Highwayman

When Georgia's Governor Eugene Talmadge ousted his politically hostile State Highway Commission by declaring martial law and setting National Guardsmen with machine guns over highway funds (TIME, July 3, 1933), there were few more interested observers than a young politician named Olin Dewitt Talmadge Johnston across the Savannah River in South Carolina. No sooner had he entered his State's Legislature in 1929 than Representative Johnston began charging the head of South Carolina's State Highway Commission, potent Ben Mack Sawyer, with political skulduggery. Next year he ran for Governor with the slogan "Out with Tsar Ben Sawyer," was barely beaten. Olin Johnston, a quiet-spoken, dignified one-time textile millhand who earned his way at college as a pants-presser by day, a proofreader by night, bided his time, improved his connections and platform manners, ran again for Governor last year. This time, having promised voters a reformed Highway Commission and the immensely popular $3 automobile licenses which Governor Talmadge had given to Georgians, he won.

One day last week 61 South Carolina National Guardsmen marched up to the State Office Building in Columbia, trained machine guns on its entrance. Since taking office in January, 38-year-old Governor Johnston had been trying to make good his campaign promises by attempting to withhold Chief Commissioner Sawyer's salary, appointing new members to the Commission, trying to discharge old ones. Each time he had been balked by statutes and injunctions. "A state of rebellion," he now proclaimed, "exists in the Highway Department."

Moving swiftly. Governor Johnston set up a new Commission, dispatched Guardsmen to seize $1,871,352 of highway funds in three Columbia banks, announced he would have his promised $3 tags on sale within a fortnight. Also wasting no time, ousted Commissioner Sawyer & friends sped to the Chief Justice of South Carolina's Supreme Court, got an injunction forbidding the Johnston Commission to disburse highway funds. Banks promptly refused to honor the new Commission's vouchers. In this stalemate bewildered motorists reached the deadline for buying 1936 licenses, got high-priced tags or went without.* Those who waited angrily began plunking down 50-c- penalties when Governor Johnston admitted that he lacked power to sell $3 tags. Meantime, remembering that Governor Talmadge's coup had temporarily cut Georgia off from Federal highway funds, Sawyer adherents expected fresh trouble for Governor Johnston from Washington any minute.

*South Carolina automobile tag prices range from $5 up.

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