University of Virginia Library

Charles Bryan

A Laugh At Bigotry

"Ashamed because you don't
REALLY hate somebody? Try a
PRIMER IN PREJUDICE—a
complete report on the Mississippi
governor's race. It includes: three
right-wing newspapers, several
hate sheets, bumper stickers, comic
books and more plus a six-page
election guide. Send one home to
the folks—it's a game the whole
family can play. MINCER'S $1."

This classified ad in last week's
Cavalier Daily was really too intriguing
to ignore, and there's
always an extra dollar to spend
laughing at other people's bigotry.

The "Primer," it transpires, is
the work of Ted Rubenstein, an
enterprising second-year man who
worked for one of the candidates
in this summer's gubernatorial primary
in Mississippi.

As a study in politics, it is almost
unique, consisting mainly
of propaganda put out by the
various candidates. The "six-page
election guide," by Mr. Rubenstein,
is written tongue-in-cheek—
apparently that's the only way an
intelligent person can study
Mississippi politics and retain his
sanity.

A few examples should demonstrate.

In something called "The
Southern Review: A Journal for
Patriots" (motto: "Posterity May
Know We Have Not Loosely
Through Silence Permitted Things
To Pass Away As In a Dream"),
we see such stories as: "The
Federal Reserve Hoax," "How
Socialism is Promoted," "White
Race has founded All Civilizations,"
and "Resolute Governor
Could Defeat Communist in
Mississippi by Offensive Action."

"The Southern Review" (no
relation, needless to say, to the
distinguished quarterly of the same
name) is published by Magnolia
Printers and Publishers, Inc. and
distributed free of charge by Byron
De La Beckwith, famous for not
killing Medgar Evers. M., Beckwith
was a candidate for lieutenant
governor.

"Little" Jimmy Swan, a candidate
for governor, put out "the
White Sentinel," a "Political Fact
Service For White Christian
Voters, Published and distributed
in the Best Interest of All
Mississippians." The "Sentinel"
urges that we all "VOTE TOGETHER
for JIMMY SWAN,
so he can help George Wallace,
and save our Children from the
Jungle." Mr. Swan pledged that
within 12 months from the
day he took office, his plan for
"FREE, private, SEGREGATED
SCHOOLS for every white child
in the state of Mississippi" would
be in operation, or he would resign
the "office of Governor and
apologize publicly to every citizen
of Mississippi." Mr. Swan said
he would perform this fiscal prestidigitation
by eliminating "the
bureaucratic fat that has grown
around our educational process."

A large portion of the other
candidates' rhetoric was directed
at William Winter, the liberal of
the campaign. "William Winter's
election will insure negro domination
of Mississippi elections for
generations to come. WHITE
MISSISSIPPI AWAKE," said
one release.

Mr. Winter's radical leftist platform
included planks favoring victory
in Vietnam and castigating
"socialistic bureaucrats in Washington,"
"beards beatniks," and
"the left-wing national press which
distorts our people and our beliefs"
(gulp).

Ross Barnett, who finished a
surprisingly poor fourth, put out
"The Barnett Record." "It Speaks,
for itself," said the inevitable
motto, though this is dubious,
since the "Record" consists of 201
pages of testimonials by other
people. Perhaps the highlight of
the whole campaign was the caption
below a picture of the former
governor and Mrs. Barnett
standing at the door of the
governor's mansion. "And the
Door Was Always Open," it begins.
"Ross and Pearl Barnett are
familiar figures around the Governor's
Mansion in Jackson. With
the help of their many friends
and supporters, they hope to reside
at the Mansion once more starting
next January. And, if they do,
they promise that, as always with
them, the doors to the mansion
will be open. Many a new industry
was obtained by Ross Barnett over
a breakfast of good ole hickory-smoked
am, red-eye gravy, hot
biscuits anlee County molasses.
Yum, yum!, Governor hurry up
and get back in the Mansion."

As Mr. Rubenstein says, "The
Mississippi brand of politics deserves
to be in a year by itself"