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Maverick Gonzalez Gubernatorial Notes- Poll Result Disclosed Gonzalez and Maverick Bexar’s Renewed Coalition ‘SAN ANTONIOforced them to jump I If state Sen. Henry B. Gon zalez bandwagon. zalez is elected to Congress, he will no doubt be the most liberal Texas congressman since the days of Maury Maverick Sr., -FDR’s “young Turk” in the House in the middle ‘thirties. And the irony is this: If Gonzalez succeeds in his bid to replace Cong. Paul Kilday, who resigns in September to fill a vacancy on the U.S. Court of Military Appeals, it will be largely due to the actions of the late New Dealer’s sonMaury Maverick Jr. In fact, Maury’s own political future is inextricably caught up in the fate of Gonzalez in the pending campaign. First, Maury Jr. warmly endorsed Gonzalez shortly after the latter announced, although Maury Jr. has always coveted the same office. Second, it was Maury Jr.indirectly, of course who groomed Gonzalez for first place for the congressional post, by his relatively poor showing in Bexar County in the first special Senate election to fill the seat vacated by Lyndon Johnson. Although Maury ran ahead of Henry over the state, Gonzalez proved once and for all that he was still king of Bexar County liberal politicos. He polled 26,000 votes as compared to Maury Jr.’s 9,000, and still had enough liberal strength to edge John Tower out of first place by more than 5,000 votes. [OR A LONG time, veteran I Bexar politicians assumed it would be Maury Maverick Jr. who would someday follow Kilday to Washington. In fact, it was almost a family obligation for Maury Jr., as it was Kilday, who unseated the elder Maverick in the upset election back in 1938. Third, Maverick himself can take credit for patching up the Bexar County liberal coalition almost torn asunder in the Senate campaignby his prompt endorsement. The coalition elected four liberal Bexar legislators in 1960. A fifth, whom they supported, later defected in the House. After the special election, the coalition had literally fallen apart as animosities lingered among the more partisan Gonzalez .and Maverick backers. Many Northside liberals, who backed Maverick, still nurse a grudge against Gonzalez, but Maverick’s prompt endorsement although there is a hard core Gonzalez minority within its ranks. It grew out of the Citizens for Kennedy organization, which refused to work with the regular county Democratic machinery headed by James Knight and County Commissioner Albert Pena, a staunch liberal and Gonzalez. supporter. The forumheaded by Mrs. Kathleen Voigthas not endorsed Gonzalez yet, but is expected to do so soon. MEANWHILE, these groups have endorsed Gonzalez: The Bexar County AFL-CIO committee on political education; the fire and police association; East Side Negro leaders; Gonzalez’ own West Side backers; most members of the Bexar county Democratic executive committee; and even some conservative Democrats, who have secretly committed themselves to help Gonzalez. Faced with this strong union of moderate and liberal Democrats, Franklin Spears postponed announcing his intention to run in a speech to a luncheon meeting of representatives of these groups, but left the door open in case he changes his mind. Another factor which has operated to unite moderate and liberal Democrats behind Gonzalez was the John Tower election-not only its statewide results but his enormous sweep in Bexar County. Local Democrats have been informed that the state Republican Party is amassing a huge war chest to be spent in Bexar County alone to defeat Gonzalez. Their source of information claims that Republicans plan to pay the filing fees for one Negro and two Latin Americans to drain off Gonzalez’ West and East Side backing. In a city where there are 2,000 citizens named Gonzalez, Republicans figure it won’t be too difficult to find two Latins by the name of Henry Gonzalezeven if they have to find one who spells his last name ending in an “s” to confuse the voters even more. Maverick’s own political future looks brighter as a result of political fence-mending by the county liberal coalition leaders. Maverick, like his father, never ran too strong on the West Side. In fact, it was the Kilday machine powerful vote-getters on the West Side for almost three decadeswhich unseated Maverick Sr. in 1938. The machine was spawned by Sheriff Owen Kilday, Paul’s older