ustxtxb_obs_1957_04_16_50_00005-00000_000.pdf

A Free Newspaper Since 1954 The Texas Observer has been waging a weekly war on corruption in Texas with scoops and candor. . Since 1954 this newspaper has stood fast for the ideals of liberal democracy which go begging for a friendly nod from the metropolitan dailies. Since 1954 this newspaper has been owned by one group of independent liberals and written and edited by an entirely different group of professional journalists whose only instruction is to follow their own consciences. An Honored Newspaper Since 1954 the Observer has been favorably noted in national magazinesNew Republic, Nation, Harper’s, Coronet, Lookand in newspapers over the country and abroad. Since 1954 the Observer has been needled and ignored by many of the large Texas dailies and quoted in many of the Teas weeklies. Since 1954 the Observer has been cursed by more Shivercrats than any other newspaper in the state. A Much-Read Newspaper Since 1954 the Observer has spread to every county in Texas, three fourths of the states of the union, and several foreign countries. Today it is read by informed people of various political persuasions in leadership roles all over Texas. Many of its editorial programs are adopted, and others will be in the course of time. The Texas Observer Four dollars, a year. Do you subscribe? Do your friends ? THE TEXAS OBSERVER Subscription Blank Please enter the following name for one year’s subscription: Name Address Mail the subscription to Texas Observer, 504 West 24th Street, Austin, Texas. Pt S. Should you get more than one new subscriber, list them on separate sheet of paper; careful to give name and correct address. Beer Employs Ex-Sen. Rogers ETHICS CODE TO BE LAW; OSORIO FIGHT IN MAKING lobbyist who represented many potent clients last session, has testified this session on behalf independent telephone owners. He owns a telephone firm at Rock Springs. Clint Small, Sr., an Austin attorney, has as clients the Building and Loan League, La Gloria Oil and Gas, the Chicago Corporation, Warren Petroleums, and Panhandle oil and gas interests. The state’s firemen and policemen this session bundled up their requested pay raises in SB 82 by Sen. Jep Fuller, Port Arthur, and HB 36 by Rep. Charles Hughes, Sherman. Tom Pinckney, for the firefighters association, and Houston police sergeant Earl Maughbeen contested by spokesmen of the city governments on the issue, especially C. C. Crutchfield as spokesman for the Texas League of Municipalities. City officials have also opposed the raise,. notably including the Democratic national committeeman, Byron Skelton, city attorney of Temple. Sen. Doyle Willis, Fort Worth, has obtained qualified Senate committee approval of a measure increasing longevity pay for this group. Pickney says he has “kinda talked against this some.” Willis introduced the bill without the backing of the firemen and policemen. . Fred Nieman, former representative, has done legal work for the home builders on the urban an attorney. He has worked for the clptometrists, but “not before the legislature,” he avers. John Terrell is regular representative for the Texas Homebuilders’ Assn., which has sought reductions in title insurance through the Insurance Commission. Clint Little of Stewart Title looks out for the title companies’ interests in the Capitol. Labor’s Respite There are lobbies in Austin which are better designated as “constituent lobbie s.” They draw their strength from the groupings of large numbers of people whom they represent. Chief among them are the labor, teacher, and farm lobbies. The unions have had an active session. With Sen. George Parkhouse, Dallas, hard at work on water legislation, they have had respite from the usual spate of fresh restrictive legislation. They have picked up the offense and are trying to get through bills on industrial safety, a labor-management mediation service, a 40-cent minimum wage, and other such programs. But most of their time has been taken up with negotiations over the complicated workmen’s compensation bill. Representing the Texas State Federation of Labor are Jerry Holleman, John McCully, and attorney Houston Clinton, Jr. The Texas State CIO Council is spoken for by Fred Schmidt and Bob Eckhardt, Houston attorney and chairman of the Harris County Democrats. \(Eckhardt has also appeared