers. There is no longer any reason for putting a boy or girl in jail with adult offenders.
\Ve also made significant progress in the construction, improvement and maintenance of Georgia's highways.
NEW VETERANS PROGRAMS UNDERWAY
Benefits for veterans reached new heights in 1967: It was the first full year of operation of a 572-bed VA hospital in DeKalb County; We appropriated more than $900,000 for the construction of the 150-bed Carl Vinson Building and an occupational therapy workshop at the Georgia War Veterans Home at Milledgeville, and 1967 saw the beginning of the construction of a 192-bed skilled nursing home for veterans at Augusta.
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CORRECTIONS
Georgia, unfortunately, was one of the last states in the nation to lay to rest the infamous "chain gang" concept of corrections with its philosophy of vindictive retribution.
The stripes and the leg-irons came off decades ago but, even so, we have yet to deal a death blow to harmful ideas that punishment, not rehabilitation, is the key to restoring wrongdoers to useful lives.
We all recognize the fact that it is no easy job to administer justice to those who run afoul of the law and those who violently commit crimes against society.
We appreciate the dedicated employees who perform the often dangerous and always thankless task involved in the operation of our prison system. Theirs is a difficult job and they deserve the support and gratitude of all Georgians.
We are determined to provide Georgia with an enlightened and effective penal program.
We're going to begin anew, if that's what it takes, to have a system which helps inmates shape their futures, rather than one preoccupied with reminding them of their pasts.
Such action, in my opinion, is extremely necessary if we are to have the type of prison system which our people want and our state deserves.
PARDONS AND PAROLES
In the whole area of corrections and executive clemency, this administration has not been willing to sweep the dust under the carpet.
We have not been content to sit by while the system imposed such harsh discrimination upon the individual.
This administration has shed the light of day upon conditions which have been existent for a long time by initiating the first in-depth into the conduct of the State Board of Pardons and Paroles.
I am sure that there is no need for me to explain to you the meaning of recent events as they relate to the operations of that board.
You are familiar with the shocking findings of Attorney General Arthur Bolton. You are also familiar with his recommendations. And I am certain that you are aware of the steps that have been, and are being, taken by this administration toward correcting any irregularities in the granting of executive clemency.
I have requested that the Board of Pardons and Paroles get its own house in order through the adoption of administrative policy and procedures to bring its business out into public view so that people may know and the press of the state may know exactly what action is being taken at any given time.
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I was amazed to learn that this board had never had a formal, public meeting at which its business is transacted.
I do not believe that we should leave anything to chance but, rather, vve should adopt legislation to make it very certain that the parole board will not again lapse into loose or haphazard practices.
I am proposing for your consideration a complete program of vitallyneeded legislation which will protect the interests of society.
I will also propose to you during this session a number of legislative measures which are necessary to modernize state government and make it more effective.
The first of these are three constitutional amendments relating to the Board of Industry and Trade, the State Game and Fish Commission and the State Board of Corrections.
I am recommending that these three boards be structured to assure the best possible service to the people, and that their membership be consistent with fair representation of the entire state.
Therefore, I propose that: .. The State Board of Corrections be increased from five to fifteen members, one from each of Georgia's ten congressional districts with five additional members to be appointed state at large. .. The State Game and Fish Commission be increased from its present eleven members to fifteen, one from each congressional district and five additional members to be appointed state at large, with one of the at-large appointments coming from one of Georgia's six coastal counties. .. And, that the Statc Board of Industry and Trade be reduced from twenty to fifteen members, one representing each congressional district and five additional members representing the state at large. I want to make it clear that the present members of the boards affected by this legislation will continue to serve their present appointed terms. This will in no way affect the tenure of any board member presently serving his appointed term. In all cases, members of boards appointed state at large will serve at the pleasure of the governor, their terms running concurrently with that of the governor. I shall also propose a bill amending Code Section 27-101, empowering the governor-upon approval of the attorney general and the director of the Department of Public Safety-to offer and pay rewards, not to exceed $25,000, for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for any felony committed in this state. Tax relief by government is always a rare privilege, especially at a time when the people are overburdened by the cost of government at all levels.
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I will submit to you two tax relief measures, the first of which will empower the General Assembly to raise the limits of homestead exemption from a low of $1,250 and a high of $2,000 to new limits of $2,000 as a low and $4,000 as a high. This will also provide that homestead exemption be deducted from the value assessed for ad valorem tax purposes and not fair market value of the property.
The second of these provides that all property subject to taxation be taxed at forty per cent of its fair market value. This, of course, will place on the statute books what has already been approved by the courts.
Among other bills to be offered is one designed to put a halt to the obnoxious practice of fleecing tourists and our own people by those resorting to tactics commonly practiced in places referred to as "clip joints."
This legislation makes the practice of keeping, maintaining, or carrying on any game for the hazarding of money or other things of value a felony.
I want to make it clear that this legislation is intended solely to rid Georgia forever of clip joint operators and establishments.
I believe that this legislation will encourage the victims of these unscrupulous operators to return to Georgia and testify against them. It is my judgment that the state should provide funds to pay the expenses of witnesses who return to Georgia to testify in these cases.
I also believe that the time has come for us to take a careful look at our laws concerning riots, civil disobedience and insurrections.
I am submitting for your consideration a measure which is similar to those already enacted by other states.
I t defines the crime of rioting and makes it a felony. It makes it prima facie evidence of participation in a riot if the accused were present at the scene of a riot and failed to leave after being requested to do so by a duly authorized law enforcement official. It makes it a felony to manufacture, possess, transport or use so-called "Molotov cocktails" or any other device designed to explode and cause physical harm.
WORKMAN'S COMPENSAnON
I will ask you to authorize the largest single increase in workman's compensation benefits in the history of our state.
I will submit to you legislation which increase benefits for total incapacity from a maximum of $37 to $50 weekly; increase benefits for partial incapacity, permanent partial handicaps and maximum burial benefits. I am also proposing that maximum medical payments be increased from $2,500 to $5,000, plus allowances for artificial limbs. These improvements in workman's compensation are the minimum I feel neces-
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
sary and in my judgment are in the best interest of employers and employees.
GAINFUL EMPLOYMENT
This administration during the past year has supported the policy of the State Department of Labor in giving training to unemployed persons and getting them into gainful and productive employment in the labor market.
Toward this end, the administration assisted and cooperated with the Federal Bureau of Employment Security in making possible the Atlanta Metropolitan Area Manpower Center at No.1 Peachtree Street-the first of its kind in America-which will afford counseling and job placement for thousands of workers each year in this area.
When brought to full operation, the manpower center will afford services for industrial and service workers and be of great importance to the youth in this area.
We are determined to do everything possible to bring gainful employment to every segment of our society. It is my conviction that the manpower center here will have great social and economic impact in the years to come.
UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION
Also, in line with my policy of assisting deserving workers of this state I am lending my support to legislation designed to eliminate the one-week waiting period for unemployment insurance. This legislation will be applied only to those workers who are laid off through no fault of their own and will be designed to encourage them to seek employment more rapidly than in the past. Appropriate safeguards will be contained to protect the trust fund. Certainly, if a worker is laid off through no fault of his own he needs to buy groceries for his family the first week of unemployment as well as the other weeks.
SCHOOL CONSOLIDATION
I have publically stated my feeling on the matter of school consolidation many times.
The news media has carried statements and accounts of my proposals in this regard for several 'months.
Therefore, I do not feel it necessary to outline completely my proposed legislation on this matter at this time.
But I want to assure you that the administration's school consolidation legislation will have the full support and backing of this governor.
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I believe it is absolutely essential, if we are to provide the kind of education our children must have, that we must preserve local control of education and retain the voice of the people in matters concerning the education of their children.
The exercise of local control of education is democracy in action. It is the American way. I have said time and time again that I support consolidation of schools when it is in the best interests of our children and the future of our state. But I feel that all of us will be delinquent in our duties if we stand idly by and see our school system ruined and our children deprived simply because a handful of people want to consolidate our schools. The legislation which I am presenting to you will assure school consolidation where it is needed and protect local schools from unnecessary consolidation.
ELECTION LAWS
Last year I made my position clear about the need for adopting suitable measures affecting future general elections.
Now is the time to do that in order to submit it to the people in this year's general election and while election year differences are in the background.
We should provide in our state constitution-the people want us to provide-a runoff general election when no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast in the general election.
So that there can be no misunderstanding, let me emphasize that the general election would be open to all candidates, party nominees, independents and write-in votes would be permissible.
But, if a general election is held, and no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast, the two candidates determined to have the highest number of votes should settle the contest in a runoff general election where only those votes cast for those two candidates would be counted and tabulated.
In keeping with a campaign pledge, I will continue my support of a constitutional amendment providing additional homestead exemption for peace officers, firemen, and members of the armed forces injured in the line of duty, provided that such injury exceeds twenty per cent or more of total disability.
The same benefits authorized by this legislation will also apply to widows of these dedicated public servants so long as they remain unwed.
I am also asking you to provide state scholarships to state institutions for the dependents of peace officers and firemen totally or permanently disabled or killed in the line of duty.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
These things for which I ask, for police officers, firemen, custodial officers and military personnel who face grave danger and often lose their lives in providing a safer and better state in which to live, are the least which we can give.
Ladies and gentlemen of Georgia and the Georgia General Assembly, the legislation I will submit to you is vital to the future of Georgia.
I sincerely endorse its enactment into law. Proposals and legislation I shall offer for your consideration and endorsement, in my sincere judgment, will be in the best interest of Georgia and all her people. Never, never will I offer special interest legislation for the benefit of a few at the expense of many. I ask of you now and I shall ask of you in the future for your understanding, your counsel, your cooperation and your prayers. I ask nothing now, nor will I ever, for the political present or the political future of Lester Maddox. For my fellow Georgians, the political present and future of Lester Maddox, or that of anyone individual, is of little importance, but the present and the future of our beloved state is of great importance. I am grateful that the Georgia General Assembly is composed of devoted and dedicated Georgia men and women like you. It is a pleasure and an honor for me to be privileged to work with you, and for you, as we launch into the deep and fill our nets with the ingredients that will assure our building a cleaner, greater and more prosperous Georgia. It is my hope that, as we travel together, it will be my good fortune to be blessed with your understanding, confidence and friendship. You . . . you . . . and you . . . all members of this august body and Georgians everywhere, have my assurance that I shall strive in every thought and action to conduct myself in such a way as to merit your trust and friendship today-and tomorrow. I am convinced that this General Assembly and this administration have the greatest opportunity ever afforded a Georgia General Assembly and a Georgia administration to be of service to the people, to Georgia, and to America. I t is an opportunity that requires each of us to realize and to accept the awesome responsibility which is ours. It is an opportunity that demands we give all we can give, that we be dedicated, determined and resolute in measuring up to the challenge that is ours, a challenge that in truth, we have asked for. We must pay the price, we must sacrifice, when duty demands it. In a nation where the crime rate is increasing some seven times faster
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than our population, this General Assembly can, through its actions, direct America back on the path of law and order.
In a nation which bears the scars of rioting, burning, looting, and draft card burning-the 1968 General Assembly of Georgia can provide the void in leadership and lead Americans back to peace, tranquility, progress and patriotism.
In times like these, when some insist God is dead, that His name should be removed from our oath of office, from our coins and courtrooms, from the pledge of allegiance to our flag and country, when some insist the name of God and His word must not be spoken or read by, or to, our children in the public schools-members of the Georgia General Assembly of 1968 can, through their actions, say to the nation and to the world that God is not dead-He lives-He lives within our hearts, He guides us in our deliberations and we publicly and unashamedly profess our faith in Him.
In a nation blessed with an abundance of material things, but where there is too much neglect for the less fortunate, you and I can lead our nation toward a real concern and compassion for the helpless, the needy and the handicapped, as God and our conscience would have us do.
On every hand we see the soul of America decaying. Dishonesty, inefficiency and immorality run rampant. I plead with the members of this distinguished body, and my fellow Georgians everywhere, to lend their support and cooperation to this administration so that Georgia and Georgians can be the state and the people which leads all America toward honesty, efficiency, and morality. While some are speaking out for socialism, communism, and atheism, let the members of this General Assembly and all Georgians cry out for free enterprise, Americanism, God and liberty. Let us begin and end our deliberations fully aware of the truism that without God and liberty no society can be great. Let us be sure that our deliberations and decisions are not partisaned. Let's not think just of ourselves, our own local communities, our own state. Let's think of all America-and God. Perhaps, some of you say that the task is too tough. I say to you that the tougher our assignment, the more glorious and the more rewarding our success. Georgians and Americans are crying out for courageous leadership. I urge you to be the state legislature which provides it. You say it can't be done? You ask what's the use? You feel it's impossible? I refer you to the year 1966 when one Georgian faced insurmountable odds, when there was no chance for victory, ~vhen on every hand the
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voices of doom cried out, "It can't be done, what's the use, it's impossible," and were heard throughout Georgia and America.
One man with the help of God and the people, with faith in America, overcame tremendous odds and won a significant victory.
I am sure that we all realize that total success in reaching the goals which I have outlined will be difficult, trying, often disappointing and always tough.
But your chances for victory are far greater than the chances of the man in 1966 of which I spoke.
One strong, fearless, dedicated and God-fearing patriotic legislature can do the job and return America to its rightful place as the greatest, freest and cleanest nation on earth.
When the annals of history are recorded, let them say to the world that the members of the 1968 Georgia General Assembly heeded the call of Georgians and Americans-that they set the course for our state and country to return to law and order, to peace and tranquillity, to free enterprise, to patriotism, to obedience to God, and yes, that you, more than any state legislature in American history, fought for the restoration and preservation of sensible and constitutional government.
Will you accept the challenge? Will you work to carry out the programs? I am depending on you. But, more important, the people of Georgia and America are depending upon you. Thank you and Godspeed.
GOVERNOR'S BUDGET MESSAGE Joint Legislative Session
January 12, 1968
State Capitol
I deeply appreciate your glvmg me the opportunity to come before you for the second time this week to discuss with you matters of interest to the people of Georgia.
On Tuesday, I reported to you on the state of our state. Today, I am here to outline the administration's fiscal plans for the remainder of this year and next year. I want to impress upon you from the very beginning that my administration expects, intends and is determined to work in close harmony with you to enact a budget which is sound, which is reasonable and which meets the needs of Georgia and her people. Our role is no longer that of catching up. Rather, it is one of providing positive leadership in all areas of human and governmental endeavor. We know where we stand. VYe know where we are going. We know what must be done to fulfill our hopes and dreams. I am here to solicit
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your support so that we-you and I--can make certain that our needs are met and that our state continues to move forward.
Ladies and gentlemen of Georgia, I'm both honored and pleased, I'm overwhelmed, by the spirit of growth, progress, prosperity and compassion that is so evident throughout our beloved state today. We can, we must, we will, keep that spirit alive. We can do it by providing our people with continued progress in all of the fields which affect, not only their present, but also their future.
During this session, you will consider a proposed constitutional amendment providing for an annual budget and an annual appropriations bill.
I support this action because I know that it is clearly in the public interest.
An annual budget and an annual appropriations bill will eliminate the hazardous practice of forecasting revenues thirty months in advance.
As a businessman myself, I know that annual budgeting will enable state government to do a better job for the people.
Last year when I took office, I assumed the responsibility as director of the budget. As budget director, I asked that the projected revenue estimate for 1967 be reduced by $5,000,000; for 1968, by $3,000,000 and for 1969 by $5,500,000.
History has shown that for fiscal 1967, we collected $7,500,000 more than was estimated and for fiscal 1968, this year, we are collecting revenue at the rate of 9.3 per cent, which is exactly the projected rate of growth we anticipated.
In each instance, the collections in 1967 and the amount we predict we'll collect in 1968 wiIl, in our opinion, exceed the conservative revenue estimates we have made.
History has also shown that, since the publishing of our first budget document, the chief executive of Georgia has always recommended to the General Assembly a sound and fiscaIly-responsible budget and appropriations bilI, caIling for the expenditure of available funds.
Available funds, according to Section 40-407 of the Budget Act of 1962, as amended, are -quote- "the amount of unappropriated surplus expected to have accrued in the state treasury at the beginning of the fiscal year, together with an amount not greater than the total treasury receipts from existing revenue sources, anticipated to be collected in the fiscal year, less refunds"-unquote.
That is the law of Georgia. That is the public policy of the State of Georgia. The biennial budget document, the first one published for 196465, recommended the expenditure of all available funds, leaving an anticipated surplus of $74,654.20 at the end of the biennium.
The biennial budget document for fiscal 1966 and 1967 recommended
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the expenditure of all available funds, leaving an anticipated surplus of $80,408.12.
The biennial budget for fiscal years 1968 and 1969 recommended the expenditure of all available funds, leaving an anticipated surplus of $26,209.97.
Thus, we see that it has been the custom and practice in the past to appropriate the full unappropriated surplus, as well as the estimated revenue.
As I have pointed out, this is not only precedent and customary established usage, but is also recognized by the law and policy of the state.
With that precedent having been set by preceding governors and preceding General Assemblies, and with the additional funds being available at this time, I am recommending to you and have placed upon your desks a document, compiled from hard work and sincere efforts on the part of the governor and the budget bureau staff, to provide the services needed to carry our state forward and to meet the essential needs of all Georgians.
This budget, like those presented to past General Assemblies, recommends the expenditure of the unappropriated surplus and anticipated revenue, leaving a surplus of $77,000 at the end of the year.
I am proposing an increase in the present or 1968 appropriations in the amount of $1,236,106 to provide for the immediate needs of the state. These needs are:
$150,000 to the State Department of Agriculture for the seeding and planting this spring at the Central State Hospital farm.
$350,000 to the State Department of Parks to replace the dam at Reid Bingham State Park near Moultrie.
$400,000 to the State Department of Corrections to begin construction of a fireproof facility at the Wayne Prison Branch.
$86,106 to the State Department of Education to staff the new vocational rehabilitation center at Alto and to begin a modest program of driver training.
$250,000 to the Higher Education Assistance Corporation to be applied to the loan reserve.
It was not without considerable thought and deliheration that I arrived at a decision to request that you appropriate substantial additional amounts for vital services in the coming fiscal year-fiscal 1969.
You will recall that in the Green Budget document prepared by my predecessor, the total amount recommended for appropriations for 1969 was $875,000,000, and, in my supplement, the total figure recommended was $877,000,000.
I am now requesting a total appropriation for fiscal 1969 of $874,500,-
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000, which is less than the amount I recommended to you last year.
In other words, I am recommending for fiscal 1969 less than was
recommended by the outgoing governor and less than I recommended a year ago.
Now, I want to discuss with you, specifically, in clear and unmistakable terms, how the Maddox administration proposes to bring to the people of Georgia a better way of life.
I want it said of us that we adopted a "Better Way of Life" budget for Georgia.
I want you to note in your examination of the budget proposed to you that the increases I am recommending, by and large, are directly related to the present and future growth factors of the state.
I am asking you to buy a share of Georgia's future.
In this budget, you wiII find references to such things as education,
research, better management, public safety, state planning, tourism, industry, business development, job training, scholarships, science, technology, agricultural development, forestry protection and research, mineral resource development, oceanography, rehabilitation, better teachers, college improvement, emphasis on health and hospitals, human security, transportation and aid to cities and counties.
As has been the case in the past, in budget after budget, the greatest part of the increases, of necessity, were for common schools and higher education.
That is the case in this budget. Increased enrollments and our insistence that the children of Georgia have the best possible opportunity in today's and tomorrow's world make it necessary. More than $61,000,000 of the proposed increases in this budget are for education. I am asking you to approve an average annual salary increase in the amount of $558 for Georgia teachers and a 10 per cent Increase for University Academic personnel. This is in keeping with this administration's commitment to Georgia's school teachers and another giant step toward meeting the total needs of education without burdening the taxpayers. We are also recommending an increase of $2,000,000 for the State Board of Regents in order that the University System's improved quality program, approved by the General Assembly last year, can continue. This budget request contains, additionally, a request for your approval of $1,400,000 for new construction and operations of area vocational technical schools.
In the area of public health, I am asking you to provide an additional
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$1,500,000 to open the Atlanta and Augusta regional mental hospitals by January 1, 1969, and to begin staffing the Savannah regional hospital.
I am also requesting your approval of nearly $3,000,000 for Central State Hospital for the purpose of bringing a more proper balance in the attendant-patient ratio.
There is also a recommendation for Central State Hospital for funds to construct a new, 300-bed $8,500,000 medical surgical building.
Those of you who have visited the old Jones Building at the hospital recognize, as I do, the need for this facility, a need which has existed for years.
In addition, I am recommending an increase of slightly more than $1,000,000 for Southwestern State Hospital. These funds will enable this institution to maintain an average patient population of approximately 1,200.
This budget will also provide funds to begin staffing the Georgia Retardation Center in DeKalb County, a facility our state badly needs.
I am also recommending additional funds for Battey State Hospital in Rome and the Gracewood State School and Hospital in Augusta.
Normal growth in our public assistance programs for the aged, the blind, the disabled and families of dependent children necessitates an increased appropriation of approximately $2,500,000.
Additionally, approximately $3,500,000 will be needed to meet the increased cost of Medicaid.
In the field of corrections, I am recommending to you an additional appropriation of nearly $4,000,000 to provide a greater number of custodial officers, to upgrade the current salary schedule for correctional personnel and to staff the Butts County Classification and Diagnostic Center.
These funds will also provide for the third phase of construction at the Butts County center and additional state prison branches to be built during the year.
For the Department of Industry and Trade, I am recommending an increase in the advertising budget of $400,000. Results of our present promotional campaign prove that this is money wisely spent.
To meet only partially the desperate needs of Georgia's cities and counties, I am recommending an increase in the appropriations to Georgia cities of $2,500,000 and to Georgia counties an increase of $1,500,000.
These are my major recommendations to you. Time will not permit me to cover all of them. However, details on the entire budget are contained III the document which has been placed on your desks this morning. I stop now and ask sincerely that you think and study with me, for
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yourselves and for Georgia and her needs in the coming year. I realize that there may be some who would say that we should ap-
propriate less for education, for welfare, for highways, for health, for correctional improvement and, indeed, less for our hard-pressed cities and counties.
Some might suggest that we cut education for there are other states which do not provide as much state support as does Georgia.
My friends, we crossed that bridge in this state a long time ago. Such arguments just don't stand up. It is a fact, as well as it is obvious, that in our less populous areas we cannot rely upon greatly increased local support to give our children equal opportunity.
There is no way to overcome the simple truth that, if your state government doesn't reach out and grasp these children by the hand and give them the education they deserve, it is not going to be done.
Yes, my friends, some might cite to you that Georgia teachers are paid more than teachers are paid in some of our sister states. It's true! Isn't it wonderful? Georgia is no longer trailing, but leading in education. Some might suggest that we sit back. Some might suggest that we sell Georgia short. Some might suggest that we not meet the challenge of today.
Some might say "let's stop," others might suggest "slow down." I reject these arguments. They just don't make sense. Some might say let's stand still.
I disagree, believing that the facts of life say that you can't stand still. You either go forward or backward.
Suppose those who are the most successful in business and industry in this nation stopped one day and said:
"Now that our product is receiving overwhelming acceptance by the public, now that it's meeting their needs, and now that we are far ahead of our competitors, let's slow down, let's cut down on expenses, let's withhold wage increases from our employees, let's stop providing a product of excellence and let our competitors catch up with us."
Can you imagine that happening? Absolutely not. And it must not happen in Georgia government.
Lester Maddox says, "Full steam ahead." "Speed up." I stand here today to tell you and to share with you a desire to see that Georgia moves forward, that she realizes the great growth potential which is within our grasp that can be hers. What is wrong with that? Why the pessimism? Why do some appear downcast, depressed, and almost even despondent, because Georgia is forging ahead in education and in other fields? I'm delighted, I'm thrilled, I'm glad, as I know you are and as I feel
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confident all Georgians are, that our state, at long last, has achieved a preeminence in education, a preeminence we must fight to hold, a preeminence we must fight to improve, if we are to maintain our position of leadership. Stand still? Slow down? Stop? I say not.
I cite to you DeKalb County, Georgia, a county which is recognized as having one of the top-ranking educational systems in the country. Let me tell you something about DeKalb County. It leads in industrialization. It leads in per capita income. Since World War II, more than 20 per cent of the housing in Georgia has been constructed in DeKalb County.
Why is this so? The major reason is because DeKalb County leads in education. Those who lead in education lead in every segment of society. When we lead in education, we lead in industrial and economic growth. When we lead in industrial and economic growth, we lead in opportunity.
When we create more opportunity, we create more jobs. When we create more jobs, we create more tax revenue. When we create more tax revenue, we can do more for more people who need it most and who have been neglected for so long in the past. So it is a simple formula, my friends.
When we pay our teachers more, when we have better education, when we attract the best that we can into the teaching profession, we set off a chain reaction in the minds of our young people, building their earning power, which translates itself into the economy of our state and generates more income for the men and women in labor, for our farmers, for our professional people, for workers in every line of business, for the businessman, for the employees of government and in every segment of the economy.
What best sums up our policy, yours and mine, in casting this budget? It is creative, dynamic leadership with forward movement. It is positive, constructive leadership. This is a budget which says yes to education. Yes, to Georgia boys and girls. Yes, to mental health. Yes, to the helpless, the needy and the handicapped. Yes, to the fortgotten man in our penal system. Yes, to more highways. Yes, to Georgia cities and counties. Yes, to law and order. Yes, to a better economy. Yes, to jobs, opportunity and higher incomes for all. This is a "Better Way of Life" budget. Toward this, Georgia is counting on us.
CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH
January 14, 1968
Columbus
If Hitler could poison one generation of Germans and nearly become dictator of the world-if Stalin could poison one generation of Russian communists and enslave over one-half the world's population, including
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Cuba, only ninety miles off our shores-think what one generation of Americans, completely committed to Christ and God, could do for our country and our world.
The real issue facing us today is not political. It is religious. . . . What we need in 1968 is an epidemic of Bible Christianity to counter the revolution that is rampant in our nation and in the world.
ASSOCIAnON OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
January 15, 1968
My friends in county government, there IS no one individual in America today more understanding of the need to strengthen local government than Lester Maddox.
It is my judgment that if America is to continue to be great, free and prosperous-it can come only from strong state government. And strong and progressive state government draws its strength from local government, that government close to and governed by local people.
GEORGIA MILK PRODUCERS, INC. Seventeenth Annual Convention
January 16, 1968
What you dairymen have done and are doing is excelled by none in the nation. You are to be commended for the wonderful services you have given. All Georgians should be grateful, for all Georgians have benefited from this industry....
Just as you have improved all dairy products by eliminating the harm from wild onions and bitter weeds, we are improving the administration and services of government....
SHARON BAPTIST CHURCH
January 21, 1968
In my State-of-the-State message recently, I urged that now, more so than at any time in history, due to crime, lawlessness and moral decay engulfing America, and the threat to our liberty and country, we should re-dedicate ourselves to God and re-emphasize our love for America and loyalty to our country.
Although an overwhelming endorsement of this stand has been received from within and without our great state, it must have shocked you, as it did me, to hear a few people respond with laughter, ridicule and scorn. They suggested that the leaders of government have no room for governors and others who stand up for God and America.
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GEORGIA MUNICIPAL ASSOCIATION Tenth Annual Mayor's Meeting
January 22, 1968
We mu.st insure that all citizens, rich and poor, urban and rural, Democrat, Republican and Independent, have a place to turn in times of need, despair and disaster, and be sure that where they go, be it to a mental institution, job training, an educational facility, a hospital, or whatever, these facilities are adequately equipped to fulfill their needs.
Can we do this by turning back? By standing still? By ignoring? By refusing to face the truth? ... This is no time to even consider it.
GEORGIA SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION Sixteenth Annual Convention
January 22, 1968
It is with great pride in our accomplishments and a sincere dedication to the future that I come before this distinguished group tonight.
Those of us here have shared in a massive re-awakening in education in Georgia. Our joint labors are moving Georgia into a position of regional and national leadership in education.
We want excellence! That is the goal toward which I am striving and it is the goal toward which you are striving.
The largest part of my budget recommendations to the 1968 General Assembly for fiscal 1969 is for education. I have asked the General Assembly to allocate $61,000,000 more during the upcoming fiscal year..
POULTRY INDUSTRY SALES CLUB
January 28, 1968
The members of this convention deserve the praise and appreCiation of the entire South-and nation-for their contribution to the private enterprise dream in America, which has resulted in our region producing over two-thirds of the broilers, one-third of the eggs, and one-fifth of the turkeys in the United States.
It is a source of real satisfaction that this convention has met for the past twenty-one years in Atlanta. . . .
The story of poultry-which you have helped to write-is a modern miracle of food production.
GOVERNOR'S ANNUAL PRAYER BREAKFAST January 31, 1968
In these times of crisis and challenge-when men are turning to human
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agencies, organizations and secular means to find the answers to our problems.-----it is reassuring to see so many in high public office who are eager to reveal their dependence upon God for the answers we need.
EDUCATION AND LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE Annual AFL-CIO Meeting
February 7, 1968
I stand before you as a governor who has worked side by side with those you represent. ... I stand before you as the first governor who knows the problems of both labor and business and who is determined to help solve these problems. . . .
I am determined to see that hard work and personal initiative are rewarded. All Georgians can be proud of the contributions you have made to free enterprise, a better society and improved working conditions.
As the position of the working man is improved, all Georgians and all Americans benefit.
GEORGIA MOBILE HOME ASSOCIATION
February 8, 1968
The members of the Georgia Mobile Home Association have played an instrumental role in our story of growth and I want to express my personal appreciation-as well as the gratitude of the entire state-for your efforts in helping us to build a safer, freer and cleaner state.
ABRAHAM BALDWIN ALUMNI ASSOCIATION Homecoming Day
February 10, 1968
Tifton
Through determined and dedicated leadership along with the cooperation and participation of our people, Georgia has just traveled through thirteen months of unmatched progress....
Education is the golden key to a golden future for Georgia.... Quality education is not a luxury-it is a necessity, if we are to be true to our boys and girls-and the future of our state....
The appropriation we are proposing for education is the absolute minimum that we must have to maintain the excellent position we now hold.
LAW ENFORCEMENT DAY
February 11, 1968
Woodla.wn Baptist Church, Augusta
And I say to you, that America is the victim of this outbreak of violence
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and lawlessness today because leaders in government, in business, in labor and industry, have placed so-called social reform ahead of education, health care and the economic and military security of our nation.
Tragedy strikes America today because some high in public office have inspired and encouraged--and sometimes used tax funds to strike damaging blows to local government and cripple local courts and local law enforcement and render impossible the ability of local citizens to maintain law and order.
EDUCATION CONGRESS OF OPTOMETRY Forty-fifth Annual Southeastern Meet
February 12, 1968
The preamble to the Declaration of Independence contains 300 words. I learned recently that the federal government issued a report on the pricing of cabbages which is said to contain some 26,000 words. I shall therefore confine my words to something between the Declaration of Independence and the pricing of cabbages.
The fact that you have chosen the Capital City of Georgia for your meeting is gratifying. It affords the chance for you to see first-hand a state which is bringing honor and prestige to the whole South. . . .
WORLD CARPET COMPANY Dedication Ceremonies
February 16, 1968
Dalton
More than 19,000 Georgians are ernployed in the rug and carpet plants of our state. This of course does nol include the many thousands who work in jobs provided by the supply and service industries which are so essential to the operation of our state's tufted carpet industry.... Today almost sixty-three per cent of the world's carpet is manufactured here in Georgia.
We have experienced unprecedented economic and industrial growth because we realize the true benefits of good government, good education, good opportunity and good, righteous living.
GWINNETT COUNTY MASONIC CLUB
February 17, 1968
Grayson
There is the potential danger that we could lose our liberty and our nation, but such a loss would not come about because God has forsaken us. The loss would come because vvc have forsaken God.
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The tragedy of our time is that many-some in high places-have forsaken the Lord and have led us to worship government rather than God.... It is revival or revolution.
JEFFERSON-JACKSON DAY DINNER
February 19, 1968
Georgia Democrats serve, rather than fear, the people. We identify ourselves with the poor as well as the rich, the big as well as the small, and we have confidence in the ability of Georgians to determine their own destinies bound only by the dictates of their own consciences.
During this, the "people's administration," we are striving to make every Georgian a part of his or her state government, just as we are striving to make every member of the Georgia Democratic party a functioning member.
MASON CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION Eighteenth Annual Convention
February 19, 1968
As I think of the construction you do throughout this continent, I am reminded that we are all builders-in one way or another. We must decide the nature of the design and the quality of materials we will use. Here in Georgia-we are dedicated to the building of a society of liberty. It is stamped with the right of local people to control their schools, government and law enforcement agencies.
FOOD UP-DATE SEMINAR
February 20, 1968
There is but one freedom-the freedom of the individual to lead his own life in his own way, free of the threat of interference so long as he interferes with no other man's freedom.
This freedom is not found where men are robbed of their individuality. It is to be found only where free man's freedom is limited only by his obligation as an individual to maintain his own liberty and the liberty of others.
HOP.MEL AND COMPANY (Groundbreaking Ceremonies)
February 26, 1968
DeKalb County
It is a source of great satisfaction that the progress we have made has
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been augmented and enhanced by the Hormel Company's giant contribution. We have become partners in the building of a greater Southeast and a greater America. You can depend upon the energetic cooperation of the Maddox administration with your plans and efforts.
LITTLE RED SCHOOLHOUSE
March 1, 1968
College Park
True beauty lies in your compassion for little children and your desire to give special care for special needs.
What you are planning now is an emblem of your affection for children, and will for many years to come be a tribute to our noble heritage as Americans.
This milestone is a monument to the American idea that circumstances can be changed, that problems have a solution and that success can come to those who have the determination to make their opportunities.
BROAD RIVER SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION
March 1, 1968
Homer
Our people are familiar with the devastation to the land and to the community as a result of flooding. But through the Watershed Program floods are curbed, water is provided for industry, agriculture and recreation, the soil is saved, and the whole community and well-being of our state are strengthened.
Just as you are expending your energies on the local level to provide a more prosperous region and state, we in the Maddox administration are carrying forth with projects on a wide, far-reaching scale for a stronger Georgia.
COEUR de LEON COMMANDERY NO.4 Knights Templar
March 4, 1968
Atlanta Masonic Temple
I believe most of the American people are tired of the scotch tape approach in patching up a torn society. They are tired of phony philosophies, tricky oratory and political gimmicks.
Sometimes the patriots of our land are criticized for using doublenegatives in their language. But I would rather have double-negatives than double talk from our political leaders.
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VOCATIONAL INDUSTRIAL CLUBS Employee-Employer Banquet
March 5, 1968
Since the Vocational Industrial Clubs of America were organized in 1965, Georgia has provided the charter president and the first girl president-giving us the leadership of two out of three. I want to recognize the prestige you have attained as well as the worthy goal of excellence in self-improvement as you prepare for the future. You belong to the fastestgrowing youth organization in America.
SOUTHERN ICE EXCHANGE Seventy-ninth Annual Convention
March 11, 1968
The chicken we sold at the Pickrick Restaurant was packaged in ice to maintain freshness and bloom, making it better tasting and better looking.
But as you all know, I was invaded by the federal government and the communist sympathizers who liked my chicken so much they wanted to take over the operation of my private business.
My customers were intimidated, harassed and driven away, my business was destroyed, and my rights to private property were lost.
But this experience with the forces of tyranny gave me added determination to defend forever the rights and freedoms of the American people.
FIVE LADIES CLUBS Annual Joint Meeting
March 12, 1968
Columbus
The power thrust which can come from groups like those represented at this meeting tonight-and thousands more throughout our land-can help stop the insanity of collectivism and the trend toward chaos in our country.
I am confident that America's future will be as glorious as her heritage. I believe this because I have faith in God and in the American people.
GEORGIA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
March 15, 1968
Annual Convention
I will assure you that no subject, no problem, no legislation, no aspiration is more important to me than the future of all Georgian children....
By working and attending school at the same time, I guess I was one
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of the people who helped invent distributive education. What the vast majority of Georgians want-and deserve-is quality
education, and excellence in education. The future of your state depends upon your active participation. I
know that I can count upon your support in the days ahead-as in the past.
You may count upon my faithful cooperation and help as we, together, fulfill our promises and obligations to Georgia children, Georgia teachers and Georgia parents, as we advance toward the summit of progress in all areas and endeavors.
With our combined energies we shall see the dawn of a new day and greater hope as the future unfolds.
ANNUAL SCIENCE HONORS NIGHT Science and Technology Commission
March 15, 1968
Honoring Dr. Odum
It is a distinct pleasure for me to join in with the Georgia Science and Technology Commission in recognizing these outstanding science students. It was a privilege to present the Franklin Foundation science scholarship awards and again offer my hearty congratulations to the winners. The future of scientific advancement in this great state rests with its youth of the caliber of these students.
It is now my pleasure to recognize Georgia's outstanding scientist of 1967: Dr. Eugene P. Odum of the University of Georgia.
SCHOOL FOOD SERVICE ASSOCIATION
March 15, 1968
As your governor I am committed to a program of quality education, and we cannot have quality education without a strong school food servicc program. The school lunch people have been the neglected people of the educational system, and during my administration something is being done and will be done to give them recognition and support.
CITIZENS COUNCILS OF FLORIDA
March 16, 1968
Bradenton
There is something inspmng about being with those who know that freedom isn't cheap-that the price of freedom goes up every day.
And it's wonderful to be with those who are willing to pay that price, as you take your stand for God, family and country and determine to
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restore, protect and preserve the American way of life. \,ye are living in an era of rapid change. One of the changes that have taken place since I last addressed your
group happened in the State of Georgia. The event I am speaking about is my own election as governor. Many of the slick politicians said that Lester ~faddox could never be
elected. They said that I would not be elected and threw everything but the
kitchen sink at me to keep me from being elected. Some poll takers didn't even list my name in the running column. But these professional politicians were suffering from delusion. They just
didn't realize what God, the people, and the spirit of America could do. And once again, it was proven that "the things which are impossible
with men, are possible with God." I trust in God, and I have asked Him thC'n and I ask Him now, to give
me the wisdom to help advance the cause of Christianity and AmericanIsm.
It really wasn't too difficult to be elected. All that was necessary was to defeat the Democrats, the Republicans-,on the state and national level -159 courthouses, more than 400 city halls, the railroads, the utility companies, major banks and major industry, and all the daily newspapers and TV stations in Georgia.
Yes, we had a lot of opposition. But we had the people with us. The opposition had the "Great Society" and the "sick society" and the "special interest" society.
\Ve won the race for Governor of Georgia because \\'C identified with what the vast majority of Georgians and Americans \I'ant: constitutional government, free enterprise, law and order, Americanism and, in short, those things which arc right.
~1y fellow Americans, we came out victorious because we heard the voice of the people crying in the \I'ilderness of welfarislll, police statism and socialism, and responded to the yearning desires of the people.
Throughout America today, that voice can still be heard, and I am confident, that because of groups like yours and millions of other patriotic Americans, it will be answered.
\Ve in the Southeast arc indeed fortunate for this corner of our country is soon to become the political and economic power center for all America.
And the Maddox administration, with the help of the people, is ready to join with the sister states in our movement toward the bright horizon.
We have just moved through fourteen of the greatest months in Georgia history.
Never before has Georgia witnessed such advances in education, mental
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health, highways, and aid to cities and county government-as seen in the people's administration.
We have pushed forward with an unparalleled program to sell our state to the nation and the world.
We made unmatched progress in penal reform, and pushed forth with dynamic programs in agriculture, conservation, state parks, mining and ocean research.
We have been faithful to the people of our state in carrying out their mandate.
We have opened the doors of state government and let the people come m.
We have opened the windows to let the light shine in. We have uncovered, exposed and eliminated wrong-doing. ''\'e have taken an unprecedented stand for law and order and law enforcement. We have waged an all-out war on crime, gambling, illegal sales of alcohol, and other vices which have existed in our state. Our drive to clean up speed traps and gambling traps in our state has attracted attention throughout the United States. Just a little over a week ago the news media carried a story about the strong commendation given to this administration by the American Automobile Association's eastern conference, concerning our clip joint and speed trap clean up. \Ve sincerely appreciate the interest and encouragement which has come from those who recognize the nature of our policies and programs and legislation for a better Georgia. We realize, too, that the primary needs of our people cannot be handled by legislation. There are many governors, commissioners, mayors, congressmen, senators and even presidents who place legislation as a top priority in this country. But I told the people of Georgia that legislation would not be our number one concern. I said as a candidate-and I say now-that honesty, efficiency and morality would be primary in the Maddox administration, and that we would stand as no other administration has ever done for the American heritage. This emphasis is what we need to see in the office of governor, the halls of congress, in the \Vhite House and everywhere across our land. The legislative bodies of our state and national government could stay in session without adjourning till the year 2,000 and pass tens of thousands of laws, but these would be in vain, if we fail to live by the laws we already have and fail to seek God's \\'isdom and fail to take our stand for
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the basic principles upon which our nation was founded. There have been other major changes since we last met. In the national elections we saw in 1966, forty-seven Democratic seats
were lost in the United States Congress. I advised the president and the leaders of my party that, had Georgia
nominated one of the typical Democrats in the Democratic primary in Georgia in 1966, the United States congress would have had fifty-two new Republican congressmen, rather than the forty-seven-and Q,ne other state house would have gone over to the opposition camp.
What else has happened? California-with a Democratic voter registration of approximately twoto-one over the opposition party-elected a Republican governor. Florida-with a Democratic registration several times greater than the Republican registration, elected a Republican governor. One day in November of last year the General Assembly of New Jersey was two-to-one Democratic and the next day it was three-to-one Republican. What does all this mean? It means that the American people are fed up with socialism, communism, internationalism, and the political insanities of a sell-out financially, irresponsible federal government. It means, my fellow Americans, that the voice of the grass roots of America, which has for so long been muffled and silenced, is now echoing and vibrating with a new call for liberty. It means that the American people will no longer accept the junglelike Stalin-like tactics of big government in wresting the right to private property, local control of education, government and law enforcement from our citizens. It means the American people are sick and tired of Democrats and Republicans who would rather be elected than be right. It means that our people are looking for leaders who have the courage to stop the tide of tyranny that is sweeping our country. People in America are not looking for more Democrats and Republicans in high office. They are looking for more real American congressmen, senators, mayors and other public officials who will put the safety, security and welfare of America first. The changes of our time mean that Americans can no longer tolerate the no-win policy concerning two wars in which America is now engaged -the guerilla war in our streets, and the full scale war in Viet Nam. I am concerned-and I know you are-about the treacherous force of anarchy which is moving across the face of our society.
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It is an armed conspiracy which uses espionage and destruction. We see the communists carrying out plans which have been laid more than forty years ago to wreck and burn our cities. We see them directing, encouraging and oftentimes financing the burning of our flag and the draft cards of our young men. I warned our national leaders of the danger of mass disorder unless the federal government demonstrated the necessary courage to restrain it. These warnings and predications were made in the fifties and early sixties. But they were ignored. The warnings of FBI counterspies that the communists were making plans to use civil disorders to overthrow the American government were not heeded. The federal government knew of the communist plans to employ handto-hand, house-to-housc, and street-to-strect fighting tactics, and how police officers would be attacked and police stations would become major targets of the revolutionaries. But instead of taking appropriate action the communists and criminals have been coddled. Revolutionaries have been told by some of our national leaders to "rouse the masses and blow the bugles." Governors, mayors, ministers and other leaders have marched with bums, deadbeats, communists and criminals, and have given their support to lawlessness. These men, either knovvingly or unwittingly, have joined with the communists in their nefarious program to wreck America, destroy the United States Constitution, and cause our children, and our grandchildren to live-as the communists have predicted-under the slavery of communism. It is sad that many-both Democrats and Republicans in high placeshave been guilty of selling out the future of America for a mess of political pottage. But the day of reckoning is coming. There will be payday somedayand it will be very soon. It may well come in November, 1968. I have advised the leaders in my party and those of the opposition party that if the voice of the people is not heeded, many who are now supposedly representing the people will be plowed under in 1968. Those who have not kept faith with the American people, and have become disciples of socialism and communism should, in my opinion be turned out to pasture. And I hope they will. It is absolutely astonishing to sec what is happening to our country. Crime is sweeping the nation some nine times faster than the population growth, and our federal government, instead of fulfilling its primary
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responsibility of protecting the lives and property of our cItIzens, has contributed to the crime wave by pushing programs which promote violence, wrecking, property destruction and killing in our streets.
Our own national capital has turned into one of the worst crime areas in the history of mankind-all because of a bunch of chattering cowards.
One ann of the "Great Society," the Office of Economic Opportunity, is using its legal department composed of some 1,900 lawyers to attempt the takeover of American police stations.
Evidence obtained by congressional investigations indicate that the director of Newark's OEO legal service program played a leading role in that city's riot last summer which resulted in twenty-five persons killed, 725 injured and property damage estimated at $10,000,000.
Through the help of the federal government, this organization and its employees are making moves to undermine and destroy local law enforcement and substitute a national police force.
It is no wonder that we have rioting and looting and wrecking. The report of the Riot Probe Commission is nothing more than I predicted: a whitewash and a coverup. It did not tell the whole truth. As a matter of fact, it is simply a document of deceit. The commission says there was no conspiracy. But I say there was. The recommendation of the commission is nothing more than a coward's way out of trouble. They are telling these lawless renegades, communists and criminals: "Please don't rob our stores, Please don't carry out your threats to kill us. Please leave us alone. You can forget about America, law and order. You can have our properties. You can spread your communist filth and we will even pay you while you do, but please don't shoot us." I wonder if the Riot Probe Commission knows anything about the ten days of violence and disruption planned for many of our communities during the week of April 21 to April 30 by the Students for a Democratic Society? They laid their strategy at a meeting in Bloomington, Indiana, on February 10 of this year, for attacks on police and for taking over control of universities. Patriotic Americans have reached the stomach-turning point concerning government-financed revolution and government by bribe. They are sick and tired of brainwashing propaganda coming from organizations like the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders which, in effect, has said that: Law enforcement personnel should be disarmed. For policemen to display weapons in the face of rioting may be inflammatory and lead to even worse disorder. The rioting was not caused by rioters. The rioters did not do any sniping, but policemen, guardsmen,
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and firemen shot themselves. The riots were caused by white people. The suggestions and recommendations of this commission form one of
the most clever blackmail schemes in America's history. My fellow patriots, the American people are tired of such hogwash. And may I add just a word about the poverty program. I believe in
helping the unfortunate have-nots who cannot, but am not in favor of helping the have-nots who will not.
Most Americans have seen enough of programs which make welfare addicts of our citizens.
If we win the war on poverty, as now programmed by the socialists of Washington and demanded by the communists, we will lose our war for the preservation of private property, free enterprise, local control of education, government, law enforcement, and liberty.
If we win the war on poverty, as now fought, we will lose our war on crime, immorality and communism.
What we have witnessed in recent years in this country is a horrible nightmare.
The Republican-led Supreme Court decisions, in many cases, have been in favor of the communist platform against America.
We have seen Republican leadership invade Little Rock in support of communist demands.
\Ve have seen social reform and racial integration placed ahead of the education, health and welfare of our people of every race, creed, color and national origin.
We live in a land where it is legal to train our pets and animals, but illegal to train our children to believe in God and allow them to read the Bible and say prayer in the public schools.
And because of these mind-rending events which have taken place in this country there is a great feeling among the masses of our people that the "Great Society" which is responsible for our present situation, is ready to bite the dust. And I say, the sooner the better.
Since I talked with you last we have seen a defaming war accelerated ten thousand miles from horne.
As I told you before, our goal has not been-and is not victory. 'MacArthur, the great American general, said: "There is no substitute for victory." Yet there arc many who are seeking that substitute which is not there. It is a phantom. Our financing, feeding, clothing and housing of those who do not support our cause for freedom must cease. We must stop our trade with and aid to those who are on the side of the enemies who maim, blind, injure, and kill our troops. I t's time we won an American victory.
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It's time to halt appeasement and compromise. It's time to wave the flag for America. The people of Georgia are ready to take their stand with all other true Americans to work for a better future for America. Together we can keep it from becoming the land of the coward and the home of the slave, and help it to remain the land of the free and the home of the brave.
UTAH FORUM FOR THE AMERICAN IDEA
March 22, 1968
Salt Lake City
It is unusual for a Georgia boy to be invited to speak to a group of Westerners on the topic of freedom. I can only say that you do me much honor by allowing me the privilege of talking to you tonight on a subject so dear to my heart.
In view of the recent events which have dominated national headlines, I can think of no more appropirate time to express our concern for a sick society. You might have heard the statement which the press attributed to me in reaction to the possible announcement by Bobby Kennedy that he would seek the Democratic nomination for the presidency. My reported reaction was that "I would rather see Fidel Castro as president of the United States."
I heard later that Castro was upset by the Yankee development and that he had a statement for the press, too. He reportedly said that he would rather see Lester Maddox as president instead of Bobby Kennedy!
I think that's an unkind thing for a man to say about one of his best friends.
In all seriousness, I want you to know that I am always pleased to meet people who share my belief in a living God.
I am doubly pleased to find people who share my beliefs in both God and the American way of life.
Needless to say, I am humbled to find an entire group of this size united by these common beliefs.
The topic of my talk tonight is not a new one. Even when the United States of America was still a dream for some, it was a nightmare for others. The lesson had been well learned that too much power placed in the hands of too few people invited abuse. There was good reason for the several years of debate which preceded the final union of thirteen free states.
There is even more reason for debate today. vVe are seeing a monster take shape and spread out its poisonous, suffocating tentacles which would
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have been beyond the wildest imagination of those who debated longest before setting pen to the Constitution.
We are seeing the monster of federal encroachment reach out and suck the life-blood from the very foundation of a virile, democratic society, which is local control of the education of our young.
Washington is taking giant steps toward socializing medicine so guidelines can be issued to tell us what doctor to see and on what day. Already Medicare has made old folks' homes of all our hospitals because when the Medicare patients get well, they find that their relatives have deserted them on the government's steps, and there is no place else to go.
The property rights of our citizens have been chewed to shreds, and even now Congress is picking at the last bones. If we continue in the direction we are now going, we will all soon be working in federallyowned factories, living in federally-owned houses, buying from federallyowned stores, and putting our dead to rest in federally-owned graveyards.
The one principle which had set us apart from communist nations and allowed us to thrive in never-before-seen prosperity, the principle of free enterprise, is being attacked from every side. The Interstate Commerce clause of the Constitution has been so twisted by those who are trying to make Khrushchev's prophecy come true-that no man in America today can truly say that he is in business for himself. We are all in business for the federal government. Washington dictates the salaries that will be paid. They tell us who we can and cannot employ. \Ve have no choice in our customers. And in the unlikely event that a fair profit is made, that goes to the Washington dictators, too, as tax dollars to ship overseas to our self-declared enemies.
The longest fangs of the monster vvhich is rapidly destroying the American way of life can be found in the Office of Economic Opportunity. This bureau has declared war on constitutional government, law and order, free enterprise, the right to hold and enjoy private property, health and educational institutions, and the basic freedoms of the American people.
Some 1,900 attorneys have been employed at a cost of $36,000,000 to the American taxpayer to suppress any who would dare stand in their way. These lawyers will be the frontline advisers to the rioters and looters and murderers who left twenty-five dead and over 700 maimed for life in Newark, along with $10,000,000 worth of damage to private property.
I ask you now, who is to blame for these insufferable conditions which surely rattle the bones of every patriot who has given his life to preserve a freedom so lightly regarded?
At the bottom of the list of sinners, I would place our president, and
the presidents before him. His sins are rooted in the lust for power, in
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greed for fond memories in the minds of historians, and in too great a willingness to compromise the freedoms of the majority to appease the anger of a militant and ungrateful few.
Next in line, I point the accusing finger at governors who have given their people comradeship instead of leadership, promises instead of actions, and federal dollars rather than local initiative.
State legislators have sold out their constituents by blindly rubberstamping a national party platform which is designed to further the cause of politicians, and not the cause of individual liberties.
Local office holders have filled their pockets from the federal tills with one hand while the other hand covered ('yes which could see no evil. Loyalties have been sold for federal dollars, and federal dollars have been traded for local votes.
Many of our leaders in business and industry who have benefited most from the American free enterprise syst('m have become leaders of appeasement and compromise because of the fear of losing a dollar. They don't have the courage to close up rather than give in, or to fight rather than surrender.
Near the top of the list, I find our religious leaders giving aid and comfort to our enemies in Red China, Hanoi, and Cuba. While some teach our future leaders in the universities that God is dead, others march with the mobs in the streets and encourage bums and hoodlums to take from others what they are unwilling to work for, themselves.
But the bulk of the responsibility for the decline in the power of the rank and file citizen lies with the rank and file citizen: with the farmer who would rather be paid to not grow wheat than to find a profit in more efficient operations: with the laborer who would rather dawdle for a guaranteed wage than to give a day's work for a day's pay; with the elderly who have squandered their life earnings and left nothing in the storehouse but blind faith that the government will provide; with the housewife, who is all too eager to leave her children to any willing hands, to be molded to any desired fonn; with the school teachers, who dare not hum a hymn for fear of the atheist's wrath; and with the hoards of government employees at all levels who see atrocities first-hand, but "sin by silence" to keep the fat paychecks coming.
The worst fears of Thomas Jefferson, of Luther Martin, of William Patterson and others who argued in the late 1780's that the rights of the individual colonies would be swallowed up, along with individual rights, if a central government were granted powers too broad, have in this century been realized. "Constitutional government" has taken on a new meaning which would be completely foreign to our country's founders.
You are an educated people, and I do not propose to interpret the
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Constitution of the United States to you. But let me put this question to you for your serious consideration: If the Constitution were submitted today as an entirety to a referendum, would it be readopted by a majority?
I think that for most of us the answer does not come readily. If pressed for an immediate answer, we might beg for time to think about it.
Why do we hesitate? What has happened in the past two centuries tha t tests our belief in so sacred a document?
It is my contention that this distrust has been fostered not by a defect or deficiency in the Constitution-never was there a more worthy tribute to the dignity of man-no, I would be the last to condemn a document which was written with the blood of free mcn with the purpose of preserving that freedom.
My attack is upon those in power who would use the vcry words which guarantee us freedom to chain us in enslavement. These are strong words because they are rooted in strong feelings.
Chief Justice Earl Warren was quoted in the New York Times in 1963 as follows: "Whcn the state governments fail to satisfy the needs of the people, the people appeal to the federal government. Whether the question is one of advancement of human knowledge through research, of law and order, or the right of all persons to equal protection of the law, the federal government need become involved only when the states fail to act."
On the surface, this appears to be a noble and democratic sentiment; but upon closer examination, we find a number of hidden dangers which ought to be recognized. First of all, we see a body of nine men who are not elected to their offices, but appointed, and therefore not directly responsible to the people. Secondly, having adopted the Warren doctrine, these men are also supreme in their power to interpret its meaning. Who determines the "needs" of the people? Who is to say that a state has not satisfied these needs, once they are determined? Who sets the time limit for the satisfaction of these needs?
It is all too obvious that the Supreme Court has taken it upon itself to act as the conscience of the land, and to amend the Constitution to fit its definitions of what is right and what is wrong.
John Randolph said in 1922 that "You can cover whole skins of parchment with limitations, but power alone can limit power." There is a message for us today in these words. The power lies within us, the people, if we will but have the courage to use it.
But I am reminded here, too, of the words of Benjamin Franklin: "There is no form of government but what may be a blessing to the people if well administered for a course of years, and can only end in despotism, as other forms have done before it, when the people shall become so corrupted as to need despotic government, being incapable of any other."
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If I may follow the example of the Supreme Court and be arbitrary in my interpretation of the words of others, I will choose here to define "corrupted" to mean apathetic, disinterested, selfish, and material-minded.
We are now a people who permit-even encourage-our flag to be spat upon; the same flag that was raised proudly from a field of American blood at Iwo Jima; the same flag that shrouded the bodies of thousands of our young men in Korea; and the flag for which, this very moment, a mother's son is being surrendered to God in Viet Nam.
We are a people who permit and encourage the preaching that God is dead; while I would deny no man the freedom to speak on his beliefs, I would certainly not encourage him to disparage the word of God by giving him an attentive ear.
But if we now have the courage to admit that much of the blame for the present state of affairs rests with us, what can we do toward reclaiming our lost freedoms?
An English statesman of the last century had this to say: "As we cannot, without the risk of evils from which the imagination recoils, employ physical force as a check on misgovernment, it is evidently our wisdom to keep all the constitutional checks on misgovernment in the highest state of efficiency, to watch with jealously the first beginning of encroachment, and never to suffer irregularities, even when harmless in themselves, to pass unchallenged, lest they acquire the force of precedents."
This may sound like advice come too late, but we must remember that the first thing a crew of a battered ship does is to stop the leaks; only then can some headway be made toward bailing out the brine which has seeped in.
Still, I have given you no concrete answers. How do we as citizens of the individual states and as citizens of these United States challenge the beginnings of encroachment? Some suggestions were made in 1962 by the National Legislative Conference Committee. In an effort to return a rightful measure of power to the individual states and to the citizens of the states, a number of amendments to the Federal Constitution were proposed.
The first proposed amendment would have given the legislatures of the various states, when two-thirds of such legislatures were in agreement, the right to propose amendments to the Constitution which would, without the necessity of the consent of Congress, become part of the Constitution if ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several states.
The second proposed amendment would have prohibited federal interference in the apportionment of representation in the legislatures of the several states by the federal courts or by constitutional provisions.
The third resolution would have amended the Constitution to provide
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for the establishment of a court of the union. Composed of the chief justices of the highest courts of the sevcral states, this court would have the power to reverse decisions rendered by the United States Supreme Court! This court would have power, however, to rule only in cases relating to the rights reserved to the states or to the people by the Constitution. In effect, such a court would serve as the states' "policemen" to enforce the Tenth Amendment.
I applaud the mcn who had the courage and initiative to do something toward the elimination of government by guidelines and toward returning to the states those rights which have becn illegally taken over the years. I am also in whole-hearted agreement with the sentiments of Mr. Lloyd W. Lowery of California who read these words to the General Assembly before presenting the resolutions which I just outlined.
"The most sacred of all public officials, whether state or federal, and thc highcst patriotic rcsponsibility of all citizens is to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution, including that portion of the Constitution intended to guarantee a government of dual sovereignty. When it becomes apparent that purposely or inadvertently, any dcpartment or agency of government has embarked upon a course calculated to destroy the balance of power essential to our system, it behooves all other departments and agencies acting within their respective sphere of jurisdiction to take steps within their power neccssary to avert the impending evil. We believe that grave imbalance now exists."
As you might know, thesc proposals met with strong opposition. In 1963, the American Bar Association flatly rejected them, which was a setback that has been hard for the proposals to overcome.
These Americans were, I believe, acting in accordance with one of the first principles included in what we call "thc Amcrican Idea." When a government no longer serves in the best interests of the people, then that government should be changed by orderly, democratic, and legal means.
When I came into the office of governor of Georgia, I found there, too, a government which had gotten out of the hands of the people, and into the hands of a few special interests politicans who were willing to let things ride as they were.
These people could see the wrongdoing as clearly as you and I could see it, but they did not spcak out; their allegiance was to thc almighty dollar instead of to the common good of the Gcorgia people.
There was a \I'ell-established "you-scratch-my-back-and-I'll-scratchyours" relationship betwecn the legislative and the executivc branches. Appointments to high public office were confirmed by a senate which, in good conscience, kncw that they should not have becn.
There wcre bills signcd into law by the executive which would nevcr
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have gotten out of committee had it not been for the custom of "favor swapping" operating all the way up the line.
But, my fellow Americans, let me tell you with pride that the face of Georgia is changing.
Since Lester Maddox came into office in January of 1967, the old political organization has suffered a heavy blow.
I dared to speak out against corruption and mismanagement in our Department of Industry and Trade. As a consequence, Georgia's industry is growing at a rate undreamed of in the history of the state.
I dared to speak out against corruption and abuse in the Department of Corrections. I looked into holes and crevices filled with ten decades of political filth.
What I found made me sick. And I told the people of Georgia that it made me sick. And I told the corrections officials and the county commissioners that it made me sick.
And with every prisoner in Georgia as my 'witnesses, I can report to you tonight that we have made more improvement in the Georgia penal system in three months of intensive effort than was made in the preceding thirty years.
I publicly questioned the practices of the State Board of Pardons and Paroles, and the public gave me some unbelievable answers. But an investigation proved these unbelievable charges to be true, and Georgia came as near to impeaching a public official as she has ever come. The improvements in that department have restored the confidence of the Georgia people in the system of paroles. But these forced improvements represent only a small part of the reason for my pride in Georgia.
The psychological change which is taking place in Georgia government would be inspirational to every free heart here tonight.
Let me tell you what is a proven fact: COURAGE IS CONTAGIOUS! Rather than rubber-stamping my appointments in government, the Georgia legislature has looked for proof of merit. Lobbyists are working overtime and worrying about their jobs. Men are searching their consciences and finding courage to speak out on topics which were only whispered about before. And this, my friends, is the state's answer to Washington's attempt to gobble up the last fiber of state muscle. This is the answer to Lyndon Johnson's Viet Nam policies which ignore the wishes of the people. This is the answer to those like Bobby Kennedy who would light the torches of rioters and looters and draft card burners. This is the answer to HEW and its misguided guidelines which ignore the needs of our nation's children and instead, view each section of the country with computer-like insensitivity and count: One black, one white. This is the answer to a Court which would have us destroy the historic
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geographical and cultural divisions within our states in order to prevent one man's vote from counting one-one thousandths of a vote more than another man's. This is the answer to a Court which would rule that because one atheist's child is sitting in a classroom, twenty-nine Christian children cannot begin the day with a prayer. This is the answer to those who would destroy the great institution of free enterprise which made this nation the leader of nations that it is today. This is the answer to those who would take away our right to possess, enjoy and dispose of private property in accordance with a common law which antedates all constitutions. This is the answer: For enough people to have enough courage to stand and be counted. Let's put our mouths where our money is!
We must be willing to bear the label of "racist" when we stand up for free enterprise and the enjoyment of private property. We will be called "die-hard conservatives" when we refuse to chop our states up into federal districts. We will be called "do-gooders" and "sentimentalists" if we insist that atheists not be allowed to dominate our schools. We will bear the title of "war mongers" if we call for our troops to fight a war to win. We will be included as a part of the white backlash movement if we dare suggest that looters and rioters be dealt with as the criminals that they are. There are other labels, too, which, for some, are dirty names: Patriot. True American. Christian. But, my friends, you could do me no greater honor than call me a true American, Christian patriot.
In closing, I would like to leave this message for your future thought and discussion. It is taken from the introduction of a book by Milton and Friedman entitled Capitalism and Freedom:
"In a much quoted passage in his inaugural address, President Kennedy said, 'Ask not what your country can do for you-ask what you can do for your country.' It is a striking sign of the temper of our times that the controversy about this passage centered on its origin and not on its content. Neither half of the statement expresses a relation between the citizen and his government that is worthy of the ideals of free men in a free society. The paternalistic 'what your country can do for you' implies that government is the patron, the citizen the ward, a view that is at odds with the free man's belief in his own responsibility for his own destiny.
"The organismic, 'what you can do for your country' implies that government is the master or the deity, the citizen the servant or the votary. To the free man, the country is the collection of individuals who compose it, not something over and above them. He is proud of a common heritage and loyal to common traditions. But he regards government as a means, an instrumentality, neither a grantor of favors and gifts, nor a master or god to be blindly worshipped and served. He recognizes no national goal
GEORGIA'S F T RE GOVERNOR I PHOTOGRAPH
Lester G, Maddox, Left, with Sisler, B the1yn, and Brother, Howard
GOVER OR A D MRS. MADDOX WITH THEIR SO SAD DAUGHTERS Left to Right, Virginia Louise (Mrs. George C. Carnes), Lester, Jr., Larry, and Linda (Mrs. Donald E. Dinsmore), soon after their father became governor.
FIRST TO OCCUPY NEW GOVER ORS' MANSION Gov. Maddox raised flagpoles' Mrs. Carl Sanders designed fountain. The Maddoxes moved in from the former mansion December, 1967.
YOUNG GEORGIANS WERE WELCOMED AT THE CAPITOL One of Many Groups Surrounds the Governor in the Ex cutive Suite
TWO ALABAMA GOVERNORS VISIT GEORGIA On Feb. 28, 1967; Gov. Lurleen and then former Gov. George Wallace appeared before a joint session of the General Assembly. Here, left to right, rear, Sen. Hugh Gillis (applauding), Lt. Gov. George T. Smith, Gov. Maddox, Gov. Wallace, Mrs. Wallace (only her small "pillbox" hat clearly visible), George L. Smith, speaker of the house, and Elmore C. Thrash, messenger of the house. Front, Hugh Skelton (since deceased), assistant house clerk; L. G. Gilstrap, house Joumal Clerk, Glenn Ellard, house clerk, and Hamilton McWhorter, secretary
of the senate.
EW MEMBER, BOARD OF CORRECTIO On Dec. 12, 1969 Governor Maddox greets Graham W. Jack on, famous Atlanta troubadour, whom he named to the Board of Corrections. Pianist, organist, accordionist, Mr. Jackson was a famous entertainer for President and Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt at the Warm Springs White House and in the national capital. ( ews reporter Sam Hopkin in background.)
GOVERNOR MADDOX A D THE EWS MEDIA Here he is que tioned by newsman ubrey Morris. WSB-T
GOV. MADDOX WITH SECRETARY OF STATE BE Mr. Fortson has served during the administrations of Gov. Ellis Arnall, Gov. Melvin E. Thompson, Gov. Herman E. Talmadge, Gov. S. Marvin Griffin, Gov. S. Ernest Vandiver, Gov. Carl E. Sander, Gov. Lester G. Maddox, and Gov. James E. Carter. Gov. Eugene Talmadge was to have succeeded Gov. Arnall, but died December 21, 1946, before taking office the next month.
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except as it is the consensus of the goals that the citizens severally serve. He recognizes no national purpose except as it is the consensus of the purposes for which the citizens severally strive.
"The free man will ask neither what his country can do for him nor what he can do for his country. He will ask rather 'What can I and my
compatriots do through government to help us discharge our individual responsibilities, to achieve our several goals and purposes, and above all, to protect our freedom?' And he will accompany this question with another: 'How can we keep the government we create from becoming a Frankenstein that will destroy the very freedom we establish it to protect?' "
TRI-CITY LIONS CLUB Austell, Douglasville, West Cobb
March 25, 1968
Austell
A man assumes importance and becomes a power in the world just as soon as he stands for something. The trouble with so many men in our modern generation is that they do not stand for anything. This is especially true in the realm of politics. Everywhere we see men putting the stumbling blocks of deception and dishonesty right across their own pathway, tripping themselves up while trying to deceive others.
HONORING MR. MONROE KIMBREL
March 26, 1968
we have occasion once again to offer congratulations and best wishes to our fellow Georgian as he plants his feet firmly on the very top rung of the ladder of success. As President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Mr. Kimbrel will be lending his banking acumen not only to the businessmen of Georgia, but those of other Southeastern states.
FLOYD JUNIOR HIGH PTA.
March 26, 1968
Mableton
... Borrowing from Billy Graham again, we find him saying that ... "True believing ... is following the convictions you know are true, regardless of the consequences."
When I read these words, it reminded me ot my battle not so long ago with the courts and the newspapers and much of the gullible public. I stood my ground for the principle of free enterprise and I bore the consequences. I was called a racist, a kook, a radical, and a wild man. But I never stopped believing that I was right.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
I was fighting against legislation which was contrary to the United States Constitution and contrary to all that is American. I was standing up against legislation which Lyndon B. Johnson himself labeled a farce and a sham, which, in the guise of liberty, would make a police state of our nation. I was fighting for my right, your right, and the right of every American, regardless of race, creed, color or national origin, to enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as guaranteed by the Constitution.
I lost my fight-and every American who loves his liberty lost with me. We lost when our government denied me a trial by jury. We lost when I was denied the right to have my case heard before Republican Warren's Supreme Court. Sympathetic ears are always open in that body to the pleas of admitted and convicted rapists, murderers and communists, but they would not hear Lester Maddox.... Although my government stole my right to serve you good food, you, the voters, have granted me the right to serve you in a higher capacity. And just as I demanded the best for my customers at the Pickrick, I will ... demand the best at the State Capitol for my constituents.
March 28, 1968
YMCA YOUTH ASSEMBLY
Georgia Capitol
We need legislation, but if we gain the whole world of legislation and lose the soul of America-and peace, safety, law and order, we have gained absolutely nothing.
I am counting on you young people to stand with us as we move toward our goals to promote the American way of life, honesty, efficiency, and morality in government, peace and tranquillity, and a safer, cleaner, stronger and more prosperous state and nation.
BACON COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL ASSEMBLY
March 29, 1968
Alma
We had our first big courthouse rally of the Maddox campaign for governor here in Alma, and the enthusiasm generated in that rally led us from the steps of the courthouse to the steps of the State Capitol. ...
It is an honor for me to be at Bacon County High School and have the wonderful privilege of meeting those who are destined to playa leading role in the future of our state and nation.
March 29, 1968
ANDREW COLLEGE
Cuthbert
The tie that existed between God, the Bible and the beginning of the
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United States of America cannot be overlooked. Yet today we are faced with attacks upon this precious American heritage
by the enemies of God and the enemies of freedom. The need for more and more schools like Andrew College is evidenced
by the destructive educational trends of our times.
WAYNESBORO JAYCEES
March 30, 1968
While you in the Jaycees are seeking to lay the foundation for leadership in this region, we in the Maddox administration are striving to provide leadership in Georgia that will not only benefit Georgians but will help set the pace for the nation.
Our goal is a brighter future of progress and prosperity for Georgia and America.
GREENBRIAR KIWANIS CLUB
April 1, 1968
We are attempting to provide our youth with a dream, and we are providing them with every ingredient for the realization of that dream, save one: personal initiative. We are extending a helping hand to every man, woman and child, regardless of race, religion and political conviction, and ask only that the other hand be used for self help.
MADISON COUNTY INDUSTRIAL AUTHORITY
April 2, 1968
Danielsville
Because I love my country, respect its flag, honor its commitments, and cherish its Constitution, I must of necessity oppose those leaders who encourage violence, fail to preserve law and order, and are willing to sell the soul of America for the price of a pig or the winning of an election.
And I believe the vast majority of Americans-at least ninety-eight per cent-feel the same way.
AIR NATIONAL GUARD COMMANDERS
April 3, 1968
I salute you for responding so rapidly to this positive reserve mobilization. Overnight, our country was provided with some 40,000 trained and ready air reservists as Air National Guardsmen and hundreds of their first line aircraft.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
You are here this week to participate in briefings, seminars and workshops to further increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the Air National Guard, ... But I want you to know that the people of this state and its chief executive are counting on you and your valuable skills and protection of our great country.
MUSIC AND ARTS CLASSROOM BUILDING Groundbreaking, Georgia State College
April 4, 1968
As we envision the structure which shall rise in this place, may that picture appear as an emblem of our determination to provide the very best for the young people of this state.
May it point to the future with confidence and great expectations for the full realization-through education----Df all that Georgia is destined to be....
May it symbolize all that is welded to the good life, the great life and the productive life in our free society.
NEWTON COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL
April 5, 1968
Madison
If only one word could be used to represent this country, what would
you choose? It is a 'Nord that brave men have had on their lips when
they died
It is a word that many people in other lands throughout
the world always associate with America. This word is Liberty.
ST. STEPHEN METHODIST CHURCH
April 7, 1968
Marietta
The first responsibility of a citizen is to obey the law. The first responsibility of government is to protect the lives and property of citizens....
Those who know the power of God's salvation have the duty of praying for the revival that will change individuals, and in turn, change and save our nation.
TATTNALL AA GROUP SPRING MEET
April 7, 1968
Reidsville
My purpose in coming here today is not to preach to you on the evils of alcohol: I am here to say I STAND WITH YOu. I stand with you in your battle for self-respect. I stand with you in your struggle to make a
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better life for yourselves and your families. I stand with you In your efforts to help one another.
SOUTHEASTERN REGIONAL MEETING Association of State Boards of Education
April 8, 1968
When you go back to your homes tell your people that you have visited a state where the welfare of all the people is being sought, where patriotism and Americanism is being promoted. Tell them we are standing by states' rights, free enterprise, property rights and freedom. Tell them we are maintaining law and order and the right of people to govern themselves.
OPTIMIST CLUB OF ATHENS-JEFFERSON
April 9, 1968
... And now, in our own generation, disrespect for the law continues to generate violence. National leaders in government, in the church, in labor and in business plead for peace one day, and then the next day they encourage the ignorant, the misguided and the impressionable to "disobey those laws which are not to their liking...."
The laws of God are just. In my opinion, they cannot be improved upon.
The laws of man are not always just, and they can be improved upon. There are laws which have done an injustice to Lester Maddox and free enterprise.
RED CARPET TOUR
April 10, 1968
Macon
It is gratifying to look about me tonight and see so many nationaIlyprominent industrial executives and Georgia leaders.
We trust that your tour will help you to discover Georgia at her bestand that you will be inspired to come back often. It is significant that so many of our Red Carpet Tour guests have returned-with plants.
CITIZENS MEETING
April 12, 1968
Bremen
We want to see Georgia and Georgians light the lamps of freedom so that others across the country may see the light and follow it in peace, Americanism and conservatism.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
We want to see mayors, senators, congressmen, commissioners-yes, and even presidents living by their convictions and meeting their responsibilities and speaking out for America and her heritage.
SOUTH COBB LIONS CLUB
April 15, 1968
Mableton
This return visit to Cobb County is indeed one of satisfaction, fulfillment and personal joy, for it brings to mind the last big rally of the Maddox campaign for governor which was held here.
The enthusiasm, optimism and determination which had built up to a magnificent climax of a long, weary and difficult campaign found beautiful and eloquent expression in that meeting so many of you remember.
MUSCOGEE CIVITAN CLUB
April 16, 1968
Columbus
Somebody once said that the man who doesn't make mistakes is the man who isn't working. If we could believe everything that we read in some newspapers, it would appear that Lester Maddox is the hardestworking governor that Georgia ever had. That might be trne. If it is, then I have something in common with the Civitans-especially the Muscogee Civitans.
You are working hard for a better Columbus, a better Georgia, a better America. Lester Maddox is working hard for a better Columbus, a better Georgia, a better America.
SALVATION ARMY ANNUAL BANQUET
April 16, 1968
Columbus
For centuries people have shown an interest in the problems of the suffering, the poor and unfortunates. But no organization has responded with the effectiveness of this Army of dedicated Christians. And its members have rescued countless thousands from despair and lifted them to lives of self-esteem and self-respect.
DISTRIBUTIVE EDUCATION Annual Employer-Employee Banquet
April 17, 1968
Lawrenceville
I appreciate the theme of your meeting: Distributive Education: Key to Success.
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Thousands of Georgians are finding this key and are unlocking the gates of opportunity as never before.... The great challenge of education is to provide a more extensive and more effective training program to prepare young people for their jobs. With every change in science and technology, industrial development and automation, the tasks and responsibilities of marketing and distribution increase.
HOME PARK P.T.A.
April 18, 1968
It's good to be home again. This school and this neighborhood bring back many memories-some of them dear to my heart, and others better forgotten. I can remember how faded bluejeans and worn out shoes didn't seem too important when the day was begun with the reading of a verse from the Bible, reciting the Lord's Prayer, and saluting the flag of the United States of America. For the rest of the day, I was just a small boy, insignificant in a big, demanding world. But for a new minutes each morning, I was somebody special. I was Lester Maddox, an American. I sincerely believed that if I saluted that beautiful flag at the front of the room each morning, pledging my allegiance to it, "and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all," that flag would extend its blessings to me. The pledge of allegiance didn't contain the phrase, "under God" back then. It wasn't necessary. It's only since the Supreme Court, the President and the Congress of the United States began to take God out of our government that somebody decided we needed to reaffirm His presence. The minute which it took to recite the Lord's Prayer also made me something special for those few moments. I was a boy who could talk to the Master of all creation. I was Lester Maddox, a Christian. I believed that if I did the things which God asked of me, that He would deliver those things which He promised. I believed that this was the land of opportunity, and that as long as I was willing to live by the Ten Commandments, my labors would be rewarded. My inspiration came from every street corner where a small grocery store or a shoe shop or a drug store was located. I saw men standing in the doorways of their businesses in the early morning; and their faces reflected contentment and pride and security.
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I wanted to be like them. I wanted to stand in my own doorway and greet the schoolboys as they passed by. I wanted to plant my feet firmly on just one small piece of God's great earth and know: This is mine, to do with as I please.
That dream warmed my cold feet and gave strength to tired legs as I peddled a bicycle over this neighborhood to make a few pennies. It was a long, hard climb from Horne Park Avenue to Hemphill Avenue, but my dream came true.
I was Mr. Maddox. I was Mr. Pickrick. I was Mr. Somebody. But no sooner had my dream become a reality until I became aware of a movement in this country to destroy the dream, not only for Lester Maddox, but for all Americans. It made me angry. I cried and I prayed and I fretted-and then I began to fight. If success had corne easily, perhaps I would have parted with it more easily-but it had corne hard. I pledged to myself, to God, and to the flag which represents the dream of every true American, that I would not just give up. I pledged to fight to put God back in government. I pledged to fight for the return of the free enterprise system. I pledged to fight for the return of constitutional government in the United States. I pledged to fight for human dignity, human liberty and human justice for all Americans. So much has changed since I was a boy. Why, I can remember when kids went to college to get an education. I can remember a time when you could tell a boy from a girl as much as a block away. I can remember when children said, "Yes Sir," and "Yes M'am" to their elders and treated them with a little respect. I can remember when neighbors helped each other in a time of crisis. I can remember when young men were proud to have the opportunity to serve their country, and traitors were treated like traitors, not heroes. I can remember when a man could say, "I am an American," and it was understood that he was free. It was understood that he had certain rights which were protected by a document second in hallowedness only to the Bible: The Constitution of the United States of America. And it was understood that, if necessary, that man was willing to give up his life to preserve that definition of an American. Nowadays, a lot of people are ashamed to be called an American. The world is full of people who would hide their faces if they were ever identified with Christianity. But your governor is not ashamed. I love God and I love America, and everywhere I go I'll carry that message. I will stand tall and call out to every man, and to every woman, and to every child to stand with me against those who would replace capitalism with communism; against
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those who would replace God with a dollar; and against those who would replace liberty with lawlessness.
This stand has not been without its cntiCS. There are some people whose views are so far to the left that, from their perspective, even a middle-of-the roader looks like he's to the right.
Recently, my views have undergone their severest attack from the big city news media and from many well-meaning citizens of this and other states. The one word which my critics find fascinating is "little."
I was labeled "little" because I was more than a little honest. How many of my critics can say the same?
When word reached me that Dr. King had been slain in Memphis by a sniper, many thoughts raced through my mind. My first emotion was one of fear. I knew that the lives of many other Americans, white and black, would be lost in the following days.
This fear was realized. Violence broke out in hundreds of cities and dozens of men-some of them fathers, some of them husbands, and all of them sons-were taken by that violence.
I did not weep at the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, nor did I weep for those who died in the next few days. Tears are not shed for the dead, but for the living.
My heart went out to Mrs. King and her four children. I sympathized with those people who looked to Dr. King for leadership. My heart was heavy too when I thought of the wives and children of the firemen, the policemen, and the innocent bystanders who have died, and will die yet, because lawlessness has been sanctioned and financed by leaders in government, in industry, and in the church.
I was sympathetic, but my sympathy came from a deep feeling of Christian love, and not from guilt at having been a hypocrite. I felt no need to do penance, for I had done Dr. King and his followers no wrong.
The streets of Atlanta were filled with people from all over the world to honor Reverend King. The tribute accorded him was equal to that usually reserved for a president.
I have no doubt that many of the people who marched that day were expressing their love for a powerful leader. But others were there for other reasons.
Some came because they felt it would advance their political careers. Others came with hopes of filling the vacuum which Reverend King's death had left in the leadership of the civil rights movement.
Still others came out of guilt; these were the wealthy who, having done nothing to earn that wealth, felt guilty for having plenty while others were in need. These were the liberals who had searched their souls and found that even they were not completely pure of heart.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
I ask now that those people who are laden with guilt go and do penance as they feel compelled to do. Teach the illiterate to read. Train those without skills to be tradesmen. Help to heal the sick and to feed hungry children.
But do this in your own way, and if you fail, and your guilt resurges, try again. And in your work, remember the words of Jesus to His disciples: "Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore, when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have the glory of men...."
And I say to these people, too, feel free to criticize Governor Maddox if by calling him little, you can feel big. Feel free to criticize me as Reverend King criticized me, for I will be critical of you, too.
I will criticize you when you condone lawlessness and attempt to justify riots, looting, burning and murder.
I will criticize you when you interpret every "wish" as a God-given "right" and sacrifice one man's freedom for another's material desires.
I will criticize you when you spit upon my flag and run to Canada to avoid the draft. And I will criticize you when you let your guilt become so big that you regard all those who do not share it as "small" and "without class."
But, my friends, while I am critical of the hypocrites, the political opportunists, and the black racists who are seeking violent revenge against this nation, I will be working with those leaders in Georgia, both black and white, "whose goals are Christian, whose goals are democratic, whose goals are constitutional, and whose goals are American in the true sense of the word. I will be working to ensure every man the right to have and enjoy private property. I will be working for the day when every man who will work, can work, and be justly compensated. I will be working for the day when any Negro, any Caucasian, any Indian and any Oriental can practice capitalism in America without undue interference from any government.
I will be working for the day when men come to respect each other out of admiration instead of out of fear. My labors will be devoted to feeding the hungry children of Georgia, providing the best in education for our young, rehabilitating the criminals, training the unskilled, providing jobs for the willing, protecting the innocent and prosecuting the guilty, providing treatment for the sick of mind and the sick of body, reclaiming the alcoholic, and providing Americans everywhere an example of a government guided by the principles of honesty, efficiency and morality. I am
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not ashamed of what I am doing or what I have done, and I cannot believe that anyone here tonight is ashamed of me.
JOINT WATER POLLUTION CONTROL SYSTEM
April 19, 1968
Cave Spring and School for the Deaf
The dedication of the Water Pollution Control System for this area IS a milestone in Georgia's march to greatness and prosperity.
It takes only one person-and the right opportunity-to bring success and achievement. Such was the case in the outstanding example of Miss Peggy Highnote, who turned the spotlight on the problem of pollution in this community. . . . Miss Highnote was a member of the 4-H Club in Floyd County for eight years. Her main 4-H project was health. . . . She started people thinking and acting and as a result, Cave Spring now has a new water pollution control system.
CHRISTIAN YOUTH CRUSADE
April 20, 1968
University of Georgia
We must be willing to stand in the strength and armor of God against all the armies of the devil that are marshalled against the church, the individual and our nation. And as we stand, let us pray that God will bring revival and healing to our land. This healing would restore states' rights, property rights, free enterprise and liberty to our people.
April 22, 1968
HOME PARK CIVIC CLUB Tenth Street Methodist Church
... I pray for those in the highest offices in this land who have lent their voices and their prestige and their power to promoting the big lie that a man cannot raise himself up by his own planning, and labor, and saving, and by a faith that God helps those who do their level best to make something of themselves.
You know, you good people who have lived and worked and prayed together in this wonderful community of Home Park, that it is the biggest lie and the most damaging lie of all to say that in this community, this city, this state, and this nation, a person's efforts to better himself can come to nothing. . . . I contradict this lie and tell you that a person's efforts to be a worthy, dignified, and law-abiding citizen who can enjoy the grapes from his own vineyard without threat of being looted and burned out can be realized....
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CONSUMER FINANCE ASSOCIATION CONVENTION
April 23, 1968
Jekyll Island
Too many editors and would-be editors of not only the fishwrappers, but the one-eyed monsters and the squawkboxes as well, have, in effect, labeled your governor a "Chicken Little." They would have you believe that our system of free enterprise is in no danger. . . . They would have you believe that the right for a citizen, any citizen, to have, hold and enjoy private property was not dealt a blow with the 1968 Open Housing Bill. They would have you believe that riots, looting, burning, and shooting lead to good citizenship rather than to total lawlessness.
But I know that it was no acorn that closed the Pickrick. It was no acorn that denied me trial by jury. It was no acorn that now threatens the careers of this nation's real estate agents and puts the investments of millions of homeowners in jeopardy.
ANNUAL MEETING, SALVATION ARMY
April 23, 1968
Brunswick
Ceorgia has moved forward and has reached a history-making summit of progress.
As we move forward to build a stronger, safer, freer, and more prosperous Georgia we are preaching the doctrines of salvation....
We are preaching liberty and freedom and the rights of citizens to own and manage their property without being captive to the federal government. We are preaching states' rights.
April 24, 1968
YOUNG DEMOCRATS CLUB University of North Carolina
The people of America have traditionally looked to the Democratic party when the going has been roughest. They know of its great contribution to the health, prosperity and greatness of our wonderful nation. Because of this, Americans want to keep the Democratic party in powerand will-if the party will keep the people.
It is in trying to unite the Democratic party and contribute what little I can to preserving its strength and retaining its position of leadership that I remain in the party.
April 26, 1968
BOB JONES UNIVERSITY Greenville, South Carolina
Here, in a despiritualized land, where the heritage of our country is fast
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disappearing, Bob Jones University stands in the best traditions of Christian America....
The young people of this school and others like you can do more to straighten out this country than any governor can do-or any president.
HILLCREST BAPTIST CHURCH
April 28, 1968
Swainsboro
If marching to Washington, D.C., this summer would save one child, white or black, from the soul-ravaging, spiritsapping sickness which comes from growing up as a third generation public leech, Lester Maddox would have crawled on a mule and ridden backwards all the way to the White House a long time ago.
CONFERENCE OF ATTORNEY GENERALS Southern Region
April 29, 1968
Stone Mountain
You are charged with the handling of principles which vitally affect each individual, for state government is a government of the people. In short, you are the lawyer with the state as your client. ... Your combined positions arc more important to the security and strength of our country than the office of the president. In a large measure, the destiny of our nation is in your hands.
CALHOUN LIONS CLUB
April 30, 1968
The Maddox administration is not yoked to any political group, or any bunch of political planners, but is the servant of the people, all the people, and free to act in their best interests....
The Maddox administration will fight for your individual liberties as long as there's water in that Oostanaula River out there, and if it runs dry, we will still fight for your right to enjoy your property.
WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY
May 2, 1968
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
There is no doubt that our section and my State of Georgia is on a great economic upswing. But there are rocks itnd shoals rearing their ugly heads directly in front of us.
Across the horizon of this nation, my young friends, there is a cloud so
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dark and stormy that it beggars description. Just as the long-suffering Southeast, and my beloved State of Georgia, are witnessing their greatest economic revival, just as we are beginning to catch glimpses of a good and abundant life for all our people, just as we strain to reach the shores of plenty ... just now it appears that a nation's faith in the individual is coming apart at the seams, and that a different faith, one in which the mass and the mob figure prominently, is trying to take away our heritage.
