Confederate Heritage Fund
       P. O. Box 771
Andalusia, Alabama 36420
Governor Surrenders To
Confederates Over Holiday Issue
MONTGOMERY (CHF) -  Alabama Governor Bob
Riley's anti-Confederate Holiday Bill was soundly
defeated during the 2004 Alabama Legislative
Session.

In response to a united effort led by Confederate
Heritage Fund, the State's foremost Confederate
political action committee, Senate Bill 301, which
would have abolished the observance of the
Confederate Memorial Day Holiday on the 4th Monday
in April, has been withdrawn by its sponsor, State
Senator Hank Erwin (R) and its originator, Governor
Bob Riley (R).

This surrender by Riley to Confederates was a major
victory for Southern heritage groups that has increased
their political clout, as was recently seen in Riley’s
Confederate Memorial Day remarks, in which he openly
praised Confederate Veterans and encouraged more
such celebrations.  

The Business Council of Alabama, considered to be
the left wing of the Republican Party, had recommended
that Governor Riley eliminate two Confederate Holidays
to supposedly save Alabama money.  

Confederates pointed out that Governor Riley, at his
sole discretion, gave State employees 2 extra taxpayer-
paid days off at Christmas and Thanksgiving, in addition
to the 2 regular paid days off for these holidays.

"Had Bob Riley been sincere about reducing holiday
time off to save Alabama money, he would not have
granted these extra 2 days off for State employees,"
commented Roger Broxton, President of Confederate
Heritage Fund.

"We find the Governor's reasoning hypocritical."    

In spite of a strong public outcry objecting to the BCA's
plan, Governor Riley asked Republican Senators Hank
Erwin, Jabo Waggoner and Hap Myers to introduce
Senate Bill 301 that would combine Confederate
Memorial Day with Jefferson Davis’ Birthday, thus
eliminating the one Holiday especially set aside to
honor Alabama's Confederate Veterans.

Confederate Memorial Day was established to
remember the 122,000 Alabama Confederate Veterans
who fought and the 30,000 who died for the right to
govern themselves.

In response to the introducing of SB 301, Confederate
Heritage Fund developed a strategy to defeat the Bill:  
from a public hearing on the Bill in the Senate Finance
Committee, to phone calls, e-mails, letters, etc…  to
radio advertising in the sponsors' Senate Districts.

President of the Fund, Roger Broxton, called the
Alabama State House for a public hearing in the
Committee.

At the hearing, a host of pro-Confederate leaders and
citizens from across Alabama spoke out against the
Senate Bill.  No one spoke for the Bill.

Afterwards, Confederates increased the calling
pressure on the Senators in the Finance Committee,
as well as, the sponsors of the Bill.

While others were holding the Senators’ feet to the
fire, Confederate Heritage Fund produced a radio ad
to be aired in the Senate District of the Bill’s sponsor,
Senator Hank Erwin.

To hear Confederate Heritage Fund's radio ad,
please go to the audio bar at bottom of page and
click the "Play" button.  It may take several
minutes to download, depending on your type of
Internet connection and computer.

The radio ad would have exposed Erwin to his voters
as being against Alabama's Confederate Veterans,
their sacrifice and their history.

Senator Erwin heard about the radio ad and
immediately called Roger Broxton, saying he did not
want Confederate Heritage Fund's radio ad to run in
his Senate District.

Using a typical political ploy, Erwin then claimed that
Confederates were divided and offered to combine
Jefferson Davis’ Birthday with Confederate Memorial
Day, instead of the reverse.

Whereupon, Broxton told Senator Hank Erwin that
Confederates were not divided and "that the blood of
our Confederate Veterans and ancestors was not
for sale at any price, to anyone, at any time, for any
reason and that Confederate Heritage Fund would start
running the radio ad in the morning".          

Seeing this uncompromising unity and the radio ad
about to run in his Senate District, Erwin requested that
Broxton grant him 24 hours before running the ad, so he
could talk to the Governor about withdrawing the Bill.

Senator Erwin then called Governor Riley and met with
Republican Senators and they all agreed to withdraw
the Bill the next day.

The following day, Erwin and Riley publicly announced
that the Bill to eliminate a Confederate Holiday had
been withdrawn.  

Broxton expressed appreciation for the generous
giving from supporters across America that placed
Confederate Heritage Fund on the front lines in this
fight to save these Confederate Holidays.

www.confederateheritage.org
Alabama Governor Bob Riley (R)
withdraws his anti-Confederate
Holiday Bill during the 2004
Legislative Session.
Click below for reports about some
of our past efforts on the front lines
and other articles of interest:
Radio Ad
Audio Bar
Click the "Play" button on this audio bar
to hear the radio ad produced by
Confederate Heritage Fund that helped
save our Confederate Holidays in
Alabama.
If you wish to donate to help our efforts
to honor our Confederate Veterans'
stand for the voluntary union of
low-taxed independent States,
established by the Founding Fathers in
1776, please click link below: