ustxtxb_obs_1961_05_06_50_00006-00000_000.pdf

Gonzalez Primed For Si-Tax Battle AUSTIN Sen. Henry Gonzalez of San Antonio, whom veteran filibusterer Wardlow Lane has described approvingly as “a man of a few thousand words,” said ‘this week he will try to talk the sales tax bill to death when it reaches the Senate floor. Gonzalez said he is capable of filibustering the sales tax measure more than 30 hours”conservatively speaking.” He called HB 727, which Rep. Charles Wilson of Trinity carried through the House, “lobbyola” because “it is a lobby-written bill if I ever saw one.” He said he specifically sees the “ice, public utilities, and oil and gas lobbies taken care of.” Gonzalez pointed to Article 40.03, Paragraph 1, which taxes water, electricity, gas, telephone and telegraph service “if used for domestic purposes,” but does not tax industry or business for using these utilities. “In other words, a person will pay a two per cent tax to send a wire telling of a death In the family, but a corporation will pay no tax on a telegram relating to a million-dollar transaction. “Housewives will pay two per cent tax on the as they ‘use to cook the family supper, but hotels won’t pay a cent of tax on the gas used to prepare a costly banquet. “Country clubs will pay no tax on the water used to keep the golf greens in good shape for their wealthy clients, but poor families will pay two per cent tax on every cup of water they drink at home.” Sealy’s Hand He noted that ice is exempt from the sales tax \(Art. 40.05 Preston Weatherred, Dallas lobbyist for the ice industry, happy indeed. And I notice that Torn Sealy, the man who foisted the sales tax on the state, has written in exemptions on oil and gas equipment. How brazen can you get?” Gonzalez predicted that if administration of the sales tax “would bring Texas to chaos,” citing as an example: “This measure repeals the 11/4 per cent sales tax on autos now collected by county assessors, and puts the collection of the new tax in the hands of thousands of auto dealers in the state. Not only will the dealers get a three per cent cut for collecting the tax, meaning the state will get that much less, but the state also will have a much more difficult time working with auto dealers than it now has with regular assessors.” He noted “conflicts galore” between sections “that will throw into complete turmoil the procedural methods of the comptroller.” He also noted “quite a number of loopholes which people in business and industry will be quick to spot, but which the average taxpayer will not be able to take advantage of.” He said the very fact that such a measure has progressed so far “shows that tax-writing in the state is being delegated to the Tax Research League. It shows we should have a closer working arrangement between the legislature and the tax-gathering agencies \(such as the comptrolical to me there is more chubbiness, more cheek-by-jowl work going on between the comptroller and private tax agencies than between the comptroller and the Senate of Texas.” B.S. Da Dum Da Dum Da.. AUSTIN That noble tradition started in Texas in 1932 with the establishment of the first poet laureatepetuated for the next two years by Mrs. Lorena Simon, and judging by the snappy little talk she made to the House this week, the tradition rests in the kind of aesthetic hands Texas has come . to expect for the honorary job. Poet Laureate Simonwife of Samuel Simon of Port Arthur, devotee of Whittier and Longfellow, alumna of Julliard School of Musicappeared before the House to thank the lawmakers for her appointment, and wound up quoting a sample of her work, from the book “From My Heart,” towit: I. . and give me that good old Texas land, The State where I was born, The forest highthe prairie wide, The rose without a thorn. I love it well, I love it all, And there I hope to stay, No matter where e’er I roam, Give me Texas and the good old USA.” When Mrs. Simon came to the line’ “The rose without a thorn,” she gestured to the yellow rose in her lapel, and later she reminded reporters to mention she was wearing a yellow rose of Texas. Rep. Tom James gave her a standing ovation. B.S. CLASSIFIED Visit THE MUSIC BOX in Houston. 2305 S. Shepherd. Classical and show music, folk songs. Owned by Grady Price and John Burke. THE TEXAS OBSERVER Page 6 May 6, 1961 -258-2525251525222.522.52952.52.9.525 What Those Who Know Have Said About THE PETAL PAPER Box 349 Hattiesburg, Mississippi “It’s a traitor to our cause.” Jefferson Davis, President, SCA. “Can’t read, so I don’t subscribe.” Jubilation T. Cornpone, Statesman. “It’s a traitor to our cause.” Nathan B. Forest, General CSA. “Our sheets are again the thing.” Digby Cooclose, Grand Dragon, CSA Klan. “It’s a traitor to our cause.” John C. Calhoun, another Statesman. “Everyone should subscribe to this brilliant, witty, gay, charming bimonthly paper. It’s only $5.00 per year, and ain’t worth it, but the editor loves to live high and think low.” P. D. East, the editor of the darned thing. Yes, Senator Eastland, there ‘is a Petal Paper! T “” ‘I” T T do RELIABLE REAL ESTATE SERVICE Arthur Hajecate METROPOLITAN REALTY CO. 4340 Telephone Road HOUSTON, TEXAS vir The word from San Antonio is that Rep. Berry, who was loyally supported by labor, the Negroes and the Latin Americans in his district, is now in deep and perhaps permanent trouble because of his vote for the sales tax. Indications are that he has gone on the defensive over the matter, because he turned up at the committee hearing on the teacher pay bill for a talk implying that he had risked his political safety for the good of the schoolmarms. g o ot Rep. Dan Struve’s bill \(HB to regulate telephone rates in Texas has been voted out of committee, but the chances for its success on the floor will depend in large part on the number of wires and letters favoring the bill that now pour in from the public. The telephone industry, of course, is already shampooing the legislature with soft soap opposing the legislation. Political Intelligence V Vice President Lyndon John son this week told leading defense contractors the governnient is going to enforce its ban on racial bias on federal projects. Johnson said representatives of 48 of the nation’s biggest defense contractors