ustxtxb_obs_1962_01_26_50_00006-00000_000.pdf

‘THE DIGNITY OF MAN’ Jesse Andrews of Houston A SHINTO TRADITION The Tarheel Press HOUSTON Many of us feel a great void in the recent death of Jesse Andrews, and it seems appropriate to write something about ‘this unusual man who up until a few weeks prior to his death, at age 87, was a full time participant in his profession and civic affairs. Mr. Andrews was a successful attorney, the senior member of one of the great law firms of the country. For more than ,half a century he was in the forefront of almost every form of activity for the benefit of the community, and he did not exclude politics from his variety of active interests. He was almost unique, ‘an outstanding corporation attorney, whose firm is almost always on the south side of the docket, yet he was a dedicated liberal Democrat. He was an astute, practical businessman, yet a true intellectual; a man of dignity, aristocratic bearing, and select social attributes; but when the chips were down in political battles, he always took his place beside the little man. In world affairs, like domestic politics, he was alert, forwardlooking, and progressive. Our friendship commenced in the late ‘forties, with our common interest in a movement designed to give the Western democracies a more permanent strength. We saw in the Atlantic Union idea, fostered ‘by Mr. Will Clayton and Justice Owen Roberts, a logical plan for a prosperous wide free trade area, unified foreign policy, and greater military stability. Mr. Andrew’s lived to see the idea evolving, though slowly –witness our attrac-ai-,ta , -theenlarging ‘sCainfrfon Market, the recent appeal of Sena-tor Fulbright for a unified “concert” of free nations, and Governor Rockefeller’s TV press ‘interview last week expressing the need for a “Union of the Free”. MY FRIENDSHIP with Mr. An drews really ripened in the political campaigns of ‘the ‘fifties, both national and state. It is hard to over-emphasize the tower of strength that he afforded the loyal and liberal Democrats. Some incidents are indelible in my memory especially our frustrating struggle for Stevenson in ’52, after the official state party leadership defected to the opposition. Mr. Andrews always seemed the bravest, as well as the ‘best, when the odds were against us. Then came the hot gubernatorial of ’54, between Judge Yarborough and one of the defectors of ’52. During the campaign, Mr. Andrews and I were sometimes included ‘in “crisis conferences” in Austin, usually of a financial nature, but I recall one of a different nature. \(The U.S. Supreme Court decision on school desegregation was fresh on ‘the books, and Governor Shivers had been quite busy ‘alerting the people to what he thought would happen ‘to the innocent white children of Texas, instanter, if the “radicals” took not present at this “crisis conference”, called by our East Texas leaders on the reported political hay being made by Shivers. When Mr. Andrews and I arrived, the East Texas strategists read to us a statement they proposed to submit to Yarborough for his use. It was a first class, demagogic, metoo-Shivers condemnation of the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Andrews listened courteously, but then said, “Gentlemen, we do not need to take that road” and persuasively stated the case for law, We waited there most of the day, Mr. Andrews going without lunch; then in mid-afternoon, after an agreement with the convention chairman to mark time on the committeewoman issue, he and I made a hurried trip to a downtown hotel suite of Senator Johnson’s in an effort to dissuade the senator from opposing Mrs. Randolph. On this jaunt, Mr. Andrews had hurriedly walked a mile or more in the Dallas heat, looking for scarce taxicabs, ‘but an OUT return to the Fair Park Convention Hall, we were refreshed to witness a convention vote that finally threw out the big Dallas delegation of Dixiecrats and gave the liberals a clear -majority over the combine of moderates and conservatives. By then the delegates were tired and raucous, but at nightfall, when Mr. Andrews finally took the rostrum for the nominating ‘speech, his dignity, diplomacy, and rare choice of words put a great calm over the entire convention. His speech seemed to ameliorate some of the discord over ‘Mrs. Randolph’s candidacy, ‘and we were thankful that no opposing candidate was nominated. THIS LONG, hard day revealed I the integrity, the vitality, and staying power ‘of a dedicated citizen. Mr. Andrews was always seek ing ways to ‘improve anything in ‘his purview: the world, his nation, his state, ‘his city, his law firm, his bank, and even his political party and its procedures. He