Arkansas Travelers

In the hot, green little (pop. 7,200) town of Warren, Ark., scene of the annual Bradley County Tomato Festival, country families left off from their Saturday-morning shopping and gathered festively at the courthouse. It was a big day: two gubernatorial candidates were coming to town to preview a political campaign that will mean more to Bradley County--and the rest of Arkansas--than just tomatoes. The two candidates are the chief rivals, in the July primaries, of none other than Orval Eugene Faubus, twice-elected Governor, center of the Little Rock debacle that put federal troops into Arkansas to enforce the law.

Tousling children's heads, shaking hands, passing out cards, grinning, talking country talk, was Candidate Chris Finkbeiner, 37, heavy-set meat packer from Little Rock, whose public-speaking experience comes chiefly from delivering his own hot-dog commercials on TV; Chris flew into town in his own plane. Then, down to the courthouse lawn fluttered a red, white and blue helicopter, and out stepped Candidate Lee Ward, 51, chancery court judge from Paragould.

Country Boy. Judge Ward, sharp-eyed and expressive, left Warren folks cold. Standing on the courthouse steps, he announced only that he would be kicking off his campaign later in the day at Jonesboro (pop. 20,100), therefore had little to say about his platform. As he talked, Chris Finkbeiner threaded through the crowd and warmed it up.

When Lee Ward departed in a chill, amiable Chris Finkbeiner took the courthouse steps, wrinkled his brow, thrust hands deep in his pockets and began: "You know, this is my first talk in a county square, and I brought my wife and family to watch over me while I give this first courthouse-square speech here in Warren. I want to be Governor and I'm willing to work at it. Now folks, Mama got kinda excited and she lost one of her gloves. Any of you find it, why I'd appreciate it kindly if you'd just give it to that lady there--that's my mother, folks." Murmured an onlooker: "Chris is a good oP boy, and Arkansas people like a man to be a good ol' boy. There's nobody can sound more country than Chris. He's a good oP boy." Plain Talker. Though good oP Chris Finkbeiner made hay in Warren, it was Lee Ward ("He'd be a cinch if Lee was his last name") who hit pay dirt in Jonesboro, simply by taking on Orval Faubus in a tough, plain-talking speech. "The real reason why Orval Faubus occupied a local unit of government with armed troops," said Candidate Ward, "was revealed when he made substantially this statement: 'I have got to use the National Guard at Central High School to ensure my election to a third term as Governor.' And there you have the whole integration issue in one sentence. This fence-straddling, pussyfooting demagogue has humiliated Little Rock and the State of Arkansas before the world. And all this for what purpose? So that he can be elected to a third term. I have a strong preference for segregation. At the same time, I have a strong respect for law and order--and I would never violate any oath I have taken. I say the first duty of a Governor is to seek reconciliation --not chaos."

"Couple of months ago," said a clerk in Warren, "I would have said that Ward and Finkbeiner were wasting their time trying to run against Faubus. But now I don't know." With issues clearly laid out and personalities amply identified, Arkansas voters last week got set to hear more--and the more they heard the more it appeared that front-running Orval Faubus was going to have to run hard and fast.

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