ustxtxb_obs_1964_03_20_50_00007-00000_000.pdf

outlining what he considered accomplishments: Creation of the committee on education beyond the high school, the secretsession panel headed by construction executive H. B. Zachry of San Antonio. The beginning of a “crusade against illiteracy,” specifically, the opening of five schools in the Rio Grande Valley for migrant children. Passage of a small loan law. Setting up the Texas 65 health insurance plan, which he said reaches “more than 50,000” of the state’s one million persons over 65. “It has been a real success by any standards,” he said. Modernizing and expanding the public welfare program by lifting the constitutional ceiling on old age assistance and giving the legislature authority over levels of expenditure in this field. Creation of the governor’s committee on aging, which has not yet met. Creation of the Parks and Wildlife Commission. Establishment of the Padre Island National Seashore. He made no reference to Sen. Yarborough, who sponsored the Padre Island bill in the U.S. Senate. Providing “full financing” for the Texas Industrial Commission, an agency which he said has been judged the best of its kind in the nation. Passing municipal annexation legislation. Enacting “a massive election reform bill,” including a provision providing machinery against the possibility of the failure of poll tax repeal in Texas. Carrying out of the screwworm eradication program. THE GOVERNOR stressed an anti-extremism theme, speculating that “most Texans are far too intelligent to be concerned with the harsh cries of extremists of either the right or the left.” Government, Connally said, is a “noble instrument . . . not to replace individual initiative, but to nurture it.” Dallasthat notorious towntook a beating in debate over the site of the state Democratic Party’s September “governor’s convention,” but won out over Corpus Christi, 33-18. The SDEC sites subcommittee recommended Houston for the June convention and Dallas for September, but said that “in the light of the events of Nov. 22,” perhaps the latter proposal needed more consideration. Committeeman Sam Fore, Jr., of Floresville quickly offered a substitute motion shifting the convention to Corpus Christi. He said he did not propose to punish Dallas for the Kennedy slaying, but added, “Dallas hasn’t voted for a Democratic president since Harry Truman. There are lots of good Democrats in Corpus.” John Gray of Dallas, appealing to the committee not to change the site, He praised President Johnson at length and called for a delegation committed to support Johnson at the national convention. Party delegates, said the governor, should be “as strong for Connally in September as they are for Johnson in June.” Don Yarborough, Connally’s primary challenger, was not at the meeting, and delegates ignored his candidacy. A handful of committeemen wore “Re-elect Yarborough” buttons supporting the senior senator, causing one fur-clad committeewoman to comment scornfully, “Oh, those Yarboroughs!” Though Don Yarborough wasn’t mentioned by name, he was clearly the target when the S.D.E.C. resolutions subcommittee drafted a proposal deploring “any effort by any element or faction within the Democratic Party to diminish the party’s strength and vigor by ‘attempting to drive any other element or faction out of the party.” The resolution, passed without a “no” vote, said the Democratic Party welcomes “people of all shades of political opinionbe they described as liberals, moderates, or conservatives.” Mrs. H. H. Weinert of Seguin, Democratic national committeewoman, said she had heard rumors of Texas moving towards a two-party state government. ” ‘Tain’t so,” she said. “This year they will learn,” she Fort Worth President Johnson’s move to short-circuit the campaign of liberal Don Yarborough for governor by dissuading labor from endorsing him has not prevented the other three wings of the liberal Democratic Coalition from lining up for Yarborough. The young challenger also shows signs of becoming provoked about reports of Johnson’s intervention. Last January, as previously reported, national labor leaders, including leaders of said, “all of us deplore the events that took place there.” He said it would be a mistake to “strike Dallas” and its one million citizens “for what one person did.” “Even the good Lord brought Job back into the fold,” said Gray. Maury Maverick, Jr., of San Antonio supported Corpus Christi and said Dallas could not afford any more bad publicity. He was joined by Mrs. Wiley Bullock of Muleshoe, who criticized “that paper”the Dallas Morning Newsfor an advertisement it printed on the day of the assassination. Travis County committeeman Will Davis, irked by the debate, boomed: “I cannot for the life of me understand Texans and Democrats talking this way. The whole thing’s ludicrous.” Corpus Christi was voted down on a roll call vote. said of the Republicans. “Then we will not hear so much about this being a two-party state.” Connally, introduced by Locke as “one of the greatest leaders we’ve ever had,” joined Mrs. Weinert in condemning a twoparty Texas before launching into his luncheon address. Proposed referenda on liquor-by-thedrink and immigrant labor drew ho-hum response from the resolutions subcommittee and were not reported out to the main body. The subcommittee reported it had discarded them, along with a request for a straw vote on the public accommodations section of the pending civil rights bill. State Rep. Jake Johnson of San Antonio sought the liquor vote, claiming solons needed to learn voter sentiment on the controversial question. Legislators, he said, “drink wet and vote dry.” Harold Kilpatrick, who said he represented the Texas Council of Churches, spoke against the bill “in the interest of temperance.” AFL-CIO secretary-treasurer Roy Evans asked for a vote on allowing Mexican nationals to commute to jobs in Texas border towns. A Brownfield farmer, Howard Hurd, argued against him. B.H. steel and auto workers, agreed with the White House that in exchange for Johnson’s help in heading off major conservative Democratic opposition to Sen. Ralph Yarborough, the labor leaders would undertake to prevent Texas AFL-CIO from endorsing Don Yarborough. At Arlington, labor’s Committee on Political Education made “no recommendations” in races for statewide office, but the ensuing weekend, the Political Assn. of Spanish-Speaking Organizations endorsed Don Yarborough; on Feb. 29, the independent liberals of the coalition followed suit in Houston ; and this month in Fort Worth, the fourth group of the coalition, the Texas Council of Voters, heard Don Yarborough and endorsed him with enthusiasm. “The people are seeking new values,” the challenger to Gov. John Connally said. “We in the state of Texas have an opportunity to make a contribution to the whole South. It’s going to be a warning to the hate mongers. It’s going to be a warning to those people who want to live in the past.” Johnson cannot carry out his program “unless there are people elected in the state of Texas that will help him,” and Connally’s record “embraces” such skeletons in the Texas closet as 20-cents-anhour wages in South Texas, the state’s lack of an industrial safety law and a state department of labor, low teachers’ salaries, and “state leadership” that has not backed Johnson on “the great civil rights bill,” Don Yarborough said. March 20, 1964 7 Democratic Committee Decides: On to Dallas Liberals Line Up for Don