DISPUTE ABOUT GOVERNORSHIP OF GEORGIA CONTINUES

Wanganui Chronicle, 22 January 1947, Page 5

DISPUTE ABOUT GOVERNORSHIP OF GEORGIA CONTINUES

Recd. 7.30 p.m. New York, Jan. 20. Mr. Herman Talmadge continues to •stand firm on his claim to Georgia’s disputed Governorship, and the Lieut.Governor, Mr. M. E. Thompson, has established rival executive offices on another floor of the State Capitol building. Mr. Thompson to-day went before the Georgia Senate and repeated the oath of Lieut.-Governor, upon whign Talmadge supporters pushed through: both Legislative Houses a resolution inviting "His Excellency Governor] Talmadge" to address a joint session | to-morrow. In addition to two Governors, Georgia now has rival Revenue Commissioners and highway directors. How long this situation will continue is uncertain. The Attorney-General, Mr. Eugene Cook, who announced that he recognises Mr. Thompson, declared if an appeal to the Supreme Court to settle the issue were made promptly, a decision might be announced in March. Both Mr Thompson and Mr Talmadge have agreed to accept the Court's decision, but Mr. Cook declared that Mr. Talmadge had not indicated his desire to expedite the trial of the suit. Students of five Atlanta colleges and the University of Georgia, at Athens, 70 miles distant, are planning to march on the State Capitol to-mor-row in protest against Mr. Talmadge’s assumption of the Governorship. It is now revealed that Mr. Thompson took the oath of governership as well as the oath of lieut.-governorship which was administered by Judge Townsend. How this occurred is not clear at present. A majority of the Senate was not aware at the time that a double oath was being taken, but when this was revealed there was an angry flood of objections and Mr. Talmadge’s supporters declared they would move to erasf Mr. Thompson’s oath of the governorship from the record.