ustxtxb_obs_1956_08_01_50_00003-00000_000.pdf

DREW PEA/SON on The WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND Morse Slaps at Texas Senators Recalled WASHINGTON’ Setts Lyndon Johnson, Texas Democrat, has by no means always agreed with Sena Wayne Morse, the new Democrat from Oregon. But he showed tact, charm, and humor in paying tribute to 1116rse at a big $50-a-plate luncheon held to raise money fOr the Oregon senator. “I’d be willing to come to Oregon to campaign either for him or against him.” said Johnson, “whichever would help him most. “When Wayne was a Republican,’ Johnson continued with a sly grin, “he came to Texas to campaign against me. He reminded Texans that under the Constitution they were entitled to two representatives in the U.S. Senate, but had none. ” ‘One of your senators, Price Daniel.’ Wayne told them, ‘represents the oil companies. The other senator, Lyndon Johnson,’ Wayne said, ‘represents only himself’.” Johnson went onl”to pay a sincere tritiute to Senator Morse and his importance to the Democratic Party. Johnson Benefits The clean elections bills had no lobbyists behind it. Phil Graham, pub , fisher of the Washington Post, and Senator Hennings of Missouri pushed it relentlessly, but any Senate leaders who are in a position to get big money from big business or big oil are loath to clean up campaifm , contributions. , The Republicans and Sen. JOhnson both benefit. Dowdy Irks Voters . Congressman’ John Dowdy \(D.-. $9,128 a year up until April 30. Then the .folks down in Texas got irked and lie dropped. her Putman Bill St nied While the -German lobby has been all to get a bill for the return of alien property before the full Senate, the one bill of vital concern to small business has been blocked in the Senate. It’s ‘the “equality of opportunity” bill, sponsored by Rep. Wright Pat-. man \(DaTex,\\ a ANAHUAC Shades of Sherlock Holmes, isn’t it a relief to. know the federal government has finallycaught those dastardly culprits who have’committed suck foul deeds as shooting ducks and geese out of season and selling them. Bird hunters who can read may recall the banner , stories in Houston newspapers a pew months back about. the epic investigation by Anthony Stefano, a federal officer w 7ho posed as a jewelry salesman but was really buying clucks and geese as evidence against illegal hunters. After filing cases against more than SO hunters from Beaumont to Corpus Christi, Stefano told newsmen that he spent two years on his undercover work. He had, according to his statements, spent about $4,000 for 3,000 ducks and geese. It was, one might consider, a bit ironic that. many of the violators apprelie.nded were residents of Galveston County. Now there is a place where it is hard to find a Iaw violator.. One of those charged was. himself an upstanding law enforcement officer, Algoa’s Constable Ike Franks. ANOTHER of those ar rested in the gigantic federal crack doWn was Sam Hargrave, locally famous hunting and fishing guide at Anahuac. A husky, weather -burned, middle-aged man who has made his fishing shing and hunting in and around the Trinity River and bay for And though it passed the House by the overwhelming vote of 396 to 3, powerful big-business interests have been pulling wires to keep the bill from reaching the Senate floor. Once that bill reaches the floor, few senators could vote against it. Zhe -bill, which prohibits price cutting whenever it tends to create monopoly, is backed by thousands of small business firms all over the countrygas-station operatcirs, retail ‘grocers, fo9d . brokers, _and others who have suffered from price cutting by the big chains and the big oil companies. Small businessmen_ gave over a thousand pages_ of testimony before the House; over a thousand before the Senate. They . showed that if the bill was not passed, thousands of retail grocers operating on a one -cent margin would be wiped out before the end Of the year They cited case after case where big companies had lowered prices, forced smaller_ competitors into bankruptcy, then ; having secured ‘ a monopoly, raised priceS. However, it looks as if the bill will now die in the Senatefor two reasons : The White. House is quietly. pulling wires to kill the bill. Second, Senator Johnson has passed out word that he only wants to consider must legislation. \(The bill was not passed A Frie;ndly Gesture President Somoza of tiny Nicaragua arrived in -Panama . in an airplane as plush or plusher than anyone else’s. Texas .oil tycoon Clint Murchison has placed his private plane at Sornoza’s disposal. `My Fellow Cardiac Several days before he left for . Panama; President Eisenhower put in a phone call to . Senate Democratic Leader Lyndon Johnson and talked to him about various legislative problems, from the dosing date of Cong -resi to* foreign aid. . a quarter century, : Sam ‘says all of the story of the .duck-hunting probe hasn’t been told yet. It will come out next -month when his rase comes tip for trial in federal court at Galveston, he says. , If Sam’s versioh is in correct.perspective, –lie and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and a state game warden all caught Stefano before the federal agent caught most of the game poachers against whom he later filed charges: The triple-threat investigation of the federal government investigator by Sam ant the FBI came, Sam says, “after Stefano kept bothering me to get hign some ducks. At first, I didn’t pay him no mind. But he kept coming around trying to buy game from me and all thy ‘neighbors until I decided maybe he was, a big . operator who really was buying for big cafes in Houston and Reno, like he said. You know he was acquainted with that Maceo bunch over in Galveston:” Anyhow, according to Sam’s story, he went to a state game warden and’ tipped him off that this guy was coming around trying to buy birds. “He for an FBI man to come out and investigate this bird buyer’s car .here at my. canip while I took what turned out to be a federal game warden hunting,” Sam recalled. . “The ‘state game’ warden even wanted .me to sell Stefano, or whatever his name is some ducks ‘so we can make a ease.’ The trouble was, I decided, it might not be :very smart They also kiddedeach other about their cardiacs, both, having had heart attacks. At the last gridiron dinner Ike brought down the house when, referring to Johnson, he said: “My fellow cardiac.” In phoning to . Johnson, Eisenhower’s chief concern was getting his foreign aid bill passed. He also asked whether it was important for him to be in Washington when Congress adjourned and wondered whether adjoutrmlent might take place before he left for Panama. This proved to be impossible. Finally, the President urged Johnson to pass the executive pay raise bill at that session. Senator Georgfe’s Last Statid The weighty, sometimes pro-Eisenhower prestioe of elder statesman Georgeof Georgia was thrown into the fight over Hells Canyonagainst his old friends, the Georgia Power Company and other utilities. George, who retires from the ‘Senate this year, made the proposed big federal clam on the Snake River the last senatorial battle of his career, told deserting Democratic colleagues how important it was for them to vote solidly against the private. utilities. Seri: Lyndon Johnson also threw his pefsuasive charm into full gear and . talked_ to each deserting Democrat twice. The two made some converts. What Senators George and Johnson faced, . however, was the fact that practically every big utility in the U.S.. teamed… up atith the Idaho Power Company to defeat federal develOpmerit of Hells Canyon. Approximately $1,000,000 was spent by the private utilities in leading magazines for advertisement opposing .the big federal darn. Lyndon Told Press It was Sen. Johnson who left the cloSed hearing with Gen. Nate Twining and leaked to the press, quoting Twining, on Russian drunkenness. Twining feels this puts him in a very awkward position when it comes to gathering more information from Russia. to make that .sale because I could/alit be sure who ‘we’ were making a case on. As it turned out, anyhow, it was me,” Sam grinned. `I suppose I may have to -do some .tinge before they get done, but it’s. a funny thing to me’ how I got charged with violating the law when I was helping catch a . man I thought was violating the law … It’ll be up to -the jury to figure out,” he added. THE COURT records show that if Sam’s sentence is in line with those given other defendants already tried in the federal wileThie cases, he is hardly in enough , trouble to lie awake nights worrying. Four .of the so -called “commercial hunters” have entered ‘pleas of guilty to the bootleg duck charges. Two of them received three-month suspended sentences and all .four were fined $50 each, which surely. seems to be sufficient punishment for such serious crime. Many taxpayers will probably want to write their legislators about this tremendous. achievement in federal law enforcement. Including the agent’s salary. for two years and the $4,000 paid for ducks, the government must have ‘spent a minimum of $14,000 for this important investigation. As things are going now, they stand to recoup a total of $2,650 in fines if all the defendants are found guilty. And it must lend encouragement to all those who wish to see wildlife around Galveston become more abundant. . B. B. A Stone To the Editor: …. You say Ralph Yarborough is the nearest thing the Negroes have to a friend in the race. You are undoubtedly right, and yet I cannot but be reminded, “If a man ask you for bread shall you give him a stone.” The Negroes were handed an indigestible stone by Ralph Yarborough when he double-talked about integration. I believe that at the very least we owe one many fire Negro leaders the respect of not commenting on their right to either try to swallow the stone givers them by their “friend” or else tossing it into the rubbish heap. MARIE HALPEN 247 Sunshine Dr. E., San Antonio THE TEXAS OBS.r.RVER Page 3 August 1, 1956 THE LONG ARM SWATS AT FLIES IndignantToo Late Dear Sir and Editor: The Stearns people \(of the Stearns Patent Horse. Detacher Co. of Marshall, of which the author is general tention the fact that one Robert Eckhardt has submitted to you for publication a libelous article, illustrated by the author, which reflects upon their . general counsel. As a long-time legal representative of the Observer, I hesitate to take this Matter up with you, but my retainer fee from the Stearns people is so much greater than that received from the 011erver Corporation that I have no alternative other than to follow their wishes. They are under the ‘impression that the questioned article casts aspersions upon the irrigation activities of their general counsel, particularly as carried on by the banks of Lake Caddo. Their information is that the article, and iris illustrations, depict this venture as a ramshackledy effort, completely at loose ends. and to such an extent as that a turtle is used as a support for one of the irrigation pipe sections. Now, my people readily. admit that their general counsel has made use of animate support for his irrigation a pipe, but the libel lies in the direct statement that a Caddo Lake turtle would submit to such indignity. It is my understanding that the illustration shows two nondescript dogs coming at the turtle from, either side of the pipe, so as to hold him fearboun . cl in place. This’ is an utterly untrue characterization of Caddo turtles. What was really employed to support the pipe was a native mountain ,lion frightened into position. by a Caddo Lake turtle on either side of the pipe. I trust you will inxk –