OSU Libraries
Oregon State UniversitySpecial Collections & Archives Research Center
Ninety Days Inside The Empire: A Novel by William Appleman Williams

On Toward Walking the Streets

Page 74

Cat knew that the Reverend could not be expected to answer that question. Least not yet. He stood up and spoke very carefully. "For now, come along to our place, say on Wednesday nights."

Marsh did not need to rise to be heard. "Better make it after dark because the Wyes got Mrs. Warrener for a landlady. That ain't nice to say but it's the truth. Along the way we'll find a better place for the Wyes and the newspaper."

That news produced many "oo-oo-hs" and considerable whispering. Marilyn Scott stood up. Caroline wondered if she would offer their home.

No.

"I think the name of this paper is going to be very important. I assume the sample has no name in order to leave the decision to us." Lee was his cutting best. "You are correct, Mrs. Scott." The parliamentarian took charge: "The floor is open." "Fightin' Nigger, Negro News, Time to Be Free, Freedom News, Community Times, Our Town, Time to Roll the Stone."

The parliamentarian wrote those on the big green chalk board that Marsh had brought up from one of the Sunday School rooms for his own presentation.

"What's your pleasure? Vote by hands or secret ballot?" Mr. Hank liked to see people squirm a bit. "Let's do it by hands till we get to the last two."

There were no objections, and after several votes it came down to Freedom News, Time to Be Free, and Time to Roll the Stone. Wendell Rogers suggested a breather while Marsh prepared the materials he wanted them to see.

With the aid of the Reverend, Marsh proceeded to thumbtack a large aerial photograph of the city on the board. The map was divided into irregular segments by heavy red lines, and some of those spaces were marked with a number. The process of arranging all that did create something of a diversion, but various groups continued to lobby for their preferred name for the paper.

The vote was called and the result was a clear if less than overwhelming decision in favor of Freedom News. The most visibly pleased was Mrs. Scott. She had been heard by a few to gasp -"Oh, no, no."- at the suggestion of Fightin' Nigger. On the other hand, Run-Run turned to Maggie and remarked that he had favored one of the other finalists. She looked at him a moment, slowly lowered her left eyelid, and laughed. Someone in the pew behind them had noticed and guessed right about the exchange leaned forward.

"Don't you worry; we'll roll the stone with The Freedom News."

He had spoken that into a quiet spell and many people echoed Maggie's pleasure. Marsh was welcomed by a happy, relaxed audience.

"First thing is that we got this map through the courtesy, meaning stealin', of Commander Taylor. Second thing is that the lines and numbers grew out of several discussions with the Reverend, Mr. Hank, Wendell, and a couple of afternoons in the courthouse plus a visit with candidate Clay. Mostly, I just read or sat and listened, but between it all these lines tell us something important."

Most everyone took all that for what it was worth and laughed some more.

"Now we get serious."

Marsh stepped off to the edge of the map, reached around to the back of the board to get a broom stick and continued, using it as a pointer.

"All these funny shapes represent the way people have voted in the last five elections for the House of Representatives. The ones without numbers tell us where not to waste our time. People livin' there are going to vote the machine man -if they remember to vote. Unfortunately too many of them remember. The ones with numbers are where the people who are kind of ornery live, and you'll notice that those spaces include some white parts of town...."

Maggie was almost shouting: "Never knew that. I never figured on that. We got a chance."

"Now, let's don't try to win this election sittin' here on a Friday night because the truth is that we ain't goin' to win it."

Happy loud laughter. The Judge was doing what they loved him for - telling the truth. Mr. Hank looked over to Mitch, and then to Run-Run and Wye, delighted he knew them.

Run-Run was off by himself, back late from a strafing exercise. Concerned but still dozing now-and-again until now. He remembered his step-father talking blunt like that over cognac. He liked Mitch and now decided he needed to talk with The Judge about how to approach this businessman in the city.

"Maggie," Marsh picked it up, "we's here to get 'em to take us seriously for the first time, we get Clay some real votes and he can lean on people even if he loses, and next time he'll get even closer and the time after that he'll damn well win if we do our job right now.

"That's what the map is all about, we goin' to knock on doors. He's going to get us a stack of one-page handouts on his qualifications and program and we'll leave that every place we go...."

Another voice. "So what if they just tell us to go to hell?"

Marsh was delighted. "You get to the tough part real quick, Mr....?"

"Walt Bell, but that don't matter...."

"Oh, yes it does, Mr. Bell! Your name's important to you and yours, so it's important to the rest of us. And that's true for everybody, so once we get organized you and the rest of us who knock on doors are going to have a list of the names of the people who live at that particular number on the street."

"Never done anything like this before, never thought of gettin' the names. But what if...."

"You walk up and knock on the door, and when somebody answers you say, 'Hello, Mr. or Mrs. whatever their name is, I'd like you to think about voting for Mr. Clay.' If they say fine, then you do it. If they tell you they're not interested, or just get the hell off their porch, then you do that. But you still hand them one of the sheets. People usually take somethin' that's free."