The League of the South will succeed only
insofar as it succeeds in forming vibrant and active county
chapters. This is where the real work of our organization gets
done. One of our most important organizational goals is to
have a League chapter in every county in every Southern State.
The energies and resources of the League National Office and
the individual State chapters should be focused primarily on
this goal.
While we have succeeded in organizing
numerous county chapters across the South, much more remains
to be done. What follows are some ideas and guidelines for
establishing LS county chapters. Please feel free to copy this
tract and distribute it to our membership.
The League presently has a number of local
chapters located in various towns and cities. If there is only
one of these local chapters in a particular county, then that
chapter is the natural nucleus for a countywide chapter. Where
there are two or more local chapters extant in a county, the
State Chairman should confer with the existing chapter heads
about forming a larger county organization. These county
chapters should serve as the League’s basic organizational
building blocks.
To aid him in starting county chapters,
each LS State Chairman should determine his membership in
every county in the State (a large wall map with coloured push
pins is a good method of doing this). If he then finds that
there are several members in a particular county—but there
is no countywide organization—he should then act immediately
to bring them together in order to form a chapter.
It is not necessary to have a large
membership in a county to begin a chapter. In fact, all that
we need are a few active and dedicated members who are willing
to act as organizers and officers. Once the State Chairman has
brought together the disparate members (or local chapters)
within a county, the following things should be done:
Once the chapter is formed and staffed with
Provisional Officers, the County Chairman should determine a
date, time, and place for regular meetings. All meeting should
be conducted according to League of the South protocol.
Ideally, county meetings should be held weekly. Upon the
establishment of a regular meeting schedule, the chapter, in
cooperation with the State Chairman, should select permanent
officers. To enhance communications within the chapter, an
e-mail list and a telephone tree would be helpful.
Once the county chapter is formed, the next
item of business should be to promote it throughout the
county. In order to do this, all meeting should be held in a
public venue and be open to the general public. The League
does not operate in secret conclaves. A good way to publicize
the county chapter and its goals (as well as the overall goals
and objectives of the League) is to run advertisements in
local newspapers, spots on local radio stations, and by word
of mouth among friends and kinfolks. The intent should be to
inform the county’s citizens of the existence of the
chapter, its general principles, and information about its
regularly scheduled meetings. Moreover, local LS leaders
should approach elected and appointed officials on the city
and county level and inform them of the chapter’s existence
and goals. Prominent citizens should also be contacted for the
same reasons. One of our intermediate goals in every county
ought to be to make the League’s message palatable to
average citizens. To do this, we do not water down our message
or abandon our principles. Rather, by example, we show our
fellow citizens that we are respectable and responsible, and
wish only to advance the well being of our county. We simply
have a new perspective (which is really an old, tried and true
one) on how best to accomplish this objective.
If we can convince mayors, councilmen,
commissioners, sheriffs, police chiefs, judges, and other
officials that we hold true American (actually Southern)
principles about politics and society, then they perhaps will
be more likely to work with us. Also, do not neglect
approaching newspaper editors and reporters and television and
radio station managers and personnel. As our chapters grow
larger, they will become real political and economic forces
with their respective counties.
We must act as ladies and gentlemen in all
that we do. The most effective way to persuade is by good
example. The Bible tells us “By their fruits ye shall know
them.” Let us bear good, sweet fruit for our counties by
standing firmly on our commitment to the furtherance of
Christian liberty.
Most League activities demand the
expenditure of funds. Therefore, each county chapter must pay
heed to fundraising. As League members, we are pledged to give
“blood, treasure, and sacred honor” to our Cause. Our
ancestors in both 1776 and 1861 dug deeply into their own
resources (however meager they were in some cases) to finance
their struggles for liberty. Within reason, we must do the
same. However, there are other ways to raise resources. For
example, a county chapter might assess regular dues from its
members to fund local projects. Also, the chapter might
produce and sell items such as bumper stickers, t-shirts, car
tags, flags, etc. Be creative. You may decide to sponsor a
barbeque, a car wash, a bake sale, or some other
money-generating event. This is a good way to have some fun
and meet local folks who may one day become members of the
chapter. From time to time, you may find it necessary to
confer with your State Chairman about securing funds from the
State treasury for special projects.
This is a random list of fifty activities
in which county chapter might profitable engage:
1. Attend city council, school board, and other public
meetings to express League positions and concerns.
2. Write letters-to-the-editor or guest
editorials in your local newspaper. Always note that you are
a LS member.
3. Donate pro-South books (e.g. The South
Was Right!) to your local library. Be sure to have a local
newspaper photographer or TV camera crew there when you make
the presentation. This makes a good local story, especially
in small towns.
4. Find local merchants who will allow
the distribution of League literature on their premises.
5. Distribute League literature
personally to family and friends.
6. Set up a League booth or table at
every public event in the county (e.g. Trade Days, Mule
Days, Heritage Days, craft shows, historical commemorations,
and assorted other events).
7. Have your own customized League of the
South banner made to use at all public events.
8. Get involved in local
“conservative” social causes (e.g. protests against
abortion clinics). This likely will put you in contact with
potential recruits for the County chapter.
9. Start a local “Buy Southern, Buy
Local” economic campaign. Your local farmers and merchants
will love this. Discourage people from doing business with
out-of-State chain stores that drive locals out of business
and hurt the “little man.” Some of these chains include
Wal-Mart, McDonalds, Burger King, and . . . well, you know
who they are.
10. Give League award certificates to
those who are patriotic enough to fly a Confederate flag at
their residence or business.
11. Offer to work in the campaigns of
local candidates who hold our principles.
