Monitor

All the News of the World US press comment following the death of George C Wallace

FEW INDIVIDUALS have had as much impact on the history of a single state as former Gov George C Wallace had on Alabama in the last half of the 20th century. We will be living in the shadow of his historical legacy well into the next century. Those who know Wallace only through film clips from the Fifties, Sixties and early Seventies, cannot comprehend the appeal he had to people who suffered a generations-old inferiority complex, to people who feared and resented the overdue social and legal changes that swept through the South during his lifetime. How much better off might the people of Alabama have been if George C Wallace had turned his mind and considerable political talent to finding real solutions for Alabama's many social and economic problems? Unfortunately, Wallace did not follow that path, and we will continue to live with the consequences of taking the Wallace route.

Birmingham Post-Herald

"SEGREGATION NOW, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever." George Corley Wallace spoke these words in a 1963 inaugural address before his first term as governor of Alabama. In later years, Mr. Wallace recanted his earlier remarks - but only after an assassination attempt left him paralysed, ending his national political hopes, and after black voters became a significant force in Alabama. Perhaps he went to his grave truly repentant. But in the end, Mr Wallace used his guts and skill to do little more than advance his own popularity. This occasionally meant the airing of important, yet difficult issues, but it more often did evil.

The Detroit News

GEORGE WALLACE spent his final years apologizing to African-Americans for the damage he caused them. Some people believe Mr Wallace's personal pain from the assassination attempt provided him with better understanding of the pain minorities suffered under segregation. Many African-Americans did forgive George Wallace. They provided strong support during later runs for governor. Mr Wallace will always be viewed as a politician who played on people's fears and hatred. But he will also be seen as someone who learned through his own pain, and sought redemption for his past.

The Dallas Morning News