I call upon the government of the United States to take steps to halt the so-called "poor peoples' campaign." It is not for or by the poor people.... In view of the fact that almost every intelligent observer of this so-called march and the plans for it has warned that King no longer had the control of these lawless thousands, and that control had passed, or was to pass, to the foaming-mouthed fanatics, I urge the national government to issue a restraining order based on the insurrection statutes of the United States and prevent the siege of destruction of our national capital. ...
WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION, REGIONAL FORUM
May 4, 1968
Augusta
Construction is often considered to be a man's world, but you are dynamically proving that it is just as much a woman's world in terms of total calling. Here-as in other areas~-you are revealing what we men already know, that we can't do without you.... :Men in construction-in business-in government and all realms, are realizing the benefits and blessings of the role of women in work.
May 5, 1968
JACKSON COUNTY AIRPORT
Dedication
The Jackson Courity Airport is the first in the state to be built specifically to accommodate today's modern executive turbine-powered aircraft. The 4,000-foot runway was built at a cost of $201,239. Fifty per cent of the cost was provided by the Federal Aviation Administration. The State of Georgia made a grant of $25,000 and the balance was provided locally.
Since the airport has been completed, it has been determined that a croSs runway is necessary. I will make available from the governor's emergency fund an additional $17,000 to construct this cross runway.
May 6,1968
RELIANCE ELECTRIC COMPANY
Athens
I have attended many groundbreaking ceremonies. Last year my shoes
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stayed muddy most of the time, and I was happy. This year, so many new industries are coming to Georgia that my hands are getting a little calloused from handling the shovels, and I am jubilant. I am grateful for this opportunity to extend a hand-calloused or not--of sincere welcome to the Reliance Company.
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH BROTHERHOOD
May 6, 1968
Hawkinsville
It's time we learned the cold hard facts about what is happening to our country with the approval of many in high government positions.
Did you know that approximately ten per cent of the 7,364 persons arrested in rioting in Washington were employees of regular agencies of the federal government? This does not include an unknown number of persons receiving salaries from poverty-war agencies financed by the federal government.
CLAXTON-EVANS COUNTY AIRPORT May 7, 1968
Dedication
The vast explosion we are now experiencing in passenger travel is nothing compared to what is happening in air cargo.
By 1975 air cargo shipments are expected to increase 1,000 per cent.
Georgia must be ready to meet the demands and take advantage of the opportunities presented by the new age of aviation.
INTERSTATE PAPER CORPORATION PLANT
May 7, 1968
Dedication, near Riceboro
How happy for this father these sons must be at this moment. Their feeling could only be matched by his pride in them. The Epstein family has a long and honorable history of doing that which is in the highest traditions of American free enterprise.
This great plant you see before you uses some 10,000,000 gallons of water daily. This family, and I am sure they would like to share the credit with their managers, officials, and workers, has instituted three separate stages of control over the water returned to our rivers.... which returns to our Georgia rivers water as free of waste material as science can make it at the present.
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DEKALB BOARD OF REALTORS
May 8, 1968
Decatur
As many of you know, the recent passage of the so-called 1968 Civil Rights Act is another dagger aimed straight at the heart of free enterprise. This legislation greatly restricts the right of the businessman to manage his own business, and realtors are the ones who suffer most from it.... I am glad that groups such as yours have voiced strong opposition to such attacks upon free enterprise and private property rights.
DUBLIN ROTARY CLUB
May 10, 1968
We have taken the posItIon that Americans must not only love their liberty, but they must be willing to guard and defend it against all enemies.
We are standing by the Constitution in an effort to preserve it from those who would make it a relic from the past.
We are supporting thc American principle of local control for systems of education, law enforcement, and government.
FIFTY-FIFTH ANNUAL CONVENTION Florida Furniture Dealers and Furniture Travelers
May 10, 1968
Jacksonville, Florida
I am a conservative. That means I don't like for things to change too quickly. It means I like living in a democratic society, and that I don't want it to become a socialistic society.
I would rather go back to working for $4 a week as a competitor in the free enterprise system than to be handed out $4,000 a week for "not working" in a socialistic system. . . .
There is something I love more than money. I love liberty. I love freedom. I love democracy. And I love God.
INAUGURATION OF DR. FRED C. DAVISON President of the University of Georgia
May 11, 1968
Athens
Dr. Davison started his term as president of this university the year that I began my service as governor. The same vigor, enthusiasm and dedication which he is putting into this great institution are similar components of the Maddox administration. We are standing together on the threshold of a new and challenging era of greatness for Georgia.
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GOOD GOVERNMENT LEAGUE
May 11, 1968
Dalton
If a people surrender a right, however smaU, they have surrendered a portion of their power, and the government to which the surrender was made is that much more powerful. When enough rights are surrendered, a government can become so powerful that it no longer needs to wait for the remaining power of the people to be given up freely; it can, by force, take whatever it will. It becomes a government which is aU-powerful, ruling over a powerless people.
WOMEN'S NEW DORMITORY DEDICATED
May 11, 1968
City of Refuge, Culloden
This is a haven for all those who have suffered the torment of drug addiction and the debasement of alcoholism. This ground we stand on here, these buildings we see, and the new one we dedicate today, aU are monuments to what is best in the human spirit.
NEW SOFTBALL FIELD
May 13, 1968
Cedartown
Let me take this opportunity to congratulate Cedartown for the inauguration of its first fuUtime recreation program in January. It is money weU spent. Any money we can spend to afford our youth the chance to build that strength they will need in corning years is money weU spent.
McLENDON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PTA.
May 14, 1968
Decatur
A new and brighter day is dawning not only in DeKalb but all across Georgia. Many problems stiU remain, but they are not insurmountable. I ask your help and your support to show the nation that Georgia is headed upwards as never before.
DALTON JUNIOR COLLEGE
May 15, 1968
New Buildings Dedicated
The educational opportunity which fills the space of this 130-acres in this North Georgia city represents a monetary investment of $2,735,000.
It stands in everlasting tribute to the tireless eTorts of the citizens of Whitfield County inspired by Mr. Grover Gowin, Mr. Frank Taylor, Chan-
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cellor George L. Simpson and others who provided the inspiration for this final realization of a beautiful dream. I want to commend these men and echo the appreciation of all Georgians for a job well done.
PEACE OFFICERS MEMORIAL
May 15, 1968
Fort Valley
No words, however eloquently spoken, can replace the men who once wore the uniforms which now hang empty in a widow's closet. No award, no plaque, and no honor can take a son fishing or put a daughter through college.
It is this governor's intention, therefore, to honor our dead by paying tribute to the living....
GEORGIA'S FIRST ROADSIDE MARKET SIGN
May 17, 1968
Pecan Station, Fort Valley
I thank God for every mile I traveled and every person I met and for the great privilege of serving the greatest people in the world as chief executive. I love Georgia, its people, its resources, its roads and highways. Being here for this presentation inspires me to work harder in the days and months ahead to help Georgia realize its full potential as a land of opportunity.
UNITED COMMERCIAL TRAVELERS BANQUET
May 17, 1968
Being governor of a huge state such as Georgia aptly qualifies me as a traveling man....
Yours is good insurance. The kind we have at the Capitol is good insurance too. It protects you from those who would steal your right to private property, it protects you from those who want to make our nation into a welfare state, it protects you from those who would rip this nation to shreds....
JONESBORO KEY CLUB
May 18, 1968
This is truly an inspiring moment for me. Your friendship, your support and your encouragement "give me added enthusiasm in my desire to build a safer, cleaner, stronger, freer and more prosperous Georgia.
I count it a real privilege to have this opportunity to talk to you about the importance of young people in our time. Youth occupies a supremely important place in our society. The Maddox administration realizes the potential and the power of Georgia's youth and provides a wide range
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of programs to see that they have the chances to rise to the full limit of their capabilities.
MARIETTA CIVITAN CLUB
May 21, 1968
I am pleased that the people of Cobb County are taking advantage of the unlimited opportunities of our time.
It is the earnest desire of the Maddox administration to see that the people of Cobb County and all Georgians receive the maximum benefits of the industrial momentum of this region.
The growth we are experiencing is not by accident. We planned it that way. . . .
HISTORY CLASS, NORTH FULTON HIGH
May 23, 1968
Atlanta
Do not forget in your youth the Creator of all of us, and all of this world you see about you. It is a wide place and filled with many dangers and temptations, but if you will follow Him to whom all the great in history have paid homage, you will not go astray. You will do the hard work of this world that must be done if this beloved land we call America is to endure.
STATE MERIT SYSTEM Twenty-fifth Anniversary
May 24,1968
I t is an honor to be serving as governor on this occasion of the Silver Anniversary of the State Merit System of Personnel Administration, and a distinct privilege for me to have the opportunity to address this fine assembly.
The Maddox administration realizes how vital you are in the building of a greater state. At all times, and in all ways, we are concerned that state employees know how much they arc appreciated.
ATLANTA MARKETING COUNCIL And General Electric Management Council
May 24, 1968
What we need in presidential candidates are men who will say No to communism . . . No to destruction of our national heritage . . . No to
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
rioting and looting ... No to those who say, "We will bury you." ... No to those who tell our citizens to scorn their chances in the best and freest society ever devised by man ... Nota ever-enlarging federal power grabs, and Nota the drive to socialize every nook and cranny of individual choice and freedom.
We need presidential candidates who will say Yes to a firm belief in God ... Yes to individual liberty ... Yes to morality, both in the private and the public sectors ... Yes to the right to hold and control the property one has built by the sweat of his own brow . . . Yes to law and order, and Yes to the American Bill of Rights.
DAIRY DAY FESTIVITIES
May 25, 1968
Gainesville
Long after I have ceased to be governor, the memory of this day, this parade, these festivities will continue to give me great happiness. It is a happiness that will come from knowing that you here in Northeast Georgia have stood with me for individual liberty, and for honesty, efficiency and morality in state government. ... I commend heartily those of you who worked and planned to bring this Dairy Day to the success it has enjoyed now for four years....
THERRELL HIGH BACCALAUREATE SERVICE
May 26, 1968
Atlanta
God is ready and willing to reveal to you the proper task to take. One of the wisest men who ever lived recorded these words, found in Proverbs, Chapter III, Verse 6: "In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy path."
What is the desire of your heart? Get a clear image in your mind of what you want. \Vrite it down. Say to yoursclf: "This is what I want." And ask God for assistance. Then you will be on the road that leads to slIccess.
I can remember my boyhood days. If anyone ever had a perfect background for failure, I did....
CHIPLEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
May 28, 1968
Graduating Exercises
My friends, while we are forging ahead here in Georgia, the national scene is not nearly so bright. The long arm of federal bureaucracy is reaching into every classroom, every school district; into every act of city,
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177
county and state government to usurp the control of your schools.
DEDICATION OF WDCO-TV
May 29, 1968
Cochran
It is a great pleasure for me to be with this fine group and join in dedicating WDCO-TV, the tenth station in the largest educational television network in the nation, to the memory and the good works of Dr. M. D. Collins, state school superintendent from 1933 to 1958, and superintendent emeritus until his retirement in 1963.... It is my hope that this station can carry the message of Georgia's progress to its present state of industrial health. We are on the way up....
COCHRAN AIRPORT DEDICATION
May 29, 1968
It's great to be with my friends again in Cochran and Bleckley County, and it's particularly heartwarming to have been so honored by the city council and the county commissioners in declaring today "Maddox Day."
The age of aviation is upon us. New and expanded services have been initiated in Tifton, Albany, Augusta, Dalton, Calhoun, Rome, Athens and other cities.
MARIETTA NATIONAL CEMETERY
May 30, 1968
It is an honor for me to have this opportunity to gather with patriotic Georgians and Americans to observe National Memorial Day and to dedicate this carillon in memory of Dr. Winston E. Burdine.
Today we need to think about America's future. As we pay homage to those who have paid the price for liberty in the past, we must generate a renewed spirit of determination to preserve our free society....
It is my happy privilege to present to you a man who needs no introduction, the illustrious son of an illustrious father, my friend and your friend, our United States Senator, the Honorable Herman Eugene Talmadge.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION LEGIONS OF HONOR May 31, 1968
We, as Masons, hold the power to a brighter and safer future for our nation if we but trust to Masonry and to God. By holding fast to our
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
Masonic obligations, we can turn back the enemies of liberty and of God. When a blow is struck against freedom, it is struck against Masonry.
ELEMENTARY AND JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
May 31, 1968
Richland
The Maddox administration is behind you. Together we are fighting for the basic American rights that are promised every man, woman and child under the Constitution. The Washington bureaucrats may try, as they do daily, but if we remain strong and determined to resist, they cannot steal away our rights no matter how much they ignore and subvert the Constitution they pretend to serve. You, at Richland School, have shown others how to stay strong. The way may not be easy, but you still have your freedom.
GILMER COUNTY AIRPORT DEDICATION
June 1, 1968
Ellijay
This is the fourth such dedication I have had the privilege to make in the past thirty days. I am pleased and excited, for this event is another vivid indication that Georgia is a leader in the area of community airport development. ... The Maddox administration during seventeen months of service, has supercharged airport development. The federal government has provided, through fiscal year 1969, nearly $4,700,000 for airport development in Georgia. The General Assembly appropriated almost $1,000,000 for airport development in fiscal 1968-the largest such appropriation in the history of the state.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL
June 3, 1968
Mt. Vernon, Graduation Exercises
With the fond reflection of schooldays, friends, achievements and warm associations behind you at this great hour in your life, give yourself to God.
Then give your life, your energy, your enthusiasm to the highest work and the grandest ambitions of which you, with His strength, are capable.
PUTNAM COUNTY DAIRY FESTIVAL
June 5, 1968
Eatonton
I am advised that this is the oldest dairy festival in Georgia, and its success proves what dairying has meant to the economy of your city, county and state. Putnam still has more herds than any other county in the state, and
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179
dairying accounts for seventy-five per cent of your total farm income.
MILLEDGEVILLE OPTIMIST CLUB
June 6, 1968
... while I am optimistic about the future of Georgia, I am realistic about some of the things taking place in our nation which are threatening the security, stability and very existence of our country.
I refer to the nefarious actions of the federal government which are destroying the foundations of our free society.
NORA L. SMITH DAY BANQUET
June 6, 1968
Ashburn
We are gathered here to pay honor to Mrs. Nora Lawrence Smith, copublisher of the now-famous VViregrass Farmer.
How I wish I could import her to Atlanta!
LEGISLATIVE SESSION American Legion Georgia Boys State
June 7, 1968
State Capitol
Our nation is going through perilous times, and the vision of our national leaders appears clouded. They would have us think that everyone's vision is as foggy as their own. My young friends, a man's entire range of senses would have to be cloudy indeed not to hear the screams of the victims of crime in our streets, . . . and not to touch the tentacles of federal power busily sucking on to the rights of government that city, county and state have exercised for almost 200 years.
NORTHEAST GEORGIA RADIO CLUB, INC.
June 8, 1968
Cornelia
You have seen this vitality [of the Maddox administration] reach into Northeast Georgia and touch the lives of many who before now were unable to find useful work. That is what your governor is working for. ..
DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS
June 8, 1968
I ask you to join your governor and demand that our federal government act to protect the lives and property of its citizens.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
STATE CONVENTION OF LIONS CLUBS
June 10, 1968
Defend American free enterprise which can wipe out more poverty in a year than welfare-statism can wipe out in a lifetime-
Close the streets to mob violence by swift and just punishment to those who burn, loot, kill and destroy-
Stand up for law and order and make your voice heard into the highest councils of the land, and especially make your voice heard by the anemic candidates seeking the office of president. ...
FIRST BAPTIST BROTHERHOOD
June 10, 1968
Cedartown
My friends, America needs courageous leadership-leadership that will save our country from ruin. It's time for a return to God and the Biblea revival that will restore local control of government, education and law enforcement-a revival that will cause those in high office to seek the wisdom of God, rather than the counsel of Satan and the Kremlin.
GRADUATION, ADULT EDUCATION CENTER
June 11, 1968
Waycross
Georgians are hard workers, and they like to play just as hard. We have mountains, beaches, plains and lakes-in fact, the most diversified state of the fifty so far as recreation is concerned. Visit your state parks, help to maintain them and keep them clean and beautiful, for to the increas ing thousands of visitors to our state, they are a reflection of the manners and habits of our citizens.
ATCHISON, TOPEKA & SANTA FE RAILWAY
June 12, 1968
100th Anniversary Celebration
... But my enthusiasm for our great state must not cause us to forget the purpose of our being together. We are gathered to mark the 100th anniversary of a great railroad. America came of age with its railroads, and this one-the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe-has pulled its load in America's rise to greatness. Its job is not finished-indeed, it may only be starting. There will always be new heights for our state and our nation to aspire to, and I am sure that this fine example of free enterprise will do more than its part to take us up those heights.
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181
ARMED FORCES MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
June 12, 1968
Conley
American industry has estimated that it loses five billion dollars annually due to error judgments alone by alcoholics. And think of the cost, not only that measured by money, to the wives, fathers, mothers and innocent children of these alcoholics. We have held out the compassionate hand of this mighty state to these unfortunates...
GEORGIA GIRLS STATE Sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary
June 13, 1968
Annual Session, Athens
Rome was not built in a day, and Georgia cannot be rebuilt in a day. But we are not whining or crying about the task; we are doing something about it. We are not issuing ultimatums on law and order; we are proving to all our citizens they have a grand stake in this state; we are doing something about it.
COUNTY OFFICERS ASSOCIATION
June 14, 1968
My friends, all of us know many good things flow from that foggy pile of buildings on the Potomac. All of us know we could not do without Washington, we need a national government, we need a central government. No one says do away with \Vashington, and send all the power back to the states, the counties, the cities, the people.
Why, in the name of Heaven, do so many in top offices on the federal level want to usurp every last bit of power held in local hands? Why do they use every trick in the federal book to gather local power out of the hands of the citizens and run everything from Washington?
VOCATIONAL ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE
June 14, 1968
If there is one area in which we need to bear down harder in Vo-Tech education, I believe it would be in an area into which we are privileged to reach only on occasion.
That area is motivation. How can we reach those who have been told they have no chance? How can we reach those who have never heard of the American dream? How can we reach those who have grown so used to the dole that they can see no higher?
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
BETHLEHEM BAPTIST CHURCH
June 16, 1968
Bethlehem, Georgia
The time appears near when the sorting of the sheep and the goats will begin. The Fortress of God is under massive attack ... yes, my friends, Christianity is under attack ... even here in America. It is time for you, for me, for all Christians to raise our voices, it is time for us to put our faith in our voices....
ATLANTA BAR ASSOCIAnON Continuing Education Committee
June 20, 1968
State assistance to Georgia counties must be increased by a minimum of $25,000,000 and, as I promised in my campaign, Georgia cities must receive an amount equal to one-half of one per cent of the sales tax collected by the state. This is an ambitious program, but Georgia is an ambitious state, and Lester "Maddox is an ambitious governor. ..
SELECTIVE SERVICE STATE-WIDE CONFERENCE
June 20, 1968
When I came into office in January, 1967, two Negroes had been tokenly appointed as local Selective Service members, in this state. Upon my recommendation, thirteen qualified Negroes were appointed in 1967. Two more have been appointed this year, and as long as I am governor of the State of Georgia, draft board members will be selected on the basis of merit, regardless of race, religion or sex.
GEORGIA PRESS ASSOCIAnON
June 22, 1968
Callaway Gardens
It is of great concern to me that news media in general with such a tremendous responsibility for truth so often charge ahead with unverified reports.... Newspapers are not alone, of course, television and radio are guilty also. I have watched television off and on for the last ten years and frankly I often prefer it off.
HILLCREST BAPTIST CHURCH
June 23, 1968
Swainsboro
Thousands of people are tromping through our cities today and thou-
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183
sands more are displaying themselves in a squalid mire between the Washington and the Lincoln memorials in our nation's capital. They march under the banner of "non-violence," but if you will check your dictionaries, you will find that there is no such word as "non-violence." ... The philosophy of "non-violence" is therefore a philosophy of hypocrisy.
OUTDOOR WRITERS ASSOCIAnON
June 23, 1968
Pine Mountain
Many governors and other leaders in government would take away the deer hunter's rifle and melt down the quailshooter's double-barreled twelve. They pretend they only want our guns registered, but many will admit, when pressed, that their ultimate aim is to take all guns away from private citizens.
Potentially, a golf club is a lethal weapon. Why not require their registration, too?
SEMINAR ON STATE GOVERNMENT
June 24, 1968
State Capitol
Tell me ways we can save the taxpayer's dollar. Tell me ways we can more effectively discharge our duties to the citizens of this mighty state. Tell me ways our operations can become more efficient and effective, and tell me ways to better serve and coordinate the more than 1,000 distinct local governments in the largest state east of the Mississippi.
SOUTHERN DAMES OF AMERICA
June 24, 1968
The National Society Dames of America will find many friends in this state. We welcome each of you, not as strangers in our midst, but as daughters of the same spirit of liberty that has brought our beloved state down the years hand in hand with wisdom, with justice, and with moderation.
NEW STATE PATROL STATION
June 25, 1968
LaFayette
The 1968 General Assembly budgeted $18,000 for equipment and furnishings for the station, but the fact which commands our attention is that your local government financed the building and land at a cost of $71,500-the city providing $20,000 and the county providing the rest.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
June 25, 1968
DADE COUNTY LIONS CLUB
Trenton
When I gather with clubs like this, I feel the atmosphere of optimism and I know instinctively that I am in the presence of those who are committed to a greater Georgia and a greater America.... Your aims and goals are in harmony with those of the Maddox administration.
GEORGIA NURSING HOME ASSOCIATION
June 26, 1968
You are now providing approximately 13,000 beds in extended care facilities. Georgia needs 21,000 today. I understand that of the fifty-three new health facilities being built next year, forty will be nursing homes. This will go a long way toward filling Georgia's needs, but it will not satisfy them completely.
I believe, however, that if you, as members of the free enterprise system, are allowed full freedom of operation within that system, you will succeed.
CORNELIUS-MOORE AIRPORT
June 29, 1968
Cedartown
The airport we dedicate today was constructed under joint federal, state and local effort at a cost of $163,802. Of this amount the federal government paid fifty per cent of the total cost. The 1965 Georgia General Assembly appropriated $25,000 and the balance was shared by Polk County, Cedartown and Rockmart. Following completion, the county and local authorities made available an additional $60,000 for construction of hangers and service facilities, to include eighty-four acres of land for future airport expansion.
SPRING PLACE BAPTIST CHURCH
June 30, 1968
Chatsworth
The mounting problems of our time point to the fact that our leadership-in many cases-has tried to govern our country without God and the Bible. As a result, division and strife have appeared .... In addition, pornography, drunkeness, dope and divorce are widespread. Armed rebellion and revolution are openly advocated and unpunished....
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CHAMBLEE CHAPTER ORDER OF DeMOLAY
July 1, 1968
I am greatly heartened when I speak before such a fine, strong group of young men. As long as you are dedicated to Cod and determined to preserve your individual freedom, the future Georgia will rest in good hands.
CONGREGATIONAL HOLINESS YOUTH CAMP
July 2, 1968
Cleveland
There is a spiritual poverty m our land today. We have heard a lot about the underprivileged, the handicapped, the economic minority, the less fortunate, and the maladjusted. But I want to tell you there is a pocket of poverty in our educational systems where God is ignored, where modesty, decency and Americanism are laughed at. There is a poverty in the area of prayer. Families are not praying, state and national leaders are not praying.
FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION
July 4
Demorest
The liberals and the communists of this country, if you can distinguish between them, cannot cope with facts. When a well-informed citizen gives them a good argument, they curl their lips and raise their eyebrows and then resort to name-calling.
Anybody who speaks out against "civil disobedience" is a racist and a redneck. . . .
In a recent article by Jeane Dixon, she said that she sees "resentment and anger building up in the American people. They are searching for a new personality who will act not react, simplify not complicate, lead not follow, have strength not weakness, show courage not fear, and who above all will hold high the torch of freedom for the world to rally around. This personality," she says, "is trying to emerge, and he will be forced to the forefront by the American people. Events are building up in his favor.
FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION
July 4, 1968
Menlo
Our fight for freedom must of necessity be a battle against many who would abuse it. We must fight continually against those who for a fancied transitory advantage would take away part of our rights forever. ...
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
Every right, every freedom we have, is in danger because of the abuses of these rights and freedoms. Every freedom brings a responsibility and we must never forget it. The lawless must be brought to know it.
DEDICATION OF LIBERTY BELL
July 4, 1968
Metter
Remember, the Declaration of Independence stands for the principle that every individual is important, that the dignity of that individual must be protected and that the government is the servant-not the masterof the people.
The American dream is your dream. It is my dream. It is a dream for all who know the meaning of freedom.
NEW BETHEL COMMUNITY BUILDING
July 6, 1968
Murrayville
Just as this building first took form in the mind and the will to progress and prosper, let us recognize that all great advances for our people first take place in the mind, and perhaps in the heart.... Let us dedicate this building then today to the twin beacons of progress and compassion, and to that light from above which in our state and our nation has joined these twin lights into one.
FARMER APPRECIATION DAY
July 8, 1968
Donalsonville
It is fitting that we express our gratitude to the farmer because he is engaged in the one industry that is absolutely essential to our survival. ... But more than that, I am proud of the strength of character and leadership that is portrayed in the lives of the vast majority of farmers. Living close to the soil-close to God's good earth-and seeing the handiwork of the Almighty, the farmer derives from a forcc outside himself the wisdom, the power and the vision needed to carryon his work.
PRO-LIX DISTRIBUTORS CONVENTION
July 9, 1968
We believe In Georgia that a man should spend his money when and as he pleases. Our federal government docs not share this philosophy. They consider this spending a burden which they are busy removing from the shoulders of the harder-working segments of our society. Therefore
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since the federal government is going to get it anyhow, if you take it home with you, we urge you to spend everything you've got before you leave Georgia.
LaGRANGE LIONS CLUB
July 9, 1968
We can continue to pour billions of dollars into this nation's slums and we will continue to have slums; but instead of having cheap slums, we will have billion-dollar slums. It is absolutely futile to try to eradicate slums by moving people out when you have a twenty-five-year backlog of others waiting to move in.
WOODMEN OF THE WORLD
July 11, 1968
Elijah Clarke State Park
I have heard it said that this is Maddox Country, and before any more is said, let me tell you from the bottom of my heart that I appreciate deeply every bit of support you have given me. My faith in you, the fine Georgians and Americans of this grand old county of Lincoln, grows larger every day that passes. My faith in Georgia grows larger, and I see a bright future for every Georgian who puts his shoulder to the wheel.
AMERICAN LEGION STATE CONVENTION
July 13, 1968
Augusta
I am confident that conditions in America will be changed. I have this feeling because of the hunger on the part of the people for law and order.
The citizens of this great land are beginning to let their voice be heard louder than ever before for a return to constitutional government and the American way of life. That voice will be heard even louder in the elections this year.
And one of the strongest voices of all is that of the American Legion.
SONS OF CONFEDERATE VETERANS And the Order of the Stars and Bars
July 13, 1968
Stone Mountain
... Sherman plunged the knife of flame into Georgia, the heart of the Confederacy. But Georgia lived. Georgia lived because you cannot kill courage. We remember those ... men who came home....
We remember, too, the misguided mobs that streamed out along the
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
road searching for freedom that eluded them everywhere they went. If the mobs that still stream along America's roads searching for a so-called freedom would remember the courage and the hard, bonebreaking toil it took for those returning boys in gray to rebuild a mighty state from its ashes, they would march and loot and burn no more.
ANNUAL MANAGEMENT SEMINAR American Life Insurance Company
July 15, 1968
In my opinion, some of the decisions of the United States Supreme Court are clear manifestations of an attempt to amend thc Constitution rather than interpret its meaning.
America faces a serious crisis. Our cities are exploding with those who claim the benefits of our country but who refuse to pay the premium.
GRACE METHODIST CHURCH MEN'S CLUB
July 15, 1968
To the glory of God, your church can boast such namcs like Wesley and Whitefield. When I think of Methodism, I think of these men and what they did to bring-by the help of God-revival to America. I also think of Sam Jones from Cartersville, Georgia, who blazed a trail of spiritual power. ...
ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS
July 16, 1968
Jekyll Island
I t is both a pleasure and an honor to address such an assemblage of distinguished educators, and it does my heart good to know that every one of you is dedicated to the advancement of Georgia education.
In that dedication to Georgia's children, I stand with you one hundred per cent. The Maddox administration has set itself no higher goal than that of bringing full learning opportunities to every child and young person in this state.
We have come far along the rocky path to that goalAnd I know that each of you, in his daily tasks, is working with this administration to unlock the genius, the vision, the compassion and the courage of each child who enters Georgia's school doors. Plato tells us "It is better to be unborn than to be untaught, for ignorance is the root of man's misfortune." And Confucius has said: "Ignorance is the dark night of the mind, a night without moon or stars."
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There is a certain glory in the work of our teachers, and the work of men such as you who guide these teachers as you shape and stimulate the tender minds of our young citizens toward the useful and the good.
I think all of you are aware at the same time of the awesome responsibility involved in directing these youngsters down the road of life. Many of you may say: "But that is the responsibility of the parent," and so it is, and the parent should never shirk it.
But in your texts, in your choice of lesson plans, in your approach to
~urrent affairs, in your demeanor, in every action you take upon which
the eye of a young person falls, you teach. Beginning with John Dewey and the permissive school many years
ago, American education began to berate itself for its strictness and its devotion to discipline. It was said such education repressed the expansion of both mind and personality, and perhaps there was truth in this to some degree.
Educators on the higher levels began to think of ways to loosen up the instruction, to free the child from harsh discipline, and to allow a greater measure of freedom of action and thought in the child.
They have succeeded in doing this to a remarkable degree. They succeeded so well that today we have in many of our schools and colleges a condition that approaches anarchy and chaos. We have our hippies, our Vietniks, our draftcard burners, our gangs of cycle thugs that roam the countryside, and we have those youngsters who have used freedom of action to loot and burn, others who have used freedom of speech to shout for the overthrow of this government by violence. My friends, these despoilers of freedom, in all probability, number as little as two or three percent of American youth. A small per cent. But look at the confusion, the chaos, the property damage, the loss of educational values, the disruption of the learning process this small per cent has caused. What if the percentage of these dissidents was ten per cent? What if the percentage rose as high as twenty per cent? Could the schools continue to operate? Could the nation's commerce and standard of living continue at its present peaks? Those are questions which address themselves with greater force and frequency to educators than to any other segment of our society, unless it be the police. My friends, you know the utter chaos reigning in the once great school system of Washington, D. C., and other once proud cities where the federal government has taken over the control of education.... With some of these same contemptible conditions already confronting Atlanta area schools, it is our highest duty as leaders, as principals, as
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superintendents, as members of state and local boards of education, to take immediate and certain steps to curtail and call to a halt any alarming trend toward disorder and destruction of education before Georgia and Atlanta area schools are wrecked and ruined.
When the federal government says we must turn over control of our children and our schools to some muddleheaded bureaucrat, then-
You superintendents should shout "No" as loudly as your governor shouts it-
When the status-seekers and power-mad politicians and do-gooders in the church, labor, business, government and elsewhere tell Georgians they must follow Communist doctrine and place racial amalgamation ahead of our children's welfare and the preservation of educational values, then -All should cry out "We will not. We will never do it."
You men who guide the state's school systems are, whether you believe it or not, on the front line of a major battle now being waged in our nation.
It is the battle between slavery and freedom and the objective is the minds, the loyalties, the very souls of our young people....
FUTURE FARMERS CONVENTION
July 18, 1968
Tell them that you're proud to be an American, proud of your belief in Jesus Christ, proud to be a Georgian. And tell them that Georgia has a governor who is just as proud as you are.
GOVERNORS HONORS PROGRAM
July 19, 1968
Wesleyan College
It is my firm conviction that the vast majority of American youth are intelligent enough to see the value of fixed principles and established laws. . . . It is my belief that the bulk of America's young people desire action, challenge and success. They want to live a life that is thrilling, moving and rewarding. They want happiness, prosperity, security and fulfillment.
SHERIFFS ASSOCIATION
July 26, 1968
Savannah
. . . Those of us who have been working so long to preserve the democratic ideals of free enterprise, of private property, of local control of education, of freedom and justice, and of all the other things which have served to make this nation the greatest in the world-those of us
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who have continued to stick up for these ideals-are now beginning to have our ranks refreshed by new blood.
TENNESSEE AVENUE BAPTIST CHURCH
.July 28, 1968
Bristol, Tennessee
Georgia and Tennessee share a common heritage. They are part of an area called the "Bible belt." It is a region with people who have a faith that is real, a belief in the Bible that is solid and a glorious hope for the future that transcends the barriers of time and space. Our people cherish their rich heritage.
INDUSTRIAL EDITORS ASSOCIATION
July 30, 1968
If there are those who see only the darkness of poverty and despair among some of our citizens, I would remind them that "it is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness."
We are headed for the sunlight. No one can doubt this. I ask your support, and the support of every Georgian to speed the time when full prosperity will be the lot of every citizen. I pledge you my best efforts, my earnest prayers. I hope you will give me yours.
HORNES'S SOUTH MOTOR LODGE
July 31, 1968
1-75 South at Highway 85
The opening of this restaurant and motor lodge is a monument to Atlanta-the heart and hub of this growing and productive area, and is in keeping with the spirit which has made the Capital City of Georgia a nerve center of progress.
ATLANTA MASONIC CLUB NO. 151
July 31, 1968
Governor's Mansion
You have seen representatives of the vVhite House, would-be presidents,
and other leaders weeping and flying all over the nation to mourn the
death of agitators who publicly threatened to overthrow our governmentbut you have heard no expression of sorrow, no~ have you learned of them flying to the funerals of many police officers and other law-abiding citizens
who have lost their lives because of the agitators, the criminals and the communists. . . .
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COMMANDERY PATRIOTIC ASSEMBLY
August 2, 1968
Huntsville, Alabama
Even now the smarter politicians are beginning to see the handwriting on the wall. As representatives of the silent revolution, such as George Wallace, gain strength in the polls, other candidates for public office will begin to talk sense. I even heard one of the major presidential candidates the other day hint that a return to law and order in America might be a good thing. Another came close to promising that he would try to put a stop to America's financing her own destruction, both at home and abroad.
GEORGIA YOUTH COUNCIL
August 3, 1968
Rock Eagle
Law and order are fast disappearing--chaos and anarchy are the order of the day in many sections of this once-proud nation.... And candidates to the nation's highest office, all this once-proud nation can offer, with few exceptions, are apologists for chaos.
Forget your customs, forget your traditions, these seekers for high office say.... Forget everything this nation has won and be ready to sell it all to bring from a slavery of their own minds various minority groups who in that supreme example of foolishness-the so-called Poor Peoples March on Washington and directed by the communists-made their own slavery with vice, with crime, with inability to work together, with greed and gluttony.
GEORGIA SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS
August 3, 1968
FFA Camp, Jackson Lake
I want to commend the members of the Georgia School Bus Drivers Association for what they are doing to protect the physical safety of Georgia children. Yours is one of the biggest and most important responsibilities in our total educational system. It is an established fact that a person is sixty-two-and-one-half times safer on a school bus than in a car.
METROPOLITAN MARIETTA KIWANIS CLUB
August 5, 1968
I love America, but I can see a run in her stocking that reaches from Maine to California.... I could just pack up and leave her. Some of the newspapers have suggested that I do just that, but I believe that it is my
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duty to stay with her, tell her what's wrong, and help her get back on the right track.
For a long time, I thought I was alone in this idea, but would you believe that the idea is catching on now? Would you believe that some people in Washington are beginning to question the course being steered by the liberals, the socialists and the communists? In fact, things have been going so good lately that George Wallace has the Democratic and Republican candidates for president talking sense.
GRIFFIN ROTARY CLUB
August 8, 1968
Consider the events of the past few years: A president has been assassinated. A presidential candidate has been assassinated. Tens of thousands of law enforcement officers have been assaulted. Demonstrations have turned into riots, revolution and guerrilla warfare. Whole neighborhoods have gone down in flames and businesses have been looted and destroyed.
GEORGIA-PACIFIC PARTICLE BOARD PLANT
August 9, 1968
Vienna
Take the word back to Owen Cheatham that if he ever gets tired of being chairman of the executive board of Georgia-Pacific, we want him to come back to Georgia and bring his energy, his vision, his faith in free enterprise, and his rugged ability to build a billion-dollar corporation out of $12,000.
SOUTHEAST CONFERENCE OF MASONS
August 9, 1968
Governors all over this land are meeting with groups this morning, but none, I am sure, will meet with finer, stronger and more enjoyable company than the Governor of Georgia.
Welcome to Georgia, and welcome to Atlanta, those of you from outside our state. You will find that Masonry is a respected part of American life in Georgia, and enjoys strong membership in these parts.
MEN'S BROTHERHOOD MEETING Colonial Hills Baptist Church
August 9, 1968
East Point
Search for that president, or candidate for president, be he Independent,
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Republican or Democrat, who will promise to help lead America back to God and restore public education, law enforcement and local government to the local citizens. Look for that candidate whom you believe to be sincere when he promises to remove the police state, restore the rights to private property, unshackle free enterprise and make the streets of America safe again.
ORDER OF RAINBOW GIRLS
August 10, 1968
Now is the time when you must plan, if you have not already done so. Set yourself a goal, and then work to make it come true. Set it high, .. set it even higher than you really think you can make, and try with all your strength and you will surprise yourself.... There may be here today that woman who will become the first to be Governor of Georgia. . . .
NOTCHAWAY BAPTIST CHURCH
August 11, 1968
Newton
George Washington said, "No nation can be rightly governed without God and the Bible"; but have you heard-in your lifetime-a presidential candidate declare publicly and unashamedly that what America needs is God, faith in Jesus Christ and the Bible?
HOLBROOK CAMP MEETING
August 11, 1968
Near Canton
We live today in such an age of turmoil and ceaseless change-and not all of it good by any means-that it is comforting to know that, for 129 years, Georgians have met on this spot every year to worship God.
PETROLEUM COUNCIL
August 12, 1968
Savannah
I think some action has already been taken to thwart the slick tongues of these slick politicians. The candidacy of George Wallace has had a salutary degreasing effect on some of these would-be presidents. And I believe his candidacy speaks the voice of many American people who are going to eut through all the grease until the slick shenanigans and hypocrisy are laid bare. . . .
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GEORGIA MUNICIPAL ASSOCIATION
August 12, 1968
Savannah
Some of you may recall my first appearance before you back in 1962 when I was campaigning for lieutenant governor. You gave me then one of the warmest receptions I have ever experienced. It was the highlight of that campaign, and the memory of it warms me yet, and I find myself still grateful.
Later, in the 1966 campaign, I appeared before you again and made the same pledge-a pledge that later on Georgia's mayors adopted as a goal of the Georgia sales tax in grants to our cities.
NEW CIVIC CENTER COMPLEX
August 12, 1968
Groundbreaking, Savannah
I am delighted to join this fine group today in such a worthy and historic cause for Savannah.
As many of you know, I have long been an admirer of your city, and anyone, anywhere, would be hard put to find a city more peaceful, serene, more beautiful, and at the same time, one moving forward with spirit and force toward a more prosperous future.
This is supposed to be the oldest planned municipality in our nation, and I say "supposed" because one of our sister states, I won't mention its name, has a city they have been touting for years as the oldest city in the country. Their tourist literature says so.
We stick by Savannah, as not only the oldest planned city, but today, as charming a place to visit or live as could be found. You have a good mayor here, and he has done a good job. I commend him for the vigor and dedication he brought to that office, and I am sure all of you are very proud of him.
We are met here today to tum some earth and start the construction of what promises to be a monumental step ahead for Savannah. When this gleaming structure is completed, it will mean many things to many people.
It will mean a magnificent gathering place for your citizens whether they like opera, wrestling, trade shows, basketball, or the circus. A Civic Center is a flexible facility, designed by skilled architects for a hundred uses.
And Savannah will find, also, that a complex of this capacity will draw literally millions of dollars in conventions, and other meetings that was not drawn before.
You have shown foresight that I believe will pay you well-both in
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dollars and in the knowledge that something of great value in a social Jense has been added to your city.
I would not want to forget the Savannah Jaycees and the members who worked long and hard to see this dream come true. It is coming true, and it is coming true because of your and others' hard work. ...
Progress breeds progress, and Georgia is going toward the top. Savannah is going with her, all the way. There is no better sign of our common progress than what we do here today by breaking this ground.
SOUTHEASTERN MOBILE HOUSING INSTITUTE
August 14, 1968
Jekyll Island
. . . These are the conservative ideas which I have been expounding for many years. You have heard them, too, in the speeches of Governor George Wallace if you've been listening. And if you missed them there, due to the biased press coverage, I am sure that you heard a few of them at Miami recently. As I predicted, a new element of conservatism found its way from the speeches and actions of its major exponents, such as Governor Wallace, to the platform of the Republican party.
August 15, 1968
ROTARY CLUB OF ALBANY
Here in Georgia, my friends, we have joined together for a prosperous, a free, a strong state. Businessmen such as you deserve a commendation for the work you are doing to improve our economic climate. And your spirit and determination have been communicated to other businessmen across the United States.
ATLANTA LIONS CLUB
August 16, 1968
Georgians and Americans are calling for a program that will cause men in the office of president, the office of governor, the office of mayor, and those candidates who seek such offices-and others---to catch a glimpse of the need to say an everlasting No, to Communism, crime, civil dis obedience, insurrection, immorality, waste and corruption, and to sayan amplified Yes, to God, America, peace, law and order, morality and responsible government.
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MADDOX FOR PRESIDENT Press Conference
August 17, 1968
House Chambers
My fellow Americans--each of you. I want to talk today to who is concerned about the future of this nation. I want to talk to every man who is concerned about the safety of his wife, children and family. I want to talk to every businessman and every housewife who is concerned about the erosion of the dollar. I want to talk to every man and every woman of labor who is concerned about job opportunity and job security. I want to talk to every youth who is concerned about a future clouded by the peril of fighting in wars without the goal of victory. I want to talk to every citizen who is concerned about the failure of his government to come to grips with the problems which threaten to rob this country of its greatness. I want to say to you that I share those concerns and that I believe that -as serious as they admittedly are-they can be solved. But they will not be solved by ignoring them or by making excuses for them. Nor will they be solved by more of the same old promises, the same old programs and the same old indifference that has contributed to producing these problems. They are concerns which must be faced head-on in the true American tradition of common effort for the common good with equal rights for all and special privilege for none. Just like most of you, I believe in our country. I believe in our form of government, in our Constitution and in the capacity of the American people to meet any challenge and overcome any obstacle. I am proud to be an American. Aren't you? I love my country and its flag, and I regard defending them as a privilege as well as a duty. Don't you? I consider our heritage of freedom to be God-given and when I sing, "God Bless America," I mean it with all my heart. And I am convinced that the problems which confront us are the direct result of our failure to insist that our leaders put first things first: The welfare of our children ahead of social experimentation; domestic needs ahead of foreign wishes; rights of individuals ahead of the whims of special interest groups; the safety of law-abiding citizens ahead of the safety of law-defying criminals; the American democratic people ahead of the American Democratic party. No one can quarrel with the objective of full equality of opportunity
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and participation for all citizens in all facets of American life. This is thp. American way. It will be protected.
But the average citizen-you and I-who must pay the bills and suffer the consequences cannot afford to give in to those who demand release from all restraints as the ultimate freedom.
There is no cause so right or righteous as to justify failure or refusal to obey the law or to warrant indulgence in civil disobedience or picking and choosing among the laws one will and will not obey.
No one is above the law, below the law or beyond the law. There are many who are outside the law. And we cannot give in to those who demand release from all restraints as the ultimate freedom without destroying the liberties of us all. We have been shamed by riots and senseless destruction which have turned our cities into battlegrounds and reduced large portions of them to rubble and ashes. We have been shocked by cowardly attacks upon our policemen and firemen in the performance of their duty to protect lives and property. And these should not have happened. We have been alarmed by rapes and murders within the shadow of our nation's Capitol and by a reign of terror in Washington, D. G, which has made it necessary for employees of our national government to have guards accompany them to and from work. We have been distressed by court decisions which have turned loose confessed and convicted criminals upon society in the name of protecting their constitutional rights. My fellow Americans, these things must be stopped. Law enforcement officers must be supported and given the authority to protect themselves-and us. Our streets must be made safe. Society's rights must not be subordinated to those of the individual by any branch of government. The rights guaranteed to all of us by the Constitution of the United States do not include the right of one citizen to abuse the person, property or liberty of another citizen. At the same time that we are restoring law and order at home, we must restore our leadership abroad. And we will. Our prestige as a world power has been seriously undermined by our failure for almost two decades to act like a world power. Not since the Berlin Blockade have we followed through to victory in our confrontations with world communism. We have been told that America would be buried by communism-that our grandchildren would live under communism. Yet, neither presidents nor candidates for presi-
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dent have proclaimed, "No, ours is a nation under God. America will triumph. The free enterprise system will be sustained and liberty for those who love it will be preserved throughout the world."
First in Korea, then in Cuba and now in Viet Nam we have involved ourselves in the defense of freedom from invading communism without the commitment to win.
It is no wonder that our flag has been desecrated, our citizens humiliated and that our allies have deserted us.
As that great American, General Douglas MacArthur, said, "There is no substitute for victory," and when we send the finest of our young men to die in conflicts which do not give them the hope of triumph, then we betray not only them and their loved ones but also ourselves and weaken our country.
It was a grave mistake to commit American sons, brothers, fathers and sweethearts to Viet Nam without a goal for victory. We are in Viet Nam because we surrendered to communism in Cuba and compromised with it in Korea. We are in Viet Nam because we have helped to feed, clothe, house, encourage, strengthen and finance communism throughout America and much of the world.
We are in Viet Nam because we have committed our men to battle without total freedom to win, and we have not won a victory because we have not committed our economic power-and all our people to victory.
It is clear that on the present basis the Paris peace talks are nothing but surrender on the installment plan.
It is time we told the North Vietnamese that we are pulling out of those talks unless they immediately halt their build-up of forces and invasion of South Viet Nam.
It is time that we also called upon our military leaders to tell us what we need to do to win this war short of the use of nuclear weapons and that we make it clear to North Viet Nam that we intend to follow that advice unless they get down to negotiating an honorable peace in good faith.
It is time that we imposed some economic sanctions against those of our allies who are continuing to supply war material to the North Vietnamese.
It is time that we lifted the restrictions upon our fighting men to fight back when they are attacked or to attack the enemy where they find him.
And to those in North Korea who now hold our ship and our men, we should offer an apology if we were wrong. But if we were right, we should demand, employing whatever force necessary, the immediate return of all that is rightfully and lawfully ours.
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We are a world power. We should act like a world power. And the sooner we started doing so, the sooner we could have peace in the world. The sooner we start eliminating waste and inefficiency in government. The sooner we could start balancing the federal budget. The sooner we could start solving our balance of payments problem.
The military and economic security of all Americans demand that our export-import trade be balanced so as to protect the jobs of the wage earners of the United States and the investments and plants of industry.
We could also give attention to devising a tax-sharing plan to return dollars to the states without the federal guidelines that destroy local control.
We could give attention to bringing free enterprise and private business into full partnership with government to solve the economic and poverty problems which government has proved itself incapable of solving alone.
We could give attention to completing our interstate highway system with the attendant saving of thousands of lives, now being lost through traffic accidents each year.
I know we can't make up for the mistakes of the past. We could have. We should have. But we have not. Like you, I have waited for a Democrat to step forward who would fill the void which exists in the national Democratic party. We have waited, and waited and waited. Many of us have prayed. But the void has remainder unfilled.
I have been unable to find a representative of the conservative element of American society seeking the Democratic nomination for the highest office in our land.
Now, having waited as long as my conscience will allow me to wait, it is with the utmost personal humility, but still with great pride in, and love for, my country that I announce my intention to seck, with all possible vigor and determination, the Democratic nomination for the Presidency of the United States of America.
If you will give me your support-and if you will ask the delegates who represent you at the Democratic National Convention to give me theirsI promise you that, with God's help, I shall work for you to achieve new hope for ourselves and for our children.
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ARMED FORCES MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
August 19, 1968
Fort McPherson
Just about the main and only thing every nation but ours is united on is that the U. S. pay a lion's share of the bills and have a mouse's share of the sayso. The U. S. will shoulder approximately one-third of the total estimated 1968 UN budget of $142,000,000, while communist Albania, with less than 2,000,000, has the same vote 200,000,000 people have in the U. S.
RECREATED WESTVILLE
August 31, 1968
Near Lumpkin
After spending a week in Chicago, it is quite a relief to stand here today and enjoy, at least for an hour or so, the peace and tranquillity of a 19th century village. I am honored to be the first Georgia governor to stand in this reconstructed camp meeting arbor and deliver this message of dedication of the recreated Georgia town of Westville....
As we reconstruct Westville, we must also reconstruct the hundreds of other communities which have gone out of style.
BIBLE BAPTIST CHURCH New Building Dedicated
September 1, 1968
The spiritual opportunities which fill the space of this structure are unlimited. But behind these walls, and beyond these bricks, and above the physical aspects of this building, is the divine light of the Holy Spirit, which gives meaning, and power, without which no church could prosper.
GEORGIA SALZBURGER ASSOCIATION (Jerusalem Lutheran Church)
September 2, 1968
New Ebenezer
Beaten and despised for their practice of the Protestant religion, the Salzburgers were harried about Europe for many years, and eventually found the climate of freedom they sought in Georgia. They were sturdy folk, hard-working, thrifty, and they had the honor of sending from their midst Georgia's first governor after it became a state, John Adam Trentlen....
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BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL WOMEN Patriotic Rally
September 2, 1968
Folkston
We want the eyes of the world to behold a people [in Georgia] who love their liberty and who are willing to guard and defend it against any enemy, anytime, anywhere. It is not necessary for me to draw a picture of the devastating forces which are at work to destroy our nation.
ATLANTA AIRPORT KIWANIS CLUB
September 3, 1968
Why is it that each attempt by guideline administrators to "improve" our system of education results in a lower level of education for all concerned? Why does our government pour billions of foreign-aid dollars into countries where our vice president is spat upon and our ambassadors shot in the streets?
REX MASONIC LODGE NO. 251
September 5, 1968
It's time our foreign aid policy was reshaped to promote the best interests of America and Americans. It's time for the military leaders to have a stronger voice in the policies of this war. It is time to loose the fetters on our fighting men and give them a chance.
ATLANTA CHAPTER, DAR.
September 5, 1968
It is the tragedy of our time that this system which has produced freedom, liberty, opportunity and prosperity for millions of Americans and millions of other people across the globe now finds few voices raised to defend it. But we defend it in Georiia, and our progress goes far to prove that this system, if left alone, will cure more social and economic ills in a decade than government, by harassment and regulation, can cure in a lifetime.
CEREMONY AT THE GOVERNOR'S MANSION
September 6, 1968 I am grateful to those of you who are present in body, and to the
thousands of Georgians who are present in heart, on this long-awaited
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occasion. To me, the flag of the United States of America is more than just a piece of cloth with some dye on it: To me,. it is a symbol of a precious heritage.
Since Betsy Ross stitched together our first banner, the American flag has undergone very few major changes in its design. Stars have been added and rearranged, but it is still basically the same flag which was carried on frozen feet by the valiant troops of General Washington.
It is the same flag which was raised proudly from a field of American blood at Iwo Jima.
It is the same flag which shrouded the bodies of thousands of our young men in Korea.
It is the same flag for which, this very moment, a mother's son is being surrendered to God in Vietnam.
This is the symbol of my country. It is being placed here on the lawn of this Mansion not as a matter of decor, but as a matter of love. As these young Americans now raise the flag of the United States of America and the flags of the State of Georgia, let each one of us here rededicate ourselves to the principles for which these proud banners stand: One nation, indivisible, under God, with liberty and justice for all.
ROWLAND HILLS BAPTIST CHURCH
September 8, 1968
Stone Mountain
Your prayerful support is desired as we seek to do our best to build a better Georgia.
Today is a day of decision for you. It is a time for each of us to renew our vows to God.
MUSCOGEE LIONS CLUB September 9, 1968
Columbus
No one doubts there is poverty in this nation, even at the highest peak of prosperity we have ever reached. But no sane society tears to shreds the social and economic structure that made it possible for the vast majority of people to enjoy that prosperity to accommodate a small minority. And that is exactly what is happening in America, my friends.
CHATTAHOOCHEE VALLEY CHAPTER National Association of Accountants
September 9, 1968
Columbus
I am convinced that Georgians who love their freedom and want to
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see Georgia's pace-setting leadership among the states continue-leadership and progress that prepare us for the next decade and the twenty-first century just ahead-will stand with us in meeting our upcoming biennial budget that may run well over two billion dollars.
OPINION FORUM, ALLEGHENY COUNTY
September 11, 1968
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The hospitality which you have extended to me tonight is heartwarming. Needless to say, almost any kind of reception would be an improvement over my last trip North.
At least here I feel relatively sure that I will not be asked to share the microphone with one who encourages the burning of draft cards and one who has been in the forefront of movements that have lead to violence, rioting, looting and death.
I understand that the American Opinion Forum is a non-partisan, non-political group. Nevertheless, there is very little which I could say here tonight which would not have political undertones unless I simply gave a discourse on the best way to prepare Southern fried chicken. Even this rather innocent topic would very likely lead me back to politics, however, because as most of you who are aware of my past encounters with the federal government know, Americans can't even fry chicken anymore without bureaucratic interference. But, if I may be optimistic, just as this has not always been true, it shall not always be true.
Several months ago when I chose a title for my talk tonight, I was somewhat less optimistic. The leadership of both the traditional political parties was up for grabs. It appeared that both of the national conventions would be open. President Johnson was optimistic that his appointments to the Supreme Court would be accepted by the Senate. U. S. troops in Vietnam were, and still are, being slaughtered at an unprecedented rate while Communist hypocrites pretended to talk "peace" in Paris.
A number of our fine universities, along with the rights of the majority of students and school officials, had been surrendered to a handful of bearded bums.
America was then, as I believe she is now, at a crucial crossroads III her history. We had been barrelling down a road which was unknown and unchartered. Nobody really knew where we were going or why we were in such a hurry to get there. \Ve came to a fork in the road, slammed on the brakes, and most of us were thrown out of our seats.
But now, tonight, September II, 1968, I believe that America is moving ahead again.
I believe that America has made a choice.
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I believe that America has sensed the dangers which lay ahead for them on the road to the left.
I believe that the road that Americans have chosen to travel is the road to the right. And I believe that this road to the right is the right road.
As observed by a major network news commentator only a few days ago, liberalism in America has reached its peak. It has gone as far as it can go. And since no political ideology is ever long static, the only way for it to go now is down. Down, out, and away.
I believe that you will agree with me >"hen I say, "Good riddance." Anybody familiar with the basic philosophy of Lester Maddox knows that that philosophy has changed very little in the past twenty years. I have adopted new ideas. I have even borrowed ideas from my opponents. But these ideas have been adopted only when they were compatible with my basic conservative beliefs.
It has been said for many years that Lester Maddox is behind the times. My critics have said that conservatism is old-fashioned. It is heartening now to see those people who said that Lester Maddox was behind the times really had their own backs turned to America.
The basic tenets of my conservative philosophy are shared by not only those fine people whom a prejudiced press terms "red-necks," but also by industrial leaders, college professors, doctors, lawyers, school teachers, clerks, factory workers-in short, by every American who has enough common sense to know the difference between communism and democracy, between bad and good, and between right and wrong, and has enough guts to say so.
These people, and I number each of you here among them, are aware that while we have made some beginning, in many areas we still stand at the crossroads. \Ve have to choose which way America is to go....
We are at the crossroads. Today we can choose. Tomorrow we can choose. In November we can choose. If the right choice is not made then, I seriously doubt that any of my generation or of your generation will have another chance to choose.
But I am optimistic. I believe in America. I believe in the American people.
Now, more than at any other time in our recent history, it has become respectable to be a conservative. A broadcasting executive in Atlanta who was in charge of arrangements at the Democratic National Convention dared go on television and actually use the word "communists" when talking about planned riots in Chicago. Northerners as well as Southerners can now openly demand a return of law and order without being branded
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a racist and a bigot by any but the most hopelessly narrow-minded liberals.
Isn't that wonderful? Aren't you glad that you're not in the minority anymore? Don't you wish that everybody who has enough gall to ask for a ticket to the \Vhite House had as much common sense as you and I have?
I've been over much of this country in recent years, and let me assure you that it's not just the people of Georgia who are fed up with sweetiepie politics. They're fed up in California. They're fed up in Nevada. They're fed up in South Carolina. They're fed up in Texas. And they're fed up in Pennsylvania. . . .
They don't want any more leaders in government that were associated with the appointment of Warren and his kind and the invasions of Arkansas, Alabama and Mississippi with such armed might as to squash the independence of a free people at home, but without the same will and might to protect the independence of the people of Cuba and South Vietnam-and without the will or goal for victory over communism in Vietnam and Washington.
Neither do the American people want returned to office those a.~sociated with a so-called "Great Society" that turned out to be a "Great Flop." The thinking citizens of this great country know that those who pushed the "Great Society" also brought a "police state" to our country and that every hospital, school, factory, business, farm, labor union and every local form of government, local courts and law enforcement have come under the watchful and threatening force of the federal gestapo.
Most of those seeking the two top offices in America are of the Democratic and Republican establishments that turned our nation's capital into a cesspool of crime, lawlessness, looting, burning, immorality and educational chaos that is a shame and disgrace to the United States. This same leadership has insisted that other cities and states follow the rotten, destructive, dictatorial, cowardly and communistic demands made on the citizens of Washington, D. C., .. and now we see crime, lawlessness, rioting, burning and educational destruction striking at the heart of many American cities.
The lawabiding citizens do not want this for their children, their schools and their communities. They arc demanding that our government meet its first responsibility--that of protecting the lives and properties of its citizens. They are demanding that their homes be made secure, their streets made safe and that their children be given a good education while being protected from the criminal and immoral elements now turning many schools into buildings of crime and chaos.
The American people know that candidates offered by the "establish-
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ment" of both major parties offer more of the same policies, edicts and guidelines to more lawlessness, flag desecration, fiscal irresponsibility and socialistic programs that threaten our life, liberty and economic security.
People who stand up for God, family and country in these United States are tired of high public officials, candidates for high public office and others who broadcast words of encouragement to the enemy who kills and maims American fathers, brothers, sons and sweethearts in Vietnam. They want such officials to either join sides with the United States and her fighting men, go to jail, or get out of the country.
They are sick of financing an "anti-poverty program" that does too little for the poor, the forgotten, the handicapped and the needy~and too much for the pinks, punks, political parasites and others who spread crime, lawlessness, looting, burning, killing, flag desecration and draft card burning across this wonderful land.
The American people want a total revamping of our "war on poverty" program because they know that if we win the war on poverty as now being fought that we will lose our liberty, destroy the American private enterprise system, lose the war on crime, lose our rights to private property and lose our war against communism.
Down with the Democratic and Republican cowards in high public office and those who seek high public office ... and up with some United States public officials who dare to put God, liberty, family, country, fiscal sanity and law and order ahead of some rotten, corrupt and socialistic political party.
My fellow Americans, we are, indeed, at the crossroads. And thinking Americans know it. They know that even freedom is not free. They know that if we are to survive as a democracy, it's going to take some hard work and some pain.
But there are some Americans who are still selfish in their thinking. They are not willing to make a few material sacrifices for the long-range good of all Americans.
Some Americans are cowards.
Somewhere in America tonight there is a Negro man who is sick and tired of having communist hoods wreck, burn, loot and terrify his community; but he's afraid to say anything or do anything about it. That man is a coward.
Somewhere tonight there is a wealthy businessman who would like to take some federal bureaucrats by the scruff of the neck and pitch them out of his factory when they corne in to tell him who he can and cannot hire and fire, who he can and cannot promote; and what he can and cannot pay his employees; but he's afraid of losing a government contract or
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of having to spend some time in court and so he says nothing. That man is a coward.
Somewhere tonight there is a farmer who is tired of getting paid for what he doesn't raise and not getting paid for what he does raise; but he's afraid that the bank might not give him a loan or the county might not pave his road if he says anything out of the way. That man is a coward.
Somewhere tonight there is a college student \\"ho is repulsed by the stench of some of his unbathed and unshaven classmates, who is alarmed by the brazen communist activities of the Du Bois Clubs, SNCC and SDS, and who is fed up with the liberal rantings of some of his professors; but he doesn't want to be regarded as different or risk getting a bad grade. That man is a coward ....
Yes, my fellow Americans, \\"e are a nation at the crossroads, just as Georgia as a state was at the crossroads only a year or so ago. And all Americans must, as most Georgians have, make this important decision.
Our course, Georgians havc an advantage that not all Americans havc. For the past twenty-one months, Georgians have had an opportunity to become involved in their government. Thousands have visited, for the first time, their governor's office and mansion. They have been given the courage and inspiration to talk back to their legislators, their mayors, their commissioners and their president. They have gone in person to look inside Georgia's prisons, to check on the spending of state departments and to hear debates on vital issues.
And Georgians have another advantage which the national Democratic party has labeled a liability; they have a governor who is not afraid to stand up anywhere, anytime and tell the truth.
AMERICAN ROSE SOCIETY National Convention
September 13, 1968
It takes you perhaps years of planning, working and constructing to bring into being the particular species you seek, or a beautiful garden of roses. It takes many, many years of planning, constructing and working to make a wide state bloom with good schools, with good highways, with adequate mental health care, with clean, modern prisons, with all the goods and services citizens are now demanding....
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Pacers Group
September 15, 1968
Atlanta
No group anywhere could be more conscIous of America's spiritual
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heritage than are you Presbyterians. You come from the tradition of Jonathan Edwards, John Knox, John Calvin and Billy Sunday. These people were not afraid to take their stand for God and righteous government.
PALMER STONE P.T.A. September 16, 1968
Oxford
Georgians all over the state are placing greater emphasis on good schools, and now, more than ever, Georgians are realizing the importance of good schools in the total picture a community presents to a businessman looking for a place to put his new plant. ... And how can a community attract more jobs when there are no schools for the children of those who will man those jobs?
GEORGIA SAFETY COUNCIL
September 17, 1968
Regardless of what this governor does, regardless of what the legislature does, regardless of what the federal government does, if we are to have any real progress in the area of [traffic] safety, it will require the involvement of all Georgia citizens.
TELEPHONE PIONEERS OF AMERICA National Convention
September 17, 1968
I am proud to have the world's largest and oldest voluntary association of industrial employees here in Georgia. I understand that the Pioneers met in Atlanta some fifty-two years ago and had not been back since, until you chose America's finest again this year. If any of you are here today who were also here in 1916, I ,guess you've noticed a change in Atlanta: We don't have streetcars any more.
CONFERENCE ON INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT
September 19, 1968
We need to give Georgians stay-at-home opportunities as they look for ways to cope with the rapid transition from an agricultural to an agribusiness economy. By doing so, we can save the most cherished institutions in the United States: local governments. We can stem, and in some cases even reverse, the flow of jobless families from rural areas to overcrowded city slums.
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BROTHERHOOD DINNER Noonday Baptist Church
September 19, 1968
Marietta
God is depending on Christians to lead the way and set the pace for our country. The moral, spiritual fiber of our country depends upon Christians. We must show to the world that the answer to our problems will not be found in Washington---or in presidents, governors and other public officials who are too timid to speak up for freedom. We must point the nation and the world to God.
STATE YOUTH FELLOWSHIP Event Christian Church
September 20, 1968
Stone Mountain
Good Christians make the best citizens, and good citizens make strong local government, and progressive programs to benefit our communities, our state and our nation.
We are beginning to see the dawn of a ,day in which every Georgian will be able to go as far as his capabilities and energy as well as his prayers can take him.
ACCEPTING A FREEDOM SHRINE From the Hapeville Exchange Club
September 21, 1968
State Capitol
I am sure that all Georgians share with me a deep appreciation for this thoughtful gift of thirty of the most revered historic documents of freedom to be found on this globe. Rest assured that as long as I am Governor of Georgia, these honored documents will have the respect and care they deserve.
GOVERNOR'S CONFERENCE ON ARTHRITIS
September 21, 1968
What our country needs today is not some new wonder drug or miracle operation but the time-proven home remedies of our forefathers. America needs a good dose of old-fashioned patriotism, old-fashioned constitutional government and old-time religion.
SHORT LINE RAILROAD ASSOCIATION September 23, 1968
While Lester Maddox is chief engineer and stands at the throttle, our
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train is going to make the run on the old-fashioned narrow-gauge American line. We are not going to allow the train to get side-tracked on the rusty rails of socialism, welfarism, federalism and communism. Weare not taking any detours that will lead to the end of the American way of life.
HENRY COUNTY FAIR Farm Bureau Night
September 24, 1968
McDonough
This place looks like the Governor's Mansion on a Sunday afternoon. I'm looking forward to taking a look at the Swine Show, too. At the last one I attended, the best hog didn't get the blue ribbon-he got a nomination for something or other. They do things a little differently up at the Chicago stockyards.
But you know, when I was a boy there were two things that brought the most exciting times to be had. One of these was the fair, and the other was the big revival meeting, held in the open air.
GRIFFIN KIWANIS CLUB
September 25, 1968
Kiwanians are doers. They set goals and then work together to accomplish them. When I came into the governor's office in January, 1967, I had many goals, too. Many of them I had talked about for as long as fifteen years, but I never had the power to do much more than talk. When the opportunity came, I set about to make up for lost time.
WASHINGTON COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION
September 25, 1968
Johnson City, Tennessee
All too frequently III recent years we have seen the United States Supreme Court hand down decisions which are not simple refinements of the products of the legislative body, but which represented new products of their own making. It is not rare for a "new law" to be passed by the Supreme Court by a five-to-four decision. This means that one man made the crucial choice. One man, who was appointed by one other man, has decided the fate of 200,000,000 Americans who are supposed to be a free people.
E-Z MILLS OPEN HOUSE September 26, 1968
Cartersville
Here we have sixteen employees who have been loyal to E-Z Mills for
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forty years. And here, too, we have fifty civic and business leaders from the Cartersville area who have taken the time from their busy schedules to participate in this open house celebration. . . . I know that if every community in Georgia had an industry like this, our state would still have poor people, but we would have fewer of them.
STATE CONFERENCE ON AGING
September 27, 1968
All of us know age is a relative concept. Some men at forty fold their hands and await the end, while others, like Ben Franklin, could add their great wisdom and experience to the framing of the Constitution when past eighty years.... Now [Chief Justice] Warren is rewriting it at the age of seventy-seven.
SYLVAN MASONIC LODGE NO. 429
September 29, 1968
Sargent
I'm thankful for the magnificent resources, the uplifting principles and the charitable and protective features of Freemasonry. But above all its admirable beliefs and gracious benefits stands the supreme fact that every obligation we have is subordinated to the duty we owe to God, our country and our family.
GEORGIA OILMEN'S ASSOCIATION
October 1, 1968
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Just as the powerful fuels you sell are vitally necessary to the machines around which our civilization is built, so our nation itself cannot run without some fuels of its own. And just as the high-grade lubricants you sell smooth away friction in machinery, so the friction in our society is smoothed away by lubricants without which society cannot function. Law and order is a lubricant.
ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP COOPERATIVE Coweta-Fayette
October 2, 1968
Newnan
Back in the mid-forties, when the rural areas in your counties were largely without electricity, it took a determined group of spirited citizens, citizens who combined courage and vision, citizens who refused to settle for a second-class economy and growth rate, to put electricity into ninety-
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eight per cent of the homes and plants in this area. With that electricity has come growing prosperity....
GOVERNOR'S CONFERENCE ON EDUCATION
October 2, 1968
Some so-called history books on Georgia's approved textbook list tell our children that George 'Washington was a weak character who wanted to make himself king and sold out to Great Britain. At least two men who are known to my generation as patriots, Samuel Adams and Patrick Henry, are listed as "agitators." Known communists, such as D.E.B. Du Bois, are played up as heroes, and the student is encouraged to read the writing of James Baldwin and Kenneth Clark, the latter being a member of at least five communist-front organizations. Having been exposed to such distorted "history," one young Georgian wrote a prize-winning essay about her "outstanding patriot," Benedict Arnold.
OKLAHOMA CITY SPEAKERS FORUM
October 4, 1968
My fellow Americans. I would like to thank the Oklahoma City Speakers' Forum for this opportunity to pay tribute to the current and past leaders of the Democratic and the Republican parties.
As Americans, we are in their debt for the tremendous role which they have played, and which they are playing, in the resurrection of Americanism which will, no doubt, give new hope not only to this country but to the world.
By following the blood-and-tear-stained path charted by socialists, communists, anarchists, draft card burners, traitors, flag desecrators, looters, rioters, punks, pinks and polished politicians, these "great leaders" of our two major parties have made it possible, even probable, that on January 1, 1969, Governor George Wallace will be sitting in the White House in Washington, D. C.
If this happens, as I believe it will, we have Richard Nixon, Hubert Humphrey, Lyndon Johnson, Earl Warren, Stokely Carmichael, Abe Fortas, Julian Bond, Mao Tse Tung, Leonid Breschnev, Nikita Khrushchev and other such figures who have dominated American policy-making in the last decade to thank for it.
You know some of the reporters back in Atlanta have been asking me if I planned to campaign for George Wallace out here in Oklahoma. I told them that everywhere I go, I'm going to campaign for conservatism. I told them that I was going to campaign for streets which would be safe to walk again.
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I will campaign for an end to the coddling of criminals and the failure to give proper protection to law-abiding citizens. I will campaign for an end to the sacrificing of our internal security by Supreme Court decisions. I will campaign for the return of the human right of parents to control their local schools at a local level. ...
The reporters were not satisfied with this. They kept asking, "Yes, but are you going to campaign for George Wallace?"
I told them that I could not campaign for these things I mentioned without campaigning for George Wallace, because they are the things which George Wallace stands for....
We have a lot of people in Georgia who are standing up straight. I sincerely believe, as the polls consistently show, that Georgia will cast twelve electoral votes for the next President of the United States, George C. Wallace.
The major party candidates are accusing Governor Wallace of playing on the "fears" of the American people. "That's dirty pool," they say....
George Wallace did not appoint Earl Warren to the Supreme Court and allow him to operate a nine-man "General Assembly" which is consistently engaged in the making of laws and in the encouragement of breaking of laws, with a total disregard for the limits placed upon that body by the very instrument which it was created to interpret and protect, the United States Constitution.
George Wallace did not allow a bureaucratic dictator to set up guidelines for the operation of schools, discriminating against the South and leaving many schools throughout this nation in the North, in the South, in the East and even in the West in a chaotic disordered condition which absolutely precludes the possibility of our children getting an education.
It was not George Wallace who invaded Little Rock and who has continued to treat many parts of this country with less respect than some of our foreign enemies are treated.
It was not George Wallace who made a shambles of the Washington, D. C., school system and who dares yet to hold it up and say "Look, your school can be just like this one. Just turn your children over to us and keep your mouths shut about it."
It was not George Wallace who marched in Atlanta in April of 1968 with known communists, anarchists, rioters, looters, and murderers while forty-six persons were being killed in street violence throughout the nation.
It was not George Wallace who had the power, but who has still not done anything constructive to prevent the 526 incidents of violence which occurred between January 1 and August 31 in 1968 alone.
It was not George \Vallace who condoned the violence which has cost more than $78,000,000 in insurance losses alone during this same period.
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It was not George Wallace who allowed an anarchist to murder a policeman and to injure another and just sit smiling as he was given a mere two-to-fifteen-year sentence, which itself will probably be overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.
It was not George Wallace who has continued to send disarmed policemen with orders and precedents preventing them from protecting themselves while they confront hate-filled mobs armed with guns, knives, razor blades, rocks and oven cleaner.
Traitors have stood in our streets and boasted that they will "make the Viet Cong look like Sunday School teachers." And the candidates for the presidency of the United States should not deal with the fear of the American people.
I'll tell you this, ladies and gentlemen, if the fear, the despair, the disgust and the frustration which now fills the hearts of the majority of God-fearing, law-abiding Americans is not dealt with in the very near future, then I believe that Americans will take it upon themselves to deal with it themselves.
I stood aside and wept as my restaurant in Atlanta was taken away from me by the Supreme Court and the Kennedy dynasty, because I felt almost alone in my struggle to preserve the American free enterprise system and the right to private property. But I no longer feel alone.
I called out a warning to the American people as social experimenters worked night and day to wreck our schools systems, leaving teachers tearful, children confused, parents distressed, and local governments helpless, and very few people listened. But they are listening now, all over America, just as you are listening now.
I have continued to speak out against laws, court rulings and bureaucratic dictates which seek to destroy the American free enterprise system, the system which has made America the most prosperous nation in the world, and now men and women from every walk of life have added their voices to the protest, making it loud enough to be heard even in Washington, D. C.
I have pointed out the threat to our national and domestic security by those misguided and misinformed people who have continued to reject all authority, preaching hatred for everything that is Christian and everything that is American, disrupting and destroying our schools and universities, spitting upon our flag and chanting support for the enemy which is today slaughtering our men in Vietnam, but I have failed to reach the ears of many public officials. Many profess to understand that which is completely intolerable....
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
GOVERNOR'S MARCHING FESTIVAL High School Football Stadium
October 5, 1968
Dalton
I am delighted to be with you tonight. From the sound of this good music and the sight of all these lively North Georgia people, I wish I could have been with you all day.
I understand that from 10 o'clock this morning there has been a mighty battle here between the tubas and the drums, the bugles and the saxophones.
That's the best kind of battle to be in. All of us are proud of these youngsters who come here to try their skills. And we are proud, too, of the Dalton Lions Club whose public spirit and dedication to their community's best interests made this Governor's Marching Festival a reality.
When I was a boy, there were some tough children in my neighborhood, and anyone who even thought about making music was judged a sissy or a weakling. Of course, this didn't apply to girls; all the boys knew they were weaklings, music or not.
Time has proved to those tough boys that girls are far from being as weak as they are supposed to be, and time also has proved that the boy who plays the violin may have the meanest uppercut in town.
Music and strength have gone together since biblical days. All of you know that in the Book of Kings, we are told that a young shepherd boy, David, became known to his king because he could play such wonderful music that it caused the king to forget all his cares.
You may remember also, that a little later, this same David took his slingshot and felled the giant Goliath and gave victory over the Philistines to his people.
Still later, he became a mighty warrior and a king himself, yet could still sit down, and with God's inspiration, write the greatest of all Psalms, the one which begins, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. ..."
Georgia has need of your music. Georgia has need of your strength. There is now a huge and peaceful state, moving forward in confidence and with great energy toward a more prosperous future.
But it remains with every generation to overcome the problems that time presents, and time has never failed to present problems to a generation yet.
The good people of Dalton and Whitfield County, and others from surrounding counties, can be confident these young people will meet those challenges and overcome them just as we, who stand now in the forefront of our present battles, are confident we will win victory....
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CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH
October 6, 1968
Folkston
I want to commend your church for its ministry in this community. God has richly blessed your efforts on behalf of His Gospel. Your growth from sixty-six members in 1961 to approximately 300 today, along with the erection of this auditorium, are accomplishments which deserve special recognition. . . . As Christians, we are all aware of the truth laid down by King Solomon that "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it."
STATE PURCHASING DEPARTMENT SEMINAR
October 7, 1968
University of Georgia
In 1942, threc years after centralized purchasing came into being, allotments to all departments were approximately $49,000,000. This year, our budget is approximately $859,000,000, and we expect that the budget for the next biennium will be greater than two billion dollars. These increased funds call for intelligent and constant vigilance on your part to see that Georgia taxpayers get full purchasing out of every dollar spent.
PEACE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION
October 7, 1968
~1acon
I haven't seen this many peace officers in one place SInce I was In Chicago a while back. I made it plain to Mayor Daley and to policc officers I saw there that I supported them wholeheartedly in their efforts to preserve the peace, to protect the property and the lives of innocent citizens and the lives of the presidential hopefuls at that time. No less important, I want to make it clear now that the Chicago police had my full support in the actions which they took to protect their own lives.
SANDY SPRINGS MINISTERIAL ASSOCIATION
October 8, 1968
It is for you, the shepherds of religion, to bring the voice of the churches into politics and into its twin, government. When you do this, we will have better government, bettcr laws, bctter administration, and better standards. It is for you as ministers to call upon government to favor no particular religion, but to favor those who arc religious over those atheists who would rule God out of the American way of life.
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HONORING REPRESENTATIVE RICHARD LANE
October 9, 1968
State Capitol
It is entirely fitting that we honor a man with such an outstanding record in the field of recreation. I understand that he is a former karate champion of Georgia. Dick Lane, it gives each of us great pleasure .to present you, on behalf of the Georgia Recreation and Park Society, this award for distinguished service.
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION Lodge No. 270, F. & A.M.
October 9, 1968
Blackshear
We saw our leaders back down and allow a fifth-rate nation to make extensive propaganda mileage at the expense of the United States by seizing an American vessel from the high seas and holding its crew in prison. I can think of only one reason why our eyes have witnessed these things ... and that is cowardice.... This is why, my friends, I am proud to say I am a Mason, for if there is one trait that cannot be attributed to the Masonic order it is cowardice.
GOVERNOR'S CONFERENCE ON PLANNING
October 10, 1968
State Capitol
This bureau is a brand new agency of state government. But, as you know, state planning itself is still new, still being developed. The bureau is slightly over one year old, but it is already beginning to forge ahead in such planning activities as economic development, water resources, transportation, outdoor recreation and crime in the streets.
AMERICAN INDEPENDENT PARTY RALLY
October 10, 1968
Dearborn, Michigan
The opportunity to speak to any group of citizens about our great country-and its future--':-'is always an honor.
To those of you who worked so hard to make my visit to Michigan enjoyable, I am most grateful. I am sure that I will travel baek to Georgia with fonder memories of this trip north than of the last one.
The importance of this coming election is almost impossible to overstress.
We, as American voters, are being afforded a golden opportunity to let our voices be heard-a chance to reverse the dangerous trends our
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219
country has followed over the past few years-some have said it may be our last.
Some major candidates, in seeking our votes, are telling us that they have the answers to all of the problems our country is facing. . . .
The answer lies in electing a president for the people-an American president-a United States president.
When George Wallace is elected to this office in November it will mark the first time in this century that a president was elected by the people. Not by a political party. Not by the "Establishment." Not by special interest groups. But by you, me, and other patriotic Americans who know what is at stake.
George Wallace will be elected by the people, and accordingly his responsibility will be to the people, and to no one else. He will be free to act for the best interests of his country-not his party. He will be free to act for the best interests of the worker-not just the leaders.
When you stop to think about it we owe the major political parties a debt of gratitude-for if they, through their irresponsible liberal programs, had not created the present chaotic conditions that exist in our government, the rise of George Wallace and the American Independent party would have been more difficult.
We, as Wallace supporters, are disgusted and fed up with the conditions that these other parties have crammed down our throats-we are typical American citizens, proud of our country, and deeply concerned about its future....
When George Wallace moves into the White House, the people of Michigan, the people of Alabama, the people of my home state of Georgia, and the people in all fifty states will again be able to resume control of the education of their children, the conduct of their legislatures, and the welfare of their citizens.
I read in the paper the other day that the Republican candidate said that "The third party swing is futile." I think this must have been a misquote because everybody knows better than that. Even if he did say it, we all know what he was really thinking: To FIGHT the third party swing is futile.
For either of the traditional, worn-out, warmed-over, tried-and-foundwanting parties to try to stop the conservative movement being led in this country by George Wallace would be like trying to stop a jet plane with a jaybird.
This movement is well on its way, and there is nothing to stop it this side of the White House.
George Wallace's candidacy is the only one that continues to gain. And I predict that in the next few weeks we will see George Wallace continue
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
to gain until, on election day, he will be President of the United States. And this will be the greatest and grandest thing ever to happen in our country, because George Wallace will be a President of, for and by the people rather than a President of, for and by the politicians and the establishment. And won't this be a wonderful day for the United States of America?
All of the national polls show that George Wallace is running no worse than second in this three way race. In fact the third place candidate is so far in the hole at this time that he might not win even if he were to run un-opposed. The people would probably rather try four years without a president than to elect him. George Wallace is running right at the front of the field, and the "experts" give him little chance of winning. In 1966, these same "experts" said I should not even be considered as a contender. Today I am sitting in the governor's office. Next year George Wallace will be sitting in the president's office.
MASONIC LODGE NO. 276
October 12, 1968
Harlem
.\nd I believe that November, 1968, will be a month to be remembered throughout all history as the month when the American people made their decision to go God's way, and the way of our founding fathers, in whose hearts were throbbing the heartbeat of liberty. It will be a victory that will bring new leadership to our nation-leadership that will help and guide our people in the reconstruction of the foundations of our society, where life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness will be ours.
HARTWELL KIWANIS CLUB
October 14, 1968
. . . Georgia's welfare program is facing a doublebarreled suit that could force our welfare costs to rise more than $14,000,000 annually. This suit, brought by the Legal Aid Society of Atlanta, would seek to have the $154 monthly ceiling on aid to dependent children declared unconstitutional. ... The second par:t of the suit would force the State of Georgia to pay these people on welfare rolls so-called minimum budget needs with, of course, HEW setting forth what is meant by minimum budget needs. My friends, it is a brazen attempt by the federal government to force the state from the field of public welfare by forcing payments so high they cannot be met.
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LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSES ASSOCIATION October 16, 1968
My wife, Virginia, has always been interested in go~ernment, and now she is more interested than ever before. I think we need more women not only in nursing, but in government as well. When Virginia starts talking about running for governor, she's not going to get any opposition from me.. ,.
Georgia and this governor have the highest respect for your efforts, and I commend each of you for your contributions toward the goal of making health care in Georgia second to that of no other state.
ATLANTA REAL ESTATE BOARD
October 17, 1968
As I am sure you are aware, the recent passage of the so-called Open Housing Law is another dagger aimed straight at the heart of the private free enterprise system. It cannot be denied, by anyone of intelligence, that because of this Open Housing Law and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the rights and freedoms of the individual American property and business owner are gradually being eroded.
INAUGURATION CEREMONIES
Of Dr. J. Whitney Bunting As President
October 18, 1968
Georgia State College
Eighteen years ago, when Dr. Bunting came to Georgia, our state budget was approximately $127,000,000 for all departments. This fiscal year, 1969, we are spending approximately that much, $126,800,000, on the University System alone....
We welcome Dr. Bunting to his new post in the name of a state which has proved its dedication to education. . . . We welcome him also to the continuing struggle to make our university system second to none.
GRADY COUNTY ELECTRIC CORPORATION
October 18, 1968
Cairo
This corporation stands as a monument to your hard work, and also your determination not to settle for second-best when it comes to progress for your communities....
I am counting on each of you to do his share in helping to promote the programs and the legislative action required to keep Georgia's economy
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charged up with sufficient power to provide the schools, the teachers, the new jobs, the better roads and streets, the rehabilitation centers, and all the other services and facilities which you and your fellow Georgians need and deserve.
ORDER OF EASTERN STAR Fayetteville Chapter No. 489
October 18, 1968
It is you, the people, through your representatives in the General Assembly, who will determine if this new idea to provide assistance to cities in an amount equal to one-half cent of the sales tax collected, and counties with an amount equal to one-fourth cent of the sales tax, or a minimum of $25,000,000, is a good idea or a bad idea. This is your government. You pay the bills, and you are entitled to make the decisions.
AT THE MUSTANG FOOTBALL STADIUM The American Party of Andrews County, Texas
October 19, 1968
Andrews, Texas
My fellow-Americans, I am well aware that a president does not make a nation, but perhaps for the first time in the history of the United States, this nation has the opportunity to make a president. I am convinced that where all other candidates represent the politicians of the old establishment, George C. Wallace is the only one who truly represents the people. If he reminds you of your fears, it is only because he, too, shares those fears.... The man we elect as President of the United States will more than likely appoint three or four members of the U. S. Supreme Court. Wouldn't you like to see the end of the five-to-four decisions in favor of punks, communists, criminals, filth peddlers and traitors? George Wallace ,,'ould too.
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES LABORATORY
October 21, 1968
Farmers Market, Forest Park
Under its new state standards program, the National Bureau of Standards is performing a useful service by furnishing those states on the program with the tools to measure length, mass and capacity. . . . There is no segment of Georgia's booming economy that cannot make profitable use of these new facilities.
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TUSCALOOSA KIWANIS CLUB
October 21, 1968
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Allow me to express my appreCiatIOn for your invitation to visit the home state of our next president. ... Our most valuable asset is our youth. On them rests the future of the free world. Our most important job, our main purpose, is to strive to build a better, stronger, and more prosperous nation and state to leave them. This takes ALL Americans, working together to preserve private property rights, private free enterprise, our educational systems, law and order, and local government. In short, working to preserve our Constitution.
DUNLOP TIRE AND RUBBER COMPANY
October 22, 1968
Hartwell
I strongly suspect I'm not the only person who finds Hartwell to have an abundance of warm hospitality and genuine appeal: I am sure that the attitude of the citizens of this area did as much to induce the Dunlop Tire and Rubber Company to put their manufacturing plant here as did any other factor. Of course it would be wrong to belittle the contributions of the Chambers of Commerce, local, civic and business leaders, and our own efforts at state level to sell Georgia, but if a representative looking for a site on which to locate an industry is not impressed with the general population from which future employees wiII be drawn, he is very apt to keep on looking elsewhere.
HARD LABOR CREEK GOLF COURSE
October 23, 1968
Dedication, Rutledge
With this fine addition to the Hard Labor Creek State Park there are now eighty-four public and resort golf courses open to tourists in our state.... I am sure that I speak for all the people of this area when I commend and thank Norris Brown and the Morgan County Commission, and Jim Griffin and the Golf Course Advisory Committee.
SOUTHERN SHIPPERS AND MOTOR CARRIERS Annual Council Meeting
October 23, 1968
I don't argue with the possible need for rapid transit, but MARTA
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officials (and others) should explain why they insist on spending a billion, five hundred million dollars for rapid transit that will not do as much to preserve downtown Atlanta-and carry no more passengers-than $300,000,000 spent on expressway construction would do.
Regardless of the fate of rapid transit in this area, I believe that we need more, better and bigger expressways.
HARALSON COUNTY BAPTIST ASSOCIATION
October 24, 1968
Dedication, Buchanan
I firmly believe that America faces a choice between a spiritual awakening or increased chaos, disorder and disillusionment.
America cannot survive and fulfill its God-appointed mission without the spiritual power which brought America into being. A revival is the only answer to the crisis our nation faces in 1968.
PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION Slash Pine Area
October 25, 1968
Douglas
Men such as yourselves, through hard work, plans and dedication, are drawing a blueprint for the future of Georgia. But thcse plans cannot do the job alone. Without the funds for the implementation of all these wellmade plans, this blueprint for progress will be as useless as a book on private property rights in the Supreme Court's private library. To provide these needs the Maddox administration is going to ask the General Assembly to enact legislation that will help provide all Georgia communities with funds to insure a brighter future.
PEMBROKE STEEL COMPANY PLANT
October 25, 1968
Dedication, Pembroke
A good example of the robust state of Georgia industry lies here before you. Pembroke Steel started only last May, and now, five months later, they are already expanding. From their present twenty-five employees, they expect, in five years, to be employing around 200 persons. . . . So the entire state industrial picture is expanding.
