The Free Lance-Star (June 22, 1944)
Predict Roosevelt to accept 4th term
Washington (AP) –
Governor Ellis Arnall of Georgia came out of President Roosevelt’s office today and predicted the Chief Executive will accept a fourth term nomination of it is tendered him by the Democratic National Convention.
The Governor, freely admitting he had “talked politics” with the President, said he would not be surprised if Mr. Roosevelt makes a public statement shortly after next week’s Republican convention “as to his willingness to abide by party decisions irrespective of his personal desires and that he will submit to the mandates of the Democratic convention.”
The Georgia Democrat voiced this comment to reports as he left the White House after an appointment with Mr. Roosevelt which some Democrats in Congress hailed as a peace gesture toward Southern Democrats, some of whom have been cool toward the fourth term movement.
The Governor said Georgia’s electoral vote will be pledged to support the party nominee and said the action could be taken as a castigation of Texas, Mississippi and South Carolina where proposals have been made that electoral votes be withheld if the Democratic platform contains planks distasteful to the South.