George Wallace And What Could've Been

[Syrinx]

Something that BamaLefty mentioned in another thread, reminded me of a column I read in the Birmingham Post-Herald a week or two ago. It was about a speech that George Wallace had intended to give after his election in 1961. For some reason, he decided to not go through with it. I wonder how history might have been different if he had given that speech.

"I just left George's office, and he showed me the inaugural speech," said Pete, "After all that racist talk in the campaign, he's now talking about all of us working together, black and white."

*snip*

I sat there, stunned. It was the biggest scoop of my young newspaper life. George Wallace, after a bitter racist campaign, now calling for amelioration, cooperation between the races.

*snip*

We were right. The next morning, in the cold January air, after the high school bands had tootled and boomed their way past the speaker's platform, Wallace took the racist road. He discarded the speech Pete had seen, drew a line in the dust, and threw down his challenge to the nation: "Segregation today, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever."

*snip*

It is interesting to speculate what would have happened if Wallace had come down the other way. In his earlier life, he was no racist, proposing programs that would help poor people and blacks. In his courtroom in Barbour County, when a corporation lawyer called a black lawyer by his first name, Wallace reprimanded him, and ordered him to call the black lawyer by his last name.

http://www.postherald.com/co041505.shtml

(About a third down the page.)

EDIT: Wallace first became governor in 1963, not 1961.

[bluestateguy]

1. Wallace wasw actually a very good New Deal Democrat

And like many southern New Deal Democrats of his time, he favored segregation.

[Syrinx]

2. did you read the column?

Wallace sold his soul for political gain.

He actually did a lot of good, progressive things for the state, and he could have been a great leader. But instead he chose the easy route of demagoguery.

If he had given that speech, instead of the one he did give, he would be remembered very differently by history. And Alabama (and the nation) could have made the racial progress that it has much more quickly. Unfortunately, despite his good qualities, Wallace chose selfishness over virtue.

[taleast]

3. Racial Progress

You are right about the political gain thing, but I don't think we would have moved MUCH quicker toward racial progress. Instead we would have moved much quicker toward a new governor. Point black, lose segregation and Wallace was not a bad governor, he was good for schools, roads, and Alabama overall, but Alabama at the time would not have elected a governor on that platform. Don't get me wrong, by no means am I defending his actions, but I think it would have made little difference in the plight of African-Americans in Alabama at that time. Finally, it should be mentioned that in 1958 Wallace campaigned on the following:

"If I don't have what it takes to treat a man fair, regardless of his color, then I don't have what it takes to be governor of your great state."

[Syrinx]

4. with the skills that Wallace had, he could have led a revolution

If he had fought for the values that he believed in, he could have been a true civil-rights leader, and been right up there with MLK. Instead he gave in to human weakness. It's so sad. He could have easily been a great man, instead of an obscene footnote in American history.

[BamaLefty]

5. Amen

Wallace could sell ice to an eskimo. He had the Kool-Aid following of racist Alabama, and if he had come out out against segregation... that group may traveled down that road with him.

Key word: "may"

I've got a picture in my room of my granddad standing w/ Wallace on the steps of the Capitol at one of Wallace's inaugurations. One of my favorite pictures...

[Syrinx]

7. I've got a couple of letters that Wallace wrote my uncle

Nothing very personal, just thanking him for his support, etc. I've got some old campaign buttons around here somewhere, but last time I tried, I couldn't find them. I wonder if they would be worth any money.

[Syrinx]

6. hey, just realized...

That you're the Alabama-Democrat guy! I read your blog sometimes. Good luck at Troy.

I'm not sure if that was a typo, or intentional, but "point black" cracked me up for some reason.

[taleast]

8. Thanks

Yeah, that's me. Sorry about updates being so slow lately, I am home for summer and had to move my stuff and now I have to share my computer with my brother, but I will update as much as possible. Thanks again.

[misanthrope]

9. Seems to me...

...that just makes him more despicable.