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225
BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL WOMEN Georgia Clubs Federation
National Council on Crime and Delinquency
October 26, 1968
State Capitol
It has fallen my lot to charge you fine people with the task of pushing for implementation of sound correctional recommendations such as have evolved out of the work of the Governor's Crime Commission.
It would seem to me that your presence here today is an indication that most of you already are seriously concerned about the problem of crime in Georgia and the nation. . . . Whatever programs we initiate, let's be sure that we are not rewarding the very behavior we are trying to eradicate.
GARDEN CITY CHURCH OF GOD
October 27, 1968
Garden City, Savannah
I believe that the work which has been done, and which continues to be done, by the good Christians of the Garden City Church of God, makes my job as governor a little bit easier. I am sure that Mayor Bazemore and Mayor Fountain would agree that churches such as this also make their jobs easier.
SAVANNAH EXCHANGE CLUB
October 28, 1968
When I took office as governor, many of my critics were beside themselves trying to convince everyone that Georgia was just about to take a dive into an American equivalent of the Dark Ages. We soon proved them wrong.... We certainly have reason to be proud of what has taken place in Georgia for the past two years. I am proud, but not satisfied, and I don't believe you are satisfied either. If you were satisfied with a job half done, then you wouldn't be Exchangites.
TALLAHASSEE CIVIC CLUBS
October 29, 1968
Florida State Fair Opening
I believe the American people are thirsty for a long, tall, cool glass of good old-fashioned liberty-the liberty which our forefathers fought and died for-the liberty for which many of you here fought and bled forthe liberty which your sons, your sweethearts, your husbands and brothers are now fighting for in faraway Vietnam.
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WALLACE FUND-RAISING DINNER
October 29, 1968
I want everybody to know I am proud to stand here tonight in support of the number one party in the United States of America and in support of the nation's number one candidate, Governor George C. Wallace.... Well, I don't know how you people feel, but Lester Maddox and the great majority of other patriotic Americans who are working for a living and who are willing to fight for their liberty are fed up with letting this great, beautiful, hard-earned country be spoiled, spit upon, desecrated and dominated by a bunch of snotty-nosed, stringy-haired, red-eyed, LSD-taking young-uDS who range in age from thirteen to eighty. . . . A vote for Wallace is a vote for the rightful enjoyment of private property-the right to buy or sell as you see fit, to lease or rent as you see fit, to serve or not serve as you see fit. ... It does not matter whether our children are being threatened by a black power group or a snow-white polar bear from the North Pole, Americans are not going to stand by passively while their children are bussed, beaten, ridiculed, retarded, downgraded and dumped.
SYLVANIA ROTARY CLUB
October 31, 1968
By increasing the power and strength of our local governments we take the most effective steps possible in preventing further federal encroachments into all areas of our private lives. Strengthened local governments, with adequate financing, would be in an excellent position to provide incentives that will attract industry. They will improve their educational systems. They can upgrade public facilities, sewerage and water systems, and health, recreation and law enforcement and fire protection.
SCREVEN COUNTY AGRICULTURAL CENTER
October 31, 1968
Sylvania
You people here in Screven County have shown what you mean by the American free enterprise system. Here it is before us ... this fine coliseum which will bring even greater prosperity to your area. I commend you for these efforts, and I join you in dedicating this new center to a brighter and more prosperous day for all Georgians. I feel sure that in a few short years, this one will be much too small and you will have to build an even larger one.... It is my hope that when you dedicate the new one, you'll ask the Governor of Georgia to speak. Of course I won't be the
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227
one, but I may ask Virginia [Mrs. Maddox was proposed as Governor Maddox's successor in office] if she'll invite me.
PRO-AMERICAN PARTY
November 1, 1968
Chicago
I am happy to be back in Chicago again, and while my trip this time will certainly be of shorter duration, I nevertheless expect to enjoy it more.
Most of you, I understand, are citizens of the Chicago area. I would like you to know that, although the Democratic National Convention left a bad taste in my mouth, it did not alter my warm feelings for the people of the great city of Chicago.
Just as in every large city, you have misguided and communist-inspired groups who are dedicated to the total destruction of all that is good and decent in America, but just as the draft-card burner who was facetiously nominated for the vice presidency was not, and is not, representative of Georgia, I am well aware that the foul-smelling, foul-talking hate-mongers who filled the streets of Chicago during the so-called convention did not, and do not, represent the good people of Chicago....
George Wallace was not considered a serious contender for the office of President of the United States-and yet he has won a place on the ballots of every one of the fifty states. That is a miracle. Whether or not another miracle will occur on November 5, 1968, depends upon you, my fellow Americans. Will you stand up and be counted?
AUBURN MASONIC LODGE
November 2, 1968
This administration has worked hard to make more and better opportunities for every citizen in Georgia. At the same time, we have tried to maintain a stable, a peaceful environment in which they could take advantage of these new opportunities. It is just such people as you who have erected high barriers against the massive tide of crime and anarchy that sweeps much of our nation.
EXPANDED ATLANTA MERCHANDISE MART
November 3, 1968
Since I'm well known for my backward bicycle riding, my unusual approaches to problems of state government, and for my unorthodox way of expressing disgust with something, I think it is only appropriate that
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
I now tie together these two magnificent buildings to symbolize their permanent connection between Atlanta, Georgia and the world, and to symbolize the permanent connection of the Atlanta Merchandise Mart with the overall economy of this region.
HIGHWAY PATROL POST NO. 17
November 4, 1968
Washington Wilkes
I consider it an honor to join in the dedication of this new barracks for the good men who are helping to keep Georgia's highways as safe as we can make them. I know they will appreciate the new building and the new facilities, but I can guess that they will enjoy most filling up their gas tanks under the new carport without the rain running down their collars.
SMYRNA ROTARY CLUB
November 5, 1968
There is a tremendous amount of work yet to be done on the Interstate highway system throughout the country. It is my judgment that the early completion of this much-needed system would do more to eliminate poverty than all the federal government War on Poverty pencil-pushers could accomplish in the next ten years.
STATE-WIDE PLANNING PROGRAM For Vocational Rehabilitation
November 6, 1968
State Capitol
What this amateur is saying to experts is this: Let us be sure that we are gearing our vocational rehabilitation programs to help people help themselves. Let's be sure that our programs are designed to give hope and not resignation, independence and not dependence, self-pride and not self-pity.
GOVERNOR'S CONFERENCE ON TOURISM
November 7, 1968
Wilmington Island, Georgia
Our Welcome Centers are located at Ringgold, Sylvania, Lavonia, Savannah, Valdosta, Columbus and the Atlanta Airport. Two other centers, one in West Point and one in the Augusta area, are under construction. I would also like to compliment the Georgia communities operating locally owned Welcome Centers. All Georgians are proud of the
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229
outstanding center in Brunswick, the attractive house center in Dublin, and the unusual "riverboat" center in Darien.
SAVINGS AND LOAN SUPERVISORS
November 8, 1968
Let me commend you gentlemen on the efforts you are making here during this conference and for your sponsorship of the Executive Development Center, College of Commerce and Business Administration of the University of Illinois, and for your efforts across the country to educate and train examiners for the proper inspection of State Savings and Loan Associations. I would also like to commend Georgia Secretary of State Ben W. Fortson, Jr., on the fine record of service he is compiling as the Georgia supervisor of these associations.
JASPER COUNTY DEER FESTIVAL
November 9, 1968
Monticello
This deer festival today is, in part, a recogmtlOn of the importance of hunting to the economy of this area. Since you have an above-theaverage deer population, you also have an above-the-average population of deer hunters.
You can be sure that the Maddox administration will continue to work toward making this sport a safe and enjoyable one for the hunter and a safe and profitable one for the community businessmen who get a good share of that $400 which each deer is reported to cost the hunters.
YOUTH APPRECIATION DAY
November 9, 1968
Acworth Optimists Club
Not every boy and girl have within them the God-given power to create out of their surroundings and labors those ideas and material goods on which the advancement of mankind depends. But you won't know, will you, unless you try beyond every excuse you can imagine. . . . Leap into Georgia's ever-brighter future and see how far your faith, your will, and your life will take you.
GLEN FOREST BAPTIST CHURCH
November 10, 1968
Mableton
I am convinced that a restoration of the vision of a great Americaan America led by the hand of God--is the only answer to crime, law-
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lessness, revolution and corruption which have blighted the face of our continent for so long. But I am equally concerned about the future of Georgia.
HEARN NATIONAL GUARD ARMORY
November 10, 1968
Monroe
It gives me great pleasure to come to Monroe today to take part in the
dedication of the George J. Hearn Armory. It is certainly fitting that this
new armory be dedicated to General Hearn. He has served, since 1954
and under five governors, as the adjutant general of Georgia, during which
time sixty-five armories such as this were built in our state.
WOODROW WILSON BIRTHPLACE FOUNDATION Presentation of the Georgia Flag
November 11, 1968
Staunton, Virginia
I would like to think that many of [Wilson's] ideals, if not born in Georgia, were at least given form and substance during the years when he practiced law and found a wife in Georgia. Although his dreams for world peace have never been realized in spite of the brief and abortive attempts of the League of Nations, the dream did not die with the man....
LEGISLATIVE VISIT To the Central State Hospital
November 12, 1968
Milledgeville
A few of the nearly 10,000 patients here may go home today. A few more will go tomorrow, and few next week, some more next year. But some will never leave this institution until they are dead. Some of you have been here before, and know what to expect. The rest of you think you know, but you really don't. But by coming here today we have all taken a step toward understanding....
NEW BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION BUILDING (Georgia State College)
November 12, 1968
I am honored to share in the dedication of this magnificent addition to our University System.... I didn't get inside one of these buildings as a youngster, but I like to believe I have done my part to see that you youngsters get inside this one-and a few others scattered around over our
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231
state. I can't help you to get out, though. You have to do that for yourself.
SMYRNA JUNIOR WOMAN'S CLUB
November 12, 1968
Georgia is alive with progress on many fronts, and I want to express my appreciation for the wonderful support just such people as you have given these programs to benefit all our citizens. I urge each of you to become even more involved in the progress as well as the problems of your state.
CHICKAMAUGA LIONS CLUB
November 14, 1968
I am sure that you are pleased that Walker County will soon be the site of a penal institution that will put into everyday practice the great humanitarian principles that the Lions hold so dear. Two of your recent grand juries unanimously requested that we consider this area, and Walker County donated the necessary land to the state.
GEORGIA FARM BUREAU FEDERATION
November 18, 1968
Jekyll Island
I believe it is just as much in the interest of the farmer as it is to the interest of the city dweller that Georgia communities be attractive to industry. Very few of your agricultural products would be worth a hill of beans without the agricultural processors and distributors. You might grow cows and hogs, but you don't grow hotdogs and sausages. You might grow lima beans and corn, but you don't grow a can of succotash. You might grow peaches, but you don't grow wine.
MERIWETHER COUNTY EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
November 19, 1968
Greenville
I know that I am among friends when I am with a group of educators because I feel-as I know you do-that there is nothing-no business, no industry, no institution--that is more vital to the future of our state and nation than the education of our young.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
THIOKOL CHEMICAL CORPORATION Dawbarn Division
November 21, 1968
Toccoa
The name and nature of this plant which you see under construction here have been such a secret for so long that I almost feel that I should be whispering instead of talking into a microphone about it. We all have the full story now about why it was necessary to be so hush-hush, but I want you to know that it was one of the hardest jobs I've ever had to do. When somebody tells me that a multi-million-dollar plant is going to be located in Georgia, I feel like shouting about it.
LAKE LANIER ISLANDS BRIDGE
November 21, 1968
Buford
We would not be here this afternoon to partlClpate III this groundbreaking were it not for the efforts of the Lake Lanier Islands Development Authority and its capable chairman, Mr. Sylvan Meyer. We also owe a debt of thanks to the United States Army Corps of Engineers.... We owe a very special thanks to the Upper Chattahoochee Development Association.
GREEN CARPET PROGRAM
November 22, 1968
Governor's Mansion
The people coming to our state, once they get acquainted with their new home, with Georgia citizens, with our ideal climate and with our almost unlimited sources of recreation and entertainment, which range all the way from ballet to bullfrog gigging, it would take a really strong pair of Georgia red mules to drag most folks away from this place.
ASPHALT PLANT MIX INSTITUTE Annual Business Meeting
November 22, 1968
You people sell a wonderful and historic product. I understand a form of asphalt was used to hold the stones together in the walls of Babylon some 3,000 years ago. And down to the present day, man has used asphalt as a major building material, mainly in road construction. Our road to progress is being put on a firm foundation....
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CHEROKEE LODGE NO. 66, F.&A.M.
November 23, 1968
Rome
It is time once again in this great country for Masons-and all citizensto live up to their obligations, show their allegiance to their country and preserve a nation where men cannot be bought at any price; where rights are married to obligations; where men have guts as well as guns; where our homes, churches, lodges, schools and halls of government are filled with the presence of Divine power. . . .
HERBERT R. BRIDGES ARMORY
November 24, 1968
Cedartown
I am sure that Captain Morgan and the eighty men of Company B, First Battalion, lO8th Armor, feel fortunate in having this armory as one of sixty-five constructed in Georgia since 1953.... The people of Georgia are proud of the record of service and growth of the Georgia Army National Guard. They are proud also of the record of the fine and devoted man that we are dedicating this armory to today. First Sergeant Bridges has been a guardsman since 1929....
OAKSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH
November 24, 1968
LaGrange
Is there anyone here this morning who does not feel motivated to say thanks to God for living in a place like America? Things haven't always been easy. There has always been a struggle; but freedom and free enterprise have given us opportunity to rise above circumstances and find success.
EDMUND BURKE CONFRATERNITY
November 26, 1968
Sarasota, Florida
During the Democratic National Convention, the whole nation watched as we tried to inject some conservative common sense into the national party, but the majority of the party leadership was too far down the road to socialism to understand common sense. No, they chose to run with the bearded bums, the unwashed beatniks, the draftcard burners, the flag desecrators, and the hoodlums. Their attack on the Governor of Georgia and Georgia's delegates to the national convention let all America and much of the world see how prejudiced, dictatorial and socialistic these leaders have become. They brought defeat to the party. . ..
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
MOUNT VERNON BAPTIST CHURCH
November 27, 1968
Stockbridge
As a Christian-as an American-I am thankful for many things. I'm thankful for my country. I love it, and I'm willing to stand by it and defend it at any time. I'm thankful for freedom. I'm thankful for my family. I'm thankful for the American free enterprise system, the rights to private property and the rights of people to control at the local level; I'm thankful for those who have fought and died for these things. . . . And may tomorrow be the greatest, happiest and most enriching Thanksgiving of all.
FORSYTH COUNTY MASONIC ASSOCIATION
November 30, 1968
Cumming
Now a lot of people don't have to put up with the educational system we have today. Some people can afford private schools. Most of the legislators and Supreme Court justices and presidents and governors and others who have made critical decisions about how your child and my child will or will not be educated do not have to see their own children subjected to the chaos and confusion, the intimidation and miseducation, to which the rank and file citizen's child is today subjected.
INSTRUCTIONAL SUPERVISORS CONFERENCE
December 2, 1968
Covington
Many of our nation's schools are fast becoming hotbeds of protest and turmoil and a breeding-ground for full-scale anarchy and revolution. You are helping to prevent this in Georgia. Teachers in some schools across our country cannot be sure from one day to the next that some child is not going to come up behind them and stab them with a knife.
While other states have had to close down some of their schools because of rioting and lawlessness we, in Georgia, have opened many new schools and classrooms and improved our facilities.
EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES
December 3, 1968
University of Georgia
But what I am saying and what has probably already been said many times by others here, is that these services can be-indeed, must be-
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235
improved. We must reach out a hand to those who are now trying to do the job and help them to fill the gaps which now exist. I understand that a bill which was drawn up by the State Department of Health represents an attempt to improve the emergency medical services in Georgia and, thereby, also go a long way toward saving hundreds of Georgians' lives every year.
We are no longer driving horseless carriages. We are driving 4,000 pounds of brutal, deadly machine. They are, in fact, guided missiles.
STUDENT BAR ASSOCIATION Lamar School of Law
December 5, 1968
Emory University
And just as we are moving forward in the improvement of our penal system, so we are moving forward in accomplishment in all areas of state government. All of this is made possible because of you, and others like you who are just as interested as Lester Maddox in a better Georgia, and just as determined as I am that we can have a newer, a brighter and more prosperous tomorrow.
FEDERATION OF WOMEN'S CLUBS
December 5, 1968
State Capitol
It is my proposal that a bridge of continued progress be built that is wide enough to take all Georgians to the other side. I will not be satisfied with puddle-jumping solutions. There is no acceptable detour. And we cannot, as some propose, just stand at the bank and wait for the water to go away. We have three choices: one is to build an adequate bridge; secondly, we could let everybody jump in by himself, sink or swim; or, thirdly, we could all turn around together and march backwards.
SPORTSMEN'S FEDERATION December 7, 1968
Macon
If I use a gun to commit a robbery or to kill another person, then I believe society has every right to deny me the right to bear arms. But just because some demented communist or some unhappy alien decides to take a shot at a president or a presidential candidate does not mean that society has a right to deny me, a law-abiding citizen, the right to have and bear arms in a reasonably unrestricted manner.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
THE KINGDOM OF SAUSAGIA Introducing Tom Anderson
December 7, 1968
Our speaker today is known throughout the United States for his defense
of those freedoms and liberties handed down to us by our forefathers....
"' ' ill If he is not your friend now, he will be when he is finished, and ... with-
out further ado, I present to you the
Rogers of Conservatism,"
Thomas Jefferson Anderson.
MEMORIAL FUNDAMENTAL CONGRESS Baptist Tabernacle
December 8, 1968
Knoxville, Tennessee
In June of 1967, a federal judge decided that grouping school children by ability was discriminatory. . .. If such an idiotic ruling had been in effect in 1892, a little boy in Alabama who was blessed with superior ability would not have been allowed to start preparing for the ministry by talking to small groups.... If Dr. Bob Jones, Sr., had been taught ... that it is a sin against man to give an above-the-average performance and be recognized for it, then there would be no Dr. Bob Jones, Sr., Memorial Fundamental Congress.
LITHONIA EXCHANGE CLUB
December 9, 1968
If President-elect Nixon will see that "freedom of choice"-the American way-is restored to this country and that the "police state" that has been set up in this nation over the past two decades-the police state that has invaded industry, private homes, public schools, businesses and local governments-is removed, he will surely go down in history as the greatest United States President of all time.
MAYORS MOTORCADE TO MILLEDGEVILLE Central State Hospital
December 11, 1968
There is an old saying that the mighty warrior is regarded with awe; the wise man has our respect; the powerful man commands our obedience, but we love only the man who helps those who can give him nothing. Those of you who have come here today with these gifts deserve the love
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237
of all Georgia. And though you seek no gain, you will carry away much gold and silver and precious jewels of the human spirit.
LILBURN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
December 11, 1968
Using the club of federal funds, the directive dolts and the guideline goons are calling upon America to place dollars ahead of the welfare and education of our children, and all those who allow themselves to be led by the nose down this path of racial amalgamation are placing price tags on their children. If we in Georgia surrender the constitutional right of the parent to say what kind of school his child will attend, we may well send that same child to school with a price tag on his back.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COMMISSION Lockheed-Georgia Company
December 12, 1968
Marietta
The Lockheed-Georgia's impact and influence are worldwide, and with its recent development of the tremendous C-5A aircraft, this Georgiabased company is causing major transformations in our nation's marketing, transportation, and defense concepts. . . . I know of no more fitting location for the Georgia Science and Technology Commission to hold its quarterly meetings than in the research laboratories of this great Georgia aerospace company.
DALE CARNEGIE ALUMNI CLUB
December 13, 1968
Columbus
For many years I had been concerned about some wrongdoings in government. I was disgusted with the prevalence of the numbers racket and what I recognized as being waste and extravagance in government. But I was even more concerned over the failure of anyone to step forward, speak out and do something about the many public evils. This called for making speeches. But I had never spoken before an audience. . . . So I entered the Dale Carnegie Course.
HONORING SEVENTEEN STATE EMPLOYEES For Faithful Service
December 13, 1968
State Capitol
The following is the list of persons receiving the Faithful Service awards: Fifty year service: Gladys Kitchings, Walter R. McDonald. Forty-five years: Warren Allgood, John N. Richardson. Forty years: W. Fred Black-
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
mon, Veta Hammett, Fred L. Miles, Julia B. Akridge, Sallie M. Finsley, Mollie Leonard, A. Candler McDade, Hazel Brown, Mary E. McEntire, William H. Chandler, Smith Jones, Robert W. Rogers, and George E. Pittman.
POLICE ACADEMY GRADUATION
December 13, 1968
I would caution you in one respect: please never allow yourself to regard those you are forced to correct as adversaries or enemies, for in an overwhelming majority of instances, they are not. If you conduct yourself with dignity, with firmness and with courtesy, you will find that many obstacles have simply vanished.
CONFERENCE ON TRAFFIC SAFETY
December 16, 1968
A total of eleven bills and one resolution relating to traffic safety, including all the more important ones recommended, are now Georgia laws, partially due to the interest and support of the members of last year's Governor's Conference on Traffic Safety.
INSTITUTE OF LEGISLATORS
December 17, 1968
University of Georgia
Every General Assembly and every Governor of the State of Georgia for the past fifty years have had a chance to do something for our prisons, but for some reason or another the prison system got to the budget tableand got the leftovers after everybody else had had their fill. But where others, for one reason or another, have failed-you, the members of the 1969 Georgia General Assembly can succeed. . . . I believe you will.
NEW HOPE BAPTIST CHURCH
December 22, 1968
Atlanta
Today is a time when each of us should consider the true meaning of this religious holiday. lt is a time when we should be thankful for the heritage we have-a heritage which is glowing with the radiance of Christ. Free enterprise, liberty, abundant life, ethical concepts of government, human dignity and the worth of the individual-were all given new birth in Bethlehem.
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CONFERENCE ON JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT
December 27, 1968
Callaway Gardens
Junior Achievement members [from other Southeastern states] will feel right at home in Georgia for it is by emphasis on the achievers in society-junior and senior-that we are bringing our state into the forefront of progress and posterity. . . . And meeting with you reminds me of my own experience-and brings to the forefront the truth that success most always come to those willing to set goals, and then work to achieve those goals.
LADIES ENTERTAINMENT COMMITTEE For the First Annual Peach Bowl Game Delivered by Mrs. Virginia Maddox
December 28, 1968
Atlanta
As the wife of the Governor of Georgia, I certainly feel a kinship with those of you who are the wives of public officials and university administrators; but I also feel I have much in common with the wives of the coaches and players of LSU and FSU. Just as you share with your husbands their victories and defeats, so do 1. All of us have our share of both.... But our husbands are still our heroes.
NATIONAL YOUTH ALLIANCE
December 28, 1968
Georgia Tech
I am challenging you young people here today to do what must be done. Stand up for what you know is right. Even ,if you lose a job, even if you get a "C" in an American history course instead of an "A," even if you lose a friend or a dozen friends, have the courage to plant both feet firmly on this free soil and say to all who will listen to you: I am an American and proud of it.
CENTER FOR RETARDED CHILDREN
December 31, 1968
Chattanooga
I note that this is a privately-owned school, and I wish to commend those who have made it a success. They have acted not only as staunch defenders of the American private free enterprise system, but they have emphasized the public service aspect of that system. And now as we break ground for a new complex to extend this care to even more of these chil-
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dren, everyone here wishes that your success be repeated ill the years ahead, and on an even grander scale.
NORTH ATLANTA BAPTIST CHURCH
December 31, 1968
Watchnight Service
I resolve to do more for Georgia and Georgians in 1969 through the cooperation of the people and the help of God. As the New Year appears, I would like to see new hope given to the children and adults who occupy our state mental institutions, whose minds are sick and confused. I would like to offer more efficient rehabilitation, more decent living conditions and more compassionate treatment for those in our prisons and other such institutions, and give them a vision of a better tomorrow...
GLENWOOD BAPTIST CHURCH
December 31, 1968
Atlanta
Men in our generation are trying to use brains without faith. Many leaders have repudiated the concept of God ruling the nation. Historic ideas of justice are being abandoned for expediency. Compromise is replacing the power of moral principle based on the word of God. But the real answer to the problems facing us as we enter 1969 is faith in God and adherence to the basic principles, which came from God, upon which this nation was founded and through which she flourished.
u1969~
NORTHSIDE KIWANIS CLUB
January 3, 1969
The energies you have put forth and the time you have spent workmg with the young men and women in our schools alone shows that you are concerned with the future of your community and your state-a future that lies in the hands of our young adults and are willing to work long hours to make this future brighter. We in the Maddox administration are also concerned about the future....
OPERATION PATRICK HENRY
January 4, 1969
Columbia High School, Decatur
There are no finer citizens of any state than those engaged in Scouting. Your organization has a history of useful and honorable activities in our communities, and speaking for all Georgians, I want to say that no organization has done more to teach boys in duty, morality and patriotism than Scouting.
ATLANTA PRESS CLUB
January 8, 1969
During the year just passed, some less-than-perfect accounts of some of my less-than-perfect utterances and actions have appeared in some of Atlanta's less-than-perfect news media. Whether this came about because I failed to communicate, or whether it was a result of your failure to understand, I do not know. I am inclined to believe that it was a bit of both.
MEDICAL AND DENTAL ASSISTANTS
January 8, 1969
The State of Georgia has one of the finest vocational educational organizations in the entire nation, but we cannot carry the entire load by ourselves, and I feel that private education must be allowed to flourish
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and be preserved if we are to retain our greatness and our liberty. We need the help of the private educational institutions such as the Atlanta College that provide the much-needed supplement. . . .
NATIONAL ALLIANCE, FOOTBALL RULES
January 9, 1969
We need the hard-nose aspect of a great sport like football to build the ability of our youngsters to take it no matter how rough the going gets. Football requires courage, brains, and determination, and those are qualities our youth must develop if our state and nation are to go into the future heads-high and victorious.
JAYCEES GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
January 12, 1969
As most Georgia CItIzens follow the fine example you men are setting and become more interested and involved in our government, you will find our government becoming more efficient and able-a government truly tuned to the needs and the interests of the people it serves. Since the Maddox administration took office in January of 1967-and since I talked to you at your Governmental Affairs Conference this time last yearGeorgia has been a state on the move....
GAME BREEDERS AND SHOOTING PRESERVES
January 13, 1969
Pine Mountain
It gives me the highest pleasure, acting on behalf of the North American Game Breeders and Shooting Preserves Association, Inc., to present to Mr. John M. Olin of America, Illinois and Georgia, the following award: To that person in the United States who has made the most outstanding contribution to wildlife conservation, game management, the shooting industry, and to outdoor sportsmen of the year 1968....
STATE OF THE STATE
January 14, 1969
To the General Assembly
It is a truly great experience to participate at this hour in the history of our state and our nation, for we have passed into the beginning of a new age.
A stimulating age. Full of inspiration.
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Posing challenge after challenge after challenge. It is a time requiring leadership and dedication of the highest order. A time for us to take off the old, no longer of value, and to put on the new. A time for new approaches to old problems. A time to reaffirm our enduring faith-the kind of faith that was relayed to us only a few short weeks ago from across the great void of space. A time to think and a trrne to pray. A time for man to expand his horizons, to dream, to plan, to work, and to build. I am encouraged and full of hope as I look out and see those with whom I have worked so closely over past months and those who are here for the first time. I see a blending of experience and youth which bodes well for Georgia. I come before you on this occasion offering my full cooperation and seeking yours. I am grateful for the close and friendly working relationship which has existed between the members of the legislative branch and the executive branch. A relationship which has been characterized by open doors in both branches. A relationship which has brought Georgia to the zenith of her growth and development. The governor and the staff of the executive department are ready to work with you in every way to further the interests of the state and her people. I urge that you call upon me when I may be of assistance to youand I humbly seek your understanding, your cooperation and your counsel as we work to achieve our common goal of making ours a better state in which to live. I am confident that a deep sense of duty will compel each of us to live up to the great trust and confidence which the electorate has placed in us, both collectively and as individuals. The issues we face are complex, and dealing with them will be trying. But, the progress we have made should provide the inspiration needed to get the job done.
Let's look for a moment at education. We are in the best position for qualified teachers since we have been in the business of public education. While children and classrooms in some other states have been without teachers, this has not been true in Georgia. Rather than being faced with a critical teacher shortage, as predicted earlier, Georgia, according to a survey in September, 1968, was the only state in fifty with an ample supply of qualified applicants.
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In this one year, alone, some 15,000 students were added. They required 600 teachers and 600 schoolrooms-the equivalent of twenty new thirtyroom school buildings with all the equipment, facilities, staff and books required for them.
All of this is possible because we together had the courage and foresight to make advances in education during the past two years that exceeded any previous four years, and that of any other Southeastern state during this period.
Many said it couldn't be done. But you didn't believe it.
What about higher education? Nine out of ten Georgians now live within thirty-five miles of a state institution of higher learning. We are finally competitive in holding and attracting qualified professors in the University System. We have grown from an enrollment of 30,000 in 1960, to 77 ,000 in 1968-an increase of some 8,500 in this school term alone, which is more than the equivalent of starting a new Georgia Tech. We can share full pride that Georgia has won for itself national recognition and admiration from the educational, industrial and governmental leaders of this country. You helped make this possible, too.
What about industrial development? With your help, we have been able to do more about telling the story of Georgia's industrial opportunities in one fiscal year than in anyone previous four-year period and, with the present fiscal year that closes our first biennium, our promotional program in these two years will exceed any previous twelve-year period. Dollars for new and expanded industry for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1968, amounted to more than $625,000,000-exceeding the previous two record fiscal years combined, and the increase in fiscal 1968 alone amounted to the total increases of the previous ten years. In a survey conducted by a national magazine among leading businessmen and industrialists to determine where they would like to locate their plants or make their investments, our own State of Georgia received more favorable responses than any other state in the Southeast.
And what about mental health? Our regional mental health program is well underway with facilities now open in Thomasville, Bainbridge and Atlanta, one soon to be opened in Augusta, one under construction in Savannah, and one each planned for Rome and Columbus. These, together with the new Retardation Center in DeKalb County, which will open this spring, will give Georgia a decentralized mental health program without equal in the nation.
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And what about penal reform?
In keeping with the open door policy of this administration, we have thrown open Georgia's backward and benighted prison system to the scrutiny of the press and public of this state; comprehensive investigations of conditions in all areas of the penal system have been conducted and, when we implement the recommendations to be made to this session, there will be true penal reformation and rehabilitation in Georgia for the first time. The time for talking and investigating is past-the time for action is now.
However, in our expression of concern and compassion, and in our zeal to lend a helping hand to those who inhabit our prisons and who have moved in the wrong direction, we must also continue to meet our first responsibility of government, that of protecting the lives and property of the law-abiding citizens and achievers in this State.
It is well-known by the people of this country that there are places where this responsibility has not been met, and the people have suffered accordingly. Thank God, this condition is to a lesser degree in Georgia than in many other places. We have maintained the peace, tranquillity and progress and, so long as Lester Maddox is governor of Georgia, it will continue!
To you young people who are now watching from elementary, high school and college classrooms-you who are earning, learning and building up--rather than ruining, burning and tearing down as some do--you, too, are helping to make it all possible-we say thanks. Your governor, the distinguished members of your state legislature and your parents are proud of you.
And what about workmen's compensation? Advances which had been actively sought for many years in the field of workmen's compensation became a reality through legislation advocated by this administration and passed into law by you. These advances represent the greatest single increase since the enactment of Georgia's workmen's compensation laws. Just as we have made unprecedented progress in these areas, our accomplishments have been equally significant in the Departments of Labor, Veterans Service, Game and Fish, Parks, Forestry, Tourism, Public Safety, Agriculture, Revenue, Family and Children Services and Highway. The moral tone of state government has never been higher. Where corruption has been found, it has been cleaned up. Where inefficiency has been discovered, it has been corrected. Where waste has been uncovered, it has been stopped. With your support, and that of the people of this state, we brought
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about a new day in the State Board of Pardons and Paroles by requiring the first investigation and reformation of the system since its beginning. There is now hope and opportunity for all prison inmates-black and white, the unknown and the influential.
This administration not only has preached honesty, morality, economy and efficiency, but it also has practiced them. And it will continue to do so!
As I promised as a candidate, it has been the practice of this administration-and shall continue to be-to make certain that the people of this state have an opportunity to participate in their government in every way possible.
I'm extremely proud that there have been more visitors to your governor's office and the Governor's Mansion in the past two years than in the past quarter of a century.
Toward this end of involving the people of Georgia in their government, I have gone to the lowlands and the highlands-to the slums and to the suburbs-to the wage earner and to the wage payer-to the deprived and to the provider-to the schoolhouses and to the prisons-to the farms and to the factories-to the churches and to the homes.
I am grateful for the hospitality the people and the elected representatives have shown me and the confidence they have given me during my administration.
Now, my fellow Georgians, although it has been customary for governors, including this one, to devote practically all of their state of the state messages to lengthy recitals of the accomplishments of their administrations, my purpose here today is not to dwell at length on the past, but to talk to you as candidly and as forthrightly as I know how about the future.
I think it would best serve the public interest and do more toward achieving a general enlightenment to devote the remainder of my remarks to you here today to the subject of where we are in Georgia, financially, how we got there, and where we go from here.
Prudence and sound financial administration demand that you and I recognize that the day of fiscal reckoning is at hand.
Anyone in or out of government, with but a rudimentary knowledge of finance, and familiar with the budgetary process in this state, knew that this day had to come.
It was with full awareness of this that the Georgia house and the Georgia senate, during the 1967 sessions, passed resolutions calling for a thorough tax revision study to be made.
We are confronted with this situation now, and would be, regardless of who might be sitting in my chair or yours. At this hour and at this time, duty demands that we face the issue squarely and meet our responsibility.
So there may be no misunderstanding on the part of anyone-legislator,
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official, newsman or taxpayer-I wish to emphasize in the strongest terms at my command that the issue is not the future of Lester Maddox or his administration, but the future of Georgia and her people.
lf our only concern were the second half of the Maddox term, then I would be delivering an entirely different message to you and to our fellow Georgians today.
And it most assuredly would not be one about raising taxes. But what brought us to this hour of decision? There are a number of reasons, some of which I will outline now: Let us first consider inflation. Just as no household, no church, no commerce club, no business, no industry, no farm, no other state government, nor the federal government can escape the ravages of inflation and the endlness problems it produces, neither can your state government. Just as you and others in the American economy must adjust to the problems of inflation, so must state government make the necessary adjustments to assure fiscal soundness and meet its duty to the people. Another reason for the position in which we find ourselves is that other people throughout this nation in business, industry and all levels of government are constantly receiving wage increases and, in order to be competitive and to keep and attract qualified and able employees to provide the services demanded by the people, Georgia must also be competitive. Then, too, we should consider that, according to a survey for the years 1965 and 1966, the citizens of forty-three other states pay more state and local taxes per capita than do the citizens of Georgia. Further, since 1965, forty-six states have undergone tax structure changes resulting in increased revenues, but not Georgia. In addition, in the states of Florida and Alabama, the sales tax is four per cent; in Mississippi, Kentucky and Pennsylvania, it is five per cent; and in fifteen states, the sales tax percentage is higher than in Georgia, and less in only seven. There are many other factors we could cite, but the last one of signiiicance, and perhaps of paramount importance, which I will now refer to, concerns the use of large amounts of surplus funds in annual appropriations.
In the appropriations act of 1965, including supplements later added, the budget for fiscal year 1966 contained surplus funds in the amount of 11.4 per cent, and 12.2 per cent for fiscal year 1967. The use of surplus funds has averaged 9.3 per cent in each of the annual appropriations for the past four years. These funds accumulated as a result of estimating anticipated revenue far below actual growth. But I am pleased, as I believe that you are, that we had surpluses, rather than deficits, for, because of them, we were able to activate, improve and expand programs that have contributed greatly to the pace-setting progress and leadership that we
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enjoy today. However, it was this same practice of appropnatmg surplus funds to
begin and expand existing programs which would entail recurring, and sometimes escalating costs in later years, which also contributed to our current dilemma.
Those in and out of state government with a sound knowledge of finances and with even a nodding acquaintance with the state budgetary process, knew that day would come when it would be necessary to either replace these funds by a permanent means, or else drastically curtail, bring to a halt or, in some instances, even reverse our upward trend of progress and prosperity, thereby jeopardizing many of the previous investments and progress already made.
I personalIy will have no truck with bringing progress to a halt in Georgia. Neither do I believe that you distinguished members of this General Assembly will act in such fashion.
If NO is to be said to progress in Georgia, it will have to be said by others-not by Lester Maddox.
The Maddox administration could get by. It could keep our state government and its programs functioning within present anticipated revenuealthough at minimal levels. Some would call it a "standstill budget," but in believing that there is no such thing as standing still in education, in government and in business, I call it a "go backwards budget."
As one who prides himself upon being a fiscal conservative and a hardheaded businessman, it would be far more popular for Lester Maddox to oppose any new or revised taxes and instead to make loud speeches about "cutting the fat" out of the budget.
But that would only postpone the day of reckoning and create a crisis of hair-curling magnitude for my successor.
This situation which confronts us is not one of our choosing or our making. It was passed on to us; and duty demands that we face the issue. I, for one, hope that no other administration and no other General Assembly will ever have to inherit a similar burden.
In the interest of preventing the recurrence of this situation, I will recommend, in my budget message to you, the enactment of measures to provide fiscal restraints and safeguards in future budget appropriation matters that, in my judgment, should have been enacted years earlier.
One will deal directly with the use of surplus funds and the other with our working reserve. These measures, in my opinion, should have been implemented years ago, and fiscal sanity demands that they be delayed no longer.
To fail to act would betray the best, long-range interests of our state. It would be turning our backs on our children, our needy, our city and
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county governments, our property owners and our business community. It would represent an abdication of our responsibility as elected servants
of the people. Worst of all-for me, at least-it would be self-serving. And anyone who knows anything at all about Lester Maddox knows
that he takes his stands on the basis of what he believes is right, and not what is popular.
Besides, it just so happens that I believe like Mark Twain that to do what is right is best because it pleases some people, and thoroughly astounds all the rest.
So, let everyone be on notice that opposition to tax revision solely on the basis of opposition to Lester Maddox is simply not justified. Opponents will have to come up with a better reason than that.
With that at rest-hopefully for good-let us look at what really is at stake.
At stake IS the fact that, under our present tax structure the local property tax in Georgia will have to be doubled over the next eight years.
At stake is the fact that, under our present tax structure, the property tax rapidly is becoming a major impediment to the location of new and expanded business and industry in Georgia and is interfering increasingly with the functions of the private free enterprise system.
At stake is the fact that, under our present tax structure, the poor and needy among our citizens-those whom we are trying to help pull themselves up by their own bootstraps-are being taxed twice as heavily percentagewise as are our affluent citizens.
At stake is the fact that, under our present tax structure, the State of Georgia cannot finance any new or expanded programs of services to the people, cannot provide adequate facilities for swelling public school and college enrollments and cannot staff and open the new mental health, penal and other institutions now under construction and planned.
At stake is the fact our present revenue structure will not sustain the present rate of progress in all fields of which we are all so proud, nor will it provide a sound revenue base upon which we can plan, build and grow to take our rightful place in the 21st Century, now only a little more than three decades away.
The facts are clear and indisputable. The property tax in this state has reached a point of saturation, and the already overburdened property owner cannot be called upon to bear an even greater portion of the burden of supporting governmental programs in Georgia. The regressive nature of our present uncoordinated sales and income taxes is serving as a major deterrent to getting our disadvantaged citizens
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-those who cannot help themselves--out of poverty and into productive, tax-paying citizenship.
The spiraling local property tax is directly penalizing the establishment, expansion and improvement of capital facilities by business and industry and threatens to halt and reverse the very encouraging economic growth spurt we are now having and which is keeping our revenues under the present structure above maintenance level.
Every authority we have consulted has stated, without qualification, that it is imperative that Georgia act now to devise a tax system which will provide our cities and counties with substantial additional revenue and create a favorable business climate by achieving fiscal adequacy and tax equality.
On Thursday, I will come before you again with bold and imaginative proposals which I have advocated for more than ten years, and which will herald a new day benefiting all Georgians.
I will then offer them to you for your consideration, believing that if implemented, they will generate more than two billion dollars in new and expanded industry beyond what we may gain otherwise during the next decade. They will raise per capita income by several hundred dollars; they will help preserve and strengthen our local communities; and they will provide relief for the property owner who, otherwise, would continue to bear the brunt of the tax-load.
The discrimination of our present tax structure against the poor, the property owner, and local governments cannot be justified and, if long continued, likely will set counter forces into motion which will undo all the progress we have achieved in the last quarter century.
Ladies and gentlemen, I began these remarks on a note of faith and I come to my conclusion in the same vein.
The recommendations of your governor can be summed up in that one word:
FAITH-faith in God, faith in our representative democracy and faith in ourselves and our capacity to solve our own problems.
January 16, 1969
BUDGET MESSAGE To the Georgia Legislature
Earlier this week, I was privileged to report to you on the progress and prosperity of the great State of Georgia.
I consider it a privilege and an honor to come before this august body today to talk to you not about what we have done, but what we must do, if the citizens of Georgia are to continue to enjoy the progress achieved in the past two decades.
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During these years Georgia has been a state on the go. The past two years have been especially progressive and prosperous.
From time to time, the General Assembly has found it necessary to make minor adjustments in our tax structure to sustain Georgia's development and to promote the general welfare of our people.
However, Georgia's approach to her finances has been, in most instances, piecemeal and haphazard. This has resulted in a total system which is currently both inadequate and inequitable. Not only does the system fail to provide for our needs, but it also abounds with regressive features.
It has been clear for some time that our State needed to take another hard look at its financial structure and determine what should be done to continue Georgia's progress and attain fiscal stability in the operation of state government.
Through the foresight of the General Assembly, and with the cooperation of this administration, a Tax Revision Study Commission was authorized, and the results of its hearings and work have been made available to the governor and the General Assembly.
Although several proposals were submitted, the one 'which I endorse, and the one upon which my budget and tax revision proposals are based, is the one prepared at the direction of the executive committee of the Tax Revision Study Commission.
I endorse this report because it lays particular emphasis on relieving the regressive characteristics and discriminatory aspects of our present tax structure.
It proposes fair and adequate means to close a state and local revenue gap which could total some $841,000,000 by 1976.
It provides solutions to many problems which seriously impede the future industrial, economic and cultural growth of this state.
Acting on these recommendations, I have come today to lay before you what, in my considered judgment, is a "Growth and Progress Budget" for fiscal 1970 and 1971, and my recommendations for revenue measures to finance it.
After considering available and anticipated revenues, I spent hours, days and weeks in determining the minimum requirements for insuring the continued growth and progress of our state.
These weeks of consultation and deliberation resulted in my recommending to you today a budget which cuts $160,000,000 from the agency requests for fiscal 1970, and $203,000,000 from the agency requests for fiscal 1971.
I removed some items without hesitation; others were cut out reluctantly. But, to continue the sound fiscal policy of this administration, I had to make my decisions not on the basis of wishes, but of minimum needs.
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The mlI1ImUm needs of Georgia will require appropriations totaling $1,115,575,797.74 in fiscal 1970 and $1,161,935,638.87 in fiscal 1971.
In determining these needs, I considered the interests of all Georgians. As governor of this great state I could do no less.
I considered not only the needs of today, but of tomorrow. I considered not what was politically expedient, but what was right. I based my decisions upon a firm belief that the future would be brighter for every Georgia family if we started doing what we should have been doing a decade ago and that, if we fail in providing these needs, the future will be dimmer for millions of our fellow citizens. You have the budget document on your desk. I shall not attempt to go into exhaustive detail, but I will, instead, highlight the many advancements and improvements that adoption of this budget would accomplish.
EDUCATION
I know that you are as proud as I of the results of the crash programs we have undertaken at all levels of education. We are receiving national attention and acclaim for our tremendous accomplishments.
Had it not been for our breakthrough in education, the economic and industrial revolution that we now enjoy would never have been.
I believe you will agree with me that we must continue to do our best for the education of our youth-Georgia's most precious resource-if we are to do our best for Georgia.
The Department of Education requested an increase of $87,000,000 for operations for fiscal year 1970, but my recommendation is for $58,000,000 -a $29,000,000 cut. Much that I favor and believe to be needed had to be eliminated and, in my opinion, any further reduction would be harmful to education.
Five million dollars of the recommended increase will go for one of the greatest needs in education today: that of reducing the pupil-teacher ratio.
A cost of living increase of 3.5 per cent is scheduled for teachers. Anything less could well jeopardize our present excellent teachr position.
In the November General Election, the people overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment giving us a mandate to make funds available for the school lunch program. In keeping with this, I am proposing that funds be appropriated to insure that wholesome lunches for Georgia's children continue to be served at prices within the reach of all.
Funds are included for beginning a limited twelve-month school program. This program, if fully implemented, would eliminate the waste that results from closing a billion dollar school plant for three months each year. Such a waste of valuable facilities could never be tolerated by private industry, and neither can it continue to be tolerated by the taxpaying
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citizens of Georgia. I would like to emphasize that this program envisions a twelve-month
school year for schools, and not necessarily for students and teachers. It is not intended to deprive a student or a teacher of his annual vacation. Instead, the vacation periods would be staggered on a voluntary basis to allow different teachers and students to take their vacations at different times.
This would benefit industry by allowing more students to find vacation employment, since one group of students returning to the school could be replaced in industry or business by another group just beginning their vacation. This program should help some students to earn funds needed to continue their education and, at the same time, it has been recommended as a partial solution to the problem of juvenile delinquency.
UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
The Board of Regents requested an increase of $32,000,000 for fiscal year 1970 and, in my recommendations, I have cut this amount to $20,000,000.
I am convinced that the expansions, improvements and new colleges added to our University System in recent years to accommodate the ever-increasing number of the Georgia youth attending college, are largely responsible for the vast industrial growth in our state and for the peace and tranquillity that has been maintained on our campuses.
The increase in funds for higher education will provide a 3.5 per cent increase for academic personnel. For non-academic personnel, the generally lower salary ranges require an 8.5 per cent increase to be of any real significance.
Other funds for the Board of Regents will provide authority lease rentals to construct new facilities totaling $42,000,000 in fiscal year 1970, and $12,500,000 in 1971. These are absolutely essential if we are to meet regular enrollments expected to increase from the present 76,000 to more than 90,000 by 1970, and to a projected figure of 120,000 by 1975.
FAMILY AND CHILDREN SERVICES
The Department of Family and Children Services has requested an increase of more than $20,000,000. I am recommending that half that amount, $10,000,000, be appropriated.
Most of the recommended increases will go for roll growth, mandatory salary increases for county welfare workers, to initiate a work incentive program to get welfare mothers and their teenage children off welfare rolls and onto payrolls, a cost-of-living increase in grants to the aged, blind,
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disabled and dependent, the opening of a new 14D-bed youth development center for delinquent girls at Macon, and building a new regional detention center for West Central Georgia.
These funds will permit our efforts to be directed toward getting as many people as possible off welfare rolls and toward reversing the welfare cycle.
COUNTIES AND CITIES
Now, I want to talk to you about something I have advocated and supported publicly for more than ten years-a program that will increase financial assistance to county and city governments.
Had it been implemented shortly after World War II--or even in the fifties--Georgia's struggling local communities would not now be almost desperate, and several billion dollars we missed in industrial investments would be ours. Not only that, but per capita income in Georgia would be several hundred dollars higher, and higher incomes from new jobs and improved opportunities would have generated additional revenue that could have advanced services of government far beyond our present-day levels. Moreover, the over-burdened property owner's share of the cost of operating government would be less, county and city governments would have been given new life, and crime, slum and ghetto problems would never have reached their present proportions.
I am recommending that you allocate an amount equal to one-half of one cent of the state sales tax to counties and to county and independent school systems, and one-half cent to cities. I propose that the funds be returned to counties and cities on a per capita basis, and to schools on the basis of average daily attendance.
This will be no more than implementing, on the state level, the present philosophy of government of helping those who need help. We have done this for other people and their governments across the world. It is not sound fiscal policy, and we will not be putting first things first, if we continue to fail to meet the needs of our own state and our own people.
The argument that we should not collect such funds and return them to counties, cities and county and independent school systems doesn't hold water, and long ago lost whatever validity it doubtfully ever contained.
Some say that the state cannot assume the liability of maintaining county and city governments.
If we carried this argument to its logical conclusion, then the citizens of the counties and cities could also say that they cannot assume the liability of maintaining state government. Where would we be if this should happen?
We must never forget that Georgia is a state comprised of counties and
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cities and that we derive all that makes Georgia successful and prosperous from the taxpayers of these local governmental units.
In returning to the people and their local governments on a per capita basis part of the money that we have collected from them, we are only giving back to the citizens of these counties and cities what is already theirs.
With this added financial assistance, they will grow stronger and better able to support state government. That kind of "liability" we, at the state level, can well afford. I submit to you that the very survival of a great and free state government depends upon strengthening and preserving local governments-thus we can no longer afford to do less than I am proposing to you.
During fiscal year 1968, we collected and returned to counties, cities, and county and independent school systems some $355,000,000 with some $303,000,000 of this amount going to counties and their schools.
It is my opinion that these funds will be over $400,000,000 for fiscal year 1969 and the increase of approximately $70,000,000 that I ask you to return to counties, cities and county and independent school systems is about a seventeen per cent increase over present funds now being returned. Percentage-wise, this is far less than many increases previous General Assemblies have approved for many state agencies and is much less than is being requested by some at this time.
I am convinced, and have been for many years, that this program for county and city governments and school systems that I ask you to implement will be the greatest breakthrough for progress in Georgia and for her people since enactment of the Sales Tax Law in 1951.
It will help our counties and cities to provide adequate salaries for policemen, firemen and other essential personnel; to give adequate support to schools; to provide water and sewerage systems and other services needed to encourage expansion of existing industry and to attract new investments; and it will help cities cope with the problems of slums, ghettos, transportation and the ever-expanding needs for other services.
LOCAL OPTION
A local option sales tax would not be acceptable to me and, in my judgment, it would be regressive and unfair to most Georgians.
Such a tax plan would benefit only the citizens and property owners in the areas where it gained adoption-and do so at the expense of millions of other Georgians in cities and counties which found adoption of the tax impossible. Local governments unable to adopt a local option sales tax would have to get additional necessary funds from ad valorem taxes and, in these areas, property taxes would more than double in the next decade.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
Obviously, a state-wide plan would best serve the interests of all Georgians.
And I believe that if we fail to take a bold and imaginative step now, to channel one billion dollars, over the next eight or nine years, into a program to assure progress and prosperity for all Georgians, we will doom ourselves later to pay, instead, many more billions to support ghettos and slums through increased costs of law enforcement, courts, prisons and welfare payments.
I am convinced that if we do not begin now to provide preventive measures, more billions of dollars than ever dreamed of will eventually be required for welfare programs, institutions for the lawless, and care for the poor and sick.
Ladies and gentlemen, we cannot afford the terrifying price in dollars and human misery that would be extracted from us through a failure to act and act now.
To help insure progress, prosperity and a better way of life for all of our people, to encourage home ownership, to give relief to the property owners, and to provide the long overdue financial assistance to county and city governments and their school systems, I ask for your support of this program that I have outlined in brief.
PENAL SYSTEM
A matter of major concern to me, and one which I believe to be of equal concern to you, and most Georgians, is Georgia's prison system.
With a few remarkable exceptions, our prison system has remained back in the '30's while the rest of our state has moved up to 1969.
The citizen who has travled down the wrong road has had little representation at the budget table.
Until this moment, in all the history of our state, we have not had a governor or a General Assembly to demand penal reform and then back up that demand with action.
I have taken my stand in support of total penal reform and I have confidence you will do the same. Acting where others feared to tread will enable you to save lives, to keep families together and prevent much human misery, and to prevent the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in wages, taxes and other material values for which our present system is indirectly responsible.
We cannot help every law violator-some of them won't let us; but, in obedience to God, and out of love for our fellowmen, we no longer can turn our backs on those that we can help.
I am asking you for funds to staff phases one and two of the Butts County institution; for a 500-cell maximum security facility at Reidsville
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to segregate the dangerous criminals from the inmates capable of rehabilitation; for a work and pre-release center near Atlanta and for funds to staff the three regional prison branches already approved and to construct six additional such facilities.
Facilities just completed, under construction, or soon to be let for construction-added to our request in this budget-will add 3,350 new spaces to our present capacity and these, with our total renovations throughout the system, will give Georgia one of the finest penal operations in the world.
We will expand our academic, vocational-technical, medical, food service, and the visitation and rehabilitation programs; we will also seek out and employ competent and professional help to finally make penal reform a reality in Georgia.
I am asking-yes, pleading with you to get the job done. I want both present and future generations to say, "It was the 1969 Georgia General Assembly that had the courage to do it!"
HIGHWAYS
To help save lives and to provide the accelerated highway construction and maintenance demanded by our growing motoring public, I am asking that you increase the tax on gasoline by one-and-one-half cents pe~ gallon.
In adjoining states, the tax on gasoline is already seven cents per gallon and is headed higher. It is eight cents per gallon in Louisiana and it is reportedly scheduled to be raised to ten cents.
Eight cents in Georgia will not be excessive or out of line, and the need is urgent. We must have the additional revenue to match larger and increased federal grants.
We will be able, through this proposed revenue increase, to four-lane many sections of existing two-lane roads and to add a bonding program that will improve and four-lane many city streets.
Failure to grant this essential increase will force us to reduce highway maintenance by as much as $15,000,000, and that would cost us many millions in resulting highway deterioration from which we never would recover.
I seek your full support of this request for highways.
PUBLIC HEALTH
Georgia's mental health program, now on the way to becoming one of the finest in the world, must be completed.
The Atlanta Regional Hospital is now open. The Augusta Hospital and the DeKalb Retardation Center will open this spring. And the Savannah Hospital will be ready for patients in early 1970.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
We plan to begin construction of the Columbus Hospital this year and the multi-purpose Battey Mental Health Hospital in Rome next year. But no new hospitals can be built, and those already constructed, or under construction, cannot be adequately staffed without additional revenue provided by tax revision.
In the budget before you, you will also note that I have requested funds to renovate the foul-smelling, improperly heated and cooled buildings at Central State Hospital where we were appalled and sickened by the conditions we found on our visits there.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Our percentage of out-of-state visitors traveling by motor vehicle is far greater than that of any neighboring state except Florida.
Our highway fatality rate has increased from a shocking 1,621 killed in 1967 to the terrifying 1,749 slaughtered in 1968.
Ours is the largest state east of the Mississippi River and it has more than 97,000 miles of roads to patrol. Yet, the Georgia Highway Patrol is seriously understaffed when compared to our sister states.
With only 600 uniformed troopers---officers who are also called upon to preserve the peace and perform other duties-it is difficult to have more than 325 men patroling the highways during any twenty-four hour period.
Therefore, I am asking that you increase the patrol by 100 uniformed men in each of the two fiscal years. Even this will add an average of only one and one-fourth men to each county, which still falls far short of the number needed.
I am also asking that the beginning salary of troopers be increased to $500 monthly. We cannot afford to do less for these men who are our first line of defense.
I believe that these requested improvements, along with full implementation of safety legislation enacted by the 1968 legislature, will save hundreds of lives, prevent thousands of personal injuries and avoid millions of dollars in economic losses.
AGRICULTURE
We are asking for funds to continue the progress of the agriculture department with a request for lease rental funds to rebuild or modernize State Farmers' Markets in Columbus, Macon, Augusta, Savannah, and Thomasville.
OTHER PROGRAMS
For game and fish, forestry, parks, mines, mining and geology, industry
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259
and trade, labor, pardons and paroles, probation, veterans services, defense, revenue, law and other agencies that I have not discussed, I have made my recommendations to you also only after thorough study. My response, in every case, has been to ask for the minimum I feel absolutely necessary to assure our continued progress. I could not, in good conscience, ask for less and still expect to meet the needs of our state.
In addition to wage increases I have outlined for those in public safety and education, this budget also includes a 3.5 per cent annual increase for all state employees. Towermen in the Forestry Department will be raised from $210 to $281 per month, forestry patrolmen from $352 to $416 per month and highway maintenance personnel will receive a reasonable increase.
The present reserve of $21,000,000 is only equal to 2.5 per cent of our current fiscal year budget. This is totally unsound. Obviously, you could not operate your own business with a reserve of only 2.5 per cent, and neither can state government.
Fiscal soundness and common sense demand that we take steps that should have been taken years earlier to raise state government's "working reserve" in order to insure that the state will be able to meet its financial obligations during those periods when revenue out-go exceeds the revenue income.
I am proposing that the present $21,000,000 "working reserve" be increased by $33,000,000 to $54,000,000--or to a total amount equal to five per cent of the proposed operating budget for 1970. Furthermore, the legislation I propose will require that this reserve be maintained at five per cent.
All in all, I consider this to be a fiscally sound budget, and one planned to keep Georgia moving toward a brighter future.
TAX CHANGES
As I stated earlier, I endorse, in principle, the Papke Report, the report resulting from your proposals that a tax revision study be made for the purpose of revising Georgia's tax structure.
It recommends the following tax changes: To increase from three to four per cent the sales tax rate with exemptions to $300 per person per year on purchases of necessities to be granted through annual income tax credits ranging from $12 downward depending on income. Inclusion of consumer services in the sales tax base. A change in the rate structure of the personal income tax, with a $20 credit for each taxpayer and dependent in lieu of personal exemptions and dependency deductions.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
An increase in the corporate income tax. A one-and-one-half cent per gallon increase in the motor fuel tax. An increase in the cigarette tax rate, and a change in the wine tax. The exemption of household goods from the tangible personal property tax. This program, as outlined, provides for a reduction in the percentage of the burden of taxes borne by Georgia residents in the lower income brackets. Let me remind you, at this point that, of the proposed increased revenues, totaling $214,000,000, only $82,000,000 is for increased cost of state government to those agencies where you normally determine appropriations. The remaining $132,000,000 is for counties, cities, school systems, highway programs and for working reserve increases. Also keep in mind that this amount of $82,000,000 is less, on an average percentage basis, than the surplus funds that were appropriated in each of the preceding four budgets. As I explained in my State of the State message, this spending of surplus funds for programs requiring recurring, and sometimes escalating, expenditures is one of the chief reasons that has brought about our current dilemma. We are forced, at this point, to either replace these surplus funds with a permanent source through tax revision, or else we must turn our backs on the progress and prosperity which these surplus funds have bought, thereby jeopardizing many valuable and worthwhile investments. As a safeguard to prevent the recurrence of this situation, I am recommending legislation that would automatically transfer from surplus fund accumulations to the working reserve an amount sufficient to maintain it at a level of five per cent of the operating budget. I am further recommending that not more than 25 per cent of the remainder of any surplus accumulations be appropriated for recurring expenditures. The remainder would be reserved to be used only for debt retirement and non-recurring expenditures. These safeguards are long overdue. You demand these in your own business, in your factory, on your farm, and in your home. We must practice equal fiscal responsibility in government.
The leadership and courage we express in our actions to be recorded in the annals of history, will testify as to whether we were bold enough to make Georgia a better place in which to live in the 1970's, 1980's, 1990's and the twenty-first century just ahead. I believe-yes, I have confidence -that your actions will set Georgia on a brighter, safer, and more prosperous course.
While the citizens of our state, and much of the nation watch, I believe that they will see, and history will record that you of the 1969 Georgia
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General Assembly had the courage, character and dedication to put aside politics and personalities.
I believe that your decisions will be based not on what might be best for Democrats, Republicans, Independents, or some special interest, but on what is best for all Georgia citizens.
This great and beautiful and bountiful State of Georgia has unlimited potential We, as a state, and we, as a people, can be whatever we are willing to be.
But, if we are to rise as a state, and if we are to rise as a people, it must be in unison. The rich must not be allowed to climb to the top by stepping upon the bodies of the poor. And yet, the poor must not be dragged to the top, clutching to the heels of those with initiative, with ambition, and with determination.
Those who cannot run must be urged to walk. Those who cannot walk must be encouraged to crawl. And only those who cannot even crawl must be carried. Not one man, not one woman, and not one child can be left behind if we are to continue to prosper as a state and as a people, enjoying the rich harvest provided by a benevolent God.
At this difficult and trying moment in our history, I again pledge to you that I will face up to my responsibility and I have faith that you will do likewise.
Such a profound expression of leadership, courage and compassion coming from you will list yours as one of America's truly great legislatures of all times.
You may not have a monument built in your honor on Capitol Hill, but you will be assured of a permanent place in the hearts of millions of Georgians.
Yours is a grave task. It is one that will be trying-requmng an outpouring of sweat, toil, courage, leadership, love and compassion. Yes, yours is an awesome responsibility. I urge you to give careful consideration to each issue to come before you, and I pray that you will not make a final decision until you reflect upon the fact that, in your decisions, you determine the fate of some 4,500,000 living Georgians-and that of millions more yet unborn.
I have studied Georgia's past, looked at her present and dreamed and planned for her future. And I have come to this moment with a program based upon what I believe to be in the best interests of all Georgiansrich and poor, black and white, young and old, weak and strong.
And, I am depending on you to reach your decision in the same manner. But more than that, your fellow Georgians are depending on you.
They are looking to us all for leadership in the midst of this social,
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
industrial, cultural, and educational revolution. They demand our best. Only time will testify as to whether we had the vision and the courage to
face the issues and do our duty.
GEORGIA MUNICIPAL ASSOCIATION
January 20, 1969
Mayors Day Banquet
As far back as 1957 I was working actively in support of this program of state aid to local governments, funds that would open a new day-a day of progress-a day of prosperity-a day of opportunity-a day of renewed hope for all Georgians.
As a candidate for public office in 1962, and, again while campaigning for the office of governor in 1966, I publicly stated and published in my platform that Georgia's cities should receive a growing source of revenue from state government in an amount equal to one-half-of-one-cent of the state's sales tax. I have also proposed that our counties receive one-fourthof-one-cent of the sales tax and local school systems the remaining onefourth.
This proposal of state aid to Georgia's cities received enthusiastic support from many city officials and was adopted as the number one goal of the Georgia Municipal Association in 1966.
EGGS AND ISSUES BREAKFAST
January 21, 1969
State Chamber of Commerce
The main issue we face at this time is whether Georgia will continue to enjoy the upward trend of progress and prosperity or whether we will increase them and accelerate them ... or ... whether we will gamble with our future, try to coast on our record, and by so doing, jeopardize the investments we have made. The efforts of the Georgia State Chamber of Commerce have consistently been in the direction of pushing Georgia forward . . . .
GEORGIA MILK PRODUCERS, INC.
January 21, 1969
Eighteenth Annual Banquet
Georgia's position is the greatest in history. We have come too far and accomplished too much to listen to the disciples of defeat, the prophets of gloom, the masters of criticism and the crowd that says, "Let's slow down and take it easy." . . . There may be some voices calling for an end to Georgia's progress; there may be some who are satisfied with being average. But if you hear such a voice, it won't be that of Lester Maddox.
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RURITAN NATIONAL CONVENTION
January 27, 1969
Jekyll Island
Where do we find the secret of our nation's long years of prosperity? We find the secret among the countless thousands of people who, like Ruritans, have trusted in God and who have provided the foundation and the force for a truly great America; we find the secret in the lives of those whose hearts are aflame with righteousness. Rural America was the birthplaee of democracy and freedom....
ATLANTA KIWANIS CLUB
January 28, 1969
I know how rewarding you must find your work with our youngsters. Since I took office some of my most rewarding moments have been spent with groups of school ehildren who are touring the Capitol. Some of these young people who tour the Capitol today could well be the men and women who will guide our state from the Capitol in the years to come.
CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR WINNERS
January 29, 1969
Newnan
I know that all the citizens of Newnan and Coweta County must have a great feeling of pride and respect in their hearts for these two natives of Georgia who have achieved our nation's highest honor. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Joe M. Jackson and Marine Major Stephen M. Pless, through their heroic actions in Vietnam, have lived up to our highest ideals. . . .
ASSOCIATION OF AGRICULTURAL FAIRS
February 1, 1969
Agricultural fairs have been a part of the American scene for a long time. This long-term popularity can be attributed to the entertaining and educational aspects of the fair and to the wholesome spirit of old-fashioned competition that the fair develops among the people in the country....
GEORGIA SHERIFFS BOYS RANCH
February 2, 1969
New Dormitories, Hahira
Since this facility opened in 1961, hundreds of boys have benefited from the guidance, help and understanding offered by the staff of the Boys' Ranch. Today we are here to dedicate two new dormitories that will double
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
its capacity. Every new bed will give one more boy the opportunity to live in this wholesome atmosphere of love and understanding ... a chance for a brighter future.
ASSOCIATION OF CONSERVATION DISTRICTS
February 3, 1969
Georgia has become one of the leaders in conservation within the past five years. We have more than 100,000 soil and water conservation plans with individual farmers throughout the state.... We are setting something of a pace in our small watershed program in Georgia-we are in second place in the nation.
MACON BAR ASSOCIATION
February 7, 1969
Washington, D.C., is not number one in crime, but it does rate near the top, and justly so, for it was in the chambers of the U.S. Supreme Court that the fires of lawlessness were begun, and they have been fanned to even greater heights in the chambers of Congress. But while the fire was begun by national leaders playing with matches, I feel that the rank-and-file American citizens are largely responsible for its spread, because too few people have been willing to fight fire with fire.
GEORGIA CATTLEMEN'S ASSOCIATION
February 10, 1969
Augusta
Each of you, by working for a better cattle industry and a better cattlemen's association, are doing the valuable work that puts money to flowing in the economic veins of Georgia, and this benefits, directly or indirectly, all of our citizens.
SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION
February 10, 1969
I think it is worthy of observation that quite a few persons who attended the sixteenth annual convention of your association are not with us at this, your seventeenth annual convention. Through elections and voluntary resignations, we have seen about a 15 per cent turnover in local school board memberships and more than a 25 per cent turnover in school superintendent positions.... Some voters are apparently not completely satisfied with the way their local school systems are being run....
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265
GEORGIA DAY CELEBRATION
February 12, 1969
Savannah
I have been looking forward for some time to this trip to Savannah to take part in your celebration of Georgia Day.
It is clear to me that, since the last time I participated in this event, the Georgia Day observance program in Savannah has grown. If this past growth is an indication of what is in store for the future, we will soon see the day when national attention is focused on Savannah and this festivaljust as it is annually focused on New Orleans, and the Mardi Gras.
This growth is the direct result of the work that has been put into the planning and staging of this event by the members of the Historic Savannah Foundation. I am sure that I speak to all of the citizens of Savannah when I thank them, and congratulate them.
Just as we have seen this event grow in the past few years, we have also seen our state growing. Here, too, the indication is of greater things to come -a bright and prosperous future for Georgia.
I think that it is good that we set aside this day for a glance at history, because as I told a group of high school students this morning, "History teaches us everything, even the future."
A French historian once said that, and it is just as true today as it was then.
When we look into the recent history of our state we see progress-better educational opportunities for our children, more jobs and higher wages for our citizens, better highways, improved public utilities and improvements in many other areas.
This progress has no more been an accident than was Oglethorpe's colonization of Georgia. It has been achieved with hard work, sacrifice, dedication, planning and an eye on the future.
The people of Georgia today still have their eyes on the future. Even as we take time out, this day, to celebrate our past-the challenges of the future confront us. It is our responsibility to continue to work for the preservation of the same ideals that led Oglethorpe, and his followers, to seek homes in the New World-it is our responsibility to work to protect and strengthen the liberty and the freedom, with which they so graciously endowed us.
Our efforts to strengthen our freedoms must be directed at the institutions through which we enjoy them--our private free enterprise system, our local governments, and our faith in God-all must be protected and strengthened if we are to preserve our liberties, and our country.
We must strive to remember, and to remind others, that we are governed by laws rather than C', men. Our laws were designed to protect and pre-
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
serve the rights of the individual-the right to seek our own fortunes in our own way.
There is not now, and there can never be any individual right that infringes upon the rights of another-in the protection and the preservation of our precious liberty we must adhere to the principles which our forefathers set forth in our precious Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence.
Today, in Savannah, and throughout Georgia, as we take time to honor the founders of our wonderful state, let us dedicate ourselves to the preservation of the principles upon which our state was founded, and upon which our state has grown.
I can think of no greater tribute to their memory that we could pay.
GEORGIA DAY, PACE ACADEMY
February 12, 1969
Interact Club Program
This year is our fifty-ninth celebration of the day Oglethorpe landad on the Georgia coast with his group of colonists. The bill calling for the observation of this day as Georgia Day was passed by the General Assembly in 1909. Since that time students in schools across Georgia have set this day aside to look at and talk about the history of our state. Ours is a wonderful state-in many ways-and there is much to be learned from our rich heritage and past.
AFL-CIO LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE
February 19, 1969
I am thankful for this opportunity, once again, to be with my friends and friends of the Georgia labor force.... I can see, as did Woodrow Wilson, that "labor is not a commodity. It is a form of cooperation." I recognize that this cooperation must be two-sided if it is to be effective.
PROPOSED ONE CENT SALES TAX INCREASE
February 19, 1969
Letter from the Governor
Dear Fellow Georgian: This communication to you may well be one of the most important to
you and your fellow citizens ever to come your way. I urge you to study thoroughly the attached fact sheet so as to determine
the benefits to the citizens of your county and to all Georgians, should my proposal to increase the State sales tax from 3 cents to 4 cents be approved by the 1969 Session of the Georgia General Assembly. After study of the
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267
fact sheet, I would appreciate your passing the information on to other interested citizens ... either by reproduction or otherwise.
Such a dynamic program (if implemented) would herald a new day of progress and opportunity for all Georgians and all Cities and counties in Georgia.
Collecting these funds from local citizens and returning same to them through their local governments will help to provide the sewerage and water systems, streets, schools, recreation, public safety personnel and other adequate essentials to attract industry ... bringing new jobs, greater opportunities, a rapidly rising per capita income and additional increased revenue to make Georgia a leader of the States.
If this some two billion dollars is not collected and sent back to local governments and local school systems, it is my opinion that ad valorem taxes on real estate will be increased so as to cost the property owners more than one billion dollars over the next ten years ... and the annual ad valorem tax increase for failure to implement the 1 cent sales tax increase may well reach over one hundred and fifty million dollars annually.
To keep your county, the citizens of your county and all of Georgia on the move . . . I urge that you and your fellow citizens join with me in urging the 1969 Georgia General Assembly to increase the State sales tax from 3 cents to 4 cents and return the increased revenue to local governments and local school systems.
Sincerely, (signed) Lester Maddox
ANALYSIS OF FUND DISTRIBUTION TO FULTON COUNTY UNDER PROPOSED ONE CENT SALES TAX INCREASE
The following funds could be returned to county and municipal govern-
ments and schools in Fulton County under the one cent sales tax increase as
proposed by the Maddox Administration.
Based on tax sharing funds being $100,000,000 for the beginning year
and continuing to increase over the next ten years, as one cent of the State
sales tax increased over the past five years, total funds to Fulton County
would be:
Beginning Year
$18,893,490
(Following Ten Years)
First Year
20,364,184
Second Year
22,787,522
Third Year
24,952,337
Fourth Year
26,549,287
Fifth Year
29,788,300
Sixth Year
32,111,787
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
Seventh Year
35,933,090
Eighth Year
39,346,734
Ninth Year
41,864,925
Tenth Year
46,972,446
Total for the beginning and following ten years would be some
$339,564,102 for Fulton County and municipal governments and schools
in your county. (Figures are based on the 1960 census and would have to
be adjusted with completion of the official 1970 United States Census.l)
For the state as a whole, starting with the $100,000,000 for the beginning
year, the additional one cent sales tax would produce $1,797,478,000 during
the beginning and following ten years and annual receipts from the one
cent sales tax increase will reach $248,648,000 by the tenth year and will
continue to grow with an expanding economy.
There is no other source of revenue that would grow as rapidly and
produce as much for your County and all of Georgia. Further, action to
implement this program must be taken by the 1969 Georgia General Assem-
bly to prevent added taxes of millions of dollars being placed upon the
home owners and other real property owners throughout Georgia. Your
immediate support of increasing the state sales tax by one cent is solicited.
CHRISTIAN EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION
February 20, 1969
Augusta
I am delighted that you chose Georgia as the place for your convention. From the very beginning our state has assisted the growth of the Christian faith and the free exercise of religion. . . . I want to commend you for your determination to provide quality education that teaches the true values and attitudes consonant with the Christian faith. What you are doing to build, strengthen and preserve private Christian school education in America is magnificent. ...
SCHOOL CONSOLIDAnON AND CLOSINGS
Governor's Statement
To Parents and Educators
TO: Officials of State and Local Boards of Education, Educators and Georgia Parents.
FROM: Lester Maddox.
RE: POSITION ON CONSOLIDATION AND CLOSING OF SCHOOLS AND BUSSING OF SCHOOL CHILDREN.
In the sincere belief that many of the ever-increasing problems in local systems of education have resulted from the forced implementation of
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269
cruel, unreasonable, unconstitutional and patently illegal guidelines and demands by the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, and believing, further, that rather than benefitting any particular person, group or community, as these guidelines are alleged to do, that they, instead, have brought, and will continue to bring, irreparable harm to our local systems of education, to our teachers, to our parents, to our communities and, most regrettably, to the children of this state who have no choice but to accept whatever we provide for them, whether it is good or bad.
I feel that the seriousness of the situation which confronts us demands that I make known my opinions, although I am well aware that my position as governor does not grant me any special authority in matters dealing with policies of education either at the state or local level.
However, it is my judgment that schools and grade levels, which are not able to enroll what has been determined to be a minimum number of students, should not be closed, nor the students be transferred to other districts or to other cities, if the schools and grade levels can be demonstrated to be growing, or at least not losing students. To close such schools and to transfer these students represents a total disregard for the best interests of the students, their parents, the teachers and the communities.
To bring about the closing of schools in order to comply with the socialistic philosophies of those in H.E.W., in Moscow and elsewhere, thus sacrificing an entire generation of our children, their education and their communities is, in my opinion, a criminal and unconstitutional act by government and by the educators responsible for such actions.
In the same light, to bus children of several grades out of their home communities to schools in a foreign community or even in another city, solely for the purpose of promoting social reform, with total disregard for the education and well being of our children of every race and color, is, also, in my judgment, a criminal and unconstitutional act.
The closing and destroying of schools to promote racial integration disrupts, and sometimes even destroys, communities and places such integration ahead of the education and well being of both black and white students.
It is criminal and unconstitutional to deny black and white teachers and students "freedom of choice" in determining where they will teach or attend school. Federal and state laws permit citizens "freedom of choice" in training and protecting their pets and animals, and officials at any level of government or education who deny "freedom of choice" to parents in determining how best to train and protect their children are knowingly, or unwittingly, committing a criminal and unconstitutional act against these parents and their children.
It is my position that any actions detrimental to the health, education
and welfare of Georgia's children, especially as outlined in this paper, must
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be halted, even if such action results in the loss of millions of dollars in federal aid. Georgia's children, both black and white, and their education, safety and well-being are worth more than all the federal dollars this state has ever received, or will ever receive.
It is an obvious fact that we need all the money we can get for the education of our children, but if we are required to sacrifice our children as helpless and innocent pawns of the socialists in order to obtain federal dollars, then we should forget the dollars and place our children's education and welfare ahead of all else.
In addition to the ham1 brought to our children by unnecessary bussing of students and the unnecessary closing and consolidation of schools, there are also important economic considerations which are worthy of your attention.
Such actions destroy the industrial potential and economic well-being of a community. Industry will not go into a community where a school has been closed or where unfavorable conditions of education have developed in a community as a result of school consolidation.
It is no less than stealing from the taxpayers when the schools they have bought (or are buying) are closed to please the socialists and communists.
To close such schools without educational justification, when citizens have moved into communities and made investments in their homes, businesses, churches, and other properties, is also stealing from our fellow citizens.
While we are all fully aware that the Governor of Georgia has no authority in matters relating to policy and regulations governing the operation of Georgia schools, I do feel that it is incumbent upon me as an elected official and as a citizen of this state, to call upon the educators at state and local levels of government to place our children ahead of the socialists' demands to bus Georgia children and close Georgia schools for the sole purpose of promoting social reform. To ignore this problem, and to continue to disregard the cries for help from Georgia parents and children of all races, would be to forsake our duty and responsibility as citizens, as educators and as public officials.
COLLEGE PRESS ASSOCIAnON
February 22, 1969
Continuing Education Center
Actually, I believe that editorial cartoonists are, in themselves, a symbol. More than anything else, perhaps, they symbolize the freedom of the press. And no matter how bitter, no matter how cruel, and no matter how unfair the editorial cartoonist's pen is to me, personally, I would sacrifice my career, my fortune-yes, even my life to keep this symbol of freedom alive
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and unchained. I have often been critical of newspapers and other news media, and I have no doubt that I will continue to be so. But my criticism is not intended to destroy, but to improve, the government's message to the people....
ADAIR PARK BAPTIST CHURCH
February 23, 1969
Atlanta
For many years it was my ambition to be a preacher, but God had other plans, and I now take my place with the majority of you gathered here this morning as a Christian who sincerely desires to do God's will and witness for the Lord. As we direct our attention to God's word, I ask each of you to pray that our time together will bring glory to the name of our Saviour.
SCHWINN SALES SOUTH, INC.
February 23, 1969
It is certainly an honor for me to partlClpate m these ribbon cutting ceremonies and speaking for the people the people of Georgia, I want to welcome Schwinn Sales South, and its employees to Atlanta and to Georgia. The confidence you have place in Atlanta, and Georgia, by establishing this distribution center here is appreciated. I assure you that this confidence will be rewarded.
NORTH DECATUR LIONS CLUB
February 24, 1969
In Washington, D.C., during the Inauguration Ceremonies, a lone police officer was singled out by a roving group of weird-beard demonstratorspushed to the ground-and was literally being stomped to death when some of his fellow officers rescued him. Other police officers, in other sections of the country, have not been so fortunate. One, in Newark, New Jersey, was stomped to death by rioters and looters with the complete approval of some of our pampered militant civil rights leaders.
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Doctoral Fellows, Georgia State College
February 25, 1969
Perhaps some of you, especially those who must get an education on limited financial means, wonder if your doctorate you are seeking will be worthwhile ... whether it's worth the year in residence and the long, hard
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hours of study required. I believe it is well worth the effort and the sacrifices. Statistically, one or more years of graduate study add an additional $80,000 to your lifetime salary. But perhaps more important is that by making yourselves more learned, more proficient in the American free enterprise system, you are making yourselves of greater value to your state and the communities in which you will live.
March 1, 1969
SOUTHERN LIVING SHOW
There is one particular weed---one of the big, ugly ones-that we [in state government] are devoting a lot of our energies to. This weed is called "partisan politics" and it is eating away at this time, at the very best interests of all the people of Georgia.
SOUTHERN SAFETY CONFERENCE
March 3, 1969
Just this past year, working closely with the Office of the Coordinator of Highway Safety as well as the Georgia Safety Council, I inaugurated the Governor's Action Program for Highway Safety. I spoke at eleven meetings. . . . The results of our program were encouraging. Most of those who attended were the leaders, the prime movers in their communities...
MOBILE HOMES ASSOCIATION
March 5, 1969
You know, both our families have grown since we got together last year. I added a daughter-in-law to my family a few weeks ago, and you members of the Georgia Mobile Homes Association have helped Georgia to become the second largest producer of mobile homes in the United States. Twentyfive thousand units!
March 6, 1969
MURPHY-CANDLER P.T.A.
Lithonia
Many of these new quidelines, programs and policies in our schools have come about as a result of demands made upon our federal government by people and organizations clearly associated with the communist conspiracy, and several officials in our government have appeared all too eager to initiate and finance these programs. These federal officials have placed socialism, racial amalgamation and communism ahead of education, safety and well-being of our children.
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ELECTRONIC DATA PROCESSING
March 7, 1969
We have come to expect great accomplishments from the Honeywell Corporation, but I sincerely believe that in this project Honeywell has really outdone itself. I have no doubt that this building will become recognized as one of the most handsome in DeKalb County. I would also like to commend Honeywell for the faith they are placing in some of Our Georgia youngsters who need all the help they can get. A program will soon be begun at Georgia Industrial Institute, at Alto, to train teenage boys in the fundamentals of computer operation.
GEORGIA NATIONAL GUARD BANQUET
March 8, 1969
Macon
Make you a check list of those who oppose an antiballistic missile system for this country and you will find most of them to be the same ones who advocate and vote for billions of dollars going to the bums, criminals and communists who wreck, burn, kill and destroy in our cities across this land. The goal of this crowd seems to be to deny the citizens and the cities of this country protection from the enemies of the United States both from within and without.
JEFFERSON-JACKSON DAY DINNER
March 10, 1969
When Thomas Jefferson was elected president of the United States in 1800, his victory represented a peaceful revolution in American politics. The election of Andrew Jackson in 1828 was considered to be a second political revolution. With the coming of the Civil War, our party was all but destroyed. My question to you today is, HAS THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY RECOVERED? Our party was founded upon the belief that personal liberty is our most treasured heritage, and that the powers of a federal government should be limited. Were these beliefs so tenuous that they died with Jackson and Jefferson? Is personal liberty no longer of importance to the American people? I say not!
AMERICAN TEXTILE MACHINERY ASSOCIATION March 11, 1969
Textiles are Georgia's oldest and biggest industry and have proved themselves over the years to be very valuable industrial citizens. . . . I think
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that most of you who believe in, and practice, American private free enterprise will feel right at home in Georgia. This administration believes in less government in business and more business in government, and it is working so well that our state is enjoying its greatest period of progress and prosperity.
GEORGIA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
March 13, 1969
... This is more than a problem, my friends; it is a threat. I am talking about sex education in our schools~sex education as promoted by the Sex Information and Education Council of the United States (S.I.E.C.U.S.). This organization calls itself a friend of education, but I say that it is a friend of communism because, knowingly or unknowingly, it is promoting the communist cause. Perhaps you think that a charge like that is unfounded. Listen, I ask you, to these facts....
BROTHERHOOD SUPPER, LADIES NIGHT
March 13, 1969
First Baptist Church, Tifton
Representing the people of Georgia as governor is a noble task; but representing the King of Heaven is an even higher calling. I am especially grateful for the friendship and support I have enjoyed from you who are here tonight. Together we have opened up new avenues of progress, established stronger relationships and have become partakers in a new day of excellence in our state.
COUNTY LINE BAPTIST CHURCH
March 16, 1969
Route 1, Covington
It is because of the faithful support of the people who, like you in this church, have given the encouragement and cooperation through prayer and action, that we have been able to do things which had never been done before, and some things which were thought to be "impossible" to accomplish by this administration.
CEDAR GROVE P.T.A.
March 18, 1969
Fairburn
Our great country was founded on a strong belief in God and the ideals of Christianity. On these same ideals our country has grown to be the most wonderful place to live on the face of the earth. It is these same beliefs,
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carried on by our children, that will preserve and spread the spirit of freedom and liberty throughout the world. In our lifetime we have seen God kicked out of our schools. But, although our children will not start out their day in school with a prayer for guidance and help, we can make sure that the Christian influence is felt in the community, and especially in the home.
NORTHSIDE INTERFAITH FELLOWSHIP
March 19, 1969
Northside Drive Baptist Church
Our state has never been more peaceful, progressive and prosperous. We have a higher per capita income, more and better government services, better highways, more bank deposits and a better educational system than ever before in our history. And while I am going to claim some of the credit for this, I am also going to say that if it were not for you, and your parents, and others like you across Georgia who have supported and backed our goals and programs, much of it would not have been possible.
BROAD RIVER SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION District Supervisors
March 21, 1969
Homer
It's all right to build some public housing for people as long as we don't build people who expect to have housing built for them. It's all right for a school to take federal funds-they come from the localities in the first place -as long as federal control does not accompany the funds. It's all right to allow dissent and freedom of expression and action in our streets and colleges as long as the dissenters remember that their freedom stops where the other man's nose begins.
COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH
March 21, 1969
We may disagree from time to time on politics and taxes, but our thinking is never too far apart when it comes to the welfare of our children. However, a large number of people usually have to reach some kind of agreement on politics and taxes as a preliminary step toward implementing needed programs to benefit our children.
TOBACCO ROAD AA GROUP
March 22, 1969
Richmond County Prison, Augusta
I have heard from people across our state of the fine job you are doing
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and of the tremendous influences you are having on the people you talk to. It has been said that experience is a good school-but you here know all too well that the fees are awfully high. If, through "Operation Wise Up," one young man or woman can benefit from the lessons you have learned-and I am sure that this has already been the case-then you deserve the gratitude of the entire state. You certainly have mine.
NATIONAL MULTI LIST SERVICE
March 24, 1969
As thousands of people are transferred to our state by their employers, to staff new plants and businesses, and as thousands more arrive, drawn by the opportunities that exist here, the ladies and gentlemen in the real estate field are often among the first contacts these newcomers make. From that point on they are made to feel that they are a part of our citizenry, and a partner in our progress.
PRODUCE MARKET MANAGERS
March 27, 1969
National Association
When, in the course of your duties, any of you gentlemen handle peanuts, pecans, pimiento peppers, watermelons, velvet beans, or lima beans, the chances are that these items might have come from right here in Georgia. We lead the nation in the production of all of them. If you ever find that some careless customer has placed a broiler in the case with the brussels sprouts, it is a good chance that it, too, came from Georgia. We lead there too.
CONFERENCE ON STATE LEGISLATION
March 27, 1969
It must be realized by all that our current form of government is really quite ancient, and if it is to meet the needs of a modern age, it must be constantly improved and made more efficient. The problems of today cannot always be met with the solutions of yesterday.
GEORGIA HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION
March 28, 1969
Savannah
Beginning with a handful of people, the Georgia Hospital Association now has a membership which represents ninety per cent of the hospitals of Georgia and over 95 per cent of all the hospital beds in the state. Apparently
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hospital administrators, members of boards of trustees, and allied groups believe that you are providing a valuable service both to them and to the general public. I am also well pleased with the response of the people to the Maddox administration.... People have come from all over the United States and from some fifty foreign countries to visit the Governor and First Lady of Georgia, and to see our fine buildings.
GOVERNORS DAY
March 31, 1969
Georgia Military College
I want to salute the administration, the staff and the students of this college not only for the spirit of this occasion, but for the outstanding record of achievement you have made in the field of education, and for the credit you have been to the State of Georgia. I stand here today with deep gratitude for your accomplishments, for I am keenly aware of the importance of this school and what it has done for many thousands of our young people.
OFFICERS WIVES CLUB
April 2, 1969
Fort Gordon
We in Georgia are honored to have men in the military stationed in our state, and we are just as honored to have their wives and dependents with us. All of us are aware of the sacrifices so often necessary when a man puts on the uniform of his country, but we sometimes overlook the sacrifices made by his wife and children. Just as it requires courage for a man to face whatever his military career may demand, so it requires courage for his wife.
