Up To Now: The Crucial Period

Up To Now by Jack Speer, 1939

Up To Now: The FAPA Campaign<——>Up To Now: The Undertow

The Comet group was stunned by this barrage. What in the world? they wondered. What's got into Don? All this talk about censorship -- has one of the others really advocated such a thing? Sabotage the FAPA? What sense would there be in us doing that? Holy cow!

They made some ineffectual attempts to remedy the trouble. Moskowitz headed off as many votes as he could toward Baltadonis, at the same time that Sykora hastily issued an unauthorized mimeoed sheet in support of Sam, and, to a lesser extent, of Madle. A few cards were dropped by the Cometeers to individuals who possibly wouldn't know what was happening. But, due partly to being mailed later than the date set by the Constitution, there had been on the ballots a request that they be returned immediately. Most of them were in before the Fourth Mailing went out, carrying Comet's pitiful little announcement, and the masses of incumbents' literature. After the results of the vote were announced, the SFFan appeared with a Fanfarade written before the election, and intended to appear before, which continued the attacks on FAPA anti-Wollheimists.

There was little that Speer, Baltadonis, and Madle could do to change the results of their opponents' actions, and they didn't do all that they could have. For the most part, they simply sat and waited and chewed their fingernails.

McPhail appeared to Speer in Oklahoma City, plunging him into deepest gloom with the statement that he had voted against the Philadelphia ticket, despite his endorsement of Baltadonis for president before the fight got so hot. Not even all the PSFS would vote the straight ticket. Every little indication was seized upon as perhaps showing how the broader current was running. Baltadonis, before the votes were counted, started a check-up to see if the count was honest, but not enough FAPAers were willing to tell how they voted, to make this effective. Regardless of what the returns might be, Speer moved to line up opinion against the methods of the Wollheim group, asking some of his correspondents if they would support a petition of protest, provided the petition didn't call for a new election. Receiving uniformly favorable answers, he drew up such a petition, based on his own observations and information from the Philly group and Dick Wilson, but his moving to Washington/DC delayed circulation thereof.

A week after July 1 when they were supposed to be counted, the ballots began to be counted and checked by various members of the counting committee, to determine the final vote, some counts having been made and standings made known before all the votes were in. Michel came out with more votes than Baltadonis and Moskowitz combined. Due to disgust at both sides, some five votes had gone to Wiggins. Wollheim had twice as many as Madle. Lowndes shaded into the vice-presidency over Speer and Wilson, who tied for second place. Taurasi was practically undisputed for the Secretary-Treasurer's job, carried that easily. It had been a complete victory for the Michelists.

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Up To Now: The FAPA Campaign<——>Up To Now: The Undertow

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