ustxtxb_obs_1962_02_02_50_00007-00000_000.pdf

PURCELL, ROBERTS TO CONGRESS Jousting in the Governor Race V/ Gubernatorial can di dat e John Connally, after his early television kickoff, has been concentrating at this stage of the campaign on the hotel-coffee cir cuit with businessmen . . . Atty. Gen. Will Wilson, the Dallas News learned, will ask the AFL-CIO’s COPE, which meets in Dallas Feb. 15-17 to consider state races, not to endorse anyone in the first pri mary in May. Wilson feels he can get some labor votes. Some ele Political Intelligence ments Texas labor \(Obs., Jan. mainly ;by assistant labor secretary Jerry Holleman. The BrownEvans state leadership ‘apparently continues to remain tentatively independent A possible Price Daniel fourth-term bid, which was talk of the capitol ‘all week, might influence state labor not to endorse anyone for governor and to concentrate on Speaker Jim Turman for lieutenant governor and other state races . . . PASO, the influential Latin ‘political group, will meet in San Antonio Feb. 911 to consider and endorse candidates. Some 200 delegates will be present, and candidates will appear before a committee Feb. 9 and address the convention next day . . . Don Politico of the Light continues to raise the question, are Latin leader Albert Pena and Bexar conservative Democrats joining together to support Connally? Pena continues to say he is uncommitted until PASO meets . . . The steering committee of the Bexar County conservatives officially endorsed Connally. Present at the endorsement meeting were well-known San Antonio Dixiecrats Hubert W. Green Jr., Charles Duke, and Wade Cameron. . . . Reports of Pena’s support of Connally prompted Don Yarborough to visit the Bexar organizer last week … GOP candidate Jack Cox, addressing a rally of Houston Republicans, said the election of a GOP governor ‘would mean the nomination of a conservative Republican “of the Goldwater stripe” in the ’64 national convention. “I have become convinced that a conservative Democratic governor has no influence on the liberal national party,” he said. “The Republican Party today actually is the party of the people.” . . . Amplifying Sen. Ralph Yarborough’s statement not to run for governor, which caught us in last week’s deadline: He said Pres. Kennedy had phoned him as early as December to discuss the race and “his advice was a factor in my decision.” Yarborough said he ‘was reluctant to jeopardize a Senate seat which might be taken by a conservative and that he did not want a Republican to be senior senator. Although he could not imagine “a more favorable time for me to -run for governor,” his seniority was increasing and he felt he could be “of more service . . . as the senior senator.” Turman of at least a ‘berth in the Democratic run-off with practically undivided liberal and labor support. Other candidates range from moderate to staunchly conservative. V Rep. Bob Eckhardt, Houston liberal, withdrew from h is race against Rep. Criss Cole for the stale Senate. Eckhardt said he did not relish the -idea of being Cole’s opponent. “We’ve been colleagues too long.” He ‘said his compromise attempts on loan shark regulation might be considered a political move against Cole, the House sponsor. Eckhardt will run for re-election to the House. . . : Cole will likely draw opposition now from a conservative Democrat, possibly from the Harris delegation. Truitt Lively, Houston Republican who says his philosophy is the same as Sen. Goldwater and Tower’s, announced for the Houston Senate place . . . Warren G. Moore, Tyler attorney and Harry Truman’s appointee as U.S. district attorney for the eastern district, announced for congressman-at-large. El Paso County Judge Woodrow Bean is already in it . .. Anthony J. Farris of Houston announced as a Republican against Cong. Albert Thomas as a “twentieth century conservative who believes that human rights include the right to private property and to a maximum of local government” g o of Without actually endorsing him, the Houston Post com mented on conservative Waggoner Carr’s bid for attorney general: “It is conducive to public confi dence in good government when men of Carr’s caliber and proven ability are willing to offer their services ‘for offices of public trust.” … Another candidate for attorney general, Tom Reavley, told the Dallas Jaycees he is “both a lib eral, a conservative, and a little more than that,” said he believes in the following things which defy political labelling: private owner ship, competition in the market place, free expression and com munication, and that “America frof Two Democrats, state Sen. Ray Roberts of McKinney and Judge Graham Purcell of Wichita Falls, were elected to the U. S. House in the last in a series of special Texas elections. Roberts’ margin over Judge Bob Slagle of Sherman was 16,047 to 13,302. Purcell defeated Republican Joe Bailey Meissner of Wichita Falls, 23,820 to 14,060. Roberts, whose voting record in the Texas Senate has been moderately conservative, stymied an uphill battle by Slagle, a liberal with labor support, to win the Sam Rayburn vacancy. He said, in a victory statement, that he was succeeding “the greatest man who ever lived.” Slagle told the press he “didn’t know” if he would challenge Roberts again in the regular primary in May. Some of his campaign workers say he might must be true to its historical predicates by opposing bigotry and outlawing state practices that are unfairly disc ri m Mat o ry.” He said he is concerned “about the vast concentrations of power both in the federal government