ustxtxb_obs_1957_02_05_50_00002-00000_000.pdf

Bartlett Appears Exclusively in the Texas Observer Let those flatter who fear, it is not an American art. The New Mascot JEFFERSON Puiverizin the U S Seventy seven members of the Texas House, a majority, are committed to emasculating the American government. They signed the resolution proposing to limit the income tax to 25 percent of income. This, t h e “millionaire’s amendment,” would force the government to abolish all the exemptions for the average family and take literally 25 percent of total salaries and wages while the millionaires became multimillionaires and the multimillionaires became billionaires. We cannot believe all 77 members fully understood what they were signing. It’s all very confusing. First Representative Joe introduces -a bill which is ‘thought to be designed to enhance the chances of Martin Dies for promotian to the Senate. Next We learn that Representative Joe himself is scheming to run for the Dies vacancy if Dies wins. But then Ben Ramsey, the Lieutenant Governor with what the sketches in the dailies call the “dry the says lie’s keeping his “ear to the g -rourid” and may run for the Senate, presumably with Dies withdrawing. Now anybody even on the outside edge of the inside knows Ben Ramsey is a regular pool-mate of Lyndon Johnson’s at the Pedernales retreat and that both Ramsey and Johnson are politidal executors for Brown and Root, the reactionary Houston firm. So lo ! Monday on the Austin scene appear two agents of Brown and Root, joshing Posh Oltorf, one of its Washington lobbyists, and Brown Booth from the Houston office. -What’s the party p oiterit y The legislature ought to be tape recording all, its committee meetings and House and Senate sessions. The tapes could be kept on catalogue at the state library for public use. Think of the valuable information lost ; of the fine orations unrecorded; of the crucial decisions reduced to a colorless sentence or two in the school textbooks ; of the chippings from special axe grindings swept out with the cigarette butts. Atape recording of the proceedings would protect legislators from misquotes and constituents from thegarden path.’ Journalists would have proof should their reporting lead to legal difficulties. Fifty years from now Grand-Junior could listen -to daddy’s speech. in defense of higher bus fares for the school kiddiesLand there’s the rub. The legislators would just as soon forgetand have everybody else forgetsome of the things they say. They’re right, probably. But it’s a good idea, anyway. Iseerperating The State Observer, eombined with The East Tess Democrat FEBRUARY 5, 1957 Ronnie Duirger, Editor and General Manager Bob Bray, Associate Editor Sarah Payne, Office Manager Published onee a week from Austin, Texas. Delivered postage prepaid $4 per annum. Advertising rates available on request. Extra copies 10c each/ Quantity orders available.. Entered as second-class matter April 26. 1987, at the Post Office at Austin, Texas, under the act of March II, 1879. If they did, the people have certainly elected some odd-balls. We are pleased to note that one of the signers, Frates Seligson of San Antonio, is also in favor of cities issiAng bonds for slum clearance in, cooperation with the federal goVernment. \(“In many localities in this state there exist slum and blight areas .. which require ‘conservation, rehabilitation, arid redevelopment,” ance and every other federal activity, including maintaining the national security, would be pulverized by the 25 percent amendment. line, Posh was asked. Keep Out that Republican ! \(In other words, pass Next day who began putting pressure on state legislators to pass the Pool bill? Mind, Lyndon Johnson and Sam Rayburn have always had the greatest regard for the independence, integrity, and limitless wisdoM .of the Texas legislature; but it was they, iiiinnnn person. Old Shivers buddy Ben to the rescuethat’s the play, we guess. What started as Joe Pool’s folly has become a ‘Johnson-Rayburn meataxe for special application to the skulls of Thad Hutcheson and Ralph Yarborough. Back to Fifteenth Century Florentine politics in search of parallels. We find it passing interesting that so little thought has been given to the ‘strong possibility That all these compUtations and maneuverings will’ not defeat Yarborough, in which case he would be the senator, after all. It takes an act of will in the midst of this mess of pressure politics to return to the issue that underlies the .turmoil–not whether majority runoffs should be held in special elections, but whether legislation should proceed from general cases or specific vendettas against this person or that. The election has been called, the candidates have already anflounced under the present law in good faith. Surely the legislature will. not abuse its policy-making trust by making itself partner to the partisanship of the moment, even, upon the arrogant bidding of the politicians in Washington. eit4er, Or So! Governor Daniel is using his influence behind the scenes to double the college tuition rates. This, like robbing Peter to pay Paul, is robbing pupils to pay professors.’ The , argument is put forward the Texas tuition is very low among the states. That is exactly how it should be in one of the richest states in the union. 6 TELEPHONE in Austin : GReenwood 7-0746. HOUSTON OFFICE : 2501 Crawford St.., Howton, Mrs. R. D. Randolph, treasurer. We will serve no group or party but will hew hard to the truth as we find it and the right as we see it. We are dedicated to the whole truth, to human values above all interests, to the rights of man as the foundation of democracy ; we will take orders from none but our own conscience, and never will we overlook or misrepresent the truth to serve the interests of the powerful or eater to the ignoble in the human spirit. MAILING ADDRESS : 504 West 14th St., Austin, Texas. THE OLTORF AUSTIN . :Three cheers for our roto-broilei anti-C omit unis t, the prototype American, ‘Chain fyi o n of -White Motherhood, defender of the Seat You Sit Tight In While You Grab for Another one, Martin Die l ! A bully -idea, Martinholding down. the” radio and TV spending in the Senate race to what the law requires. The plan is so radical it’s getting headlines all over the state. Politicians obeying their own laws ! Next thing yoU know..they’ll be putting each other in jail. The legislators, of course, have been busy with the Pool bill. Everybody is dunning theni about it except their constituents, who don’t understand it, which is why it will pass if it does. So they’re not much worried about Martin’s Crusade for Honesty in Elections. But they ought to be. Imagine how nice it would be if we didn’t have to listen to half a dozen politicians telling’ us every night for the next two months what great fellows they are. The legislature really. ought to set up a committee to watchdog the . election and enforce their laws instead of changing them. I F THEX DECIDE to set up a committee to police the expenditures, we have a nomination for the committee’s general counsel. Posh 01 torf, of course. That’s the man. The legislature shouldn’t let such expert talent, so well versed in the ins and outs, and outs and ins, of financing political . campaigns, go “untapped.” As is well known, Oltorf has been working the government halls for Brown and Root in Washington many years nowever since he gave up his fiery leadership of the House liberals. Why just Thursday he was having lunch with Ben Ramsey at the Driskill. Think what excellent sources he would have for his workno indirections = or secretive investigations for him ! He could march right up to Ramsey and say, “Ben, now tell me COMMITTEE right out, what did you spend on your newspaper ads last Week?” Trite, Ben has had a little trouble in the courts about just that little thing, but friendship transcends all that. We don’t expect Ralph Yarborough will object to Martin’s sporting proposition. The legal limit on radio, TV, and newspaper spending is larger than Yorborough’s unpaid debt from his last campaign, so he’ll be delighted to play a one-raise game with a two-bit -limit on the bet. THE ONLY palpably unpractical aspect of the Dies plan is that he wants Congress to investigate the election that hasn’t occurred yet. We pppose instead that the legislature, already so preoccupied with the election, set up this committee, you see, and have Posh keep an eye on things, and if they get out of hand even so, draw up a code of ethics for Senate candidates, providing: “Hereafter, in every election exclusive of elections for the Senate, no Senate candidate shall spend more money than is contributed to his campaign. , “No Senate candidate shall maintain liaison, contact, discourse, recourse, conversation, or any other communication of import with any campaign contributor who has a controlling interest in his-soul, except as otherwise provided by law. “No Senatee -candidate shall accept any contribution, .gift, favor, assist, or other thing of value fi-om any contributor whose subsequent interest in legislation might place. the candidate in a substantial conflict of interest with other campaign contributors, provided that this shall not apply to elections between the effective date of this code and the year 2100. “A n y Senate candidates found guilty of violating this code by the innocent candidates in the race shall be punished by public demands for their withdrawal from the race by the innocent candidates, provided a majoritv of the candidates are innocent.” RONNIE DUGGER 41″ each to ‘Machiavelli &xas Ohsrrurr