ustxtxb_obs_1962_01_19_50_00003-00000_000.pdf

RAY ROBERTS’ CAMPAIGN TRAILER IN BONHAM WILSON’S BLAST Using the Ballot More Hopefuls Announce BEXAR’S ALANIZ the Latin vote more active and informed if nothing else. “I’ve traveled all through South Texas trying to get our people active in government. I always tell ’embefore you get social equality, you must have political equality.” As evidence of this gradual awakening, Alaniz cites the examples of a Latin city councilman just elected in San Marcos for the first time, a city councilman in Piersall, and a county commissioner in Brownsville. “The Latin is getting .interested not only in city councils \(here are of the peace races, school trusteeshipsall over. “I’ve been in some areas of this state where the Latins didn’t even know sheriff is an elected position. “Take a place like Zavalla County-80 percent Latin and they don’t have a single elected official. Economic pressures are tremendous in these areasthe smaller the area, the greater the pressure. “They don’t have leadership, professional leadershipthey don’t have anything. There aren’t any economically independent Latins in so many of these areas to lead. Otherwise, you’re going to have big landlord rule. Most of these places in South Texas are really semi-feudal, the people are uneducated and misinformed and will do what they’re told.” The gradually changing status of the Latin and the breakdown of the old boss system can be attributed to “the coming to the political scene of Latins who want to help Latins for their own sake not the old politician boss rule. They used to deliver the Latin vote and go home with the money, and that was it. “The rise of people like Albert Pena, Hector Garcia, and Henry Gonzalez has been tremendously important. They’re interested in helping the Latin.” The liberal position, Alaniz feels, “coincides with the wants and aspirations of most of the La Mrs. Evelyn R. Robertson. 171 his campaign expenditure report filed Dec. 18 she was listed as having contributed $1,300 for printing. She was unable to be reached in Dallas. Fred Marx, vice-president and general manager of the Texas Trailer Coach, Inc., of Dallas, was tins, but not necessarily on all issues.” Education and equal employment opportunities, he argues, are the two areas where the liberal has failed the Latin. “Labor, for one, has in the past failed to realize they have a fruitful field among the Latins in Texas. They’ve neglected it in the past. But they’ve finally realized it, I think, by having Latins organize Latins.” Some 300 Negroes and Latins have just been organized, for instance, in Corpus Christi. He sees a close parallel between the present-day Texas Latins and the minority national groupsthe Irish, the Italiansin the East one and two generations ago. “We’re finally beginning to wake up as they did, beginning to recognize our strength at the ballot box.” Have liberals in Texas taken the Latin vote for granted? “Oh, definitely. They’ve failed to place those Latins who are qualified into policy-making decisions. It’s changing a little. But there’s no prominent Latin in any state agencyand don’t think you don’t have a lot of qualified ones.” Has he encountered any manifestations of prejudice in the Texas House? “Very isolated ones, but I don’t want to talk about any of them. As a general rule the bulk of the members have been cordial and helpful, and that crosses liberal and conservative lines. The great majority of the members of this House are gentlemen.” W.M. asked if a contract was signed last month between his company and a large Dallas corporation for the lease of the six trailers. Marx told the Observer, “I would just rather not discuss it.” Queried further, he ‘said he preferred not to discuss any aspect of the matter. vir Atty. Gen. Will Wilson un loosened the stops against gubernatorial foe John Connally in a Fort Worth speech. “Never before in Texas history,” he said, “has there been such a bold effort as thisthe attempt to merge state and federal patronage in one gigantic political machine run out of Washington by LBJ.” Calling Connally a professional politician and lobbyist dispatched to Texas by Johnson to forge a huge politi cal machine, Wilson charged: “He is a good professional politician. He has made an excellent living off it for yearsin fact, gotten Political Intelligence rich. LBJ couldn’t have picked a better man for the job . . . You will find the big shots at the Fort Worth Club know him because he moved ‘here as an ‘aide’ of multimillionaire Sid Richardson and has confined himself mostly to rich people.” V/ Bill Gardner of the Houston Post, noting rapid progress in the first two weeks on Gov. Price Daniel’s special session program, said those skeptics “who predicted the third called session would be nothing but a waste of time may have to eat a little crow . .. The finished product may not but if it bears any likeness he is not adverse to stamping his brand on it.” go/ Corpus Christi Caller-Times editorialized that Texas, for the first time in 23 years, “is without a ‘powerful, decisive voice in Congress.” With the death of Speaker Rayburn and LBJ’s move from the Senate, “an almost ‘unique era of congressional power has ended . . . Many an oil and gas industry member who took Rayburn for granted may now be asking themselves this question: who will defend the oil depletion allowance for us as Rayburn did from 1926 onward? They will get no comfort from Speaker McCormack, whose sympathies will be with the consumer rather than the producer.” g o / Cong. Walter Rogers told ,.Pampa Chamber of Commerce the Pnite4z1 States government “is not infiltrated with communists. I