Jim's Surprise

Almost everybody except the candidates and the P.A.C. was bored with Alabama's primary campaign. One candidate afforded a spark of interest and amusement. He was 37-year-old James Elisha ("Big Jim") Folsom, a 6 ft. 8 in. shouter of tall promises, who campaigned for the governorship with a five-piece hillbilly band, a mop and a bucket ("to clean up the State Capitol"), and P.A.C.'s blessing. He had run for various offices four times, had been elected only once--to be a delegate to the 1944 Democratic National Convention (where he plunked for Henry Wallace).

None of the other four candidates mentioned him in their speeches; one newspaper dubbed him "the clown candidate of the C.I.O." Two weeks before the election, hardly anybody but "Big Jim" thought he had a chance. How could anybody run ahead of 65-year-old Lieutenant Governor Leven Handy Ellis, who had served 30 years in the Legislature, had the dominant newspapers' backing and the support of mayors in all the larger towns?

But Big Jim, a widower and war veteran, went right on campaigning, accompanied by his daughters, aged 6 and 3. They sat at his side during his speeches, tugged at his trousers if they got tired of listening. Then Folsom would bring the band in to play, or pass the bucket for campaign contributions ("I ain't got no managers, except you and you and you").

When the city votes were counted last week, it looked as if "Big Jim" still had no chance to be in at the finish. In Birmingham and other C.I.O. strong spots, he was well behind. But when the tally came in from rural areas (where he had soft-pedaled his P.A.C. support), "Big Jim" spurted ahead. At the finish he was well in front of Handy Ellis, but not far enough for a clean-cut victory. Thoroughly frightened, Alabama's professionals rallied around Ellis for a slugging run-off primary battle with the lone giant.

Results in other primary elections last week:

P: In Ohio, colorless, cautious Senator James W. Huffman, backed by popular Governor Frank Lausche (rhymes with how-shay), easily swept to victory over ex-Representative Stephen Young and P.A.C.-backed Marvin C. Harrison in the Democratic primary. His November opponent: "Honest John" Bricker, darling of G.O.P. conservatives, unchallenged in his own primary.

P: In Florida, Spessard Lindsey Holland, ex-Governor (1941-45), friend of Senator Claude Pepper, had no trouble beating demagogue ex-Representative Robert Alexis Green for the U.S. Senate seat of retiring Charles O. Andrews.

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