INAUGURATION OF DR. OLIN EIDSON President of Georgia Southern College
April 3, 1969
Statesboro
For the last forty years Georgia Southern College has established a record of unmatched progress and achievement under the capable leadership of Dr. Zach Henderson, both as a dean and as the president of this institution. I am confident that Dr. Eidson will provide the inspiration and guidance needed to continue this splendid record of success and to move the college on to even higher peaks of accomplishment.
April 4, 1969
RINGGOLD ROTARY CLUB
As Ringgold Rotarians throughout the years have provided leadership
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and financial assistance to local Scout programs, sponsored students in the STAR Student Program, furnished scholarships for other deserving students, and participated in nearly every other local civic activity, our paths have frequently crossed. I have nothing but the highest praise for those of you who have seen fit to give of yourselves, your time, your talents and your money, to build a better community and a better Georgia.
EASTER SUNRISE SERVICE
April 6, 1969
Jekyll Island
The message of Easter has no parallel. The grave of Christ was the birthplace of an indestructible faith in the immortality of the soul. On the conviction that Jesus is alive, we still base our hope in the attainment of everlasting life.
AUGUSTA YOUTH DEVELOPMENT CENTER
April 6, 1969
Augusta
You think I'm pulling your leg when I say that I enjoy life even when I have more troubles than I know what to do with. Unlike most of you, I've turned enough pages of my book of life to know that each chapter has a happy ending. All I have to do when the going gets a little rough is to read on a little further. And victory was never so sweet as it is for the man who wins the battle on his knees.
TUXEDO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL P.T.A.
April 8, 1969
Although our program for progress in Georgia has been called to a screeching halt, the "Hold the line" philosophy that brought it about must not be allowed to prevail. No state, no county, no city and no people can afford to do less than their best for their children, for education, for their communities and for the property owners who are the backbone and mainstay of the communities.
GEORGIA BANKERS ASSOCIATION
April 9, 1969
Figures presented to me at the beginning of this year showed that the 340 state-chartered banks in Georgia showed an increase in total assets of 13.20 per cent over the previous year. Deposits in these state-chartered banks were, at the same time, at all all-time high of nearly three billion
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dollars. These figures, and many others, all show that the banking industry is truly a partner in Georgia's progress.
1969 RED CARPET TOUR
April 9, 1969
Columbus Country Club
We are not looking simply for investors-we are looking for partners to share in our progress. We give and we take, and nobody has complained that they got the short end of the deal. Georgia industries and business are profitable right from the beginning.
HEALTH, PHYSICAL EDUCAnON BUILDING
April 11, 1969
Brunswick Junior College
Just as it is necessary to sharpen, train and strengthen the mental faculties of these young people, so it is necessary that they receive the instruction and the opportunities that lead to healthy bodies. And this magnificent facility, with provisions for every major sport, will give these students just such an opportunity.
WAYCROSS JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
April 11, 1969
Perhaps Georgia's foresight in providing eighteen-year-olds with the privilege to vote has helped to mold the thoughts and attitudes of the Georgia teenager. I say "privilege" instead of "right" because it must--or at least it should-be earned by those who receive it.
BRANTLEY COUNTY AIRPORT April 12, 1969
Nahunta
I am sure it was not easy for you here in Brantley County to achieve the completion of this wonderful airport. You had to cut plenty of timber, pull out or blast a lot of stumps and smooth much rough ground before you cuuld lay down this weather-resistant asphalt for planes to land. But you did it, and I am sure it will be a source of pride to your people. The same kind of cooperation and hard work will be required if we are to pave Georgia with the progress that is not only desirable but necessary.
NEW SCHELL MEMORIAL LIBRARY
April 12, 1969
John Marshall Law School
This occasion brings to me mixed feelings, for as some of you may know,
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Judge Sidney T. Schell was a very dear friend. My reflection that he was taken in the prime of his life leaves me with great sorrow, for friends with his sense of loyalty, with his integrity and his dedication to duty are seldom found. Yet it is comforting to me, as it must be to his host of other friends, to know that this new library, offering such a wealth of knowledge to a younger generation, will be dedicated to his memory.
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS CONVENTION
April 14, 1969
Savannah
In many instances, the county commissioner whose greatest worry was once the boll weevil now considers traffic problems his biggest headache. Whereas many of your predecessors had to contend with the plight of the sharecropper, you must now contend with the plight of the slum dweller. Now, along with great agricultural economy, the influence of agri-busincss and industry is fast being felt throughout our state.
NORTH CLAYTON PTA.
April 14, 1969
Junior and Senior High School
I'm campaigning for continued industrial growth throughout Georgia, so that all of our citizens can get in on the progress and prosperity that so many are now enjoying.... I invite you to join in this campaign for a better Georgia and America. Together we can build the future we desire our children and their children to inherit.
PHI DELTA KAPPA FRATERNITY
April 15, 1969
Athens
It doesn't take much effort to give your children your brown eyes, your
cowlick, your curly hair, your bald head, or your big ears, but it is a
tremendous job to pass on your integrity, your initiative, your sense of
responsibility, your honesty-in short, it's a tough job nowadays to help a
child develop good character.... What I am saying is that in our society
today, millions of children learn their values and develop their characters
away from their parents in a nursery, a kindergarten, a grade school and,
finally, a college or university.
GEORGIA DAY
April 16, 1969
Reinhardt College, Waleska
The strength of this country comes from people just like yourselves who
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are engaged in getting a Christian, private education, and we should never let the federal government or any other government tell us whether or when people can worship and pray and have religious services. Private, Christian education, where it has fallen into the hands of the anti-Christ or the bureaucrats in our own federal government, must be brought back, and that which we have today must be strengthened and preserved.
NINTH DISTRICT MEDICAL SOCIETY
April 17, 1969
Gainesville
I'm the governor of the entire state. I'm the governor of those people who voted for me and those who didn't. I can't be satisfied with treating the heart of this state and pay no attention to the rest of it. I'm not a specialist. I'm a general practitioner. Some people think I'm a quack...
YMCA YOUTH ASSEMBLY
April 17, 1969
State Capitol
As you engage yourself with the interests of Georgia may I challenge you
to take advantage of every opportunity to re-shape the moral and spiritual
foundations of this nation. Turn your eyes toward the continued develop-
ment of the old essentials of honesty, character, self-respect, loyalty, support
for law and order and patriotism. Without these, civilization cannot exist.
"LARUTAN OF THE SOUTH"
April 18, 1969
Hiram
It's a pleasure and an honor to share with all of you the opening of this important addition to the economy of Hiram, Paulding County, and Georgia. Those of you who have worked and planned to bring this new plant about must be very proud and happy to see its doors open, and I am just as proud of it as you are. No state has ever had too many of the kind of people who place their labor where their faith and vision lie, and by so doing, create new jobs, new progress and ever-widening opportunities.
BOWLING ASSOCIATION TOURNAMENT
April 19, 1969
Hapeville
I feel a little uneasy standing out here in the middle of a bowling lane. There are a few disgruntled politicians who couldn't resist the temptation presented by this situation.... I know you people didn't come here today to hear a political speech, and I didn't come here to make one. If I can make the contestants laugh a little and get rid of their tension, then I will
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have served my purpose.... May every day of your lives be a "300 Game," and may you never end up in the gutter.
LIBERTY HILL BAPTIST CHURCH
April 20, 1969
Route 1, Doerun
I want to make it clear that I am in favor of separation of church and state, but I am against the moves that would rid us of the free exercise of religion. I was amazed by a report in a national magazine (D.A.R.) that in one of the greatest Eastern states it had become illegal to require the recitation in school of the last verse of "The Star-Spangled Banner"-our national anthem-because it mentions the name of God. In the same article, a leading California educator reported that an organization had demanded that the school districts eliminate several songs contained in the music programs of local schools because they were written originally in the form of prayers. One of the songs ,vas "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," which says: "Mine eyes hath seen the coming of the glory of the Lord."
MASTER BARBERS AND BEAUTICIANS
April 20, 1969
Columbus
Look what happened [during the recent legislature] to Georgia's budget for progress. Instead of just taking a little off on the sides, some people went wild with the clippers and left a bald patch in Georgia's future, which, by comparison, makes my head look like a woolly mammoth. The educational budget was given a real crewcut, with no funds for new buildmgs or for any salary increases. The health services were scalped, too....
BOILER AND PRESSURE VESSEL INSPECTORS And American Society of Mechanical Engineers
April 21, 1969
I have kept a keen eye on the pressure gauge of the American public for the last couple of decads, and I have seen it gradually rise bit by bit until it is now very much into the red danger zone. It took a sharp rise when we first surrendered to thc communists in Korea. It went up a little bit more when we surrendered to police state tactics in the invasion of Little Rock. The pressure continued to mount as we surrendered to communism in Cuba, completely ignoring the Monroe Doctrine....
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ROPER PUMP NATIONAL SALES MEETING
April 21, 1969
When Roper first moved to Georgia, things were a little different from what they are now. This motel site was just another patch of grass and trees. It used to take some two hours to drive from Commerce to Atlanta, and the roads were narrow and hazardous. Now, staying within the speed limit, which few people do, you can make it to Atlanta in just a little over one hour. The Roper Company has, I'm sure, benefited from these community improvements, and rightfully so; Roper helped to make them possible. . . .
SCIENCE AND EDUCATION BUILDING
April 22, 1969
Armstrong College, Savannah
Even with strides in education such as this one, the challenge to educators, to government leaders, and to our citizens has never been greater. We have come far, the way has been long, and we have reached a plateau of progress, and here some want to sit down and rest. But we cannot rest. We must move forward to meet our ever-increasing enrollments, and we must move forward to upgrade even more the education received by our Georgia young people.
McEACHERN UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
April 23, 1969
Powder Springs
My friends, I am convinced that if America is to be saved from losing her soul she must experience a re-birth of true Bible religion and patriotism. The hope of such a revival lies in the church through the dedicated lives of those who love their God, their families and their country.
EIGHTH GRADE HUMANITIES TEAM
April 24, 1969
O'Keefe School, Atlanta
My young friends, I hope that the recent [legislative] game at the Capitol did not confuse you too much, and I trust that what I have said here today will help to clarify it for you. You must always remember this: political difference is good for a city, a country, a state or a nation. It is in the pull and tug, the blocking, the tackling, the charging and the passingeven if sometimes only passing the buck-that the strength of our representative government lies.
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COLUMBUS JAYCEES
April 24, 1969
Our penal reform program looks like an antique sifter. Our plans for increasing highway safety were weighted down with the lead pipe pumped into them. And the Agriculture Department budget ended up looking like a brown cow that wandered into a deer-hunting preserve. But, in spite of the failure of some to get on with the job that everybody knows has to be done sooner or later, I'm still optimistic about the future of this great State of Georgia....
ROTARY'S INTERACT CLUB
April 28, 1969
Willis School, Smyrna
Government in a free nation can never be any better than the people who make themselves a part of it, and therefore, you should determine early in life that the government under which you live will consist of as much honesty, courage, vision, compassion, and freedom as you are able to give to it. Each of you has a contribution to make, and you must never excuse yourself from making that contribution.
EAST ATHENS CIVITAN CLUB
April 28, 1969
Athens
Georgia is booming; we are going great guns, and our state as a whole is enjoying unprecedented prosperity. It makes sense to me to go on from there to even greater heights that will allow us to broaden opportunity for all of Georgia's people. There is no better time to forge ahead than now.
NATURAL FOOD ASSOCIATES CONVENTION
April 29, 1969
Callaway Gardens
Since, as governor, I spend so much of my time away from home I do not always get the opportunity to eat the types of foods that I really like. I cannot complain, however, because I can still remember the days when a lack of money was the reason that I could not eat right. Many of my friends who suffered under the same conditions took comfort in the fact that, even though they could not afford the proper foods-many rich people could not digest them.
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CARL VINSON BUILDING
April 29, 1969
Veterans Home, Milledgeville
There is perhaps not a Christian man alive who glories in war and the wounds and ravages of war. We have in our veterans' homes ample evidence of the horrors of war and the pain of its aftermath. But, I submit to you, my friends, that we are the last Christian nation on earth with the strength sufficient to insure that religion and obedience to God will not perish from the minds of men. If we do not defend the primary base of our civilization and our nation, then we must disappear as other civilizations have disappeared before younger and more savage societies which were bent on loot, conquest and slavery.
COBB COUNTY BOARD OF REALTORS
April 29, 1969
Five years ago, the National Association of Real Estate Boards published a "Property Owners Bill of Rights." Among the ten rights listed are two which I believe are of critical importance. One is "The right to contract with a real estate broker, or any other representative of your choice, and to authorize him to act for you according to your instructions." ... This open housing legislation does not really benefit any single group of our societyit takes rights away from one group of citizens and presents them to another. This is discrimination-at its worst....
TIFTON ROTARY CLUB
April 30, 1969
Tifton might well be cited as an ideal example of a Georgia city making a great transition from an agricultural to an agri-business community. Because of dedicated local leadership, carefully laid plans and excellent cooperation of your people, you have taken advantage of the changes in our society and guided them into channels of growth and prosperity.
PRO AMERICAN FORUM
May 2, 1969
Chicago
I am happy to be back in Chicago again, and while my trip this time will certainly be of shorter duration, I nevertheless expect to enjoy it more.
This time, I find myself surrounded by friends-not only friends of mine, but friends of this great nation.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
Most of you, I understand, are citizens of the Chicago area. I would like you to know that, although the Democratic National Convention held here last fall left me a little cold, it did not alter my warm feelings for the people of the great City of Chicago.
Just as in every large city, including my own hometown of Atlanta, you have your misguided and communist-inspired groups who are dedicated to the total destruction of all that is good and decent in America, but just as the comic performance of some draft card burners is not representative of Georgia, neither were the foul-smelling, foul-talking misfits who dirtied the streets of Chicago during the so-called convention representative of the decent citizens of Chicago.
I want to commend the city officials, the dedicated policemen and the law-abiding citizens of Chicago who worked to preserve the peace last fall in the face of what seemed to be almost overwhelming odds.
It is very likely that the prompt action by your local leaders saved the lives of countless innocent persons, including those of many city, state and national figures who were attending the Democratic National Convention.
I am sure that decent Americans everywhere appreciate the leadership and courage which came to light in your great city to prevent what could have been a minor civil war.
It is significant that not one life was lost as a result of official action taken.
I am, of course, honored to have this opportunity to come back to your great city; but this honor is increased even more by an opportunity to speak at the Chicago Pro-American Forum. After all, pro means "for," and I am certainly for America, just as you people who have taken the time and trouble to come here tonight are for America.
What I have to say this evening may not be news to most of you, since you keep up with what's going on in our country, but I hope to take some of the chaos and confusion which surrounds us today and show that there is some consistency and order in it all.
When I made a similar talk out in Utah last spring, I attacked the "monster of federal encroachment." Since that time, I have considered the matter a little further, and I think I have discovered the mother of that monster and of quite a few other monsters which have been let loose on the American people.
I found the tracks of anarchy, campus disorders, the rising crime rate, communism, flag desecrating, no-win wars, fiscal irresponsibility and a host of other lesser monsters, all leading back to one cave.
And inside that cave I found a gluttonous blob of jelly-like material that was squirming and groping and groaning.
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Every once in a while, this blob would grow still, then let out a deep,
satisfied sigh.
.
I instinctively feared this thing, and, yet, my curiosity would not allow
me to run away.
When my eyes became accustomed to the dark, I saw a sign carved in
gold, plastered to the wall. It read: This is the home of the Goddess of
Comfort. Please worship quietly. Do not disturb."
That blob, my friends, is the mother of all modern monsters.
And she is being worshiped by the majority of the American people.
This nation was carved out of a wilderness by men and women who were
not seeking comfort, as such, but who were seeking opportunities to work
and develop themselves to their full potential.
They thrived on challenge. They were fighters. They loved the rough
trails and the stormy waters. And they found much to their liking in this
new land.
But, as the pioneers died out, so did much of America's pioneering spirit.
The automobile replaced the horse. The super-highway replaced the trail.
The c1imate-controled apartment replaced the cabin. And a striving for
comfort replaced the striving for freedom.
The Madison Avenue boys have long been taking advantage of people's
cravings for comfort. They advertise comfortable houses, convenient ap-
pliances, easy-to-fix meals and instant everything.
There's a move afoot now to require all television and radio ads for
cigarettes to carry a warning that cigarette smoking may be hazardous to
your health. I think we might also need to tag the comfort ads with a
warning that being too comfortable can be hazardous to liberty and consti-
tutional government. Because the monsters which this Goddess of Comfort
has spewed out are eating away at the very core of the American way of
life.
Too many Americans preferred comfort to liberty when they stood by
and watched the Liberal Army, which is supported by international com-
munism, the U.S. Supreme Court, the majority of government leaders and
the greater part of the news media, force Lester Maddox to give up his
business and surrender to the demands of the United States communist
party, as outlined in their platform of 1928. Whether knowingly or unwit-
tingly, my own government helped to finance the weakening of the right to
private property and the private free enterprise system-while people just
stood around and watched ... and laughed.
Too many Americans preferred comfort to liberty, and so few protests were heard when America's legitimate interests in the Panama Canal were jeopardized through measures of cowardly appeasement.
We took the comfortable way out when Fidel Castro was lifted to power
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with American dollars and when true Cuban patriots were betrayed by indecisive and cowardly leaders.
We looked the other way as America's official policy all but congratulated Russia for stomping Hungary and for smothering the brief fire of freedom in Czechoslovakia, and yet the same policy imposes an embargo on our valiant friends and would-be allies in Rhodesia.
Millions of Americans from coast to coast bowed to the Goddess of Comfort when American troops were ordered to invade Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama.
Few parents have bothered to protest to a U.S. Supreme Court which rules that our children can have access to unlimited filth, but that they cannot say the Lord's Prayer in their school.
And when the Goddess of Comfort belched out the monsters which have been laughingly labeled "Civil Rights Acts," too few Americans even cared that their consequences would prove to be neither civil nor right.
Freedom and justice and righteousness cannot be preserved by taking the easy way out.
Too many Americans have taken the easy way out, when, through federal aid, our storehouse of freedoms has been subjected to a federal raid.
We have been told to forget the needs of our children and our communities.
"Forget about giving your children a good education in a clean, wholesome atmosphere and surrender to the dictates of the far-away guideline writers, or we will take away the school books, the school buildings and the teachers which are being paid for with your tax dollars, which are now under our control.
"Surrender and do as we sayar we'll take your industry and close your doors. Do as we sayar we'll take the food away from your hungry. Do as we sayar we'll take the doctors away from the sick. Do as we say or we'll send troops to force you to do it."
Even when faced with these criminal acts by our own government, too many Americans take the easy way out and say: "Take our children, ruin their lives and their education; destroy our rights to private property; scrap the United States Constitution; continue to place industry under the police state and use our tax dollars to help finance immorality, crime and communism, throughout the United States and other parts of the world. We won't raise our voice in opposition ... we won't get involved-if you will just get us elected; promise us your votes; get us a promotion; get us a defense contract or send some more dollars our way."
None of us should be too surprised that some of our college students are showing a total disregard for the law.
They have had examples set for them by our own government....
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By high-ranking government officials.... By presidents and candidates for president.... By leaders in religion, in labor, in education and in industry.... Men and women who are looked to for leadership have condoned, participated in, financed and consistently encouraged our young people's refusals to obey laws with which they disagree. It's no wonder that college misfits think they have a right to kidnap professors, take over administration buildings and burn ROTC records. Some kids now are demanding that anything and everything that makes them uncomfortable be removed. Like admission requirements which weed out those who would be unable to benefit from a college education. Like grading systems which reward hard work. Like rules and regulations which prescribe civilized behavior and proscribe jungle antics on a campus. In our society today, it's a tough job to raise a kid who loves God, loves his country, respects his parents and who has the gumption and initiative to work, study, learn and make something worthwhile of himself. But it can be done. Millions of American parents are doing it, and some 95 per cent of our young people have a healthy respect for law and order, for authority, for their parents and for their country. Most Americans are decent, law-abiding, God-fearing individuals, but that's not enough. We're all still too comfort-loving. Too many of us who would not think of spitting on a flag, burning a draft-card, looting a store, burning down a building or capturing a college administration building and kidnapping the college officials still allow such acts to be carried out right before our very noses. George Washington would not have tolerated it. Thomas Jefferson would not have tolerated it. John Adams would not have tolerated it. And George Wallace would not have tolerated it. And, my friends, if you have any desire at all to restore, preserve and protect the system of government which was bought and paid for with the sweat and blood and tears of thousands of American patriots, then you had better not tolerate it. With all the fervor that I can muster, I appeal to the good people of these United States of America to get out of their shrine of comfort before it is too late. I know that the majority of American people want changes, but wanting is not enough. If the tattered banner of this great nation is ever to be repaired, it will take work . It will take courage . I t will take sacrifice. . . . It will take involvement.... It will take faith ....
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And, unfortunately, it will take a little discomfort.
I know that the majority of the American people want to see the control of their school systems returned to local people; they want to put an end to the bureaucratic insistence that social experimentation is more important than education.
They want to again be able to buy a home or a business and still maintain their human rights, as American citizens, in spite of the fact that they have had enough ambition and initiative to become property owners.
Most Americans recognize the benefits which we, as a nation, and as a people, have derived from the private free enterprise system, and they would like to see this system removed from the stifRing grasp of socialists and outright thieves.
They want to see the "war on poverty" as such brought to a peaceful conclusion because they know that if this war is won in the manner it is being fought, we would all lose in the end. We would lose our freedom. We would lose the war on crime. We would lose our rights to private property and the private free enterpriise system. We would lose our initiative. We would lose our self-respect.
My friends, everybody can't be rich. It's impossible. Rich is a relative term, just as poor is a relative term. You can't have a top without having a bottom. There's no such thing as all middle.
Imagine for a moment what would happen if we took a deck of playing cards and labeled the top cards "rich folks" and the bottom cards "poor folks." Whether you put all the red cards on top, all the black cards on top or whether you shufRed the deck, you would still have rich folks and poor folks.
It is right to feed the hungry who cannot feed themselves. It is right to clothe the naked who cannot clothe themselves. It is right to house the homeless who cannot provide for themselves. But it is not right for a government or an individual to take money from an industrious man and give it to a slob who is too lazy to work. That is just a further promotion of socialism and communism. It is foreign to the American way. And it is not right.
Over the last decade or so, we have seen virtually billions of dollars being poured down the ratholes of social experimentation and we have seem these precious dollars leaked into the hands of groups and individuals who are determined to turn America into ashes and to bring our government to its knees.
Our tax dollars have financed communism both at home and abroad. Our tax dollars have bought the bottles and gasoline for Molotov cocktails which helped to destroy part of your city and other cities throughout our nation. Our tax dollars are helping to destroy the American private free
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enterprise system. They are helping to destroy the right to private property. They are helping to destroy our freedom which was so hard-earned. We, the taxpayers, are financing our own destruction.
With our tax dollars, our own government is waging, not a "war on poverty," but a war on the patriotic, God-fearing citizens of these United States of America. A war against constitutional government. A war against our law enforcement agencies. A war against our rights to private property. A war against the private free enterprise system. Actually, our government is waging a war against itself.
And we, the taxpayers, are footing the bill. Through various governmental agencies, primarily the Office of Economic Opportunity, criminals, communists, looters, burners, anarchists and countless other enemies of this country have been handed out government checks to help finance their war against America. You, the taxpayers, help to buy the plane tickets for some anarchist to fly to your eity and cry "Burn, baby, burn!" to a howling mob.
I firmly believe that OEO should be totally abolished and that the funds which have been wasted on this agency should be used to help the poor people, the needy people and the hungry people of this nation and quit going to the enemies of this country~the socialists, the deadbeats, the anarchists and the communists who have declared that they will turn this nation into ashes unless their totally unreasonable demands are met. But, this won't come to pass anytime soon, because most people find it more comfortable to let things ride as they are.
There are risks in protesting what you know is wrong. I know that only too well. It's true that somebody might call you a "red baiter" if you protest OEO's support, whether knowing or unwittingly, of the communist cause. Somebody might say you're "discriminating" and cut off your Defense Department contract, if you hire only the best qualified people.
Somebody might call you a "fascist pig" if you demand that college right to determine how and where your children wiII be trained as you do to determine how and where your dogs and cats and other pets will be trained.
Somebody might call you a "facist pig" if you demand that college campus criminals be treated just like city street criminals.
And somebody might call you a "war-monger" if you voice indignation about sacrificing your sons in a no-win war and about our government allowing "fourth rate powers" to use our ships and planes for target practice.
But, my friends, you can count on this: Nobody will call you a coward. And you won't be able to call yourselves "comfortable."
In closing, let me say that I am well aware that most of you share my sentiments on the topics which I have discussed this evening. You are the
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
kind of Americans who have kept this nation together for so long as one of the last bulwarks of freedom and democracy.
But, even you, the "cream of the crop," can do more if you are willing to sacrifice the luxury of being comfortable. It is a luxury which we do not need and which we cannot afford. For if we overindulge ourselves with it, it will only hasten the ultimate luxury of death. Already the Great American Idea is looking for a place to lie down. A place to be comfortable. It is up to us, the hard working, tax-paying, God-fearing, law-abiding citizens of this country to wage our own war. A war against Communism wherever it rears its ugly head on this continent and for the private free enterprise system. A war against immorality and for decency. A war against the welfare state ... and for a state of opportunity and freedom. A war against the Goddess of Comfort ... and for the restoration of "one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all."
JONESBORO LITTLE LEAGUE BALL FIELD
May 3,1969
When you move on to high school and to college some of your friends may try to tell you that you should take a puff of a cigarette, or maybe try a can of beer, or a pinch of mariajuana. Foul Ball! ! ! ! Don't take a swing at one of those. They are some of the worst pitches on the game. They are so bad, in fact that when you strike out on one of them you probably will never get another turn at bat. Don't waste your time, or gamble the entire game, on one of those bad pitches-there are too many good ones.
GEORGIA TEENAGE SAFETY COUNCIL
May 3, 1969
Macon
I am delighted with this opportunity to take part in this, the annual state-wide membership meeting of the Georgia Teenage Safety Council. ... The National Institute of Mental Health's 1967 study reported that 10 per cent of the nation's high school students smoked pot.... Some of you may think the problem is not very close to us in Georgia. But the problem has reached our doorstep.... Recently, a young man was approached by drug peddlers five times in a single hour in Underground Atlanta...
INDUSTRIAL ARTS CLUBS
May 3, 1969
Macon
We cannot do without government, but it is not the function of government to place restrictions on businessmen at every turn of the road. Those
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293
who till the land know best how to do it, and those closest to a steel plant or a clothing plant know better than a bureaucrat what needs to be done to increase production and lower costs. Our own government in many instances sends out hordes of meddlers and incompetents to tell our businessmen and industrialists whom they must hire, promote or fire....
HISTORY, POLITICAL SCIENCE CLASSES
May 5, 1969
Gwinnett School, Lawrenceville
You are inheriting a battle which is going badly. And so you must fight even harder if the American way of life is to be restored and preserved.... When you have determined that you are right and others are wrong, stand firm in your beliefs. Be brave enough to be unpopular. If no one is leading in the direction you want to go, then lead the way yourself and, if you are right, others will soon follow you.
OGLETHORPE COLLEGE, ATLANTA
May 5,1969
I am concerned-as I know you are-about the future of private education in America. Forces are working to weaken and destroy private education. Difficult restrictions placed on schools and colleges applying for government surplus materials and commodities have caused many institutions to compromise their principles. These "strings" attached to assistance opportunities are strangling the free exercise of private education.
AMERICAN HISTORY CLASS
May 7, 1969
Decatur High School
If a stranger from another land asked me to tell him one thing about myself that distinguished me from him, I would not tell him that I am Governor of Georgia. I would tell him that I am an American. Where else, but in America, could Lester Maddox have become governor of a state? Where else, but in America, could Richard Nixon have become a nation's chief executive? Nowhere on this earth. A future governor or president may be sitting right here in this audience....
KIWANIS CLUB OF MONTEZUMA May 7, 1969
You and other interested leaders of your community have made excellent progress toward enlarging opportunities right here in Macon County for
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your citizens. I note that you have your sewerage problem whipped, and that your industrial park is moving ahead. That was a fine airport I came in on, and industry is finding that this area welcomes it. I don't mean to say that every problem you have has been licked, but you have tackled them, and you have gone forward, and as your governor, I am just as proud of your efforts as you are.
FORSYTH EXCHANGE CLUB
May 8,1969
Tens of millions of dollars III new property taxes are being sought by cities and counties in Georgia, and others will follow suit to get the revenues they can get from no other source other than our property owners. It is neither wise, nor moral, nor fair to load an ever-increasing tax burden on those who have borne the heaviest load in the past. I am sure that a majority of Georgians agree that the only fair and equitable way to raise needed revenues is a one-cent addition to the state sales tax.
KINGSWOOD COMMUNITY CLUB
May 9, 1969
Marietta
I would like to commend this club also for the work in placing street signs at needed spots, for your scholarship program at Kennesaw Junior College, and for the encyclopedias and clinic equipment so generously donated to Bells Ferry School. And I cite these not because they are the only ways by which you improve and promote your community, but they are good examples of community spirit in action.
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA STUDENT BAR
May 9, 1969
Law School, Athens
I am not offering you false flattery when I say that many of this state'sand perhaps this nation's-future leaders are gathered here in this room today. I am simply applying the law of averages. A man with a law degree from a school of this caliber is automatically set apart from most men. He has the map to the treasure, the key to the code of society and the light which illuminates the dark corners of civilization.
AMERICAN NATIONAL RED CROSS May 12, 1969
Since the Red Cross is always welcome wherever it goes, it goes without
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saying that you delegates from fifty states and nations abroad are most welcome to Georgia. I am sure I speak for all our citizens when I wish you a pleasant and stimulating meeting in this booming, progressive state.
I note you were founded back in 1881. We, in Georgia wished for a group like you some sixteen years earlier when our first major disaster, known otherwise as Sherman, came through here, throwing matches down carelessly.
However, today, we know you are around in case disaster strikes, and it is a mighty comfortable feeling. In our Gainesville tornado of 1936, you were there with food, clothing and shelter, and we appreciated it.
And it was in Augusta, Georgia, that your blood donor program got its start, and now, some' 6,000,000 people annually give blood to help their fellow man. Your good works have made you millions of steadfast friends. . . .
We salute you for the excellent work you are doing, and I urge you to stay with us as long as you can and come back often. Spend every penny you can with us, and we'll donate it all back and more to your next fund drive.
GEORGIA CHAPTER OF SAFETY ENGINEERS
May 12, 1969
I doubt that any environment could be developed which would be absolutely safe for all people. Some people seem to be born to have accidents. In spite of this occupational hazard, however, I am sure that we all realize that people must be motivating forces behind any safety programs. Without the understanding and cooperation of a large number of our citizens in general, no safety program can be effective. We can build better machines, eliminate innumerable hazards, invent thousands of safety devices, and still we will not achieve our safety goals unless we have an educated public.
May 13, 1969
FINE ARTS HALL
Columbus College
Our world has had only one Shakespeare, one Rembrandt, and one Beethoven and their genius comes to us anew through just such youngsters as will use this hall. The educators of Columbus College will try to produce here some equals to the old masters, but, perhaps more important is that they endow these students with the gentle and lasting pleasures drawn by civilized people from the wonderful world of fine arts.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
SENIOR CENTER
May 13, 1969
Columbus
I know this center will give the senior citizens of Columbus many things to do with their time, but I hope it will do more than just keep people busy. Playing checkers and making potholders can be a lot of fun for a few hours, but it takes more than keeping busy to keep alive, both on the outside and on the inside.
COLUMBUS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
May 13, 1969
I am well aware that chances of getting needed tax revision measures passed next year, when everybody is faced with elections, are very slim. That is the main reason why I am leaning more and more in the direction of calling a special session of the General Assembly this summer to try to get the job done which should have been done earlier this year.
BALDWIN COUNTY AIRPORT
May 14, 1969
Milledgeville
Just as you here in Baldwin County have forged ahead to erect this monument to progress, so the citizens of Georgia must use this time of present prosperity to push on to even greater heights of achievement. It is just such dedicated and patriotic people as you who have been responsible for the great forward steps our state has taken, and I seek your support and cooperation for my program to bring Georgia into a new era.
SOUTH HALL COUNTY TOUCHDOWN CLUB, INC.
May 15, 1969
Gainesville
When I came into the governor's office, a lot of forgotten people of Georgia came in at the same time, and their numbers have been growing. I have had many people to tell me that this is the first time they have been able to get close enough to a governor to see one, much less get close enough to tell him their problems and have him help them when he could. We can't always help those who ask, but we listen, and we try to help.
COCHRAN'S CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
May 17, 1969
Bleckley County Courthouse
The property owner no longer has the weighty responsibility of determin-
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297
ing, all by himself, how his local government is to be run~and yet he is still being sent the bill for the bulk of the costs. We have brought about a more equitable method of choosing our local gover"nments; but if they are to continue to function and to serve all the people, as they were intended to do, then we must bring about a more equitable means of financing them.
DAWSON COUNTY BOOSTER CLUB May 17, 1969
Dawsonville
There are very few clubs like yours, which looked out for the young, furnished wholesome activities, and rewarded hard work on the part of the youngsters. A favorite saying of my era was that "A child should be seen and not heard." Naturally I didn't care much for that philosophy. Nowadays, for all you hear about the generation gap, both youngsters and parents are probably more aware of each other's needs that ever before. In Dawsonville, which has some 3,500 people, almost 1,000 of them are in schools.
CLIFTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
May 19, 1969
In my job as governor, I deal with millions of dollars of the taxpayers' money. If I put a decimal in the wrong place, I could be making a hundred-million-dollar mistake. And when you stop to realize that I'm not just doing math problems, but that I am working with real dollars and cents, you can see how important it is that I play the game to win. . . . I hope that you boys and girls will get all the education you can while you are young, because then, the things you must learn as an adult will come much, much easier.
May 20, 1969
DRUID HILLS LIONS CLUB
Industrial Arts
When you, and other businesses and industries, take an active role in public education, it becomes better public education, and it contains more of the elements of actual experience that in many cases only you in business and industry can give our young people. I wholeheartedly support your efforts to guide Georgia's youngsters toward a better understanding of the rewards and responsibilities found in the American free enterprise system.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
GOVERNOR'S DAY
May 20, 1969
G.M.C., Milledgeville
The people of Georgia, and their governor, are proud of the Georgia Military College-and justly so. For ninety years this school has admirably served many young men from Georgia and across the country, in their search for top-quality education.
Superb private schools are somewhat of a tradition in Georgia, and they are in many of the fifty states. Operating within the private free enterprise system, private schools like this one have proved a much-needed and valuable supplement to our great system of public education.
PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIAnON
May 21, 1969
Savannah
Many state services were hard hit by [legislative] budget slashes which did not need to be, and the Department of Public Health was one that has had its effectiveness threatened. With all lease rentals deleted, the Columbus Regional Hospital and the Rome Regional Hospital for the Mentally III and Tubercular were scrapped for the time being. With the reduction of the Mental Health Institute's budget, progress on the Alcoholic Rehabilitation Program was delayed. The Medical Facilities Construction program was reduced by $1,000,000. Medicaid was reduced by $1,700,000 in state funds, which, considering federal funds lost, reduces the program by some $7,000,000. Our Crippled Children's program was cut $200,000.
PROBATION AND PAROLE ASSOCIATION
May 21, 1969
Savannah
Like in many other professions, the public rarely hears of your successes, but you can be sure that your mistakes are front page news. If it's any consolation to you, the same is true of politics. If you think that your efforts are misrepresented to the people, then you must know how I feel most of the time. About the only thing I ever say that gets quoted accurately is "Phooey." Sometimes even that is spelled wrong.
SOUTHEASTERN REGIONAL MEETING
May 23, 1969
Civil Air Patrol
It was back in 1941, in connection with Civil Defense, that your organization got its start. By 1948, I understand, you were grO\\"ing so big, and hecoming so useful, that the United States Air Force took you under its
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gigantic wing. It has proved a mutually beneficial arrangement, and to my way of thinking, will prove even more beneficial in the future, as more and more Americans plant their feet firmly in the skies..
SAVANNAH LODGE OF PERFECTION
May 23, 1969
Dedication
I kno\v that this is an occasion that creates a deep feeling of pride in the members of the Savannah Lodge of Perfection and it will serve to remind us of the Masonic heritage that exists right here in Georgia.
ALEC TEMPLE SHRINE MOSQUE
May 23, 1969
Savannah
In recent years many Americans have been saddened by the sight of some of our leaders displaying traits of cowardice, disloyalty and moral weakness. . . .
The tide has got to turn, and I believe the tide will turn. When it does, I am confident that the men of our nation's Masonic organizations will be in a position to take much of the credit for the salvaging of our freedom and our way of life.
DEDICATION OF CAMP HARMONY
May 24, 1969
Elberton
It is encouraging to see an entire community with so much spirit and enthusiasm that a dream has become a reality almost overnight. I know that you must be thrilled by your success, and I am sure that the appreciation of the youngsters of Elbert County will inspire you to continue with even greater determination to build a facility to provide productive, wholesome, Christian recreation for all Elbert County youngsters.
HABERSHAM COUNTY AIRPORT
May 24, 1969
Cornelia
We've made good progress, and we're on the right flight pattern, but unless we continue in that direction, we might not reach our destination of a better Georgia with more opportunity for aU her citizens. By planning and working closely with the General Assembly, with other leaders in government, with industry, with civic and commerce groups, the Maddox administration has moved ahead in its program to insure a better way of life for all our citizens.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
MOCCASIN CREEK STATE PARK
May 25, 1969
Lake Burton
It is difficult to be here among these mountains and not remember the 125th Psalm when its says "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from which cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: He that keepeth thee will not slumber." When we look around us here, at the peace of this countryside, and at the magnificence of God's handiwork spread so abundantly before us, we may find it hard to believe that we are a nation at war....
NATIONAL ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL
May 26, 1969
As chief executive, I am proud to represent a state where the people have a part in their government, where states' rights are defended, American constitutional government is sought, local control of systems of education, law enforcement and government are pursued, and where Americanism is advanced. I am happy to speak on behalf of a people who believe strongly in the American free enterprise system....
PENNVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GRADUATION
May 26, 1969
Summerville
While Pennville School holds a special place in the hearts of you here tonight, there are other children and parents and teachers in our state who have been robbed of what you have. People who neither know nor care about what a school like Pennville can mean to a people in a community have swooped into communities with their guidelines and rubber stamps and their adding machines and they have cut the very heart out of many communities which were once as happy, as peaceful and as secure as this one.
ANTIOCH BAPTIST CHURCH
June 1, 1969
Atlanta
On May 18, the worship service of the First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta was invaded and disrupted by three militants who demanded onesixth of the church's wealth and threatened to return the following week if the demands were not met.
Phooey!
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HARLEM HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION
June 3, 1969
Today there is still poverty among segments of our people, and we are doing plenty about it. But the greatest and most dangerous poverty of all is the poverty of faith in America shown by howling mobs and fanatical leaders. The most perilous poverty of all is the poverty of spirit shown by the majority of our citizens who stand aside and despair while they allow our streets, our colleges, and our businesses to be taken over by gangs of lawless hoodlums who are out to make a dollar in a way that is little different from blackmail and robbery.
ALBANY ROTARY CLUB
June 5, 1969
Look at the City of Albany. This is a progressive metropolitan area. You have more jobs than you have people, in many instances. Your fine vocational-technical school, your good transportation system, your good schools, recreational facilities, fire and police protection-all of these things have helped Albany to become the envy of its neighbors.
BRIDGEBORO BAPTIST CHURCH
June 8, 1969
As I stand before you I am keenly aware of my need of God's Holy Spirit and the prayers of God's people. And each day that I live-and each day that I serve-I try to make my life count for God. I thank God for good Christians like you folks at Bridgeboro. In the midst of a society that has become rotten at the core, you are taking your stand for the highest and best.
ORDER OF THE EASTERN STAR
June 9, 1969
Grand Chapter, Macon
Permit me to congratulate you on the honor you have brought to our state through your benevolent work and training program for religious leaders. The promotion of your cancer aid project and your support for the home for aged members, the Scottish Rite Hospital and the Masonic Home of Georgia deserve the appreciation of all Masons and all Georgians.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
GEORGIA CIVIL DEFENSE DIRECTORS
June 10, 1969
Pine Mountain
As a cItIzen, I have long becn vitally interested in the security of America, and especially in the devotion of citizens to keep America strong and free. This interest has led men into thoughts on preparedness in our country which are focused on all types of national disasters and nuclear attack.
AMERICAN LEGION POST NO. 134
June 11, 1969
Since its beginning nearly fifty-one years ago the American Legion has been a great movement. From the battlefields of the world have come the strongest ties that bind men together. From the foxholes and the beachheads has come an organization dedicated to the defense of the Constitution of the United States, to promote Americanism, to fight evil and to build a fellowship of mutual helpfulness.... The Legion has always stood against those who favored surrender rather than war. ...
BEKAERT STEEL WIRE CORPORATION
June 11, 1969
Rome
The Bekaert Corporation itself is a splendid example of the vigor and determination of the proud Belgian people to rebuild and prosper. Destroyed in World War I, it was quickly restored, and after bombs destroyed most of the plant facilities in World War II, the same was true, and it is now the largest manufacturer of wire and wire products in Europe.
ALLASTICS, INC.
June 11, 1969
Norcross Industrial Park
This plant is planned for the employment of some 100 people when it is completed in several years. Let us look at what these 100 people will mean to Gwinnett County and to Georgia. According to a Chamber of Commerce study, 100 new industrial workers add: seventy-four more jobs to a community outside the plant, 296 more people to the community, 112 new households, fifty-one more school children, $590,000 more personal income per year, four new retail establishments, and $360,000 in new retail sales each year.
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BUDGET MESSAGE
June 12, 1969
Extra Legislative Session
I have called for this extraordinary session of the Georgia General Assembly because our state is confronted with extraordinary problems-
Problems of a magnitude to merit the undivided attention of each and every one of us who is privileged to serve a great people in a great state in such a high capacity.
We are here because critical and immediate needs of state government demand action now.
We are here because spiraling ad valorem taxes make it imperative that we provide relief for overburdened property owners.
We are here because duty demands that we provide adequate, longoverdue financial assistance to Georgia's cities and counties.
In the long, soul-searching deliberations which preceded this historic day, the possible consequences of various avenues of action were carefully weighed and evaluated. I am gratified by the consistent and unwavering dedication to duty which has been exhibited time and time again in recent weeks by members of this esteemed body as we sat together in councils, large and small, to deliberate the common fate of more than four and onehalf million Georgians.
Surely such responsibility weighs heavily upon all of us. Surely such knowledge disallows the consideration of personal or political concerns. Surely such a privilege humbles us all. f am acutely aware of the inconvenience-yes, even the hardshipsimposed upon you by the call of this special session. But, I also am firmly convinced that the personal costs to us for having taken this action are almost inconsequential when compared to the price which all Georgians would have to pay if we failed to take positive action now. The question of whether or not we should have this special session and the question of whether or not we should raise taxes pale into insignificance when placed alongside these overpowering considerations: What are the needs of this great State, her citizens, her cities and her counties?
What is our duty? Will we exercise the necessary courage and foresight to meet our responsibilities?
These are the pertinent questions. It has been made clear to me, just as it has to many of you, to many pducators, city and county officials and rank and file citizens that the
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Appropriations Act for Fiscal 1970 fails to meet the needs of Georgia's citizens, and, if allowed to stand, unamended, would surely bring about a crisis of awesome magnitude, jeopardizing previous investments and future hopes of literally thousands of our people, young and old, black and white, rich and poor, who have placed their confidence and trust in the ability of their government to protect their interest and to provide the necessary facilities and services to assure the continuation of peace, tranquillity, progress and prosperity which are necessary for the health, happiness and welfare of all citizens.
Further, steps must be taken to insure the fiscal stability of local governments and to give substantial relief to farmers, homeowners and other property owners who have been too long overburdened by the weight of ever-increasing ad valorem taxes. As we stand today, no letup or relief is in sight unless we, as elected leaders of the people, exercise the foresight and courage to bring about that relief, and do it now.
My oath requires that I shall "faithfully execute" my duties as governor and that I shall "preserve, protect and defend" Georgia's constitution. The preamble of that great document states in the clearest terms the purposes of government:
" ... free government justice to all ... peace ... happiness of the citizens ... posterity enjoyment of liberty ..."
For any governor, whoever he might be, to ignore the obvious dangers of failing to do everything within his power to maintain the stability and financial integrity of state government which has been entrusted to him and which he has sworn to uphold, would be a clear case of impeachable cowardice.
Since it is generally acknowledged that unless action is forthcoming in this special session of the 1969 General Assembly, and the implementation of these vital programs could be delayed two or more years, our duty is all the more clear.
This is the year, the month, the day and the hour for action. Deliberations are expected. Compromises may be necessary. But, a failure to act, and to act positively, would represent an unforgivable violation of the trust which has been placed in us. I have every confidence in the integrity and devotion to duty of this august body not to do what is necessarily politic or popular, but what is right. With your help, we have implemented efficiency in government and we are constantly seeking new ways to insure that the Georgia taxpayer gets full value for every dollar, every dime and every penny that is paid into the state treasury.
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Millions of dollars have been reclaimed from unsound management practices and channeled into better services for our citizens.
Through our new management review section of the Budget Bureau, we are constantly working with the various agencies of state government on problems of cost control, and our efforts in this area continue to produce substantial savings by eliminating waste, duplication and inefficiency.
But, efficiency, alone, as helpful and necessary as it is, will not do the job by itself.
Tremendous progress has been made in education and most of you have been a part of it, but our gains and our investments are now jeopardized unless we provide adequate funding. Even though some 1,054 school buildings in use in Georgia today were built prior to World War II, making it necessary for thousands of Georgia youngsters to attend school in obsolete, unsafe, overcrowded and inadequate buildings, even though enrollments in our public schools will increase by more than 100,000 from the fall of 1968 to the fall of 1973, not one cent for construction of additional classrooms is provided in the fiscal 1970 education budget.
My friends, to put this in an even clearer perspective, to accommodate these 100,000 children will require 4,000 school teachers, 4,000 school rooms or the equivalent of 160 25-room school buildings.
Enrollment in our University System is expected to increase by an estimated 30,000 from the fall of 1968 to the fall of 1973-an increase which, alone, approximates the total enrollment in the year 1960.
Recognizing these facts for what they are, we cannot afford to declare a moratorium on school and university building construction for even one month, much less one or two years.
Therefore, I am recommending that lease rental funds for the construction of 35 million dollars worth of new school buildings and 40 million in new university classrooms and dormitories be added to the fiscal 1970 budget.
Georgia's position for qualified teachers and profes30rs has never been better in our state's history, but it is foolhardy to expect that we can maintain this position without providing our educators with attractive and competitive salaries.
When we consider the progressive moves being made by other states in this area, coupled with the increasing attractiveness of salaries and fringe benefits in other professions, it becomes evident that a failure to be competitive for even a short time could do irreparable damage to the educational progress of which we are all so proud.
Although we have other programs that need to be expanded or implemented in education, it is my judgment and that of others, that there is no need in education more critical than that of reducing the pupil-teacher
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ratio. Therefore, I am recommending that five and one-half million dollars be appropriated to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio in those grades where the needs are most critical. This action is absolutely essential if we are to adequately prepare our younger students for the difficult grades ahead and reduce our dropout rate.
I am recommending funds to assure an average salary increase of seven per cent for teachers, for academic personnel in our University System, and for other state employees.
To meet the requirements of federal minimum wage laws and to provide increases comparable to those of other employees, I am recommending funds to assure a ten per cent salary increase for non-academic university personnel.
These requested adjustments are considerably below what is taking place in many of our sister states. They fall short of meeting increased living costs. It would be best if we could do more; we cannot afford to do less.
Our sister states in the southeast have realized that they must meet the demands for services which a modern state government must provide if it is to retain its sovereignty and its identity. They have squarely faced the dilemma posed by the fact that, in order to provide these services, increased funds are necessary.
South Carolina has raised its sales tax from three per cent to four per cent, and Kentucky, from three per cent to five per cent; North Carolina has raised its gasoline tax to provide an additional $50,000,000 annually. Wtih these actions, Florida, Alabama and South Carolina now have a four per cent sales tax, and Mississippi and Kentucky have a five pcr cent sales tax.
The decision to raise taxes is a difficult one, but let us not look at taxc!> alone; rather, let us concentrate on what we plan to do with the monies resulting from taxes, for the people will judge us not only by the tax rate, but by the quality and quantity of services which we, their elected representatives, have provided.
We must have these funds if we are to provide Georgia's children with the quality of education which they need and deserve, and if we are to provide all our citizens with the quality of other state services which they need and deserve.
The quality of government services is directly related to the quality of the people involved in rendering the service. It is, therefore, imperative that we have the ability to attract and retain in our service the very highest quality of personnel. In education and in the government service, we must pay a state employee for his services and protect our employees from the erosive effects of higher costs of living and inflation. Unless we do this, we
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will not only fail to attract new employees, but will lose the ones we now have to our competition.
Other states have realized this and are taking action. Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina are raising their state employees' salaries by ten per cent or more. Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, and Alabama are raising salaries by five per cent or more. In schools and universities, Alabama is granting a 12.9 per cent salary increase to its teachers, Florida is increasing the pay of its teachers and academic personnel by ten per cent, Kentucky is increasing the salaries of its university personnel by eight per cent and its teachers by $600 per year, North Carolina is increasing salaries of its academic university personnel by eight per cent and its teachers by ten per cent, and South Carolina is increasing the salaries of the academic university personnel by ten per cent and teachers by $800 per year.
Our programs in education and in governmental services have been steadily growing and improving. We cannot afford to drop behind now, for it will be far, far more expensive to catch up than it is to retain our present position.
To help insure the proper maintenance of our more than 400 million dollar investment in university facilities, I am recommending that one million dollars in capital outlay funds be appropriated for this purpose.
Now, I will discuss other important needs of this state: For the aged, blind and disabled, I am recommending a one million dollar appropriation which, when matched with available Federal funds, will provide an additional 24 dollars per year in benefits. This modest increase will more than offset the proposed sales tax increase for these 130,000 low-income citizens. As you will recall the 1970 Appropriations Act provided a similar increase in aid to dependent children. I am further recommending sixty new positions to establish a forty-hour work week at our youth institutions, and also funds to construct and equip a new thirty-bed Regional Youth Detention Center in West Georgia. Prison reformation has finally come alive in the State of Georgia, and with your help and support more has been done in the past thirty months than in the previous thirty years. But, we are all aware that we are still far from meeting the basic needs in this field. One pressing need which we can no longer ignore is the deplorable condition of the women's prison at Central State Hospital. Years ago, this facility was constructed for housing male inmates. It is totally inadequate for a women's prison in its present condition. For these reasons, I am recommending funds to renovate, enlarge and modernize this facility. In keeping with the Maddox administration's penal reform program,
I further recommend: The building of three specialized penal institutions, the construction of a
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work-release/pre-release center and the construction of an absolutely essential maximum security facility at our Reidsville institution.
This latter facility will permit the separation of hardened and difficult to handle prisoners from those who can be rehabilitated.
Until this is done, this institution will continue to be a breeding place for crime.
In the field of mental health, I am recommending the appropriation of funds for the construction of a 300-bed Regional Hospital at Columbus, a 300-bed Regional Hospital, combined with a 400-bed TB facility, in Rome, and additional funds for day-care centers for the mentally retarded.
And, since county welfare workers have been under the State Employees Health Insurance Program for two years, I am recommending that funds be provided to also bring the county health employees under this program.
To continue the great progress we have made in public health and hospital care in this state, and to meet the health needs of our fellow-citizens, it is my judgment that we cannot allow a gap to occur in this important area of service.
Illness does not wait for an opportune time to strike; neither must the remedies.
To help meet the growing need for beds and other hospital facilities, I am recommending an additional one million dollars in state funds to assist in the construction of Hill-Burton Hospitals.
With increasing demands being placed on state highway patrolmen by continued civil unrest and duties other than in the field of traffic law enforcement, our present force is not adequate to wage war against the mounting number of accidents resulting in the loss of hundreds of lives, thousands of injuries and millions of dollars in property damage.
To help correct this situation, and to provide the citizens of this State with the protection needed and expected, I am recommending that funds be appropriated for 100 additional troopers.
I am also recommending funds for ten additional GBI personnel to form a narcotics squad to deal with an ever-increasing state-wide threat to our young people by illegal drug traffic.
We cannot continue to stand by and do nothing while the lives of hundreds-perhaps thousands-of Georgia's children are washed into the gutters of narcotics addiction.
In the interest of the farmers and consumers of this state, and recognizing the importance of agriculture to our overall economy, I am recommending that authority lease rental funds in the amount of $300,000 be appropriated to finance a new farmers market at Thomasville and new market facilities at Macon, Augusta, Cordele and Savannah.
Due to the element of time, I will not go into detail on other important
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agency needs, but you will find them in the budget document on your desk. These, too, deserve your sincere and careful consideration.
So does the pressing need of providing long overdue assistance to Georgia's cities and counties and ad valorem tax relief to the farmers, homeowners, businessmen and other property owners.
Many local governments in this state are confronted with serious financial difficulties and will continue to suffer more and more unless state government faces up to its responsibility to local citizens-to Georgians ,vho have invested their life's work and, indeed, a part of themselves in their communities.
Local governments, large and small, are going to have to have more money, if they are to survive, and the citizen who owns a home, a farm, a store, or other real property must be given relief from being burdened with more than his just share of the costs of local government and education.
Property owners are fed up, and many of them have a right to be. They are at the point of revolting. Bond issues are being turned down left and right, not just here in Georgia, but throughout the United States. Elected officials are being turned out of office by the same voters. With the wave of ad valorem tax increases going over our state, and with the reactions I have been getting from our citizens, I have no doubt that unless we do something in this special session to help cities and counties and to give some relief to the property owners, 1970 is going to be known as a year long-remembered in Georgia political history.
I am recommending that of the present appropriations going to cities and counties that you continue to appropriate $9,300,000 of these funds to cities and $9,300,000 to counties, and an additional $50,500,000 to cities and counties. This amount is estimated to be equal to one-half of the one cent sales tax increase which is being proposed, and will be distributed to cities and counties on a per capita basis.
There are thousands of essential city and county employees who have their eyes turned to us today-firemen, policemen, clerks, hospital workers -all of them expecting us to assist their local governments in providing the means whereby they can receive increased cost of living salary adjustments in line with those being provided elsewhere.
In discussing earlier the needs of our school systems, I purposely delayed until now a major recommendation that I am making to you today.
Under the Minimum Foundation Program of education, I am recommending $28,300,000 for use by local school systems. This amount includes funds to increase M & 0 from $1,050 to $1,350--an additional $9,500,000.
Further, I am recommending $14,000,000 under Section 23, which does not require any local effort. I am also requesting that you amend Section
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23 so that funds granted to school systems under this section may be used without restrictions.
To summarize funds that will be made available to the local units of government and to local school systems, $28,300,000 will go to local school systems under the Minimum Foundation Program; $14,000,000 will go to local school systems under Section 23; and grants to cities and counties will be increased by $44,500,000. This adds up to a total of $86,800,000.
These additional funds going to Georgia's local school systems and local governments will help to provide revenue for adequate highways, water and sewerage systems, fire and police protection, and educational, recreational and health facilities needed to attract industry and thus assure every Georgia community a share in the growth and prosperity of this mighty State.
Although the appropriation of these additional millions of dollars to cities, counties and local school systems might not guarantee the people of this state a reduction in current ad valorem taxes, failure to make these funds available will guarantee all owners of real property that these additional tens of millions of dollars will be added onto their ad valorem tax bills.
It is our duty, as state officials, to make these funds available. It is the duty of local officials to use some of these funds to help relieve the plight of the ad valorem taxpayer. It is the duty of the ad valorem taxpayer to insist that once these funds are appropriated that they are used to help relieve the burden of the home owner, the farm owner and other owners of real property.
My proposal to you for financing this program is as follows: $101,000,000 in additional revenue is to be derived from the increase of the sales tax from three to four per cent; $15,000,000 from the revision I will propose in the personal income tax law, this totals $116,000,000 in new revenue. I propose to adjust the revenue estimate for fiscal 1969 from $810,000,000 to $820,000,000-a $10,000,000 increase. And I propose to you the release of $5,900,000 now appropriated to cities and counties. These combined proposals would result in making available $131,900,000 for appropriation at this session. Now let me summarize the proposals I have made for the appropriating of the above funds: $50,500,000 to cities and counties; $50,000,000 for public education below the university level; $9,500,000 in additional funds for our University System; $21,600,000 to Public Safety, Family and Children Services, Public Health, Corrections and the fifty other agencies of state government. Our advances in education, our industrialization breakthrough, what we have accomplished in the fields of penal reform and mental health~these things did not just happen. They were planned. They were implemented
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by you and others who sat in these chairs where you sit today. Georgia today is a leader, and you and others who have filled those im-
portant chairs had the foresight and courage that brought us to this peak of progress. We are a leader among the states. We have been meeting our duty to our boys and girls.
We have been meeting our duty to all the citizens of this wonderful State.
Georgia is the envy of our sister states. . . . She is looked upon nationally as a state on the go. Her needs as I have presented them to you, are as they exist today. They will be met. There is no escape. The terrifying cost of further delay is a course that Georgia cannot afford to follow. We dare not jeopardize Georgia's position of leadership. The rewards of positive action are sure. The consequences of failure, certain. The decision ... yours.
June 12, 1969
VETERANS OF WORLD WAR I
I am indeed honored to have the opportunity to talk with an organization of patriotic Americans such as you and an organization which has put forth much effort to defend and promote freedom in America. The extensive work you have done in obtaining benefits for veterans, widows, and orphans warms my heart. As you approach your fifty-second birthday, all of you must be proud of your achievements and contributions.
June 13, 1969
GIRLS STATE GRADUATES
Athens
You are soldiers who are fighting for decency in movies, in books, on television, and in magazines. You are soldiers who are fighting against the filthy flood of drugs seeping into our colleges and our high schools. You are soldiers who are determined to win over the forces of evil and immorality and establish as great a fort for freedom as our times have seenand I am speaking of the decent, traditional American home.
THE BROTHERHOOD, FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
June 16, 1969
Fort Valley
We hear a great deal about the war on poverty, and it is right and just
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that we should help those who cannot help themselves, but it is just as right and just as necessary that you and I should attack the great poverty of religious faith wherever we find it in our country.
GEORGIA MUNICIPAL ASSOCIATION
June 17, 1969
Jekyll Island
You cannot expect a people whose forefathers staged the famous Boston Tea Party and stood ready to fight a revolution to stand idly by and support institutions over which they have little or no control. When schools are closed or consolidated against the will of the people who paid to build them, you can hardly expect them to shell out money to build more. I don't know what the ultimate defense against the illegal activities of HEW will be, .. but I can, and I shall, continue to fight for more adequate financing of local government and some relief for the ad valorem taxpayer.
AMERICUS CIVITAN CLUB
June 17, 1969
Just as you have moved ahead in Americus, we have moved ahead in Georgia. But we haven't reached our full potential. And it is indeed regrettable that with the progress we have made, Georgia will now take a backward step. The 1969 General Assembly has had two chances to help you and all the people of this state to stay on the road of progress and prosperity, .. but they denied you this opportunity.
June 20, 1969
PRINTING HOUSE CRAFTSMEN Seventh District Meet
It is you who tell government what industry is doing, and turn around and tell industry what government is doing, and thereby save much wasted motion and false starts in cooperation and coordination. The printed materials you design and publish are of incalculable value to science, and to the crossbreeding of ideas, plans and methods.
ANTIQUE AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF AMERICA
June 21, 1969
Stone Mountain
Just as you preserve and restore antique cars to their former usefulness, I would like to see America's private free enterprise system--our power train-continue to move forward with sufficient strength to leave all enemies behind. Otherwise, on this expressway of time, we are liable to get run over.
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GEORGIA ARMY NATIONAL GUARD
June 21, 1969
Fort Stewart
The officers and men, and their families, of the Georgia National Guard have a long history of dedication to duty, unwavering patriotism and unquestioned bravery. You are the "minutemen" of the twentieth century. And, while some of you may never come in direct contact with a foreign enemy of these United States, your shadow strikes terror into the hearts of lustful dictators thousands of miles away as you stand tall and proud and ready.
SUPREME COUNCIL, ORDER OF AMARANTH, INC.
June 23, 1969
Nothing could be more inspirational than the way in which the Amaranth opens-with a prayer that has withstood the test of more than nineteen centuries-with a prayer that has warmed the hearts and inspired countless millions of people throughout the world-the Lord's Prayer. And from no greater source could you derive the teachings and principles by which you live than from one which has affected people throughout the ages-the Holy Bible.
COLLEGE SECURITY DIRECTORS
June 23, 1969
I am aware of the tremendous responsibility with which you, as university security directors, have in this day and age. I do not envy you your jobs. I know that you must sometimes, when you have the time, long for the good old days when about the worst thing you had to worry about on a college campus was a panty raid or some kid getting sick from eating live goldfish.
CARROLLTON LIONS CLUB
June 26, 1969
Many could not see that you must continually provide more schoolrooms, more university classrooms and more dormitories to meet the ever-increasing needs presented by a growing population which must be educated, and educated properly. Most of you are interested enough in your communities and in your state government that you already know what the Maddox administration tried to get passed in the General Assembly this year. ...
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CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER BASIN DEVELOPMENT
June 27, 1969
Pine Mountain
You here today who are working and planning to keep our water pure, and to reclaim that which is not, are doing your state and your nation an invaluable service. I have only the highest praise for your efforts, and I assure you that you can count on my cooperation to protect and preserve Georgia's waters. We are in an enviable position in our state. It is estimated that we have thirty-nine billion gallons daily available in surface water and twenty-four billion gallons available daily in ground water.
FANNIN COUNTY CANCER SOCIETY
June 28, 1969
Blue Ridge
It really rejuvenates my spirit to get together with folks who still have some community spirit and love for their fellowman. The turnout here and the enthusiasm which has been shown for this parade to raise money for the Cancer Society shows that you are people who care about other people, especially those who are less fortunate than you-and that includes almost everybody who is not privileged to live in these mountains.
OPENING OF NISARC COMPUTERS, INC.
June 28, 1969
It's great to have you in Georgia, and I look forward to your growing and advancing with us, for we are a growing state. I don't know if you used your own facilities, but if you punched in all the attributes of Atlanta and those of all other areas of this great nation and submitted to the objectivity of your computer, I believe the computer's choice would have been the same as yours. We don't like to brag, but sometimes we force ourselves.
INTERNATIONAL ORDER. RAINBOW GIRLS
June 28, 1969
One of the nicest things that happens to a governor is getting to associate with many of the fine young people we have in our state. Your enthusiasm and energies are contagious, and I always leave a meeting such as this one with my hopes for Georgia higher. Yours is one of the many branches of the sturdy tree of Masonry....
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HARRISON ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH
June 29, 1969
East Point
Please allow me to express my gratitude for the privilege of sharing in this worship service.
The kindness and love with which you have received me are deeply appreciated; they are symbols of your faith and devotion to God and His gospel.
The members of your church deserve special commendation for the way in which you are fulfilling your responsibility to the great commission of our Lord. I congratulate you and extend my best wishes for your continued spiritual development and ministry as you take advantage of the opportunities that loom before you.
Especially am I thankful for the fact that God has given me friends such as you. The support and prayers of Christian people have been sources of great strength to me as I seek to serve the people of Georgia as governor.
Together we have worked for progress. Together we have molded stronger friendships. Together we have had the pleasure of seeing the dawn of a new day of excellence for our state.
I ask you and other good Georgians for your continued prayers and assistance that we may reach our goals for a greater state, and with the Lord's help, build a better place in which to live, work and worship.
This morning I come before you with the consciousness of America's great need. It is simply this: A renewed spiritual perspective.
We are living in a time of crisis. Giant forces are working to overthrow everything worthwhile.
Never in the history of our nation have there been so many foes fighting against our culture and our historic faith, and never have there been so few standing up against those enemies of God and America.
In the 1700s, Edward Gibbon wrote the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. He told the story of a nation which closely parallels modern America in 1969.
Once Rome had been a world leader. Rome was rich. Her economy had never been so good. Her armies were respected and feared. Her investments covered a large part of the known world.
But wealth, armies, armaments, investments and prestige would not withstand the barbarians from the north. Rome fell, because Rome had become polluted. Inward decay and moral decline made her weak, and thus powerless to defend herself against the savage Huns and Vandals.
It is my firm conviction that America is in danger of losing her soul with
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the result of being delivered over into the hands of the enemies of God and freedom....
If America is to be saved from losing her soul she must regain her spiritual frame of reference. This is the only answer to the problems which threaten us today. . . .
MANAGEMENT SCIENCE AMERICA, INC.
June 30, 1969
I doubt that ever in the history of this country there were greater opportunities for corporate and individual success than exist at the present time. You who are in computer programming and systems design are in on the ground floor of an industry that appears to be unlimited in expansion potential. No one in your profession-at this stage of the computer art--will expect to go along for any free ride. It is a demanding profession, and it is your ideas, your initiative and your hard work that have brought about the skyrocketing rise of this sophisticated industry....
CONSTITUTION REVISION COMMISSION
July 1, 1969
State Capitol
I want to express my appreCIatIOn to each and every member of this newly-formed Constitution Revision Commission for their willingness to accept the tremendous responsibility of revising the basic document of organic law of our State of Georgia.
I consider it a great honor to chair this commission, and I feel sure that each member feels equally privileged to serve his fellow citizens in such an important capacity.
While the final product of our efforts will undergo the scrutiny of the General Assembly and the electors of this state, there, nevertheless, is no way to overemphasize the importance of this historic undertaking.
The constitution which will be proposed by this commission will affect the very lives of the 4,500,000 Georgians now living and the millions yet unborn.
Realizing the tremendous weight which this commission's proposals will carry, I feel it is no exaggeration to say that the political, economic, cultural and educational fate of this great State of Georgia is very much in our hands.
I submit to you that 'none of us could be called upon for a more important service. The job before us deserves and demands total dedication. It deserves and demands total objectivity. It deserves and demands total cooperation. In every step which we take, and in every word which \I'e
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pen, only one consideration is tolerable: Does this best serve the interests of all Georgians?
Our purpose here today is to formally organize the commission, to establish a quorum, to appoint and organize committees, to determine our goal and methods for achieving such goal, and, finally, to set deadlines for the completion of our work.
Senate Resolution 10 (substitute), which creates this commission, requires that we conduct a thorough study of the constitution of Georgia and related matters with reference to a revision of that document, and that we shall revise the present constitution, "either by amendments thereto, a new constitution, or in such other manner as the commission shall decide."
I believe we would all agree that to attempt to revise the constitution of 1945 by further amending it would not best serve the interests of Georgia's citizens when we consider that it has already been amended more than 648 times since its ratification.
It is my recommendation that, in order to take full advantage of the time, the energy, the talent and the some $1,500,000 in taxpayers' money previously invested, and to fulfill our duty to the citizens of this state within the time limit and within the budgetary limits set forth in S.R. 10, we should use, as a starting point, the revised constitution which was approved in an extraordinary session of the General Assembly in 1964.
As you will remember, this document was never submitted to the people for approval because of a federal district court ruling which was overturned by the U. S. Supreme Court too late for inclusion on the 1964 general election ballot.
This 1964 document has much to recommend it as a starting place for our deliberations. Compared to the constitution of 1945, it has seven fewer articles; it is a third shorter; and the hundreds of local amendments which were part of the constitution in 1964 have been eliminated with the provision that they be brought forward as statutory law, rather than as a part of the constitution itself.
Also in the 1964 proposed constitution, more than half of the old provisions have been eliminated or consolidated and many of those retained have been rephrased.
When we further consider that some twenty sections of our present constitution were eliminated by the 1964 document and that some seventyfive specific substantive provisions were reworked and broadened in scope, and that this document represents the genius of hundreds of dedicated and knowledgeable Georgians, it becomes obvious that economy and efficiency would demand that we begin our work from the basis provided by the 1964 constitution revision commission.
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Using the nine articles of the 1964 document as a general guide, I have selected chairmen and vice-chairmen to head up seven committees.
A bill of rights article committee, which will also assume the duties entailed in the articles pertaining to amendments to the constitution and
miscellaneous provisions, will be chaired by the Honorable Charles J.
Bloch and will be vice-chaired by the Honorable Carter Pittman. Representative Roy McCracken has been appointed chairman of the
legislative article committee and Senator Billy Shaw Abney will serve as vice-chairman.
Senator Julian Webb will chair the judiciary article committee and House Speaker Pro-Tem Maddox Hale will serve as vice-chairman.
The executive article committee chairman is Senator Frank Coggin, and Representative Carr Dodson, minority leader of the house, has been selected as vice-chairman.
For the public finance article committee, Representative Tom Murphy will serve as chairman and Senate President Pro-Tem Hugh Gillis will serve as vice-chairman.
The Honorable Henry Neal and Representative Robin Harris will serve as chairman and vice-chairman, respectively, of the education article committee.
The counties and municipal corporation article committee will be chaired by the Honorable Harold Sheats and vice-chaired by the Honorable Clifford Adams.
Lieutenant Governor Smith, House Speaker Smith, Attorney General Bolton and I will serve as ex-officio members of all of the above named committees as well as full members of the policy committee.
Any of these ex-officio committee members, as well as the legislative counsel, may designate a person of his choice to attend meetings in his stead, if desired.
In addition to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house and the attorney general, each committee chairman will serve on the policy committee, making a total membership of eleven persons, and this committee will also serve as the drafting committee.
In order to allow the members of the General Assembly sufficient time to examine the finished document produced by this commission before convening in January of 1970, all committees and subcommittees must submit their reports to the policy committee in time to allow the final draft to be completed no later than November 1, 1969.
When it is considered that constitutions of other states must be studied, that public hearings will be held, and that each and every word of the final document will have to be weighed and evaluated with the greatest of care, our task takes on an awesome and challenging complexion.
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To aid us in our work, I am recommending that the Honorable John Blackmon, deputy revenue commissioner, be appointed executive secretary of this constitution revision commission, to serve without additional compensation or per diem, and that he be provided with such staff as he deems necessary to carry out the duties of this office.
Each of you has been given a list of the different committees with the request that you designate the committees with which you would like to serve as members.
Since the commission has only twenty-five members, it is obvious that most of you will be required to serve on two or more different committees.
As soon as possible after the committees are appointed, you should begin holding meetings to organize and distribute the workload in an efficient manner.
I need not remind you that the job which we are undertaking is one that has been too long overdue. We are now somewhat handicapped by extreme time and expense limitations, but such considerations cannot be utilized to excuse our failing to do anything but an outstanding job which will merit the approval of both the General Assembly and the Georgia citizenry.
We must make haste cautiously. I have no doubt that you will meet this challenge with the courage, fortitude and perserverence required. I have no doubt that we will succeed.
July 4, 1969
GEORGIA PRESS ASSOCIATION Eighty-Third Convention, Savannah
It's good to be back with my good friends in the Georgia Press Association-both of them.
In all seriousness, I know that you don't like everything I say and do, and you know that I don't like everything you say and write, but I enjoy associating with even those who give me the hardest time.
I believe that every man and woman here-well, almost every man and woman here-is dedicated to serving the people of the great State of Georgia through professional journalism.
I also believe that most of you would concede that, although you don't always agree with my tactics, my own motives for the actions I take are to serve the people of Georgia in the best way I can and in the best way I know how.
I sometimes make mistakes, just as you do, but they are always honest errors. I expect to be caught when I make a mistake-it hasn't failed yetbut I think my administration should also be recognized when we do something worthwhile.
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Take, for example, Georgia's booming economy during the past couple of years. Our industrial growth is astounding. Right now, Georgia is leading the country, percentagewise, in the increase in sales tax collections. We are in excellent shape, economically, and even if this country's economy experiences a decline, Georgia's economy will dip less, proportionately, than that of other states. And, if the country's economy goes up, we will go up a little higher than most everybody else.
Now, ladies and gentlemen, that's news. It's good news, and most of you have reported it to your readers and listeners and viewers--but it needs to be told over and over again.
It seems that some politicians have either not heard it, or they have heard it and don't understand it.
Most of the people in Georgia know that if 1 were asked now, or later, whether on a campaign trail or otherwise, 1 can say-and the record will bear me out-that Georgia has made greater gains in education, mental health care, highway construction, prison reform, public safety, family and children services, recreation and industrial and economic growth during the Maddox years than has been made during any similar period in our state's history.
But a fellow or two running around all over the Capitol and all over the state, if asked now, or later, during a political campaign, "What were your greatest accomplishments during the Maddox years?" would have to head the list with something like this:
"My greatest accomplishment during the Maddox administration, both during legislative sessions and throughout the rest of each year was serving as chief lieutenant of the opposition, dedicated to the task of misleading the people in an effort to discredit and destroy Lester Maddox and his administration.
"1 hit him every time 1 could. 1 would agree to one thing in the governor's office and the minute 1 got before a reporter, 1 would change my position. What 1 said was not always the truth; it was often misleading and helped to defeat needed programs for education, health care, penal reform, public safety, agriculture, industrial and economic growth and aid to cities and counties."
He could also say, "1 know that my efforts held back wage increases for teachers, professors and state employees and blocked revenue for local governments that would have provided increased wages for firemen, law enforcement officers and other local government employees, and 1 know that these actions forced the farmers and homeowners to pay tens of millions of dollars in additional ad valorem taxes, but you just name me one person who accomplished as much as I did in fighting Maddox and his administration."
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And, to justify his efforts, he could add: "After all, being a politician, 1 had to put politics first, and being one of the 'fair-haired boys' of the local press, 1 knew they would cover me well when 1 hit Maddox, right or wrong. And, without getting on the governor, how else could 1 get in the newspapers, on radio and on television?"
And, finally, he could say, "I think I've done pretty well. 1 worked my way up over at the State Capitol by riding the coattails of one fellow and I've kept myself before the people since then by trying to pull another fellow down."
You have heard it said, recently, that Georgians are tired of hearing about "penal reform" and "economy in government" when they know that "the phrasemakers are simply using the words to play upon their ears."
Now, I'm saying to you that no person with a sound knowledge of what is going on in state government can, in honesty, make such a statement as that. But, some people have been a part of the old way of doing things for So long that they wouldn't recognize progress and efficiency if they tripped over them.
I'm glad that Lester Maddox is able to look back at his record and be proud. 1 know that much good has come from the efforts of this administration.
One contribution to Georgia's economy which has never been fully publicized is the number of jobs in your own profession which this administration helped to create.
The cartoonists for many of your newspapers have been working overtime since Lester Maddox came into office. In some instances, they have even branched out into other media. One of the television stations in Atlanta now has a regular cartoonist working for them, and they never had one before I became governor.
Of course, all of your reporters can laugh now, but when I vacate that office on the second floor of the Capitol-whenever that may be-things are likely to be pretty dull for a while. Some of you who have been able to sit around and drink coffee for most of the morning and then drop by my office and get your story for the day just might have to go to work and start looking for news, rather than having it spoon-fed to you.
1 know that wouldn't bother all of you, because a few among your great numbers are so creative that when they can't find a news story, they just make one.
There have been many changes in state government during this administration, and many of them will survive long after I leave office because the people wiD insist that they be preserved; but there is one in particular that I hope will never be lost-I hope that the doors to state government
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will stay open to you and to the public through you as long as there is a state government and as long as there is a free press.
You know, a reporter used to have to disguise himself as a criminal to get inside one of our prisons to see what conditions were like. Of course, you might still have some trouble now and then, but almost any reporter who is sincerely interested can now go to one of our penal institutions and find out what is going on.
You know that has not always been true. ''''hen Lester Maddox first took office, there was a cloud of suspicion hanging over all penal operations in this state, and officials were often tight-lipped with reporters.
A number of administrative changes have been made in both the Department of Corrections and in the Board of Pardons and Paroles. I believe that the confidence of Georgia's citizens has been regained, in most instances, and there is just enough suspicion left in the mind of the public and in your own minds to keep all of us on our toes-and I would have it no other way.
The public must continue to be involved, continue to question, continue to probe and continue to demand the best from their public officials, both elected and appointed.
It was through public involvement, and with the help of some of you here, that other areas of state government have been cleaned up and the public better served.
Some of our efforts have saved only a few dollars here and there, while some of the changes brought about will save the taxpayers of this state millions of dollars for years to come.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars will be saved each year because of the removal of gasoline purchases from the patronage system; it is likely that Georgia will save some seven to eight million dollars through the elimination of this practice over the next ten years.
More taxpayers' dollars will be saved, and are being saved now, by requiring competitive bidding on all computer rentals-a new practice under this administration, even though computer rental costs had reached some $8,000,000 annually.
Another large sum will be saved by utilizing the office of the attorney general to handle many legal matters that in the past cost the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars, because, without just cause, they were handled by private firms.
Wherever dishonest, unethical or inefficient practices have been uncovered, they have been brought to your attention and to the attention of the public. It took a lot of doing, but I was finally able to correct a situation in the State Building Authority where some $130,000 had been embezzled from the credit union over a period of years-a fact which had been
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known, but which had long been ignored, overlooked or excused by those who did know.
I've been a little frustrated in my efforts to economize on our state cafeteria operation, which has cost the taxpayers an unnecessary loss of as much as $4,000 weekly, but, with your help, that situation will be straightened out, too.
You know, when it was discovered during this administration that a man had been on the state payroll for eight or nine years, even though it was generally known that he only came in to work one or two days a monthand even then he was drunk or just getting over a drunk-instead of being praised for eliminating deadwood from the payroll, Lester Maddox was criticized because the man who was drawing a $900 per month salary began drawing a $500 per month pension-a retirement pension set up before I even came into office.
Another man was found on the state payroll the other day who didn't even have a job. He had been collecting over $4,000 per year for over ten years and he had never reported for work. Needless to say, he is no longer with us.
My friends, what I am trying to say is that Lester Maddox is making a real effort to clean up those areas of state government that need to be cleaned up, and I'm proud of the progress we are making. I'm not at all ashamed of the fact that we have been able to bring honesty, efficiency and morality into state government, and I wish the news media would quit acting as though I were.
I'll tell it to you like it is, and want you to tell it to all Georgians like it is. If something smells in my administration, let's dig it up. If the situation goes back to some prior administration, my shovel still knows no hallowed ground, and yours shouldn't either.
The best government is an open government, and it is up to you journalists to help keep government open by looking for the facts, wherever you can find them, and printing them, whatever they are.
I believe that much of the greatness of this country of ours comes from having a free press. You can write about me, about the President, about some senator or whoever, and as long as you write the truth, you have nothing to fear. No head is so high that it cannot be reached by the journalist's pen. As a prime example, look at the chain of events brought about by one reporter's story about a Supreme Court Justice recently.
The same thing could happen to a governor, a president, a city councilman or a county commissioner.
And, as long as the reporting is honest and fair, the consequences are just.
I wish no man harm, and I am sure that honest and dedicated states-
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men will all make errors of judgment from time to time, but when "errors of judgment" are found to be too frequent and too hard to explain, statesmen and politicians alike should be held accountable to the public.
Yours is a tremendous responsibility, and I do not envy you your job. I know I get into dilemmas myself from time to time, but I believe that you operate in one constantly. If you fail to seek out and publicize the truth about government and government leaders, then this country would soon be controlled by a dictator, and that would spell the end of the freedom of the press, as has been shown in other countries.
Then, too, if you go overboard in the other direction and print rumors, half-truths and outright lies, pressure will be brought to bear on the press by an indignant public and an enraged government. You could lose some of your freedom as journalists if you failed to accept the responsibilities that go along with that freedom.
No matter how many unfair news analyses about Lester Maddox I see, no matter how many times I'm misquoted (or unquoted ), and no matter how big Baldy makes my ears and glasses in his cartoons, I will continue to support freedom of the press. Without it, the other freedoms which Americans have and enjoy would soon be only a part of history.
The small pain which I suffer upon occasion, like so many other politicians, is a bargain price to pay to help keep this nation of ours free and strong.
But even though it is a bargain price, I would not object at all if you lowered the price even more.
I hope that all of you will have a safe and enjoyable Fourth of July and that you will rededicate yourselves today to the task of helping to preserve the good things in this great land of ours. You are in a position to do more than any other profession to promote patriotism and to make our citizens aware of, and appreciative of, the great heritage which has been passed down to us at a cost in lives and human suffering which is beyond calculation.
It is imperative that we all do whatever we can to keep this nation strong, free and respected.
I know that each of you will do your part.
July 4, 1969
"WE HOLD THESE TRUTHS ..."
Cumming
... How proud Jefferson must have been when he wrote the Declaration of Independence. He was somewhat angry later after the committee of which Benjamin Franklin was a member changed his text in eighty-six places. "Deplorable," Jefferson called many of the changes, but we can be sure he was proud of his work nevertheless.
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This was not the only business Jefferson had that first Fourth of July. His pocket expense book showed he bought a thermometer and seven pairs of ladies gloves. He also made a charitable contribution. We also know that the first Fourth of July was a somewhat temperate day, because Jefferson recorded the temperature at 6 a.m., 9 a.m., 1 p.m. (when it stood at 76 degrees) , and 9 p.m.
I tell you these things to remind you that the great and the common are often woven together in the history of our country. At the signing of the Declaration, as Charles Carroll of Maryland was about to sign, someone is reported to have told him there was another Charles Carroll who might be arrested and executed in his place for signing this paper. Without hesitation, Carroll put down "Charles Carroll of Carrollton," and far from being caught and executed, this man lived to be the last surviving signer when he died at ninety-four in 1832.
On this day of celebration, we would be remiss if we did not remember those who were friendly and helpful to the American colonies. They had to defy the most powerful nation in the world at that time to do so. Poland sent the brave Count Pulaski to fight on the side of liberty~Georgia has honored his memory with Pulaski County. France sent the youthful LaFayette~and a fair city in North Georgia is named for him. Many nations sent brave men to help the cause of freedom, but it was France who sided most completely with our cause.
THE FOURTH OF JULY
July 4, 1969
Demorest
... With me, you have watched as others have whittled away at our Constitution, filled our streets with the stench of blood and hate, boarded up businesses, closed schools, ruined neighborhoods....
But the time for standing by has passed. I know it. You know it. And millions of Americans throughout this great land know it.
As I predicted more than a decade ago, the failure of our leaders in government, in business, in the churches and in our schools has brought about an appalling trend of chaos, confusion, lawlessness and destruction.
But, in the wake of this spiritual rot of the few is a spiritual awakening of the many. As I said many years ago, there was a great swell of conservatism in this country that was being suppressed. It is still being suppressed to an extent, but we see more and more evidence of its existence every day.
Americans, proud of their heritage, are letting it be known to their president, to their governor, to their congressmen and to leaders at every
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level of government that they treasure the private fr enterprise system and that they will not tolerate its abuse.
That they treasure their rights to have and enjoy private property, and that they will not stand by while their rights are destroyed in favor of nonproperty owners.
They are letting it be known that they are proud to be Americans, that they treasure the opportunities which this country offers to all who are willing to accept the responsibilities of freedom, and that they will not continue to tolerate the petty, malicious bickering of unwashed malcontents who have contributed nothing to this country but headaches.
My friends, the signing of the Declaration of Independence did not make us a free people; it simply declared that we are a free people and that we intend to remain so....
July 5, 1969
GOLDEN JUBILEE CELEBRATION
Moultrie
We had better start teaching our boys and girls how to be good citizens, what made this country great, what the Bible is all about and something about respect for authority-and respect for the older generation.
To teach our children anything less is cheating our children, cheating our country and cheating ourselves. We must inspire our children to be hard-working, patriotic, God-fearing, self-respecting citizens.
CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY ALLIANCE CHURCH
July 6, 1969
Savannah
We need to hear the voice of common sense echoing in the wilderness of crime which is rising....
We need to hear the voice of God, virtue and moral standards speak to the wilderness of sin, immorality and the so-called new morality that is polluting the lives of multitudes throughout our land.
July 9, 1969
ROTARY CLUB OF COLUMBUS
Georgians have been more than weary for a long time because of waste, corruption, dishonesty, partisan politics and lagging and dragging in state government. This is why Lester Maddox sought and won the office of governor, and it is the concern of Georgians and my determination (regardless of political consequences) that keep me in a day and night drive to promote and implement honesty, efficiency and morality in government. ...
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327
With the takeover of public education by the federal government, there has come a corresponding weakening of the private sector of education, while at the same time, and to almost the same degree, the level of education in general has been lowered, and we have seen a rise in confusion, disorder, chaos, violence, and disrespect for our country, its flag and law and order in and out of our schools.
GEORGIA COUNTY WELFARE ASSOCIATION
July 10, 1969
Savannah
Unless this country is to become a completely socialistic welfare state, we must concentrate our efforts now on teaching people how to work, how to own their own homes, how to educate their own children and how to take pride in their country, in their heritage and themselves....
We spend millions of taxpayers' dollars to run radio, television and newspaper ads to tell people what their welfare rights are and how they can get more money from the government, so why can't we spend just a few dollars to tell people how they can make it on their own?
CIVIL AIR PATROL GRADUATION
July 11, 1969
Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
You are learning how to defend our country, and you are learning why it is necessary to defend our country against its enemies, at home as well as abroad. From this encampment, many of you will take up military training in our Reserve Officer Training Corps. Our nation needs the strength that these units give it, and we need not only the military aspect of that strength, but the strength that comes from able, dedicated citizens who love their freedom and are determined to defend their rights under the Constitution of the United States.
LOGWALL BAPTIST CHURCH
July 13, 1969
Forsyth
America's first love was God. America was founded upon a spiritual foundation and has grown into the most prosperous and powerful nation in the world because her people from the very beginning loved God and His word.... Our Constitution was born in prayer.... Many of our colleges were begun by Christians.... Today there is a departure from this heritage.
In many of our educational circles the cherished convictions of students
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are either ignored, dismissed in silence or questioned by other standards of belief....
I tell you truthfully, my friends, that the vast majority of problems we face in 1969 are the result of America's leaving her first love.
BUCKHEAD LIONS CLUB
July 14, 1969
It is men like you who are not content to be mere followers, who con'tribute most effectively to the progress of our communities, our state and nation. It is men like you who stand up and defend the American private free enterprise system, a system that has made us the richest and most powerful nation in the world, a system that contributes to our freedom and to the freedom of millions around the world.
ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENTS (Secondary School Principals)
July 15, 1969
Jekyll Island
... I can't go along with the policies now being forced upon us, the citizens of this great state, and the American people, by the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare.
I'll be the first to admit that we have problems in our local system of education, but these problems have resulted not from our inability to understand and remedy local conditions, but they have resulted from the forced implementation of cruel, unreasonable, unconstitutional and patently illegal guidelines and demands of the federal government.
CHURCH OF GOD OF PROPHECY
July 16, 1969
Macon
We've got too great a state, too great a nation, and we worship too great a God to allow this chaos, this confusion, this immorality and destruction of our nation and our moral values to take place.
As Christians, it is our duty to see that Christians lead in our schools, in education, in industry, in all positions of leadership in our nation.
FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE SEMINAR
July 17, 1969 It is not the monetary rewards that keep me interested in Georgia's gov-
ernment, and it is not praise by the masses. It is love for my state, for free
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329
enterprise, for states' rights, for honesty and efficiency in government, for the right to own property and to do with that property as I see fit.
You, too, must tolerate the communist-conceived and communist-directed cries of police brutality.... Jesus Christ was probably considered brutal by some when He drove the money lenders out of the temple, but he was actually using a little force to enforce the laws of God. . . .
GOVERNORS HONORS PROGRAM
July 17, 1969
Wesleyan College, Macon
There have been - and still are - efforts to either discontinue or lower the standards of this finc program, but you can depend upon my firm opposition to such efforts and my constant support of this pursuit, which is bringing credit to the state and to the individuals who take part in it....
Just as you are not average young people, the Maddox administration is not willing to have an average state government. Average has never been good enough for me, and it is not good enough for the people of Georgia.
MORGAN COUNTY BAPTIST ASSOCIATION
July 17, 1969
Summer Youth Camp, Covington
It is just such young people as yourselves, all across Georgia, who have allowed this governor to hold his head high and proud when he visits other sections of the nation. Georgia's young folks, in the great majority of cases, have proven they are honest, patriotic, and law-abiding citizens.
TROOPER TRAINING SCHOOL
Commencement, July 18, 1969
Police Academy
Right now, three Americans are zipping through space at a speed of thousands of miles per hour, and they are probably safer in their space capsule, traveling at such a phenomcnal speed, than they would be in a modern automobile, traveling at sixty miles per hour on a Georgia highway.
These astronauts have thousands of "policcmen" watching them, and they have been trained to observe the "rules of the road." ...
But too many persons guiding massive steel missiles around our streets and highways today are simply not qualificd for the job.
SHERIFFS ASSOCIATION CONVENTION
July 18, 1969
Stone Mountain
I am guilty of standing with you, the sheriffs of Georgia, and the other
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law enforcement officers in this state and in our nation who, against tremendous odds, have attempted to maintain a semblance of law and order in this and other states....
One thing which has brought about much of the disastrous radicalization of this country has been the "one man-one vote" decision by the U.S. Supreme Court which totally ignores the provision for states' rights of our U.S. Constitution, and presents an unlawful and unconstitutional interference with the internal affairs of various states.
CHEROKEE ATOMEDIC HOSPITAL
July 20, 1969
Woodstock
Will this hospital really help the people, and will this hospital really cut the costs of hospitalization? When the answer was affirmative in both cases, I immediately put my signature on it.
It is leaders like this, people who are not content to follow, but lead our communities toward the solution of problems, that contribute a strong, a growing, and an enduring Georgia and America.
This new hospital is an example of a new concept in care of the sick. It requires only one-fourth the regular personnel for a facility of its size, and this makes it doubly valuable when there is, as today, a shortage of trained hospital personnel throughout the nation.
CHESTNUT GROVE BAPTIST CHURCH
July 20, 1969
Grayson
I am convinced that many of the problems facing our generation have come because many in positions of leadership-as well as individual members of our society-have allowed God to be pushed aside in the interest of worldly pursuits.
The heartcry of our nation this morning is for men and women, boys and girls who will take their stand and put this country on the right road.
SECOND BAITIST CHURCH BROTHERHOOD
July 22, 1969
Warner Robins
It is Iny hope that Christians will be motivated to start private schools in an effort to stem the tide of anti-religious sentiment in our educational circles and help turn back socialism, communism, atheism, one-worldism and immorality in this country....
When church members start getting saved and preachers start getting revived I believe this restoration will take place, but not before.
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331
LINWOOD CITY RECREATION PARK
Dedication, July 24, 1969
This is a delightful occasion for Linwood City and for Georgia, and I am very happy to be with you on this occasion.
I always look forward to my trips to Walker County because, believe me, after Atlanta's heat, this cool, green countryside is mighty refreshing. This is one of the most beautiful areas of Georgia, and I think you are very fortunate that you can call it home.
This park we meet to dedicate today shows that you are using your energies and your talents into making it a better home, and I have only high praise for those who developed this land into a park without outside help.
This park is a refreshing example of what can happen when citizens work together in full cooperation with their local government to get a job done. Big government, alone, cannot solve all problems, but local governments and local citizens, working together, with a first-hand knowledge of their local communities, can solve practically any problem that presents itself, if they are given the freedom and the means to do so.
You are making progress here, and I salute you for it. It is people like you who are taking advantage of Georgia's progress and prosperity to move even higher on the ladder of civic accomplishment. And I understand that you are not going to stop with this success we see about us in the park, but that you plan to add a swimming pool next year. The children hereabouts are going to love you for that, and really, my friends, when you get right down to it, what better payment for our adult efforts is there than knowing we have done the very best we can for our youngsters? I say there is no better payment than this. Every hour and every dollar we put into building healthy bodies and strong, patriotic minds in our young people will be the best investment of time and money we will ever make. It is to protect our children that I have taken a stand against the unwarranted control and dictatorship that Washington has placed over our school systems, not only in Georgia but across the country. Parents have the right to protect and train their pets and their animals in the way they deem fit, but they are denied the right to protect and train their own flesh and blood. I say, we must regain control of our schools even if it takes some hardheaded resistance to the socialistic-communistic edicts of the federal government. I say, we must stand up and speak out for freedom of choice in this
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nation's schools, for when freedom of choice is taken away from us in education, it will soon be taken away in every facet of our lives.
We owe a debt to every American who has bled and died for this nation to resist with every power open to us the gradual theft of our rights and freedoms under the Constitution of these United States.
Lester Maddox is with every citizen of Linwood City, Lafayette and Walker County who is determined to keep the control of local schools in the hands of local parents. If we do otherwise, we are giving up the real America for a fake image which has "Made in :Moscow" stamped all over it.
\J\'hen you and I, and every Georgian and American, have done the level best to hold on to control of his schools in the face of those who would have all control vested in some bureaucrat in Washington whose children probably go to a private school in Maryland . . . then, we can sit down and breathe a spell and not before.
I have every confidence that you here in these Georgia mountains will never surrender your rights and freedoms as Americans. It was in freedom that this park was built, and it is Americans who fight for our freedom, both on the homefront as well as in Vietnam, who will preserve this freedom for the children who will use this park.
\J\'e dedicate this park to the honored memory of a brave son of Walker County, of Georgia and America. Sgt. Edward Lamar Simmons fell in the defense of his country, his home and his loved ones.
We will do his memory the greatest service if we resolve today to renew our efforts to preserve, protect and promote the rights and liberties for which Sgt. Simmons gave his life.
Just as this brave man kept the faith with his home and country, so we are determined here today to do no less for the future leaders of our state and nation who will make good use of this wonderful recreational facility.
OOTHCALOOGA LODGE NO. 154
July 24, 1969
Calhoun
... I believe the Georgia taxpayer has gotten more for his money than at any time in our history.
There are those who would disagree, of course, but many of these are the ones who have had their private door to the state treasury sealed up and padlocked.
It's just like the griping vve've been hearing lately from some people who object to our country's space program on the basis that it takes money away from handout programs which benefit very few poor people, but quite a few bureaucratic administrators-and it's these who are doing the loudest screaming.
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UNITED TRANSPORTATION UNION
July 25, 1969
Savannah
It is truly a privilege for me to take part in this Dixie Boosters Convention, because if I am known for anything in these United States, I am known as a booster for Georgia and her neighboring states.
Welcome to the Empire State of the South, and to one of her most beautiful cities, Savannah. We appreciate your selection of this city and state as your meeting place, and we value you not only for the boost you give our economy, but for the boost you give us in ideas, public service, and patriotism when you meet with us.
Being railroad people, you can appreciate the fact that you are in an historic state as far as railroading is concerned.
Georgia was the first state to charter a railroad. This was the Mexican Atlantic in 1827.
The first American-built locomotive that proved practical ran on a line from Charleston, South Carolina, to Hamburg, Georgia, near Augusta. This locomotive, called "The Best Friend of Charleston," was put into service on Christmas Day of 1830.
From that day forward, railroads, as much as any other factor, determined the location of Georgia towns. Our capital city, Atlanta, is where it is primarily because it was a good place to terminate a railroad. It was originally called Terminus. Railroads freed many localities of having to depend on water transportation being present before a town could be founded.
More than perhaps any other industry, our railroads and their workers have contributed, and still contribute, to the rapid development of America as an industrial giant.
Railroads and America carne of age at about the same time back in the '20's and '30's. In those days, our nation had no doubts about its goals and its destination. Private free enterprise poured on the coal, and America, like a mighty engine, headed down the tracks.
That was before some tried to uncouple the car of patriotism from the .\merican train.
Nowadays, our track is so clogged with riots, arson, the burning of draft-cards, and college chaos that even an old-fashioned cowcatcher on America's engine couldn't knock them all ofT our path.
We even have some communists and communist dupes tampering with the switches; they are trying their best to send America down the sidetrack of socialism.
But patriotic men and women such as you refuse to be sidetracked, and
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like Casey Jones, we had rather die with the throttle of freedom m our hands than live forever in the station shed of slavery.
BIBLE BAITIST CHURCH
July 27, 1969
Elkton, Maryland
We are being encouraged to forget God, our children, our church, our country in order to get elected to some office, gain some promotion, get some favorable news media coverage, and many so-called Christians are forgetting and not standing fast in the faith.... For fifteen years I have predicted that we were going to have our schools wrecked and ruined in many instances, that there would be increased disrespect for authority, our teachers and our flag. I have not only predicted the potential dangers, but I have advised Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson, and those who were associated with them in their programs, that this nation was headed for chaotic conditions. . .. I pleaded with them to change their course....
STAY AND SEE GEORGIA WEEK
July 28, 1969
Lenox Square, Atlanta
It's always a pleasure for me to meet and talk with people who are interested in Georgia, and I want to thank the Chamber of Commerce for inviting me to launch "Stay & See Georgia Week" at Lenox Square.
With the help of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the citizens of Georgia, we have made a lot of progress in this great state during the past thirty months of the Maddox administration.
We have been all over the country telling the story of Georgia and of all the advantages this state offers industry. As a result of this concerted effort to acquire new industry, we have attracted 234 new manufacturing plants to our state and 282 existing plants announced plans to expand. This, of course, means more jobs for our citizens and more revenue for our state.
Not only are we telling the story of Georgia's industrial advantages, but our state has been displaying our thirty-foot exhibit throughout the nation. This year this exhibit has already been to New Orleans, St. Petersburg, Columbus, Ohio, and Toronto, Canada, and has reached approximately 3,000,000 people with the story that Georgia is the "State of Adventure."
Georgians, too, are !,lOw having a chance to see this panorama of their state's attractions exhibited in one unit at home. And, I want to congratulate Lenox Square and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce for the production of such a magnificent week. Not only is it funfilled and educational, but it is good business for Georgia.
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And we're all interested in what is good for Georgia. Apparently a lot of other people around this state and this nation are interested in and attracted to Georgia, also, because Georgia's tourist industry has more than doubled since 1961, and in the southeastern states Georgia is second only to Florida in total spending by all travelers. Recently, I announced the latest figures on Georgia's fast-growing tourist industry. In 1968, 39,000,000 vacation-recreation travelers spent $646,800,000 in Georgia. This was over $76,000,000 more than vacation-recreation spending the previous year. And additional spending by travelers on business and personal trips pushed the total spending by all travelers to $911,800,000. So, you see, Georgia really is a "state on the go," and I plan to continue carrying the story of Georgia across this nation, and there is no reason we can't triple our tourist trade within the next few years. With continued promotions such as we see here tonight, we can triple our tourist trade and triple Georgia's attractions. Through commercial enterprises, such as Lenox Square, we continue to bring in needed revenue to keep Georgia moving forward, and I want to thank those associated with, and responsible for, the continuing sponsorship of civic events which attract people to this market place-and let's not forget that these people leave some of their money here which we use for building a more progressive state. It has been a pleasure being with you this evening, and giving you a little background on what keeps Georgia growing and going. Now, with the assistance of the Red, White and Blue Band from six Flags Over Georgia, I hereby ... on this Monday night, July 28, 1969 ... officially launch, with the release of 1,000 balloons, the "Stay & See Georgia Week" of activities at Lenox Square.
NORTHEAST DeKALB LIONS CLUB
July 28, 1969
Many of our schools are now being made into workshops for social experiments and guinea pigs for these experiments are helpless and innocent children ... little human beings too small and defenseless to protect themselves against the brutal mistakes of their elders.
This is the worst form of discrimination ever forced upon the American people. If former President Johnson, President Nixon, Mr. Mitchell, Mr. Katzanback, Mr. Allen, Mr. Finch, Earl \,yarren, the Kennedys and others who have stolen control of public education from local citizens had to subject their children and grandchildren to the conditions they are forcing upon the helpless and innocent children of others, they would remove
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
these ungodly, un-American and unconstitutional laws and guidelines before Labor Day, 1969.
MEN'S CLUB, JONES MEMORIAL CHURCH
July 29, 1969
Forest Park
I t is my conviction that America needs a genuine Holy Ghost Revivala revival that will cause Christians to get on their knees and repent of the sin of being ashamed of the Gospel of God.
A nation, in order to return to God, must do it through individuals. This is why it is imperative that each of us meet our responsibility.
KIWANIS CLUB OF DECATUR
July 31, 1969
To list all the wrong we have found and corrected would take more time than is available tonight, but suffice it to say that much of the misuse of personnel, supplies and equipment-misuse that cost you, the taxpayers, millions of dollars-has been ended.
However, no government, whether large or small, can substitute economy and efficiency for adequate revenue that is needed to keep on meeting our duties and responsibilities to all our citizens.
GEORGIA YOUTH COUNCIL
August 2, 1969
Eatonton
There may be some who think you are rather weird if you take a stand for a clean, moral life. But remember, some of the same kind of people nailed Jesus to a cross, threw Paul in prison and beheaded the Apostle John....
The price of decency and character is very high. You must be prepared to be labeled all kinds of names. But don't feel lonely. I've been called plenty of them.
Some have called me a "square."
COMMUNITY BAPTIST CHURCH
August 3, 1969
Smyrna
I believe a mighty spiritual revival in our land would do more in one day to solve our problems and make us secure against our enemies than all the conferences, deliberations and treaties of politicans could do in a hundred years.
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337
The trouble with so many people today is that they are asking and don't receive, they are seeking and they do not find, they are knocking and the door is not opened-all because they are going to the wrong source.
GEORGIA HOTEL-MOTEL ASSOCIATION
August 5, 1969
Jekyll Island
We have heard a lot of talk about the war on poverty. :rvfy friends, it is you and the other friends of America's free enterprise system who have waged a real war on poverty.
You have by your time, leadership, talents, risk of capital and other resources done more to wipe out poverty in this country than any federal agency has ever done in this respect.
PENNEY CATALOG DISTRIBUTION CENTER
August 6, 1969
Clayton County
When I look at this huge distribution center, the most automated and largest of its type in the world, I am astounded by the fact that the present
chain of some 1,700 J. C. Penney department stores grew out of a tiny
frame structure-twenty-five feet wide by forty-five feet long-in the small mining town of Kemmerer, WyOlning, back in 1902.
As one who has been a businessman and has had to struggle through mountains of discouragement and pessimism to reach his goal, Lester .t\faddox knows and appreciates the drive and determination of ~fr. Penney.
KIWANIS CLUB OF GREATER COLUMBUS
August 6, 1969
My friends, I want you to know that the Maddox administration has a vision for a greater Georgia, and because we have a clear concept of the kind of Georgia we want to build, we arc putting sound business principles into practice in state government. ...
When I campaigned for the office of governor, I was determined to sec what one man could do--a man who was free from the chains which, in times past, had restricted the governor's office and other areas of government. I promised the people that, when elected, I would not only speak the truth, but practice the truth.... And from the very moment I walked into the governor's office I have tried to keep this pledge....
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS ASSOCIATION
August 7, 1969
FFA Camp, Jackson
And just as you are giving your time and energies to see that our children get to school safely on time, we in the Maddox administration, with your help and that of other good Georgians, are working to provide the other necessary components for not just second-best, average or above average, but the very best education for Georgia children.
INSIDE-OUT GROUP, ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS (V. S. Penitentiary)
August 10, 1969
Thousands of years ago the capitol of Babylon was flowing with wine, and we are told that King Belshazzar made a great feast and sponsored a drunken brawl. And in America in the twentieth century more alcoholic beverages are consumed per capita in Washington, D.C., than in any other city.
Babylon was destroyed because of drunkenness and immorality, and I am convinced that America cannot remain the land of the free and the home of the brave if we continue to allow our nation to be weakened from within through drinking and moral laxness.
INDEPENDENT AUTOMOBILE DEALERS
August 11, 1969
Jekyll Island
We have opened up the musty halls of government to the inspection of the people, so that they can see the bad as well as the good, the inside as well as the outside....
A good example of this involvement is the effort and planning that your organization has put into obtaining needed legislation in the used car field.
GATE CITY LODGE NO.2, F. & A. M.
August 12, 1969
Atlanta Masonic Temple
And Masons will never cease to hold dear the rights of private property, the right to fully engage in private free enterprise and the right to be governed by a people's constitution.
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339
NEW QUARTERS OF PANASONIC ATLANTA
August 15, 1969
Here in Georgia we stick to our achievers and those who make the wheels of business and industry turn. This administration believes in more business methods in government and fewer government meddlers in business. . . .
You who are in electronics are in one of the most exciting and rapidlyexpanding areas of the business world.
DALTON KIWANIS CLUB
August 18, 1969
So it has been throughout history. Whenever men choose to be ruled by government rather than by God, and to look to the state for the regulation of life from the cradle to the grave, they are always robbed of their manhood.
When men surrender their liberties to the state in search of security, they soon discover they have given up that security, because security in the final analysis is always based on freedom.
CARROLLTON ROTARY CLUB
August 19, 1969
If we really want peace, we must be willing to pursue it-and be willing to stop feeding, clothing, housing, financing and surrendering to the criminals, the communists and other enemies of freedom and America. . . . The responsibility of preserving freedom and the pursuit of happiness in this country is ours-ours because we are Americans. Ours, because our children and grandchildren are trusting in us.
COBB COUNTY MASONIC CONVENTION
August 20, 1969
Powder Springs
Let us promote a spirit of patrIotIsm that will transform the lives of countless Americans and cause those who have refused to speak out or take a stand for God, family and liberty because it is not popular or perhaps because it would cost a few dollars or a few votes, to take their stand once and for all for what is American and right....
Let us create an ideological counterrevolution that will break us away from communism, which has vowed to bury us, and socialism, which is sapping the spiritual integrity of our nation and making weaklings of men.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
DINO'S GONDOLAS OF GEORGIA, INC.
August 21, 1969
Pittsburg Shopping Center, Tucker
The private free enterprise system which makes this day possible, in my opinion, is one of the greatest facets of our heritage as Americans.
There has been a lot of tampering and meddling with the system during the past quarter of a century, but I thank God that the essence of this great economic system still remains.
FAIRVIEW VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT
August 23, 1969
Ellenwood
Of course, you might have heard that the write-in movement made it necessary for the Georgia General Assembly to make the decision as to who would be governor, but it is obvious that if the people had not supported the candidacy of Lester Maddox, such a decision would never have been the General Assembly's to make....
If the Atlanta news media had bcen fair and just in their representation of the candidates and the issues, Lester Maddox would have been at least 100,000 above the nearest competition.
FIRST ALLIANCE CHURCH
August 24, 1969
Governor's J\1ansion
While the deceived, depraved and destructive, along with the enemies of God and freedom, are trampling the American flag, burning their draft cards, kicking Uncle Sam in the teeth, wrecking our public institutions and making attempts to tear down our government, replace it with communism and socialism, and turn our nation in to the land of the coward and the home of the slave, you of the First Alliance Church are taking your stand for God, for Christ, for America, and you are trying to preserve what is highest and best in our American tradition.
FULTON INDUSTRIAL AREA KIWANIANS
August 25, 1969
My proposal is a second downtown connector, or west loop. It would run from the perimeter highway somewhere in the vicinity of Sandy Springs and 1-75 on the north and travel slightly west of Georgia Tech in the vicinity of Northside Drive, west of Rich's and the heart of downtown Atlanta, through West End and on down to the perimeter again in southwest Atlanta....
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341
We have expressways and highways from all over Georgia and all over the United States leading to and from Atlanta, but when they get to downtown Atlanta there is only one poorly inadequate expressway running through the heart of the city....
STATE WAREHOUSE DEPARTMENTS National Association, Thirty-First Conference
August 25, 1969
Savannah
I am pleased that Georgia is a member of this association, and I want you to know that you have my support in your efforts to protect our people.
Farming is still a major industry in Georgia and represents a well-entrenched part of our over-all economy. In fact, \\'e lead the nation in the production of broilers, peanuts, naval stores, pimiento peppers and improved pecans. We also have more protected forest lands than any other state.
But being first is a way of life in Georgia....
AMERICAN LEGION Fifty-First Annual Convention
August 26, 1969
With the taxpayers' money which government puts into financing the bums, the beatniks, the socialists and the parasites who are working to destroy freedom in this country, I can say we can do far more toward showing our appreciation for those who have fought and sacrificed to build up and protect the country....
We can show our appreciation by ending the support of communism within our own country and in other countries throughout the world where American dollars and food and supplies are being furnished to the very enemies which our young men are now required to battle.
AMERICAN LEGION AUXILIARY
August 27, 1969
If there is one message more than any other that I want you to take back and tell your people, it is this:
Tell them that the governor and first family of Georgia respect and appreciate you and your fighting men who have sacrificed to make ours a free country....
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
CITIZENS COUNCIL OF AMERICA ( 1969 Leadership Conference)
August 29, 1969
Jackson, Mississippi
I am delighted to be back in Mississippi with some real God-fearing, flag-waving, family-loving Americans. You're my kind of people, and as long as you continue to stand for America, constitutional government and liberty, Lester Maddox will continue to stand with you.
The Citizens Council has been labeled a "segregationist" organization. Well, what's wrong with that? I'm a segregationist, and proud of it.
You show me any person, black or white, who does not want to preserve and protect the integrity of his race and I'll show you a person who has no pride in himself, in his family or in his racial heritage. Personally, I believe that over ninety-five per cent of both black and white people are segregationists. Many of them do not preach it, but they sure practice it.
I'm not bringing that up to try to stir up ill feelings from any quarter, because my fight is for black and white people. I just want it to be on record that I am aware of the Citizens Council's stand for racial integrity, and that I did not come over here thinking this was a federally-sponsored flower show.
While I'm here today, I would also like to convey to you the sincere expressions of sympathy of the people of Georgia for those Mississippians who lost their loved ones, their property and their fortunes to the recent hurricane which swept through your state with such deadly and devastating force.
I know you have suffered much, but the people of Mississippi, like those of Georgia and other parts of the Southland, have had their mettle tested before, and their strong faith in God and in their own ability to fight and win have always gained them victory.
You will recover. These days will long be remembered, and they will especially be recalled when other strong winds sweep across the graves dug at this time, but time will heal the wounded hearts and the injured land, and the terror which is still so close and so real will one day exist only in the history books and in the nightmare of a child.
But, there is another storm dipping into vir:.1ally every segment of our country and virtually every segment of American life which is visiting a more permanent damage upon our people.
It is the storm which began gathering clouds in 1928 when the communist party of America published their platform which called for the destruction of the American way of life.
And that platform is being carried out, almost to the letter, by both the National Democrats and Republicans.
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343
Wlth high pressure areas created by self-serving special interest groups and with low pressure areas created by the silent middle class Americans, a storm of hurricane intensity was brewed in this nation's capitol which spread out to wreck havoc with our public school system, the private free enterprise system, states' rights, individual rights and the liberties and freedoms of every living American, of every race, class and religion.
When this natural disaster hit your state, people from all over, individuals, civic groups, charitable groups, government organizations, the military--everybody was concerned and sympathetic and they pitched in to help do what they could. Supplies and assistance are still coming in every day.
But millions of Americans seem totally unaware of the man-made disaster which is sweeping away the lifetime investments of many businessmen, destroying the chances of millions of children of ever getting a decent education and mutilating the great document which has so long guaranteed freedom to all Americans~the U.S. Constitution.
But, when this "Hurricane Police State" has done all its dirty work, it will be too late, then, for volunteers to correct the wrongs and repair the damage.
You can't put a twenty-one-ycar-old functional illiterate back in the first grade and start him again as though he were a child and get the same results you would have if you had given him a proper education in the first place.
You can't take a businessman who has died from frustration and heartbreak because his whole life's work was taken from him and restore him to life and prosperity.
You can't take a whole generation of unwashed, undisciplined, irreligious deadbeats and restore to them the pride, the initiative and the principles which would have come from good training and good examples from every quarter.
When a nation collapses from within, the rubble smothers and extinguishes all which might have been able to rebuild it.
No foreign enemy alone can destroy the great and powerful United States of America. Even in a nuclear war, some would survive who had the will, the courage and the know-how to rebuild a great and thriving nation.
Look at how America has fought off enemy after enemy before. In all the little wars and in all the great wars, Americans stood together, fought together and were victorious together.
Would that God should grant us such a miracle now!
I remember how America was during the Second World War, as I'm
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
sure many of you do. There were many hardships then, but there was also a lot that is pleasant to remember.
The United States was truly united. Nearly everybody was a flag waver. People loved their country, they loved their God, and they were not ashamed to publicly profess their love for either.
School children competed to win the honor of putting on an Uncle Sam uniform to sell U.S. savings stamps, which could be used to buy a war bond to help our country win the war.
If a boy accidentally dropped an American flag, he was embarrassed to tears, because he loved and respected that flag and all that it stood for.
People worked for a living. And a man could save a few dollars and go into business for himself if he so chose, and he had the choice of hiring and promoting and serving whomever he pleased. And others could work for him or not, do business with him or not and socialize with him or not.
A lot of children had to go to school in crowded, rundown and understaffed school houses, but most of them received more worthwhile education in those little one-room school houses than many of our children do today in the plush, carpeted electronic miracles which all too often produce the alienated society dropouts who cluttered the streets of Chicago during the last National Democratic Convention.
You only have to look at what is taking place throughout America to see that public education is failing, and U.S. Supreme Court members, presidents, congressmen, governors, other public officials and some leaders in labor, education, religion, industry and the news media who have knowingly or unwittingly followed the demands of the anarchists, the socialists and the communists are the guilty.
I can remember when a lot of people didn't have automobiles, but the families would pile onto a wagon or on the back of an old truck and go to church on Sunday to thank their God for their many blessings.
Many homes did not even have electricity, but the Bible was read aloud to many a child who lives today as an achiever, as a patriotic American and as a God-fearing Christian. The yellow light of kerosene lamps was bright enough to show millions of Americans the road to success when that light was focused on the Bible.
Have you ever wondered how your children, growing up in our society today, will remember their childhood?
Have you ever wondered if your children will even have a chance to grow up to remember anything?
If your children survive, thcir memories will certainly bear the indelible imprint of the police state philosophy which permeates almost every facet of their daily lives.
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345
They are the real victims of this storm which is tearing silently across our nation.
Even though it sucks away the initiative of businessmen, wrecks the pride of the homeowner, smothers the creativity of the career teacher, buries the ambition of the honest worker and strikes terror into the hearts of every law-abiding citizen, these people, like the great oak tree, can survive the storm, Their broken limbs will mend if good weather returns, and their roots will bury deeper into the soil.
But, the seedling that is whipped to the ground and given a crooked start will always lean a little, if it survives at all.
As the twig is bent, the tree will grow. We cannot afford such a disaster as the destruction of the lives and futures of our children.
Yet, HEW and other officials of government and the anarchists and the communists are demanding (and too many American parents are accepting) the surrender of our children to an education in immorality, atheism, communism and an education that teaches disrespect for parents, country, the United States flag, law and law enforcement. And the children and grandchildren or these who call for the surrender of the children and grandchildren of the helpless have absolutely no concern for the education, safety and well-being of either black or white children. Their acts arc criminal acts against their fellow Americans. They are violating the U.S. Constitution, the law of the land and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In such violation they betray their oath of office, the American people and their country. And in trying to camouflage their violation, they threaten God-fearing Americans who love their children with arrest and imprisonment unless they, too, join in this betrayal of America.
I don't believe there is a man or woman here who will not do everything possiblc to insure a good life and a worthwhile future for his children.
But, what can \\T do, you may ask, to leave our children at least as great a heritage as we ourselves received from our parents?
We can seck refuge for ourselves and our children in thc greatest storm shelter ever devised by free men: the voting booth.
If we are determined enough, \\Oe can change the course of the police state storm and send it blowing out across the ocean and back to Red Russia and Red China.
But, if it is to be done, we must do it.
The bums, the beatniks, the welfare-staters, the socialists, the anarchists and the hordes of parasites who feed upon American apathy will not exert pressure to return control of education to local citizens and their elected officials. . . .
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. l\!IADDox
. They will not give the businessman back his right to run his business as he sees fit. ..
.. They will not give you, the homeowner, back the right to buy or sell or rent a home when and where and if you wish...
.. They will not restore law and order in our schools, on our streets, in our churches and on our university campuses...
.. They will not encourage the kind of competition in our schools and universities, in our factories, in businesses and in government which enabled this nation to rise up out of an uncivilized wilderness to become the envy of the world.
What this country needs is a president and some congressmen who will forget their party, forget about getting re-dected, forget about satisfying special interest groups, forget about pleasing the liberal press and remember their obligation to serve the people~all the people~to the best of their ability.
Many people have had a hand in bringing about the chaos, the confusion, the disorder and the heartache which stain the American scene today. Many previous administrations, either through their direct support or through their refusal to oppose the destruction of the American way of life, have added strength to the police state storm.
But, in my opinion, no two men can claim more credit for bringing about the wrecking, the burning, the looting, the killing of policemen, the weakening of our Constitution, the attacks on private free enterprise, private property rights and the birthing of a police state in America than Lyndon Johnson and Earl Warren.
Nixon is hot on their heels and he seems to be trying desperately to catch up. During only nine months of his administration, he has managed to close as many schools, bus as many children illegally, and otherwise disrupt local public education as it took any other president four years to do.
My friends, I don't care how many names I'm called or how many cartoons of me are drawn, or how I'm ridiculed and belittled for taking a stand for what I know is right and necessary, I will pay the price.
For the sake of America and her children, I will continue to oppose at every opportunity the dictates of HEW which are contrary to the U.S. Constitution, contrary to the 1964 Civil Rights Act and contrary to the 1968 HEW appropriations bill.
I vvill continue to call upon President Nixon to live up to the promise of candidate Nixon when he said, "Federal aid to education has been necessary, and I have supported it. But I draw the line on one point. If we're going to have federal aid to education, it is the responsibility of those at the national level, and particularly the president of the United States, to
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347
see that federal control does not follow. We want federal aid and local control."
I will continue to agree with the statements of Lyndon Johnson before he sold out his country for the presidency. He said:
"This civil rights program, about which you have heard so much, is a farce and a sham-an effort to set up a police state in the guise of liberty. I am opposed to that program. I fought it in Congress."
And, later, when Mr. Johnson said: "To my way of thinking it is this simple: If the federal government can by law tell me whom I shall employ, it can likewise tell my prospective employees for whom they must work. If the law can compel me to employ a Negro, it can compel that Negro to work for me. Such a law would necessitate a system of federal police officers such as we have never before seen. It would require the policing of every business institution, every transaction made between an employer and employee. I do not think the proposed law is workable. I am convinced it would do everything but what its sponsors intend." Today we have that police state and Lyndon Johnson brought it into being. He is guilty. Who are the victims of this police state? -Black and white boys and girls as the level of education is lowered and America sinks into a land of immorality, disobedience to God and crime. -Girls and boys in school who are beaten, attacked, stabbed, raped and murdered. -Wives, sisters, mothers and daughters who are raped, attacked, robbed, molested and murdered in their homes, in their cars, on the streets and in business places. -Boys and girls, men and women, and police officers who are attacked, robbed, shot, stabbed and murdered throughout America. -And other victims under this police state include industry, local law enforcement, local government and the liberty of us all-even of those who are selling out America. The blood that is spilled, the lives that are ruined and the liberty that is lost cannot be hidden from the hands of the presidents, the congressmen, the judges, the governors and other public officials who would rather be elected than be right. God give us men in the White House, in the U.S. Congress, in the office of governor and other high offices who will forget themselves, their political parties, getting votes and getting elected, and who will publicly and unashamedly take a strong stand Jor God and America. Personally, I believe that in one area alone, that of public education, we could quickly win a major victory and rescue our children and their educa-
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
tion by restoring "freedom of choice" in our schools. It is my judgment that if you will go back home and get two out of every three governors and two out of every three U.S. congressmen and senators from the Southern states to join with us and to exercise the courage and leadership to really go to battle for our children and public education that we can do the job and also help save our country. In fact, I believe we could get the job done and win a great victory for our children if you will just get two out of every three southern governors to join with us.
Go after them-they can't keep their heads in the sand and ride the political fence much longer. Loyalty to country and duty to the children of our country demand that they join the fight.
Personally, I will continue to be a flag waver, a believer in the Bible, an advocate of states' rights, a supporter of racial integrity, and a soldier for constitutional government.
With my last dollar and with my last breath, I will be fighting the police state in America. And I will not be alone.
Most of you here will be within arm's reach of Lester Maddox and the millions of other Americans who know the real America and who love it enough to sacrifice for its protection and preservation.
SALON NATIONAL LABOUTIQUE (Of the American Legion Auxiliary)
August 30, 1969
... God grant that they be free to work, to play, to worship, to go to school, to dream and to build as have the generations of free Americans who have gone before them.
I get called a lot of names because of my concern for America's children. I am labeled a racist, a bigot, a red neck, an extremist, a red baiter-you name it. But I am rarely, if ever, called insincere....
The children of America need our help, and while you ladies already do more than your share, I'm asking you to do even more.
AUDITORIUM BIBLE CLASS (Trinity Baptist Church)
August 31, 1969
Jacksonville, Florida
We must not only be willing to humble ourselves and seek His face, we must be willing to turn from our wicked ways.
The truth is, if we had been the strong, courageous Christians we should have been, we would not be losing the right to our properties, our busi-
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nesses, and our freedom, and seeing our children snatched from us and placed under the jurisdiction of federal blackmailers and guideline pushers.
BEMISS ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH
September 7, 1969
Valdosta
Serving as governor has afforded many occasions such as this. Each time I stand before a congregation I am reminded of how much I need the prayers of Christian people as I seek to carry out my duties.
I am thankful to God for you and other Christians in Georgia and throughout the country who have stood with and prayed for Lester Maddox. I appreciate your cooperation and encouragement.
VALDOSTA CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS
September 7, 1969
As a Christian school, your institution will emphasize the importance of the Word of God in the process of learning.
One of the objectional trends of much of our modern education is the failure to put God and the Bible at the center of learning. As a result, education has become more and more materialistic, where true values are forgotten, and where too many students are not trained to make a living and too few arc taught how to live. Morals and ethics arc often neglected....
The world needs more than education which teaches how to conquer space but fails to teach us how to conquer our spirits and curb the destructive tendencies of human nature.
GLENHAVEN BAPTIST CHURCH
September 7, 1969
Decatur
I appreciate this opportunity to come to Glenhaven this evening to worship and to have fellowship with God's people.
I know that some of you might be wondering what Lester Maddox, a governor, is doing up in the pulpit of a church trying to preach a sermon.
Well, let me put your minds to rest. I am not going to preach a sermon, because I'm not a preacher. I'm just a lay Christian, like most of you; I love God, like most of you; and I believe deeply in the teachings of the Holy Bible, like most of you.
I know that most public officials are more discrete in thcir practice of religion than I am, but I find it hard to fit into the mold of the ordinary politician.
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As you might know, I just returned a few days ago from the National Governors' Conference in Colorado. While there, I proposed a resolution calling for all the governors to admit that we have failed in our battle against crime, that we had tried all the different programs and tried solving our problems with more dollars here and there, and that none of these things were working.
We have struggled and grasped for solutions and we have tried a little of almost everything, but nothing has really made a dent in the crime rate that is increasing some eleven times faster than our population growth.
I thought it was time that we tried turning the tide by serving not just as political and administrative leaders, but as spiritual leaders as well.
In order to try God's way to combat crime and immorality, I asked the other governors to stand up for God by signing this statement:
"Now, therefore, be it resolved, that we of this National Governors' Conference rise to personally and collectively draw nearer to God, and, with a living faith in His infinite wisdom, dare to serve in a capacity above and beyond that of mere political and administrative leaders, but rather, by regular deed and daily example, provide the spiritual leadership for which our people hunger and which God demands, in order that we and our people will have the will and the means to heal this great land so that we might all, once again, live in God's peace."
I know you'll find it hard to believe, but a few of the governors at the conference didn't want the resolution to even come up for a vote.
Fortunately, the majority of those present did vote to suspend the rules and let the matter come up for a vote, and I'm happy to report that the resolution was adopted as a policy statement by the conference, but I still can't get over some governors voting against it.
I spoke out on a number of issues at the conference, and often I found that mine was a lone voice-at least when the television cameras were rolling and when other reporters were listening and recording what was being said.
Some governors came around later, however, and told me in private that they believed as I did and that they surely appreciated me standing up for what I believed was right.
They believed one way on certain issues, and yet voted another way. Well, I'm the same man in my home, in my office and in a Colorado Springs washroom as I am tonight in Glenhaven Baptist Church. I don't try to hide my convictions, whether they are religious or political. I try to tell the truth, as I see it, and I suppose that's why you see the name of Lester Maddox in the news so often. When a politician tells the truth, it's so unusual that it makes news. I bare my soul to the vvorld. I say what I believe and I believe what I
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say, and I think the world would be a better place if a lot more public figures did the same.
We need governors, and other elected officials, who, when they refuse to stand up for God, can clearly be identified as standing against God.
We need a president who is unadorned with Fifth Avenue manners, makeup and make-believe, and who can clearly be seen for what he is, so that the people who elect him can know ahead of time whom and what they are electing.
We are living in a fraudulent, cover-up, hide-the-truth age, an age of hypocricy, and these lies need to be exposed to the purifying sunshine of truth.
We have some 125,000,000 people in the United States who are, in some way, affiliated with a church of some kind--over half of our entire population.
But, where are all of these good people who profess to believe in God? I'll tell you where a lot of them are: They are hiding their heads in the sand and refusing to stand up for their God, for their country and for all the things they know are right. And when Judgment Day comes, they will be caught in that awkward position and they will perish, right along with those who have taken an open stand against God and all that is good and decent in our land. When Jesus Christ walked among men, He did not walk through the alleys and backways. He walked the open roads, and news of His coming traveled before Him. He did not hide His beliefs. He did not compromise with evil. Even to the powerful scribes and Pharisees, Jesus dared to speak out. We read in Matthew 23: 27 -28:
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanliness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocricy and iniquity.
We recall, too, that even the trusted disciple, Peter, denied knowing Jesus, as He had predicted-not just once, but three times.
And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly.
Too many of our people are denying Christ today. Too many people are afraid to stand up and be counted.
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They are afraid of losing a vote, a dollar or a friend if they stand up and profess a love for their Lord Jesus Christ.
My friends, we are at war, not only in Southeast Asia, but right here in the United States, right here in Georgia, and right here in the City of Decatur.
We are at war with communism, with anarchy, with immorality, with atheism and with apathy.
It is time for every real Christian to stand up and be counted.
If the American way of life, our religious freedom, and all the other precious liberties and freedoms which have been bought with the toil and sweat and blood of patriots past and present are to be preserved, we must all do our part.
It is up to you, the men and women, the boys and girls, and all the people of this state and this nation who truly love God, who truly love America and who truly love freedom to stand up to any and all enemifS who would destroy the American way of life, regardless of the price of such a stand.
Dare to be unpopular. Dare to be ridiculed. Dare to bare your heart and soul to the world. Dare to lose a job, to forfeit a promotion, to lose an election, to miss a sale, to lose a sweetheart, or to do whatever else is necessary to bring us together again as a nation of God-fearing, law-abiding. patriotic people. Dare to be a Christian.
Dare to be a Christian and follow the example set for us by Jesus Christ, who, rather than compromise on what Father in Heaven had taught Him was right, suffered a terrible, but temporary, death on thf cross.
It is not easy to be laughed at, to be ridiculed, to be scorned and rejected by others, but what a small price that would be to pay if it bought renewed freedom and a renewed dedication to God in this great country.
If we are ever to truly substitute Christian salvation for the social salvation which is being preached in our nation-often in the very house of God-then we must do it.
The bums, the beatniks, the parasites, the socialists, and the atheists are not going to take up the banner of Christianity and lead this nation to salvation.
It's up to you and me.
The battle will be hard. The trials will be many. And not all who stan the march will be able to keep in step.
But we can all be comforted by the knowledge that God stands with those who are right, and He stands against those who are wrong.
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SOUTHERN BAKERS ASSOCIATION Annual Production Conference
September 9, 1969
The main people who were burned up about the election [of Govcrnor Maddox] were those who were used to getting their own man elected. In order to become governor, I had to beat the state and national Republicans and Democrats, the city halls, the courthouses and all the big-money interests in Georgia, and especially some of the Atlanta news world.
A lot of people were counting Lester Maddox along with the doughnut holes when they took their polls, but I turned out to be a four-layer cake with some fairly unusual icing....
I don't do things the way they're "supposed" to be done; I do things the way they nced to be done. And a lot of people boiled over when I put a lock on their favorite cookie jar.
HOME BUILDERS ASSOCIATION Of Metropolitan Atlanta
September 9
I believe that the proposals I offer for the new connector and rapid transit over the connector and over the perimeter, along with essential feeder arteries and rapid transit feeder bus routes would provide for Atlanta's growth to a metropolitan arca of some 4,000,000 people or more~ and at a cost of not more than $500,000,000. Not only does it provide us with an efficient rapid transit system, but it also includes a new west connector, which I consider absolutely essential. ...
DOLLY MADISON BAKERY Groundbreaking Ceremonies
September 10, 1969
Columbus
Profit seekers settled the West, provided the common man with fast, efficient transportation, sent a man to the moon, eased the burdens of the housewife and added twenty years to the life of every U.S. citizen....
Although we in state government are not seeking a profit, I have found that the principles of good business apply very well to the administration of public monies.
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INDUSTRIAL MANAGEMENT Governor's Conference
September 12, 1969
Already, during the first four months of this year, Georgia and Florida were the two top states in the percentage of per capita income increase.
But as in most other businesses, the job of selling Georgia must rely primarily upon satisfied customers to do the bulk of the advertising. When a firm invests in Georgia and finds that the cooperative community which wooed them in the beginning remains cooperative and friendly, you can be sure that the word will get back to others in the firm's home state.
UNITED VAN LINES AGENTS
September 12, 1969
I understand that United is one of the top four carriers in the United States. As a businessman, I know that you don't attain that kind of growth unless you are giving a lot of customers what they want.
LIONS CLUB REGIONAL CONFERENCE On International Affairs
September 15, 1969
Statesville, North Carolina
I predicted back in the late '50s that there was a great voice of conservatism in America struggling to be heard, and that it would gain strength in the '60s and be heard at the voting booths throughout America.
The roar of these conservatives was heard during the last national election, but their voice was still too weak to drown out the whining of the leftwing liberals who continue to demand that the Constitution be ignored to pacify a loud-mouthed minority.
But the moment that the Lions and other God-fearing, country-loving people in this nation determine that they have had enough of the policies dictated by selfish special interest groups, then you will see the harmful trends which we witness today being reversed.
INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS International Association
September 18, 1969
There is no person anywhere who loves his country more than Lester Maddox; I exalt our Constitution, I fully support our republican form of
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355
government, and I cherish the democratic ideals which are part of my heritage as an American....
The producers and achievers in this nation don't have to be told to keep close watch on their homes, their businesses, their factories and their other personal interests, but it is obvious that too few of these people who can contribute so much to their government's efficient operation are not even very interested in what's going on in our executive centers, our legislatures and the scores of bureaus and departments of government.
GEORGIA PEANUT FESTIVAL
September 20, 1969
Sylvester
But good government requires the involvement of good people in it. You're not going to make me mad if you write and tell me that I'm doing something you don't like, but you will make me mad if you let me keep doing it and you don't gripe to anybody but your wife or your neighbor.
JUSTICES OF THE PEACE AND CONSTABLES Georgia Association, Fourth Annual Meeting
September 21, 1969
Perry
There is a trend nowadays to centralize, consolidate, amalgamate and complicate, but I'm very much against taking government away from the people and giving it to far-away bureaucracies.
I was beginning to think that I was the only governor of the fifty who wasn't ready to turn over state governments to total federal control, but I was heartened by the response of real Southern governors at the recent Southern Governors Conference in Virginia.
COWETA LODGE NO. 60, F.&A.M.
September 23, 1969
Newnan
Now, some folks have said that Lester Maddox is a riddle. They don't understand why I do some of the things that I do. Well, I believe that the number-one key to my personality, to my efforts and to my determinations comes from my ever-growing faith in God, and the second driving force in my life comes from my concern for America's youth.
THE LOVABLE COMPANY Groundbreaking Ceremonies
September 24, 1969
Buford
There are no better salesmen of our state than those industrialists and
"
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
those businessmen who have risked their fortunes in Georgia and found our people willing and able to help them protect and profit by those investments.
I have no doubt but that the Lovable Company will make the expansions planned for this site at a later date.
PHI BETA KAPPA SOCIETY
September 24, 1969
University of Georgia
Without the University of Georgia and its offspring throughout the state, the industrial revolution which has so bolstered our economy on recent years would have been impossible.
I believe I am justifiably proud of the part which the Maddox administration has played in giving Georgia a national image as the education, transportation, communications and industrial hub of the Southeast.
DEDICATION, KENDALL COMPANY
September 25, 1969
Marvin Griffin Road, Augusta
While investigating our state, I am sure that the Kendall people were intrigued by Georgia politics. We have a brand of our own that is fascinating to most newcomers to our state.
I was fascinated myself by some of the things I found going on in state government when I first took on the job as chief executive.
I ripped off some bandages from various state departments and agencies and found that many operations had been infected with inefficiency, patronage, dishonesty and immorality.
JC-VA PRE-EMPLOYMENT CENTER
September 25, 1969
Augusta
I understand that this workshop is the first of its type in the United States, and it seems only natural that it should be built in Georgia and that it should be organized by the Jaycees and the Veterans Hospital.
Our state has long been recognized as an experimenter and an innovator, and we have become greatly concerned with the well-being of our veterans who so bravely fought and sacrificed for this country and its citizens.
BREMEN FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH Annual Deacons Banquet
September 27, 1969 If all Americans were as dedicated to servmg God as you men and
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357
women here today, it is very likely that Lester Maddox would still be out on Hemphill Avenue in Atlanta serving chicken to satisfied customers ... and loving it.
And I say that for two reasons. First of all, my business would never have been taken away from me by my government and, secondly, conditions in our state and in our nation would not have been such as to inspire me to seek public office. . . .
I felt I could best serve God by serving in a policy-making public office.
BURGESS ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH
September 28, 1969
Pensacola, Florida
In my service as Governor of Georgia, material values and political power have not been my goals. My goal has been to serve God, my country and my fellowman. I have sought to carry out this goal with thanksgiving to God for His mercy, love and provisions for my needs, always seeking His forgiveness and wisdom that I may serve according to His will.
SWORD OF THE LORD FOUNDATION
September 28, 1969
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
When Americans and Christians are willing to consider their ways and acknowledge their sins before a Holy God and be willing to turn from those sins then we will see a revival that will bring a new day of power and blessing for this land.
Those in positions of leadership in our national government will listen to you and other good Christians in this country.
RESEARCH LODGE, NO. 102, F.&A.M.
September 30, 1969
Macon
So I urge every God-fearing, country-loving person in America who would like to preserve the morals of our people to take every piece of this [unsolicited] filth which comes into his home through the mails or otherwise and send it to the president, along with a note requesting that the production and distribution of this material be made illegal in the United States.
NORTHWEST ORIENT AIRLINES
October 2, 1969
Tour Sales Agency Meeting
In October, Northwest Orient Airlines will have been flying into Atlanta
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for ten years, and on your anniversary I want to congratulate you for the wonderful job you have done to promote our state. I understand that last year alone you ladies were responsible for selling 400 to 500 rooms in Atlanta's motels and hotels.
DEDICATION OF E-Z MILLS, INC.
October 2, 1969
Wrightsville
I understand that seventy-five employees now staff this magnificent new plant in Wrightsville, and that within the next three months you expect to increase your force to 250 workers. New employees, larger payrolls, and more land acquisition will bring growth to the whole Wrightsville area.
STATE AFL-CIO CONVENTION
October 2, 1969
Savannah
I believe I am in a better position to appreciate the contributions of the workers you represent than any other governors and public officials would be.
Although I have never held a union card myself, I have always been a working man, and I come from a family of working people, many of them union members.
LOGANVILLE BAPTIST CHURCH
October 5, 1969
It is the task of the true children of God to use their influences and their prayers to bring our nation back to her spiritual sanity. Our country is not going to be saved by the beatniks, misfits, criminals, communists and moral weaklings. Our responsibility is to demonstrate the saving, keeping power of the Lord.
HAMPTON FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
October 5, 1969
If America ever needed a spiritual revival, America needs it now. If there ever was a time when we needed to hear voices from the White House, the Supreme Court and the halls of Congress calling a nation to prayer, it is now.
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GOVERNOR'S CONFERENCE ON EDUCAnON
October 8, 1969
The illegal and immoral efforts of HEW and the U.S. Department of Justice, with the condonement of some educational officials in our own state, have benefited no child, black or white, but, instead, in many instances, have made it virtually impossible for some children to get a proper education, and I challenge any person here, in Washington, D.C., or anywhere else to prove this statement wrong.
ATLANTA CITY SALESMEN'S CLUB
October 9, 1969
Mr. Hodgkins has informed me that your club is limited to fifty full members. By a strange concidence, I am a member of a very exclusive club which is also limited to fifty full members.
This club had a meeting recently out in Colorado Springs, Colo., and my presence there served to unify the membership.
I'm talking about the National Governors Conference, of course, which voted 98 per cent against states' rights, constitutional government and freedoom, and 100 per cent against Lester Maddox.
ABRAHAM BALDWIN AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE
October 11, 1969
George Conger Day, Tifton
I want to assure Dr. Conger that his gift, which is going to build the fine medical clinic here, will be protected by this administration. The decent students of this state, the decent and dedicated professors and teachers of this state and college and university administrators who are willing to take a stand for education and the preservation of the rights of all students and professors, will receive the whole-hearted support of the Maddox administration.
FREEDOM OF CHOICE GROUPS In South Hampton, Isle of Wight, Nasemond and Greenville Counties,
Virginia, and the City of Portsmouth
October 12, 1969
South Hampton, Virginia
I appreciate this opportunity given me by you good people of Virginia
to visit this mecca of freedom and democracy and to exchange ideas with
those people in this area of our great nation who are also dedicated to the
task of restoring, protecting and preserving freedom of choice, because
without freedom of choice, there can be no freedom. Those who now deny
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our children and their parents "freedom of choice" in education are violating the U.S. Constitution and betraying our children and America.
Your state has the honor of being the first permanent English settlement in America, and your House of Burgesses, convened in 1619, was the first representative assembly in the New World.
Virginia was actively opposed to British tyranny long before the American Revolution, and was the chief battleground of the Civil War.
The great American private free enterprise system was born in Jamestown after an experiment with socialism killed off 90 per cent of the first 500 settlers.
You have a great heritage and I'm sure that you are all proud of it. Seven of the first twelve presidents of the United States were Virginians.
It is obvious that Virginians are not followers, but leaders, and I'm not surprised to see you taking a lead in the battle to protect the rights of parents, teachers and children throughout this nation who have a Godgiven right to freedom of choice in their schools.
In 1777, John Adams said, "Posterity! You will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom! I hope you will make good use of it! If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven that I ever took half the pains to preserve it!" How many times John Adams must have repented in the past decade!
If they could look at America today, how it would pain the men and women, great and small, who, for nearly two hundred years, have fought and died to make us a free people. But, I believe that the ghosts of our forefathers would be encouraged by the sight of this meeting today. I am encouraged.
I know that all of you, as I, have come here today not to demean any man or any group, but to demand that the rights of all mcn and of all groups be respected and preserved. You are here in the name of freedom.
And, it is a sad truth of our time that many of the freedoms for which Americans have fought and bled and died are being sacrificed to political expediency by those who would rather be elected than be right, by Supreme Court justices and other federal judges, by the presidents, the congressmen, the governors and other elected officials, by some leaders in education and even in our churches who are surrendering to the demands of the communists and other enemies of this great land who hate freedom, who hate democracy and who hate God.
As far back as 1920, the communists in America began demanding that social reform replace education in our schools and thousands of cxploitive politicians have taken up the cry.
The communists are demanding that school children be bussed, that classrooms be paired, that schools be closed and consolidated and that our
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children, their education, their safety and their welfare be forgotten, and these immoral demands are being echoed by presidents, congressmen, judges and bureaucrats.
The communists are demanding that God be ruled out of our lives, out of our government and out of our schools and these same demands are being made by men and women in our own government who are being paid with the taxpayers' money.
The communists are demanding that the private free enterprise system be abolished and that all industry and business be controlled by government, and law after law is passed, approved, upheld and enforced by American congressmen, presidents, judges and bureaucrats to accomplish this aim.
We find the same kind of internal support for the demands of the communists that our system of private ownership of property be put aside and forgotten.
I challenge those officials who make these demands upon their fellowAmericans to publicly identify any difference between their demands and those of the communists.
If you saw a canary barking, would you call it a bird or a dog? I'll leave that up to you.
I believe that the words of James Madison are worthy of our consideration at this time. Back in 1788, he observed that "since the general civilization of mankind ... there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of thc people by gradual and silent encroachment of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations."
How true that is today. The greatest enemy of freedom in America is not in Peking or Moscow or Hanoi; it's right here in the United States of America.
That enemy stalks openly in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
That enemy cries out from high places in government, "Surrender your children, your homes, your communities, your incomes, your businesses, your liberty and your country to the criminals, the anarchists, the communists, the parasites and the bums for if you fail to do so we may offend the enemies of freedom and America, and for fear of losing votes, elections and dollars for ourselves, you, the decent, law-abiding, country-loving and productive citizens of this great country, must surrender."
That enemy hides behind the robes of Supreme Court justices.
He sits, unmolested, in the White House and in the halls of Congress. He ravages our university campuses and carries his torch through riottorn streets. He attacks and shoots down police officers and is given aid, comfort and
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encouragement by those who cry "police brutality," but who never, never cry out against the communists, the anarchists, the rapists and the murderers.
The greatest enemy of America is the elected official who hears the enemies of our country say, "We will bury you," and "Your grandchildren will live under communism," yet offers no voice of opposition that the nation and the world will hear, proclaiming "NO, we will not be buried by communism and our grandchildren will not live under communism, but Americanism and freedom will be the victors and our grandchildren will live under God."
And, yes, he sits at home in front of a television set, watching a ballgame and drinking a beer while freedom is being destroyed in this greatest of nations.
It's hard to believe, but some parents seem to have lost their natural instinct to protect their young. We sec this instinct in operation in animals at all levels, but many humans seem willing to stand aside and let their children be sacrificed to the howling mobs.
But, not you. You have taken the time and the trouble to look into the chaos, confusion and heartache which have overwhelmed some of the public schools in your own state and in other states throughout this nation, and you have determined that something must be done. And, something can be done. There arc very few real leaders in this country today. Most elected and appointed public officials arc followers. They bend with the wind. They respond to pressures. They do what they are told to do.
For far too long the pressures have been coming from the enemies of your children and the enemies of this country. And, these special interest pressure groups don't care if your children are attacked, molested, stabbed and beaten. They don't care if your children's teachers have to spend the majority of their time searching for knives, dodging fists and spitballs, putting out trashcan fires and breaking up drug parties in the classrooms.
But, you care. And, so it's up to you to do a little pressuring of your own. If it takes marching, or chanting, or writing, or phoning, or whatever, it's up to you and other concerned parents and taxpayers to let those in power know that you want your rights, too.... . . . That you want freedom of choice in your schools. I'm sure that most of you have already written to public officials to protest the atrocities to which your children are being subjected, but I believe that the one man who can do more than any other in reversing this
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ungodly trend is President Nixon, himself. Not only can he help right these wrongs, but he is obligated to do so.
He committed himself when he told the American voters that while he favored federal aid to education, "federal control must not follow." And he also stated that the President of the United States should take the lead in turning back federal control of public education.
President Nixon is not only obligated to act because of his promise, but he is duty bound to act because he has sworn to uphold the U.S. Constitution and the denying of "freedom of choice" for our children and their parents is in violation of the U.S. Constitution. Further, it is in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and in violation of divine rights given us by Almighty God.
I would urge parents and taxpayers in Virginia and throughout this nation to cal1 upon the president to fulfill his commitment to the people.
Write him a letter tonight, or first thing tomorrow at the latest, and urge al1 of your friends, relatives and neighbors to do the same.
Tel1 him that you and other taxpayers, homeowners, businessmen and church members have made heavy investments in your communities and that you will not tolerate having the integrity and growth potential of those communities destroyed by short-sighted bureaucrats who make unwarranted and il1egal invasions with satchels full of orders to bus your rhildren, to pair their classrooms, to close their schools and to jeopardize the education, safety and well-being of al1 children, of all races, for al1 time.
Tel1 him that you are tired of dictators in HEW, in the Justice Department and on his own staff forcing conditions upon you and your children from which they, themselves, are free and aloof.
Tell him that you're fed up with having the best teachers in your schools quit and seek other employment because they are not allowed to teach and because they fear for their own safety.
I believe that such a campaign, if waged long enough and hard enough, along with other legal pressures, could be successful.
God forgive us if we don't try.
We must write until our hands cramps call until our voices give out .
. . . march until our feet ache . . . . and protest until we are heard and heeded. And, while we are demanding changes, we need not sit idly by and wait for such changes. We can work in a positive direction to correct the situation ourselves. One way to do that is to give more support to the idea of private schools. The same people who are causing such turmoil in our public
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. 11ADDOX
schools are attenlpting to smother out private education with the same deadly grasp.
If we arc to meet our responsibility to every boy and girl in this nation, we need both public and private education. One complements the other. They provide a necessary competitive spirit.
In my O\\"n State of Georgia, I plan to name a commission in the very ncar future to study elementary and secondary private education and to determine the state's proper role and duty in this vital area of our total educational program.
Another commission will be named to make a similar study of private higher education.
A third, but no less important group, \\"ill be commissioned to make a comprehensive study of this overall effect of HEvV's bloody \\"ar against education in our great state.
I am also considering legal action directed at trying to restore "equal protection under the law" to you and your children and others like you across the enited States \\ho are denied constitutional rights granted to other citizens.
:My reasoning is that those parents, children. teachers, taxpayers and other community members \\"ho are not subjected to forced bussing, pairing of classes, school closings and consolidation are being granted rights under
th:" e. S. Constitution that are denied you. your children and others who
are forced to accept bussing, pairing, school closings and consolidations. I am convinced that HEW and other officials \\"ho make such demands
on you and your children ha\'e placed social reform, the demands of the communists and political expediency ahead of the education, safetv and welfare of your children and grandchildren. In my opinion, they arc not concerned \\ith the education of either black or white children.
It is my judgment that it is illegal discrimination by government to force a certain percentage racial make-up of one school in any section of a city, county or state, or the nation, unless every school in each city, county and state throughout the nation is forced to accept the same percentage racial make-up. Thus, those parents and children forced to surrender to such demands arc denied "equal protection under the law" afforded their fello\\" Americans. Such action by officials of government is both cruel and criminal.
I will continue to do everything \\"ithin my legal pO\\Tr to protect the rights and freedoms of all citizens, and one of the most fundamental of those rights is freedom of choice in schools.
It may require a mass march to \Vashington. n. C., to get our point
across to those in pO\\"er, but if that is the case, so be it. You can be sure that Lester \Iaddox \\ill march and stand with the
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mothers, fathers, educators, professionals and business people who realize the ever-increasing danger of continued federal domination of public education and who are willing to risk their fortunes, their safety-yes, even their very lives to protect our children and their education.
And, while we're in that great city where total federal control has made a ludicrous mockery of education, we can let our president, our congressmen and those lurking behind the doors of the Supreme Court building know about a few other things that have been on our minds.
We can let them know that we're tired of being unsafe on the streets and insecure in our homes because our policemen have been handcuffed and prohihited from enforcing the law, because the courts continue to loose murderers, rapists and robbers \\"ho have been duly convicted of their crime and because weak-kneed politicians continue to be more concerned about the rights of criminals than they are about the rights of decent, law-abiding, hard-working and God-fearing citizens \\"ho pay their salaries"
\Ve can voice our frustration ahout our government's sacrificing more than 40,000 of our finest young men in a stupid, no-win war in Vietnam where they are forced to fight and die by the communists' rules and where they are not allO\\"ed to take advantage of more than a fraction of this great and powerful nation's economic and military might.
\Ve can let it be known that if our sons and fathers and brothers and husbands arc going to lay down their Ii\"es for freedom of choice in Southpast Asia, \\"e will have freedom of choice in the United States of America.
I believe that such a march would be joined by thousands-perhaps millions-of other Americans, just like you, who don't want any more "Great Societies" and ":\'ew Deals" and "New Federalism," but who \\"ant an opportunity to have what is rightly theirs and who want the freedom to take it or leave it.
I get letters and calls and visits from people from all over the L'nited States every day, and I know that we are not alone ill our fight. We are not alone because we are right. and there are millions of right-thinking Americans still left out there.
But, not all of them know how serious the threat to education and to the very survival of our republic has become.
I'm going to do everything \\"ithin my pO\\"er to let them know. I have already spoken. or will in the near future, speak with friends Il1 Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Florida. Texas, Indiana, Colorado, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee. =Vfississippi, Alabama, and other states.
And, wherever I go, I tell the people \\"hat I \I"ant for this great land, because it's what they want, and what you \I"ant, too.
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I want local control of education where freedom of choice is a reality and not just a dream.
I want citizens to be safe on the streets and secure in their homes and to have a nation where law and order is more than a political gimmick.
I want constitutional government restored and preserved. I want every citizen to be able to enjoy his right to private property. What a tragedy it is that the enemies of the constitutional government, America and freedom-have made the rights of the property owner less than the rights of the non-property owner. I want to see the American private free enterprise system flourish and I want to see our children taught to respect the economic system which has made this the richest, most powerful nation ever known to man. I want victory over communism in Southeast Asia, and I want victory over communism in the United States of America. And I want this victory first in the United States, because there is no hope of victory in Southeast Asia so long as we continue to encourage, feed, clothe, house, finance and surrender to the demands of the communists and the anarchists in Washington and elsewhere in this nation. It is a lie to, and betrayal of, the American people to profess to be fighting communism in Vietnam and at the same time support it in the United States and elsewhere in the world. Those who profess to be fighting for "freedom of choice" for the Vietnamese and deny it to our children and their parents at home should be removed from public office and tried for treason. I want freedom for myself, my family and for everyone of my fellow Americans who love their country, their liberty and their children. To those in or out of public office who do not love America, who would desecrate the United States flag, call for a communist victory over our fighting men and those who would destroy private free enterprise, destroy the rights to private property and who would deny American children and their parents a "freedom of choice" in public education-I submit without reservation that they should be in jailor out of the country. I will fight for these rights and freedoms, until my last breath is spent and my last drop of blood is spilled. I would rather be all dead than half slave. There can be no compromise with tyranny. There is no substitute for freedom.
JAYCEE GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS CONFERENCE
October 12, 1969
. . . Like you, I'm always ready to try to help people help themselves. I know what it's like to be down and out and in need of a friend.
I used to be so poor that all we'd have for supper a lot of times was
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milk and bread. And, in really hard times, we'd have to eat that with a fork to conserve the milk.
Maybe that was the beginning of my conservative philosophy. But, regardless of how I came to be the way I am, I have no regrets about being Lester Maddox. Of course, I'd really be worried if I believed everything I read about myself in the fishwrappers. Like I told a fellow not too long ago who came up and apologized to me for having voted for my opponent in the election, if I had believed everything I read about Lester Maddox in the papers, I wouldn't have voted for him either. I've been ridiculed quite a bit about my conservatism and my unorthodox way of doing things, but that doesn't bother me too much. It does get to me, though, when somebody makes fun of my belief in God. I know it's unusual for a governor to be so open and public with his religion, but there's not much that I can do about that. I was a Christian a long time before I became governor, and I will be a Christian a long time after I leave that office. I just couldn't buy the idea that I should put my religion in some anteroom while I made dicisions which affect some 4,500,000 of my fellow Georgians. I know that you young rnen do your best to follow the Jaycee creed, not only while you're at Jaycee meetings, but in your daily lives as you conduct your business, take care of your families and have good times.
FLAT SHOALS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PTA.
October 14, 1969
Decatur
. . . It is your money which we spend at the statehouse, and rt rs your children who are affected by the policies which are established by your elected representatives and their appointees.
You should be interested in what's going on up there, and you will always be welcome to stop by my office and let me know if things aren't being done the way you think they should be.
As governor I have a lot of influence on policies dealing with education and other areas of government. But that influence is worthless unless I have the wholehearted support of people like you who are also interested in providing our children \\ith the best in education.
OPENING OF INTERSTATE 285 October 15, 1969
One of the first things I am sure we will all notice is a reduced number of vehicles clogging Atlanta's streets. I am not saying that rush hour traffic
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
jams are a thing of the past, but I am saying that motorists and truckers who do not need to come to downtown Atlanta, now have a speedy additional route to suburban areas and other parts of the state and nation.
BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION
October 17, 1969
I have enjoyed working with GBIA officials and members, and I appreciate the support, encouragement and cooperation which you have given this administration. By vvorking together to take the story of Georgia's potential to the nation and to the world, we have brought about an industrial revolution. Already, during this administration, we have gained more than a billion dollars in new and expanded industry.
WINTERVILLE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
October 19, 1969
In our modern age of scientific achievement, when man has penetrated the regions of outer space and made travel to other planets a present reality, and while we are able to forecast the weather and read the face of the sky, we have failed to read the signs of the times.
. . . America may be able to send three men to the moon and back, and televise close-up pictures of a planet 60,000,000 miles away. but on this earth crime and violence have escaped the control of men.
GEORGIA ROADSIDE COUNCIL
October 20, 1969
It's a pity that there aren't more people like you who will take the initiative to get involved-to transform their potential energies into kinetic energy. Your attempts to preserve Fernbank and get legislation passed to promote the Driver Education program in our schools show that you are not ladies to stand idly by and wait for others to take action-you get right in and punch.
American Association OF PASSENGER TRAFFIC OFFICERS
October 20, 1969
Back in 1889, when AAPTO last met in our city, Underground Atlanta was the business district and there wasn't too much "overground" Atlanta around. But Atlanta has come a long way from the little railroad town of Terminus that it used to be.
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369
And now Atlanta, and most of the rest of the great State of Georgia, is moving full steam ahead to bigger and better things. Our one-time image as a narrow gauge puffer-belly has long since been dispelled. . . .
NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION CONFERENCE
October 21, 1969
We in Georgia are keenly aware of our dependence upon the transportation industry to keep our state, the nation and, in fact, the world moving.
There is a delicately balanced interdependence arnong all of our industries and institutions, both public and private, and those provide the means of moving our people and our products weigh high in that balance.
PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATION OFFICERS
October 22, 1969
Atlanta Police Academy
All the electronic marvels in the world cannot enable you to do a good job unless you have the support of the people. It is not enough to just obey the law: every citizen must demand that all others obey the law, regardless of their race, religion or politics.
DORIC MASONIC LODGE NO. 548
October 23, 1969
Panthersville Road, Decatur
Regardless of what kind of fancy name you give it, the new morality is not really new; it's the same thing that my generation came to know as immorality.
And the sad thing is that the morality gap and the patriotism gap are both being encouraged and widened by the "over thirty" generation who should know better. In fact, I am convinced that they are more responsible for the gap than are our young people.
BIBLE BELIEVERS AND PATRIOTS
October 25, 1969
Trenton, New Jersey
Some are now demanding a unilateral cease-fire by our American troops in Vietnam. Such a move would betray every American who ever has fought and sacrificed and died to preserve freedom in this country, and it would betray those brave men who are fighting even now for you, for me, and for free people throughout the world.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
MACEDONIA BAPTIST CHURCH
October 26, 1969
Macon
I have never been as strong a Christian as I want to be. I am not satisfied with my duty as a father, as a husband and for having done so little for my country that has done so much for me. But each day I try to do a better job, asking God to forgive my failures and praying for direction and strength from Him.
TIFTON KIWANIS CLUB
October 27, 1969
The histOly books were written, apparently, by men who loved America because, by reading them, I developed an ever greater love for my country and appreciation of my heritage as an American. But some of the history books which I have seen being used in our schools today inspire little more than disgust. They are so full of myths and misinformation that a youngster who came out of a course still proud of being an American probably just didn't do his homework.
MERIWETHER PUBLIC WORKS CAMP
October 29, 1969
Greenville
You know, right after I first came into the governor's office, a number of Georgia prison inmates went to great pains to come to see me. These visits were sometimes a little too exciting for my security men, however, and so I've tried to encourage those men who don't have official permission to leave the prison grounds to not come to see me, but let me come sec them. I think it works out better that way around.
I know it's not a funny thing to be in prison. I feel the same way about cartoons. They're pretty funny unless it's you that's in them.
ALL SOUTH CREDIT CONFERENCE
October 30, 1969
When it comes to choosing the best place to hold a conference, I'll have to give your convention chairman credit for knowing what he's doing.
You are now located in the industrial, financial, educational and cultural hub of the entire Southeast. I hate to sound like a braggart, but it's hard for me to tell the truth about Georgia without sounding like I'm exaggerating.
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371
GEORGIA LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
October 30, 1969
If, however, I did have to restrict my library to two volumes, I wouldn't have to think very long about which books I would choose. I would have to have a Holy Bible, and it would be pretty hard for me to get along without a well-indexed and accurate American history book.
It is comforting to know, however, that when I cannot find a book in my own library, there is always some library nearby to fill the need.
ATLANTA YOUTH RANCH
October 30, 1969
Forest Park
The thousands of young people who have discovered Christ as the Way, the Truth and the Life through the ministry of this organization are a testimony to the vision, love and dedication of those who conceived and inaugurated such an enterprise.
As I salute your efforts, may I also pledge my full support and prayers as you continue to expand your facilities and resources to meet the enthusiastic response of the Christian teens in Clayton County.
MIKE COLWELL STADIUM
October 31, 1969
Union County School, Blairsville
By dedicating this stadium to the memory of Mike Colwell, we are dedicating ourselves to our children, promising to love, protect and guide them through their hazardous youth, their troubled adolescence and their challenging young adulthood.
The contributions which came in nickels, dimes and dollars from people of all ages and circumstances, given in Mike's name to help erect this magnificent structure, were given as tokens of love, respect, admiration and, yes, sympathy, for the Colwell family.
GOVERNOR'S DAY CELEBRATION
November 1, 1969
Westville
I am delighted to be back in the reconstructed town of Westville. I wasn't around in 1850, I'm happy to say, but I am well aware of the community spirits which existed then, and which, in fact, continued on up through much of the first half of this century. People had to stand together, or perish. There were many common enemies which could be met successfully only through unity.... When it was time to "make hay
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
while the sun was shining," neighbor helped neighbor. When one man had to be away from his family for any length of time, another man would stop by to check on the wife and children.
MEMORIAL HOSPITAL AND NURSING HOME
November 2, 1969
Duluth
In years to come, I know that those who occupy the beds in this new addition will be very thankful that all of you had the spirit and ga\'C of your time to make these excellent facilities available for all \\ho will need them. And as I officially cut this ribbon, I \\ant to dedicate this addition to the Joan Clancy Hospital and Nursing Home to all \\"ho gave of themselves in order to give comfort, to give health ancl to give life to someone else.
CIVIC CLUBS OF LYONS
November 4. 1969
... Georgia's industry has grown and grown-more than one billion, three hundred million dollars worth during this administration alone. That's hardly representative of the catastrophe predicted by so many of Lester YIaddox's critics. They had predicted that our schools would close, new plants would stay away and there would be rioting. chaos and disorder throughout Georgia. They said that Georgia would go to pot, P-O-T.
But rather than going to pot, Georgia has gone to top, T.O.P, and it's still climbing.
IDEAS AND ISSUES DIVISION University "Cnion
November 6, 1969
"Cniversity of Georgia
I have been asked to give my views on the Vietnam "tvloratorium which was staged last month, and which is scheduled to be repeated a week fr0111 today.
Regardless of the motives of those participating in such a movement, the end result of their acts is to aid and abet the enemies of the United States of America and the enemies of freedom.
I am convinced that many patriotic and well-intentioned persons, both young and old, arc committing "accidental treason" in their uncontrolled zeal for an end to the war in Vietnam at any cost.
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373
1970 ATLANTA AUTOMOBILE SHOW
November 7, 1969
I'm not down here to make a speech, today, although I am never at a loss for words.
I just wanted to let everybody here know that we of the Maddox administration appreciate the immense contributions to Georgia's economy made by those of you in the business of manufacturing, selling and servicing automobiles.
The state tax on motor vehicle fuel, state license tax on motor vehicles and tax on motor vehicle operators made up 22.1 per cent of Georgia's total tax revenue during 1968.
Georgians traveled more than 13 billion miles in 1968 and it is estimated that they will travel more than 14 billion miles this year.
More than 2,000,000 motor vehicles were registered in our state last year, and an eight per cent increase is expected for 1969.
With three major automobile assembly plants in our state, each with multi-million dollar payrolls, along with some 680 franchised auto dealers and 1,400 used car dealers, it is obvious \\hy we say Georgia is a "State on the Go," and it is obvious that the auto industry provides much of the fuel that makes us go.
r am sure that all of you are familiar with the little foreign made car
which kept coming out with about the same model year after year. Its increasing bite into the American market kinda "bugged" some American manufacturers and dealers, and so a competitive product has been put on the market.
In a way, I've done about the same thing in state government. Year after year, politicians kept coming out with the same old model and the people kept buying it. But, Lester Maddox introduced a new model, the "~1addox HE~1" (that's honesty, efficiency and morality) whieh is turning out to be both economical and pleasing to the eye.
r have insisted that anybody who wants to has the right to do more
than just look through the show window or walk by and kick a tire. We have invited citizens from all walks of life to get involved in their
government, to come in and open up the hood. to check the gauges, look into the trunk and take a test drive.
Such a policy would soon wear out a new car, but it has put a new shine on state government ... a shine of cleanliness.
And, as long as people keep looking and keep asking questions, it will stay clean.
I appreciate being invited to view your new models today, and I would
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
like to return the courtesy by inviting all of you down when you havc time to look at my new model.
I think if you really give it a going over, you'll like it. Thank you, and on with the show.
CALVARY BAVTIST CHURCH
November 9, 1969
Rittman, Ohio
There are many reasons why officials in government hold the position that we cannot teach there is a God, but offer no apparent opposition to those who teach there is no God, and promote programs which disburse public funds to those who teach communism, lawlessness and the overthrow of the United States government, but the main reason is because Christian Americans have been silent and have not taken their stand for the Lord Jesus Christ.
DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP DINNER
November 10, 1969
Albany
I am grateful for the outstanding leadership which has been given us by our chairman, the Honorable James Gray. He has met unprecedented challenges with courage and foresight. He has worked for the party and he has worked for the people.
Many of you have been keeping late hours in your efforts to gain support, both financial and moral, for the Democratic party of Georgia, and you are certainly to be commended for your contributions. However, I believe you will all agree that the real workhorse of the party is Georgia's beardless Abraham Lincoln (and I'm talking about looks and not party affiliations), the executive director of the Georgia Democratic party, Mr. Joe Sports.
I understand that Joe has gotten the politician bug and may be seeking public office himself, soon. I only hope that his replacement as party director will prove half as competent and congenial as Joe. Joe and I have had our differences of opinions at times, but he's a gracious gentleman even when he's wrong.
There's another fellow who, in his way, has contributed something to the Democratic party of Georgia, and who has high hopes of contributing even more. Some of you may know him. His name is Lester Maddox. . ..
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375
VETERANS DAY CEREMONIES
November 11, 1969
Georgia Capitol
I thank God for those teachers and those professors who are not only skilled and dedicated and able to teach academic courses, but who also are able to inspire young people, to teach them good citizenship, the value of morals, and what made this country great and how to keep it that way.
It is time to demand that those in the White House, in the Congress, in the Supreme Court, in the state houses, in the city halls and in every bureau, department and commission which operates by the sweat of our brows and the labor of our muscles begin serving our interests.
VETERANS OF WORLD WAR I, USA, INC. General Walter A. Harris Barracks 1261
November 11, 1969
Macon
If, while you were dodging the bullets and bayonets of our enemies in your trenches in Europe, somebody had told you that American soldiers would one day have to fight with their hands tied behind their backs, you would not have believed it.
You would not have believed that Americans' rights under the U. S. Constitution-the Constitution you were fighting to defend-would one day be nullified by Supreme Court decisions and by bureaucratic edicts.
The will to win World 'Var I would not have been here in such great abundance if you had been told that, some fifty years later, treason against the great United States of America would not only be tolerated, but even encouraged, by some high-ranking public officials.
COLUMBUS TRAFFIC CLUB
November 13, 1969
For the first time in our history, a governor is trying to do something for all Georgia communities and for all of our citizens, and most of the people realize that and support this administration and its efforts. I think it's time the politicians got their heads out of the sand and started supporting it, too.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
DEDICATING A NEW WELCOME CENTER
November 13, 1969
Interstate Highway 20, Augusta
This eighth Georgia Welcome Center will go a long way toward making Georgia number one in tourism.
A ninth would go even further. ...
GOVERNOR'S CONFERENCE ON TOURISM
November 13, 1969
Augusta
I get carried away talking about all the good hunting and fishing, the 700 miles of cold water trout streams in North Georgia, the mountain trout, river perch, lake bass and deep-sea tarpon, the quail, wild turkey, deer, bear, fox and other game.
I have to tell people about the seventeen large rivers covering 2,818 miles, and that Georgia has more than 400,000 acres in large lakes for recreation.
American Association of STATE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
November 16, 1969
. . . these are trying times for all of our people, but especially for those in positions of leadership. Leaders in al1 our public institutions, in business, in government, and wherever you look, are being subjected to pressures which, twenty-five years ago, would never have been imagined. Groups of dissidents vvho would destroy all forms of authority, and especially those institutions which they see as representing the "establishment," have demanded and received much more attention than they deserve.
PICKENS INDUSTRIAL ~lANAGEMENT CLUB
November 17, 1969
Greenvil1e, South Carolina
I can think of no better way to defeat America than by rewarding mediocrity.
I can think of no better way of destroying America's industrial and economic strength than by eliminating all systems of selection from hiring, firing and promoting policies.
Every American citizen deserves a chance to develop himself to his fullest potential. Whether a man is black or white, Jewish or Baptist, the son of a tenant farmer or the son of a banker, he should be judged as a person on criteria relevant to the task at hand.
.
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ATLANTA BAPTIST PASTORS CONFERENCE
November 17, 1969
Governor's Mansion
There is no greater work in the world than that of winning souls to our Saviour....
Your task, and mine, is to tell the world that we do have a Saviour, a Bible and the promise of a greater America.
The revival we need must begin with you, and those you serve.
GEORGIA FARM EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATION
November 18, 1969
You can't get along in your business without the farmer \dlO only buys a new tractor every six or seven years, and there will be no need for you to try if you will get on the Maddox wagon and help provide this administration with the horsepower needed to put this program of progress into law.
By myself, I'm just like one man with a mule. But if I am allowed the use of the machinery of public support. I can get the job done, quickly, efficiently, and inexpensively.
If Lester Maddox loses again, Georgia loses.
R. J. REYNOLDS WILDLIFE REFUGE
November 18, 1969
Sapelo Island
I am very excited about being here this afternoon to participate in these dedication ceremonies of Georgia's "newest" island.
I couldn't possibly go any further with my remarks without a very
sincere "Thank you" to :Mrs. Richard J. Reynolds, who not only agreed to
sell Sapelo Island to the state, but who was gracious enough to fly to Georgia from her home in Switzerland to participate in these ceremonies today by unveiling the dedicatory marker.
Mrs. Reynolds, on behalf of the citizens of the great State of Georgia, I want to express our gratitude to you for allO\ling the state to purchase Sapelo for usc as a wildlife refuge and marine biology research.
Even though we did not get the island for $24 and a few beads, I am aware that the price the state is paying for this valuable land is far less than it would have brought on the open market. Mrs. Reynolds consented to make a financial sacrifice and sell this island to Georgia because of her strong interest in conserving for future generations a part of this earth in its natural condition, unpolluted by the onslaught of civilization.
Let me assure you that Sapelo \I'ill remain in a fairly primitive state,
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and we will continue to utilize the island as your husband intended. Georgia now has an area which we know will never be commercially
developed and, consequently, we will always have a place for propagating game.
I also want to express my thanks to the various federal officials, members of our own Game and Fish Commission and especially to Commissioner Tift and Director Bagby who were so instrumental in the purchase of Sapelo.
Some of the outstanding economists in the country have told us that the Georgia marshlands on Sapelo are about the only areas of this type left in the country which are virtually raw marshlands that are pollution free and in a virgin state. In this respect, Sapelo is a jewel among the rocks.
This virgin area makes the island extremely important for the research being carried on by the Sapelo Institute Research Foundation and thl' University of Georgia Marine Institute, located on the southern end of the island.
The Game and Fish Commission will now be doing research in marine biology to determine what we can do to improve our seafood industry. Presently, Georgia's seafood industry brings approximately $50,000,000 annually into the economy of the state. And through research and continued study, this industry can be much improved upon, which, of course, means a life for our economy.
Not only will Georgia's economy profit, but so will her sportsmen. It has been estimated that one out of every four Georgians is either a hunter or a fisherman, and, therefore, stands to gain directly or indirectly from this acquisition. By using Sapelo Island for the propogation of turkey, deer and other game, and by releasing them where they are needed on thl'
mainland, more and more citizens will benefit from the Richard J. Rey-
nolds Wildlife Refuge. And with our population growing ever larger and our work weeks
growing ever shorter, more and more people have time to relax, hunt and participate in recreational activities in areas provided by the state.
The acquisition of Sapelo Island is part of Georgia's program to provide this service to her citizens by supplying these areas with wildlife.
Throughout its long and exciting history, Sapelo Island has passed through many hands, some of them cruel and some of them, such as those
of the late Mr. Richard J. Reynolds, kind. I think it is safe to say that
as long as there is a State of Georgia, this beautiful island will have a permanent and benevolent master.
With this in mind, let us dedicate the Richard J. Reynolds Wildlife
Refuge to the purpose for which it vI'as intended-a beautiful island, un-
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379
spoiled, unpolluted and overflowing with an abundance of wildlife.
And, before I leave you this afternoon, let me say just a few words about another kind of conservation.
If we were not concerned about the protection and preservation of this island, we could just ignore it, leave all gates unlocked, leave it unguarded and let anybody who wanted to, do anything he wanted to, on the island.
Most people would appreciate the value of keeping it in its natural state, and they would try to do that. But, others would have no thoughts about the rights of others now living or the rights of those yet unborn who would benefit from the preservation of Sapelo.
Some few, thinking only of themselves and thinking only of today, would wipe out the wild game, pollute the marshes, bum away the trees and the undergrowth, and poison or drive away the abundance of sea life that thrives here.
In short, Sapelo would be exploited, polluted and ruined for all time.
We can see this happening on another nearby island.
That great island of freedom, the United States of America, is already endangered because many Americans have neglected their duty as citizens to protect and preserve their great American heritage.
The private free enterprise system is being burned out by unreasonable demands of special interest pressure groups with fuel provided by our own government.
Local control of education is being plowed under by the ruthless machines of federal bureaucracy.
The spirit of the people is being poisoned by the proliferation of pornography, drugs, immorality and the ever-increasing anti-God theories and philosophies.
Americans' rights to private property have been shot full of holes by unconstitutional laws and court decisions.
I want to preserve Sapelo for the benefit and enjoyment of generations to come; but I am just as anxious to preserve the America that I know, and that I love, for my children and the generations to come.
Like Sapelo, our island of freedom can be preserved; but, once destroyed, it can never be restored.
Now that Sapelo has been saved, hopefully for all time, I would hope that each of you here and, indeed, each American everywhere, would now concentrate just as much energy on the task of protecting and preserving that great hunk of land to the west of us, the last bastion of true freedom, my country and your country, the United States of America.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
BOLTON CHAPTER ROYAL ARCH MASONS
November 18, 1969
I doubt that anybody likes this war any less than I do. I even wonder sometimes if there could not have been some other way to settle the conflict in Southeast Asia without sending in American troops to fight and to die. It grieves me to know that more than 40,000 Americans have died and some 300,000 have been wounded in a war which our OlIn ~overnment admits has no goal of victory.
STATE LEGISLATIVE LEADERS
November 20, 1969
By holding this national conference of state legislative leaders in Georgia, you have honored us all.
I have no doubt, however, that you will all be pkased by the choice. Georgia is a great place to visit, and an even greater place in which to live.
One of your distinguished colleagues, the Honorable George L. Smith. II, speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives, is now concluding his t\l'enty-fifth year of sen'ice to the people in the house. and he has been very much a part of the progress and prosperity which Georgia has been so fortunate as to experience.
This is my first time to serve in public office, and I am well aware that I \\"ould be outranked in political experience by any member of this elite organization. But, not being noted for my humility, I will conveniently forget for a moment that I am outranked and share with you a few of nlV ideas on how state government should be run.
I usually refer to our country as "these" United States of Amcrica, and not "the" United States of America,
I do not choose to forget that the original thirteen states \ITre sovereign political bodies before they united, and I choose to recall the Tenth Amendment of the enited States Constitution which says: "The POlITI'S not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states, respectively, or to the people."
These words are too often forgotten by some in state government \I'ho \I'ould exchange a part of their state's independence for federal dollars.
A case in point is the National GOI'Crnor's Conference in Colorado where I saw forty-seven out of forty-eight governors vote for the federal government to totally take over the administration and financing of welfare programs, totally ignoring the best interests of our city halls. our courthouses. and our state houses.
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Such moves bring to mind a prediction by a noted news commentator who said that we will see the fall of state government in our lifetime.
I believe that unless the representatives of the people, both in the executive and the legislative branches, find the courage and fortitude necessary to meet the responsibilities to their respective constituents, state governments will fall by the wayside before the onslaught of regionalism and federalism.
We should be a nation of united states, but boundary lines, both geographical and political, should be reemphasized in the future and not deemphasized as the present trend indicates that they will be.
The greatest single defense against the move to amalgamate all political entities under one centralized government is responsibility.
Every right, whether of an individual, a city, a county, or a state, carries with it a responsibility.
State governments must not fall prey to the idea that the best way to solve a problem is to turn it over to the federal government. The various states do have many common problems, but we also have many problems which are geographically unique.
Solutions to a California problem will not always work in Georgia. Solutions to a Georgia problem will not always work in New York.
We can buy freedom from our responsibilities as state leaders only by selling some of our independence, some of our freedom and some of our strength.