have talked with J. Edgar Hoover and Hoover said the the FBI has screened all our government officials rigidly.” Hoover also told Rogers “the FRI does not need any more power or authority.” Two more candidates an nounced for ‘lieutenant gov ernor, ‘bringing to five a Demo cratic field which now includes Sens. Bob Baker of Houston, Jarrard Secrest of Temple, and Preston Smith of Lubbock. The new entries are Sen. Crawford Martin of Hillsboro and Gene Smith of Fort Worth. Martin, a Senate veteran, is a political moderate who has handled much of Gov. Daniel’s legislation. He has chaired both the finance and the appropriations committees, played a leading part in legislative studies of the aged, and sponsored bills setting up the Texas program for medical care . to the needy aged, lobbyist registration, and securities regulation. Smith, district judge of Tarrant County, is a former member of the House. frof Waggoner Carr and Les Proc ter both announced for atorney general. Carr, former House speaker who lost to Atty. Gen. Will Wilson in 1960, is a native of Lubbock and a staunch conservative. “My platform basically has but one lank,” he said, “strengthening our legal framework where needed, and more vigorous enforcement of those laws; once enacted.” Procter, who ‘resigned as Travis County DA to make the race, said he would run a spartan campaign. “I have only enough money, and half of that borrowed,” he said. The other two announced candidates are Tom Reavley of Austin, a moderate, and Tom James, a conservative. fr o The Houston Chronicle ran the results of a private sur vey hired by Gov. Daniel report edly showing Daniel would be fa vored over Sen. Ralph Yarborough, 54 to 32 ‘percent, with 14 percent undecided, and over Will Wilson, 55 to 27 percent, with 18 percent undecided. The Chronile’s “informed source” said Daniel felt that John Connally its so unknown by voters that any survey at this early stage would be meaningless. Writes columnist Paul Thompson in the San Antonio Express: “Jimmy Knight and Commissioner Pena have ndicated they’ll support John Connally ‘for tgovernor. And the other night I talked with the Seeligsons, Frates and Arthur J. They like Connally, too. Diversity of that kind just can’t be explained.” Knight and Pena are Bexar lib eral leaders, the Seeligsons are hyper-conservatives. por Cong. Clark Thompson of Galveston landed on the highly influential House Ways and Means Committee. Cong. Rogers had been in line for the tpost, tout Thompson changed his mind about invoking seniority. The question of how future committee assignments will be decided still remains unresolved, but it is presumed Cong. Wright Patman, senior member of the Texas delegation, and Thompson will make recommendations to Speaker John McCormack. g oo / Benton Musslewhite of Luf kin, former SMU quarterback and honor student and member of an old “loyalist” Democratic family in East Texas, announced this week against Cong. John Dowdy of Athens, a member of Congress since 1952, and probably the most conservative Democrat in the Texas congressional delegation. vir Sen, Crawford Martin’s an nouncement for lieutenant governor brings to eight the num ber of vacancies to .be filled in the Senate in the ’62 elections . . . Travis County Republicans will run University of Texas’ Public Affairs Institute director Stuart MacCorkle for one of Anstin’s four legislative places. MacCorkle, a former city councilman, only re cently announced :his GOP affili ation . .. Charles M. Johnson has resigned as an aide to Sen. Yarborough and will oppose Austin’s Rep. Charles Sandahi in another House race. Jack Ritter, who narrowly lost to Sandahl . in 1960, is making a bid for the new Travis County seat along with Frank Quinn, former chairman of the state parks board … Rep. Charles Borger, a moderate from Borger, is rumored to be considering a race against Cong. Walter Rogers, the Pampa conservative . . . Webb County Judge R. M. Benavides being urged to oppose Cong. Joe Kilgore, conservative from McAllen. Liberals feel this Valley seat might be ripe for picking by a Latin or a liberal Democrat . . . Rep. Don Kennard announced against Sen. Doyle Willis for the Tarrant County Senate seat . . . Sen. David Ratliff, conservative from Stamford, introduced two bills last week voiding the ‘incorporation of Impact, the threatening wet district near Abilene, then drew opposition in the ’62 Senate race from Mayor Dallas Perkins of Impact and conservative Rep. Truett Latimer of Abilene . . . Republican Cong. Bruce. Alger of Dallas has GOP opposition from former FBI-inan Paul Eix, a far call from the “Stevenson Republican” Grover Cantrell who polled 123 votes against Alger in 1958. The Democratic contenders against Alger are liberal Baxton Bryant and conservative Rep. Bill Jones . . . Rep. Will Ehrle, conservative from Childress, involved in a redistricting House fight against equally conservative Rep. Bill Heatly, is considering a race against moderate Sen. Andy Rogers . . . Rep. DeWitt Hale will challenge conservative Sen. Bruce Reagan for the Senate from Corpus Christi … Also from Corpus, Rep. Ronald Bridges is still trying to raise enough money to take on Cong. John Young . . . Reps. Murray Watson of Mart and Frank McGregor of Waco are going for Sen. Jarrard Secrest’s Senate vacancy . .. Rep. Will Smith of Beaumont is running for the Senate against Sen. Jep Fuller . . . Rep. Pete Snelson of Midland and former Rep. Andy Anderson are going against Sen. Frank Owen of El Paso. NOTICE The office staff of the Observer asks all subscribers who change their addresses to send their address changes direct to the Observer, 504 W. 24th St.,