ustxtxb_obs_1960_09_23_50_00002-00000_000.pdf

Policy Dissents Muted Daniel: ‘I’m Satisfied; Dallas Protests ‘Gyp’ DALLAS A bronc called Harris County cavorted wildly in an arena called State Democratic Convention before being tamed by Gov. Price Daniel. There were some on hand who maintained the governor illegally Used spurs. Locally, the proceeding were important because another bronc, called Dallas County, acted like it wanted to get into the wild horse chute. In accepting the plaudits of supporters, Gov. Daniel commented: “We broke another record. This \(adjournment of the than ever before.” To the first reporter within earshot, the Governor added, “I’m satisfied.” Only “old pros” could appreciate the Governor’s accomplishally “Governors convention” entirely within that category, and form from a Texas trampling. “Maybe some in Dallas will realize the pros know more than they thought we did,” said Manuel DeBuck, secretary to the Dallas County Executive Committee, and a holder-of-the-reins in trying to keep the local delegation from bolting the Governor’s corral. Outside the State Fair Musical Hall, some Dallas convention delegates paraded carrying placards opposing various contested planks in the national party platform. They were mostly ladies, they were willing to talk to reporters, and what they said, unmistakably, was that they had been gypped. Harris County delegateS W. Gail Reeves, former Houston city councilman, was one of six Harris delPga -tP .c 1P4i0 _0-Mission to the conventioneven after other delegates went in with Daniel’s blessing. He claimed representatives of one-eighth of Texas were denied a convention voice until the shouting was all over. He said he did not know where he would take his vote in November but that it wouldn’t be cast for KennedyJohnson. Dallas County chairman Ed Drake, who won personal victory under the Daniel wing, couldn’t even muster an I-Told-You-So. “It’s been humiliating to the Dallas delegation and to the party,” he said of the afternoon’s events. Tumbled from his Dallas leadership the night before when he sided with Daniel against open repudiation of the national platform, Drake was absent from the AUSTIN By a simple change, Atlantic and Tidewater oil companies now propose to cut their expenses in the rich East Texas oilfield by as much as $22 million in the 1960’s. The change would also, `according to testimony from Atlantic before the Texas Railroad Commission this week, cut the number of producing wells in the field about half, from 19,200 to 10,900. A high staff spokesman at the commission said it’s a real good oilfield, and production would not be hurt by production at a harder rate. Neither the overall allowables, royalties, nor the nonprorated wells would be affected. But obviously the East Texas oil economy would need more than 8,000 used oil pumps to recover from the blow. The idea, somewhat simplified: instead of producing each well’s production allowable through each well, eight wells’ allowable Dallas delegate section most of the day. Chants of “We Want Harris County” from Dallas and a scattering of other delegations sounded over the convention floor almost an hour before the racal.citrants were admitted to the aircooled hall about 3 p.m. It was like arriving for a movie in time to see the final credit lines for the actors. Important committees had reported to the convention, and their work approved. Conservative hopes for an open fight on national party platform went glimmering. Adding to the injury, door guards would not permit the Harris groups to bring anti-national platform signs into the convention. As the convention sped toward its close Gov. Daniel sat in the wings at the side of the stage where he could watch speakers, reporting to the assembly and keep an eye on the workings of committees backstage. Rows of desks, presided over by pretty girls, were spaced backstage, where -the progress of the convention was traced. There were also large maps of seating arrangements so that one knew at a glance where to find any county delegation. Mrs. Hilda Weinert, national committeewoman, and Byron Skelton, national .committeeman, caught the brunt of the “We Want Harris County” chant as they tried to speak in the early afternoon. Mrs. J. W. Walker of Plainview, matronly chairman of the Hale County delegation, was moved to walk before the Dallas group and ask, “Why don’t you go out and vote for Nixon if that’s what you want?” RARE PROSECUTION of intercourse in a winter’s time are not sufficient to be habitual. “How many grains of sand does it take to make a sandpile?” asked Rogers in reply. “Well, this case looks like a sandpile to me . . .” The defendant may have tried indirectly to raise the question of discrimination, Rogers said. “Everyone who comes into this courtroom is under the protection of the law; the question shouldn’t even enter your mind,” he said. Gordon did not take the stand in his own defense. would be produced through one, and the other seven shut down as per would be produced through one, and two shut down. This Tuesday East Texas merchants from Kilgore and other centers came to Austin to protest. They feared loss of employment, equipment sales, and a drag, on light industry in their area. Atlantic’s reservoir engineering supervisor said before the hearing, “If the commission approves this proposal, we will be able to operate one well for what it cost us previously to operate eight.” Atlantic atty. J. W. Stayton told the commission if the proposals do not decrease production, the state should “let us save this money.” The commission will rule sometime after a 30-day wait for the filing of briefs. and Timanus with Fred Hartman, publisher of the Baytown Sun, and Houston attorney John H. Crooker Jr. Fist Fights; Confedrates State committeeman Billy Goldberg lodged the complaint that kept the Harris County delegation out of the convention until it was almost over. An SDEC credentials committee began investigating the charge that some 130 members of the 295vote Harris delegation had met in August and voted to repudiate the national platform and the party nominees. Tempers flared at a Monday meeting of the committee and erupted in a fist fight when George Polk of Houston socked Marvin Zindler of Houston, then wrestled him to the floor before the pair could be separated. Zindler had attacked Polk verbally for things he claimed Polk said in a political newspaper called the “Texas Counselor.” Zindler cursed ‘Polk and called him a “propagandist of ‘hate.” Mrs. R. Max Brooks of Austin, out-going vice chairman of the SDEC and a member of the credentials committee, almost provoked another fight on convention day when she demanded that all of the Harris delegates wearing miniature confederate