Wollheimists

From Fancyclopedia 2, ca. 1959

The Second Fandom name for the Futurians, because Don Wollheim was the leading Quadrumvir. They reached their peak while under this name -- at the time of the June 1938 FAPA elections. At this time the Phillies challenged them for control of the organization, with allegations of irregular and unconstitutional conduct; Wollheim countered by mailing out the ballots (the mailing bundle being delayed) along with a propaganda flier claiming that the PSFS group was trying to sabotage things and he himself was being libelled. (See illustration under "Art".) [not shown] Later the Philly slate was abused on political grounds, that VP-candidate Speer was an avowed Fascist and the Phillies planned to censor Michelist material from the mailings. The Wollheimists made a clean sweep of contested offices and Speer immediately started a Petition of Reprimand circulating and being signed. A little later, as described elsewhere, the Quadrumvirate quit. The designation of the group came from the belief, widespread in Second Fandom, that the other three Quadrumvirs, and certainly the lesser lights of the Futurians-to-be, took their orders from Wollheim. To laugh this idea out of existence, the Loyal and Benevolent Protective Order of Wollheim Stooges was founded by Prize Stooge Michel; it was supposed to be open to anybody who had ever disagreed with Will Sykora. Actually, according to Lowndes, the unanimity of the Wollheimist/Futurian faction was the result of prior conferences on policy, in which they frequently laid down the law to the "Dictator". from Fancyclopedia 2 Supplement ca. 1960: Wollheim himself claims that this term was coined by and chiefly used by Speer himself, who was at feud with the group thus designated and was, says W, trying to discredit them with this ploy.

From Fancyclopedia 1, ca. 1944

Name by which the Second Fandom know the faction later called Futurians, because Wollheim was the leading Quadrumvir. They reached their peak at the time of the June 1938 FAPA elections, when the continuance of their administration was challenged by the Philly faction, who put up Secretary-Treasurer Baltadonis for President, Jack Speer for Vice-President, and Bob Madle for Official Editor. These had a folder in the Fourth Mailing pointing to irregularities and unconstitutional acts in the first year's administration. The Fourth Mailing was delayed, however, until near the end of the voting period; meanwhile, President Wollheim sent out the ballots in a separate envelope, and enclosed with them a sheet charging that the FAPA was being sabotaged by the Philly group: that Madle had made charges of dishonesty in a non-FAPA publication (Helios) which he didn't dare present in the mailings (the charge, in connection with the mid-term election for changing from temporarily appointed to elected officers, was not definite at the time of the 3d mailing, and was presented in the late 4th; Madle didn't write the piece in Helios); that Baltadonis had been intentionally negligent as Secretary-Treasurer in not taking care of new members or reimbursing the mailing manager for expenses (which the PSFS later denied); and that the present administration was being slandered (see illustration under "art"). Only the thinnest excuse was offered for bringing these charges against his opponents at such a time and in such a manner; years later, when the Phillies took SaM to the Ivory Tower, Wollheim admitted that the charges had been unjustified. When the Mailing finally came out, the broadsides there took a different note, primarily political: altho he said that the political beliefs of the Wollheimists should not influence the voting for FAPA office, he and the other Quadrumvirs took great space, in official and unofficial publications, to charge that the whole Philadelphia group was planning to institute censorship of the mailings and keep Michelistic Propaganda out of them. To add to the confusion, Sykora thru misunderstanding put Moskowitz up for President. However, the Wollheimist candidate, Michel, got more votes than the other two combined, and in all offices except the uncontested Secretaryship (Taurasi) they made a clean sweep. Speer immediately started a Petition of Reprimand circulating and being signed. In the Fifth Mailing, the Wollheimists as usual commented on their opponents' material in the same Mailing, and yielded not a millimeter in the charge that the Phillies had intended to destroy the FAPA and also institute censorship of the mailings. A little later, as is described elsewhere, the Quadrumvirate quit.

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