Old wine in old bottles

Ernie posted this on the Bulletin Board; thought I'd move it up here where it will be more noticed. The money quote is from Kent Courtney, secretary of the States' Rights Party of Louisiana, decrying America's socialistic drift in 1956: the Eisenhower administration “has taken us further to the left than any previous administration.”And if you don't believe that there's nothing new under the sun.... Courtney's group also sent their Congressmen tea bags to protest high taxes.

Although this article is over 50 years old — it does seem like yesterday’s news:From: Chicago IL Southtown Economist, 8-19-56, p2“File Petitions Tomorrow For Third Party Electors by Harold Cress, Economist Staff Writer”“Petitions will be filed tomorrow with Secretary of State Carpentier at Springfield to have 27 independent candidates for Presidential electors placed on the November ballot in Illinois…All of the independent elector candidates are committed to vote for the election of Sen. Jenner, Republican of Indiana, as President of the United States and Sen. Byrd, Democrat of Virginia, as Vice-President.Jenner and Byrd are to be placed in nomination at the third party’s Grass Roots national convention, to be held in Chicago on September 5, 6 and 7, according to present plans.The third party has the active support of For America, a committee for political action, of which Gen. Robert E. Wood is honorary chairman and Dean Clarence Manion of Notre Dame the co-chairman…For America and the Grass Roots Party are dedicated to (1) protection of the independence and solvency of the United States. (2) peace with honor, (3) to safeguard the constitutional rights of the 48 states, (4) to destroy the Communist conspiracy, (5) to abolish socialistic bureaucracy and (6) to enact the Bricker amendment.The preamble of the platform of the For America committee and the new party states:‘Internationalist leadership has captured both of the major parties. Internationalist policies threaten American independence —threaten us with bankruptcy, involve us in foreign wars, and are destroying our liberties.’Five hundred members of the third party from Chicago and other communities of Illinois, at a meeting last week in the Hamilton Hotel, heard an address by Kent Courtney of New Orleans, secretary of the States’ Rights Party of Louisiana. Courtney said the Eisenhower administration “has taken us further to the left than any previous administration.”He stated: “There is no way back except through the States’ Right party which will fight Socialism on the political level which is the way it creeped into our government.”Courtney continued: “You haven’t heard any presidential candidate of a major party say he would cut income taxes by reducing unnecessary foreign give-aways, enforce the McCarran immigration law, pass the Bricker amendment or get the 450 Americans out of Red Chinese prisons.”Regarding the United States Supreme Court, he said it had made unconstitutional decisions which must be set aside. He stated: “The Supreme Court said a Fifth Amendment employee cannot be fired and that a railroad man in Kansas must belong to a Union. It invaded the rights of the states to run their own schools when a majority of both races prefer separate schools. By these and other recent decisions the Supreme Court has warped our Constitution.”Dean Manion broadcasts on behalf of the For America committee and the Grass Roots third party every Sunday night on WGN radio.AND another example:Willis E. Stone column, “Organized Tax Protests” = Lima OH News, 1-22-59. p21:“A group in New Orleans, headed by Kent Courtney, is using the Boston Tea Party theme in their tax protest, sending teabags with their protest to the members of Congress and the State Legislatures.”