Strong individual states make for a strong United States. It is my hope and my belief that the results of this conference of State Legislative Leaders will contribute to an even greater United States of America by reemphasizing the independence of the various states and resolving that this independence will not be sold at any price. I hope you have a productive session while you are here in C:reorgia, but I also hope you will take time out with your lovely ladies to really enjoy some of our southern hospitality. And, if you are unsure where the good times are to be had, just call on Mr. George L. He knows them all.
INAUGURATION CEREMONIES
November 20, 1969
Georgia Institute of Technology
There have been many honors bestowed upon me since taking the oath of office as governor of the great State of Georgia. And this is certainly one of the highest.
My heart is warmed by this occasion. It is a moment of great optimism, for it signifies the beginning of a new and promising chapter in the thrilling story of education in Georgia.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
I am delighted to join in the inauguration of Dr. Arthur Gene Hansen as president of the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Georgians are gratefully aware of the magnificent contributions this institution has made to our society since its beginning.
Call the roll of people who have pioneered great technological advances and have influenced the tide of events in Georgia, the nation and elsewhere in the world in this century and you will find among them a large number of alumni of this institute.
I am speaking of the towering figures who have helped to weave the scientific, moral, economic, and cultural fiber of our land.
Dr. Hansen, you are assuming a high position of responsibility at a time when business, industry, the professions and other segments of our society are looking more and more to this institution for leadership.
I am sure that you will give the inspiration and direction necessary to continue the splendid record of progress and achievement and move Georgia Tech on to higher peaks of accomplishment in the years to come.
Georgia has confidence in your vision, ability and integrity to provide new dimensions of leadership for the changes and challenges of our time.
Personally, and on behalf of the people of the State of Georgia, I welcome you with great expectations and assure you of our prayers, our support and cooperation.
May this ceremony lead to a new era of progress and prosperity through education.
INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL Georgia Chamber of Commerce
November 21, 1969
Executive Mansion
When the rest of the nation goes up a little bit in per capita income, Georgia will go up a lot.
When the rest of the nation makes a little industrial progress, Georgia will make a lot.
It is estimated that the national population will have increased some fifty per cent by the year 2,000. I predict that Georgia's population thirty years from now will have increased 100 per cent.
GEORGIA SWEET POTATO FESTIVAL
November 22, 1969
Ocilla
By providing every Georgia community with the means to modernize their water and sewerage systems, to pave their streets and highways, to hire the policemen and firemen needed and pay them a decent salary,
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to build the recreational facilities and to keep up their schools, the incentive would then be there for private industry to move in and provide the jobs and opportunities which every man with a family wants and which every man deserves.
SOUTH SUMMERVILLE BAPTIST CHURCH
November 23, 1969
We have seen the folly of trying the solutions of men. We have trusted in the mountains of Samaria-the wisdom and power of men-and we have only lost more of our properties, our businesses and our freedom.
We have tried treaties, meetings and conferences. That have failed to solve our problems.
It is time we had a meeting with Almighty God.
PEACE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION, INC.
November 24, 1969
Time and time again, Supreme Court decisions have come out in favor of the criminal.
I think it is time that some emphasis be placed on doing something for the law-abiding, God-fearing people in this nation and doing a little less for those who seem determined to destroy all that is good and decent in America.
It is high time that the president, the U. S. Supreme Court, the Congress, other public officials, the news media and every concerned citizen got behind our dedicated, courageous and honorable men in blue and armed them to do their job.
DEKALB ADMINISTRATORS ASSOCIATION
November 24, 1969
Decatur
I am very much opposed to some of the pre-school programs which advocate taking three-and-four-year-olds out of their homes and away from the influence of their parents, but I don't consider kindergarten to be pre-school. To my way of thinking, kindergarten is just another very important part of the overall educational process that is being left out in too may instances today.
COLLEGE PARK MASONIC LODGE, NO. 454 November 28, 1969
The only thing that salves my conscience and keeps me from feeling too
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
guilty about neglecting my home lodge is the fact that I am taking advantage of the opportunity I now have to put the principles of Freemasonry into practice to the benefit of my fellow Georgians and my fellow Americans.
GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH
November 30, 1969
Simpsonville, South Carolina
But I submit to you, my friends. that there was no real need for the investigation and study as conducted by the National Commission on the Cause and Prevention of Violence, because the Bible and the books of history reveal the future of the United States, at no cost to the American taxpayer.
It does not take a rnillion-dollar government commission to tell us the fate of America. All it takes is common sense and the reading of God's word and the pages of history by those high in public office as well as the citizens of this country.
No nation has ever forsaken the Lord and escaped chaos and ruin.
American Society for PERSONNEL ADMINISTRATION
December 1, 1969
A shrewd businessman told me once about how he chooses executives for his firm. He calls the applicant into his office, and then sits back and listens.
His theory is that most people will talk themselves out of a job. I think this will pretty well be the case with those applying to the people for the job of governor. A lot of them will be jumping on 01' Lester for first one thing and then another because that has been shown to be a sure-fire way to get their name in the news.
CANTON ROTARY CLUB
December 2, 1969
Holly Springs
One project which was given a high priority by the Maddox administration has been the increasing of the standard of living of all Georgia citizens. A lot of other people outside this administration profess to be seeking the same goal, but when their plans for reaching such a goal are closely examined, it can usually be found that one group is favored over another, or one locality is favored over others.
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BIG SHANTY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL P.T.A.
December 2, 1969
Kennesaw
The Big Shanty community is very much a part of Georgia and you may be sure that you are represented in the governor's office.
I am not a big city governor; but neither am I a country governor. I try to be everybody's governor, and that sometimes gets me in trouble. All too often, the people in rural communities get the idea that I am for big cities and against them, and the people in the big cities get the idea that I am for rural communities and against them.
AMERICAN PARTY OF LOUISIANA RALLY
December 4, 1969
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
For every inch of control over education that has been gained by the federal government, a mile of personal freedom has been lost by every American, black and white.
And when a federal bureaucrat walks in the door, quality education flies out the window. This is a matter of public record. This is not just the opinion of Lester Maddox. . . .
If we could tune our ears into selected homes throughout this nation, and especially in the great Southland that has endured continuous discrimination since the march of Sherman, we would hear our humble prayer (God help our children. God help America.) echoed a thousand times at this very moment.
GEORGIA PRODUCTS DINNER
December 5, 1969
Washington, D. C.
... I want you to know that your fellow citizens back home appreciate the great sacrifices which you are making in leaving your comfortable hometowns to serve in a faraway outpost.
Evidently, though, most people up here must have pretty comfortable places to stay. Anyway, I dcn't sec too many people out on the streets in the evening.
There was one young lady who gave up her job in my office last year to come to work in \Vashington. I didn't think the regular pay was any more than we were paying, but the hazardous duty pay made it worthwhile for her to make the move.
Actually, in spite of rumors to the contrary, I am very fond of the city of Washington. This is one of our best customers for Georgia marble....
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GEORGIA SPORTSMAN'S FEDERATION
December 6, 1969
Thomaston
I am happy to meet again with the dedicated members of the Georgia Sportsman's Federation to participate in the ceremonies to honor the young people and adults who have made outstanding contributions in the area of conservation of our natural resources.
Members of this Georgia organization and their counterparts in other states are deserving of recognition themselves, for their own outstanding achievements, both as individuals and as an organization.
VICTORY BAPTIST CHURCH
December 7, 1969
Washington Wilkes
The National Commission on the Cause and Prevention of Violence has neither given us the proper causes nor has it prescribed the real solution.
What the commission is offering is nothing more than what they have been offering all the time--excuses, coverups, whitewashes and clever words to hoodwink the American people into accepting more of the same old programs which have helped to bring more turmoil, more devastation, more heartaches and problems without offering permanent solutions to our problems. . . . The real cause of the mounting crime rate is sin. And the answer to sin is salvation.
SENATE SUB-COMMITTEE ON AGING
December 9, 1969
Georgia Capitol
Of course, we are not doing nearly as much at the state level of government for our older citizens as we could and should be doing.
We have failed to provide any really substantial relief. . . . I would like to see the day in Georgia when a retired person living on a limited income in his own one-family dwelling could get $10,000 homestead exemption instead of just the $4,000 now allowed.
GRACEWOOD STATE SCHOOL Mayor's Motorcade Day
December 9, 1969 But, just as we all have put forth special effort to bring comfort and
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387
cheer to those less fortunate than ourselves during the Christmas season, it is the goal of the Maddox administration to bring hope and greater opportunities for self-improvement to all Georgians who are in need of help.
GAINESVILLE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
December 10, 1969
Although the Georgia Regional Hospital at Gainesville has not yet been funded by the Georgia General Assembly, I hope that the way will soon be cleared to assure the opening of this 300-bed facility in the not-too-distant future.
I assure you that I will do everything in my power as Georgia's governor to get the paper work behind us and get on with the job.
PROTROPIAN SOCIETY, PIEDMONT COLLEGE
December 10, 1969
Demorest
And, this year again, as in many years during the past, the Protropian Society has sponsored a Christmas party for the underprivileged children of Habersham County, showing that they are aware of the true Christian meaning of the holiday season.
TRAFFIC SAFETY Third Annual Governor's Conference
December 12, 1969
This administration has gone all out to establish and improve all traffic safety programs at all levels. The Office of Coordinator of Highway Safety, created during this administration, has set the pace in the nation for getting programs implemented and working with federal, state, city and county programs to gain uniformity. This office~along with the Georgia Safety Council-financed by foundations, individuals, business and industry-and the Georgia Teenage Safety Council, has contributed greatly to the success we have experienced in traffic safety.
MOORE AVENUE BAPTIST CHURCH
December 14, 1969
Anniston, Alabama
If there is a place for weird music, exotic dancing and lewd experimental theater-and I don't think there is-the church is certainly not such a place.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
GEORGIA EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT COUNCIL
December 14, 1969
University of Georgia
I suggest that a five-year plan for a total state-wide kindergarten program be drawn up immediately, to be implemented in five phases, as funds are available, and that we try to get $5,000,000 next January to finance Phase 1.
SOCIAL CIRCLE LIONS CLUB December 15, 1969
The greatest enemy of public education in the United States of America today is our own United States government.
LAW ENFORCEMENT APPRECIAnON
December 18, 1969
Dalton
I want to offer my heartiest commendation to those of you present here this evening, and to other law enforcement personnel throughout Georgia who, by being professionals at all times, have prevented minor disturbances from becoming major crises.
WARREN COMPANY CHRIST~IAS PARTY
December 19, 1969
My good friend, Jack Hamilton, tells me a most important event took place at the Roy D. Warren Company last October 16. On that date, the founder and builder of the company retired as chairman of the board.
So, Roy Warren, you have left some mighty big shoes to fill, but I know that you have passed things on to good hands. But words are spoken-here's something to help remember this occasion in a more tangible manner....
ROME EXCHANGE CLUB
December 19, 1969
Rome and Floyd County are today riding the crest of an eXCltmg, dramatic wave of industrial growth. You here have provided the leadership and momentum for this progress. It is my belief that your city will continue to prosper and enjoy the benefits of your hard work, and you may rest assured that Lester Maddox will offer his support and encouragement to your efforts.
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ALTURA PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
December 21, 1969
El Paso, Texas
God has, year after year, protected and preserved this republic. And
the Bible as well as the pages of history vividly remind us that moral decay
and spiritual breakdown spell ruin for any nation.
Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, Persia, Greece and other nations rose to great
power only to crumble and die when they lost touch with God....
And I believe history is repeating itself in the story of America .
America, my fellow Christians, has reached the moment of truth
The
hope of America~the hope of the whole world~is Jesus Christ.
WALTON COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS CAMP
December 26, 1969
J\10nroe
. . . These are changes of great significance to the inmates placed in our care and to those who are charged with operating a successful rehabilitation program in Georgia.
But the task is far from completed. There is much work left to be done. Every moment we delay wastes state resources because we are spending money on a system that could be better, and it wastes human resources because in many cases men are sitting idle degenerating more every day instead of being led back to a better life and a brighter future.
NORTON PARK BAPTIST CHURCH
December 28, 1969
Smyrna
We look back in appreciation for the heritage that is ours as Americans. We thank God for the Founding Fathers of this country, who came to this land with prayer on their lips, and framed the Constitution of the United States with His guidance.
This nation is the greatest, freest and most powerful the world has ever known, and it is so because it was founded on a strong faith. It grew great because our forefathers adhered to God's Commandments.
u1970~
WARNER ROBINS CHURCH OF GOD
January 4, 1970
Behind these walls, beyond these bricks and above all the spiritual aspects of this new annex, is the divine light of the Holy Spirit which gives meaning, power and lasting value, without which no church could prosper. And as the angel of the Lord spoke to the builders of the temple of God in the days of Zechariah and made known the basis and provisions for their labors, we may borrow these words: "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts."
HORMEL COMPANY TUCKER PLANT
January 10, 1970
I salute the Hormel Company and each of you here for the hard work, the planning, the vision that brought one of the world's most modern meat processing facilities into being. It is a milestone of progress for your company, for DeKalb County and for Georgia. . . . Private enterprise has provided this nation with the highest standard of living, the most freedom and prosperity, and the most opportunities for progress that any nation, at any time in history, has ever enjoyed.
FIFTH DISTRICT VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS And Ladies Auxiliary
January 11, 1970
East Point
Since your founding in 1899, the VFW has faithfully served our fighting men who breathed the heavy air of combat on foreign soil and in hostile waters-and served all Americans across this proud land who believe, as I do, that this nation is truly the land of the free and the home of the brave. You are steadfast in your defense of the Constitution.
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STATE OF THE STATE
January 13, 1970
Georgia Capitol
It's good to be back with you for another legislative session. I am sure that each member of this august body is well aware that this governor always has a hearty welcome for the members of the Georgia General Assembly. I look forward to this time of the year because the beginning of each new session is always accompanied by new hope.
We can now begin anew. We can attack those problems which we have left from past deliberations and resolve to deal effectively and courageously with those new problems which are of vital concern to our people.
It is expected that politicians will sometimes be politicians, but there comes a time in the life of every public official when politics must be set aside and every consideration be given the public good. That time is now.
The power of this free government rests with a free people-the men and women who run the machines, build the bridges, milk the cows, lay the bricks, d'rive the trucks, fry the chicken and do the other things within the private free enterprise system which earn our government a living, and make our government possible.
I think it is well for us to remind ourselves upon occasion that government is not a producer, but a consumer.
Government consumes labor, material and money-a lot of money. State government is like a campfire in a wilderness. As long as the fire is fed adequately, it provides light, warmth and protection. Too much fuel, given without adequate controls, creates a danger to the people. Too little fuel leaves some of the people out in the colr, unprotected. We are the watchers of the fire. It is our job to say, "That is enough, and that would be too much." And it is only natural that we would sometimes disagree.
But there is only one fire, and it must be regulated to serve all who look to it for light, for warmth and for protection.
Ours must not be just a rural state government ... Not just an urban state government ... Not just a poor man's state government . Not just a rich man's state government . Not just a white man's state government .. And not just a black man's state government. Ours must be a state government of all the people, for all the people, and by all the people, bar none. Of course, this is no great revelation to you. It is because of your recognition of this important principle that we, as the servants of the people, in their state government, have been able to make such tremendous accom-
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
plishments in the year just past, and, in those years immediately preceding 1969, enabling me, today, as Georgia's chief executive, to report to you, the esteemed members of the Georgia General Assembly and to the people of the great State of Georgia that the state of the state is excellent.
Such a report should be applauded by every Georgian. Hailed by every Georgia newspaper. And welcomed by every politician, whether Republican, Democrat or Independent.
But, let's recall some of the predictions that were being made back in 1966 and in early 1967 about what the Maddox administration would do for Georgia--or, maybe I should say, "do to Georgia." Remember this headline? "New South 'Buried' Maddox Foes Claim." One person was quoted as saying, "I sincerely believe that the image of Mr. Maddox is so negative that even if he does a good job, we won't be able to overcome the effects in a four-year term." Other prophets of doom said that a vote for Lester Maddox would hold back Georgia's progress for the next four years. One Georgia editor said that "Lester Maddox constitutes a grave danger to all that responsible Georgians hold dear."
Some said that schools would close, industry would move out, new industry would not come in, our economy would roll bacwards and Georgia would be engulfed with rioting, looting, burning, killing, chaos and disorder. But, now, I am going to take this opportunity to bring the truth and to bring the facts to you and to all Georgians without any bias, without any other editorializing, and yes, without any fear.
Throughout the nation and throughout the world, Georgia today is recognized as one of the finest, most progressive, most dynamic, most peaceful and most promising states in the union. And you don't have to take my word for it. Just look-anywhere. The facts speak for themselves.
During this administration, Georgia finally moved out of its adolescence to take its rightful place as a full-fledged member of this great nationand not just a member, but a leader. Isn't that wonderful!
The great seal of Georgia has been polished to a luster never before seen in this state by the hands of the people and put out in the light for all to see, rather than for just a special few. Out-of-state visitors are flocking to Georgia as never before. Everywhere we turn, we see more progress and more prosperity. In spite of predictions, conditions are more peaceful and more harmonious than even the most optimistic among us would have thought possible under the circumstances that have been forced upon us.
I sincerely believe that this administration has been tested with more potential crises than any administration has had to face since the Reconstruction days. And, with God's help, we have met the challenge. By showing a willingness and the ability to work with all people, we have paved the way to better understanding among all factions and to more
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civilized resolutions of divergent opinions. Let's take a look, now, at what has been accomplished by this attitude
of cooperation. Let's look at the record-the real record, and not just rumors, half-truths and opinions.
During the past thirty-six months, investments in new and expanded industry have exceeded one and one-half billion dollars. The Maddox administration's three years have topped the previous seven years by some one hundred and fifty million dollars in industrial gains. As a result of this industrial revolution, Georgians are enjoying a higher standard of living. Georgia's percentage of personal income increase places our state fourth from the top in the entire nation, according to latest available figures.
We have a good momentum going, and there is almost no limit to how much we could build upon it. Our people are staying in Georgia and helping us to build a stronger, more prosperous state. And, not only are Georgians staying, but people from other states, and, yes, from other parts of the world, are coming to Georgia, bringing with them new capital, new industry, new job opportunities, new revenue, new ideas, and, yes, new hope.
We promised the people that we would carry the story of Georgia's industrial potential and her tourist attractions to the nation and to the world as never before. And, with your heIp and the help of many other individuals and organizations, that story has been, and is being, told.
During this administration, leaders throughout the nation in education, in government and in industry have been fully awakened to the fact that Georgia is the dynamic, prosperous and peaceful hub of a great region.
Georgia's Department of Industry and Trade, a one-time political dumping ground, has been turned into one of the most efficient and most effective such agencies in the United States. That is a remarkable achievement. When we consider that in 1960 Georgia was at the bottom of seven southeastern states in dollars for new and expanded industry and was the only state in the nation without an advertising campaign, due to the mismanagement and misuse of funds, the accomplishments of the Department of Industry and Trade appear all the more impressive.
Another factor which I believe has contributed greatly to the progress in our industrialization program and in virtually every facet of our economy has been the peace and harmony enjoyed by our state which, when compared to many of our sister states, strikes a stark contrast.
This administration has been recognized for its efforts to bring together industry, labor, government, education and many other private interests into one cooperative unit, working together in harmony for the common good of all, and I am deeply grateful to all who have been willing to put
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
aside personal interests to seek workable compromises which have resulted in a better day for all concerned.
I am especially grateful to our young people who have demonstrated their maturity and responsibility by doing their best to devote the majority of their efforts to getting a good education and taking advantage of the opportunities being offered them by the taxpayers and other supporters of education.
Georgia is richly blessed with just plain outstanding young men and women who, because of their faith in God and love for country and strong moral character, do more than all of us combined in making Georgia the peaceful, progressive and dynamic state that it is. Don't you agree? Georgia is not the "nation's battleground," as some predicted. From time to time, and even now, we have faced difficult moments, but reason has prevailed. Peace has been preserved.
I thank God for this blessing, and I pray that we can continue during the trying months ahead to have the cooperation and support of all Georgia citizens, black and white, rich and poor, powerful and weak, in our effort to reach solutions to our problems which are fair to all. This is the only way. We cannot afford to battle among ourselves. There are other battles to be fought: the battle against poverty, against hunger, against disease, against ignorance, against injustice, against inefficiency, against immorality, against crime, and, yes, even against boredom.
We have waged a tremendous battle against injustice in the State Board of Pardons and Paroles. For the first time in the history of that department, this administration called for, and received, a total investigation, with the findings open to the press and to the public.
We were determined to clean up this vital operation and to bring a swift conclusion to the old daysof secrecy and favoritism. And we have done just that.
Penal reform, too, was something that had been talked about for decades, but very little had been done. So, I went to the prisons, myself, and I saw, first hand, what needed to be done and how these facilities had been neglected. Our duty was clear. We swept out the rats and roaches; we built visitation facilities for the inmates' families; we declared war on the firetraps and the health hazards; we put decent, nourishing food on the tables; we established and enforced humane work and recreation standards and regulations; we introduced new programs of education and vocational rehibilitation.
When it was seen that these minimum standards for penal operations in Georgia would not be compromised, many camps found it impractical to remain open. During the first three years of the Maddox administration, a total of twenty correctional facilities have cpased operation, which equals
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the exact number closed during the entire quarter of a century prior to our thirty-six months in office.
Rather than follow the old policy of discharging ~ man in rags with eight dollars and a kick, he now gets twenty-five dollars, transportation home, a new suit and a handshake.
We have established the first work-release program in the entire history of Georgia's penal system, another milestone which benefits the inmates, their families and the taxpayers.
You might not see our progress reflected in the news stories you read or hear, but the inmates and wardens and other prison personnel who have seen the changes come about during the past thirty-six months will tell you that we have had more real penal reform in Georgia in the past three years than was the case during the previous thirty to forty years.
Everywhere we look, we see evidence of Georgia on the go. In virtually every area of our state, we can see progress being made in highway construction. This accelerated construction is not only providing more convenience and safety for motorists, but everywhere we put down a new yard of concrete, we add to the opportunities of that area.
Although all citizens cannot take advantage of these opportunities, our Department of Family and Children Services has been doing a good job in helping those who cannot help themselves, but the increases in assistance to the blind, disabled, aged and the families with dependent children have not been sufficient to even keep ahead of the wolf of inflation.
Later this week, I will be asking you for additional protection for those of our citizens who are being left out in the cold. As we all know, to have good government, we must have good government employees-people who are honest, skilled and dedicated. It has been the policy of this administration to protect the able career employees who are doing a good job, giving a day's labor for a day's pay, and this policy is paying off handsomely for every Georgia taxpayer.
Under the Maddox administration, personnel are recruited not on the basis of what they are, who they know or where they're from, but solely on the basis of their qualifications for the job available. I have tried to operate state government just like you and others would operate your business.
In the area of mental health, our achievements are receiving nationwide attention. With the opening of new facilities, along with other innovations in the treatment of mental disease, which permitted the reduction of terribly overcrowded Central State facilities, it is now possible for a person with a mental difficulty to get intensive treatment which often puts him back into a productive life as a taxpayer and supporter of his family.
This kind of treatment is more expensive, of course, but we simply can-
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not put a price tag on a person's life. In the Department of Labor, a comprehensive manpower center has been
established in Atlanta, the first of its kind in the United States. Its purpose is to provide one-stop service to both job seekers and employers.
To bring workers and jobs togcther quickly on a professional basis, a computerized job bank, the third such facility in the nation, has been established at the center and is now in full operation.
For the first time, a highly successful cooperative effort between the Corrections Board and Parole Board and the State Training and Employment Service, is bringing pre-release training, evaluation of inmates and jobs for them before or shortly after release.
Although sought for years without success, it was during this administra_ tion, too, that the greatest advancements were made in benefits for men and women of labor since the enactment of Workman's Compensation Laws.
Of course, virtually every adult in our state has had occasion to obsen"e the new efficiency of the State Department of Revenue in handling the job of tax collection.
In spite of a greatly increased workload, the time required for an individual to get his income tax refund has been drastically reduced.
The Department of Agriculture has been modernized to better serve both the farmer and the consumer. Through more intensive programs of research, inspection and marketing, we have been able to not only help the farmer improve his lot and derive a fair profit from his investments, but we have also been able to provide the consumer~includingthe city housewife~with a better product at the lowest possible price.
And, my friends, we can all be proud of the job being done by the Department of Public Safety, even though we have not furnished this department with the number of men and cars to adequately patrol the highways.
:Many previously unmarked cars are now identified properly as patrol cars when on Georgia highways, and these are helping us to keep down tragedies on our roads in spite of the fact that Georgia led the nation last year in the percentage of increases in both motor vehicle registrations and gasoline consumption.
With the help and cooperation of the Georgia General Assembly and the various state department heads, every state function has undergone some change for the better.
But, there is one area of state government that I have not mentioned thus far; and not because it is the least important, but because it is the most important. I am talking about public education.
You will recall that when we \\ere in the midst of a serious teacher shortage in 1966, professional educators, public officials, political candi-
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dates, the news media and others predicted that this teacher shortage would become critical by the fall of 1967, and that education in Georgia would be crippled. I promised the people of Georgia that this would not happen. And, with the help of you in the General Assembly, we were able to increase salaries for teachers and professors more in two years than in any previous four-year period, and more than any other southeastern state during that period, thus averting a potential crisis.
We have also been able to make advances in our are avocational-technical education program which make this system second to no other in the nation. Not only do we have an outstanding system of area vocationaltechnical schools throughout the state, but we have made tremendous increases in the number of high schools offering vocational-technical programs. We have expanded and improved our system of educational television to make it equal to the finest in the entire southeast. Expansions have been made in the educational programs for exceptional children, for those in our retardation centers, in our mental institutions and in many of our penal operations.
Education provides the heartbeat of our economy, of our culture and of our civilization. And, I know that you arc proud of the great strides we have made in education and I believe you will agree with me that these advances in the various areas of education contribute more than any other single factor to the industrial revolution we are now enjoying in America.
But, at this very moment, the heartbeat of Georgia, public education, is threatened-and with it the education, safety and liberty of our children throughout Georgia and America.
Public education in Georgia and elsewhere in America has fallen under the strong arm of a federal police state which demands that we surrender our children and grandchildren, their teachers and their schools and our communities, as outlined by the communist enemies of our children and America in their platform of 1928.
The communists have worked to implement this program for 42 years and have met with great success because presidents, governors, congressmen, Supreme Court justices, state legislators and others, either knowingly or unwittingly, have fully supported their demands.
At this moment, public education in Georgia and America faces a crisis of unprecedented magnitude.
Children, teachers and parents are having their God-given and constitutionally granted liberty and freedom stolen from them by a national government that has gone mad and by governors, legislators, other elected public officials, top educators, and, yes, those who campaign for such offices who go along with the demands of cowards in our governments-the socialists and the communists who demand the enslavement of our children,
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their teachers and the takeover of public education. All during the past fifteen years, I predicted that our national govern-
ment would follow the communists' demands to place public education under a police state in America unless parents, educators and public officials united to protect our children, preserve local control of education and defend the United States Constitution.
I stated many times that the communist demands to close schools, bus students, transfer teachers and the resulting crime, immorality, chaos, disorder and down-grading of education in America would be our fate unless governors, legislators, congressmen, other elected officials and parents united and demanded that state and local governments and local systems of education be strengthened and preserved.
For having warned about what would take place, I have been laughed at, ridiculed, ostracized and labeled a lunatic, a demagogue, an extremist and a redneck. And, not in all the history of Georgia has one man been so lied about, treated so dishonestly, unfairly and with such prejudice, hate and bitterness by major local news media. They have used rumors, analyses and views in their news stories and editorials to try to destroy Lester Maddox, even if in doing so they hurt our wonderful state.
And the only thing I have done to warrant the hatred of the press that causes thcm most of the time to spread news that would reflect unfavorably against Lester Maddox and pass by most that would reflect favorably, is to publicly and unshamedly profess my faith in God and love for my country, while taking a public stand for preservation of local control of education, the rights to private property and American private free enterprise.
Yes, mine was a lonely voice, but no more. Georgians have now come face to face with the reality that everything I said would happen, relative to education and our children, is upon us. Our schools are being destroyed, our children are being treated as animals and our tcachers are being forced into involuntary servitude in violation of the United States Constitution. And they finally realize that unless we return to local control of education, freedom of choice is restored and our courts turn back to the Unitcd States Constitution, America, itself, will shortly go down the drain as a free republic. Who broughton these conditions? Presidents, governors, congressmen, legislators, and other elected officials and candidates for those offices who just plain don't have the guts and patriotism and love for our children needed for them to be Americans first and politicians later. Sure, we have provided the dollars, bricks and mortar, which were made available by the people. I am here to tell you that politicians have generally placed the higher emphasis on dollars, material values and self and one another.
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And America has been forgotten. Our children are being ignored. And what is right and needed to preserve freedom and this great country has been sidetracked b too many public officials. Even at this moment the voices are few and faint from our own state house. Elected public officials in and out of the Georgia General Assembly seem to be afraid to be counted for local control of education and for our children~black and white~their safety and welfare. I thank God for private education and I am thankful that so many are so blessed with the ability to send their children to private schools thus protecting them from the intolerable conditions facing children in many public schools. But, when public officials and candidates for public office think so little of public schools as to flee with their children to exclusive private schools and then urge less fortunate parents and their children to surrender to the "police state" over public education, it is the most sickening, most disgusting and the most reprehensible brand of hypocricy. Such politicians have no business being elected to, or serving in, any public office. Any such man who demands for others and their children and grandchildren what he would not tolerate for his own is a coward and a hypocrite of the first order. We see students marching, trying to save their schools, their education and their country, because of such hypocrites. The fact that they are marching says that we, of our generation, have failed them. We have provided the dollars and the bricks but not the guts, the patriotism, the courage and the leadership that we should have. And providing the dollars, the bricks, the buildings, the highways and all other material values will pale into insignificance if we fail our children in this present crisis. I'm here to tell you, my fellow Georgians and my fellow public officials, that the people of this state, after seeing what is happening to their children, to their communities, to their schools and to their investments, are fed up. They're sick and tired of seeing their liberty and their freedom go down the drain. And they're disgusted with public officials, whoever they might be, who do not have the guts to speak up for their children, for their communities, for the survival of public education and for their rights as citizens of what is supposed to be a free country. The people care about what happens to their children. They want them protected so that they can grow up to be free citizens
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who love their country. And the citizens want your help. They are demanding it. They deserve it.
The people who elected us to public office care about what happens to their schools. They care about what happents to their communities. They love their liberty and they want it defended and preserved-not surrendered by public officials. They care about what happens to their country and to its Constitution. They care. And they're fed up with public officials who don't care. They have a right to be fed up. And I'm fed up, too.
It is time, my friends, for every elected public official, every educator, every teacher, every state house official, and, yes, for the Georgia General Assembly to say to the boys and girls in our schools and to their parents: "\Ne, too, love our children, their schools and their communities, for they are our children, our schools and our communities."
\Ne can tell them by sending a message to the president telling him to assume the position of leadership he said the president should in turning back federal control and the federal police state over education, rather than the position of leadership he now offers to those who strike down freedom of choice and local control of education.
And we must tell Georgia's boys and girls that we stand with them by calling upon the Congress to cease action on all legislative matters until "freedom of choice" is restored and the federal police state is removed from public education.
I'm begging-I'm pleading with the members of this august body and with other state house officials to join in the effort by these children, by these teachers and by these parents, both black and white, to defend and protect their schools and their education. For, without freedom of choice for both students and teachers, therc can be no freedom for any American.
Let us go from these great halls today and tell these boys and girls that we will no longer charge them with the responsibility of upholding the United States Constitution and defending the rights of all Americans, but that we will finally assume the responsibility that we have so long neglected.
I know this is an election year, but this crisis demands that we cast aside all political considerations and all personal considerations and that we consider only our responsibilities to our people.
\Ne must take our stand in such a way that not only our fellow Georgians, but people throughout the nation, will look and listen and be filled with hope, with encouragement and inspiration. \Ne must let them know that in Georgia, there has been a rebirth of commonsense government.
God help the members of this General Assembly to rise to this challenge. May God help our children if you don't. Even though we are face to face with this most important of all issues-a threat to all we hold dear
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-things do look good in most other areas. We have made progress; we have moved forward; we have kept the fire
going. And, while I know that you are proud of these accomplishments and improvements in government, as I am proud, I cannot believe that you are satisfied. I know that Lester Maddox is not satisfied. I'm not satisfied, because I know that we could have done more, we should have done more, and now, we must do more.
With all the progress that we have already made, if we will now meet our responsibility to the Georgia people with courage, foresight and true statesmanship, this could be recorded as the greatest period of progress in Georgia's history. \Ve could do that for the people who elected us to the high offices we hold.
I know that this is an election year, and decisions come more slowly when the weight of the electorate hangs heavy over our heads, but duty to the people demands that we put political considerations aside and base our decisions on one premise-what is best for the citizens of Georgia.
In my Budget Message on Thursday, I will outline to you a program which will test your courage, test your determination and test your statesmanship. I believe you will pass the test by passing most of this program for progress. I realize the awesome responsibility w~hich you hac eand I wish you well. I want you to know that I will work with you in every way possible to better serve the people of Georgia. To accomplish that end, I will strive to keep an open door, au outstretched hand and an open mind. I am willing to give and take to get the job done.
As long as I am not required to compromise in my duty to my God, to the people of Georgia and to my family, I am willing to try new ways, reexamine old ways and seek a common ground. I ask and expect no more and no less of you.
Believing as I do that state government in Georgia belongs to all the people and does not belong just to Lester Maddox, nor any other individual, not just to Democrats, Republicans, Independents, whites or blacks, rich or poor, and not just to the young or the old...
And, believing that state government is dutybound to serve equally, and without fear or favor, small cities and counties, as well as large cities and counties, the Maddox administration has been able to be fair with all of Georgia and with all Georgians.
This is so because no individual, no political party and no special interest group can come into the governor's office and force demands upon me which I believe not to be in the best interest of all citizens.
I am free to make my own decisions.
I am free to be fair.
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And, with God's help, we wiII continue to do what is right for all Georgians.
And, because the question is often raised as to what makes Lester Maddox tick, there is something else I want you to know.
Ladies and gentlemen of the General Assembly, not only am I a Christian and proud of it, as I know those of you of other faiths are proud of your religion, but I am also an American who loves his state and his country and who is proud to be a citizen of Georgia and of these United States.
My only regret is that I haven't done more to serve my God and my country.
I have never been the Christian, the citizen, the husband, the father nor the governor I want to be and ought to be.
But, just as I have in the past, and as I do now, I will keep praying to God that He give me wisdom, that He strengthen my faith, help me to follow His ways, and that He use me for His glory and forgive my sins.
And, I'll be praying that God do the same for my family and for you and your family.
To give you the basis of this faith, let me tell you something that happened just a few short years ago. Without any knowledge as to how I got there, I found myself in a hospital bed in what appeared to be a very serious condition. The news from the doctor was not good. My family was saddened and disturbed, but it caused me no great alarm, because I was thankful for the many years we had had together, for it could have been only half as many years, or none at all.
So I pray, "Dear God, if You can use me better in death than in life, and if it be Your wiII that I die, then I am ready; but if Your wiII is that I live, that you can use me better in life than in death, and I leave this hospital bed again, then I will spend whatever additional life I am given doing my best for Your and seeking Your way in my life."
And I prayer further, promising God that if I did leave that bed alive, I would also spend the rest of my life speaking loudly and standing strongly for liberty, America, constitutional government, the right to private property, private free enterprise and honesty and morality in life.
This is where I stand, and from this position I will not retreat. I realize that some of the things which I say and do arc not what you would ordinarily expect of a governor. But, you see, I place my faith in God and what I believe to be right ahead of politics and head of self. And, I will be following this philosophy and this belief later this week when I outline my legislative program to you. May God grant each of us the wisdom to give in when we are wrong and the courage to keep fighting when we are right.
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BUDGET MESSAGE
January 15, 1970
Joint Legislative Session
On Tuesday of this week, you honored me with the opportunity to deliver to you and the people of Georgia my State of the State message.
I appreciate, once again, this opportunity to come before you, the distinguished elected representatives of the people and present to you for your study, deliberation and full consideration my Budget Messageone to which I have given long hours of preparation and thoughtful consideration.
At this time, I want to pay tribute to a fine Georgian who was a friend to us all.
I am grieved as I speak to you over the loss of my friend and budget officer and a former member of the senate and the house, the honorable Wilson B. Wilkes, who labored at my side for nearly three years and who worked with me on this budget. I shall miss his friendly counsel and quick intellect. He was a public servant in the truest sense of the word.
HONESTY, EFFICIENCY AND MORALITY PROMISED
Before I make my recommendations and proposals that I am convinced will carry our state to her greatest heights and mark her for truly outstanding leadership in this great nation, I want to talk to you, and to my fellow Georgians who are listening over state-wide radio and television, about the business operations of your state government.
As a citizen and businessman who has devoted much of his life to a businesslike and efficient operation, whether it be in government or in business, I want to outline to you how this administration has worked, and will continue to work, in protecting the dollars and best interests of the people of this state. I do this to assure you and our constituents that the dollars I shall ask for in this Budget Message shall be under the same watchful eye.
As a candidate for governor, I promised honesty, efficiency and morality in state government such as had not been witnessed in 20th century Georgia.
Upon taking office as governor, in too many places I saw waste, inefficiency and, in some places, an utter contempt for real economy. I found coverup of wrongdoing as a normal practice, rather than the exception. The interest of the taxpayers was ignored and some officials and others had covered up for so long that they thought it was right to cheat the taxpayers.
This administration declared war on such practices.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
One of my first budget requests as governor of Georgia was for funds which enabled us to establish, for the first time, a long-needed manage_ ment analysis section in the Budget Bureau. Economy experts in this section have made extensive studies of costs, methods and personnel utilization in the various state agencies and have helped to eliminate many of the costly duplications of services, inefficient operations and unbusinesslike practices which had accumulated over the years.
INVOLVEMENT OF THE PEOPLE
As I promised all Georgians, this has been a people's administration from the beginning, and the good, patriotic and honest citizens~Demo crats, Republicans and Independents~those who supported and those who opposed my candidacy from throughout Georgia and from every walk of life, joined and helped us work to make Georgia a better place in which to live.
Legislators, state house officials, the news media and all Georgia citizens now enjoy more freedom as it relates to the governor's office and state government than ever before. All Georgians, for the very first time, are free to look, investigate, question, comment and criticize openly~and most of you are taking advantage of this.
In fact, on a few occasions, I feel as though some of you overdo it. However, I am quick to recognize that some of you may feel the same about me, and when I am finished with what I am about to say, you rna\' be more convinced of that than ever.
HONESTY, EFFICIENCY AND MORALITY PRACTICED
It had always been the practice in state government for gasoline purchases to be made on the basis of political patronage, rather than on the hasis of competitive bid. Neither the cost nor the taxpayers were considered. That practice has been ended, and it is estimated that, during this year alone, over $600,000 will be saved.
We found that $130,000 had been taken from an Employees' Credit Union, and even though others knew about the loss, it was not investigated and cleaned up until this administration assumed office.
For more than fifteen years, hundreds of thousands of dollars had been paid out needlessly to private legal firms for retainers, consultant fees, for the handling of bond issues and other routine matters.
The State Building Authority was set up by the General Assembly in 1951 and, although it disbursed tens of millions of dollars, no regular meetings to conduct Authority business \I'ere held.
I was appalled to find that one firm, since 1959, maintained free office
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and storage space at the Capitol and received over $6,000,000 in construction and renovation contracts without even one competitive bid. It is my opinion that this one unbusinesslike practice cost the taxpayers over $1,000,000.
I also found that a building was bought on Pryor Street in 1966, was renovated without bid at $28.50 per square foot, and, when finished could not have been sold at $18.50 per square foot.
We have a State Employees' Cafeteria, selling generally poor quality food, which I found to be losing $3,000 to $4,000 weekly. When I complained, I was told that the state was not supposed to make money from the cafeteria operation.
To this I agreed, but I stated that it was wrong for the taxpayers to have to pay $150,000 or more annually for the waste, losses and inefficiency of such an operation.
Although we have reduced some of these losses, it remains a very poor operation, and I will continue to urge Authority members, as I have in the past, to open this lease for competitive bidding. We can do no less if we are to offer state employees better food and the taxpayers a better deal. It is regrettable that the Authority members would permit such a poor operation to continue.
We have removed some people from state payrolls who had drawn checks for years, although working little or none, cheating the taxpayers.
And in regional state operations, where we found the misuse and misappropriation of personnel, supplies and equipment for the benefit of state supervisors or employees, their businesses or friends, we acted promptly and firmly to correct such injustices to the taxpayers of this state.
And the list goes on and on. I just wanted to cite to you a few specific examples of what this administration is trying to do to get government to serve the best interests of the people. But, I also want to express my gratitude to those many faithful and dedicated department heads and employees who have cooperated to the fullest extent and made it all possible. All of us are indebted to the most able career state employees. Not only have we worked to save tax dollars by insisting upon efficiency in state government, but we are working to save tax revenue everywhere we can. With the legislation passed last year by this esteemed body, Georgia's cities and counties will be able to save untold millions of dollars on their purchases. It is now possible for local governments to buy any article sold to the state at the state's price. A small city government buying one car can get it at the same price that it would cost the state buying a fleet of three or four hundred.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
STATE'S FINANCIAL STANDING
It is with full confidence that the Georgia taxpayer is getting a dollar's worth of service for each dollar spent by the state I now bring you up to date on the financial standing of our state government and offer my proposals for insuring the continuation of our extraordinary rate of progress and prosperity.
At the beginning of this fiscal year, we had a little more than $27,000,000 in unappropriated surplus. After deleting $4,300,000 of these dollars which were required to be transferred to the Highway Department to reflect the net Motor Fuel Tax collections in the preceding fiscal year, and after adding in some $14,300,000 of lapsed funds from the various state agencies, we are left with a total of a little over $37,000,000 in surplus funds available for supplemental appropriation.
SUPPLEMENTAL REQUESTS
In order to meet the immediate needs of state agencies for the remainder of the current fiscal year, I am recommending that the fiscal 1970 appropriations be increased by $3,500,000, which would bring our present appropriation level to $941,1 00,000.
These additional $3,500,000 will provide for the salary increases and contingent expense allowances for judges of the Superior Courts, as required by an act of the 1969 General Assembly, provide the funds necessary to meet unanticipated increases in roll growth in welfare benefits, and a number of other critical items as you see outlined in the budget document before you.
I am also recommending additional advertising funds for the Department of Industry and Trade and the presiding officers of both the House and the Senate have graciously consented to continue this Joint Session after the conclusion of my speech in order that you might view a short presentation which, I feel sure you will agree, justifies my recommendation.
REVENUE ESTIMATES REVISED
Let's turn our attention, now, to the upcoming fiscal year which begins July 1, 1970.
In order to insure that we always have sufficient funds in the state treasury to meet the obligations of state government, it is traditional to be somewhat conservative when estimating anticipated revenue receipts. This is only good business.
After a careful analysis of past and current trends in our economy made
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by economists, professional revenue estimators, members of our State Budget Bureau and by myself, it is a pleasure to report to you that last year we were again conservative when estimating revenue receipts for fiscal '70 and '71. I hope this will continue to be true, so that we will always meet appropriations made by the General Assembly.
By including more recent data in our projections, we have revised the estimate of revenue receipts for the current year to provide an additional $24,800,000.
In considering all available information, we all agree that a safe and a reasonable estimate of anticipated revenue receipts for fiscal '71 is $1,025,000,000, which represents a 10.7 per cent increase over our revised estimate of the revenue receipts for fiscal 1970.
It is my considered judgment that any higher estimate would be fiscally unsound, particularly in view of the unsettled state of the economy, the present curtailment of industrial production, the slowdown in housing starts, backed-up inventories and slow sales in some fields.
With the $14,300,000 in lapsed funds, along with the $24,800,000 increase in the estimated revenue for the current fiscal year, and with the other unappropriated surplus currently on hand, it is estimated that we will have a surplus of $58,350,000 by July 1, 1970.
TWO-PART BUDGET
You will notice in the budget document before you that I have divided my recommendations into two categories: The first, which we will call Budget A, contains recommendations for an appropriation of $1,082,586,000 for fiscal 1971.
Following the presentation of Budget A, I will outline to you the proposals contained in Budget B of your document.
BUDGET A PROPOSALS
Let's look, now, at the recommendations contained III Budget A. This is a good budget, and one that has been compiled by hard work and sincere efforts on the part of this governor, the Budget Bureau staff and the various department heads.
In almost every program being carried on by the state, a certain minimum increase must be provided to continue services at a standstill level.
Our estimate of the built-in increases for fiscal year 1971 is more than $50,000,000. This increase is brought about by the effects of inflation, built-in wage and salary increases, roll growths, increased school attendance, mandated federal programs and the phasing-in of state institutions.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
I consider this item a simple statement of fact, rather than a recommendation as such.
SALARY INCREASES
I am recommending a $400 across-the-board salary increase for all employees on the State Merit System pay plan, for school teachers and other state-supported educational personnel employed by the school systems, and for academic and nonacademic personnel of the University System.
I have chosen this across-the-board method of salary adjustment, in preference to the percentage method of granting salary increases because it is the only fair way.
When special salary adjustments such as this are granted on a uniform percentage basis, with the amount determined by the current salary of an employee, the gap between the low income employees and the higher income employees is widened even further. 11y proposal, if adopted, will help to avoid the increasing of this inequity.
FOR STATE EMPLOYEES
Actually, when we consider that the last overall adjustments in State employees' pay was back in October of 1968, and that the cost-of-living index increased 6.5 points during the period of January through November of 1969, alone, it is obvious that the pay increase which I propose will not even compensate for inflation over the two years-1969-1970.
This proposed salary increase is the absolute minimum required. It is not a "get ahead" increase request, but one which, if implemented, will help keep us from falling behind. Since our last pay adjustment for state employees, pay increases from seven to ten per cent were granted employees of the federal government and those of our neighboring states. Also, annual wage and salary increases in major industry and business make it even more imperative that we act, and act now, to maintain our position and protect our investments.
FOR TEACHERS
And, since our last state-wide adjustment in teacher salaries in October, 1968, every state adjacent to Georgia has granted their teachers substantial pay increases.
There is no doubt in my mind that the favorable position enjoyed by by our state in teacher recruitment at this time is seriously threatened not having provided a salary increase in the present fiscal year. Failure
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to implement the minimum wage adjustments I recommend could well be disastrous.
FOR UNIVERSITY PERSONNEL
As you will remember, the Board of Regents increased student fees early last year to help offset the deficit in funds needed for salary increases for University System personnel at that time.
My recommendation of $400 per equivalent fulltime position for salary upgrading is the bare minimum necessary if we are to continue the fine progress made by the institutions in our University System.
EDUCATION
And, now, we come to a budgetary item of paramount concern, because of its tremendous importance to the majority of the citizens of our state. Of course, I am talking about education.
I am giving highest priority in my budget recommendations to the item of $10,300,000 to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio in the elementary grades from 28-to-one to 26-to-one. I know that you will all agree that an even further reduction in this ratio should be made.
Other major improvements recommended for the Department of Education's budget are:
Five hundred additional teachers and associated expenses for improvement and expansion of special education programs for the mentally retarded, physically handicapped and other exceptional children;
An increase of $100 in the rate of maintenance and operation payments to local school systems;
A $150 annual salary increase for school bus drivers; An increase in the school lunch grants by one cent per meal to defray drastically increased lunchroom operation costs and to help hold down the price of lunches to the children; And authority lease rental funds to finance approximately $27,500,000 in public school construction. I consider this all the more imperative because our present budget for fiscal year 1970 provides no funds for additional or replacement schoolrooms and buildings. The total increase for the State Department of Education in this Budget A is $39,300,000, which is nearly $60,000,000 less than requested by that department.
UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
The Board of Regents requested an increase of $48,000,000 for fiscal 1971. I have trimmed this to the bare minimum of $29,300,000.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
In addition to the salary increases, these funds will provide for: Fifteen hundred positions required to meet the growth in student enrollment and instruction load at the current rates and to improve the level of instructional financing; and, An additional $979,000 to finance patient load increases and to provide additional instructional capacity in Talmadge Memorial Hospital. In order to be ready for the expected enrollment increases from the present 88,000 to 120,000 by 1975, I am recommending $2,500,000 in authority lease rentals to initiate a building program totaling $27,500,000 in fiscal 1971. I remind you that the current fiscal year budget does not include any funds for University System building construction.
PUBLIC HEALTH
To continue our nationally recognized progress III the care of the mentally ill, I am recommending authority lease rental funds to be included in appropriations to the Department of Public Health in order that we can begin construction in fiscal year 1971 of a regional mental hospital at Columbus as well as a multi-purpose mental hospital and tuberculosis facility at Rome. These two hospitals have already been delayed too long, and I beg you to delay no longer.
My recommendations for the Department of Public Health also include additional funds to:
Fully air-condition exisiting facilities at Gracewood State School and Hospital, which is a critical need;
Renovate patients' quarters and establish decentralized admission facilities at Central State Hospital; and,
Provide for improved alcohol and drug rehabilitation programs. In the medical assistance program for welfare recipients, I am recommending an increase in state funds of $4,900,000, which will generate an additional $12,300,000 in federal funds for Medicaid benefits. The Health Department requested $58,100,000. I cut their request by $28,700,000 and am recommending increased funds of $29,400,000.
FAMILY AND CHILDRE~ SERVICES
In order to help provide for the basic needs of those of our citizens who are either too old, too young, too sick or otherwise unable to provide for themselves, I am recommending that funds be appropriated to provide for:
The anticipated roll' growth in the benefits program for the aged, the blind, the disabled, foster children and for families with dependent children; and,
A five-dollar cost-of-living increase for 136,000 aged, blind, and disabled
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adults, a request which I believe you will find easy to support when you consider that the maximum monthly payment is now only $82 and the average monthly payment is a meager $54.
I am also recommending that you appropriate $2,50u,000 to construct a 200-bed security development center for delinquent boys and an increase of $3,000,000 for grants to counties in the administration of local welfare programs.
CORRECTIONS
In order to bring us even closer to our overall goal, which I am sure you share, of offering men and women in our prisons real rehabilitation rather than just destructive incarceration, I am recommending that funds be appropriated for:
A new prison for women to replace the shamefully inadequate and degrading facility at Milledgeville, which is a disgrace to our state.
And, expanding of the recently-initiated, and already-successful, workrelease program and building a new work-release center in the Atlanta area.
The Department of Corrections requested an increase of $11,300,000; my recommendation to you is $4,400,000, a reduction of almost $7,000,000.
PUBLIC SAFETY
We are in trouble-serious trouble-in our Department of Public Safety, and it is costing lives that could be saved, injuries that could be prevented and millions of dollars in property damage which could be avoided.
Georgia led the nation last year in percentage increase of licensed motor vehicles and in percentage increase of gasoline consumption; yet, rather than a critically needed increase in patrolmen in the field, the average number of patrolmen available for traffic enforcement was reduced by recently implemented legislation requiring patrolmen in new programs of traffic safety.
In addition, we are experiencing an ever-rising increase in the number of patrolmen required in areas of civil unrest and elsewhere.
I t is this simple: More patrolmen and more lives saved, or no increase in troopers and fewer lives saved.
I recommended funds in my supplemental request for fiscal year 1970 for the immediate recruitment of twenty-five additional troopers, and I am requesting that you appropriate funds to provide for the employment of seventy-five more troopers during the first three-quarters of fiscal year 1971.
In the supplement for fiscal year 1970, I have requested funds for
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five additional GEl agents and funds for another ten are requested in the fiscal 1971 budget.
These men will make up specialized squads to wage war on organized crime and will be especially trained to combat the illegal drug traffic which poses an immediate and grave threat to our state. Our need for these agents and additional patrolmen is urgent. I plead with you for early and favorable consideration.
AGRICULTURE
For the Department of Agriculture, I am asking for half of the $250,000 requested by the Department for authority lease-rental funds, together with $50,000 in capital outlay funds for modernization and reconstruction of the Farmers' Markets at Thomasville, Macon, Savannah and Augusta and for site improvements and building modernization at other markets.
OTHER DEPARTMENTS
In the budget document before you, you will also find recommendations to meet the minimum needs of Game & Fish; Forestry; Parks; Mines, Mining and Geology; Industry and Trade; Labor; Pardons and Paroles; Probation; Veterans Service; Defense; Revenue; Law and other agencies which I will not discuss in detail at this time.
Let me simply assure you that these recommendations, as with the others, are made only after a thorough and conscientious study of the needs of these various departments and agencies and with full consideration given to the need to utilize available revenues in the best interests of the taxpayers.
AGENCY REQUESTS CUT
The amount of increased funds requested by the agencies and departments for fiscal 1971 totaled $291,800,000. I cut this, department by department, after a careful study of each, by $140,000,000.
I am recommending, therefore, in Budget A appropriations of $153,000,000 over the amount originally appropriated, or some $103,000,000 over the earlier appropriations and built-in increases.
NOT ENOUGH
I have outlined to you my recommendations for expenditure of funds to be available with no changes in the current tax structure. The budget I have outlined will prm'ide for many of the essential programs and steps which are necessary at this time, but these proposals are not enough~-
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Not enough to assure the continued growth and progress to which we aspire-
Not enough to enable our municipalities, counties., and school systems and the property taxpayers who support them to survive the severe financial pressures with which they are now confronted-
Not enough to provide for progress in education, and in highway construction which the people of this State need and expect.
BUDGET B EXPLAINED
The B Budget in the document before you is not just a frivolous "add on." It is a product of long study, careful planning and a detailed analysis of the needs of our state and of our people.
Let's look at some specifics. Let's look at what this B Budget can do for our people and our great state and what it will take to finance it.
TAX REVISIONS AND ADDITIONAL REVENUE NEEDED
First, and foremost, I am requesting that you increase the state sales tax from three per cent to four per cent. This is the tax which most Georgians find to be the most acceptable.
This is true tax revision. It provides a means of revenue other than ad valorem taxes to help finance local education and local government. Failure to provide these funds as recommended will mean that an equal amount will be added to the already heavy burden of the property owner.
Further, the very low income groups will, through sales tax rebate or allowable sales tax credits deducted from income tax liabilities, pay less sales tax under this proposal than under our present three percent tax law. In fact, many Georgians would pay as little as two percent rather than the present three percent.
ASSISTANCE TO CITIES AND COUNTIES
In addition to the some $10,000,000 in sales tax rebates and credits to the poor, I am recommending:
$40,100,000 for Georgia's cities and counties, which, with the existing $5,900,000 in grants, will give them a total of $46,000,000, or forty per cent of the estimated first year's revenue from the proposed sales tax merease.
LOCAL EDUCATIONAL COSTS REDUCED
$18,100,000 to be returned to local school systems, increasing the state's cost for education from 80 per cent to 85 per cent, and reducing local cost of education from 19 per cent to 15 per cent. This would return local
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education percentage costs to the level in effect prior to the 1964 enactment of Senate Bill 180 which initiated an annual onslaught of destructive and crippling force by the State of Georgia against Georgia's property owners.
GASOLINE TAX INCREASES FORESTALLED
$28,000,000 from the sales tax for the State Highway Department which is an amount approximately equal to last year's collections from the motor vehicle tax, which is, in reality, a highway users' tax. These funds would permit us to construct critically needed passing lanes and add two additional lanes to existing overloaded two-lane highways. These additional dollars would go to all regions of the state, improving highway safety and giving a lift to the economy in many areas.
Most importantly, these $28,000,000 going to the State Highway Department from the additional sales tax revenue will serve to forestall a oneand-one-half to two cent per gallon gasoline tax increase. This, too, would provide us with additional tax revision.
PUPIL-TEACHER RATIO REDUCED
I am recommending $3,900,000 to provide an additional reduction in the pupil-teacher ratio. To me, this is the most pressing problem in public education. We simply must apply every dollar possible in this area of education.
By failing to reduce this ratio, we would be cheating our children, their teachers and Georgia.
Just think how a little extra attention could help a child who might otherwise get off on the wrong track. If teachers could spend a few extra hours in the first few grades with such a child, it could make all the difference in the world.
KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM IMPLEMENTED
$5,000,000 is being asked to implement Phase I of a state-wide kindergarten program. This would represent an excellent start, not for a "head start" or a "play school" type program, but an honest-to-goodness pre-first grade school program.
Kindergartens give our children a chance to get acquainted with adults outside their own home, teach them to understand and cooperate with other children and teach them to use the basic tools of education, such as books, pencils, paper, and, for those like I used to be, erasers.
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ADDITIONAL TEACHER SALARY INCREASES
To provide an additional across-the-board salary increase for teachers, I am requesting $7,300,000. With the huge salary increase to teachers in our neighboring states during the present fiscal year, we cannot afford to not provide additional increase. It could make the difference in the decisions of the teachers who are now considering coming to Georgia and others who are, and will be, considering leaving.
VISITORS HELP PAY BILL
All of these needed and essential programs I am recommending to you, and to the people of Georgia, can be financed by increasing the state sales tax from three per cent to four per cent, which would be no more, and in some instances, less, than that being paid by the citizens in most of our neighboring states. The sales tax is four per cent in Florida, Alabama and South Carolina, and five per cent in Mississippi and Kentucky.
Further, and most importantly, those citizens from our neighboring states and from throughout the nation who come to Georgia to shop, to attend conventions, and to visit and to rest would, without complaint, pay millions of dollars into our treasury annually through this additional one cent increase in the state sales tax. These visitors would thus help to pay our teachers, build our schools, pave our roads, treat our ill and help pay for other vital state services.
This revenue must be raised, so why not let our visitors foot more of the bill rather than make Georgians carry thc whole load?
ANTIQUATED TAX STRUCTURE
And, why must we move now to face up to our responsibility and do something for all Georgia cities and counties, all Georgians and especially the homeowners and farm owners who pay ad valorem taxes?
Why? Because Georgia state government has cheated and wronged her cities and counties and her ad valorem taxpayers and other citizens far too long with an antiquated tax structure. It is an inadequate, inequitable, and unreasonable tax structure which restricts the growth of our State and the prosperity of our people.
It turns industry, investments and jobs from Georgia. It slows the progress of our cities and counties. It denies our people better opportunities and higher income, and denies our state and local governments untold tens of millions of dollars in needed revenue.
Our present tax structure is more punitive and damaging to our ad valorem taxpayers than other citizens because they are forced to pay more than all other local citizens combined for the local cost of operating
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schools and local governments. And, what, more than anything else, is responsible for the plight of the
owners of homes and farms who are being weakened, beaten down and victimized by ad valorem taxes continuing to increase by tens of millions of dollars?
Why are cities and counties being denied some additional critically needed funds that would otherwise be available?
The answer: Senate Bill 180-an act of 1964 that established a new Minimum Foundation Program for Education.
This was an outstanding achievement that assured revenue for a continuing improvement of education in Georgia. It has served education well, and it continues to do so.
PLIGHT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
Again, I want it clearly understood that, in my judgment, Senate Bill 180 was and is a fine piece of legislation for the cause of education in Georgia. However, anyone with sound financial knowledge must admit that the act, as passed, and as it remains today, without any provision for a new or additional source of revenue to finance the ad valorem taxpayer's burden, bringing financial harm to most, and financial disaster to many, Georgia farmers and homeowners. By taking the first and major bite from the ad valorem tax dollar, Senate Bill 180 drastically restricts the ability of local government to levy sufficient taxes to provide the personnel, the services and the facilities to grow, to prosper, to attract industry and, thus, get a fair piece of the economic pie shared by much of the state.
I am certain that not one member of the 1964 Georgia General Assembly that passed Senate Bill 180 into law intended for it to be so, but it is probably the most damaging, destructive, unreasonable, unfair and discriminatory action against horne ownership and the citizens who pay ad valorem taxes of any piece of legislation ever offered by a chief executive, approved by the General Assembly and signed into law vvithin a few days.
This probably accounts for this major piece of legislation, a badly needed program affecting the lives of virtually every Georgian, being passed into law, wholly neglectful of the need to provide an increased source of new revenue to finance it, thus rendering this important legislative act both rudimentary and abortive.
Those of you who were here at the time will recall the political pressures from high places, the political arm-twisting and the coercive efforts of special interest groups which were vainly aimed at getting all legislators committed to Senate Bill 180 before the 1964 session convened and
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before the act was even introduced. Never in contemporary Georgia history was so much brutal political
force used. And, so, without the willing support of most of those legislators in at-
tendance and over motions to delay, Senate Bill 180 was ramrodded through the General Assembly before adequate time was given for thoroughly studying and amending it to provide supportive revenue sources.
You will all recall, too, I am sure, that you were warned that to attempt to amend this act, or to "tinker with it," would endanger its passage.
And, so, my friends, this vital act, Senate Bill 180, was introduced in the senate on \Vednesday, January 15, 1964, and was signed into law by the governor, Friday, January 24, 1964, after being considered only part of five working days in the senate and only part of three working days in the Georgia house.
It is no wonder that such an otherwise good and important piece of legislation slipped through with provisions so discriminatory against homeowners and farmers when you consider that this bill contains forty-nine pages of words affecting the lives of every Georgian.
This was, and is, too large and too important an act to be studied, debated and amended as necessary in just a few short days.
The damage is done. But, there is no reason or justification for not correcting this oversight that has wronged, and continues to wrong, the ad valorem taxpayers.
UNFAIR TO PROPERTY OWNERS
Why is Senate Bill 180, as passed in 1964, discriminatory and wrong? It was an action by state government (not local governments and local school systems) in 1964 which voted an automatic annual ad valorem tax increase of millions of dollars on Georgia owners of homes, farms and businesses.
Each year, the state requires, through Senate Bill 180, that ad valorem taxes be increased on the property owners by millions of dollars as the local cost of education increases one per cent and the state cost decreases a corresponding one per cent.
Each year, with the state being able to increase educational dollars by unprecedented amounts, thus making larger appropriations to apply against its percentage cost of education, (increased millions of dollars that Senate Bill 180 requires local systems to match), state government, not local governments and local school systems, adds other additional millions of dollars to the wronged and discriminated-against owners of homes and farms.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
The time to correct this wrong is now. This implementation of Senate Bill 180, by state government, without increasing costs to others increased ad valorem tax burdens of the owners of homes and farms by untold millions of dollars during the years 1965, 1966, 1967, and 1968. And, although we could have stopped or drastically reduced the onslaught in 1969, but didn't, millions of new dollars in ad valorem taxes were added by the state again in 1969, and if you fail to act as I beg you to act now, and as the property owners in Georgia beg you to act, additional millions of dollars will be added to the overburdened, cheated and discriminated-against property owners this year, 1970. Please, I beg of you, I plead with you with all my being, don't let it happen. Where incomes are limited or frozen at low levels because of retirement income, social security, welfare or just plain low wages, the ad valorem tax increases voted upon these people by the State every year since 1964, takes: Food from some of their tablesClothes from some of their backsMedicine and health care from some of their familiesAnd makes it impossible for some of them to maintain their homes, thus contributing to the development of more slums. Our present tax structure is more punitive against and damaging to all of our ad valorem taxpayers than other citizens because they are forced to pay far more of the cost of local governments and local school costs than collected from all other sources combined. Please, please, please-if you never pass another tax revision or revenue measure, I beg of you to not allow the 1970 session of the Georgia General Assembly to come to a close without passing meaningful measures which will help the property owners that state government has mistreated and beaten down since 1964. Our existing tax structure is nothing less than an injustice against property owners, against Georgia cities and counties and thus harmful to all Georgians.
The people want it stopped.
I want it stopped.
And, you have it within your power to stop it!
INJUSTICE CORRECTED BY SALES TAX
The one cent increase in the sales tax that I recommend will do more than any other single thing at this time to correct the injustices of our existing tax structure.
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It will send hundreds of millions of dollars back into urban Georgia during the seventies for schools, highways, public safety, needed government personnel, water and sewerage systems and other services to build a brighter and more prosperous future.
It will do the same for rural and semi-rural Georgia, too, so that all of Georgia can attract plants, jobs, income and revenue; to grow and to prosper. And if we move in this direction and help to eliminate problems in rural and semi-rural Georgia we will prevent their problems from becoming even larger urban Georgia problems.
No form oflocal option tax will do that. The additional $58,225,225 I am asking you to collect from, and send back to, local citizens to help defray the cost of operating their schools and local governments will be the greatest possible shot-in-the-arm action this state could take for the continued progress and prosperity of all. It would be sufficient for many school systems and local governments to reduce their ad valorem tax millage rates and make it totally unnecessary to raise the millage rates in most all other instances. Further, the $64,200,000 going back out into the state for a reduction of the pupil-teacher ratio, the kindergarten program, the $200 teacher salary increase, for highway construction, and for sales tax credits and rebates, make a total of some $112,500,000 additional going back to our communities the first year, and will herald a new and better way of life for Georgia.
DISTRIBUTION FORMULA PROPOSED
If you do not already have them in your possession, I will shortly provide you with copies of a proposed fornmla for distribution of the increased grants to cities and counties, which will identify increased funds for the first year that your respective cities and counties would receive.
Under this proposal, which appears to be the most equitable from a general point of view, grants to cities and counties would be returned on a basis of sixty per cent per capita and forty per cent origin, or source of collection. This is considered a significant change from my earlier recommendations to you, but one for which I have found more enthusiastic and consensus support.
APPROVAL URGED
Ladies and gentlemen, I urge your fullest consideration of these proposals I am making to you.
I honestly believe that a great majority of our fellow Georgians support this program for tax revision and increased revenue, and I do not believe
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the majority of our constituents would support any other kind of new revenue measure. It will be passed. The people know it. You know it. I know it. So why not pass it now and prolong no more the injustice state government levies against homeowners. Pass it now during this 1970 session of the Georgia General Assembly.
If you do, you will bring more plants, more jobs and more opportunity to all of Georgia. You will be saying YES to Georgia's cities and counties -YES, to our children-YES, to their teachers-YES, to educationYES, to more and better highways-YES, to the blind, the aged, the disabled, to those in our hospitals and our prisons-YES, to all who are less fortunate than we-To those too old or too young, too sick or too crippled or too confused to care for themselves.
It will take courage. It will require the best within you. It will demand long and thorough deliberations, but I believe that when the deliberations are over, your decisions will be favorable to my recommendations to you. I know they will be your best.
When you have finished with this session, I will be able to go to the homeowners, our children and their teachers, our farn1ers, to the men and women on the streets, in our hospitals and prisons and to our local governments and, holding my head high, say, "I did my best for you. The program I presented to the 1970 Georgia General Assembly was a vote for you, a vote for every Georgian and a vote for all of Georgia."
I know that you, as elected representatives of the people want to be able to do the same.
To all of you who will be seeking re-election or election to another office this year-I extend my best wishes.
May our God, who gave us life and liberty, continue to bless you and yours with good health, happiness and prosperity.
AUDITORIUM BIBLE CLASS First Baptist Church of Temple Heights
January 18, 1970
Tampa, Florida
The New Testament begins with the message of repentance. John the Baptist preached it. He was known as the voice crying in the wilderness. But today across America there is a wilderness crying for a voice....
I am especially thankful for the manner in which this church is meeting its responsibility in strengthening private education in America. We have thousands of church education buildings in this nation that are used only a very few hours each week, and one of the greatest things that could happen would be for thousands of these buildings belonging to churches to be opened as private schools.
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ASSOCIAnON COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
January 19, 1970
Right now, I ask your support in a matter of vital concern to Georgia and every citizen-the needed revision in our tax structure. I seek the aid of this influential organization in convincing our legislators of the critical importance of the one per cent increase in the state sales tax, and of the need to adopt the increase this session.
EGGS AND ISSUES BREAKFAST Georgia Chamber of Commerce
January 20, 1970
Georgia owes much to the State Chamber of Commerce. Your contributions are apparent in nearly every city and town in this great state. Almost any of the new industries we see springing up throughout our state received the aid and assistance of a local Chamber of Commerce, or the state organization. . . . State government, joined by able citizens such as yourselves and the vast majority of honest, hard-working Georgians, have pulled together and we have paved the way to unprecedented heights of achievement.
GEORGIA MILK PRODUCTS
January 20, 1970
I have said before that I consider the occupation of dairyman to be one of the noblest and most honorable pursuits a man can choose to follow. I still believe it. The dairy farmer exemplifies all that is good in America, enjoying the rewards of free enterprise, depending upon his own abilities and skills, and performing a vital service to his fellowman.
CENTRAL ATLANTA PROGRESS MEETING
January 23, 1970
I am honored to have this opportunity to join the members of Central Atlanta Progress for the annual luncheon meeting of their capable and dedicated organization, and to welcome Secretary of Transportation Volpe and his party to this fine city and great state.
ATLANTA TOUCHDOWN CLUB JAMBOREE January 24, 1970
'Vith a National League football team and major league baseball,
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
basketball and soccer teams, I think Atlanta can safely be called the sports capital of the Southeast. I was delighted, too, when Georgia became a "bowl" state two years ago. You may remember the unusual halftime entertainment which was provided for the fans at this year's Peach Bowl game. In riding my bicycle all the way around Grand Field, backwards, and in thick mud, I think I probably broke some kind of record.
PEACHTREE-ATLANTA KIWANIS CLUB
January 27, 1970
I understand the name "Kiwanis" is from an Indian word meaning "to make oneself known." As a matter of fact, Lester Maddox and the Kiwanis Club were born the same year, 1915. My name might as well have been "Kiwanis," too, because I've been doing a pretty good job of making myself known. The Peachtree-Atlanta Kiwanis Club has also made itself known-made itself a valuable asset in this community. It's people like you who make America great.
BAPTIST POWER CONFERENCE Myrtle Baptist Church, Camp Zion
January 28, 1970
Myrtle, Mississippi
For over fifteen years I have been called a demagogue and an extremist because I warned the highest powers of our country of the dangers of lawlessness. I told how our cities were going to be wrecked and burned and how our colleges were going to be invaded. I predicted how plants were going to be shut down and how our schools would become blackboard jungles where policemen would have to patrol the halls and the classrooms. On many occasions I publicly advised presidents and others that America was about to be engulfed with the greatest epidemic of violence ever to strike the American cities. My warnings were laughed at and ignored.
CHRISTIAN CITIZENS ACADEMY
January 31, 1970
Douglas
This new private institution of learning, so rich with promise, will stand as a monument to liberty and an inspiration to freedom-loving Americans everywhere.... While you are taking action to protect your children and your rights as Americans, too many of our countrymen have stood idly by, bowing to the illegal excesses of federal school guidelines and sacrificing their children's education.
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KIWANIS CLUB OF ATLANTA
February 3, 1970
If we are to lose our freedom, our liberty, the precious rights granted to us by God and guaranteed to us by the United States Constitution, then I think the suffocating smog which is predicted for the decades just ahead might very well represent the last great blessing which God could bestow upon us as Americans.
I would rather be a dead man buried in polluted but free soil than a live slave breathing clean air. To a free man, there is no stench more obnoxious than that which is emitted by the death of freedom.
GEORGIA SCHOOL BOARD ASSOCIATION
February 4, 1970
You will have to make a firm decision about what is most important. The choice is not always a happy one. On one side, you can help destroy public education, sacrifice our children, gut Georgia's communities and betray their dedicated teachers-all with very little risk to yourselves.
On the other hand, if you have the courage and the love for our state and our children that I think you have, you will choose to preserve public education, protect our children, black and white, keep our communities intact and serve the people who look to you for leadership and who pay your salaries, even if following such a course jeopardizes your job, threatens your security, cuts out your pension and even deprives you of your own personal freedom.
MONUMENT BUILDERS OF NORTH AMERICA
February 4, 1970
Of course you realize that Georgia ranks first among the states in the production of marble, with some $50,000,000 worth of stone produced every year. Our fine Georgia marble is renowned throughout the world.
This nation is being suffocated by weak-willed leaders, welfare-staters, communist-inspired and financed agitators, and politicians who would rather be elected than right....
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
SOUTH CAROLINA BROADCASTERS ASSOCIATION
February 4, 1970
Greenville
Georgia and South Carolina are sister states, and I never fail to feel right at home. About the only way I can tell when I leave Georgia and enter South Carolina is to check a local newspaper. If I don't find some ridiculous cartoon of Lester Maddox, I know I'm over the line.
NATIONAL FREEDOM ORGANIZATION
February 8, 1970
Albany
Wherever the illegal and unjust guidelines and edicts of the bureaucrats descend upon one of our public schools, education flees for its life. And in its place comes chaos. moral decay, disorder, violence and destruction.
Some of our children and their teachers are no longer safe in their classes and in the hallways of schools where the criminals are forcing their unconstitutional demands. Teachers become policemen instead of instructors, spending their time frisking students for knives, guns and drugs.
AMERICAN SOCIETY For Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
February 9, 1970
If you've visited our state before, you've probably noticed that quite a bit of face-lifting has been taking place recently. Right here in Atlanta, new construction is underway just about everywhere you turn.
The scars of old buildings arc being removed, and in their places healthy new and restored structures are going up. Major arteries and improved highways are replacing what was once a weak circulatory system.
JEFFERSON-JACKSON DAY DINNER
February 9, 1970
I am delighted to be here again with the friends and supporters of the Democratic party of Georgia.
I sincerely hope that the Governor of Georgia will be attending this function next year, too. But, unless we're willing to head up our ticket with somebody other than one of the so-called "moderates" who hold to the same old Johnson-Humphrey-Kennedy philosophy that lost us the national election, then we might not be able to invite the next Governor of Georgia to a Democratic party dinner.
....
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
You know, just a few months ago, down at Albany, I told you that I didn't believe a Republican could be elected governor in Georgia in 1970. After seeing three more months of the Nixon administration at work, I am more convinced than ever that the next Governor of Georgia could and should be a Democrat.
But, I have been known to be wrong. We just recently lost the Virginia Statehouse, and we also now have Republican governors in Florida, Kentucky, Arkansas.... And we could and should have elected Democrats in those states, too. In the words of Harry S. Truman, "Any good politician with nerve and a program that is right can win in the face of the stiffest opposition." When the people go to the polls this fall, they're not going to vote for a person just because he's a Democrat. They're going to vote for the man who has shown, and who continues to show, that he's a real American and that he is looking out for the best interests of the people. And so, to win the statehouse in Georgia this year, we Democrats need to make sure that we have a program that is right. A program that is right is a program that the people want. And, if anybody here still doesn't know what the people want, then I would like to invite you over to my office one afternoon and I'll read you a few of the thousands of letters that keep coming into my office at a record rate. The people want to hear a political candidate echo the words of Thomas Jefferson who said, "The will of the people is the only legitimate foundation of any government." The people will be demanding candidates for public office who have the guts to take an unyielding stand on the issue of "freedom of choice"-men and women who will fight to the last breath, if necessary, to protect our children, protect our teachers, keep our neighborhoods together and protect the investments of the taxpayers. The people are fed up with weak-kneed, wishy-washy political parasites who suck the very life blood from our state and give nothing in return. They are ready to squash the political hopes of any candidate who has not come fonvard in recent months and in recent years to speak out against the tyranny of our courts and the malice of federal officials who have made it undeniably clear that they have no regard whatsoever for the constitutional and God-given rights of a free people. This is a day and time when many elections can be won with fat bank accounts and slick Madison Avenue image-makers, as our president will tell you, but the people of Georgia will not be fooled by a false image this year. There is too much at stake, and the people will not only be listening to what a candidate is saying, but what he has said-and they will be looking at not only what he is doing, but what he has done. And, not only
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that, but the people will also be remembering what candidates have not said and what they have not done. The people will remember those who have sinned by silence.
You might recall that Thomas Jefferson tried to get a bill passed in the Congress to bar slavery in all future new states. When the bill failed to pass by just one vote, he had these reflections: "The voice of a single individual ... would have prevented this abominable crime from spreading itself over the new country. Thus we see the fate of millions unborn hanging on the tongue of one man, and Heaven was silent in that awful moment! But it is to be hoped that it will not always be silent, and that the friends to the rights of human nature will in the end prevail."
We have seen unconstitutional legislation and illegal court edicts force a very real kind of slavery upon Georgia students and teachers, black and white.
And every public official, whatever his party, who fails to speak out against these crimes against our people should examine his conscience and decide now if he can live with the thought that his might have been the voice to prevent "this abominable crime from spreading itself over the country."
My own conscience is clear. I'm a Georgia Democrat and not a National Democrat and not a National Socialist Democrat. With that point made, I thank you for your time, your attention and your courtesy.
LEGISATIVE CONFERENCE Of the Georgia AFL-CIO
February 11, 1970
The only thing I want to give away is opportunity. This in turn will give hope to those who have no hope . Confidence to those who have no confidence . Pride to those who have no pride ... And faith to those who have no faith. But I am only one man, and I can do nothing without the continued support and encouragement of you, the people.
AMERICAN BUILDINGS COMPANY National Dealer Meeting
February 12, 1970
Atlanta Airport
It is from government that we derive our freedom, and if we do not control government, government will control us.
And because too many businessmen haven't been involved in their
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government, government is getting involved in their businesses.
The freedom we Americans have will be directly determined by the degree to which the honest, hard-working, patriotic citizens involve themselves in the affairs of their government.
GEORGIA DAY FESTIVITIES February 12, 1970
Savannah
I know that those courageous men and women who journeyed to this promising new land with Oglethorpe would be pleased with the great tribute being paid to their memory today.
And they would be heartened to see that the same qualities which set them apart are still present in the great majority of their descendants.
Ours is a wonderful state . . . our belief in the basie freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution [is] preserved by the sacrifices of generations of Americans.
KNIGHT PAPER COMPANY February 13, 1970
Groundbreaking
We, in Georgia, are delighted that you have chosen our state as the site of the new warehouse and converting facility which will rise at this location. Your choice reflects not only the faith you have in Georgia, but also the vision of our industrial leaders in seeking such a forward-looking and progressive company as a new member of this state's industrial family.
CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH
February 15, 1970
Pompano Beach, Florida
It is a pleasure to be in the auditorium named for one of Georgia's own patriots, John Birch, the missionary and military hero who was the first to give his life in the war against world communism. By using his name and honoring his memory you have revealed your dedication to the cause of Christ and freedom which he fought and died to proclaim....
Especially do I commend you for the provisions you are making for young people through the Cornerstone Christian Conservative Day School. In the face of the federal police state's capture of public education in our southland and e!se\\"here in our country, it is important that patriotic Christians expand, strengthen and preserve private Christian school education....
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INSTITUTE OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERS
February 18, 1970
I firmly believe that if we had taken just one-fourth of the $160,000,000,000 which the United States has shelled out on foreign aid and channeled these $40,000,000,000 into domestic programs to provide rural and semi-rural American communities with adequate water and sewerage facilities, we would not now be required to act in such near panic haste.
Not only would our air and \\'ater be cleaner, but industry would be much less concentrated. People in comfortable little communities would have stay-at-home opportunities....
KIWANIS 'OPERATION DRUG ALERT'
February 20, 1970
It is inspiring to be with so many teachers and young representatives of Georgia's best, whose concern for the problem of the usc, misuse and abuse of dangerous drugs have brought them to this conference of the Georgia district of Kiwanis International. ...
The pace you set will lead other young people in the right direction, before they are It'd astray by those under the destructive influence of drugs.
GREATER ATLANTA RESERVE OFFICERS
February 20, 1970
Forest Park (Conleyi
By planning large-scale troop withdrawals, our government is admitting they have lost the war. Troop withdrawals do not represent a step toward peace-they only bring a temporary lull in the fighting. They are a step toward another war at another time and place....
To hesitate, withdraw, compromise or surrender is to betray the more than 1,000,000 valiant men who have died in years past in defense of this nation.
UNITED STATES SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE On Constitutional Rights
February 24, 1970
Washington, D.C.
I deeply appreciate this opportunity to come before you today, as Governor of the Sovereign State of Georgia, to share with you my views on the injustice and discrimination of the Voting Rights Law of 1965 and the proposed amendment to this outrageous piece of legislation.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
The Fifteenth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution, ratified in 1870, states as follows: "The right of the citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude."
I have no argument with the fact or philosophy contained in this amendment.
Part Two of Article Fifteen states: "The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."
I have no argument with the fact or philosophy expressed in this statement.
But I do strenuously object to the usurpation of states' rights by the Congress as is the case with the Voting Rights Law of 1965. The Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution does not prohibit the states from abridging the right of citizens to vote; it simply prohibits any such abridgment "on account of" race or color.
There is nothing in the U. S. Constitution which proscribes, or allows Congress to proscribe, the use of fair literacy tests to determine voter qualifications.
I submit to you that any person who cannot read or write the English language, if allowed to vote, creates a serious threat to our representative form of government and to the democratic ideals which we have traditionally held dear.
Even if, in this day and age, an illiterate person could make intelligent decisions concerning the candidates and issues presented to him for his consideration, it would be impossible for him to vote his convictions in a modern, computerized voting booth without being taken in hand by another citizen who has bothered to get an education.
The great State of Georgia took the lead in reducing the eligible age of voters in our state from twenty-one to eighteen. This extended the franchise to thousands of previously ineligible young citizens, both black and white.
I suppose it would have been possible to lower the voting age to sixteen, to twelve, or even to six years, if the lawmaking bodies of our sovereign state had deemed such to be wise and proper.
But, obviously, the lowering of the voting age requirement to six years would not be proper and wise, and Georgians have acted prudently and responsibly to preserve the integrity of our representative form of government.
A six-year-old has neither the education nor the judgmental ability to cast an intelligent vote in any kind of political election.
Neither does an illiterate, regardless of his race, color or previous condition of servitude.
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I submit to you, gentlemen, that Georgia and all of the other forty-nine states in our nation have the constitutional right to require that a voter be literate. And, not only do we have the right to establish such a qualification, but we have the duty.
In my opinion, it is totally irresponsible to permit persons who either cannot or will not learn to read and write our native tongue to have a voice in determining the fate of proposed local bond issues, constitutional amendments and other important state and local issues.
And it is sheer folly to give such a person the tremendous privilege and the awesome responsibility of choosing men and women to serve in high public office.
I know that it is not necessary for me to remind the esteemed membership of this Subcommittee that ours is a republican form of government and not a democracy. Certainly we hold dear the democratic principles of equal representation of our people in their government, but, in the words of James Madison in 1787, "One of the worst forms of government is a pure democracy, that is, one in which the citizens enact and administer the laws directly. Such a government is helpless against the mischiefs of faction."
In his inaugural address in 1949, Harry S. Truman said: "Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right. to govern himself with reason and justice...."
And, I submit to you that \Jmple without this "moral and intellectual capacity" can quickly destroy this great democratic republic in less than one one-hundredth the time it took to build it.
But, whether you agree or not that reasonable qualifications should be set for voters should really be considered a moot issue. Under the U. S. Constitution, as it now stands, the Congress has no legitimate authority to make a decision on this matter which would be binding on the states.
It is a matter of public record that many members of both the House and the Senate recognized that the right of Congress to pass such a bill as H. R. 6400 into law was questionable at best. Some from non-affected states are on record as being of the firm opinion that only through a constitutional amendment could Congress make la\\s banning the rights of states to determine and set voter qualifications on a non-discriminatory basis.
But, again, in view of the courts' decisions concerning the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, you may also wish to consider this a moot question.
But, I challenge any honest man to tell me, in good conscience, that he believes it to be constitutional to pass legislation which was patently
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designed to discriminate against only a few southern states! The farmers of this act used the percentages listed in the 1964 voter
registration statistics of each of the affected states to corne up "ith a formula aimed only at Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, JvIississippi, South Carolina and Virginia.
This, gentlemen, is discrimination in its vilest form. It is a direct violation of the U. S. Constitution and is in total contradiction to the concept of states' rights.
I ask you, do two wrongs make a right? Is it right to use legislation which discriminates against a few states in order to eliminate the alleged discrimination against a few people?
I contend that it is not. I would like to point out that I am not so naive as to believe that no discrimination has ewr existed in Ceorgia, but I would hope that no member of this esteemed body is so nai\'e as to believe that discrimination does not also exist in many other states, in both the ~orth and the South. J\1y own state has made a number of important moves toward insuring that all elections are fair and accurate. In 1964, before the effective date of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, Georgia adopted a comprehensive revision of its election la\\'s. For the first time, the state adopted procedures for the use of vote recorders for use with computers to count the vote. The new code as a whole, \\'ith the vote recorder provision, required amendments to \\'ork out the "bugs" in this comprehensive revision. In 1968, for the first time, Georgia adopted a comprehensive municipal election code applicable uniformly to all municipalities in the state. Because d the broad Co\'erage of Section Fiw in the 1965 Votillf~' Rights Act, which requires that changes in any "standard, practice. or procedure" respecting voting be submitted to \Vashington, my state has submitted OI'er 150 changes to the Attorney General since 196:"i. The requirements of this act e\'en made it mandatory that Georgia submit twelve Constitutional Amendments to a federal official for approvaL In my considered opinion, the burden placed upon my state by this act of Congress is not only improper, but impractical. The Georgia General Assembly meets in January and February, and sometimes into :tI1arch, of each year. The election code has provisions \\'hich become operative in ,:vlarch of each election year. Laws passed in the present session of the Georgia legislature affecting the early stages of the election process cannot go into effect until about Nlay I because federal apprOlal must first be obtained. \Ve are handicapped in making changes by the sixty days in \\,hich tIll' attorney general has to act on election la\\' changes.
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The attorney general has stated that changes in locations of the polling places and in election district lines must be approved by him. If a polling place bums down within sixty days of the election we would have no alternative but to violate the provisions of the 1965 Voting Rights Act or else deprive hundreds of citizens of the right to vote.
An even more unreasonable aspect of this act comes to light when we consider that, after the 1970 census, Georgia will be required to redraw its legislative and congressional districts. Under the law, the Attorney General of the United States could capriciously disapprove the reapportionment plans, even though the federal courts had approved them.
I believe that when the full effect of such a cumbersome and unconstitutional procedure is brought to the attention of the gcneral public, the people will be just as outraged as \\"ere the freedom-loving men in our earlier history who, after tiring of traipsing back and forth across the ocean to have their laws looked at and disapproved by the king, set pen t" that greatest of all documents of freedom, the Declaration of Indcpendence.
And their outrage would certainly be justifircl. In the words of Mr. Justice Black, in dissenting III the South Carolina versus Katzenbach case: "Certainly if all the provisions of our Constitution which limit the power of the Federal Government and reserve othrr power to the states are to mean anything, they mean at least that the states have power to pass laws and amend their constitutions without first sending their officials hundreds of miles away to beg federal authorities to approve them. :Moreover, it seems to me that Paragraph 5 which gives federal officials power to veto state la\\"s they do not like is in direct conflict with the clear command of our Constitution.... I cannot help but believe that the inevitable effect of any such law which forces anyone of the states to entreat federal authorities in far-away places for approval of local laws before they can become effective is to create the impression that the state or states treated in this way are little more than conquered provinces." Georgia is not a conquered province. Georgia is a sovereign state that is co-equal among the states of the United States, and should be treated as an equal under the law. In closing, I would like to say that I think I have made it unequivocally clear that I am vehemently opposed to the extension of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. This is an abominable piece of legislation which should never have been born. I urge each of you to use your great influence to see that it does not continue to live.
