Gone, but not forgotten: A new political party

The Arkansas Gazette reported Sept. 21, 1946, about a new political party being organized in Newton County by veterans of World War I and World War II.
They held a mass meeting in Jasper announcing they would "clean up local politics, promote honest elections, and work on electing veterans to county offices."
Jim William Shin, Jasper movie theater operator, was elected chairman and Sammy Carter, a barber, was elected secretary. They planned on getting a nominating committee made up of representatives from each of the townships to nominate a slate of veterans to run for all local offices.

The GI Party was not affiliated with either the Democrats or Republicans and asked people from both of these parties to support the GI candidates once they were selected. The Newton County veterans were part of a larger veteran's movement to clean up politics and hand power back to the people.
Members of the nominating committee included Derold Kilgore (Jackson Township), Doy Reynolds (Murray), Doyle Harp (Marble Falls), Argus Lager (Low Gap), Zack Thomas (Jefferson), Verble Manns (Falls), Gene Pennison (Mill Creek), Ira Bohannon (Pleasant Hill), Jim Alverson (Big Creek), Leonard Campbell (White), Bob Arbaugh (Ponca), Sims Truman (Plumlee), Arthur Addison (Richland), Wayne Clark (Van Buren), Kenneth Bohannon (Limestone), Johnny Hudson (Hudson) and R. W. Killingsworth (Grant).

Barbara LeRoy is the author of “Which Side Were They On?,” a new 302 page book listing biographical sketches of the Newton Countians who were involved in the Civil War, available for sale either in the Bradley House Museum or by purchasing online at www.newtoncountyar.com. The book sells for $33.