brother, who has served as San Antonio chief of police and has held his present office for 22 Independent liberals, along with labor, supported Maverick in his Senatorial bid, while the West and East sides, along with the police and fire associations, backed Gonzalez. After Maverick’s endorsement, the Northside liberals had no place to go. At first, Rep. Franklin Spears, who usually votes with the liberal minority in the legislature, loomed as a formidable candidate for Kilday’s seat. The Democratic Forum a Northside liberal organization is primarily a Maverick group, on the Gon Gatesville Probe AUSTIN An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the wholesale escape of 125 boys from the Gatesville State School was being conducted this week and two guards have been placed under suspicion pending the outcome. The alleged mistreatment by one of the guards of an earlier escapee last Junethe boy was taken to the hospitalreportedly led to the mass escape. Dr. James A. Turman, executive -director of the Youth Council, said the guards will be discharged if there is any evidence of misconduct. MARTIN WANT Sun Life of Canada Houston, Texas CA 4-0686 years. Owenblessed with Shamrock blarneyis an affable Irishman who ruled the West Side until the advent of Gonzalez. Gonzalez has been the first liberal Latin leader whowithout support of the Kilday machine could carry record-shattering vote margins from every West and East Side box, and put these together with enough defecting Northside votes to ride to victory. The Gonzalez “catch-as-catch can” organization seemed to ‘grow up independently of the Kilday machine, and is apparently based on nothing more than Gonzalez’ political personalityas the Kilday machine was partially based on Owen’s popularity. Although Latin-American candidates have successfully been elected to city and county offices, the average West Side voter seems to feel an even stronger self-identification with Gonzalez. But take Gonzalez away, and is there a real political machine? Even some of Henry’s more ardent admirers despair of his lack of organization on the West Side. One West Side leader said: “It is almost impossible to work with Henry as far as organizational precinct work is concerned. All I can do is to get him to make a speech in my area a few ,days before the election. And then, voters come to the polls that I can never get to the polls when Henry’s not on the ticket.” The Kilday machine, which might have fought Maverick Jr. to the wire if he had ever chosen to run against Paul Kilday, has never chosen to defy this popular West and. East Side groundswell for Gonzalez. The machine is still active in other county and city elections, however. Maverick, by running against Gonzalez, alienated many West Side leaders. Pena, before the Senate election, said: “[Maury has always been my friend. I fear that he is dead on the West Side. Although I am supporting Henry, I will do my best to patch it up after the election.” Another popular West Side leaderless magnanimous than Penaswore after the Senate election that he would use his influence to defeat Maverick in any future race. But after Maverick’s prompt endorsement of Gdnzalez, he conceded: “I’m boxed in. After Maverick’s endorsement, and especially if he campaigns hard for Henry, I can’t fight him. If he runs for an office next spring, I will have to work to get him votes. Why? Because Henry will be on the same ticket.” MAVERICK has been silent about 1962 politics. He has been mentioned as a possible candidate for lieutenant governor, congressman at large, and even Bexar County judge. If Maury is a candidate for any office, chances are he will benefit .from a large portion of Gonzalez’ voting strength. WAYNE CHASTAIN CORRECTION Rep. Paul Floyd of Houston has protested that under a strict construction of the ten key tax votes in the House during the regular session, he should not have been included in the Observer’s “Illustrious Thirty” last week. On three of the ten votes, those pertaining to HB 727, Floyd was absent and was not paired. THE TEXAS OBSERVER Page 6 July 22, 1961 vr Cong. Jim Wright of Fort Worth is planning an active speaking tour in the state this fall and caucuses with his sup porters in an effort to line up strength for the governor’s race in ’62. He will make up his mind about running by December at latest . . . Gov. Price Daniel hint ed he might run again