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Vol. 1
'Killed himself’
SIMS FEELS SORRY FOR
ABRAMS -GIVES ADVICE
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REV. ARTHUR D. SIMS
(Question) Grady Abrams
in an interview with
News-Review said that you
hurt him more than anyone
else. He also said that you used
your pulpit to destroy Black
leaders. Do you feel there is
any substance to these charges?
(Answer) First I’ll give you
a flat answer - no. I feel that -
number one - Grady and I have
never had an argument in a
personal conversation but on
the radio and in politics. The
reason Grady attributes his
downfall to me is that Grady
and I worked together before
the Councilmatic election. He
asked if I could work with
Charlie Douglas. He told me
that the Committee of Ten had
a slate of candidates they
wanted me to endorse.
A few days later Grady and
Larue (Committee of Ten
spokesman) came to my office
and left word that they had
changed their minds about
their slate of candidates and I
could get $2,500 if I changed
my mind, too. They said I had
until two o’clock that day. I
told my secretary to tell them
to go to hell. I didn’t know
what they meant by two
o’clock; but at exactly two
o’clock that day, Leon Larue
came on the radio attacking
me. Larue was Abram’s mouth
piece. A battle took place.
They lost and the people won -
not Sims - the people won.
Larue asked me to debate
him. Larue was not qualified to
debate me. I challenged Grady
Abrams to debate me and he
turned it down. I’m not
responsible for his failures.
Before I was on the scene, he
had failures in the school
system. He failed with
Metropolitan Life Insurance. I
had nothing to do with it. He
had domestic and financial
failures; I had nothing to do
with them. A person who is
falling looks for a scape-goat.
Grady’s worst enemy is
himself. He could not tell
publicly one thing that Grady
did to cause his own failure. I
didn’t destroy him. One man
can’t do that.
If he goes to New York or
anywhere else, he’ll still have
to face himself. I feel sorry for
him I have nothing against him.
He has enough problems. I’m
not going to fight him.
(Question) Your critics
repeatedly describe you as
“power hungry” Is this charge
valid?
(Answer) Every man has a
hunger for some sort“of power.
We all have ego problems.
Some people are hungry for
money. They want to be rich.
Others may want to be a
school teacher. I love to lead. I
think I was born to lead. I like
to lead. There is nothing wrong
with having power, but the
important thing is how we use
that power.
The Kennedys couldn’t have
helped if they didn’t have
power, but the power comes
from God and the people. The
people make the leader and a
man can’t lead without power.
I’m not hungry just for power;
I’m hungry for justice, good
education for our children, for
more Blacks to be employed in
City government. I hunger for
power to help our people. The
sin comes when I use that
power just to elevate Arthur
Sims. Most people who say
they are concerned about my
power, are really concerned
about the power they have had
for thirty years. They’re
concerned about the power
they’ll lose. They don’t want
me to get any of the gravy.
Their question is not
therapeutic.
(Question) Many people
see Blacks badly divided over
the Sheriffs race. Is there any
realistic hope for Black unity
in the near future?
(Answer) I don’t think that
the sheriffs race divided
Blacks. The election brought
out the division that was
already there. The sheriff s race
made the division clear. I think
that this is just another
election. Two Blacks ran for
930 Gwinnett St. Augusta Ga Phone 722-4555
office. They did not put on a
sincere campaign. They did not
try to solicit Black support.
They did not solicit massive
Black support nor any white
support. As intelligent men
they should have been aware of
the number of registered voters
Black and white. If they were
sincere they would have gone
after the white vote as well as
the Black. They knew they
couldn’t win without the white
vote. Any man who is
intelligent can see this. So we
should take this as history and
press on. Keep striving to bring
Black leaders together and to
run a sincere and upright
campaign. The people were left
out of this campaign; Blacks
were left out. I know a lot of
people wonder why I did not
support a Black man. What
disturbed me most was that we
tipped our hand by running
two Blacks in a race where we
were so outnumbered. In doing
that we let the whites know
what we’ll do in a sincere
election like the Mayor’s
election in ’72. Now that
whites see what we will do
they’ll take special measures
such as annexation or
consolidation to offset the
power that Blacks have in the
City. Our chance of having a
Black mayor or a chance in the
runoff has been hurt. I didn’t
want to talk about that. I
wanted it as an ace in the hole.