sought some means to encourage or draft more competent people for public service, and bemoaned the present catch-as-catch-can and grossly expensive state campaigns for party nominations. Recently he made a speech to the Texas Philosophical ‘Society, proposing “The Hughes Plan” for having state party candidates nominated by conventions, carefully organized. Mr. Andrews even worked for the improvement of mankind through his clients. He guided one of Houston’s wealthiest citizens, a bachelor, in a most farsighted disposition of his estate, a large foundation for research in chemistry as primarily related to human beings. From whence came our friend’s robust mind and spirit ‘in his mideighties? A primary factor must ‘have been ‘his wonderful baancehis unwillingness to let differences develop into engrossing, dehabilitating antagonisms. All of us, even genuine Democrats, should take pause in our family fights and try to profit from his example. I know our friend’s hope that a live-and-let-live understanding would replace the pique between two of our able public servant’s from Texas, now in Washington, so that they could devote their full and exceptional talents to their respective posts during our ation’s crisis. Mr. Andrews hoped for a good forward-looking newspaper in Texas. He helped re-organize and re-finance the Texas Observer several years ago. He was an avid reader, even when ‘he had to use a strong single magnifying glass, and despite multiple eye operations, he managed to stay abreast or ahead of the times. THE QUALITY that enabled this man to cover so much ground was his keen, quick perception, the faculty for immediately getting at the central point or core of a problem. He was ‘a naturally kindly, courteous person, and the only times I ever noticed his manifesting impatience with people was when they wasted time or words in a conference. His power of concentration was tremendous. When on a train ‘trip together, with ample time for discussion of life and its meaning, ‘he once told me of his overriding reverence for truth. His goad full life tells us of another compelling force: ‘his steadfast reverence for the progress and dignity ‘of man. PAUL E. DAUGHERTY This document, recently sent to all the conscience-free, self-respecting folks who work for Handy-Andy supermarkets, made its way into the Observer’s hands this week: TO: All Employees Handy-Andy, Inc. Only you can answer the questions below: Am I loyal to Handy-Andy, my employer . . . do I buy all my groceries from my own company, Handy-Andy? Handy-Andy provides the financial income ‘to SUS-taro my family and self . . . OR Do I ‘buy from my competitor and further his cause, hurting my own company, HandyAndy? Please read “My Creed” below: I have to live with myself and SO Some time ago the Texas Observer, a small weekly situated in a state noted nationally for its undistinguished and often radically conservative daily press, fired off a note to the outstanding young Tarheel journalist Ed Yoder. We wanted to know why North Carolina, that “valley of humility between two mountains of indifference,” has without comparison the best daily journalism in the South.Ed. GREENSBORO, N.C. A few months ago, I found my-. self debating with a Washington editor the comparative merits of metropolitan and state journalism. I recall he volunteered: “Yes, Washington is the greatest newspaper town and North Carolina is the greatest newspaper state. You can’t lose, whichever choice you make.” That editor has since established his bona fides by dispatching his son to serve an apprentices’hip on one North Carolina paper, which dilutes, I suppose, the element of flattery. Taking for granted, before a captive audience powerless to ‘rebut, that he is right, what accounts for this good name? Or, to borrow a still more flattering term used by the editor of this very journal, what ‘accounts for the “enlightenment” of North Carolina’s press ? One must, of course, get clear what merits are to be claimed. It goes without saying that no paper in North Carolina \(where the largest town, Charlotte, is with 200,000 people a dwarf when employ’s the far-flung line of correspondents who report to the New York Times every day with a perception and verbosity fully equal ‘to those of the State Department. Nor does any North Carolina sheet claim ‘the haughty ‘tradition of a Herald-Tribune or of a Post-Dispatch, or the political verve of a Washington Post. THE MERITS to be argued are, rather, that within the limits typical of ‘the American provincial press, which schools its readers largely in the spotty tidings of the press services, the North Carolina press does manage to keep its readers fairly well ‘primed an Goa, West Papua, and the Twist; and that its editorial columns, far from pimping for publicity engines or special interests, speak for a broad conception of the public interest, leading state and municial politicians off anto no wicked or quixotic embarrassments. One finds no North Carolina editorial office, large or small, under the thumb of a railroad \(like at least one prominent istic hucksters of the ScrippsHoward stripe. One would claim these general merits, but aster ‘all there are many newspapers, perhaps even other newspaper states, where comparable merits could be claimed. One naturally asks if there is anything really distinctive; and readily admitting my part’ pris, I venture to say there isan editorial tradition, and more ‘than that a long succession of serious ‘and often distinguished jounaists. A personal tradition, in other words. North Carolina newspapers are, in unusual degree, shintoist. In every office there is professional ancestor ‘worship: ‘and two doors down from the office in which I write this, the stern, mustachioed visage of the first editor of the Daily News, the august Col. Godbey, stares down at all who pass. Let’s take a quick tour of the state, for the benefit of those who do not know its newspapers well. We begin at Raleighlike Washington a political town and a self-conscious capital, where ‘beneath the dark magnolias one might well expect to see a latterday incarnation of its Elizabethan namesake throw clown his gray flannel for the ancient ladies of good family who stroll about’ at noonday. Here the Raleigh News & Observer is edited and printed; and from Raleigh eastward ‘to the coast, is the undisputed barony of the Daniels family, which ‘has produced two distinguished editors. The N&O is very much a family newspaper. The first editor was old man Josephus Daniels, Woodrow Wilson’s secretary of the Navy \(despised of old-line Navy men as the secretary who banished John Barleycorn forever FDR’s regime he was in public office as ambassador to Mexico. In .is time the News & Observer devoted ‘itself to the advocacy of big-d Democracy in North Carolina, progressivism in politics, and bone-dry prohibition. North ‘Carolina liberals of a strict ‘turn of mind did ‘not appreciate Daniels’ attempt to ‘hound a Duke University English professor named John Spencer Bassett out of the state for making re I see what others may never know I never can fool myselfand so Whatever happens, I want to be Self-respecting and conscience free. If YOU want to get the most of the best out of life, start today to check your own qualifications. Are you consistently LOYAL to the job or company you represent? LOYAL to the trust imposed upon you by friends or business? YOU can write your own ticket for everything worthwhile in life the moment it can be said of you . . . “Here ‘is a LOYAL person on whom we can always depend.” Make LOYALTY the cornerstone of your character structure . . . all other ‘good will follow. THE TEXAS OBSERVER Page 6 Jan. 26, 1962 order, and courage. The panic subsided, at least for the time being, and our candidate continued his silence on the touchy issue. About two weeks later, however, our candidate took his stand on a ‘modified ‘East Texas” approach to the problem, as he left Dallas and proceeded south through Tyler and the piney woods toward Houston. This immediately took some sap out of our effective campaign in the Gulf Coast. So Mr. Andrews had to meet with some of our militant idealists who were in a mood to quit the campaign. He told us something about the need to roll with the punch, and ‘to stay with our good candidate even though his views did not coincide on all points with ours. He calmed another storm, and we managed to close ranks and battle down to the wire. Our candidate made a gallant fight against great odds, and almost won, laying the groundwork, we hoped, for victory by ‘the genuine Democrats in the next precinct conventions of ’56. MT. Andrews always ‘answered the call. At more than 80 years of age, he made the trip ‘to Dallas for the 1956 State Democratic Convention to place the name of Mrs. R. D. Randolph in nomination for Democratic committeewoman, a post she obviously deserved. The hard core loyal Democrats, with decisive help from Senator Lyndon Johnson and his “moderates”, had beaten the Shivers conservatives in ‘the precinct voting, and the Johnson forces were ‘in charge of the convention machinery. The senator was quoted as saying ‘that he had defeated the reactonaryright and now he must beat down the radical-left wing of the party. OUR HOUSTON Democrats, who had been battling Dixiecrats and Republicans for years, including hard campaigns ‘in behalf of John