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The administration's amendment, S. 2507, also has little to recommend it. It is an unnecessary measure of questionable constitutionality. I would also like to register my opposition to its passage.
However, if the Congress will not be satisfied to allow the states to exercise the rights which are constitutionally theirs, then I say it is only fair and just that all states have their rights usurped equally.
In short, misery loves company, and the more states that are affected by this federal encroachment upon states' rights, the more voices we will hear rising in opposition to it, and the sooner we can all return to common sense, constitutional government.
I thank you for your time and your kind attention.
WOMEN'S BOWLING ASSOCIATION
February 28, 1970
Gainesville
The programs of the Bowlers Victory Legion-visits by top bowlers to Veterans Administration Hospitals, tournaments in VA hospitals, and the distribution of sports guides-bring to our disabled fighting men the comfort of knowing that their sacrifices have not been forgotten. The interest you show in their wellbeing and the healthful activity you provide for them do much toward rehabilitating these valiant men and restoring them to normal lives.
NATIONAL GUARD ASSOCIATION
February 28, 1970
As we accept defeat and back out of the war in Vietnam, we are backing into total war with, or total surrender to, worldwide comrnunislll unless we change our present course....
In acts of almost unbelievable stupidity, our national leaders have allowed the Russians to gain in seapower, as exemplified by their great advances in submarine warfare capability, advances in intercontinental ballistic missiles and anti-ballistic missile systems until, now, the military security of the U. S. is in serious jeopardy.
CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH
March 1, 1970
Walterboro, South Carolina
The federal death-grip on our public schools is choking the very life out of the great American system of public education....
Very early in our history, our forefathers learned that children could get a better education in schools created for that purpose and staffed by
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those neighbors who were skilled at teaching ... they were private schools. . . . These first schools were very much like the Calvary Christian School founded by this fine church.
DISCOUNT CENTER
March 2, 1970
Rome
I predict that Rome and Gibson's Discount Center will find they have much to offer each other, and that both will prosper from this union. Judging from the fact that this store, according to a Gibson spokesman, is the largest in the worldwide Gibson organization, the company must have suspected that this venture would be a profitable one.
SOUTH DeKALB OPTIMISTS CLUB
March 3, 1970
. . . like you, I'm an optimIst, and I believe that reason will prevail. And, if need be, I'm always ready to strike a bargain with those who don't want Lester Maddox in Washington, D. C. If the U. S. Congress will keep the federal government's "dangerous weapons" out of Georgia, then you can be sure that I will keep my "dangerous weapons" out of Washington. . . . In California, where de facto segregation was found, local officials have been given until 1971 to come up with some acceptable method of forced integration to cause as little disruption to the educational process as possible. But not so in the South. In Georgia a federal judge gave our people one day.
JOHN BIRCH COUNCIL DINNER
March 6, 1970
Los Angeles, California
I want to thank all of you, and especially Mr. Robert Welch, for inviting me to come out to the beautiful State of California this evening and be with so many great Americans.
I am well aware of the fine work being done by this patriotic organization, and I am honored that it has been my privilege on two occasions to proclaim John Birch Day in Georgia in honor of this young man who was the first American to pay the supreme price to defend our country against communist aggression and in honor of the thousand who have followed him to the grave.
I long for the day when governors of each of the fifty states will become so awakened to this treat of international communism that they, too, will declare a John Birch Day in their states. Not only would I like to see
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each governor proclaim John Birch Day, but I think the President should do the same and if I were President of the United States I would do so just as quickly and willingly as I do as Governor.
It should be a day of national mourning--a day when all Americans are called upon to study the sinister ways of the communist conspiracy and resolve to do their share to fight it.
And, it would be great if all Democratic and Republican presidents, congressmen and U. S. Supreme Court justices had the guts, patriotism and love for America to tell the truth to the American people-what they know about the real and immediate communist threat to America.
They know that the deadly communist enemies of God and America worked until they were successful in making it illegal for boys and girls in public schools to be led in prayer and Bible reading, but they dare not admit it.
They know that the communists have helped to organize, finance and direct every major civil rights movement in America, the SDS, the Du Bois Clubs, the Black Panthers and multitudes of other such groups of atheists, communists, anarchists and haters of America: yet they just plain don't
have the guts to tell it like it is and publicly cry out "Up with God, liberty,
Americanism and capitalism, and dOZi.'ll with atheism, slavery, socialism and communisnl."
These same weaklings in public office who would rather be elected than be right, know that the major driving force behind the tyranny in government vvhich has placed a "police state" over public education, treating our children, their teachers and their parents as something less than animals, and that the major force behind sensitivity programs, immoral sex courses and accelerated courses in evolution, communism and anti-American studies have come from the communist enemies of the United States.
They are fully aware that communists VI"ithin and without America have been, and continue to be, leaders in the effort calling for the defeat of our men and our country in Vietnam; yet they are not willing to so advise the people of this great country.
And, rather than be honest with the American people and really stand up for America and take a public stand against the communist enemies of America, they keep quiet and often go in the opposite direction, legalizing communists teaching in our schools, working in our government and heading up some labor unions so that these enemies of God and America will be in a better position to help destroy the United States. Rather than fighting for America and opposing the communists, too often they are opposing America and supporting communists.
And, when they profess to be fighting against the communists in Southeast Asia, and, at the same time, they help feed, clothe, house and finance
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communists and communist programs all over the United States and much of the world through foreign aid and HEW, OEO and other programs, they are committing treason against the United States of America.
There are some in our nation who would criticize you for inviting Lester Maddox to speak at your meeting, and there are others who would criticize me for accepting. Still others would criticize the both of us for even getting together at a meeting such as this to speak out for the things we love about this great free republic, and to tell the honest truth about those philosophies, those policies and those people who seem bent upon destroying virtually everything that Americans like you-the hard-working, God-fearing, patriotic conservatives in our nation-hold dear.
We may all be criticized for meeting here tonight, but I thank God for the privilege to be with so many brave Americans who love their God enough to say so . . .
who love their country enough to work for its survival who love their liberty enough to sacrifice for its preservation and, who love their children and their families enough to fight to keep for them and their children the same kind of America that we were blessed enough to inherit. You are not fence straddlers. You're "extremists." You have an extreme love for your God, your country, YOllr freedom and your rights as Americans. And you become extremely concerned when you see all of these things threatened by enemies both at home and abroad and when you see weak-kneed politicians who are supposed to be serving you, serving your enemies instead. Yes, some will object to our meeting here, tonight, and well they should, because it is our kind of people who stand against those whose goal is to destroy America. Those who are against America and for Ollr enemies will speak out against us. Those who denounce God and preach atheistic communism will hurl their verbal spears in our direction. Those who hate the great American private free enterprise system and love socialistic economies and hand-out programs will give us their venomous notice. Some of the "mistaken" who haven't been told the truth by our government and the major news media will attack us and many elected officials will attack us for telling the truth that they don't have the courage to tell. But, all that should tell us is that we're doing a good job. Whl'll yOIl hear the rattlesnake "singing," you know you're hitting close to his den.
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We should expect criticism from anarchists who shoot down our policemen in the streets and burn our cities, the so-called "peaceniks" who wave the Viet Cong flag and call for the destruction of our gallant American forces, the communists, who see us as a real menace to their cause and the weak-kneed politicians who would rather be elected than be right.
But, we are not the first to face criticism. The enemies of freedom criticized John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, too, but, thank God, they stood strong in the face of criticism, fought the good fight and won. They loved their God, their country and their liberty enough to say so, to live so and to die so. God give us such men in high places at this hour of crisis.
We are able to meet here tonight because these men, and others who followed them, such as young John Birch, were willing to pay the price of freedom.
We can do no less. The threat we face tonight, in my judgment, is far greater than the combined threats we faced July 4, 1776, in World War I and World War II. And it is even more frightening when we realize that at this time ours is a government without a real goal and purpose and without leadership willing or able to provide them. We, the American people, are the victims of the greatest theft in the history of our nation. The United States Constitution is being carted off piece by piece~ even ignored or cast aside when it best fits the purpose of the socialists and weak Americans in our government. Our precious rights, not only as Americans, but as human beings, are being carried away in politicians' pockets and in bureaucrats' briefcases to be sold down the river to the highest bidder. And the saddest thing about this monstrous crime is that most of the victims don't even realize that they are being looted. Most Americans are so busy making a dollar, getting a vote, trying for a promotion and trying to convince the kids that they're "real swingers" that they are not even aware that their basic rights as Americans and as humans have been stolen by the courts, by the Justice Department, by the White House, by HEW, by Congress and by local politicians who have more lust than they have loyalty. Of course, Mr. Agnew gets in the news about every week with some little criticism about what's wrong with our country. He has slapped the television networks on the wrist and he comes out with some cute names for the anarchists and criminals who get more coverage than he does. But, what the present administration is doing is playing a trick on the American public that it must have learned by watching some old cowboy
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movie on the late show. The crooks come into town, set fire to an old warehouse or the livery stable, and while everybody's attention is diverted, the crooks rob the bank.
The vice president knows that the administration is very much a part of the gang that is sealing Americans blind, and so his little fire set under the networks was just a diversionary tactic.
The administration's plan was to keep Americans from thinking about the cver-increasing flame of inflation which continues to steal the bread from their tables-a condition which candidate Nixon said he would corrcct, and which President Nixon has failed to do. In fact it has grown much worse.
They wanted to take the American public's attention away from the war in Vietnam which has taken more than 40,000 of our finest young men to their graves and crippled nearly a quarter of a million more-a war which candidate Nixon promised he would end honorably, but which President Nixon has only muddled that much morc. And now we have accepted defeat which is a betrayal of those who have fought and died in this and other American wars.
It was hoped by the Nixon administration that Mr. Agnew's little fire under the networks would divert attention from the staggering increase in the crime rate in America-a problem which candidate Nixon promised to deal with, but one which President Nixon has seen continue to increase by leaps and bounds.
I have no doubt that the present national administration, for the most part, has made some attempt to win these three major wars-the war against communism in Southeast Asia, the war against inflation of the dollar and the war against crime in our own country-but it has failed miserably on all three counts. So, the thing to do is build a fire under the networks and the anarchists and their kind.
Now, I'm all for Mr. Agnew crawling on the networks, the "intellectual slobs," the anarchists and others who need talking to. More power to him. What he is saying should have been said by presidents and vice presidents for two decades.
My complaint is that he did not, and will not, hit others who are equally guilty and sometimes thrice guilty.
Mr. Agnew should, but he won't, tell all Americans that the present administration continues to support HEW, OEO and other federal agency programs that wage war upon the United States Constitution, the United States government, our children and their parents and tcachers, and public education. It is a known fact that many of these programs and federal dollars, belonging to the decent law-abiding achievers in this country, are used to wage war upon state and local governments, the rights
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to private property, private free enterprise, law and order and the safety and liberty of us all, but, Mr. Agnew would not dare to teII it all.
No American can prove wrong my statement that billions of doIIars going into some domestic and foreign aid programs help feed, clothe, house and finance communist enemies of America, both within and without our country, thus strengthening the enemy while weakening the United States; but, the top brass in the Executive and Legislative branches of our national government will not dare teII it to the American people.
When they strike at the networks and the anarchists, they should go all the way and publicly and proudly proclaim that many decisions of the U. S. Supreme Court have helped to spread communism, crime, anarchy, rioting, rape, murder, obscenity and immorality.
They should also tell you that Supreme Court decisions in violation of the United States Constitution are rendering infinitesimal the constitutional rights and authorities of state and local governments and local boards of education, and that the Judiciary branch of the federal government has stolen much from the Executive branch, \\'hich is also in violation of the United States Constitution.
Real conservatism is much deeper than political campaigns, and those who arc merely "campaign conservatives" should tell you and other Americans that other decisions by the C. S. Supreme Court favor socialism and communism and are against the rights to private property and private free enterprise, but they won't do it.
No, they will not dare tell you the whole truth for fear of offending some special friend or maybe losing a vote, an election, the White House, the Congress or a statehouse.
But, Lester ~faddox will tell it all-and does. I like getting \otes and getting elected, and I want to support my political party, but I will never, never put any of these things ahead of Illy country, the truth and what is right. Sometimes a drunk who brags that he can whip anybody in the house finds that his mouth is bigger than his fist. And, after several of his barmates give him a working over and throw him out, he goes home and stomps his wife, slaps his kids and kicks the dog. Recognizing that it was losing its war against crime, against the communists in Asia and against inflation, the national administration decided that it had to win at least one battle, and so it has proceeded to order police state forces to stomp the South, slap our children and kick public education in the teeth. While the President was telling the nation that he supported equal application of school integration laws throughout the country, some of his troops got a little bit slap-happy and tried to push around the parents.
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teachers and children of vVichita, Kansas. When the President heard about it, it was reported that he caIled them off immediately and said, "Boys, that's the North, don't you know? That's strictly off limits."
Out here in California, your neighborhood schools have been left intact, and the ones that have felt the strong arm of the police state have been given until September, 1971, to meet the unreasonable, unconstitutional and ungodly demands of the judicial tyrants and HEW bureaucrats.
But, in my own home state of Georgia, a federal judge who is evidently trying to work his way up to the Supreme Court ruled against what he had earlier ruled as constitutionaIly right, legal and correct, and gave our people less than twenty-four hours to comply with his iIlegal orders.
And, not only that, but his order directed that if parents, teachers, public officials, students and any other citizens used their constitutionaIly guaranteed rights to freedom of assembly and freedom of speech, and thereby offered or counseled resistance to his iIlegal orders that they would be in contempt and, upon conviction, be subject to a fine or imprisonment.
This did not happen in Cuba, Russia or China, but it happened last week in Georgia-in the United States of America.
Some of the judges, some congressmen, HEW and Justice Department officials have set themselves above the law, above the enited States Constitution, the "NIay 17, 1954, Supreme Court school decision, and above the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The present administration has done more to wreck and ruin public education in a few months than all other administrations during the previous sixteen years.
It is double talk when the President leads people to believe he Sll;JportS equal application of the school integration laws all over the nation, while at the same time HEyV, the Justice Department and the federal courts wrecked and ruined public education and stole away our children and the divine and constitutional rights of the children and their parents (and stiIl do), but the President would not dare permit this ungodly and unconstitutional war by HEyV, the Justice Department and the courts be waged against the children and their teachers and parents and education in the states of New York, Michigan, IIlinois. Wisconsin and other northern states.
For federal officials to come now, after closing and destroying tens of millions of doIlars in school buildings, bussing tens of thousands of our black and white children and transferring our teachers into foreign neighborhoods-subjecting teachers and students to beatings, attacks, robberies, molestations, shootings and stabbings, and after the parents have had their children, the investments in their communities and the teachers
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have had much of their investments in hard work to prepare themselves for their profession stolen from them, and say they are against bussing and closing of neighborhood schools to produce integration, gives the sound of dishonesty and hypocrisy.
It hurts me to have to say much of what I am saying tonight. I want to support my President, my United States Congress, my United States Supreme Court and my United States government. And I will do this every time and in every way possible. But when I believe them to be wrong and see my country threatened, duty to God, loyalty to America and love for liberty demand that I speak out. In doing less, I would not be worthy of being called an American and a Christian.
But, you know, in this day and age of "non-involvement," millions of Americans are looking on at \\'hat is happening in the South, and sayinii, "So what? That's 'way down there and it wiII never happen to us."
They're wrong--dead wrong. If the communists and the "mistaken" continue to have their way, the chaos, confusion, heartbreak, economic disaster and education calamity which have been the fate of the South could spread all over these great United States until most school systems in America are as integrated and as "disintegrated" as the one in our nation's capital, \Vashington, D. C. Should that time corne, then America will have ceased to be a free republic. Our fight is neither for nor against segregation or integration. Weare fighting for freedom of choice, for freedom, for liberty and for black and white students, teachers and parents throughout America. When a thief goes into one house in a neighborhood, makes a good haul and goes unpunished, he usually comes back to the house next door, and the one next door to that, and so on. California has been cased out. So has Kansas, Illinois, Iowa, :Minnesota and so on down the list. When the South has nothing left but four bare walls and a mortgage to pay, the thief will be hunting better pickings. He will come in the bright of day, wearing the disguise of "civil rights," "equal opportunities," "better schools" and "law of the land." But, regardless of what mask he wears, he is the International Communist Conspiracy and he is out to steal the very heart of American strength-our public school system. They know that if they can gain control of the minds of our children, they won't have to fight the next generation of Americans. Devout communists will not fight devout communists, and that's what our children will grow up to be if the "New Federalism" which means "no statism," "no localism" and "no peoplism" is allowed to gain strength and smother out the last vestiges of real representative and constitutional government in
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our country. God save us from the "New Deals," "Fair Deals," "Great Societies," "New Frontiers" and "New Federalisms," and God help us to have a new and renewed dedication to Him and to America.
Even now, plans are being considered by our national government to publish and distribute the textbooks which are used in the public schools. What a devastating weapon this would be! Our children would be so brainwashed in the philosophies of the enemies of freedom, the enemies of God, the enemies of personal initiative and the enemies of nationalism that America, as we know it, would be as good as dead and buried, just like Khruschev promised it would be. Not only that, but they plan later to' implement and direct teacher training courses.
My friends, there is no denying the fact that most of the thievery of our rights as Americans is being done by weak-kneed, sold-out politicians who are just looking out for themselves and trying to appease the loudmouthed pressure groups that are just looking out for themselves and taking America for all they can while they can.
But, any person who just sits on his front porch and rocks comfortably while others steal him blind deserves just what he ends up with-nothing.
Those Americans who let the politicians run their government, who let the national religious organizations run their churches and who let the punks, parasites and pinks run their businesses deserve what they will end up with: No government, no churches and no businesses.
Thank God that we still have some Americans who take the trouble to think for themselves and act for themselves to protect and preserve what is their own.
Thank God for the men and women in the John Birch Society who are willing to pay the price of ridicule and slander to fight for what they know is right and against what they know is wrong.
As more and more Americans join your numbers, either officially or unofficially, we will come nearer to gaining a victory over International Communism, which is at the very root of nearly all of America's present ills.
We are not a sick society, as some would have us believe, but there are too many sickly and sickening politicians and public officials eating away at both the material and spiritual wealth of our nation today.
And it's time these thieves were given their just deserts. It's time that Americans let it be known that they are fed up with those who use our tax dollars to feed, house and clothe communism at home while sacrificing American lives and American dollars in a halfhearted attempt to fight it abroad. It's time that Americans everywhere demanded an end to the war against the private free enterprise system, against rights to private prop-
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erty, against personal initiative, against God and against our children. Billions of dollars are poured into other countries every year, some of
them to our avowed enemies, but none of the people in these other countries are ever told that they have no right to freedom of choice.
In fact, American boys are fighting and dying even tonight in Vietnam to assure the people of that country freedom of choice and self detennination.
But the families of these fighting men are denied these same rights back home.
I know that some people will not agree with the things I have said here tonight. There is certain to be some criticism waiting for me in the fishwrappers back home, but I have not tried to please everybody with what I have said tonight.
I have told the simple truth, and I let the chips fall where they may. I have been threatened, ostracized, ridiculed and scorned almost from the time of my first public utterance, and So it's nothing new to me. But, in spite of these obstacles, so long as I have a breath left, I will continue to publicly and unashamedly profess my faith in a living God and do what I see as my duty to my country and my family. I would rather spend the rest of my life as a political prisoner in a forgotten jail than live even five minutes of my life a prisoner of my own fear, afraid to speak up for God, for liberty, for country and afraid to speak out against what I know is wrong in the country I love. It would be better to have never lived than to be a coward-this I will never be. Some may take Illy freedom from me, but only death will still my voice of opposition to those who strike at my God, my liberty and my country. And it gives me no small degree of comfort to know that many of yOll right here in this room tonight share these feelings with me. Thank you, and may God bless you in your great and wonderful undertaking.
FORTY-FIRST AIR FORCE Junior ROTC Squadron Military Ball
.\1arch 7, 1970
Jonesboro Senior High School
As sad and as shameful as our ghettos are, as crippling as the eflects of life within them can be, we hear the cry ring out that the individual who is underprivileged is no longer responsible for his actions; "society" is at fault. Law and order are fast disappearing. Chaos and anarchy are rising in their place. vYhere once the ballot box was the answer to our problems, the solution for many is becoming destruction, murder and blackmail.
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445
MACEDONIA BAPTIST CHURCH
March 8, 1970
Manchester
Pray for a new discovery of the true spmt of Almighty God. Action without direction will only lead us down the same old road to confusion which we have already traveled. But talking with God will save us if we are willing to follow Him and trust in Him.
INTRODUCING FORMER GOVERNOR GRIFFIN Unveiling the Stone Mountain Memorial Association Plaque
March 8, 1970
Stone Mountain Park
Governor S. Marvin Griffin's action of sponsoring and signing into law the legislation creating the Stone Mountain Memorial Association and authorizing the development of this park reflects the vision, progressive spirit and lasting contributions which marked his administration.
SAVINGS AND LOAN CONFERENCE
March 9, 1970
It is a pleasure for me to welcome the members of the Southwestern Savings and Loan Conference to the Southeast and to our great State of Georgia, the hub of this dynamic region. It's regrettable that it took a tragedy of the magnitude of Hurricane Camille to bring you to our beautiful capital city, but regardless of the reason for your being here, we're happy to have you with us.... When you return to your homes, tell your families and your friends what we in Georgia are doing to defend this nation and preserve it as a free republic.
EAST MARIETTA LIONS CLUB
March 10, 1970
Marietta
The greatness we possess has come from people practicing private enterprise, like many of you here tonight. You are the source of our strength. And just as you, the producers and achievers, are the foundation of our freedom, it will be up to you to save this nation from destruction by the anarchists, communists, socialists, bums and welfare-staters who threaten to tear down what you have built.
WEST END BUSINESS MEN'S ASSOCIAnON March 12, 1970
Like a raging fever, the flame of inflation IS burning into the buying
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power of the American public. People are spending more, but buying less. And, as people buy less, industry begins to produce less. As production drops, employment increases....
By not putting first things first, government is actually helping to produce more slums, greater crime costs, greater welfare costs and greater frustrations for all the people. Of course if you look at Georgia alone, we get a little different picture. Comparatively speaking, we're in good shape.
GEORGIA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
March 13, 1970
During the some 100 years that we have been in the business of public education, 25 per cent of the basic salary being paid a beginning teacher was gained during four years of the Maddox administration. It took ninetysix years to get up to $4,200, and only four years to get up to $5,600.
Many of you have worked with this administration to make these achievements, and I know that you, too, are proud of the success we hav!' had.
TEACHERS HALL OF FAME AWARD
March 13, 1970
State Capitol
I am honored by this opportunity to partiCIpate III this ceremony to place the name of Miss Louise Owen in the Teachers Hall of Fame. ] understand that Miss Owen is looking forward to retirement in the very near future, I feel sure her absence from LaGrange High School will be felt for years to come, but, unlike people in any other profession, Miss Owen will always be present in the hearts and characters of the hundreds of young people whose lives she has helped to shape.
CONCORD METHODIST CHURCH March 15, 1970
Americus
Realizing and being willing to admit my own weaknesses and shortcomings, I have asked the Lord for guidance and wisdom and am seeking, through His help, to build a better state and nation.
It is my desire to continue to merit the prayers and confidence of God's people in the months that remain for me to be your governor.
WISCONSIN CHEESE FESTIVAL March 16, 1970
It is a pleasure to be part of this festive occasIOn III our capital city
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today, and we're delighted to have our northern neighbors with us for the Wisconsin Cheese Festival. ... I extend an official hand of welcome to Wisconsin's own Alice in Dairyland, Miss Judy Schultz, and her distinguished party. With so many people saying "Cheese," the photographers shouldn't have any trouble finding smiles.
CANADIAN APPRECIATION DAY
March 16, 1970
Jekyll Island
It is a great pleasure to be a part of this event, a day set aside to honor those of you who are visiting Jekyll Island from our sister republic, Canada. I know the people of Jekyll Island are delighted to have you with them, and on behalf of the governor's office and all of Georgia's citizens, I extend to each of you a hearty welcome....
MARION SMITH SCHOOL P.T.A.
March 17, 1970
College Park
If the grievous situation facing America today is to be corrected, it will have to be done by people like you-moms and dads who care about their children and their future, who care about this great country and who care about their freedom. The children of America should come first. The education of our children and the liberty of us all should not take a back seat to dollars, votes and political power.
METRO ATANTA YOUNG REPUBLICAN CLUB
March 18, 1970
It doesn't matter to me what your political affiliations are; the fact remains that you are young people who are interested in your government, who are concerned about your state and your nation, and who are working for improvements of our society within the system we have.
Our republican form of government may not be as good as it could be, but I challenge any person, young or old, to show me another system of government anywhere in the world that is any better.
TATTNALL SQUARE BAPTIST BROTHERHOOD
March 19, 1970
Macon
Strong forces are seeking to destroy the land of the free and the home of the brave. Our time of need is reflected in the widespread pornography, the rampant drug addiction, immorality, graft, fiscal irresponsibility and
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
corruption In government. Our time of need is also seen In the crime, violence and disorder that is spreading through our land causing fear to become a way of life for millions of Americans.
MOBILE LIVING PLfu~NING AND SALES
March 20, 1970
Montezuma
I think all Georgians are indebted to Investor Industries for the trust which they have placed in our state, and I personally want to say to the representatives of this firm who are present today, thank you, and welcome to the great State of Georgia.
Now if Mobile Living Planning and Sales had been located anywhere in our state, it would have been a welcome member of our industrial family. But I think it is especially significant that the company officials elected to build their plant here in Montezuma \\here they have a little elbow room, rather than in one of the already over-crowded urban areas.
ASPHALT PAVEMENT ASSOCIATION March 20, 1970
It is, indeed, a pleasure to be here this evening with the members of the Georgia Asphalt Pavement Association and their guests as we gather to show our appreciation to H. H. Huckeba upon his retirement as chief engineer of the Georgia Highway Department. Mr. Huckeba, I am delighted to be able to share this moment with you and your lovely wife. . . .
TWIGGS COUNTY CITIZENS March 21, 1970
Danville
I am delighted to be in Danville this afternoon in the company of men and women who are seeking quality education for their children through the Twiggs Academy.... I understand that the Twiggs County citizens have already received contributions and pledges totaling $15,000 toward your goal of $40,000 by March 31, to construct the school building. You in Twiggs County want the right kind of education for your children, and thank God you've taken steps to provide it for them.
DUDLEY BAPTIST CHURCH
March 22, 1970
Dudley
Calvin Coolidge, one of our past presidents, said in Washington, D.C., October 15, 1924:
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449
"The government of a country never gets ahead of the religion of a country. There is no way by which we can substitute the authority of law for the virtue of man."
What Coolidge said then was exactly what Andrew Jackson was trying to point out when he said: "The Bible is the back upon which the Republic rests."
COLUMBUS SERTOMA CLUB
March 23, 1970
Columbus
Schools have always been a vulnerable part of any society, and ours is no exception. The classrooms house young, impressionable minds, which can be trained to believe that situation ethics, sensitivity courses, communism, immoral sex studies and anti-Americanism are right and good, and that morality, our heritage, good citizenship and faith in God have no place in contemporary America....
I say that unless the federal police state is removed from the schools of Georgia, and unless our citizens regain the right to have a voice in determining the kind of education their children will have, then when September comes, the school systems should just be shut down. And they should remain that way until such time as the tyranny in gover,nrnent we are witnessing is brought to a halt.
BUCKHEAD EXCHANGE CLUB
March 24. 1970
Atlanta
I am pleased to have had a part in further upgrading this fine organization by working for, and gaining, a more equitable rate of compensation for the career officers of the Georgia State Patrol. During the Maddox administration, we have added $1,575 to the beginning salary of our highway patrolmen, which represents a whopping 33 per cent increase. And this same increase, incidentally, is 262 per cent more than was gained during the previous four years. In other words, approximately one-fourth of all the salary gains made during the thirty-three years of the State Patrol's existence has come about during the four years of the :Maddox administration....
Freedom is never free. The cost is always dear, and unless every person who benefits chips in and pays his share of the cost, then some have to pay more than their share....
While comfort-loving Americans fumble around in their pockets, waiting for somebody else to pick up the check, the price of freedom goes higher and higher. . . .
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It seems, sometimes, that every time we take a step forward in returning this country to sane and constitutional government, the iron boot of the federal tyrant kicks us back two steps.
WAYNE CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION
March 26, 1970
Odum
I cannot conceive of a perfect program for rehabilitation for law violators because, after all, we are dealing with human beings and not precision machines. But nevertheless, only those who cannot or will not recognize the truth when they see it would deny that we have come a long way up the ladder. From where we stand today, we can look back and see that we're far above the stifling smog of our sordid history, and we are breathing the fresh, crisp air of the upper atmosphere. The prison wagons, which were little more than animal cages used in circus parades, the chains and balls, the steel shackles, the striped uniforms, the sweat boxes, the whips and the wormy food are all nothing more than unhappy memories of a bygone era.
YMCA YOUTH ASSEMBLY
March 26, 1970
State Capitol
The principles, attitudes and interests of those in this chamber today would be welcome in any elective office in America. You know, your projects and aims are closely related to this of the Maddox administration....
Georgia has come a long way in recent years. We have made much progress. But there is much left to be done, not only in our state, but in the nation as a whole. . . . Use your talents to strengthen the Amercian private free enterprise system, the rights to private property and the rights of the people to control their local government, schools and law enforcement at the local level. ...
TROOPER TRAINING SCHOOL GRADUATION
March 27, 1970
Police Academy, Atlanta
You will encounter people and situations which will test your patience, your endurance, your skill, your nerve and your tact. You will find yourself wearing not only the hat of a state patrolman, but also the hats of a soldier, a scientist, a diplomat, a first-aid expert, a family counsellor and a tourist guide-maybe all in the same day.
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451
BROAD RIVER SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION Meeting of District Supervisors
March 27, 1970
Homer
The Broad River District is a large one, with more than 1,500,000 acres within its bounds, I'm told. That's a lot of territory, but for better than thirty years, dedicated people like you have been willing to give your talents to guarding our prime natural resources of soil and water located here.
You know, conservation work is becoming increasingly more vital in this country. Our society seems to get better every day at violating the land and water and wasting those precious, limited resources. In some places, it's almost a lost cause to reclaim what men have ruined or squandered.
OPTIMIST CLUB BREAKFAST March 31, 1970
Atlanta
A partnership has existed between the governor's office and the people of Georgia, and through this cooperation, we have experienced the most progressive years in the history of our state. Georgia has won national acclaim and recognition in field after field, and we have moved into a position of leadership in the industrial revolution underway in this dynamic region of America....
Yes, the prospects in Georgia are bright. But while I am optimistic about the future of our state, I am disturbed by some of the things taking place in our nation which are threatening the security, the stability and the very existence of America. . . .
ROOSEVELT HIGH SCHOOL
April 2, 1970
Honors Banquet
My friends, every great accomplishment of the past can be an inspiration to you to develop your creative potential. Set your goals early in life, make them clean, honorable and useful. Don't wait for your chance; make it. Don't blame cricumstances; change them. Don't depend upon the other fellow; depend upon yourself. Don't place your faith in government; place your faith in God.
COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN AND YOUTH April 3, 1970
It will be our children's shoulders which will bear the burden of leader-
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ship III the years to come, and it will be their hands which shape the destiny of our state and nation. Our duty-to America, to Georgia and to their future leaders--is to prepare them for this leadership. I urge you to continue your efforts. Take each defeat as a challenge, and view each victory as the promise of better things to come.
VICTORY IN VIETNAM RALLY
April 4, 1970
Washington Monument, Washington, D.C.
The president said as a candidate that the prcsident of the United States should take the lead in seeing that federal control does not follow federal aid to education. But as of right now, he is guilty of having expanded federal control over public education, and millions of Americans, black and white parents and their children are crying for him to reverse his position, undo the damage his administration has done to public education and thus meet his commitment.
But the present administration, after promising an honorable peace in Vietnam and failing there, after promising to stem the tide of inflation and failing there, after promising to do something about the ever-increasing crime rate in this country and failing there--after all these failures, they decided that a war had to be won somewhere so they declared war upon the helpless black and white children, their teachers and their parents, and the neighborhoods, cities, counties and states of the Southeast.
TRINITY BAPTIST CHURCH
April 5, 1970
Oxford, Alabama
With apparent congressional sanction, the United States Supreme Court has prohibited the free exercise of religion in our public schools. They are saying in effect: "God bless the dollar but not the scholar." That is, they still allow the words "In God We Trust" to be placed on both our coins and paper money, but have ruled against God's blessing being placed upon the hearts of our little boys and girls in public schools. We can legally be led in prayer and Bible reading in the Congress, the White House, the state house, the city hall, the civic and social functions, on the streets and everywhere in America but in the schoolroom.
JAYCEES BOSSES NIGHT BANQUET
April 7, 1970
Tallapoosa
The very survival of this nation is threatened through the control of education by those who place social reform, politics and dollars ahead of
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453
education and well-being of all children, black and white. They are after power, they have no hesitation in taking over the liberties and freedoms guaranteed us by the Constitution. More than education is at stake. A basic freedom, that of mothers and fathers to protect and train their own flesh and blood, is being denied.
HABERSHAM CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL Dedication of Vocational Building
April 8, 1970
Mount Airy
As these new classrooms turn out young people trained in transportation, mechanics, electricity, drafting and design, food service and other business and industrial skills, we will see this investment returned manyfold. For Mount Airy and Habersham County, this is a tremendous step up the ladder of educational progress. But I hope you will all consider it just that: another step. It is not the end of the journey, for we never reach the top.
1970 RED CARPET TOUR
April 8, 1970
Athens
It is indeed gratifying to look about me this evening and see so many industrial executives of national prominence in attendance. \Ve trust that this unique Red Carpet Industrial Tour will serve to open doors to cooperation, promise and fulfillment in the years ahead.... We in Georgia are not looking simply for investors. We're looking for partners to share in our progress and create more and greater opportunities for each of us. We don't offer pie in the sky. You won't be hearing any fancy promises that we could not keep. But so far, nobody has complained that they got the short end of the deal.
VILLA RICA LIONS CLUB
April 9, 1970
Now if you, the real producers and achievers in this country, and your counterparts throughout America, will start applying a little pressure of your own, you can gain a return to sane, constitutional and truly American government in this nation. You owe it to yourselves and your families and your descendants yet unborn to do everything within your power to protect this precious heritage of freedom and liberty that our forefathers left us.
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MUTUAL SAVINGS LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
April 11, 1970
Each of you here today has already done your part in helping to keep this country strong, mighty and full of opportunity for alL But it is obvious that we must all try a little harder. The anti-America, anti-God and antifreedom forces can only gain in strength if we do not. . . . We can win over lawlessness.
GEORGIA'S MOTHER OF THE YEAR (Mrs. R. L. Mathis, Decatur)
April 11, 1970
Mt. Carmel Christian ChUIfh
The vast majority of our greatest and best-known men have traced to the early counsels of a mother the direction and inspiration of their lives. . . . I grew up under hardships and handicaps. But physical poverty did not keep us from being rich spiritually. I had a good Christian mother. And if I were to live a thousand years I could not express what that has meant to me....
VESPER SERVICES
April 12, 1970
Campbell-Stone Apartments, Atlanta
. . . As you pray and work for this awakening, let me urge you to continue to use your time to develop, through your communion. with God, those finer qualities of the spirit and the deep appreciation for the beautiful and the good that will increase your capacity for happiness and fulfillment. There is no investment which will give such returns as the culture of the finer self, the development of the sense of the beautiful, the sublime and the true.
STANLEY HOME PRODUCTS, INC.
April 13, 1970
But, unfortunately, many businessmen today are finding that they no longer have as much control of their companies as they once did. Whereas Mr. Beveridge [founder of Stanley Products] was free in 1931 to operate his business in the manner necessary to make a fair profit, the businessman today is shackled by unconstitutional laws, rules, guidelines and edicts which dictate policies on hiring, promoting and discharging of employees, policies governing the hours to be worked, salaries to be paid and, in some instances, citizens have even been denied the right to close a business when they wanted to.
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PUBLIC PERSONNEL ASSOCIATION Southern Regional Conference
April 13, 1970
All in all, we have come a long way. And I know that most of you have come a long way, too, and you don't want to spend all your time here listening to me brag about the progress we have made in Georgia. . . . I do want to leave you with an invitation to get out and take in as much of the fun and beauty as you can. It's dogwood time in Atlanta, and and it's easy to see that spring is here.
ASSOCIATION COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
April 13, 1970
In most instances, it isn't the fault of the local governments that they were unable to provide the stay-at-home opportunities for their people. They're doing the best with what they have, but state government hasn't given them enough sources of revenue to meet the demands of the citizens. . . . This is a cause I have advocated for nearly two decades, and I want to assure you that in the future, whether in or out of public office, regardless of the position Lester Maddox may hold, I will continue to stand up for local governments and champion their cause.
CONGRESS OF PARENTS AND TEACHERS
April 14, 1970
Teachers are getting a better deal in Georgia and so are most of our children. We have witnessed the development of a wide range of programs designed to help our young people prepare themselves for challenging careers in a challenging society. Many of you have worked with this administration to bring about these achievements, and I know that you, too, are gratified by the success we have had.... With the continued support and counsel of dedicated organizations like the Georgia Congress of Parents and Teachers, Georgia will make even greater strides toward excellence in education in the years ahead.
ELEMENTARY AND HIGH SCHOOL P.T.A.
April 16, 1970
Jackson
Since 1954, when the United States Supreme Court handed down its infamous decision regarding integration of public schools, many Americans have panicked. They have panicked to such an extent that they can't even
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recognize illegal activities when they see them. The Court did not rule that there must be integration in public schools, much less that a racial balance must be achieved if segregation results from natural conditions which do not constitute an act of discrimination by a public agency.
The Supreme Court did not rule that the federal courts are to take over or regulate the public schools of the states. They did not rule that the states must mix persons of different races in the schools or must require them to attend certain schools or must deprive them of the right of choosing the school they attend.
What was decided, and all that was decided, was that "a state may not deny to any person on account of race the right to attend any school that it maintains." The Fourteenth Amendment is a limitation upon the exercises of power by the state or state agencies, and it is not a limitation upon the freedom of individuals. Further, to deny freedom of choice to parents, teachers and children and to force integration through transfers, school closings and consolidations, bussing, pairing and other artificial and unreasonable means is a direct violation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act passed by the United States Congress and signed into law by the President of the United States.
ASSOCIATION OF EDUCATIONAL SECRETARIES
April 17, 1970
Today, at every level of operation, from the schoolhouses to the superintendents' offices, educational secretaries are keeping the administrative wheels turning, while at the same time helping to shape the characters of the young people who come in contact with them.
NATIONAL LONGHOUSE Of YMCA Indian Guides
April 17, 1970
When I was a young fellow, families tended to stick together more, and seemed to do more things together. But in these industrial times, a lot has changed. In this fast and mobile society, we are often given the opportunities-even the incentives-to go our separate ways. We find Dad living one life and Junior another, both in their own worlds. . . . Of course a good father-son relationship isn't just a matter of having a good time together, although that is an important part of it. A boy's best example is his father, and from this association a youngster learns what his role in society will be, as a man, a husband and a father.
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ATLANTA BAPTIST RANCH BANQUET
April 17, 1970
While it's true that young people today know more about more different things than was the case when I was a teenager, I just don't believe that most kids have the wisdom to determine everything about their lives by themselves. They need help. They need adult wisdom and understanding that can come only through experience. And that's what they get at the Atlanta Youth Ranch.
CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH
April 19, 1970
McIntyre
I appreciate the testimony of Calvary Baptist Church, a strong militant voice in this area for fundamentalism. I commend you and salute you. . . . What our country needs in this hour is not a new program, but the Old Time Religion. America needs the new birth. And this new birth can only come through faith in Jesus Christ.
ATLANTA ADVERTISING CLUB
April 20, 1970
Legislative Meeting
Lester Maddox has been sold to the people of Georgia at a lower price than some governors. I wasn't wealthy when I came into office, and I won't be a wealthy man when I leave, and just the money saved during one year by taking the purchase of gasoline out of the patronage system and requiring competitive bids wil1 more than pay my salary and expenses-including plane trips-for my entire four-year tenn.
GEORGIA MILITARY COLLEGE
April 20, 1970
Mil1edgevil1e
With your words and your deeds, defend the dream of America and make it better. A grave responsibility rests on your shoulders, and the shoulders of others of your generation. The very future of this nation is in your hands. But judging from the caliber of the young people at GMC, and at other places where I have met the young people and talked with them, you are equal to the chal1enge.
Colonel Rodimon, I understand that when a Head of State visits West Point, he is accorded the privilege of requesting amnesty for al1 cadets suffering at that time under demerits and bul1-ring hours. As Head of the
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State of Georgia, I request a similar privilege and ask that all your students with demerits and punishments be relieved of them as of today.
EXCHANGE CLUB OF NORTH RALEIGH
April 22, 1970
Raleigh, North Carolina
I wouldn't take away a man's children, even if I hated him. But that is what our federal government is doing, and they say it's because they love us and want us to have better schools. . . . Under the guise of eliminating discrimination, their action is nothing less than a farce and a sham. Our own federal government-the President, the Congress, the United States Supreme Court-is practicing more racial and illegal discrimination than all the racial discrimination ever practiced by the black and white citizens of this country.
AMERICAN GOVERNMENT CLASS
April 23, 1970
Mary Persons High School, Forsyth
We in Georgia have made accomplishments we can point to with pride. But there is much left to be done, not only in our own state, but in the nation as well. And there is a crisis at hand in our nation which threatens to undermine and destroy America as a free republic. . . . Our federal government is moving into areas where it has no authority under the Constitution. . . . The national government is encroaching upon the rights of the people and the powers of the states; it has moved into areas such as law enforcement and, in many instances, made it impossible for police officers to investigate, apprehend, and prosecute. . . . State governments have a responsibility to refuse to relinquish their constitutional and lawful power to federal government. . . . And this is yet another responsibility of the governor: to provide leadership for his state and the protection for his people by standing up and speaking out for the Constitution, for the rights of the people, and against the rising tide of federal intrusion.
SOUTHERN GOVERNORS CONFERENCE
April 23, 1970
On Tourism
I think it is quite significant that this gathering is being held in Georgia, and in Atlanta, a city which has become quite a tourist attraction in its own right. This great city is the cultural, financial, sports, and transportation hub of this entire dynamic region, and it is headed toward national leadership in these and other areas.
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NATIONAL CAMPERS AND HIKERS ASSOCIATION
April 25, 1970
State Spring Campout, Ade1
Folks in Colquitt and Cook Counties have been' trying to get a good lake built here since back in the 1930's. They did manage to slow down the flow of the Little River for about four years, but just when the fishing was beginning to get good, the river got the best of the dam. And, you know, trying to change the natural flow of a strong river is a lot like trying to change the natural inclinations of a people. An old river that has been used to having its freedom puts up strong objections to being fenced in. . . . And in a way, that's what is happening in our nation today. We seem to be taking a new course.... In too many instances, we have bypassed the course which led our forefathers through the pains and perils of establishing a new nation in a wilderness-the course of deep and abiding faith in God.
SARDIS CIVIC CENTER DEDICATION April 25, 1970
Gainesville
. . . But think how beneficial it would be to this nation if we could manage to harness the enthusiasm and high spirits that people put into passing fads and crazes to channel it into more worthwhile ventures, like this civic center project in Sardis. Think of the great boon it would be to America if the great zeal that accompanies most fads would be used to promote patriotism, and think how our nation would be strengthened if the zeal could be made permanent. . . . a permanent fad of patriotism would be well under way.
LOCAL AND SHORT HAUL CARRIERS
April 27, 1970
American Trucking Association
If we in America are to continue to enjoy our liberty and greatness, then the concepts of constitutional government and local control of local affairs must also be kept healthy, free from interference, and alive. . . . If the job is to be done, it will be people like you-the people who are the source of our country's strength-who will have to do it. My friends, I know the great majority of Americans want to see some changes made in the trends of this nation. But wanting is not enough.
ENCOUNTER '70
April 28, 1970
Birmingham (Alabama) Southern College
Before I get started, I want to set the record straight. I'm not an
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intellectual, and I don't pretend to be. Even if I wcre smart enough to pull off such a fraud, I would be reluctant to do so. I think that one of the most contemptible things a person can do is to try to act smart when he's not. I just try to be what I am-just plain Lester Maddox-and I find I can do a pretty good job at that. I have found that most people who call themselves intellectuals are extra smart in some subjects and extra dumb in others. And that's what gets them into trouble....
Somewhere, at some time, some fuzzy thinkers got the idea that all people are equal. That's hogwash. No two people in this room are equal. You differ in the way you look, in your strength and stamina, in your intellectual capacities, in your drive, your perseverance, in your ability to deal with frustrations and a thousand other traits. And because of these differences, you encounter discrimination. . . . No legislation or court decision is going to make the girls swoon over me the way they swoon over the football hero. . . . Thank God man can discriminate. And so long as man is free to choose who and what he desires to associate or dissassociate with, man will remain free. . . . Equal opportunities exist, but only a fool would not admit that we have unequal people competing for these opportunities.
KIWANIS AND ROTARY CLUBS
April 28, 1970
Birmingham, Alabama
I can't remember losing but one bicycle race in my life, and that was with a young lady named Virginia Cox, who later became Mrs. Lestcr Maddox. I was concentrating so hard on getting a good look at her that I just forgot about being on a bike and, pretty soon, I discovered I wasn't on one. I was on the ground with a sore head.... But though I lost the bicycle race, I won something better. I won a Birmingham girl's heart and eventually her hand.
TRAVELODGE INTERNATIONAL TRI-ARC
April 28, 1970
Opening, Atlanta
I sincerely believe today's events make me unique in Georgia's history if I'm not already. I doubt if any other Georgia governor has ever been presented with a kangaroo. I am delighted with this gift and the goodwill that accompanies it, but I know thousands of children who visit Stone Mountain Game Ranch will be even more thrilled when they see mme and Tommy Irvin's little wallabies romping around out there.
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CITIZENSHIP ASSEMBLY
April 29, 1970
Shallowford School, Chamblee
The schools should live up to their responsibility to teach our young
people not just how to make a living, but how to make a life by accepting
the challenges held out to them in this greatest of nations. Those who
practice good citizenship are those who resist temptations that are destruc-
tive to character, morals and freedom. And good citizens are also those
who are determined to make useful contributions to their country by living
productive, rewarding lives.
GAYLESVILLE HIGH SCHOOL
May 1, 1970
Gaylesville, Alabama
It's a real pleasure to be back in West Georgia again. I appreciate this opportunity to meet with so many fine young citizens at the Gayesville, Alabama, High School. It is also gratifying to join in the festivities marking the one hundredth anniversary of the founding of your school. I understand that Gaylesville was the first high school to be established in this part of your state. Even though this makes Gaylesville High older than thirteen states and the City of Binningham, judging from the youthful spirit I have seen displayed here today, you certainly aren't showing your age.
CRESTVIEW BAPTIST CHURCH
May 3, 1970
Griffin
Three out of every four Americans who responded to a recent Gallup poll said that they believed religion was losing its influence in American life. Only 45 per cent believed this in 1965. In the past five years 30 per cent more Americans have become convinced that religion is losing its grip on our nation. Also, nearly 3,000 Protestant ministers in America are dropping out of full time church work annually as the total number of preachers continues to decline. But these declines are only being witnessed in the major denominations where the emphasis has shifted from Christian salvation to social salvation. The fundamentalist churches are growing and prospering. Because they are seeking first the kingdom of Goel.
MILITARY ORDER OF THE WORLD WARS Massing of the Colors
May 3, 1970
Peachtree Presbyterian Church
We need men and women, boys and girls who will guard and defend
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
the liberty they love, and leaders who will stand firm for victory over our enemies, proclaiming their pride in America and their faith in God boldly and unashamedly. Free men and free nations do not remain free unless they are willing to make sacrifices for freedom. We must be willing, as you have been, to promote and preserve it with all our strength.
SOUTHERN PAPER TRADE ASSOCIATION And the Southerners, Inc.
May 4, 1970
As a result of Georgians' hard work and determination to throw off the image of sleepy plantations and dusty shantytowns, Georgia is now recognized by leaders in business, industry, education and government as the dynamic hub of the great Southeast-a region which promises to soon become the industrial, education and financial pacesetter of the nation.
You're where the action is, my friends, and you're mighty welcome to be here. We like visitors, especially those who bring plenty of paper with them-you know, that green paper with the different presidents' pictures on it.
OPERATION FLAG CEREMONIES
May 5, 1970
Hapeville High School
It certainly would be wonderful for America if more of our young people displayed the knowledge of their nation's flag and the understanding of its rich and colorful history that these young award winners have shown. Our country would be stronger for it. And it would be strengthened, too, if more adults were aware of the many traditions and legends which have surrounded Old Glory since the Second Continental Congress decided back in 1777 to create a symbol of pride and unity for the young nation.
BUCKHEAD FIFTY CLUB
May 5, 1970
I firmly believe that if the state has a responsibility in education at all, then it has a responsibility in both public and private education and not just public education alone. After all, people attending private schools are citizens, too. Their parents pay taxes, just like everybody else, and they should not be ignored when we are looking at the total educational picture.
We are pouring more and more money into public education, and in many instances, we are making it impossible for private education to compete. As a result, many private schools are having serious financial difficulties and others have already closed their doors.
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PARDON AND PAROLE BOARD Secretaries' Workshop
May 6,1970
I have been working closely with the members of the Pardon and Parole Board during the past few years in an effort to make this department function more smoothly and to tum it into a truly effective rehabilitation force to serve not only the public, but Georgia's prison inmates as well.
I am delighted, at last, to be able to meet and talk with the people who have done so much to tum our dreams and plans into a reality. Without the wholehearted cooperation and dedication to duty of the secretarial force of the Pardon and Parole Board we would still be floundering, and this vital government agency would still be crippled by public distrust and subject to almost daily attacks by the news media. Each of you deserves a "Well done!" for your part in this progress.
CLARKE COUNTY WOMEN VOTERS
May 6,1970
Athens
In Georgia, some 105,000 more women than men are registered to vote. And nationally your rank outnumbers ours by nearly 5,000,000. \'\Iith a bloc vote, you could easily elect a number of governors, gain a high percentage of seats in the state legislatures and place thousands of women in public office. If the women of this country began bloc-voting on a national scale, we men might be forced to forn1 our own suffrage groups to demand our rights.
WEST TELFAIR ACADEMY, INC.
May 8, 1970
Milan
You people here tonight are proving that you have the courage to stand up for what you believe, the determination to stick by your beliefs, and the willingness to do what is necessary to give the young people in your communities a decent education. I say, God bless you.... You have not been willing to stand and do nothing while many of your rights as Americans are carried off or used to feed some bureaucrat's appetite for power.
STAND.t\RD-COOSA-THATCHER COMPANY
May 8, 1970
Groundbreaking, Washington, Ga.
If we could just get government to be as enthusiastic about pollution
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control as most of the people in private enterprise are, it wouldn't take us long to clean up the accumulation of filth and impurities which are threatening our air, soil and water. But government, by its inaction, has actually been one of the major contributors to the pollution problem. Government has not moved fast enough to provide the leadership and services which only government can provide and which are vital to any program of pollution prevention.
DODGE COUNTY CENTENNIAL
May 9, 1970
Eastman
Back in 1870, when Dodge County was formed by the Georgia legislature, the seat of government for the state had just been moved from Milledgeville to Atlanta, and at that time there weren't many industries around that were more sophisticated than the sawmill operations run by William Dodge and his associate, W. P. Eastman. But much change and progress came to Dodge County in the century that followed. And it was made possible because the men and women who made their lives here believed in freedom and their heritage as Americans, believed in their ability to accomplish the goals they set before them, and believed in the wisdom of God and the Bible. That same spirit is alive in Dodge County today.
STONE MOUNTAIN MEMORIAL
May 9, 1970
Dedication Ceremonies
On behalf of the people of Georgia, it is my once-in-a-lifetime privilege today to present to the nation and to the world the completed Stone Mountain Memorial carving. It is no small gift. This carving embodies dreams of legions of dedicated people. It is an enduring expression of our pride in our Southern heritage and our region's contribution to the national way of life. More than half a century has passed since the idea of this memorial was conceived....
THE CHAPLAIN OF BOURBON STREET
May 10, 1970
Northcutt Stadium, Marietta
Georgia has plenti of everything. And I suppose it has its share of sinners. They need to get saved. I believe the Chaplain of Bourbon Street has the kind of message that could get many thousands of them saved. Ever since the day in 1958 in Sweetwater, Alabama, when God's holy spirit brought Bob Harrington to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and
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changed his life, this man has made it his goal to go where the smners are.... He goes to bars, night clubs, show places....
PARENTS APPRECIATION BANQUET
May 11, 1970
Chamblee High Key Club
There's nothing that makes a parent prouder than a son or daughter who grows up the way that the parents dreamed and hoped and prayed that they would, and there is no greater sorrow to parents than that when they see their child get off on the wrong track and waste his or her life. . . . And I think that's true for a nation or a state, too. When you have the great majority of young people behaving themselves, studying, learning and getting ready to assume their full share of responsibilities as citizens the way they're doing in Georgia, you just automatically have a better state.
DISTRIBUTIVE EDUCATION CLUB Forest Park and Jonesboro Chapters
May 12, 1970
Jonesboro
Some of these young people with us tonight may one day be assuming major responsibilities within your own organizations, perhaps even working at your sides. And by making your business and your knowledge available to them, you are helping them to learn in actual business situations, and helping them to develop thrift, responsibility, good work habits, and the ability to meet and work with people. We in the Maddox administration have sought to apply these same principles and other principles of business to Georgia's state government. ... :Men like you, who believe in and practice American private free enterprise, are the kind of people who have made this nation the mightiest, richest and freest country the world has ever seen.
PEACE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION
May 13, 1970
Memorial Address, Fort Valley
I think a lot of times it is harder on the folks at home who wait and wonder, than on the policeman himself. Unless he's had a recent close call or two, the on-duty police officer rarely considers the possibility of never coming home again, because he is too busy doing his job. But the family waiting at home has time to think, and I am sure each time a waiting wife hears about a holdup, an escape, a shootout or a riot, even if it's not local, a little bit of that wife dies.... Since I was with you last
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November, the worst fears of the loved ones of six of your members have been confirmed. . . .
SEABOARD COAST LINE RAILROAD Field Forestry Program
May 14, 1970
Woodbury
Georgia forests also yielded a variety of other products ranging from naval stores to baseball bats, and harvesting and processing these products provided employment for some 68,000 people. I don't know the exact number, but we also produced quite a number of souvenir pickhandles.*
ATLANTA TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATIONS
May 14, 1970
Atlanta
I am pleased to have this opportunity to be with so many "wheels" this evening, during the observance of Transportation Week in Georgia. Atlanta and Georgia have witnessed many changes and advances in [the last] three years, but there's one thing that hasn't changed: the important role of the transportation industry in the story of our progress. Atlanta is a child of transportation.... Exercise your right to have a voice in determining this country's destination, before a roadblock is thrown up in front of that right, too.
CITIZENS COUNCILS
May 15, 1970
Clayton, Missouri
Clearly, my friends, forced integration is illegal. It is just as illegal and just as immoral as forced segregation. All people, regardless of their race, religion or national origin, should have the right to integrate or segregate as they see fit.
Let me assure you, my friends, that those of you who refuse to subject your children to this tyranny by government are not the ones violating the law. The law of the land now clearly requires that no child be denied admittance to a public school because of his race, creed or color. And so . . . . it is illegal and unconstitutional for a judge, a school official, a Washington bureaucrat or anybody else to set up artificial color ratios in a school and tell a child he can or cannot attend a particular school be-
*Governor Maddox revealed that the supposed axhandles he sold at the Pickrick Restaurant during his integration troubles were in fact pickhandles.
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467
cause he is black or because he is white. . . . And that's what the police state officials are doing in our beloved Southland.
WAYNE COUNTY CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION
May 17, 1970
Jesup
It is a pleasure for me to be here with you this morning to share this hour of worship in your new chapel. . . .
My friends, let me assure you that Lester Maddox cares for you. And I am willing to do anything in my power to help and serve you. But I must quickly announce that Jesus cares for you. Much more than I could ever care. How do I know He cares? Because I know from personal experience that Jesus cares about me. And Lester Maddox does not have an exclusive access to the blessings of Christ. Everything I am or haveeverything I hope to be or have-I owe to Jesus Christ.
SOUTHERN STATES CORRECTIONAL ASSOCIATION
May 17, 1970
Atlanta
It is indeed an honor and a privilege to have this opportunity to address the distinguished members of the Southern States Correctional Association and their guests this evening.
This conference brings together the finest talent available in the field of penology from nine states, and I feel certain that out of this four-day meeting will come a wealth of new ideas, fresh approaches and renewed determination, which will work to the benefit of all phases of corrections.
On behalf of the citizens of Georgia and the Office of Governor, I extend to each of you a hearty welcome to our state and sincere best wishes for a most productive conference.
I wish to commend each of you here tonight, both singly and as a group, for the many worthwhile contributions you have made in the areas of prisons, paroles, probation, clemency, detention, crime prevention and rehabilitation. This dedicated organization has done much to help bring about improved techniques and higher standards in correction work, and you are deserving of the highest praise for these efforts.
Through your professionalism and sensible approach, you are helping the people of Georgia, the other member states and of the nation, to meet their responsibilities in dealing humanely, but effectively, with those who violate the law.
You, and others like you throughout this country, represent a new breed of men in corrections work. It is a breed that brings knowledge to a field that has lacked knowledge for centuries. It is a breed that balances a
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concern for human problems with a concern for the well-being of society. And it is a breed that is our best hope for making true rehabilitation a reality.
You know, you made a vvise decision in choosing Georgia as the site of this conference. Our state has gained nationwide attention in recent years for the meaningful strides we have made in the field of corrections, and for our progressive attitude toward our responsibilities in this vital area.
Certainly these gains, as in all other states, were long overdue.
It is sad, indeed, that for so long, men and women who committed a crime in this country were merely placed in confinement, and little thought was given to helping them to see the error of their ways. III treatment and neglect characterized their term of detention, and those who were eventually released were likely to be worse off than before.
And for too long, the advice of knowledgeable experts in the fields of corrections, penology and criminology was scoffed at, bypassed and ignored. Even when there was a periodic examination of our methods, there was often not reform, but promises.
Yes, the reforms which have been brought about in this nation in the corrections field have been a long time coming, and I'm thankful that we in Georgia have met with success in our efforts.
I don't believe it is a victory for society to strip a man of his human dignity and leave him with no hope or chance for success in the future. A man convicted of a crime is still a man. He is entitled to a chance to prove that he has profited from his mistakes, and that he has resolved never to make them again. He is entitled to his dignity. And he is entitled to his hope.
\,ye in the Maddox administration have been fully committed to correctional progress and reform, and to seeking new programs which will serve to rehabilitate and re-socialize those convicted of a crime. And as a result, more progress has been made in the past three years than in the previous twenty-five.
Early in this administration, we called for basic minimum standards for all correctional institutions in Georgia, whether state or county operated. These standards have resulted In elevating and improving the entire system.
Work release legislation was one of the high priority programs which has been made a reality. At the last session of the Georgia General Assembly, $1,750,000 was appropriated for a new, 200-man work release center; $3,000,000 was appropriated for a new women's correctional unit.
A family orientation program, one of the first such programs in the nation, has been started by our correctional chaplains to counsel families
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of newly-admitted inmates. Already, this program has reached over 2,500 families throughout the state.
The Georgia Industrial Institute, a vocational-technical school for youthful offenders, was the first prison institution in the Southeast to be accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. And at the same facility, we have just completed a 250-man adjustment center, now in operation.
State-wide, some 800 inmates are pursuing academic studies, and 520 have successfully completed the G.ED. tests to receive high school equivalency diplomas.
New and modernized visitor facilities have been constructed, including a family visitation building at the Georgia State Prison, to provide families more cheerful and comfortable places to meet with the inmates.
We have implemented a three-year program in cooperation with the State Department of Education that will place $15,000 annually in additional books in the libraries of our prisons.
All-important religious counseling is provided at each institution. Church attendance is encouraged, and many facilities offer prayer meetings and Bible study groups as well.
A standardized menu is now being used in all state penal institutions, so that no inmate is faced with thc same foods day after day. Nutritious, appetizing foods are served, and each inmate gets all he nceds.
Many improvements are underway at the Georgia State Prison, including a new industrial complex in a new location. We plan to use the old space for additional academic, vocational, library and counseling programs.
In Wayne County, we have completed a new prototypc correctional institution, and bids have been taken for two more such ultra-modern institutions. Construction should begin within thirty days.
The Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Center, a new professionally staffed, $10,000,000 facility, is now clinically evaluating all felons entering the system. The evaluations include background and behavior pattern studies and projected treatment programs. We're very proud of this facility, and I would like to invite each of you to see this center, including the second phase, which is being occupied this week.
I would also like to extend an invitation for you to see the new Atlanta Advancement Center, a work-release facility opened April 1 of this year, which has been proclaimed by some of the nation's leading correctional experts as one of the finest facilities of its kind anywhere.
These and other improvements and changes have helped to improve the care and treatment of the inmates in our charge, and they have helpcd to provide Georgia with a better and more successful rehabilitation program.
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Many of your states have programs and facilities similar to those I have described, and your states, too, are working to elevate and improve your corrections programs.
But in Georgia, in your states and in each of the other states of this nation, the task is far from completed. There is much work left to be done. Even though the days of stripes and leg-irons are gone, the stigma of a prison record often marks a man as surely as stripes once did. And a lack of education often weighs a man down as surely as a ball and chain. We must work with renewed effort to make certain that offenders are placed in detention as punishment, not for punishment. 0/ We must do our utmost to see to it that those inmates with the potential to return to society as productive citizens-tax payers instead of tax liabilities-are given the proper guidance. Every day that passes means that state resources are wasted because we are spending dollars on a system that could be better.
And human resources are wasted, too, because in many cases, men are sitting idle, degenerating more each day, instead of being helped back to a better life and a brighter future.
The reform measures which we in the Maddox administration have worked to bring about have had a simple philosophy as their underlying theme: that men should be treated like men; that achievement should be rewarded; and that wrong-doing should be punished.
Make no mistake-I am a firm believer in the law. I do not believe in giving special consideration to any person merely through sympathy for his being in prison. And I stand with those law enforcement officers who are trying to do their jobs to the best of their ability. But I cannot tolerate the abuse of any man, just because he is down.
And not only have we worked hard to help men and women confined in our correctional institutions better prepare themselves for life in a free society, but we have also strived to insure that methods of release are fair and impartial.
At my recommendation, the State Board of Pardons and Paroles now grants clemency only at regularly scheduled formal meetings, open to the public and the news media, and with all board members present. I receive a weekly report of all clemency actions. No man receives undue consideration because of who he knows or who he is kin to.
With my full support, the Parole Board also initiated a unique early release program early in my administration for those inmates with only a short time left to serve who have demonstrated, through good behavior, their desire to be good citizens.
The results of these releases have been encouraging. Most offenders, both juvenile and adult, have shown that they can be trusted to fulfill an
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471
obligation, and some even go beyond what would be considered a successful adjustment. Many letters have come to me from former inmates and their friends and families, telling of good jobs, rapid promotions, contributions to their communities and great benefits to their families.
I thank God that I have been able to serve in some way to help a man make a turn down the right road. And I'm thankful, too, that we in Georgia have been as successful as we have in recent years in penal reform.
And one day, because we have insisted upon ever-improving health standards, humane treatment, good diets, spiritual guidance and an emphasis upon rehabilitation, we can realize our goal of seeing deserving inmates rejoin society changed not for the worse, but for the better. This is my goal. I know it is yours. And it is through capable and dedicated men such as you here tonight that we can attain it.
BLAND MEMORIAL GYMNASIUM
May 17, 1970
Reidsville High School
It's indeed an honor to participate in the dedication ceremonies of the Billy Bland Memorial Gymnasium and to express my appreciation to all of you who worked so hard and gave your time and talents to make this building possible. The unfortunate hunting accident of 1969 that took the life of Billy Bland not only took away a beloved husband and father, it took away the contributions a man like Billy Bland makes to his community, the tireless efforts he gave in helping to make others happy, helping to promote education, and helping to encourage physical fitness.
METRO LIVING CLASSES
May 18, 1970
North Gwinnett High, Suwanee
I understand that the course you are taking is designed to give you a better understanding of some of the problems of living and working in a metropolitan area, and that you have also studied related subjects such as law enforcement and the relationship between state and local governments. Certainly this is a practical and important course of study to follow, and I'm sure that the knowledge you have gained with Mr. Cowart's help will when graduation time arrives and you leave North Gwinett to take your places in the big business world outside.
ATLANTA CHAPTER, DECK AND DERRICK CLUBS May 18, 1970
The woman of today is an equal partner in most households, and those
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of you who choose to enter the business world do an admirable job of holding your own. This must be true, or there would not be some ninety Desk and Derrick Clubs and 6,000 members throughout North America today. This worthwhile organization is doing much to promote a better understanding of the petroleum and allied industries, strengthening the industry and increasing the value of your service.
HALLIE TURNER PRIVATE SCHOOL GRADUATION
May 21, 1970
Columbus
Most of you men and women attending this fine school do not have time to waste on fanciful education frills. Most of you are not kids any more, and there is a sense of urgency about your mission. You've already started late, and you're in a hurry to catch up. With this additional challenge, many a person has not only gone on to catch up, but to pass those who never knew what it was like to be behind.
OPENING OF IBS AUTO IMPORTERS
May 21, 1970
It is my understanding that this growing international firm chose Atlanta as the site for its South-Southeastern distributing headquarters because of our geographical location and our excellent transportation, financial and communications advantage. I think it is especially significant that such a bold adventure is being launched at a time when a somewhat troubled American economy has tightened the pursestrings, but I am not surprised that optimism in the Southeast continues to run high.
BERKMAR HIGH SCHOOL
May 22, 1970
Lilburn
Even now the president is proposing that an additional seven billion dollars be put into HEW's budget to finance programs which, in most instances, will benefit only the bureaucrats and the special interest groups and will do little to help solve the most pressing problems facing our nation as a whole today, such as pollution. What I think we ought to do is take about three billion of those seven billion dollars and put them to work on an antipollution program....
EXCHANGE CLUB OF PERRY May 22, 1970
You here in Perry have had senous problems to deal with, especially
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in recent weeks. I am thankful that conditions became no worse than they did, and I believe that the presence of the Georgia patrolmen served to prevent other problems. . . . You did not create the problem in Perry, just as local citizens did not create problems in Athens, Augusta and elsewhere.... The unrest and turmoil were caused by those presidents, congressmen, judges and other officials and by black leaders in the so-called civil rights movement, who don't care about the rights of any child or any citizen, black or white.
N.B.O.C. (NO BUSSING OUR CHILDREN)
May 23, 1970
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Like you, I'm fed up with leaders in government, education, religion and elsewhere who are denying many of our people the right to have a voice in the education of their own children, in order to buy the votes of the socialists, the marchers, the wild-eyed liberals, the professional parasites and the special interest groups which are bringing our nation to the brink of enslavement. ... My friends, in our system of government, the public schools belong under the executive branch, and they are supposed to be operated and controlled at the local level by local boards of education. But this control is being stolen by the judicial branch, and it is one of the greatest thefts in the proud history of the United States of America.
May 24, 1970
NORTHSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH Charlotte, North Carolina
The real hope of America in this hour lies in the spiritual force that can be generated by those who have been "redeemed in the Lord" and are willing to say so, live so and be ready, if necessary, to die so. It is interesting and also significant that the churches which are really making progress today are those Bible-believing, fundamental churches where the full gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is preached.
GREATER LOS ANGELES CITIZENS COUNCIL
May 26, 1970
Pasadena, California
This pre-planned educational CrISIS was never intended to benefit the black man, and it hasn't. It was never intended to further the cause of civil rights, and it hasn't. It was never intended to bring about greater opportunities for any particular race, and it hasn't. What it has done, and all it has done, is make our country more vulnerable to a total communist takeover than ever before....
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
THE WADE HAMPTON-TAYLORS JAYCEES
May 28, 1970
Fountain Inn, South Carolina
Back in the first part of this month, a group of fraternity men from Georgia Southern College in Statesboro, Georgia, walked all the way from their school to the State Capitol in Atlanta. The trip took them four days, and when they arrived, they had with them $1,200 they had collected for mentally retarded children. Probably not many of you here tonight were aware of that march.
But there was another march in Atlanta recently which also took four days, and the whole world knew about it. Even though the only ones who gained from that wagon train were the enemies of America, the news media saw to it that world-wide attention and coverage were provided.
For many weeks, we were given saturation coverage of the Poor People's March on Washington in the press. But there was a victory march in Washington recently, in support of our fighting men in Vietnam, which was blacked out until just a few hours before it took place. Probably not one American in ten was ever aware of it.
TROOPER TRAINING SCHOOL GRADUATION
May 29, 1970
Police Academy
The letters from tourists and local CitIzens keep coming in to let me know what a good job your fellow troopers are doing and, with each letter, my pride in you and my appreciation of you increases just a little more. And I have seen first hand, too, what a great job our troopers are doing, and I want to take this opportunity to really salute these "unsung heroes" in blue. I sincerely believe if I had not been able to call upon such a high quality agency as the State Patrol when trouble broke out in various parts of our state, we would have lost untold numbers of human lives and tens of millions of dollars in property damage.
ROTARY INTERNATIONAL
June 1, 1970
It is my great pleasure to appear before the members and guests of this distinguished organization and to extend, on behalf of Atlanta and Georgia, a warm welcome to the sixty-first annual convention of Rotary International. ... I think it's fair to say that your choice of Atlanta as the site of this convention will be beneficial to all concerned, and I would like to congratulate your convention committee on its excellent pick.
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475
LaGRANGE ROTARY CLUB
June 3, 1970
Like Rotarians, we In the Maddox administration are committed to service, as we stand by the truth, seek to promote good will and deal in fairness with all people. That Rotary wheel you wear is also a symbol of the wheels of progress that the Maddox administration, with the help of concerned citizens like you across Georgia, is turning. We have seen a whirling motion of activity and advancement in our state in recent years, thanks to this partnership between the people and state government.
CEREBRAL PALSY CENTER GRADUATION
June 3, 1970
We all have our special limitations and our special talents. I could never paint the Mona Lisa, but I can paint some pretty funny pictures with words at times. I could never compose a symphony, but I can put together a pretty good billion-dollar budget. I would have a hard time ever hitting a golf ball, but I don't know of any other governor who can beat me riding a bicycle forwards or backwards. And so I urge all of you to continue to do your best and, if you do, be proud of your success.
GEORGIA TECH STUDENT CENTER
June 4, 1970 Certainly I have freely exercised the right to protest, and I have every
intention of doing so in the future. But dissent must always be peaceful. It must always remain within the law. When it does not, it ceases to be constructive protest.
MURRAY COUNTY JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
June 5, 1970
Graduation Chatsworth
For the vast majority of the American people, those [depression] days of poverty and despair did not result in anarchy, turmoil and revolution, even though the classic conditions that often lead to such occurrences were present. No, revolution and rampant violence did not come to this country, and, to me, this is a tribute to the basic good character of our citizens. Although today America is undergoing a startling rise in lawlessness, my faith in this nation, its people and the principles which have brought us to greatness is still living. Most of our citizens today are still law-abiding, patriotic men and women....
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
CLOUD SPRINGS BAPTIST CHURCH
June 7, 1970
Rossville
The police state is permitted to rob us of our rights to private property and tum our public schools into Kremlin-like academies simply because Bible-believing Christians have demanded nothing better. We may be tempted to blame others for America's crisis, but you and I know that if only a small proportion of the people in our churches would get right with God we could have the revival we need to save our nation.
CARTERSVILLE-BARTOW COUNTY
Chamber of Commerce Building
June 7, 1970
Dedication
My friends, state government has neglected its responsibility to the
people of this great state by failing to provide tax revision which would
serve to correct this [tax] situation. Georgia could have reached even
greater heights if our state government had met this responsibility. Every
county and city, and every man, woman and child could have been bene-
fited from even greater advancement and progress.
CUMMING KIWANIS CLUB
June 8, 1970
Our problem in this nation is that we're trying to have our cake and eat it, too. No nation has ever been successful in fighting a war, as we are doing in Southeast Asia, while continuing and expanding its domestic programs-as we are also doing. In trying to do both, this country has failed at both. We have lost the war in Vietnam, and as of right now we have lost the war against inflation and we are also losing the war against communism at home.
GEORGIA WARDENS ASSOCIATION
June 8, 1970
Savannah
This administration has had no miracles to ofTer in prison reform, but I believe that we have moved further in that direction in the past couple of years than previous administrations had been able to move in a quarter of a century. But I am well aware that if we had not had the wholehearted cooperation and dedicated efforts of you men here this evening, we couldn't have gotten anywhere with penal reform in Georgia. I know that some people don't appreciate the tough job that you have, but you can be sure that I do. I am aware that a lot of the men you have in your
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custody are just "good 01' boys" who have made mistakes and gotten caught, but you are also in charge of some mighty desperate men.
CITIZENS OF WASHINGTON COUNTY
June 9, 1970
Sandersville
I have been told that your school in Davisboro in operating on a sound basis, and that enrollment for the coming school year has more than doubled. Certainly this is welcome news, and I was equally delighted to learn of your plans to construct a new private elementary school here in Sandersville and convert the building in Davisboro to a high school. ... You have shown that you care enough for your children, their education, your community, your state and your nation, to be willing to protect them.
CAMP SAFETY PATROL GOVERNOR'S DAY
(Delivery by J. O. Partain, Jr.)
June 14, 1970
Cordele
Last Sunday evening, vvhen Governor Maddox was making preparations to enter the hospital the following day, he was reviewing his speech schedule for the following few weeks. When he came upon this meeting on his schedule, he shook his head sadly and said, "It's really a shame that I wiII have to miss this meeting with all those fine boys and girls. They are the cream of the crop of our young people."
I concur with Governor Maddox that you are the cream of the crop, and I would like to convey to the members of the VFW and the Safety Education Division of the Georgia Safety patrol, the governor's and my own congratulations for the outstanding service you are performing in your sponsorship of the Camp Safety Patrol.
(On June 10, 1970, Governor Maddox underwent successful surgery at the Georgia Baptist Hospital.)
DeKALB LIFE UNDERWRITERS ASSOCIATION
(Delivery by J. O. Partain, Jr.)
June 18, 1970
Decatur
I am pleased to bring you greetings and best wishes from the Governor of Georgia, and Governor Maddox has asked me to convey to you his sincere regret that he is unable to be with you in person today. . . .
By strangling industry, the federal bureaucrats have encouraged minimum work output by a maximum number of bums, hoodlums and ne'erdo-wells who no longer find it necessary to compete to eat. The business-
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOCX
man is told whom he can hire, regardless of qualifications.... And what's more, shackles are being placed around the necks of the working man, too.
COLUMBUS REAL ESTATE BOARD
June 26, 1970
Even without the consolidation of the city and Muscogee County set for January 1, 1971, Columbus has established a reputation as a dynamic, thriving city destined for an even brighter, more promising future. As your Chamber of Commerce has stated, plants grow well in Columbus soil, and so does just about everything else.
While on the subject of progressing, I'm happy to report that my doctors are pleased with the progress I have made since undergoing surgery for my little obstruction.... I know I am in the company of those who also thrive on service when I speak to a group of citizens such as this one.
GEORGIA PRESS ASSOCIAnON
June 27, 1970
Jekyll Island
As journalists, you are free to express your opInIOns in print, but not free to represent those opinions as facts.... For example, let's look at one of my speeches a couple of years ago. To a Salt Lake City, Utah, audience I said, "We are seeing the monster of federal encroachment reach out and and suck the life blood from the very foundation of a virile, democratic society, which is local control of the education of our young." The next day, one of the Atlanta papers had a headline saying, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT A MONSTER, MADDOX SAYS.
DOUGLAS COUNTY LIONS CLUB
June 30, 1970
Douglasville
It was unfortunate that my recent bout with a kidney stone forced me to pass up several speaking engagements I hated to have to miss, but I'm pleased I was able to make it tonight. . . . Despite our potential and despite the advances we have made, Georgia does have an Achilles heel which would deny us of added progress our citizens deserve and demand. I am speaking of the urgent need for improvement of our tax structure....
COLONIAL CLEVELAND
July 2, 1970
Cleveland, Ga.
I am delighted to have this opportunity to be with the citizens of White
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479
County and Cleveland, and to take part in groundbreaking ceremonies for this ambitious and worthwhile project, Colonial Cleveland.
While placing emphasis upon the greatness of the past, you are planning, building and growing for a brighter, more prosperous future.
As one who has worked to help increase the economic potential of Georgia's tourist industry, I am grateful to those businessmen, public officials and other citizens who have given so much to promote the idea of Colonial Cleveland. I am proud that I am able to play some small part in making this community dream a reality by committing $25,000 from the governor's emergency fund for the restoration of the historic White County courthouse.
But I am well aware that the bulk of the credit for the success you have achieved this far, and the success you can look forward to in the future, goes to the hundreds of citizens in this area of our state who have given of their time, dollars and talent to complete this noteworthy project.
I believe, as most of you do, that Colonial Cleveland is destined to become one of Georgia's and the Southeast's major tourist attractions when the project is completed. Here, Georgians and visitors alike will be given a lesson in our nation's history which they could never gain from a printed page or a reel of motion picture film.
In Colonial Cleveland, they will be able to see history, hear history, feel it, smell it and taste it.
And this is good, because we need to go back occasionally and experience how things once were. Only in this way can we put the present in its proper perspective.
Colonial Cleveland will help us do that. It will carry us back to a time when the people knew how hard freedom was to come by, so they appreciated it all the more.
Times were hard, for the most part, and men, women and children saw the sun rise and set. It took twelve, fifteen, even eighteen hours a day from every member of the family to put enough food on the table. But they were good times, too. Sunday was a day of rest, and nearly everyone set aside his labors on the Lord's Day and went to the town church to praise God for His blessings.
They gave thanks for the simple things we often take for granted, like health, food, friendship and favorable weather. And they gave thanks for their freedom.
It would be wonderful if our nation could reclaim the close community spirits of an earlier time. I believe that the spirit lingers on in the hearts and souls of many of our people, and that something like Colonial Cleveland will help to rekindle it and bring it to the fore once again.
To a large extent, it is in our smaller cities and towns such as Cleveland
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
that patriotism, love of God and love of country still live today. Here is the heart of America. Here live the kind of peaceful, liberty-loving, lawabiding citizens who have made our nation great.
I thank God we still have cities such as yours, and I commend eaeh of you for seeking to preserve and restore what is good about Cleveland and our heritage as Americans.
You're placing emphasis upon the greatness of the past, while planning, building and growing for a brighter, more prosperous future.
I hope that Colonial Cleveland will be a place where each of us can come once in a while and drink from the spring of Americanism.
Perhaps this will give each of us today a greater appreciation of God, of America, and of the freedom God has entrusted to us through this mighty nation.
By working together, you are proving that we can preserve and restore that which is good about our past. And in this same way, we must also pool our efforts to tackle the problems and challenges of this century, in Cleveland, Georgia, and America.
In the last three-odd years, we have broken all records, with more than $1,500,000,000 invested in new and expanded industry in Georgia, which surpassed the gains of the rest of the 1960's combined. But that is in the past now, and we must turn our attention to the years lying ahead of us.
We have succeeded in providing all-time high increases in state assistance to cities and counties in the last several years. But the ever-increasing problems of both urban and rural areas demand that we look to the future.
We have solved many of the problems of Georgia's penal system, bringing more real reform to this long-lll:glected area in just threc years than was seen in the previous quarter-century. But the job is not nearly done, and it will take more dollars and more new ideas next year, the year after and the year after that.
And in tourism, too, we have witnessed a boom unprecedented in our history. Just last year, vacation and recreation spending in Georgia showed a nine per cent increase over 1968. Travelers on business and pleasure trips spent just shy of one billion dollars in our state, and more than 400 businesses began additions or new constructions in 1969 to serve travelers in Georgia.
But in tourism, as in other fields, we have not come close to exhausting our potential. If we are to keep pace with tomorrow's travels and tourism demands, we must plan, promote, expand and build to meet them, just as the citizens of our city are doing through the Colonial Cleveland project.
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481
On this first "Colonial Day," I wish every citizen involved in this undertaking much success in the months of hard work and activity which lie ahead.
Just as you have my support in fulfilling your dream of a better picture of yesterday in Colonial Cleveland, I hope I can count on your support in fulfilling my dream of a better picture of tomorrow in Georgia.
You could have made it today without me, but I can't make it tomorrow without you.
INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRAnON
July 4, 1970
Demorest
There is something of Thanksgiving in this, our day of independence,
because each of us can sincerely give thanks to God that we have been so fortunate as to be Americans. We were born i~ the greatest, the freest and
the mightiest nation on earth. By gathering here on this momentous oc-
casion, you are giving thanks. And by standing for God, for freedom, for
America and for our heritage of greatness, you are echoing the voices of
the courageous men assembled at the Continental Congress nearly 200
years ago, when our independence as a nation was declared.
INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRAnON
July 4, 1970
St. Marys
Each day there is new evidence that a renewed spirit of Americanism, of love of country and of love of freedom, is beginning to sweep across our nation. When we are able to add the force which you, as patriotic Americans, contribute, when we draw upon the increasing loyalty and pride being heard throughout Georgia, the South and other parts of the nation, then the energy we can amass will have the force of a hurricane. Once again the true meaning of freedom, of liberty, of independence and of justice will be known to all Americans, of all ages, of all races, of all religions and of all walks of life.
THE VERY CORE AND HEART New England Rally
July 5, 1970
Boston
You people here this afternoon, and other Americans like you throughout our nation, represent the very core and heart of the great conservative movement which is sweeping this continent today. You are the generals and lieutenants who are the seasoned soldiers in the battle for a better America, and your knowledge and your courage are needed now more
482
GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
than ever before. A lot of Americans who are just now waking up and joining with us are just like a bunch of green recruits. They want to get into the fight, but they don't know what to do....
Back in Georgia, most of our good citizens, black and white, rich and poor, young and old, are doing their part. . ..
God give us the determination, the wisdom and the courage to turn back the "police state" from our public education, to be the parents and the citizens we should be on behalf of our children, and to restore and preserve freedom of choice and neighborhood schools.
ENVIRONMENT PLANNING
July 10, 1970
Governor's Conference
Recently the National Governors Conference took a survey to determine the most significant environment problems to each of our states. The problem of water pollution ranked number one, followed by air pollution and solid waste disposal. Each is a major problem, and all are at the top of the list of topics for discussion at this conference. Certainly we are not too early in turning our attention to these serious matters, because for the most part we in this country are guilty of having put them off too long already.
MODULAR HOME PLANT
July 11, 1970
Arabi
I commend each of you for your efforts to better your community by establishing the Arabi-Crisp-Turner Development Corporation and moving to develop this industrial tract. I also want to extend my best wishes for success to Mr. Pitts and his organization, State-wide Properties. . . . I'm pleased that state government was able to lend a helping hand in this ambitious project, too. It was my great pleasure to be able to commit $39,000 from the Governor's Emergency Fund for road work in and around this tract.
GORDON-IVEY INDEPENDENT SCHOOL
July 11, 1970
Gordon
What you are doing in Gordon, Georgia, should serve as an example for every citizen in every state being victimized by the national government's illegal and treacherous attack upon our system of public schools. Like you, citizens throughout America are becoming aware of the harm being brought to public education, and each day brings news of buildings
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483
being erected, books and school supplies being assembled, and new private institutions of learning being opened.
This September, with the exception of nonnal advancements in grade, every parent, black and white, should send his children to the same school they attended in September of 1969. Every parent should absolutely refuse to send his children to any school where they are forced into paired classes, required to be bussed, or denied their freedom of choice in any way.
NORTH ATLANTA BAPTIST CHURCH
July 12, 1970
I appreciate this opportunity to return to my home church and be with my family and friends of many years and to have this honor of speaking to you on this great homecoming day observance. Through the years the friendships, associations and spiritual resources obtained in my work and worship here have been a source of strength and encouragement to me in public and private life. . . .
Some interesting things are being said about Lester Maddox these days. A recent comment advanced the idea that I would perhaps be the savior of the Democratic party-that my endorsement or lack of endorsement for a particular candidate would affect the outcome of the election.
CUTHBERT-RANDOLPH COUNTY AIRPORT
July 12, 1970
Cuthbert
Our state has really been getting the mileage in recent years, my friends. Georgia is moving into the jet age, in government services, in government expansion, and in general progress and prosperity for our citizens. We're well above the tree-top level at which we were flying only a few years ago.
Planning, hard work, and cooperation-these are the things it took on your part to bring about the realization of the Cuthbert-Randolph County Airport. It will serve as a base, and with it you can travel to even greater progress and accomplishments.
ROME KIWANIS CLUB
July 13, 1970
Some of you here today . . . thought you weren't going to get your combined TB and mental health facility here in Rome. Some of our friends down in Columbus had just about lost hope of getting their regional hospital, too ... and those interested in providing the first real
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
rehabilitation program for Georgia's woman prison inmates thought there
was no chance of getting a women's prison
But it really wasn't too
hard to get these items put back in the budget
All I had to do was
threaten to veto the whole billion-dollar budget, and everything worked
out all right.
LAKEWOOD HEIGHTS BAPTIST CHURCH
July 14, 1970
Atlanta
Asbury College in the heart of Kentucky, a college untroubled by student violence, has been the scene of a mighty "back-to-God" revival which has spread to 120 other colleges in forty states. It began spontaneously during a chapel service. Students suddenly got up and began pouring out their hearts about what God, Jesus and their faith meant to them. This marathon revival meeting lasted 185 hours during which time hundreds of students packed the chapel, praying and praising God. As word of this movement spread, thousands of schools and churches from coast to coast invited teams from the college to come and tell their story. They did. As a result, this revival has moved throughout America, Canada and South America.
SOCIETY OF INDUSTRIAL SECURITY
July 15, 1970
Atlanta Chapter
We have a security force in this country which could prevent any more of this second-story work on the rights of our people. We have a security force which could reverse the trend of crime and violence which is infecting our nation today. That security force is the American people. If we are going to make our streets safe once again, protect the rights of homeowners, businessmen, and others who love this country, return to the interpretation of the Constitution as our founding fathers intended, and bring an end to the rampant crime in our society, then we must have the concern and help of the law-abiding citizens of America, and some courage on the part of top public officials, top police officials, and responsible court officials.
COLLEGE PARK KIWANIS CLUB
July 17, 1970
You can be sure that the Maddox administration will also continue to recognize the accomplishments of the good young people of Georgia, who seek to build, not tear down. And we will continue to work with you and
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485
other interested citizens of our state to make Georgia an even better place for our sons and daughters to live in when they rise to adulthood and assume the reins of leadership from our generation. We have all heard observations that the coming generation of young people is more knowledgeable and aware than their parents were at their ages, and I'm inclined to agree.
