University of Virginia Library

MacBride's Vote Provokes Controversy;
Republicans Charge Misrepresentation

By JOHN EPPS

Electoral College member
Roger L. MacBride, of
Charlottesville, the "life-long
Republican" who cast the only
vote for the Libertarian ticket
in the Electoral College, claims
to have received "a small
avalanche of approval" for his
action from people throughout
the country.

One resident of Ithaca.
N. Y. wrote Mr. MacBride to
tell him. "I find it impossible
to adequately describe the joy
I felt, or the whoop I let out,
upon hearing of your action."

Richard I Gentry of
McLean. Va wrote Mr
MacBride because he felt
"obligated to extend a more
formal expression of
congratulations for your
personally courageous vote at
the recent meeting of the
Virginia electors."

The Washington Post
columnist., Nicholas von
Hoffman, praised Mr.
MacBride's action and said the
elector cast his vote "not as a
theatrical gesture, not as a
gesture of moral defiance, but
more modestly, just one to
make us think."

Despite this "avalanche."
Mr MacBride has received
criticism for not casting his
vote for President Nixon.

Warren B. French, former
state Republican chairman,
told Mr. Macbride that he (Mr
Macbride) has "let down many
line Republicans who
ed you as presidential
election at ou state convention
last year and all those in
Virginia who supported
President Nixon."

Copies of Mr. French's
letter were sent to Seventh
District Congressman J.
Kenneth Robinson and State
Republican Party Chairman
Richard D. Obenshain.

Mr. MacBride received a
very caustic letter from an
attorney from Gate City.
Va., Roy V. Wolfe. Jr. Mr.
Wolfe said Mr Macbride had
"ignored the mandate of
hundreds of thousands of [his]
fellow Virginians" and his
"actions have caused me to
lose respect for you and your
opinions"

Mr Wolfe called Mr.
MacBride "the self-appointed
and self-anointed spokesman
for the Libertarian party
candidate." Mr. Wolfe
concluded his letter by saying.
"It is completely obnoxious to
me for them [leaders in the
country] to deliberately
breach the trust reposed in
them" Mr. Macbride
responded to these criticisms in
a letter to Mr. French "If the
principles of Labertarianism are
viable." he said, "then I have
laid a brick in the path others
will follow, and I am more
than content

"If I am hardly deluded,
then, as I have pointed out to
others, my action has (as
intended) resulted in not the
slightest degree of harm to any
person or institution"