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Fitzsimmonsasking todrop the’ chargesagainst up its weak local organization. “There’s ‘knough mom Vlahovic.’ twentyreform gioups,” Early insisted: pointing One potential weakness of astrategy ‘that relies too that PROD’sstrength in the semi-rurallower Midwest heavily ,on miming reformers for local office is that the and the Southcomplements TDU’s power *in :the b2g movement mayfind itself abandoned by leaders who cities. Moreover, one-third of the national ’steering use it to advance .their careers. That, say the TDU committee of fifteen ‘persons-including PafE-are:PR@D leaders, the mistake that killed TURF, their prede- members. , , , - , ;..$ cessor in the reformstruggle. cLWe want to keep ours August, forced the Teamsters’’igeneralsex- areal grass-roots, movement tliat runs pedple on the ecutive board to agree to hear charges that Fitzsimmons issues,”Paff said. “We want to ‘make sure they are allowed excessive salaries for union officials,; hire& rela-. cormpitted right start, that they’ll stand up against tives and .mobsters,’and failed to dismiss officials linked the international and Fitzsimmonsand his policies.” to-known raclieteers. The group also predicted that shares the field of Teamster reform with Fitzsimmons will be forced out of office .and*Suc- the outgrowth of a conference for long-distance drivers, ceeded by Jackie Presser, one of sixteen vice presidents sponsored by Ralph Nader 1971. The TDU welcomed on the international executive board. so, Presser’s ap- recentswitch of emphasis from lobbyingand pearance on the picket line that Saturdaymorning, court suits ,to grass-rootsorganization, expects to panickypress campaign against the reformers; sug- , cooperate With it. newstrategy grew out of its gest that Fcagents”*of the TDU-convening just two belatedrealization that real reformcan take place only blocks from Presser’s offic+may indeed have the leader- ,if rank and file organize from the bottom up to gain ship bady worried. Presser inherited ,all .power control of theirunion, said Steve Early, staff his father, ‘William, the retiring president of the Ohio I 1 lawyer, who attended ,the convention.With a Conference of Teamsters and of Joint Council 41, and $100,000 budget, collected entirely through mehbership he enjdys a of close $200,000 a ytar. Those dues literature sales, and a five-person st&€, are two good reasons for him to question his,,ow‘n stand- greater resourcesand experience in Washington make ingamong the union’s rank and file. ., 1 . - ,I cern is not the evidence but Baxley’sreason for pur- suing the sensational case. Everyone knows he has been Robert Edward Chambliss,a grizzled, fiery little man running Governor since he was elected Attorney affectionately “Dynamite to’hisold buddies era1 in 1970 at the age of 28. Also, there are troubling in the Ku Klux Man, just about to leave a that the case threatens to reopen old iacial wounds Masonic lodge ineeting when the sheriff’s deputies arrived in a city still scarred by its brutal past. ai his,North Birmingham home September 26. The The case, has implications #reachingfar beyond 73-year-old retired automobilemechanic never made it the obvious concern of convictingand punishing the to hismeeting; he wound up instead in the Jefferson , guilty: The city of Birmingham, the Alabania judicial County Jail, chargedwith counts of first-degree I system, the uneasy truce between. the races,and even murder stemming from the 1963 bombing of the Six- Bill Baxley himself will on trial along with Chambliss. teenth Street BaptistChlirch. The arrest came fourteeu think we are going td find out ‘a lot about ourselves. years and eleven days after ‘four young black girls died and about how far we have come,” ‘predicts one instantly -in the explosion at , the. packed church on a time Birmingham politician. “God knows what will hap- gray, overcast Sunday Dynamite is the first if this investigation falls through is mishandled as it was in For these reasons, two questions deserve pers.on to be chargedwith ‘crime accordingto , Alabama Atty. Gen:Bill Baxley,, won’t be the last.’ close scrutiny. 1, In fact, Baxley all but assured the public that more indictments are forthcoming. has said little more than that. , it jor be UnderstandTbly, these developments have raised ques- This, of cburse, is the question that goes to the heart tions. After many years, it is being asked, what has the case.’ .If evidence has been uncovered, it happened to break the case Has new evidence been certainly is in the form of a witness having found; if so, whatis it? To,many, the overridingcon- , remained silent all these years, has now decided that he shouldcome forward. But ,eventhis proposition is not as simple as it might seem.. Under ‘Alabama law, a de- a reporter fendant cannot be found guilty solely on the testimony 4, 2976. of an. accomplice. To obtain aconviction, the prosecu- 463, tion must present evidence corroborating the accomplice’s Heflin and numerous lesserfigures are rumored to be testimony. There has been speculation thatone of the considering campaigns for the office.) men involved in the bombing has weakened and will be Complicating the picture is George Wallace-or rather given immunity in exchange for his testimony. That seems his absence. Since 1962, Wallace has so totally dominated unlikely, but if it is so, who or what is the corroborating Alabama poIitics that no one knows what to expect in , evidence? the next gubernatorial election.Wallace apparently will This becomes an’ even trickier question when you go to the U.S. Senate, replacing John Sparkman, who at consider that physical evidence in the case is said to be 77 is expected to seekre-election next year. Ala- practically nonexistent, most of it having been destroyed bama politics without Wallace is something few have con- in the explosion. The dynamite is gone; the timing de- templated. Therefore, the next Governor’s race promises vice was, blown to bits along with it. And beyond those to be one of the roughest, dirtiest and most competitive twothings it is improbable that muchphysical evidence in the state’s recent history. The field is wide open, and ever existed. every potential candidate is desperatelyseeking an early Baxley has gained access only recently to all of the advantage. files on the case. This information wasuseless If Baxley could solve the church bombing, he almost to the bureau, since the federal statute of limitations for certainly wouldreceive a large percentage of the black crimes related to the bombing had expired. Nevertheless, vote. fact, he may not evenneed to convict anyone. most of these files were withheld for years from Ala- One black newspaper has already hailed the Attorney bama investigators. Various explanations have been, given General for obtaining an indictment. In an editorial head- for the conduct. (The bureau will not comment on lined Giant Called BillBaxley,” the newspaperen- I the matter.) Somesay the FBI did nottrust Alabama thusiastically threw its..weight behind his candidacy. And authorities because of the incompetence displayed by the Baxley hasn’t even formally announced intentions. state police at ‘the time of the bombing. Others believe the Baxley’s political acumen neverbeen questioned. wanted to protect the informants named in its files. He knows the stakes involved in the bombing case, and And there are those who suspect the bureau feared leaks he knowshow vital solidblack support is flow in Ala- from the files about questionable tactics it employed bama, whereblacks are justbeginning to their against the Klan the early 1960s. One former numbers felt at the informant told a Senate committee that he was instructed However,Baxley must also realize that, by pursuing by the bureau to sleep with the wives of Klansmen as a the bombing, he stands to alienTte the hard-core sedneck means to learn the activities in Birming- vote, a segment of the electorate which, though declining ham. Homes, telephones and automobiles belonging to in strength, still 9adq is Klan by the Birmingham, for his political advantage, believe he is taking a calcu- this ex-informant also stated. lated observes Richard a black Birming- Although the evidencecompiled by the FBI is surely ham, City Councilman. must remember that there valuable, one man who had access to it thinks it would are a lot of people in this state who don’t really care if not be crucial to securingconvictions. Macon Weaver, this bombing is solved and someone ,is brougbt to justice. U.S. Attorney in Birmingham in 1963, says that if the have some questions in my mind about the timing of files are the foundation on build- the indictment, but I just cannot bdieve that this is purely inghis case, convictions are doubtful. politics.” The solid clue to what the prosecution will present Baxley is fully aware of the strong racial feelings that camefrom Alabama’s Deputy Atty. Gen. George Beck, still permeate the state. He has become a close associate who said the case against Chambliss will involve witness of George Wtillace, but that seems to be major con- with first-hand knowledge of the bombing. It is also worth cession to the racist element.Otherwise, he flaunts remembering that Baxley has been criticized in the past contempt for the right-wingcrazies who still abound in for prosecuting,only open-and-shut cases. the Deep South. - For the moment,,and naturally enough,Baxley isn’t Last year, Baxley received a letter from Edward Fields, saying,what evidence he has. A person who has a Georgia chiropractor wellknown for his outlandish intimately associated with the investigation-one with no racist rhetoric, criticizing the Attorney General’soffice close personal ties to Baxley-recently told me:“Bill €or prosecuting some SKlux Klansmen. Baxley re- Baxleyis going to come out of this thing looking sponded with a typed letter on his office ~ good,” stationery.

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