if his pro gram, or something resembling it, is not passed in the legislature. “If I get my program put over I will not be a candidate for gov ernor again,” he said in a press conference. “I recall one gover nor for whom the legislature passed his program just to get him out.” Pointing to Pappy 0′ Daniel’s old desk, he added, “And he was the first to use this desk.” . . . Jack Cox, the Breckenridge conservative, and an almost sure gubernatorial candidate again, at tacked both Daniel and Atty. Gen. Will Wilson for their exchange on the sales tax. “I regret that the governor and the attorney general have found it necessary to make it a partisan political is sue, and I call upon them to keep Political Intelligence personalities out of the way until we have reinsured the financial stability of the state,” he said. A sales tax is the only answer, he said: “Even the governor now agrees with this, although in our campaign last year he criticized me severely 1News said “internal dissentions” have beset Wilson’s department, with numerous top aides having resigned recently, and departures of lawyers on his staff. Also, “some of Wilson’s longtime workers on the county level have cooled toward him.” g o Or J. Ed Connally, Democratic executive committee chairman and head of the “Citizens for Fair Taxation” organization, announced results of a poll indicating that 32 percent of the people favor a general sales tax and 39 percent a limited sales tax. The most popular measure, he reported, is the escheat bill, and the most unpopular a state personal income tax. Sen. Ralph Yarborough, in his weekly broadcast, said $32 million annually would become available to assist old people in Texas on medical bills if the legislature would appropriate its share of the funds. Texas has lost that amount to other states, he said, for failure to pass enabling legislation calling for state expenditures of $3 to every $9 in federal money in the past three years. “Each of the 221,000 Texans now receiving old age assistance will get about $12, or that much will be paid to nursing homes, doct nrs, or the druggist,” Yarborough said. r o ior Two Texas congressmen, John Dowdy of Athens and Clark Fisher of San Angelo. were WASHINGTON Sen. Ralph Yarborough’s Padre Island national seashore bill appears to be dead for this session of Congress. Sen. Alan Bible, D-Nevada, chairman of the Senate public lands subcommittee of the interior and insular affairs committee, will make a visit to the island late this month. Senate approval is expected soon thereafter. But the trouble is in the House. Cong. James Rutherford of Odessa, chairman of the subcommittee on national parks; said the bill listed in a poll assembled by Cong. Thomas Pelly, R-Wash., as having gone on the record against President Kennedy’s long-range foreign aid program. Others known to be strongly opposed: Bruce Alger of Dallas, Omar Burleson of Anson, and W. R. Poage of Waco. v” Typographical Local 198 of San Antonio fired off a letter to publisher S. B. Whittenburg of the Amarillo Globe-TimesNews protesting the firing of Rep. Ted Springer as “more than coincidence”, requesting Whittenburg to “reconsider the sharp and bitter policy you say you adopted in March” and to “reinstate Mr. Springer and leave him free to do his public service in accordance with his own conscience.” goOr Expect the race for the House speakership for the 58th legislature to get hotter in the remaining days of the called session. This is the time when pledge cards begin to be sought in deadly earnest. Candidates include Rep. C. W. Pearcy of Temple, Ben Glusing of Kingsville, Syron Tunnell of Tyler, Leon Thurman of Anson, W. T. Oliver of Port Neches, Franklin Spears of San Antonio, Alonzo Jamison of Denton, and Jack Woods of Waco. Legislators were gathering this week around the desk of Rep. Malcolm McGregor of El Paso, who was computing the number of present and likely pledges for each man. Tunnell, a staunch conservative, was conceded to be in the lead. vir Henry Catto Jr., unsuccess ful Republican candidate for the state legislature against Red Berry last year, was the first to announce for the late Marshall Bell’s vacated seat from San Antonio. He polled 60,000 votes against Berry, however, and Bexar Democratic leaders are plainly worried. Wrote Paul Thompson, columnist for the Express-News: “The Democrats will need a strong man to heat Catto . . . and