Change in the Weather

Georgia's high-handed, lowbrowed Governor Eugene Talmadge had the stage all set for one of his wild political rallies last week. A free fish fry-15.000 lb. of mullet and hushpuppies-had been a-fixing for two days. Little Moultrie (pop. 10,147) was packed with yellow school buses, highway-patrol cars, the sedans of Talmadge's "Palace Guard" at the State Capitol. There was even a bus labeled UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA STUDENTS FOR TALMADGE -though when the passengers stuck their heads out for a photographer only two seemed to be under 40.

Talmadge, his manner, as always, that of a great man enduring much for the plain people, stood up, clutching a thick manuscript in one bony hand, started shouting into microphones hooked up to 13 Georgia radio stations. As always, a stooge yelled, "Take off yo' coat. Gene." Talmadge did, showing his red galluses.

Rain and the Wool-Hats. Then came an unprecedented omen. Georgia politicos say that "the sun never sets on England and the rain never falls on Talmadge." But now, as the Governor turned the first page, rain fell in torrents. Talmadge threw away his melting manuscript, improvised under an umbrella in the downpour for 20 minutes, finally gave up.

Thus Gene Talmadge, opening his campaign for a fourth term, got off to a bad start. He had more than rain to worry about: the loyal crowd of "wool-hat" boys (small farmers) who always turn out to "hear The Man," was smaller than usual; of ten bands invited to add to the din, only the one from Moultrie High School showed up. The Palace Guard hoped this was the fault of gasoline rationing; but they feared that maybe Georgia at last had tired of Talmadge's witch-doctory.

Fire With Fire. At Newnan, 160 miles north, the skies were kinder to Talmadge's opponent, who put on a drier, better act. Young (35) Attorney General Ellis G. Arnall, boy wonder of Georgia politics, was out to beat Talmadge at his own medicine-show game. He served up 100 pit-barbecued pigs, 1,200 gallons of Brunswick stew, a two-hour vaudeville show featuring the Coweta Cracker Crunchers.

Stocky, pear-shaped Ellis Gibbs Arnall got elected to the Georgia legislature just 13 years after he had worked as a page boy. At his first session, whizbang Arnall was named speaker pro tern.

Even the Palace Guard concedes that Arnall will give Talmadge a race. Talmadge's dictatorial hiring & firing of State officials has cost him many a friend. Worst of all, he got the University of Georgia blacklisted by firing two educators who thought Negroes too deserved higher education (TIME, Oct. 27).

Observed one ancient, Talmadge-hating cracker: "I reckon Ole Gene done more for education than any man ever to be Governor -he done showed us how bad we need it."

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