all agreed to co-operate fully with the administration pol icy. V J. H. West, president of the Texas Farm Bureau, said the Kennedy farm bill would place unparalleled power in the hands of the secretary of agriculture and “build up political machinery that would tighten the noose of bureaucratic control more firmly around the farmer’s neck.” i o of Bill Blakley drew endorse ment from the County Judges and Comrpissioners Assn. of Texas . . . Blakley had a brief ‘non-political’ talk with Pres. Kennedy and Defense Secretary McNamara at the White House. With McNamara later he discussed the Kennedy order closing various military installations in Texas and the Kennedy decision to stop production of the B-58 at Convair in Fort Worth. “I felt very assured after meeting the President,” he said. V John Tower, speaking in Antonio, said many liberals will “go fishing” and others will vote for him May 27. “Most of them, I expect, will go fishing because they don’t like either Mr. Blakley or me, but some of them will vote for me because they dis like me less.” He said this is sur prising in some ways because he is the “consistent conservative.” He said he will receive many of the Wright and Wilson votes and has been “particularly successful” in securing support from Wright people in Tarrant County . . . At a speech in San Antonio Tower said he favors a capitalistic sys tem that allows “a man in a life time to earn $200 million, an air AUSTIN Civil Defense worked as expected when the capital city participated in the nationwide mock alert. Austin was told the sirens , would sound Friday afternoon. But Thursday ,evening one of the sirens in South Austin went off by mistake. Many people, wondering if the nation were under attack, panicked; some left town. Telephone connections with police and fire departments were clogged, as was the Bergstrom ator. Best bet may be a bid for re-election. Even so, he is in a difficult position, for it is not considered likely that he would oppose Yarborough for the Senate in 1964. He might be stymied until 1966. V Senator Gonzalez has been mentioned as a candidate for Congress from San Antonio, or a candidate for congressmanat-large. If he wanted it, clearly he would have a better claim on the liberals’ congressional bid from Bexar than Maverick: he ran ahead of Maverick almost 3to-1 there. 1 Reports are now circulating in Washington that “the Texas liberals may revolt against Blakley.” Puzzled national journalists have aimed inquiries down here to find out what’s going on. V Pressure has been building up on Democratic of ficeholders to endorse Blakley. While Sen. Lyndon Johnson’s power has not been felt much, Sam Rayburn’s has. Maverick especially has come under pressure. He told the San Antonio press late last week he has asked Archbishop Lucey to hide him out in a trappist monastery until after May 27th. Wright, Wilson, and \(relucBlakley. Byron Fullerton, one of Wilson’s campaign aides and formerly an assistant attorney general, has joined Blakley’s staff in the Austin headquarters. Mrs. R. D. Randolph, the Houston leader, has said neither Tower nor Blakley stand for what she believes. g o of Literature is now being cir culated among Negro voters against Blakley. One piece is the transcript of the hearings on the confirmation of the Negro federal housing administrator \(BlakBlakley continues to be the favorite in a Democratic state, a low turnout combined with Negroes voting for Tower might result in an upset. polf Edwin Hawes, Jr., old-time Wharton Democrat, has written Blakley noting that three Blakley campaign blurbs Hawes re:eived did not specify Blakley’s party affiliation, asking him if he is a Democrat, and asking further what Democratic objectives he embraces. Air Force Base switchboard. Of course it was impossible to get through to the Civil Defense office. Then came Friday afternoon and time for the practice alert. With it came a bad weather alert from the weather bureau, with advice to the citizens to keep an ear cocked to their radios for possible tornado warnings. But how could they when the radio stations would be off the airexcept for Conalrad Channels 640 and 1240from 3 to 3:30 p.m.? Austin had been told by Civil Defense Director W. A. Kengla that the sirens would be used to warn against tornadoes, too, so the town was left to wonder whether Friday’s wailing was practice, or really a warning against an approaching twister. In either case, nearly one-third of the sirens failed to work when the 3 p.m. deadline arrived. Me chanical trouble put one of the sirens out of commission. But on three others, the wires were cut. Said Kengla sternly: “We’ve got some citizens who don’t take a realistic view of civil defense. We may have to move the control boxes up higher on the poles where nobody can reach them.” BS Campaign Items Daniel for Judgeship? line, and several insurance companies.” He ridiculed the Blakley campaign slogan “Keep ,Blakley in the Senate” and said “somebody ought to try to keep him in the Senate.” He charged Blakley missed 44 per cent of Senate roll calls during his first interim appointment and has voted only once out of 23 times on issues, some of them important, during the current session. tor Time Magazine commented, “To win support of Texas urging Blakley to slow down his sniping at the Kennedy legislative program. But Blakley is not co-operating.” g o or Jim Wright, In Austin to ad dress the House, told the Observer on rumors he would run for governor, “It’s just too early. I hadn’t given any serious consideration prior to this election. There have been so many people who, apparently spontaneously, have brought up the matter, I’m loathe to close the door on it without considering it seriously.” Blakley later this week had some of his first words of kindness for Kennedy, coincidentally with the official opening of Blakley’s campaign for the runoff. After a 15-minute chat with the President, Blakley came away saying, “I think the President is on the job and is doing a good job and knows what he is doing.” V The Houston Press specu lates, “Politicos say you can look for Congressman Jim Wright to toss his hat in the governor’s race next time around, with Maury Maverick as his running mate for lieutenant governor. .. .