12. Run a local LS member for office. For
instance, the county sheriff is the supreme law enforcement
officer in the county, and this includes both federal and
State officials. Of all countywide offices, this is the one
that our people need to control.
13. Sponsor a LS Institute “Hedge
School” in your county. To arrange one, call Dr. Don
Livingston at (404) 377-2812.
14. As individuals and as a community of
Southern Patriots, become as self-sufficient as possible.
For instance, form a Farmers’ Co-Op to encourage local
agriculture; grow your own garden; if possible, raise
chickens and keep a cow to provide eggs and dairy products
for your family and friends; learn a new and practical skill
and acquire the tools to do it. Use your imagination, the
possibilities are virtually endless.
15. Form a “Shooting Club” to
exercise your 2nd Amendment rights and to learn gun safety
and proficiency.
16. Consider joining a good, solid,
Biblically based church. Our ultimate goal, after all, is
the restoration of Christian liberty to the South.
17. Homeschool your children, or at least
put them in a private, Christian academy. The public (or
government) schools are nothing but anti-Southern,
anti-Christian propaganda mills. Make this sacrifice for
your children.
18. Initiate local petition drives on
various issues within your community. This is also a good
way to build up a local mailing list.
19. Issue “scorecards” on the voting
records of local and State officials in your county. These,
if publicized, put pressure on them to do the right thing.
20. Arrange for public showings of LS
videos (e.g. the 4 March 2000 “Southern Independence Day
Celebration” in Montgomery). Also, check public access TV
channels in your area and ask about showing our videos.
21. Inform local leaders that less
federal power means more local power. This appeal works with
most politicians (when they have taken time to reflect on
it).
22. Support only local charities so you
can determine how and where your donations are used. Form an
“Emergency Response Team” to help out victims of natural
disasters (i.e. fires, floods, tornados, hurricanes, etc.).
Start a local LS charitable organization to help the worthy
poor and destitute in your area. But remember the Bible’s
admonition: “He who will not work will not eat.”
23. Publish a local newsletter for your
members.
24. Use billboard ads for recruiting.
25. Place LS brochures on vehicles that
have pro-South bumper stickers or tags.
26. Start a monthly reading club (for
those so inclined) to discuss books on historical, literary,
theological, or other subjects.
27. Organize picket protests when
necessary (e.g. at businesses that display anti-Southern
actions and attitudes).
28. Provide assistance (financial and
otherwise) for new parents who are local LS members. We need
to populate the South with Confederates; however, having
large families is often a strain on the resources of young
couples. Help them out if you can.
29. Buy time on a local talk radio
station (say, one hour per week) and find someone to do a
show on current events from a pro-South perspective.
30. Organize a Confederate Memorial Day
Parade or some other event on the appropriate occasion (e.g.
Jefferson Davis’s birthday, etc.).
31. Fly Confederate flags at your
residence or business every day.
32. Download and distribute copies of our
tract entitled “On Secession and Southern Independence.”
It is located on our website (www.dixienet.org).
33. Work with other pro-South and
conservative groups in your county, and encourage
cross-membership in the organizations (e.g. HPA, SCV, CSA,
CofCC, etc.).
34. Buy and distribute LS audio- and
videotapes. See www.dixienet.org for a complete list of
these tapes.
35. If you have attorneys among your
membership, introduce them to the newly formed Southern Bar
Association (contact Mr. Jack Kershaw at (615) 292-2316).
36. Encourage all County chapter members
to attend the annual State Convention and the LS National
Conference. Make plans to share rides and hotel rooms.
37. Identify all Southern (including
Confederate) historical and cultural sites in your County
and preserve and protect them.
38. Develop a phone tree and e-mail list
to enhance local communications between officers and
members. In cases where the transfer of information is
sensitive, establish a secure means of communication.
39. Establish regular communications with
your State Chairman and Regional Director.
40. Develop emergency rendezvous points
throughout the County in case of natural disasters, etc. We
want to be able to help our neighbors during a crisis. (See
point #22 on “Emergency Response Team”).
41. Secure detailed topographic maps
(including all back roads) of your County to familiarize
yourself with the “lay of the land.” This resource will
be invaluable should your Emergency Response Team have to
react to a natural disaster.
42. Read, study, and educate yourselves.
Turn off the television and shut out the bankrupt culture of
post-modern America. Promote the LS “Declaration of
Southern Cultural Independence” at every opportunity.
43. Always carry League literature on
your person or in your vehicle. You never know when you
might meet a potential recruit.
44. Memorize the LS Statement of Purpose:
“We seek to advance the cultural, social, economic, and
political well being and independence of the Southern people
by all honourable means.”
45. Make regular written reports (at
least once per quarter) of your activities and plans to your
State Chairman.
46. Always be ready and willing to help
other counties in your State get organized. Let them know
what has and has not worked for you.
47. Be good stewards of your own
property. God demands this of us, and it makes a good
impression on the community.
48. Bring together like-minded musicians
in the LS to form a band. Southerners are highly motivated
by good, patriotic music (e.g. “Dixie,” “The Bonnie
Blue Flag,” etc.).
49. Sponsor a local conference and
Confederate Ball once a year. The League will, if you wish,
provide speakers.
50. Pray daily that God will bless our
Cause. This is really the first (and most important) thing
we should do at the beginning of each day. Thus, we saved
the best for last.
The above fifty activities are by no
means an exhaustive list. The particular circumstances
within your respective counties may permit others. Be
creative and use your imagination.
Should you have questions, comments, or
suggestions about County Chapter formation and activities,
contact your State Chairman or the LS National Office.
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