Mr. Write's Page

The date: February 5, 1971.

The time: 10:00 A.M.

The place: Georgia State Capitol, outside the Governor’s Office.

The players: Honorable Ben Fortson, Secretary of State; Honorable Lester Maddox, Lieutenant Governor; various bystanders (Capitol porters, staff workers, tourists).

The scene: Fortson and Maddox are looking up at the Lieutenant Governor’s official portrait, which was hung in the Capitol a few days earlier. Their conversation is heated, but courteous. They focus intently on the portrait and never make eye contact.

————

HON. BEN FORTSON:  I’m just sayin’ the location ain’t right. That ain’t a good wall for it. People walking by, they’ll be turned the other way, lookin’ toward the Governor’s office.

HON. LESTER MADDOX:  Yessir.

HON. BEN FORTSON:  You cain’t hardly even SEE the thing, with the sunlight glaring on the lacquer at this angle.

HON. LESTER MADDOX:  Yessir. But I don’t see that it’s too big. Now, if it was out there in the rotunda with Herman Talmadge and Walter George, where Herman’s portrait is 54 inches long, and George’s is 44, it might make a difference.

HON. BEN:  I didn’t say it’s too big. I said it’s too big for where it’s at!

HON. LESTER:  But bein’ up there by itself, it don’t make no difference.

BEN:  That’s right. But Lester, you got that glare in the lacquer, so you cain’t see it! And, like I’m telling’ you, it ain’t doin’ you justice here where people ain’t gonna notice it.

LESTER:  What if they’re lookin’ for it?

BEN:  (Pointing) Now, that wall down yonder by my office — we could move those two portraits somewhere else and put yours right there. Then you would be properly displayed and be noticed and all, and you wouldn’t be in this hallway.

LESTER:  Yessir. You know, the last two governors, their portraits were hung in the Governor’s office after they left, right up there on the wall. (Turning to young tourist passing by) Howdy, friend! You doin’ all right this mornin’? Yessir!

BEN:  Well, it ain’t no good where it‘s at. That wall next to my office is the right place for it, in my opinion. (He swivels his wheelchair around and heads toward his office.)

LESTER:  (To second tourist walking past) Yessir, friend! You makin’ it all right today? Yessir!

BEN:  (Abruptly turns around and wheels back to Maddox) I’m telling’ you, Governor, it just ain’t doin’ you the proper justice for your high office. Now, it ain’t an oil painting, like all the others are. It’s a photograph that was blew up large and painted over with lacquer, and it’s mighty handsome, I might add –”

LESTER:  It ain’t an oil painting, but that don’t make no difference.

BEN:  –but that don’t make no difference. The thing about it mostly is the location. Now, we could take it down from this wall and hang it down yonder easy as pie.

LESTER:  (Pointing to a small portrait, in a hall leading to the rotunda, of a man in a powdered wig) Mr. Secretary, who’s that fella up on that big wall there?

BEN:  I don’t know. I’ll take a look and tell you.

(Both move toward the small portrait, Fortson in the lead. Maddox turns toward a large group of tourists entering the building and waves enthusiastically.)

————

(Scene: Capitol elevator, moments later. The doors open. A newspaper reporter steps in. A Capitol staff worker nods in greeting.)

REPORTER:  Did you see Fortson and Maddox down there a minute ago?

STAFFER:  Yeah, I saw ‘em. Lester wants more visibility for that blown-up photograph of his, and Fortson would like to set a match to it.

REPORTER:  Yeah, well… Sillier crap than that goes on around here.

(Elevator stops and both get off.)