We lost that ace. I’m sincere
about that. That was one of
the main reasons for holding
back against the Black
candidates. But let the record
show that I did not encourage
or discourage them to get out
of the race. I was a man; I took
my stand.
(Question) There is still a
lot of resentment among
Blacks about your reference to
the Black candidates as
“coons”. Why did you use that
term when it certainly has a
negative connotation?
(Answer) I did not know
any better. I did not know that
the word “coon” had been
THE PEOPLE’S PAPER
used by whites to refer to
Blacks. Evidently the word
originated before my time. I
was born in 1944. I have a lot
of contact with Black Panthers.
During my contact with them I
met a man who called himself
Coon X. Even when I sent him
to Attorney (John) Ruffin for
legal help, he introduced
himself as Coon.
He said he did not want to
use names of the racist English
language such as John or Jim.
So I thought it was a hip word
to use if the Panthers could use
it being as militant a group as
they are.
I did apologize on my
broadcast for using the word.
I’m sorry that it happened. My
intentions were good. I made a
mistake but I’m not too big to
apologize.
(Question) What is your
relationship to Charles
Douglas. Abrams and others
have said that Douglas controls
you.
(Answer) It was Grady
Abrams who first introduced
me to Charles Douglas as his
personal friend and as a man he
trusted and as a man young
Blacks could trust.
It just so happened that
Abrams played tricks on
Charles Douglas and Douglas
found me to be a man. When I
said something I meant it and
when he said something he
meant it. My relationship with
Charles Douglas is ohe where
two men can sit down,
regardless of color, and discuss
political and social issues,
compromise with one another
and try to bring about a better
government. I’d be lying if I
said Douglas was not a friend
of mine. I do not base my
friends on color alone. Douglas
has his faults and I have mine.
But no man dictates to me. No
man. I’ll die first. Charles
Douglas does not have enough
money to control me. He is a
working man like I am. He
does not want to control me,
for he is struggling and
concerned as I am, in his own '•
way. Even God has a hard time |
getting through to me - much >
less another white man or
Black man. I believe brother'
Abrams is just jealous of my,
relationship with Charles ||
Douglas.
(Question) Why should he
be jealous? >
(Answer) Because we are
accomplishing some goals
against the power structure and
the (voters) leagues which
Grady Abrams and the
Committee of Ten could not
do.
As a minister I would like to
leave brother Abrams some
advice.
1. Self is man’s greatest
enemy.
2. There is no Promise
Land in New York City. He’ll
still have to face himself, face
his problems, face people and
face God.
3. He will have to work for
a living. There is no substitute
for good honest hard work.
4. Just because he failed
does not imply that all other
Black leaders will fail.
5. God cannot use a quitter
for it is bad when the Captain
leaves a sinking ship before the
crew is safe.
6. Two roads diverge in the
woods and brother Abrams
took the one most traveled -
the easy one - instead of the
least. traveled, and that makes
all the difference - he killed
himself.
HHuBSSSB
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(Photo By Charles G. Harris. Jr.)
BILL ANDERSON (LEFT) AND CAMPAIGN MANAGER
JOHN T. ANDERSON.
William A. (Bill) Anderson,
the 35-year-old criminal
investigator, Wednesday was
elected Richmond County
Sheriff to fill the unexpired
term of E.R. Atkins, who died
in office May 13.
Anderson defeated John R.
Tebow, 44-year-old Safety
Division captain in the Sheriff s
Department, in a runoff
contest following the
elimination of four other
candidates in an election July
7.
Including absentee votes,
Anderson polled a total of
14,697, while Tebow won
11,655.
Contradiciting earlier reports
that the voter turnout
appeared to be lighter than
that of the election July 7, the
balloting Wednesday totaled
26,352. In the earlier contest,
Local Black M.D. s Present
Check To Med. School
JJb
-
MCG RECEIVES SCHOLARSHIP GIFT FROM MEDICAL SOCIETY
Dr. O‘Rear, Dr. Weston, Dr. C. C. Fordham and Dr. Griffin.
Drs. R.S. Weston and W.L.
Griffin presented to the
Medical College of Georgia’s
Dean of the School of
Medicine, Dr. C. Fordham a
check from the Georgia State
Medical Association. The check
which was turned over to the
office of Minority Student
Affairs and will be used for
recruitment and scholarship
purposes for Black students for
the School of Medicine at
MCG. The check, the first from
this organization, was
described as “a step in the right
direction... and next year we
hope to double or triple it”
commented Dr. Weston. Dr.
R.S. Weston was installed as
president at the June meeting
the total vote was 25,847.
Tebow, who also
campaigned on his 20 years of
experience in enforcement, will
remain in the Sheriffs Dept.,
according to a pre-election
agreement between the
contenders.
Anderson will assume his
new duties as soon as the
election is certified, probably
next week, according to Mrs.
Iree W. Pope, County
Ordinary.
Certification must be made
by Secreatry of State Ben
Fortson, she explained, after
which Gov. Jimmy will
issue a proclamation declaring
the unexpired term filled.
County Coroner Nathan F.
Widener, who has served as
Sheriff since the vacancy
occurred, will continue in
office until Anderson is sworn
of the association at Jekyll
Island. He succeeds Dr. L.C.
Brown of Atlanta, Georgia. Dr.
William L. Griffin another local
Black physician will serve as
WANTED
NEWS BOYS
WANTED!
100 News Boys
Good Pay
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News—Review Office
930 Gwinnett St.
722-4555
WILLIAM A.(BILL)
ANDERSON WINS
SHERRIFF’S RACE
ANDERSON TEBOW
Ist Ward 408 533
2nd Ward 397 686
3rd Ward 877 865
4th Ward 528 644
sth Ward 561 631
6th Ward 1,217 506
7th Ward 1,032 538
Bth Ward 1,176 300
CITY TOTAL 6,196 4,703
119-1 412 293
119-2 678 590
119-3 385 423
121 58 166
. 123-1 198 401
123-2 212 291
123-3 213 266
123-4 443 520
123-5 431 649
123-6 490 503
123-7 423 625
124 32 250
1269-1 882 203
1269-2 707 280
1269-3 841 278
1269-4 1,021 152
1269-5 92 156
1434 165 322
1660 139 28 5
1760 44 82
COUNTY TOTAL 7,866 6,736
Absentee 635 216
TOTALS 14,697 11.655
in.
Commenting on the race,
Anderson said, “I’m not a
politician, but it did go as
projected.
publicity chairman and a
member of the scholarship
committee. Also in attendance
at the presentation ceremonies
held in the President’s office at
MCG were Dr. Harry B.
O’Rear, President, MCG, Mr.
Alex Vaughn, Institutional
Relations, MCG, and Mr. W.J.
Walker, Jr., Assistant Director
for Minority Student Affairs at
MCG. The Georgia State
Medical ssociation was
formed in 1895.
Redder g||
B B
| Vote B
July 29,1971 No. 19
“The hands I missed, I’m
sorry I missed them. I’ll be on
the second floor of the City
County Building and they are
welcome there.”
S.S. OFFICE TO
CLOSE ON SAT.
The Augusta Social Security
office will no longer be open
on Saturday mornings after
Saturday, July 31, 1971, Mr.
James S. Trowbridge, District
Manager, announced today.
The Augusta Social Security
office now offers teleservice.
By using your telephone, most
Social Security business can be
taken care of without a visit to
the office. If you have
business, telephone the
Augusta office at 722-7737.
“Since Social Security is
now using teleservice, it is no
longer necessary that we
continue to be open on
Saturday mornings,” Mr.
Trowbridge stated.
Remember, if you work,
you may call the Augusta
Social Security office during
the week, Monday through
Friday, from 8:30 a.m. until
4:45 p.m., at 722-7737.
The HEW
Fellows Program
THE PURPOSE OF THE
HEW FELLOWS PROGRAM
IS to provide middle
-management opportunities
with DHEW for young
minority administrators and
professional personnel.
Patterned after the White
House Fellows Program and
with recruitment largely from
outside of the Federal
Government, it is hoped to
develop an opportunity for
interaction between SHEW,
Industry, the academic
community, and local
government for persons who
one day may serve as a
resource for top-level positions
with government.
A MAJOR OBJECTIVE IS
to attract high4evel minority
candidates for assignments
providing experience at the
policy-making level and
SEE FELLOWS
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