The Wilmington Morning Star (August 7, 1944)
Showdown fight sought in Texas
By Dave Cheavens
Austin, Texas (AP) – (Aug. 6)
Texas’ militant pro-Roosevelt Democrats spouted fighting talk today, challenging anti-Roosevelt Democrats to a showdown battle for control based on a nose count of delegates at the September state convention.
Out of the clamor to flatten the opposition came an organization extending into every county of the state, the primary purpose of which will be to make sure that Texas’ 23 electors with the Democratic label also go down the line for Roosevelt and Truman.
The anti-compromise-minded caucus named Herman Jones of Austin chairman. It will seek to make sure every pro-Roosevelt delegate named at last week’s county conventions is on hand at Dallas Sept. 12, that those who are not will put their proxies in the right hands, and that the campaign be carried to every individual uninstructed delegate as well as to friendly delegates in counties got bound by the unit rule.
Purpose No. 2 of the pro-Roosevelt forces will be to talk over the party organization and thereby divest themselves of such terms as “rump” or “pro-Roosevelt Democrats.”
Woodville Rogers of San Antonio said that under his interpretation of the election laws, the September convention could refuse to certify the names of the 23 electors named at the so-called “regular” convention, declaring vacancies if they refused to take the pledge.
Then we could proceed to certify the right names to the Secretary of State. If he refuses to certify them for printing on the ballot, we would have another lawsuit.