in the latter capalobbyist is Bob Bryant; he has been occupied with several bills that would strengthen rail passenger service and accomplish other objectives. The workmen’s comp situation illustrates several aspects of lobbying. Negotiations on a compromise bill started a year and a half ago Holleman, Schmidt, Clinton on one side for labor, Callan Graham and Charley Mur phy on the other side for TMA. But when the union leaders found that some of their locals and the Texas Assn. of Claimants Attys. were opposed to the contemplated compromise, they backed off. Now it looks like a scramble and maybe no bill at all. The case also illustrates the direct connection between special interest groups and legislation. Said TMA’s newsletter of the workmen’s comp bill introduced by Rep. Wade Spilman: “H. B. 433 has been introduced by Spilman as the Employers’ Bill.” Similarly, Rep. Don Kennard introduced the bill the unions wanted. The attempt is really to compromise the wishes of conflicting groups, with legislators’ views tending to seek out such compromise as the end in view. The claimant lawyers are led in Austin by Werner’ Brock of Houston. Franklin Jones of Marshall has testified against the TMA-AFL-CIO agreement to try to settle more cases administratively and cut down legal fees. TMA is now pushing its own bill without labor’s approval of its proposed apportionment of the compensation money among the injured workers, by which workers earning more than $67 a week would get less compensation. Charles Tennyson and L. P. Sturgeon a r e the authorized spokesmen for the Texas State Teachers’ Assn. Their main interest, of course, is teachers’ pay raises. Their main method is pressure on members from teachers. The farm bureau, through its lobbyist, Gene Leach, has taken an interest in a lot of legislation, and it has come under attack from Rep. Louis Anderson, Midland, for “sticking its nose” into everybody’s business. It has supported flexible casualty insurance rates, has sought changes in the appropriations bill, and has taken an interest in feed and egg regulation bills. W. P. Watts is the legislative agent of the pay raise seeking state employees. The Women’s Christian Temperance Union staged a mass march on the House liquor regulation commitBreweries Strong The liquor lobby’s most active agent is Homer Leonard of the Texas Brewers’ Institute. He has working for him ex-Sen. Johnnie B. Rogers, who also lobbies for some insurance interests, and Burke Summers, an old standby who is doing a lot of ad hoc feeding and watering. \(Rep. W. S. Heatly charged in floor debate: “They are running this House.” Responded Rep. Malcolm McGregor: “I don’t think the breweries are running any of Mike Brennan, Texas Wine Association lobbyist, is regarded as one of the “big feeders,” even though he has not had to cope with legislation affecting his clients in many years. The Wholesale Beer Distributors Assn. is represented by Robert 0. Smith and Frank Rawlings. \(Rawlings Emmett Morse is general counsel for the Texas Wholesale Liquor Dealers’ Assn. Leonard and Morse are both former Speakers of the House. Major water lobbyist is John D. McCall of the Dallas firm of McCall, Parkhurst, and Crowe. He has drafted a lot of water bills. Ex-rep. J. W. Cooper is in Austin this session lobbying for Sodth Texas water interests. Joe Green hill of Graves, Daugherty , and Greenhill in Austin alsO has some water clients. Of special interest is the opthalmic dispensing lobby, represented here by Oliver Morey working this session for paSsage of S. B. 104 by Sen. Doyle Willis, Fort Worth. This bill, now buried in. subcommittee, would set up a licensing board for dispensing opticians \(who fill eyeglasses prescriptions for medical doctors and number about 325, t wit with in their state associa io Rep. Joe Pool, Dallas, has the House companion bill, H.B. 1. Asked how he got Rep. Jack Bryan, Buffalo, who drew the right to introduce H. B. 1, to relin 7 quish the right to Pool, Morey said he had asked Bryan to do it and Bryan, a “happy go lucky fella,” then released it to Pool. Morey says “we’ve been down here for three sessions like li’l rascals trying to get a licensing bill.” It passed the House last session but the Senate sine died on it. Callan Graham, former general counsel for TMA, is now that officer for the Texas Good Roads Assn. His