NORTHSIDE KIWANIS CLUB
July 17, 1970
The most recent "great cause" to capture the imagination of the public, and especially our more idealistic youth, is the pollution problem. In our larger cities, pollution has been a problem at least since the tum of the century, and certainly it is one which deserves every thinking person's attention. But once again a legitimate concern has been used as a propaganda ax to hack away at the private free enterprise system, our forn1 of government, private property rights and freedom. I don't have to tell you that, while America has some problems, there is still an awful lot that is right with this great country.
COLONIAL HILLS BAPTIST CHURCH
July 21, 1970
East Point
It is through gratitude that I stand ready to give my testimony at any time, any place, because God has done so much for me.... If I lived a million years and spent all my time serving Him, I could never begin to repay him.... As governor, my goals have not been material values or political power. My purpose has been, and still is, to serve God, my country, and my fellowman.
UPPER CHATTAHOOCHEE DEVELOPMENT
July 22, 1970
Buford
Legislation has been implemented requiring wastewater treatment plant operators to pass examinations and be certified, and as an incentive to industry, a sales tax exemption is now granted on the purchase of water pollution control machinery and equipment.... The assistance and interest of organizations like the Upper Chattahoochee Development Association have made progress in this field even faster. ... But the task ahead will not be an easy one. Daily, there are still 250,000,000 gallons of industrial waste and 225,000,000 gallons of raw sewage being dumped into Georgia streams.
486
GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
COUNTY WELFARE ASSOCIATION
July 23, 1970
Savannah
When too many of our welfare dollars wind up with those who are capable of providing adequately for themselves, but have been conditioned to a life on welfare, thousands of needy citizens who badly need our assistance are deprived of it.
I know of no group in a better position to bring about some changes in the grassroots level of our welfare programs than you men and women engaged in the county welfare professions. Often your hands are tied by federal regulations which are designed to promote welfarism, but it is the duty of each of us in government to make certain our efforts are directed toward helping off welfare those who are able to get off.
DOWNTOWN EXCHANGE CLUB
July 23, 1970
Albany
America was built upon a dream-the dream of men and women who loved God, their nation, and their families. And without a restoration of this vision of our forefathers, our nation will not long stand as the land of the free and the home of the brave. I stand with Exchangites and countless other Americans, who with God's strength seek a true restoration of Americanism and the dream of our founding fathers.
GEORGIA SHERIFFS ASSOCIATION
July 24, 1970
St. Simons Island
No citizen who values his life and loves his freedom should be willing to put up with the crimes against local governments which gamble with his life, his property and his freedom.... When the court or some bureaucrat says, "I'm going to take away this right, and this freedom and this piece of your liberty," too many Americans are willing to throw up their hands and say, "You're the boss." But you won't find Lester Maddox saying that, and I don't think you'll find too many Georgia sheriffs saying that, either.
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES
July 27, 1970
We had local governments long before we had state governments, and we had local governments long before we had a national government. And I firmly believe that the de,gree to which local governments in our
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487
nation are strengthened and preserved is the degree to which our state and national governments will be strengthened and preserved. . . . Local governments provide us with the basis of our freedom.
NATIONAL EXCHANGE CLUB CONVENTION
July 27, 1970
One reason I feel such a close kinship with you of the Exchange Clubs is that your goals closely parallel those of the Maddox administration. Like you, we seek to promote the private enterprise system, respect the nation's flag, faith in God, and an appreciation of our heritage as Americans.
GEORGIA ELECTRIFICATION COUNCIL Youth Tour of Georgia
July 27, 1970
The members of the. Georgia Electrification Council are to be congratulated for sponsoring this ambitious project. By giving these young men and women an opportunity to examine Georgia's resources first-hand, visiting industries, farms and educational institutions, you are helping to provide the background they will need as the future leaders of our state.
STAY AND SEE GEORGIA WEEK
July 27, 1970
Lenox Square, Atlanta
With the help of organizations such as the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, and the citizens of Georgia, we have made a lot of progress in this great state during the last three and a half years. Through the Department of Industry and Trade, as well as the governor's emergency fund and personal visits by the governor and other officials and business leaders, we have carried the story of Georgia and all the advantages this state offers throughout the nation. And when this four-year period draws to a close, the dollars invested in new and expanded industry will exceed those of the previous ten years combined.
CATOOSA COUNTY WATER WORKS
July 30, 1970
Ringgold
The days of having to haul in fresh water from miles away, at a lot of extra expense and effort, will come to an end, and all of you, including
488
GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
the health department, will be able to breathe a little easier. A lot of people deserve credit for getting this project underway and bringing it up to the groundbreaking stage. I want to extend my appreciation to the Catoosa County Water District for its cooperation in this effort, as well as to its employees who will work outside their regular jobs to get the facility built.
NEW HIGHWAY PATROL BARRACKS
July 30, 1970
Calhoun
Especially in view of the increasing civil unrest we have experienced in recent years by those who wage war upon society, our nation, law enforcement and the lives, liberty and property of our people, the conduct and performance of our state patrolmen have earned the respect and admiration of all Georgians.
GEORGIA YOUTH COUNCIL
August 1, 1970
In virtually every area in which our state government has made progress recently, the contributions of young people like you have helped make it possible....
You are still inheritors of a free nation. It's not as free now as it was when I was born, but you still have more real freedom to determine your own destinies than do any other people in the world. Thank God for that. And keep this fact uppermost in your minds when you are debating such issues as the war in Vietnam, the pollution problem, poverty, race relations, politics or whatever.
AMERICAN BUSINESS CLUB
August 6, 1970
Augusta
It is our duty to provide for the handicapped. But the present welfare proposal goes far beyond that, and if it is implemented, I am convinced that this program would be the most destructive legislation in terms of pride, personal initiative, and individual accomplishment ever to come out of Congress. It is my judgment that this program would herald the nationalization of American industry, bring about the destruction of private free enterprise, and, by replacing what we know as Americanism with socialism and communism, mark the beginning of the end of this nation as a frec republic.
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489
GEORGIA SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS
August 7, 1970
Jackson Lake near Covington
Ours was the first state in the nation to initiat~ a school bus driver training program and a pedestrian safety project for kindergarten children. With your help and that of other concerned Georgians, we have carried our educational program to a position of excellence and leadership, through unprecedented budgets for education, the highest salary increases in history for teachers and academic personnel, expanded facilities, and notable improvement in methods and materials.
HEAVY EQUIPMENT OPERATION PROJECT North Georgia Manpower Development Training
August 7, 1970
Blairsville
Certainly [government] has achieved success in its MDT programs, an effort to help citizens to participate fully in productive employment. It's a case of placing the manpower, the dollars and the emphasis where they will do the most good, and that's something we're all for 100 per cent. I understand that some forty men from the Fannin, Union and Towns area are enrolled in this training program, and I believe they should be commended for taking advantage of the opportunity this MDT project affords them.
FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE
August 8, 1970
Tucker
I'm fed up with seeing the police officer pictured as the villain every time he had the guts to do the job he's hired to do. I'm fed up, with those people who come thousands of miles to weep and mourn the death of one of these glorified criminals, and yet don't even send a note of sympathy to the widows and children of the dedicated police officers who were struck down while doing their duty.
DeMOLAY CHAPTERS STATE CONCLAVE
August 8, 1970
Seeing your enthusiasm and knowing of your dedication, I am stimulated and challenged to work even harder to build a better Georgia and a better America. Having the opportunity to meet and work with so many of Georgia's youth, the best of which are typified by you, the members of the Order of DeMolay, I am encouraged to be a better governor,
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a better citizen, and to stand more firmly for those things which are right, godly and American.
COLUMBUS LIONS CLUB
August 11, 1970
And I believe that state government, in failing to provide the needed and essential funds, is cheating our local governments and cheating every Georgian. The ad valorem taxpayers, the owners of homes and farms, have been discriminated against, many cities and counties have lost populations, and their citizens have been denied opportunity and prosperity, because Georgia's state government has failed to provide the financial assistance for water and sewerage systems, schools and local government personnel needed to attract the industry which means jobs and opportunities for local citizens.
EASTERN GEM AND MINERAL SHOW
August 13, 1970
It's a delight to have all you rockhounds m Georgia, and I hope that you will have such a great time while you're here that you will leave with the same impression of our state that most of the natives have~ and that is that Georgia is a gem. And I mean that both literally and figuratively. Georgia produces commercial quantities of more than twentyfive minerals, valued last year as more than $200,000,000.
WAYCROSS KIWANIS CLUB
August 14, 1970
And while we were so occupied glvmg away dollars to those in other, sometimes enemy, nations, our own country, including Georgia, was changing rapidly from an agricultural to an agri-business economy. Many people were leaving the rural areas behind and searching for greater financial opportunity in the larger cities, because in rural and semi-rural areas, they were often left without a means of livelihood. Much of this problem could have been prevented if government, at the state level and the federal level, had been living up to its responsibilities. . . .
DRIVER AND TRAFFIC SAFETY EDUCATION August 17, 1970
More along the lines of your own efforts in the area of safety education.
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earlier this month a proposed $175,000,000 driver education program gained state approval and was sent on to Washington for final approval. This program is designed to provide driver education for some 19,000 teenage drivers in thirty-one state school systems a~d colleges during this fiscal year, including funds for new practice driving ranges and simulation equipment and 148 full-time and part-time instructors. Also, new measures were approved during 1969 relating to reflectorized license tags, radar surveillance, the licensing of commercial driving schools, and a reduction in the number of traffic points needed for the suspension of a driver's license.
DONALSONVILLE LIONS CLUB
August 18, 1970
What really grabs at my heart is the realization that, come this fall, thousands of innocent little children, black and white, are going to be disappointed when they start back to school and find out what a mess things are in. It hurts me to think about the mothers and fathers and teachers, who, already, are "exceedingly disappointed" by court decisions, HEW guidelines and White House directives which destroy their neighborhoods, make it impossible for teachers to teach and for pupils to learn, bus their children for dozens of unnecessary miles every day and subject their children to atmospheres of chaos, confusion and plain heartbreak.
SAVANNAH TEENS FOR DECENCY
August 18, 1970
Certainly some American industries are guilty of gross negligence in their pollution of our environment, and governments at all levels are guilty of being too lax for too long, and those in both industry and government who are guilty of robbing the rest of us of a clean environment should be condemned. But I believe that any government and any industrialeconomic system which can produce pollution in such abundance is certainly capable of getting rid of that pollution. I have confidence in the free enterprise system, and I have confidence in our system of constitutional government. And I have confidence in you, the new generation.
AIRPORT KIWANIS CLUB
August 19, 1970
Atlanta Airport
Men like you, free to dream, to plan, to sweat and to toil within the frame",nrk of this greatest economic system ever devised, have brought
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about progress and prosperity for yourselves, and in the process, created the blessings and liberties every citizen enjoys. The Maddox administration has sought to apply these principles of good business to state government, that it might be strengthened and our people might enjoy greater service and advancement. As a businessman, I learned that if you give people their money's worth, they will usually have no complaints.
CAMILLA-MITCHELL COUNTY AIRPORT
August 21, 1970
The 3,200 feet of runway stretching out before us represented a significant step forward for Mitchell County, my friends, and for all of Georgia. It takes a lot of planning and cooperation to bring about the completion of a project such as this, but no\v, the path of progress has been constructed. With the base you have, even though continued improvements will sitll take a great deal of effort, you have a momentum built up.
THOMAS COUNTY LIVESTOCK AUDITORIUM
August 21, 1970
Thomasville
This auditorium is a sample of the kind of building we've been seeing a lot of in Georgia in recent years. All over our state, we're building new plants, hospitals, schools, prisons, and a lot of other facilities that mean more jobs, better opportunities, and better service to the people. When I see people pooling their energies and resources to work for the betterment of their communities, as you in Thomasville have done, it gives me inspiration and encouragement that lasts for days on end.
DOUGHERTY CHRISTIAN ACADEMY
August 22, 1970
Baconton
I want you to know that you have Lester Maddox's backing 100 per cent, my friends, because you aren't willing to sacrifice your children's education to the tyranny of the federal police state. You aren't willing to give up your constitutionally-guaranteed right to freedom of choice for federal bribe money. And you aren't willing to look in the other direction while dollar-hungry politicians barter your liberty for the \'otes of the socialists, the special interest groups, and those who play into the hands of our enemies.... In many parts of our state and others, private schools represent the last vestige of freedom in education....
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MADISON COUNTY HIGH DEDICAnON
August 23, 1970
Danielsville
Your own local progress, which is reflected in the acquisition of this new high school, a new vocational-technical center and a new kindergarten program to begin this fall, is just one example of the good things that are happening all over our state. This new facility, which was built with the assistance of Appalachian funds, will provide vocational-technical training for your high school students during the day and provide classes for adults in the eveni~g, thereby providing a wide-spectrum work force which will be very attractive to industry.
FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
August 24, 1970
Men's Club, Tucker
You hear a lot about freedom today. There is no one who believes in freedom more than I do. Rut we can never have freedom from God's law. We can never be free from the consequences of our own behavior. This applies to individuals and nations. And the kind of freedom I don't believe in is freedom from God's guidelines and commandments. When we free ourselves from God's will and guidance we are only asking for trouble.
NEWNAN KIWANIS CLUB
August 25, 1970
In your daily lives, you strive to practice the principles of Kiwanis International, especially as outlined in the First Object, which requires that you "give primacy to human and spiritual, rather than the material values of life." And not only do you yourselves live by these principles, but you also give generously of your time to help instill these same principles in our youth through your Key Clubs.
NEWNAN-COWETA JAYCEES
August 25, 1970
America today faces a CrISIS as great as any in her long and proud history, my friends. Destructive ideas and influences, contrary to Americanism, are spreading throughout our nation. The powerful ideals, which once made the foundation of this country strong, are weakening. Our own national government, through a generation of policies and programs which have played into the hands of our enemies, has legalized communism, atheism and immorality, while outlawing God and waging a war upon the
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Constitution of the United States, the rights of private property, private enterprise and local control of local government, education and law enforcement.
VEHICLE EQUIPMENT SAFETY COMMISSION
August 26, 1970
Safety, in every aspect, has always been of major concern to state government of Georgia, and certainly we are mindful of the importance of the many contributions to safety this commission has made to the cause of safety, in each of our fifty states and at the national level. Daily, whether they are conscious of it or not, all Americans benefit from a host of improved safety features, higher standards and better techniques broug-ht about at the urging of this organization.
WASHINGTON-JOHNSON COMMUNITY SCHOOL
August 26, 1970
Harrison
I was extremely gratified to learn that the Washington-Johnson Community School operated in the black during its first year. This is a commendable achievement, one which should make each of those involved in this undertaking very proud. I recognize that to set up this private school and to keep it operating has required dollars, dedication and real effort. But I know that to most of you this task is not really a sacrifice, but a responsibiIity~an obligation to your children, as parents, as Christians and Americans.
EXCHANGE CLUB OF FORSYTH
August 27, 1970
So many Americans today seem to forget that America has become such a strong and prosperous nation because Americans have had a strong and enduring faith in God.... I understand that your own club has won the "Big E Award for Exchange Club Excellence" for 1969-70. Considering the kind of competition you no doubt had, I know that you must be proud of this accomplishment. I am proud of you.
GOVERNOR?S YOUTH OPPORTUNITY COUNCIL
August 27, 1970
State Capitol
I have found Georgia's youth to be responsible, energetic, productive and blessed with a great faith in themselves and their country. It is now
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our task as members of this council to see that this faith of our youth is reinforced and strengthened. We should take special pains to teach them that in the United States, this great land of opportunity, regardless of which side of the tracks he comes from, and whatever his race, any person who dares use his own initiative can meet with success.
SOUTHEAST SHRINE CONVENTION
August 28, 1970
You will find that the principles we hold dear as Masons and Shriners are upheld by most Georgians, whether they are members of our brotherhood or not. You will find that most Georgians will respect you for your strong faith in God, your loyalty to your country and your will to stand up for what is right and good.
SHRINE PEACE OFFICER OF THE YEAR
August 28, 1970
This is a highly commendable program, and the Temples of the Southeastern region of our country deserve congratulations for making it a part of their annual gathering. This year, you have made an especially fine choice. Lt. Roy Womack of the Georgia Highway Patrol typifies the professionalism, dedication and loyalty which characterize our state patrolmen.
HOLLY SPRINGS BAPTIST CHURCH
August 30, 1970
Dedication
I am especially glad to be in this part of Georgia to renew spiritual ties and meet new friends in an area where folks have a strong faith in God. America owes its greatness to places like Holly Springs and other communities throughout the Bible Belt. I congratulate each of you for the spirit of dedication which caused you to work together with your hands and hearts to build a place that would be an encouragement to prayer and Bible study.
BUCKHEAD KIWANIS CLUB
August 31, 1970
Like you, I'm aware that if we want the best for our state in the future, we must work to provide the best for our state's youth today. With this principle in mind, the Maddox administration has joined forces with the
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cItIzens of Georgia to develop and carry out programs to move Georgia forward and provide ever better opportunities for our children.
ATLANTA CIVITAN CLUB
September 1, 1970
But as of right now, none of these problems can be completely solved until Americans address themselves to the supreme task we face todaythe moral crisis which is emerging in almost every segment of our society. The cause of this moral breakdown an dmueh of the unrest, defiance, suspicion and fear in America is right in front of us. Church membership -church attendance-is declining. And, as the percentage of our population on church rolls drops there is a corresponding increase in America's crime rate, in drug addiction, in alcoholism and immorality. The connection cannot be denied.
EAST POINT KIWANIS CLUB
September 1, 1970
You can't blame the teachers, when the police state moves in and they are told, "You either do what we say and teach where we say, even though you may be qualified to do more or are not qualified to do as much where we send you, or you can forget about teaching anywhere."
Many teachers, who have spent long years in preparation for their jobs, arc finding themselves either wasting their valuable talents by teaching below their capacity or struggling to perform in a position they are not proficient enough to serve in.
To my way of thinking, the demands placed upon many of our teachers by the federal police state are depriving many of them of their livelihood, forcing them into involuntary servitude in violation of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
ATLANTA EXCHANGE CLUB
September 2, 1970
But it isn't the politics that should be the first consideration in affairs of government. The people should corne first. Their best interests should be considered above all else. This is why more people like you should get involved in government. This is why more like you ought to be seeking public office, even though it may cost some dollars and some time away from your families. But this is both your state and your country. And you have a duty toward them both.
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COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS
September 3, 1970
State Capitol
It is my distinct honor to welcome each of you to this first business meeting of the Governor's Citizens Council on Environmental Affairs. This council will be charged with developing and updating annually a statewide management plan which will preserve, enhance, and rehabilitate the quality of our environment, as well as with formulating a six-year financial plan which will enable us to implement these positive programs. You will deal not only with conservation aspects, but also with environmental education, matters of health, and other related areas.
TROOPER GRADUATION
September 4, 1970
When you are wearing that uniform, people don't judge just you; they judge law enforcement as a whole by your actions. In fact, you represent not only the Department of Public Safety, but law enforcement in general and the State of Georgia in particular. ... To a lot of [out-of-state visitors] you are Georgia.
NORCROSS HIGH SCHOOL STADIUM
September 4, 1970
I would like to commend the Gwinnett County officials, the city fathers, school officials, members of the booster club, and all other groups and individuals who have pitched in together to make this new stadium a reality. And I was happy to be able to help out, too, by committing $25,000 from the governor's emergency fund toward this notable effort.... And I'm glad you came early and got those dollars when you did, because there isn't a dime left in the emergency fund now.
CITIZENS COUNCILS OF AMERICA
September 4, 1970
It's a real pleasure for me to welcome the members of this great organization to the great State of Georgia.
I am delighted that you accepted my invitation to hold your Leadership Conference in Georgia, and I hope you will all keep coming back again and again, both as an organization and as individuals.
Of course, there are some people who would rather not have you here and there are some who would prefer that the Governor of Georgia not
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be with you, but I want it made absolutely clear that Lester Maddox IS glad you are here, and Lester Maddox is glad to be here, himself.
In fact, if most of those who don't like my being here had no objection to my participation in this meeting, then I would not deserve being here with you.
But, even if some others are misinformed, I know that you are here on behalf of America, for the education and safety of all children, and for the liberty and freedom of every American.
I am here for the same reasons that you are. And if you ever hear that Lester Maddox has given up in his fight for racial integrity, for constitutional government, for states' rights, for private property rights, for the private free enterprise system and for freedom of choice and neighborhood schools, then you will know that Lester :Maddox is no more, and you have an immediate invitation to my funeral.
For almost two decades, we have stood almost alone in our fight to remove the police state control of public education and return it to the people and their local officials, but as election time rolls around, a lot of office holders and would-be office holders start coming out of the woodwork to profess that they, too, are for freedom of choice and neighborhood schools.
Most of them have had ten to fifteen years to speak up, but they've never before had the foresight, the courage or the concern to take a stand for what is right and what is constitutional. And so, you can be sure that those who have never spoken out for you, your children, their teachers and their education before now, will again quickly lose interest just as soon as all the votes are in.
Their stand for freedom of choice, for neighborhood schools and against the tyranny in government which has engulfed public education with a police state is no stronger than the paper used for their campaign platform.
Personally, I think that those politicians already in office, and others seeking high public office, who are claiming to be against the federal police state over public education just for political expediency should be soundly defeated. They don't deserve the vote of any American who has any racial pride at all, who loves his liberty, loves his children and who wants to provide an adequate education to every child, black and white. In fact, it is the do-nothing fence-straddlers who have helped produce the police state over public education and thus are partly guilty of the crisis now in public education.
Public education in Georgia, and many other Southern states, faces the greatest crisis in its history-right now, today.
And it did not need to be. If we had had some real, sure-fire fighters in just a half-dozen statehouses who had the political courage to stand up for
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what they knew was right and necessary, we would not be facing this crisis today. But, when the American people, parents, the teachers and their children, went looking for leadership in most states, they found it lacking.
This has been true in Georgia, too. I believe if we had had just five sure-enough fighters in the Georgia statehouse instead of so many wishywashy, namby-pamby political cowards who join us only at campaign time, we could have organized more support for the preservation of public education in other states.
But we get the same old story wherever we go. In the White House, in the Supreme Court, in the United States Congress, in the governors' offices, in the lieutenant governors' offices, in the legislatures-wherever we look, all we find is an over-abundance of political cowards with their heads stuck in the sand.
And, because we have not had the leadership we needed, and because the American people have not demanded any more, public education in many parts of our nation and in most of our own State of Georgia has become a farce and a sham.
The United States federal gestapo has been allowed to carry off the greatest theft in the history of our nation.
Federal tyrants in all three branches of the national government have been allowed to steal our neighborhood schools, steal our investments in our homes and communities, steal the education of our children, steal the rights of teachers to freely engage in their profession and earn a living.
Yes, the federal police state has stolen the children away from their parents in the South, and these tyrants have completely disregarded the education, safety and welfare of our Southern boys and girls.
When the federal police state moved in on public education and assumed the authority to run our schools, the only way they could gain such authority was to steal it.
The constitutional authority for running local schools belongs to local school boards and local citizens. There is nothing in the Constitution of the United States or in the constitution of our own state which gives this authority to any other governing body.
But, even while the federal government was breaking down the door to pull off this greatest theft in our history, as demanded by the communist enemies of America, many well-meaning citizens kept saying, "It can't happen to us." That's what they said in Poland, in Czechoslovakia and in Cuba. But, it did happen there, and it did happen here in the United States of America.
And, who are the guilty? The responsibility for the mess that public education is in today rests squarely upon the shoulders of those public officials who had the power to do something, but who lacked the courage,
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who were afraid of losing a few dollars, a few votes or an election. And, right there, shoulder to shoulder with them, I place those Americans who knew what was happening, but who refused to face the issues. Nobody can say that they weren't warned. Even Lyndon Johnson said, "This civil rights program about which you have heard So much is a farce and a sham-an effort to set up a police state in the guise of liberty. I am opposed to that program. I fought it in Congress."
But then, of course, President Lyndon Baines Johnson succeeded in spearheading the very disaster that he predicted. His administration was very successful in helping to wreck public education, steal away the rights of parents and local educational officials, lower the level of education and snuff out freedom of choice and neighborhood schools. But his accomplishments, as great as they were, would have to be considered pcanuts whcn compared to the accomplishments of the present administration.
President Nixon, although committed to the American people to turn back the federal "police state" from over public education, took the position of spreading the police state and has not only exceeded the atrocities of the Johnson administration, but has also managed to do more to wreck public education and steal away the divine and constitutional rights of our students and their teachers and parents than all the previous administrations in our great history.
And all our national government is doing is carrying out to the very letter the demands of the communist enemies of our country which completely ignore the welfare of the child and completely ignore education.
Such a war upon education is unique in the history of our nation. Nowhere else in the world has education been struck such a blow, and to think that the escalation of this war would corne from the administration of a president who said as a candidate that the President of the enited States should take the leadership in turning back federal control over public education.
\\Te send billions of dollars to other countries and we arc even fighting a war in Vietnam today, supposedly to insure that country of freedom of choice and self-determination, but not once have the federal bureaucrats told the people of other countries how they must run their schools, what they must teach their children and how they must assign teachers and pupils. It's almost unbelievable that such a thing could happen in our own country, but here it is upon us.
Children who live within a few blocks of a school and whose parents have invested in that particular horne because of its location close to a good school, are being bussed miles away to some other school to achieve "racial balance." This is not Americanism. It is communism.
It is a cruel and criminal action by many of our leaders in government.
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And public officials who demand that the helpless black and white students and their parents and teachers be the victims of this tyranny, something they would not tolerate one moment for their own children and grandchildren, are hypocrites-and cowards. In taking such actions, they violate the "law of the land," the United States Constitution and betray the American people.
Just as it happened in Washington, D. C., where the federal government is in charge of education, discipline has broken down in our own schools. As the federal gestapo continues to increase its death grip on our public schools, you see corresponding increases in beatings, stabbings, rapes, extortion and all kinds of lewd and violent actions. It's tragic that our little boys and girls, black and white, must be subjected to such abuse, not for the purpose of getting a better education, but for the sole purpose of carrying out the communist party platform of 1928.
And for every stabbing, beating and robbery and all the chaos, disorder and the lowering of the level of education because of the theft of public education by the federal government, those officials who have demanded that we follow the communist platform to wreck public education must bear the guilt.
Teachers, too, are being victimized. They are being shoved around and told that they must either teach in a certain location or not teach at all. In my opinion, this is nothing less than involuntary servitude in total contradiction to the United States Constitution.
Further, in the mad shuffle to achieve artificial racial balance, even though it's known that such balance will only be temporary, many highly qualified teachers are being placed in classrooms where they are forced to teach far below their capabilities. Other teachers are being forced into situations for which they are not qualified. In both instances, we are cheating not only the teachers and the pupils, but we are cheating the taxpayers who are having to foot the bill for such stupid inefficiency.
A lot of you have gone to your congressmen and begged them to do something to remove this police state from over education, and you've always gotten the same old tired answer that they are outvoted, and there is just not much they can do. That's just a lot of bunk. When you hear that, you are just getting a politician's answer. If our Southern congressmen wanted to do something, they could. By joining together, and forming a strong Southern coalition of congressmen, they could withhold their support from any domestic legislation whatsoever until "freedom of choice" is restored and I believe the battle to turn back the federal police state over public education and thus save our children and our country would be won in thirty days.
But, until they do this, these bleeding-heart congressmen who keep
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telling you that they are trying to do something, but can't, will have to share the guilt for this great American tragedy, right along with the White House tyrants, the Supreme Court tyrants and the other tyrants in the United States Congress and in the busy little bureaus.
Some people, especially some of our top educators, will try to tell you that the federal theft of our schools and children is not harming public education, but such people are being dishonest with the students, their parents and the general public.
The fact that the public schools in Georgia this year, for the first time, are having an enrollment decrease, rather than an increase, should suggest to any intelligent person that something has gone wrong. And when the taxpayers vote down proposed school bond issues, we have further proof that public education is failing.
The corresponding increase in enrollment in private education is also a direct indictment of the police state which has lowered the level of education elsewhere.
Frankly, I'm glad that private education is getting stronger, but I would hope that those of you here, and other Americans, who are helping to support private education will not abandon public education. Not all citizens who want decent educations for their children can afford private schools, and it's imperative that we preserve public schools to insure that every child, black and white, is given an adequate education.
When we fight the enemies of public education, we are also fighting the enemies of private education, because the same forces that have been at work on our public schools for these past two decades are now shooting away at our private schools, too.
The same enemies would destroy private education because they know that this is one place where we can still teach our children that there is a God, teach them about America and what made it great and teach them not only the academics, but good citizenship as well, and so they are scrambling now to issue guidelines which would dictate how many bricks every building must have and what kind of planks we put in the floor and, even more importantly, what we must teach the children in these schools.
By continuing to strengthen private education, maybe we can wake up some of the Rip Van Winkles in public education and show them that the decent, God-fearing, law-abiding patriotic citizens in this nation still want their schools to build character instead of characters.
You know, I can go into a private school anywhere in our state, and I see children who are happy, who are behaving themselves, who are learning and who are enjoying getting a good education. And often similar good conditions are found in public schools. But, I can go into some of
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our public schools and see just the opposite - teachers who are disinterested in what they are doing, children lying around on the floor, running around the room or down the hall, looking out the window or participating in "sensitivity sessions," and not learning one single, solitary thing that will help them in life.
Already, some of our high schools have dropped from eighth grade to fifth grade history, math and English.
And, as I wrote the President just the other day, this is not happening in other nations, and it's not happening in most other parts of the United States. The national government, with the backing of the present administration, has set double standards for different social and economic groups within the South and a separate standard for the rest of the nation from the one demanded for most people of the South.
In other words, the President and the federal officials in HEW and the Justice Department and members of the Congress and the federal courts who deny freedom of choice to some children, teachers and parents in the South, but provide it for others in and out of the South, are guilty of illegal and discriminatory unconstitutional action against those they deny "freedom of choice."
Not in all the glorious history of America has man practiced such ungodly and illegal discrimination as now practiced and demanded by our national government against helpless black and white students and their parents.
I'm tired of the double talk and the double standards. I'm more than tired of them. I'm fed up to the gills.
And I'm fed up with public officials at every level of government who refuse to admit that there is a conspiracy going on in this country with the ultimate goal of bringing America to her knees.
The communist conspiracy is a matter of fact. It is public record. And any high-ranking elected public official in Washington who doesn't know it is too stupid to be in public office. Others in the White House, the Congress, the United States Supreme Court, the Justice Department and HEW who do know it, and are too cowardly to admit it and start fighting communism and start standing up for freedom of choice and for America, should be turned out of public office.
We have too many politicians in high public office. We must replace them with some statesmen. It is time to put real Americans on guard.
What we need is a Radio Free America to tell Americans the truth. We claim that we have a Radio Free Europe to tell the people in the communist bloc countries the truth about what's happening in their countries, and yet our own officials will stand before us and tell one lie after another -or else hide the truth from the American people.
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You can believe that the federal police state over education is not causing chaos and confusion in most schools in the South just like you can believe that the schools in our major metropolitan areas are not having any serious drug problems.
My friends, it seems that we have exhausted every remedy that we have to save our children and their education, but we must not give up hope, because when we give up hope for education, then we might as well give up hope for the survival of our nation.
God give us judges, governors, lieutenant governors, congressmen and . presidents who love their liberty and love their country and love their fellowman enough to go back to the Constitution and stand up for America, to restore freedom of choice, not just for a favorite few, but for evcry American parent, teacher and child, black and white.
God give us public officials who will serve on the same platform that they campaign by and that gets them elected-real, honest-to-goodness patriotic Americans who know the truth and are not afraid to tell it.
And, yes, God give us mothers and dads who will stand up for their children and their education, even if it means losing a job, losing a few dollars, giving up that new car, or whatever the cost.
I'll tell you when we are going to get these kind of people in public office, tum back the police state, the drug addiction problem, defeat communism and atheism and once again restore freedom of choice and constitutional government-making it possible, once again, for Americans to be secure in their homes and safe on the streets. It will be when individual Americans rededicate their lives to God and start living for Him.
Until this is done, the meetings of protest, like this one and others, the public and private schools we build and all of our good intentions, will not be enough.
America will either change its course and start looking up to God and standing up for America and for liberty, or America will go down to the devil, to communism and to slavery.
What I am saying, my friends, is that it is not enough to criticize and condemn our President, our Congress, our courts, our governors and other elected officials for their failures, their cowardice and their betrayal of our confidence and the United States Constitution, however well justified we may be. We must, ourselves, as individual Americans, turn back to God on a full-time basis. It is the only way we can tum back to freedom of choice, to liberty, to morality and to America.
When men and nations cease to be right with God, men and nations cease to be righ t.
Which way, America? What about freedom of choice?
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You tell me what America is going to do with God, I'll tell you which any America is going.
And if you don't want to take my word for it, then you can find the same answer in the Holy Bible--or in the pages of history.
I know that what I have said here tonight is not the politic thing to say, especially when one is in a rather hot political campaign. But, I'm no politician and I will never withhold my opinion, nor my convictions, nor will I be disobedient to God, disloyal to my state and country and dishonest with my people for political gain.
Some of the news media brass, some public officials, some candidates for public office and some of the mistaken and the communists, in and out of America, will ridicule and heap scorn and bitterness upon me-and misinform some of the people because of what I have said here tonight. But, I've said it and I will never cease speaking these truths and taking these stands so long as I live. The office of lieutenant governor, the office of governor, a seat in Congress or even the Office of President, or all of them combined are not as valuable to me as my right to speak my convictions. And, come what may, I will be disobedient to God, disloyal to my country, dishonest with my fellow-Americans or untrue to myself in order to gain any political office or any combination of public offices.
Some may prevent me from holding office, but, so long as I breathe, no individual, no group and no power of man will ever stop Lester Maddox from living the best he can for God, standing as strong as he can for freedom of choice and liberty and shouting so the nation and the world will hear that he stands up for America.
And, I'll tell you something else. Although I like all men and hate none, there are a few still around who don't like Lester Maddox and hate him. But, I've got news for them. They may as well start liking me because they are going to have to get accustomed to me, because, like I have heard it repeated many time lately:
There are three things that are certain-death, taxes and ole Lester.
NORTH DEKALB BOYS ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
September 5, 1970
Doraville
Plenty of times in life, there will be no umpires and referees there to call the penalty. But regardless of whether they are or not, we cannot escape the consequences of our own behavior. Each of us is responsible for his own actions and answerable for them, either in this life or the one after.
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BEN HILL-IRWIN SCHOOL DEDICATION
September 7, 1970
Fitzgerald
It's always a pleasure to visit here in south-central Georgia, and to do so on such momentous occasion as the dedication of the Ben Hill-Irwin Vocational Technical School is a special privilege. But while this day is a significant time in itself, the real rewards are yet to come. You will derive the biggest satisfaction from seeing this school in operation, serving your communities and citizens by offering a new source of skilled workers, by developing ability and good work habits, and by opening the door to new and better opportunities.
BEKAERT STEEL WIRE PLANT
September 10, 1970
Rome
It was fifteen months ago that I was privileged to meet with you on this site and tum a spadeful of earth to signify the formal groundbreaking of the Bekaert Steel Wire Corporation's new Rome plant. And the anticipation of that day has been amplified by new emotions of pride and accomplishment as we gather once again for the official ribbon-cutting ceremony of this striking new facility.
WILBERT MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION
September 14, 1970
Through decisions of the Supreme Court, provisions of some of the socalled Civil Rights Acts, and the tactics employed by some departments of government, the federal government is pulling a shroud over many of your rights, telling you that they know best how to hire, promote, and fire your employees, and how and to whom you can sell your home and your products. And now the national government is even offering selected individuals a program of blatantly socialistic housing subsidies, which guarantee these individuals full-term mortgages at reduced payments, while the government pays the largest part of the interest charges. This is a real blow on the chin of private enterprise and home ownership.
AMERICAN PATHOLOGY FOUNDATION
September 15, 1970
Some of you may be a little surprised to find the governor of a state at a pathologists' luncheon, but you might find Lester Maddox almost anywhere you go. I'm one of the few governors left who still makes house calls
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... When I went recently to the hospital, the doctor said, "You've got a kidney stone located right here and it needs to come out." He then made one little incision and a few days later I was out making speeches and going to my office again. I know that a great part of the knowledge which was used to put me back on my feet came from the laboratories of America's pathologists....
BANK ADMINISTRATION INSTITUTE
September 15, 1970
Dallas, Georgia
Three men were arguing about who was the greatest inventor. One insisted that Thomas Edison deserved the title. The second man said Benjamin Franklin was the greatest inventor. "Well," said the third, "the man who invented interest was nobody's fool."
Since 1951, banking in the seventh district, as well as in Chattanooga, has profited from the guidance and direction of the Rome chapter of BAL And this in tum has benefited every citizen....
GOVERNOR'S CONFERENCE ON AGING
September 17, 1970
Georgia, through its rapid advancement and improved services, is seeking to meet the important obligation it has to its men and women of advancing years.... We seek to see a partnership between the voluntary sector of our nation and the agencies of the government concerned. We need to demonstrate that such a partnership is not only possible, but that it is potentially the most productive.
FIRST DAY OF ISSUE CEREMONIES Stone Mountain Commemorative Stamp
September 19, 1970
Stone Mountain
I t took several million years for nature to build this mountain; it took another forty or fifty years to get the carving so well advanced, once people got to talking about it, and now, it has taken only a few months to get a stamp commemorating the memorial. I guess that just goes to show that if you stick with a project long enough, you'll lick it....
SOUTHERN GOVERNORS CONFERENCE Executive Management and Fiscal Affairs
September 22, 1970
Biloxi, Mississippi
I am grateful for this opportunity to share with my distinguished col-
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leagues of the Southern Governor's Conference a report of what is generally acknowledged as the single most successful achievement of the Maddox administration in Georgia.
I'm sure I am not alone in my disappointment at having such a brief command of the podium for this task, but in courtesy to Governor Nunn, I will comply with his time schedule as best I can.
Besides, this is one of the few places where the audience might tell a governor to sit down.
As a citizen and a businessman who had devoted much of his life to a businesslike and efficient operation, I was saddened and disheartened by the decades-long accumulation of waste and wrong-doing in Georgia state government. I saw that the interests of the taxpayers were often given a back seat to politics, and I determined that such conditions came about through a lack of involvement by the people in their government.
As a candidate for the office of governor, I pledged to the people of Georgia that ours would be a people's administration, one which reflected their needs and desires, and one which paid heed to the direction they wished it to go.
And we have delivered on that promise. We have actively sought to involve all Georgians in the affairs of their government, and more and more have responded.
Democrats, Republicans, the young, the old, the rich, the poor, the white-collar worker, the blue-collar worker-all have begun to take a more active interest in government, joining together to help make us a better Georgia.
Statehouse officials, news media and all Georgia citizens now enjoy more freedom as it relates to the governor's office and state government than ever before. All Georgians, for the first time, are free to look, investigate, question, comment and criticize openly.
It is estimated that more people have visited the governor's office and the Governor's Mansion during the past forty-five months than in the rest of this century.
This dramatic new wave of involvement by the people in their government stands as perhaps the most significant and far-reaching achievement of this administration. Through the interest, cooperation, guidance and support of the people, the principles of honesty, efficiency and morality have been practiced in state government such as has not been witnessed in our lifetimes.
And because we have 'secured the help of the people, we have been able to reach new heights of advancement and progress.
Our gains in new and expanded industry at the end of this four years will have surpassed those of the previous ten-year period.
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There has been more real penal reform in Georgia during the four years of the Maddox administration than in all the remaining years of the twentieth century combined.
Progress in education has been unprecedented, with record budgets for education, broadened financial aid programs, better facilities and the highest teacher salary increases in state history.
Our programs in mental health have been recognized and commended by a variety of prominent leaders in the field, such as the director of the National Institute of Mental Health.
And in a host of other vital fields, our gains have been equally striking, made possible largely because of the interest and involvement of Georgians in the affairs of their state.
And the benefits of this involvement, to Georgia and to every Georgian, will be enjoyed in our state for many years to come.
DeKALB COUNTY JAYCEES Veterans Appreciation Day Ceremonies
September 24, 1970
America is deeply indebted to the men such as these wounded veterans of the struggle in Vietnam who are present here tonight. And through this day set aside in tribute to them, we seek in some small way to express our gratitude for what they and others like them have meant to our nation, and what they mean, to you and to me, even today. Ours is a free nation today because men like these veterans have rallied in time of danger and fought to insure our liberty.
UNITED STATES GYPSUM COMPANY Chemical Division
September 25, 1970
Stone Mountain
There is a compelling need today for Americans to start being honest with themselves, and with the conditions that exist in this country. Certainly we must continue to work to meet our material needs, because they are important. None would deny that. But it's time we began returning to the proven truths of our heritage, restoring our faith in the principles upon which we have risen to strength, prosperity, and freedom. And it's time we acknowledged that America is a nation founded upon faith in God.
GOVERNOR'S KICK-OFF BREAKFAST United Appeals Campaign
September 25, 1970
For State Government
The fate of many Americans, the sick, the aged, the handicapped, the
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mentally and emotionally troubled and others, depends to a large extent, upon how well we apply ourselves to the task before us. This is a tremendous responsibility, and I would hope that each of you will view it in exactly the same way.
SOUTH PARK BAPTIST CHURCH
September 27, 1970
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
I am delighted and inspired to be with tb~ members of a fundamental, Bible-believing, soul-winning Baptist Church. It is significant that your church, like many other fundamentalist churches across America, is experiencing dyn.amic growth-your attendance has grown from 270 to 500 since 1969. This is a tribute to the fact that you are standing for the fundamentals of faith as you seek to reach the lost for Christ. ...
Also, I would like to commend you for the steps you are taking to establish a Christian High School. This act reveals your love for your children and your willingness to provide them with quality, Christ-centered education.
FRATERNAL CONGRESS OF AMERICA Eighty-Fourth Annual Meeting
September 28, 1970
I understand that this congress brings together the talents and resources of some hundred fraternal organizations, all dedicated to serving not only fraternalists and their families, but the public interest as well. And the record that fraternal benefit societies have established for themselves over the years is a good indication of the high quality of service this congress has rendered. For almost a century now, fraternalists in America and Canada have been making notable contributions to both nations....
STATE GAME AND FISH COMMISSIONERS Southeastern Association
September 28,1970
Every person who loves our wildlife should stand up for its protection and stand against those poachers who would destroy it. And every American who loves his liberty should stand up for it and stand against those poachers who would destroy it. There is no natural resource in America more valuable than freedom.
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BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL WOMEN'S CLUB
September 28, 1970
Roswell
I know that you ladies are already actively engaged in programs to elevate the status of women in business and in the professions, and that you are also deeply involved in other matters of importance to our state. And as concerned citizens, I urge you to work to bring out this same civic involvement and interest in as many of your friends and associates as you can.
CONSERVATIVE CLUB OF GEORGIA
October 2, 1970
By definition, a conservative is one who seeks to preserve and uphold that which experience has proved to be best. Like private enterprise, the only economic system which is in harmony with the concept of individual liberty. Like law and order, the only civil condition which allows any individual freedom. And likek America, the nation which offers more individual freedom to its citizens than any other nation in history. Well, I'll gladly wear the label "conservative."
GOVERNOR'S CONFERENCE ON DRUG ABUSE
October 2, 1970
Should the drug abuse problem we are now experiencing contmue to grow for another four years as it has over the past four, I firmly believe that we could lose the United States of America as a free republic. But it is obvious that many of us, as evidenced by your presence here today, do not intend to just throw in the towel. Winston Churchill once said, "We cannot escape our dangers by recoiling from them," and that is why you have been invited here to meet this challenge head-on.
GOVERNOR'S MARCHING FESTIVAL
October 3, 1970
Dalton
It's a real pleasure to be back in Dalton to join with you for the third annual Dalton Band Festival. I understand that there are some fifty bands participating here, representing high schools in Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia, and I know that everyone here is proud of these youngsters who have come to display their skills.
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HARBOR BAPTIST CHURCH
October 4, 1970
West Columbia, South Carolina
Whatever may be the future for Lester Maddox you can be well assured that I shall always make my best efforts to be worthy of your continued esteem and prayer. Especially do I want to commend you and your efforts to develop, strengthen and preserve Christian private education as witnessed by the wonderful school you now have in operation.
I am strongly in favor of both public and private education. Together they provide great benefits to our society that one system alone could not offer. And private education has served as a valuable supplement to our system of public schools. One of the most urgent priorities of the American people today should be the restoration of religion in our system of national education.
AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION
October 5, 1970
Ninety-fifth Annual Convention
You will find an abundance of green forests wherever you go in Georgia; with more than two-thirds of our entire land area covered by forests, Georgia has the largest acreage of privately-owned forest land in the United States. In 1968 we led the South for the twentieth consecutive year in pulpwood production....
The great drought of patriotism which has plagued our country for at least the last decade provided the proper climate for the destruction of much of America's great heritage, just as rain droughts in California paved the way to destruction of that great state's forests. We ought to be just as concerned with the preservation of constitutional government, private property rights, the private enterprise system, freedom of choice, and other principles and institutions which Americans so long have taken for granted.
WEST GEORGIA COLLEGE SYMPOSIUM
October 5, 1970
Carrollton
West Georgia College has been in the thick of the action as we have advanced in higher education. I understand that in the last four years, you have added thirty-one new degree programs, and construction projects representing an investment of $12,000,000 have been authorized.
Georgia has had a system of higher education for 185 years, and as of the fiscal year 1967, the budget for the State Board of Regents has worked its way up to $71,000,000 annually. But in the four years of the Maddox
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administration, the budget has been increased to some $165,OOO,OOO-a $94,000,000 gain which more than doubles the $46,000,000 increase of the previous eight years combined.
CONFERENCE ON HIRING THE HANDICAPPED
October 6, 1970
Rome
We all know of cases where, in a split second, a whole, healthy person has been transformed into a handicap. All of us, too, have seen children come into this world with a congenital handicap, mental or physical or both. Some of these children and adults not only will never be able to work, but they will never be able to attend to their own daily needs. But there are others with handicaps ranging from mild to severe who not only can work, but want to work and need to work. It is our job here to see that the handicaps they have are not made more unbearable by the handicap of public prejudice.
GOVERNOR'S CONFERENCE ON EDUCATION
October 7, 1970
Tonight we pay tribute to 100 years of educational growth and advancement, and I am honored that this milestone should fall during my service as Governor of Georgia.... We are fortunate today to have at our command the greatest material resources, human resources, and experience to build upon that any concerned with education have ever had before us, but all of us who are realists know that the problems and challenges confronting us today in public education are far greater than any we have faced before. And how we face up to these conditions will determine the future of our youth, our state, and public education.
REVOLUTIONARY BATTLE PARK
October 8, 1970
Savannah
... we gather for the eighth annual dinner of the Revolutionary Battle Park Corporation. For those Georgians whose goals are to recognize and preserve the rich heritage and proud traditions of Savannah, of Georgia, and of America, this event is a welcome opportunity for us to meet, to share our thoughts, and to make new plans which will enable us to make these goals a reality. There are many dedicated organizations represented here . . . and each of these groups (the Savannah-Chatham County Monuments and Sites Commission, the Savannah Historic Research Association, the Georgia Bicentennial Commission, the Daughters of the
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American Revolution, the Children of the American Revolution, and others) has earned the gratitude of every Georgian for the important work they are doing in this great city.
ENVIRONMENTAL RALLY
October 10, 1970
Granite Bowl, Elberton
This gathering marks an important step toward our goal of awakening every American to the need for good environmental and conservation practices. You in attendance will learn a great deal here, not only about the needs and resources of our special part of this great nation, but also about the goals of the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management Johnny Horizon program for all America. Johnny Horizon has been called the brother of Johnny Appleseed and the son of Paul Bunyan.
OLIVE STREET BAPTIST CHURCH
October 11, 1970
Lakeland, Florida
I believe with all my heart that America is now faced with the judgment of Almighty God because many of our nation have turned from God's way and have followed the ways of the world and the ways of man. Our nation is in danger of being destroyed by the agents of Satan because of internal erosion and moral rot. And America is at the crossroads. Our country faces a grave decision. America must decide which way it is going in 1970. The choice is plain: it is either the way of the righteous or the way of the ungodly.
DeKALB COUNTY MASONIC ASSOCIATION
October 12, 1970
Clarkston Lodge No. 492
It wasn't too many years ago that the United States was respected as the greatest, most powerful and freest nation in the world, bar none. But since World War II, America has become increasingly divided and factionalized until, today, it is impossible to determine the purpose behind our government's actions. . . . What we need, my friends, is to have just one sure-enough, down-to-earth American with plenty of faith in God and this country to get elected president, and our country could be united.
PEACE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION
October 13, 1970
Augusta
You of the Police Officers Association of Georgia are also to be com-
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mended for taking steps to raise money to help defend the two Augusta officers who are under federal grand jury indictment for depriving others of their civil rights, charges growing out of the unfortunate events in this city last May.... Under the indictments, one of these men now faces the prospect of a year in prison. The other could spend the rest of his life behind bars. My friends, those two police officers did not want to be out there that night, while much of the city was being swept by rioting, looting, burning, chaos, and willful destruction. It was not by choice that these two men, or any of the other law enforcement officers who responded that night, went out into turmoil and violence. I don't believe that one policeman in a thousand ever really wants to have to fire his weapon at another human being. . . .
JAYCEES JUDICIAL SERVICE PROJECT October 15, 1970
Albany
I wish to thank each of you for taking the time to attend this first general meeting of the Dougherty County Judicial Service Project, and extremely important and ambitious, program'for Albany, for its people, for Georgia. I say "important," because by creating a workable network of volunteer probation officers to lend a much-needed helping hand to the juvenile court operation, not only will you be guiding hundreds of young people down the road of understanding to a better life, but you will be performing a valuable service which will benefit every citizen of the community. And I say "ambitious," because this program ... is the first such attempt in Georgia to organize private citizens as volunteer workers for the court.
CONFERENCE OF ZONTA INTERNATIONAL
October 16, 1970
District XI
Zonta International is fast approaching the 51-year mark in dedication and service today, years characterized by a sincere desire to meet the significant civic, educational and social needs of the communities you serve. Through important projects such as the Amelia Earhart Fellowship program and the Anne Frank Village in Germany, your sponsorship of Z Clubs and undergraduate loan funds, and your work with the young, the aged, and the handicapped, Zonta is advancing the ideals to which every member has pledged herself.
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DOC MANCIL SOFTBALL FIELD
October 17, 1970
Pearson
I know that you are all grateful to the Exchange Club of Atkinson County for providing the leadership which made possible this dedication today.... This softball field is just one more example of the community dream come true through the efforts of Exchangites. Without the generous donations of time, money and materials by citizens of Atkinson County, I think the Exchange Club will agree, they couldn't have gotten to first base with this project.
SEVENTH REGION JAYCEES BOARD MEETING
October 17, 1970
Martinez
We in the Maddox administration have always been able to look to the hard-working members of our Jaycees chapters for support in our efforts to build a better Georgia. Many of our ambitions have been achieved more easily because of the backing that Jaycees and other concerned citizens have rendered. And this is the kind of reputation Jaycees have established throughout the nation. Since your organization was founded some fifty years ago, you of the Jaycees have consistently remained in the forefront, demonstrating your ability to pitch in and get things done.
SOCIETY OF SANITARY ENGINEERING
October 20, 1970
This organization has earned international respect and recognition for its work in the testing, research design, and proper installation of plumbing and heating materials, and I understand that your own high standards for many appliances are accepted by the majority of manufacturers of plumbing and heating equipment.
Yours is probably one of the most ancient crafts in existence. People have had some system of supplying fresh water and removing used water from their dwellings for thousands of years, and archeologists tell us that some early civilizations in the Middle East had sophisticated cement tile drainage systems.
INTER-AGENCY COUNCIL, HUMAN RESOURCES
October 20, 1970 I am happy to be with you this morning at the organizational meeting
of the Governor's Inter-Agency Council on Human Resources, a group
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I hope will become an important functioning part of state government, because there are no move crucial problems to the general welfare and progress of Georgia than the ones which I will ask this council to address.
[Georgia's] 4,492,038 people comprise our most valuable resource, but what about the development of this resource? I submit to you that this council should be as one in seeking revenue, federal or otherwise, to meet our needs. And we should also be as one in our efforts to retain our rights, our privileges and the constitutional authority guaranteed to us by our state and national constitutions. What is the proper role of state government in establishing an orderly approach for ensuring that our human resources are developed and used wisely and efficiently for the economic and social wellbeing of all our people?
ALTERMAN FOODS OFFICE AND WAREHOUSE
October 21, 1970
The groundbreaking ceremomes for this new complex of Alterman Foods, besides marking fifty years of growth for Alterman, is a significant step forward for Atlanta and Georgia. I understand that when this huge complex is completed, it will be the largest grocery warehouse in the Southeast, with three-quarters of a million square feet for office, dry storage, and shops. It took a lot of hard work and an abundance of initiative on the part of many people for Alterman Foods to get to the position of leadership it occupies today....
ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP CORPORATION
October 22, 1970
Service Award Luncheon
I know that you men and women of the Georgia Electric Membership Corporation can appreciate the wisdom and the necessity of a tax program to aid every citizen, and I know that you also realize the need for more industries to spread out and put the jobs where the people are. And you may be sure that Lester Maddox will continue to seek your help and cooperation in the drive to make state government face up to its responsibility to help every Georgia community prepare itself for a bright and prosperous future-a future based upon sound planning which meets the needs of every city in Georgia, every county in Georgia, and every citizen in Georgia.
OFFICE MANAGERS CONFERENCE October 22, 1970
It is a great pleasure to meet and talk with the men and women of
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Georgia's forty-one Electric Membership Corporations, and to welcome each of you to Atlanta for the office managers' and bookkeepers' 1970 fall conference.
Georgia's network of EMC's is now serving nearly 400,000 customers in virtually every county in our state, I'm told, doing its share to help Georgia's electric utilities meet the increasing requirements of the people.
PHILLIPI BAPTIST CHURCH
October 25, 1970
Locust Grove
Yes, my fellow Christians, America is being eaten up by the forces of evil simply because the people of God have not been faithful to their spiritual trust. The truth is that many of the troubles facing our nation in this hour are the result of the backsliding of church people and Christians. The failure of Christians to stand firm in the faith and let their testimony be heard for Christ has helped carry our nation near the edge of destruction.
HIGH HOPE SCHOOL FOR MENTALLY RETARDED
October 25, 1970
Macon
Macon Jaycees started this project in June, 1969. About ten months later, in April of this year, the graund was broken, and today, less than a year and a half after the idea was conceived, we are dedicating High Hope School. All of you who helped turn this dream into a reality have my heartiest congratulations and sincere appreciation. But even more important than my praise, I know that you have the heartfelt appreciation of a lot of mothers and fathers in the Macon area whose children will reap the greatest benefits from your efforts.
ELBERT COUNTY YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
October 2, 1970
Elberton
It is indeed an honor to be able to meet with so many city, county and state officials and concerned Georgians today, as we gather to break ground for the Elbert County Yauth Development Center, soon to become our state's eleventh facility devoted to helping the dependent, the neglected, and the wayward among our young people. . . . For reasons unique in each case, there are thousands of young people in Georgia who are deeply troubled, unable to find solutions to their problems on their own, and unable to prevent themselves from becoming liabilities, in their own eyes and in the eyes of society.
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INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON OUTDOOR RECREATION
October 27, 1970
The preliminary census figures revealed that the family income in the Southern states increased 48 per cent over the last decade, compared with 9 per cent nationally. In Georgia the personal income gain for the 1960's was an amazing 130 per cent. All in all, the promise for the future in the South is for an unprecedented increase in demand upon our vacation and recreation facilities. If Georgia is to keep pace with the leisure-time demands the future will bring, we must make certain that we continue to expand our recreational capabilities.
RICHMOND COUNTY POLITICAL CLUB
October 28, 1970
Augusta
There are thousands of clubs and organizations in existence today, throughout Georgia and America, whose members are dedicated to important works and good causes, and their contributions to a variety of fields deserve the appreciation of every citizen. But I doubt if there are many organizations such as yours, which are concerned primarily with law enforcement. And I know of no field, no subject, no issue in America today which deserves the attention of our people more than the one to which you have chosen to direct your interest.
LICENSED PRACTICAL NURSES
October 28, 1970
Augusta
Thank you for your gracious invitation to be in Augusta and take part in this twenty-first annual convention of the Georgia Association of Licensed Practical Nurses. This association deserves our heartfelt thanks for serving the best interests of practical nursing, and for providing its members a means by which to devote their combined resources to community projects and activities.
NATIONAL NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION
October 29, 1970
I have found that, percentagewise, our smaller commumties usually have more real patriotic, God-fearing, hard-working and law-abiding citizens in them than you'll generally find in the larger metropolitan areas. And I think the same is true of the men and women who work on newspapers in these smaller areas. All too often, a big city newspaper with a
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monopoly tends to stray away from the heartbeat of the common man, using its power and influence to promote policies and philosophies which are alien to the rank and file conservative American.
LAWRENCEVILLE KIWANIS CLUB
October 29, 1970
The 1970 census revealed that Gwinett County's population grew a whopping 66 per cent over the last decade, jumping from sixteenth to eleventh among Georgia counties for size. There must be a lot of folks who have faith in your county's promise for the future. Certainly the members of the Lawrenceville Kiwanis Club have demonstrated that they believe in Gwinett's potential, and that they believe in working hard to develop the resources available here.
PARTIAL FREEZE ON STATE SPENDING
October 31, 1970
Special Release
The present very serious recession has gone deeper, proven to be more harmful and lasting than as earlier predicted by the nation's economists.
I stated many times last year and this year that increased revenue and tax revision could be delayed for political reasons, but not avoided. Many laughed, but the day of reckoning is upon us. A major tax increase is imminent. Candidates and public officials saying otherwise are whistling in the dark, kidding themselves and misleading the people.
WALTER MATTHEWS MEMORIAL CHAPEL
November 1, 1970
Alto
I am grateful to have been granted the privilege of presenting this portrait of a great Georgian, as we gather today to dedicate the Georgia Industrial Institute's Walter Matthews Chapel. Walter Matthews spent two decades of his life here. Thousands of young boys were in his care, and we remember him for the tireless effort he put forth to reach these youngsters, the positive influence he had upon them, and the great numbers he touched and guided.
SOUTHERN SOCIETY OF ORTHODONTISTS November 2, 1970
Today Georgia state government IS much healthier and far more ef-
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ficient, serving more Georgians better than at any time in its history.... With the increased interest and involvement of the people in their government we have encouraged, we are confident that the effects of our treatment will benefit the people of Georgia for years to come.
COMMISSION FOR COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT
November 5, 1970
Welcome to the first meeting of the Governor's Commission for Coastal Zone Management. That area represents the most significant remaining coastal wilderness on the entire east coast of our nation. And as such it attracts visitors in increasing numbers, because areas of such primitive beauty are becoming harder and harder to find. We in Georgia must develop our coastal region, too. But at the same time, we must take care to guard against the overdevelopment and improper development which have, in many cases, effectively destroyed other seacoast areas. Much of our coastal zone remains virtually unspoiled, . . and we have continued to implement fonvard-thinking programs, such as the Sapelo Island project, which will preserve the island for future generations to know and enjoy.
GEORGIA TECH STUDENT CENTER
November 6, 1970
It's good to be back at myoId "alma mater." Even though I was never a student at Georgia Tech, I have probably spent more time on this campus than any of the present students or faculty.
Back in the Pickrick days, my restaurant* was considered by many to be the most important building on the Tech campus. In fact, the food I was serving got to be so good that Georgia Tech had to change somc of its recipes to stay in business.
But, it's a pleasure to see so many students, alumni and faculty members of Georgia Tech, who have gathered here to dedicatc this new student center, and I consider it an honor to have been invited to participate in this important event.
It has been thirty years since this project was first envisioned by the students and members of ODK Fraternity. That's a long time for the hope of any project to be kept alive, and it points up the determination of men such as Professor Emeritus Fred Wenn and Dean of Students Emeritus George Griffin, the students themselves and interested Georgia Tech Alumni.
*Site of the Pickrick Restaurant has become a part of the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology.
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Of course, some one million dollars of the total cost of this new facility was provided through the State Board of Regents, and I would not want to withhold any credit that is due those in state government who have lent a helping hand to this project. But in large part, the students, the alumni and the individuals who have been closest to this project through the years are the ones who deserve the real thanks today.
I know that this new student center, with its many facilities for entertainment, recreation, meetings, displays and services, will be something every student and visiting alumni will be tremendously proud of.
Here they will be able to meet for lectures, gather to browse through art galleries, attend movies, or perhaps enjoy a quiet moment with a favorite book.
This facility has the potential of becoming the hub of student activity on the Georgia Tech campus. If the students make full use of all that this building makes available to them, it will become, almost literally, the living room of student life here.
And in my judgment, it would be fitting that we dedicate the new Georgia Tech Student Center to exactly that: student life.
It is student life that this center was designed to serve.
It was student life and student participation which made the center possible.
And student life will assure that the center evolves into a facility that will playa major role in the activities of this campus for many years to come.
In closing, may I wish each of you a successful and enjoyable homecoming weekend. And may I also express my hopes that alumni, students and faculty members alike will find this Student Center a pleasant home away from home in all the years they are associated with this institution.
JAYCEES LAW ENFORCEMENT APPRECIATION
November 7, 1970
Cordele
When revolutionaries and criminals shoot down policemen, and when we know where they are held up, then if they do not walk out with their hands up after the first warning, they should be blown out. In time of war, you can't run back to the court to get a warrant from some judge, and you can't risk the lives of your own men while begging and pleading for the surrender of those who have killed, and may kill again. My friends, I believe our law enforcement officers are doing an outstanding job. . . .
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SOUTHEASTERN THEATER OWNERS
November 9, 1970
In America, we still have theater owners, and drug store owners, and restaurant owners. But in many countries throughout the world your counterparts don't own anything. They're just slaves of the state, which owns almost everything. And so, what I am asking you to do in this age of social commentary movies is to use your influence to bring about the production and showing of more pictures which teU the real story of America, about the faith of our forefathers, the real price of freedom, the advantages of our economic system, and all about what made this country great, and how best to keep it that way.... Incidentally, if you didn't recognize it, this has been an original Lester Maddox production.
DEDICATING "THE FLAME OF FREEDOM"
November 11, 1970
Decatur
It seems that the Reds consider our fighting men in Southeast Asia to be common criminals who are trespassing and murdering their countrymen, and so unworthy to be treated as bonafide prisoners of war. But there are some "common criminals" fighting this war, and I'll have to admit that their barbarian tactics strike terror in the hearts of civilian populations. But these guerrillas and mercenaries are not fighting the Vietnam war in Southeast Asia-they're fighting it here, in the United States, and they're fighting it against Americans. These are the common criminals who ought to be kept in North Vietnam. These are the ones who should be given firsthand lessons in the cruelty of communism. If the communists of North Vietnam want some real criminals, we should offer to exchange some of their own volunteer troops, who have been fighting for them in the streets of America, for those real Americans who are being deprived of their freedom.
VETERANS DAY, LEGION POST NO.
November 11, 1970
Even now, American negotiators are sitting down with the Russians in Helsinki for more of the disastrous Strategic Arms Limitation talks. Our national government enters these talks once again, taking yet another step toward unilateral disarmament, despite the undeniable truth that military might is the greatest deterrent to war and the greatest assurance of peace -and despite the terrible reality that communist Russia now possesses a total of 50 per cent more missiles and bombers capable of nuclear weapon delivery than America. . . .
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GOVERNOR'S CONFERENCE ON TOURISM
November 12, 1970
Columbus
We have kept our promise to carry the story of Georgia's tourist and industrial potential to the nation and the world as never before, and today, Georgia has a wide-awake, hard-hitting Industry and Trade Department and a dynamic travel development and promotional program which has made our state a leader in the field. I meet tourists visiting Georgia from other states all the time, and it's clear that Americans today are getting the message about what Georgia has to offer. ... In just four years, we have done morc to tell the story of Georgia's peace, progress and prosperity than in the previous quarter of a century.
INTERNATIONAL APPLE ASSOCIATION
November 13, 1970
Atlanta itself, being the large transportation and distribution center that it is, plays an important role in the business of agriculture. Even though Georgia's commercial apple industry has been in existence for some forty years, just in the last eight years, our acreage in apple trees have doubled. It may surprise some of you to know that there are now as many acres planted in apple trees in the central part of our state as there arc in peach trees. And to a large extent, we owe the credit for this rapid expansion to having in Atlanta the modern facilities we need to market our crop quickly and economically.
CENTRAL BAPTIST CHURCH
November 15, 1970
Greenville, Tennessee
Many years ago, I publicly warned our leaders in government that if we continued on the course we were taking, we would produce an era of violence such as never before witnessed in America. Because apathy, appeasement and compromise have continued to be substituted for commonsense and constitutional government, we have seen our country come to the very brink of disaster in one crisis after another. But although we arc justified in blaming the courts, the Congress, presidents and other public officials for the distress that is upon us, you and I as Christians must face up to the fact that the major cause of our troubles is the failure of Christians to obey the voice of God.
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POST 7, HIGHWAY PATROL BARRACKS
November 15, 1970
Toccoa
I've had the good fortune of being able to see first-hand what a fine job our highway patrolmen are doing, in every part of Georgia. And judging from the letters and compliments we continue to receive from tourists and local people alike, my high regard for the professionals of Georgia State Patrol has not been misplaced. The conduct and performance of our state troopers have earned the respect and admiration of all Georgians, especially in view of the increasing civil unrest we have experienced in recent years....
NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL CREDIT CONFERENCE Of the American Bankers Association
November 16, 1970
With all the modern facilities it has, Atlanta also serves as the distribution center for a larger percentage of Georgia's billion-dollar agricultural industry, the industry which has placed our state in a position of national leadership in the production of peanuts, pecans, naval stores, commercial broilers, pimiento peppers and other commodities. The largest Farmer's Market of its kind in the world is located just south of the city. Georgians naturally take pride in the rapid industrialization we have experienced and in our dramatic growth in such fields as manufacturing, mining and others. But agriculture has always been one of the mainstays of Georgia's economy.
CLARKSTON UNITED METHODIST MEN'S CLUB
November 16, 1970
We should not remain silent while the forces of godless communism move to destroy the church, wreck the American free enterprise system and overthrow the United States. We should not remain silent when we are told to surrender our children's safety, well-being and education to a federal police state.
GOVERNOR'S YOUTH OPPORTUNITY COUNCIL Installation of Officers
November 18, 1970
State Capitol
If we are to give our young people a real opportunity, we should teach them that America is a nation built through individual initiative, deter-
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mination, and self-confidence. We should teach them that under this nation's system of private enterprise, regardless of an individual's race or position in life, the opportunity is there, through hard work and personal initiative, to succeed. For the sake of our young people, our state, and our nation, this should be the theme of the programs of this council, of every effort we make on behalf of our youth.
BRIAR CREEK SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION
November 19, 1970
Blakeney High School
It's a great pleasure to be in Waynesboro for this eleventh annual "Man of the Year" meeting of the Briar Creek Soil and Water Conservation District. . . . From each of the five counties in the district, Mr. Rabun, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Burke, Mr. Carroll, and Mr. Todd deserve our heartiest commendation and sincere thanks for their important efforts to insure that the resources of our water and soil are adequately conserved, and that the productivity of the soil is improved.
TROOPER TRAINING SCHOOL GRADUATION
November 20, 1970
Police Academy
I am sure that many times you will have reason to be angry or tired, and you will probably be subjected to abuse on occasion. But when you are called upon to make an arrest or stop a motorist for speeding, never let yourselves forget that when you walk up to that car, you aren't just one man-you are a representative of the State of Georgia and the entire highway patrol. Depending upon your attitude, those you come in contact with can walk away with respect for you and the patrol, or they can be left with a lasting resentment against all policemen.
OCILLA SWEET POTATO FESTIVAL
November 21, 1970
Ocilla
With modem equipment and techniques for processing we have now, things have changed quite a bit from the days when people stored their potatoes in a dirt mound "potato bank" and scratched out a few when they needed them. But regardless of technological progress, one thing that hasn't changed is the high quality of an authentic Georgia-grown product.
THE FEDERATION
November 21, 1970
Savannah
I know that every person who has contributed to the police state take-
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over of the U. S. is not a card-carrying communist. I don't believe we have ever had even so much as a communist sympathizer in the White House. But we have had presidents, congressmen, Supreme Court justices and governors who have done more to aid the communist cause than any Angela Davis or Jerry Rubin has ever dreamed of doing.
A point of extreme interest to us here today is the federal police state takeover of public education. . . .
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
November 22, 1970
Springhill, Louisiana
Especially do I commend you for your efforts in establishing the Springhill Christian Academy. I am glad to see that this private school movement is gaining momentum in Georgia and many other states and I hope that it will expand throughout the whole country being encouraged by the success you and others have experienced. Oftentimes the private school enterprise is the only means we have of turning back the alien philosophy which denounces Christianity, God, America and everything for which America stands.
ORDER OF THE EASTERN STAR
November 23, 1970
Glenwood Hills Chapter, Atlanta
Most Americans today are crying out for a strong, positive voice which will fill this vacuum of leadership. The American people hunger for leaders who will stand tall and proud, and with some old-fashioned patriotism, speak out for America and the principles we hold dear. Our people need real Americans for leaders-men who will uphold the principles of Masonry. For, in truth, these are the principles which make men, and nations, great.
FOUR SQUARE SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS
November 29, 1970
Druid Hills Baptist Church
I have had criticism for my stand for Christ while serving as governor. But nowhere do I find in God's word the teaching that when a person is elected governor, president or to any other high public office, or when he has received a degree, reached a position of success in business, the professions or any other field, that he is excused from following and serving the Lord. On the contrary, I believe the greater the responsibility a man is given, the more the need grows for him to look to God for inspiration, wisdom and judgment, that he may make the proper decisions.
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GEORGIA SHERIFFS ASSOCIATION
December 1, 1970
Macon
I stand with you, the sheriffs of Georgia, and with the other law enforcement officers in our state and nation, who are doing so much to help government fulfill its first responsibility, that of protecting the lives and property of the people.... Being a county's number one law enforcement agent is a highly responsible job, and it's also a dangerous one. There's lots of territory to cover in an entire county, with plenty of back roads and remote areas that are made to order for law violators.
SOUTHSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH
December 4, 1970
Greenville, South Carolina
. . . I believe there is evidence that such a revival is coming to America. I have felt for nearly twenty years that there would come a time when a spiritual breakthrough would take place-when people would become aware of the fact that faith in God and the Bible is our solution.
RATH PACKING COMPANY
December 5, 1970
Morrow
It is an honor and a pleasure to welcome the Rath Packing Company to Georgia.... For too long in Georgia, a few special groups who were part of the "in crowd" ate high on the hog, at the taxpayers' expense, and too many of the little people were left with little more than pig knuckles and chitlins. But the Maddox administration, using the sharp blade of honesty, efficiency and morality, sliced into the political patronage, the waste and the inefficiency, and gave all citizens a piece of the best of their government.
SAMUEL S. LAWRENCE MASONIC LODGE
December 5, 1970
Marietta
I want to thank all of you for inviting me to be with you this afternoon to participate in groundbreaking ceremonies for the new Samuel S. Lawrence Lodge. As a Mason myself, I share with you the pride and anticipation you must feel as this new center for friendship and fellowship takes a giant step toward becoming reality.
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THORNTON STREET BAPTIST CHURCH
December 6, 1970
Houston, Texas
You and I share a great heritage as Baptists. The fundamentals proclaimed by Baptists have helped to shape the course of our country. Our finest patriotic hymn, "My Country 'Tis of Thee," was written in 1822 by a Baptist minister, Samuel Francis Smith. Our pledge of allegiance to the flag was also written by a Baptist minister, Francis Bellamy, in 1892.
The direction our country takes from here depends on which way our people are wilIing to go. If America is to be cured of its ills, if we are to be saved from revolution, immorality, violence, fiscal irresponsibility and political insanity, we must, as a nation, and as a people, once and for all get right with God.
HENRY COUNTY CHAMBER OF CO~1MERCE
December 7, 1970
McDonough
As no other nation, America depends upon the keen interest of its people, and upon their jealous defense of their rights and privileges, for continued freedom and greatness. And when many shirk their duty to oversee and demand good government-when many remain silent when rights are spirited away by politicians eager for votes or dollars-when many cannot be bothered, or are unwilling, to accept their responsibilities as citizens-then freedom and greatness will ultimately slip from their grasp.
BETHANY BAPTIST CHURCH December 8, 1970
Madison
Quite a few preachers nowadays are getting involved in politics-more so than ever before. But very few politicians seem willing to get involved in religion-fewer, I believe, than ever before. I recognize the wisdom of having a separation of the church and the state, but I think the separation can be carried too far. Just as I don't want to see all our churches become anti-government, neither do I want to see our government become anti-church. If either is to be strong and serviceable, then we must have a harmonious coexistence of the church and the state.
PHELPS DODGE INDUSTRIES December 9, 1970
Today the office of governor is serving as the first real pipeline to the
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people that Georgians have ever had. May I say that while we welcome the dollars this center will generate into the cash registers of our supermarkets, our service stations, and our department stores, most importantly we welcome your people into our churches, our schools, our communities, and our hearts.
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF LaFAYETTE
December 9, 1970
Brotherhood Meetings
During my service as governor, I have had the privilege of speaking in many churches throughout Georgia and many parts of the nation, and I thank God for every chance that I have had to witness for Him. But there has been no greater feeling of satisfaction as far as I am concerned than times like this when I can visit with folks who really believe in the "old time religion." And I believe that a great proportion of our country's hope for victory over her enemies lies in the spirit that fills the people of our smaller towns, rural and semi-rural areas of this nation.
GOVERNOR'S CONFERENCE ON TRAFFIC SAFETY
December 11, 1970
Our technology has provided the American people with life's necessities and conveniences in rich abundance, and we have spanned the continent with great highways which help us to distribute quickly and economically that which our ingenuity has produced. But along with the tremendous progress and many advantages of a nation on the move has come the curse of death, injury and destruction through traffic accidents. . . . We in Georgia have moved to meet this blight of destruction and death on highways with a planned and coordinated approach that is unsurpassed in our history.
PEACHTREE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
December 13, 1970
Men's Bible Class
As Governor of Georgia I have tried to get around the state as much as possible to meet the people, get to know them and encourage them to get involved in their government. By going to a different church nearly every Sunday, I am able to share my faith in God with others and, at the same time, let hundreds of my fellow Georgians, in at least a small way, share in their government. ...
If America is to survive and prosper now, it will be through the strength and courage of Americans who are humble enough to realize
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their own weaknesses and wise enough to ask God for His help.
CHATSWORTH LIONS CLUB
December 15, 1970
Chatsworth
Certainly you of the Chatsworth Lions Club exemplify these ideals of Lions International, and for your important work on such projects as Fort Mountain State Park and a variety of civic and charitable affairs, you deserve the salute of every Georgian. . . . And it is because you and other concerned Georgians have accepted the invitation of the Maddox administration to become involved in and participate in the affairs of government that our state has been able to make such tremendous progress during these last four years.
GEORGIA MUNICIPAL ASSOCIATION Central State Hospital
December 16, 1970
Milledgeville
This annual Mayors Motorcade is the best example of the Christmas spirit in action that I have come across so far. . . . I think Georgia's mayors deserve the appreciation of every Georgian for carrying on this tradition year after year. "For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." No gift by man can ever match the gift of God, but we can show our appreciation for this great gift by sharing with one another a little of the love which God has given us.
WORK RELEASE/PRE-RELEASE CENTER
December 16, 1970
Columbus
I am deeply honored to be a part of this ceremony today, as we break ground for the $1,700,000 Columbus Work Release/Pre-Release Center, a facility which truly represents one of Georgia's major breakthroughs in penal reform. With this event and the groundbreaking earlier today in Milledgeville for Georgia's new women's prison, our state has ample reason to be proud of the tremendous progress being made in this longneglected field. It is such achievements as these which have earned Georgia nationwide attention in recent years for her progressive attitude and her sincere desire to replace mere confinement with effective rehabilitation.
CHURCH OF THE ANNUNCIATION
December 19, 1970
Dedication Banquet
Our citizens of Greek ancestry have left an indelible mark upon the
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pages of Atlanta history, a record of cooperation and involvement which wiII long be felt and appreciated by generations to come. It seems highly appropriate that this formal dedication, and the related Greek Week events, should be held during this season of peace and good will. ... Let us resolve that in dedicating this church we also dedicate our lives to the task of strengthening righteousness, devotion, and godliness in America.
INTERAGENCY COUNCIL, OUTDOOR RECREATION
December 22, 1970
The responsibility with which this newly-created panel of agency heads has been charged is a tremendous one. And certainly the manner in which we in state government meet our responsibility to develop these resources to best advantage will affect the vast majority of our people. Today's growing demands upon our recreational facilities are such that even with the advances we have made, we must do more than just keep pace with future needs.
METRO ATLANTA CIVITAN CLUB
December 22, 1970
With your help and involvement, and that of thousands of other Georgians who recognized ours as a "people's administration," we have come a long way toward accomplishing our goal. \Ve are pleased, but we are not satisfied. There is still much to be done, and I appreciate the opportunity that I will have to help continue such programs as lieutenant governor. I plan to spend eight hours each day attending to regular duties in that office, and then I plan to put in another eight hours exposing hypocrisy wherever I find it.
REED BINGHAM STATE PARK DAM
December 31, 1970
Dedication, Add
You people in Cook and Colquitt Counties have had your sights set on having a good lake on this spot for quite a while now, perhaps forty or more years, and I know that at times it has been a slow and frustrating experience. It seems that the Little River just doesn't want to give up. Being at Reed Bingham Park again today and seeing this powerful new dam, I can't help but marvel at the technology which would allow us to harness such a might force as an entire river. This is truly a remarkable achievement, something that you who witnessed the disastrous dam break back in 1966 probably appreciate more than most. ... It is the same kind
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of strength which the American people have displayed in holding back the destructive force of tyranny. . . .
METROPOLITAN BAPTIST CHURCH
December 31, 1970
Atlanta
When my life is finished, in my last moments I will not be turned on with drugs, alcohol or loud music. I will be, just as I am tonight, turned on by Christ, and if I'm making a noise, I pray that I will be making a joyful noise unto the Lord.
BIBLE BAPTIST CHURCH
December 31, 1970
Atlanta
The Bible tells it like it is. In the Bible we find the truth about what is wrong with human nature. We also find in the Bible the causes and cure for all the ills of individuals and nations. The Bible says, "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." That includes Lester Maddox. It includes all of us.
NORTH ATLANTA BAfYTIST CHURCH
December 31, 1970
I have many pleasant and inspiring memones of the North Atlanta Baptist Church, reaching back through the years. It has been through the abundant spiritual resources of this church that I have been given the strength and encouragement to face life's problems and challenges with confidence, secure in the knowledge that all things are possible with God. . . . Let us ask God to search our hearts and minds and lead us in the way we should go.
v1971~
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR MADDOX Inauguration Program
January 11, 1971
State Capitol
Needless to say, this ceremony brings back fond memories. It was a very short four years ago that I, too, stood here, my eyes fixed on the crowd, but actually looking beyond them.
I was looking into the future, not knowing what it held, but wondering, nevertheless.
Had I listened to the prophets-the forecasters-the rumors and the untruths, I would have been filled with fear and frustration on that occastOn.
But there was neither fear nor frustration, because then, as now, although I could not know what the future would hold-I know Who holds the future.
With an abiding faith in God, praying that He would give me wisdom and use me, and with trust in my own ability, I was optimistic and hopeful.
I knew then, that with God's help and that of the people of this great state, the next four years would be four good years for Georgia.
I am not disappointed. Georgians have been good to me, and they have been good to themselves. As never before Georgians have gotten seriously interested in their government. They have been able to see, now, the inside as well as the outside-the bad as well as the good. Together we have built onto the good, erased much of the bad and developed a healthy intolerance of the bad that we were not able to get rid of. I am proud of what has been accomplished during these four years, but I am not so naive as to think that only Lester Maddox could have headed up such a successful administration. I believe that any honest man-any man with integrity-any man with native ability-any man who upholds the philosophies and principles of common sense, business sense and constitutional government-any man with faith in God, love for his fellow man, love for freedom and his country, can be successful in the office of governor or any other high office. But,
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my friends, all of these alone are not enough to do a good job. It takes something more than that, and I had it-I had the support of the people, and they, in the final analysis, will determine the success of a man in the high office of governor.
And Governor Jimmy Carter will need, and must have, that same involvement and support of the people. He is dependent upon it to be the leader he wants to be, and the leader that Georgia needs in this field.
You know, Governor, I think about this day, and I think about four years ago during my campaign trail across the state-I would shake hands with the people in the hot summer months, I would turn and walk away and someone would say, "Well, it will be a cold day when that rascal gets elected." And sure enough it was-it was thirty-four degrees that day. And I don't know how your people arranged it, but you have to hand it to them for the weather that we have on this occasion also.
You know, stepping down from the office of governor, I have been asked a lot of times in recent weeks, "Aren't you losing something by stepping down? Is there a loss? Do you feel a loss?" And I say, "I do not." I have not lost. By having served as Governor of Georgia I have gained, and it has been a gain for me, and so I've been honored. And I am delighted that I have the opportunity to serve once again in the capacity in which you have honored me.
I imagine that any out-going governor who thinks he's accomplished something for his state must possibly feel a little bit apprehensive about turning over his office to another man.
I feel no such apprehension. I believe that the gains made through honesty and integrity can be maintained and built upon through these same principles.
And I believe that Governor Jimmy Carter, in support of these principles, with the help of the involvement of the people of this state, will continue, not only this progress, but to expand upon this progress. I have that confidence in him.
Every administration has its own unique character, and mine is no exception. We've been hard drivers, not sparing the whip. And as we turn over the reins of state government to Mr. Carter, we do so with the horses at full gallop.
And with the reins, Governor Carter, I also leave you the whip, because I believe that you, too, will be satisfied only if Georgia is kept going at the very fastest pace possible.
I know that our job will not be easy. Some will be pulling against us, pulling to the left as we pull to the right, tearing down what we build up, and pillaging the storehouses that we labored to fill. But God has always been on the side of the right, and we who believe in the Bible, freedom,
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
private enterprise, the dignity of man and the dignity of honest labor, and the justice of constitutional government have every reason to believe that we are right and that God is on our side.
And with His help, with Him on our side, He said, and I believe it, "AlI things are possible-."
Possibly, I can wrap up my feelings, my own personal feelings and beliefs, best by reading from Philippians, Four, starting with verse ten and through verse thirteen:
But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.
Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
I know both both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in alI things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungary, both to abound and to suffer need.
I can do alI things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Thanks to all of you-thanks to my friends, thanks to my supporters, thanks to Georgians of every race, creed and color, the rich and the poor, the young and the old, the urban and the rural who have helped us to have four good years. And I am calling upon you for continued help for the governor of this state, for the lieutenant governor and the other elected officials. Thanks to my wife, Virginia. She has done a great job of being a first lady without a husband there at home to be with her-a magnificent job. One day I passed there, Governor Carter, and (you'll probably hear something like this, too) she said to one of the troopers, "Was that my husband?" So the womenfolks have to sacrifice, too, and they have to stand beside us, so I thank her. I thank my God who has given me wisdom that I have sought, given me strength, given me hope, given me friends. And to those of you who credit us with any magnificent or great accomplishments, we would prefer that you give the credit to our God, to my wife and family, to a Christian mother, to my friends, and to these here at the statehouse who have helped us. And I want to impress upon you in closing, that I don't know what the future holds, but I am confident that I know Who holds the future, and with this faith I pledge you to continue to do the best of my ability, to be always faithful, to be always honcst, and to be always true. And as is written on one of the statues around here, by the great former
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Governor Eugene Talmadge, whose wife is here on this occasion, "I may surprise you, but I shall never deceive you." And I don't see how I could surprise you any more, but I promise you, I won't deceive you.
I'll spend these next four years trying to do the best job possible, and with God's help and yours, we'll have four great years with the governor of this state and the others.
Thank you so much.
ADDRESS TO THE GEORGIA SENATE
As Lieutenant Governor
January 13, 1971
Senate Chambers
I consider it an honor of the highest order to have been elected president of this esteemed body. But, I am well aware that, like you, I am here only because it is the people's will.
By accepting this office of great responsibility, I am morally obligated to do the best job I can to serve the best interests of the people. And, like you, I do not take this obligation lightly.
It has been my privilege to work with most of you during the past four years, although in an entirely different role.
I realize that mine is a unique position, in that no other Georgia governor has ever immediately gone from that office to the office of lieutenant governor.
Lest any of you be apprehensive, let me assure you that the transition is complete. I am no longer governor in title or in attitude. I am president of the Georgia senate, and as I strive to serve my God, my country and my state, this august body will have my allegiance.
Although mine may be a sort of "in-law" status, I still consider myself to be one of the family. I am one of you. And, while I realize that, as in all families, we may disagree from time to time, it is my hope and my prayer that we never find it necessary to be disagreeable.
Mine will be a difficult job~how difficult will depend to a great extent upon you, the distinguished members of this body. With your help, your counsel, and your understanding, we can nuke this one of the most harmonious and most productive sessions in the history of the Georgia senate.
Without such a spirit of cooperation, none of us can carry out our pledges to the people of Georgia~nor to ourselves.
I t is my job not to make' rules, but rulings. You and your predecessors have already established rules designed to insure that our business is conducted with order and dignity.
If, in being fair, I appear to be stem, it is because your rules are stern. And I assure you, I will be fair.
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GOVERNOR LESTER G. MADDOX
When we took our oaths of office, we all assumed an awesome responsibility. And while you, as I, have an obligation to the state as a whole, each of you also has a special obligation to the people who elected you to this high office.
I will do everything within my power to help provide you with an atmosphere of efficiency and dignity within which you can properly represent your respective constituents, but only you can insure that your people are represented.
The republican form of government under which you were elected, as well as the rules of the senate, assure you of a vote, but you, and only you, can assure your respective constituents that they have a vote on each and every issue which comes before us.
With the fate of our entire state and all Georgians in our hands at all times, duty demands that we insure that all Georgians are represented by a vote at all times.
It has been said that a politician thinks only of the next election, while a statesman thinks of the next generation.
None of us can afford to be politicians. Certainly the next generation cannot afford it. The problems which confront us today are so vast and complex that our response to them will determine not only the quality of our tomorrows, but the quantity as well.
Weare living in a time when even the basic structure of our society is being tested. Some are wondering if our republican form of government, as represented by this legislative body, can adapt itself to a rapidly changing world.
I believe it can. I believe it must. But, in adapting to a changing world, it is imperative that we guard against surrendering those basic principles and philosophies which have so long preserved for us our great heritage of freedom. \\le cannot, and we must not, give in to those who would destroy representative government, flaunt the laws of God and belittle the great sacrifices which generations of Americans have made to protect and preserve our precious liberty. Regardless of the demands for change, we cannot and must not compromise with tyranny, whatever its source. I believe that, through unity in purpose, we can deal with the problems of crime, pollution, educational disruption, poverty, disease, traffic congestion, and all the others. I believe we can accept these challenges and succeed. I know that each of you will be doing your best, and with God's help, so will 1.