The Invader

There, of all people, was Alabama's Democratic Governor George Wallace, swaggering into Wisconsin.

What was he doing there? Frankly, he was out to harass the Johnson Administration by posing as a serious candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. By moving into Wisconsin's presidential primary fight, he also figured that he might even pick up enough segregationist votes to embarrass Governor (and Democratic favorite son) John Reynolds.

As even cheeky George Wallace might have expected, there were many Wisconsinites who were anything but happy to have him around. The Milwaukee Journal got off some potshots at him before he arrived, and three of the state's Catholic newspapers carried withering blasts. Heedless of all that, Wallace landed in Milwaukee to be greeted by members of several ragtag organizations, among them the Liberty Amendment Committee, dedicated to income tax repeal, and the Christian Freedom Fighters, who want to "put more Christ into politics."

In Milwaukee and elsewhere, Wallace's reception was less than exuberant. In Oshkosh he was greeted by a jeering band of 400 college students. He endured rough questioning at a meeting with 17 Protestant clergymen. An overflow crowd of 2,000 curiosity-seekers jammed the civic auditorium to hear him preach against the civil rights bill--and to raise placards reading "Go Home, Bigot" and "Keep Your Dogs in Birmingham."

After surviving two days of this sort of campaigning, Wallace retired to Alabama. There he told a Chamber of Commerce meeting: "The people in that area feel and think just as we do in Alabama." They figured George ought to know; he was there.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.