flags identify themselves. The delegation roared to its feet with shouts of “dictator” and “totalitarian.” One man cried, “I’m wearing a shirt, do you want my name?” “Now you are trying to tell us what kind of clothes to wear,” a woman added. “Give me some courtesy,” Mrs. Brooks demanded. “This is a Democratic convention, not a Confederate reunion.” Mrs. Sam Davis of Houston admitted to the credentials committee that she was the editor of the “Texas Counselor,” but refused to disclose who her associates were. “We have a right to organize and speak,” she told Comrnitteeman John Peace of San Antonio. “I take full responsibility for trying to expose Lyridon Johnson.” “We’re supposed to tell the national party what we wantnot to have it handed down to us,” Mrs. Davis added. “If we want to get this country back it will be by the people, not by yellow-dog Democrats,” she said. “I refuse to tell you anything. I stand on the right that even a communist has.” The committee finally agreed to oust Timanus, Charlton, Mrs. Davis, W. Gail Reeves, who is a former Houston city councilman, Fred Gray, and Zindler. Drake’s Reversal At a Monday night caucus, the Dallas delegation discarded Ed Drake’s recommendation to make their national platform feelings known in the state platform. Sometime between Drake’s first call to conservatives for complete repudiation and the time to caucus, he had changed his stand. Doug Ford and Giles Miller led the Dallas move for complete repudiation. Miller also tried to get Drake to become a candidate for temporary chairman of the convention, but Drake declined. Miller said he would get another candidate, and it was believed he persuaded Jack Cox of Breckenridge to run, but the issue never came to a vote. “We don’t want to go along with ther, Adam Powell, and Alger Hiss,” Miller told the Dallas caucus. Bab Payne told the group, THE TEXAS OBSERVER Page 2 Sept. 23, 1960 “We’ve been betrayed and betrayed good and proper by Lyndon Johnson. How do you think you can trust these people who are running this convention?” State Sen. George Parkhouse said he wanted to make it clear that the party should adopt a platform that “flatly says that any candidate elected in this state shall vote continuously to keep the right to work provision in the Taft-Hartley law.” Drake was booed by the caucus when he asked for no direct condemnation of the platform. He said he had been “persona non grata in the national party for many years, and I am rapidly becoming persona non grata in the state party.” After being rejected at his own caucus, Drake reconvened the statewide caucus of conservatives, but then left the -meeting. Fort Worth oilman Arch Rowan took over as spokesman for the group and said they had ,formed a steering committee to fight for repudiation of the platform. He would not name the committee. Rowan took a resolution before the platform committee to repudiate, but was turned down on a vote of 29-2. That was the only chance the conservatives got to heckle the’ national party. Albert Pena of San Antonio presented a resolution calling for endorsement of the entire platform, ‘but it died for want of a second. “You are betraying Lyndon B. Johnson,” Pena said. “You are embarrassing him throughout the United States.” He also accused the platform committee of “sticking a knife in the backs of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.” By the time the platform was read to the convention body, the Houston delegation had been seated. They joined with Dallas and Tarrant County in loud jeering of the document. Daniel Keynote In his keynote address to the convention, Daniel told the more than 2,000 delegates that he was solidly behind the national ticket. The convention did not endorse the ticket, but Daniel said he didn’t believe it was necessary because the June state convention pledged state party leaders to support all local, state, and national candidates. His speech was punctuated by cries of “where is Harris County?” The Governor said he could see no conflict in supporting the nominees while opposing part of the platform. ‘It happens. all the time, and there are members of Congress SAN ANTONIO Texas’ older citizens will lose $27 million a year in federal funds under old age assistance and medical care laws as revised by Congress until the legislature appropriates $10 million in matching state funds, Sen. Ralph Yarborough. said here as’ he dedicated the new 185-apartment public housing unit for the aged, “Golden Age Home.” The session of Congress just ended provided $12 more a month above the current $65 a month maximum for old age assistance and federal funds for medical care for those aged persons not on old age assistance but not able to pay their medical bills, Yarborough says. In addition, the limit on earned income for persons on social security was raised from $1.200 to $1,500. Yarborough had advocated a new $2,400 ceiling. Advocating “social justice, not charity” for the aged, Yarborough said that in a wealthy society in from Texas who are not about to support everything in the platform,” he said. “In my opinion, it’s just as foolish to oppose the national platform 100 per cent as it is to be for it 100 per cent. I appeal to you, even though you may differ with the Governor, with part of the platform, let’s make this September convention another dignified, orderly convention. I hope that when the state platform is adopted you won’t vote against me for governor, and I hope you will apply the same rule in supporting the national nominees,” Daniel said. National committeewoman Hilda Weinert of Seguin was almost drowned out by the booing crowd of Dallas and . Tarrant conservatives. Committeeman Byron Skelton of Temple received a mixed reception of cheers and boos when he told the convention it has more to gain in the November election than any other state. Skelton chastised disSident conservative delegates by saying, “There are those who came to Dallas today when they should have gone to Galveston with the Republicans.” “You’re either a Democrat and you belong here, or you are not and you don’t belong in this convention hall,” Skelton added. Finishing its business in record time, the convention was adjourned less than an hour after the Houston delegation obtained admission to the hall. Shaking hands vigorously backstage after the convention ended, Daniel said “I am very pleased with the outcome.” Swipes at National The platform, almost identical with the one adopted at the 1958 convention, gave Daniel everything he wanted. It called for strict constitutional government and states’ rights. It took swipes at the national platform in urging retention of right to work laws, the oil depletion allowance, and the Connally amendment governing U.S. par