1969 Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1969 June Voice RS | Page 27

members , and their proxies , should stand . Also , a representative of Ernest and Ernest made note of the fact that at least 268 Blue Proxies were questioned
by them as their research indicated that they were invalidated by a later White Proxy . They allegedly were not removed from the total reported by the Blue Proxy committee .
The issue reached a peak when Donald Franks of Booneville , Mississippi made a motion from the floor to strike the contested votes . To vote on the motion , it was necessary to make the proxies known . The representative of the White Proxy voted against the motion , casting 1,608 votes . The representative of the Blue Proxy cast one ( 1 ) vote in favor of the motion . The motion was defeated .
Each member who was present , but had not sent in a proxy , was given a name tag which he had to wear in order to vote from the floor . It was at this juncture of the meeting that the real issue came out : " Who had obtained the most proxy votes — the Blues or the Whites ?”
Senator Kelley , drawing on his fifteen years of experience on the floor of the State House , did an excellent job of following parliamentary procedure . He managed to keep everything orderly and recognized
everyone who wished to speak . When the time came to vote , the action on the floor looked similar to the
" on-the-spot ” caucusses held during the Democratic Convention last year . In any event , Senator Kelley managed to maintain control .
At this point , nominating speeches were heard . Herman Keeton of Red Bay , Alabama nominated Donald Franks , and Raymond Pitts nominated Dr . Bob Womack , both representing the Blue Proxy ticket . Roy Davis , a member of the Board , nominated both DeWitt Owen and C . M . Waters , Jr . Here the critical issue of proxy votes again came to the forefront and there was
no way to put the count off any longer . When the final tabulations were made , the results were : 1,216
votes for Donald Franks ; 1,648 votes for DeWitt Owen ; 1,632 votes for C . M . Waters ; and 1,238 votes for Dr . Bob Womack . A considerable number of " split ballots ” were cast from the floor with some people voting one person on the Blue ticket and one on the White ticket .
As it stands today , the White Proxy - representing Owen and Waters - is the victor with an approximate difference of four hundred twenty votes . If the seven hundred twenty-five questioned proxies ( presumably White ) are ultimately ruled illegal by the court , the complexion of the election could change considerably .
This eventuality remains to be seen . The financial condition of the Association is excellent , with approximately $ 166,000.00 cash on hand
in various banks . The net worth of the Association for the year was $ 369,000.00 , with the construction of the new national headquarters building on Ellington Pike in Lewisburg being the major expenditure . In describing the building , M . G . Williams stated that it was a colonial structure costing approximately $ 230,000.00 , which would be ready for occupancy by latp August , 1969 . With approximately 10,000 square feet of floor space and an auditorium that will comfortably seat over 300 people , the structure will be a facility of which we can all be proud . There was no specific report from our promotion and public relations committee but we understand that progress on the new film is going well and it should be ready for release before the Celebration .
The results of the 34th annual meeting of the membership of the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders ’
Association indicates that there is renewed interest in the affairs of the Walking Horse community and
that we can look forward to continued growth for the breed . We certainly hope so !
PROXY AFTERMATH by Leo A . Baum , River Tree Farm , Ixonia , Wisconsin ( EDITOR ’ S NOTE : We would like to thank this subscriber for the comprehensive manner in which he described the " Proxy Aftermath .” Sometimes people who are not so close to a particular situation can get a better view and can evaluate the pros and cons better than those who are in the middle .)
The accusations and recriminations of the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders ’ Association proxy fight have drifted into silence . Bitter resentment and hurt pride are left , in their stead . If our breed and our Association are to progress , all parties must now bind their wounds , close their mouths and constructively work for the betterment of our Association .
The proxy fight was both constructive and destructive . The destructive factors must be forgotten ; the constructive course must be pursued . Here are some points to consider :
1 . Two fine men were elected : Good luck . You have the members ’ support , which you deserve .
2 . Two fine men were not elected : Thank you for your sincere efforts and interest .
June , 1969 27