chief interest this session has been passage of the bills giving the state the power of eminent domain to facilitate highway construction. The Texas League of Municipalities has sought to restrict the bills. Judge F. L. Kuykendall represents the State Board of Accountancy, Lone Star Gas, the Texas Society of CPA’s, Kansas City Title, and Firestone Tire & Rubber. G. Emmett Bauknight is general counsel for the Texas chiropractors, who have, however, been rather scarce this session. The sportsmen’s clubs of Texas seek to serve wildlife conservation. Cecil Reid is executive secretary. He watches all sports legislation and is opposed now to the bills raising fishing licenses from $1.65 to $2.15 and hunting licenses from $1.65 to $3.15. Carl Hardin, Sr., looks out for the Private Truck Owners’ Assn. His son, Carl Hardin, Jr., lobbies for the Texas dentists. Ray Kirkpatrick represents the state cemetery association and has some gas company clients. Capt. John Draper is agent for the Oilfield. Haulers’ Assn. and cooperates with Taylor’s trucking lobby. ExSen. G. C. Morris represents the automotive parts dealers. Ex-Rep. Jim Yancy represents the Retail Merchants Assn. The League of Women Voters, State Bar, PTA, Federated Wornen’s Clubs, Texas State Democratic Women’s Committee, and many other such organizations have legislative policies they seek to advance. The naturopaths have suspended their lobbying since Feb. 20. SECRET VOTES ON SHIVERS APPOINTEES AUSTIN The Observer can report the secret votes by which R. M. Dixon, chairman of the State Board of Water Engineers, and R. F. Newman, the “labor” representative on the Texas Employment Cornmission, were confirmed by the Senate last week. In executive session the Senate confirmed these two controversial appointments of ex-Gov. Allan Shivers after much delay. Voting against Dixon: Senators Ray Roberts, Frank Owen, Hubert H u d s o n, Andy Rogers, George Moffett, Neveille Colson, Jep Fuller, Preston Smith, and Crawford Martin. Voting against Newman: Senators Henry Gonzalez, Doyle Willis, and William T. Moore. Moore first did not vote and then recorded his vote as nay. Senator Abraham Kazen of Laredo was not present. AUSTIN Governor Daniel, at a press conference, said he believes insurance reorganization is now one of the most important measures pending in the legislature. He is backing bills which will in effect give him an opportunity to appoint an entirely n e w commission to carry out a unified administration in place of the present division of the commission. into three insurance subareas. He also endorsed more examiners for the commission. He said “circumstances did require” the code of ethics bill, that he’s very pleased with it and will sign it. House chances for passage of his own statewide crime commission seem to him good, but he has not found “that much interest” in the Senate. Asked about slum clearance and party registration bills, he said he had not seen either and had not formulated views on them. He endorsed putting state juvenile institutions under a new State Youth Council. He vetoed the bill to reduce license fees on second breweries of a proprietor from $10,000 to $500. He said the fees “are inequitable” but feared a precedent might be set for multiply-owned grocery stores and other establishments. It was his first veto. Daniel said he is for the Kelly bill to prohibit use of any name so similar to the name of the Democratic Party “that it will leave the impression that the group was the party group.” It would not be ,broad enough, he said, to cover Young Democrats, Stevenson Democrats, or Eisenhower Democrats, but “is aimed, of course, at the organization, Democrats of Texas, which uses stationery, ‘S t a t e Democratic Headquarters.’ A lot of people are going to be misled to think that’s the official Democratic Party of this state.” Daniel said he did not authorize his name be used in connection with Jim Lindsey’s unsuccessful efforts to take over the Young Democrats in Dallas last weekend, on which the Observer will report next issue. At mid-week a serious dispute erupted between John Osorio, the insurance commission chairman, and Governor Daniel. It became apparent that Daniel intends an all-out fight to toss both Osorio and his colleague, Commissioner Mark Wentz, out of the commission. THE TEXAS OBSERVER Page 5 April 16, 1957