Newspaper Articles

Vice President Richard M. Nixon, accompanied by his wife, Pat, and with two U. S. cabinet members and other high ranking officials expected to be in his party, is scheduled to arrive in Parkersburg this morning for a giant outdoors Republican rally at the Wood county courthouse.

The rally, which is expected to attract one of the largest crowds ever to assemble here for such an event, will begin at 9 a.m.

Nixon and party are scheduled to arrive at 9:55 a.m. by motorcade from Marietta.

Chairman John C. Butcher of the Wood County Republican Executive Committee, announced last night that the GOP Presidential nominee's party is expected to include Fred A. Seaton, secretary of the interior; Arthur S. Fleming, secretary of the department of health, education and welfare; Fred C. Scribner, Jr., an undersecretary of the treasury department: and U. S. Senator Hugh D. Scott of Pennsylvania.

Motorcades and chartered buses are expected from surrounding counties, numbering over 400 cars. School children of Wood county with proper parental permission are to be excused for the morning, and several hundred are expected from Parkersburg High School alone, a check showed last night.

Selections by the Big Red Band of Parkersburg High School will open the pgoram [sic] at 9 a.m. at the platform at the east side of the courthouse. State Senator Joseph M. Handlan will serve as master of ceremonies, and following invocation, will introduce Wood county GOP candidates. The band then will present a number, to be followed by speeches by Harold E. Neely, Republican candidate for governor, Clyde Pinson, GOP candidate for U. S. House of Representatives, Fourth District, and Gov. Cecil H. Underwood, Republican candidate for U. S. Senate.

The band will then play the Star-Spangled Banner, which will be followed by pledge of allegiance to the flag, and a brief musical program. After Vice President Nixon arrives he will be introduced by Gov. Underwood and will present a 30-minute address. He will then go to the 6th St. Baltimore and Ohio Railroad station to get aboard his train for a trip west.

During the rally, Mrs. William P. A. Nicely will present flowers to Mrs. Nixon.

Nixon and party will leave Pittsburgh early this morning. Their special train will slow down through St. Marys, where Nixon is expected to make a rear platform appearance. At Williamstown, a few miles north of Parkersburg, the Nixon party will be met by Gov. Underwood, Neely, National GOP Cimmitteeman Walter S. Hallanan and National GOP Committeewoman Perle T. Harman and other state party officials.

The conclave will break up temporarily at Williamstown, for Nixon and party to go by motorcade to Marietta for an appearance, while the state groups will come to Parkersburg to take part in the rally until Nixon arrives. The train will be brought to Parkersburg and turned around for the trip west.

All members of the Parkersburg Police Department will be on duty for the occasion. State Police of the Parkersburg barracks as well as those from other points in Company B also will be handling escort traffic and other duties, as will the police departments of Vienna and Williamstown, the Williamstown Civil Defense and the Wood county sheriff's department.