and in the huge corporations.” .. . Les Procter, attorney general aspirant, has set up state headquarters in a huge trailer on the Congress Avenue side of the capitol. v A non-partisan liberal group has organized in Houston to interpret and support “the lib eral position” in Harris County affairs. Temporary chairman Rev. John F. Stevens said the group will be called the “Committee for Better Local Government.” Re search will be made on numerous issues and ‘attention focused on such problems as hospitals’ needs, stream ‘and air ‘pollution, juvenile delinquency, and police brutality. Sen. John Tower recom mended this week a $10 balion cut in New Frontier “welfare schemes” to bring about a ‘balanced budget. Some $20 billion, he said, goes for “spending schemes,” and “I think we could just cut this in ‘half, then we could actually have a balanced bdget.” Ruben Ruiz, San Marcos city councilman, tells the Observer ‘poll tax sales to Latins in his area are going so well “they are going to break the record” for any previous year. frilr National ‘columnist Doris Fleeson, noting that Sen. Thomas Dodd of Connecticut “has lately ornamented the stages of rigt-wing rallies that have been stirring up the emotions of the American people” on Katanga, says Dobb has caused “considerable bitterness” among ‘senators with greater seniority and “greater fidelity” to Kennedy and the New Frontier because of his excellent committee assignments, explains “they attribute to it the fact that almost. alone among influential Connecticut Democrats,” Dodd supported LBJ for the presidential nomination. * wait and try again in 1964. The victory gave the Democrats in the House a 260-174 margin. Purcell listed two reservations on administration policy: federal aid to education and medical care for the aged under social security. He added: “I feel the important paint of this election is that it is a reflection of the feeling the citizenship has toward the leadership of Kennedy and Johnson.” Meissner, a Goldwater Republican, played down’ the partisan label and stressed a liberal-conservative division. State Republicans, citing the fact that the district remained Democratic even in the Eisenhower sweeps and the Tower win last year, said Meissner ran a “fine race,” carrying 38 percent of the votes and carrying two countiesCooke and Hardeman. frof Jimmy Hotfa, in Houston to bolster Teamster political ac tivity, said his union in Texas and throughout the South will fight “certain political groups who are rapidly destroying the right of la bor in this country to organize.” v or Ed C. Burris, writing in Tex as Industry, the TMA maga zine, said these tests should be applied to candidates, whether Republican or Democrat, in 1962 elections: “Are they conservatives and thus proponents of personal freedom and the right to choose; r, are theiy ‘liberal pretemlers’ who operate under ‘this canopy of deceit while they work for the destruction of liberty through the creation of an all-powerful central ‘government, and the creation of a controlled economy?” frilir Maury Maverick Jr. this week said he had decided he could not spend four months away from his law practice to run for a state-wide office. Previously he had said he was strongly considering a campaign for congressmanat-large. Dr. E. S. James, editor of the Baptist Standard, official publication of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, told a church convention in Houston “President Kennedy has proved that he meant what he said about keeping the church and state separate,” but he warned that the fight against “the Catholics’ efforts to unite church and state” must go on. v Mrs. Sarah McClendon, cor respondent for several Texas newspapers who last week aroused President Kennedy’s ire by writing that two state department officials are “well known security risks,” this week was openly snubbed by Kennedy when she, from the first row at a press conference, vainly tried to get his attention for questions. freg Tom Sealy of Midland, one time Shivers supporter, former chairman of the U.T. board of regents, and head of Citizens for a Sales Tax during the regular session of the Texas legislature, is supporting John Connally for governor. v . Rep. Charlie Hughes of Sher man announced for the state Senate as ou’ecessor to Cong. Ray Roberts. Hughes’ announcement stressed legislative experience and pledged a “continuing fight to prevent big-city political forces in Austin from eliminating the Fourth Congressional District seat which Mr. Rayburn held with such distinction.” … Sen. Grady Hazlewood, Amarillo, announced for reelection. It had been rumored in informed Austin circles that Hazlewood would accept a position as lobbyist for Phillips Oil Co. He faces possible opposition from Rep. Charles Ballman of Borger . . . Rep. Bob Mullen of Alice, veteran liberal, is leaving his House seat to run for county judge of Jim Wells County. Sirs: Ronnie Dagger’s article “The Imminent Threat to Texas tainly a clever attempt to brainwash that would be effective except for the fact that Dugger on past occasions has changed the melody of his pied piper’s tune. Furthermore, the conduct of liberals in recent years toward their Latin ‘brethren leave some of us Latins a little cold now that the tocsin is sounded again, and we are urged to battle once more under the banner of liberalism. Let me say with a clear conscience that I am not committed to John ‘Connally, to Don Yarborough, to Will Wilson, or to any other announced or unannounced candidate. My only commitment is not to commit until PASO assem