ustxtxb_obs_1962_04_14_50_00008-00000_000.pdf

LUBBOCK REPORT How Much Was Daniel Hurt? -Carr Leads VI’ The Harris County Council on Organizations, composed of some 50 Negro groups, gave Don Yarborough a better-than-major ity vote in the governor’s race, but not the requisite two-thirds needed for formal endorsement. He was the only candidate voted, upon, but Will Wilson and John Connally also had some support. A decision may be reached this Sunday. Statewide candidates who Political Intelligence were endorsed: Sen. Jarrard Secrest for lieutenant governor, Tom Reavley for attorney general, John White for agriculture commissioner, Judge W. A. Morrison for the Court of Criminal Appeals, Jesse Owens and Judge Zollie Steakley for the Supreme Court, Keith Wheatley for the Railroad Commission, and Claude Hooton for Congress from District 22. por Stuart Long, veteran capitol newsman, observed that WilGov. Daniel’s land acquisitions “put Daniel onto a quick defensive always a sign that a candidate has hit a nervous spot.” Wilson’s implications that Daniel has spent more time buying and selling land than serving as chief executive “could have a real effect at the polls. . . . There is little doubt that many TV viewers were sold on Wilson by his very effective speech. Connally and Yarbrough many have benefited as much as Wilson, particularly when Daniel took a wounded tone and called the speech character assassination.” Wilson may be holding back a strong hole card, Long speculates, in his statement \(which Daniel “did not touch on in his from oil companies in many cases frof William McGaffin of the Chi cago Daily News said it is “most unlikely” that Walker won any fresh converts to his views. Many observers, he wrote, “felt that he damaged his image as a forceful leader by his seeming inability to come to grips with questions, by the long pauses in his answers, by his heavy reliance upon his aides, and by his gener ally stumbling delivery.” . . . Jack Bell of Associated Press said the fact that leaders of both parties are busily posting keep-away signs against radical rightists was dem onstrated in “the frosty reception” total almost twice as much as other landowners get from similar property in the same area. fri0 Belden took another poll on the governor’s race, found Daniel and Connally still “far in the lead” with 33 and 27 percent, respectively, among those most likely to vote in the Democratic primary. Yarborough had 15, Wilson 11, Formby 6, Walker 5, with 6 percent undecided. The two most significant developments, Belden observed: the margin between Daniel and Connally has narrowed at the governor’s expense, and Yarborough is “the only candidate who has made any substantial progress,” though “he remains a poor third.” Connally’s “spectacular early rise to second place appears to have slowed down.” p or Wilson, as attorney general, used a 1952 opinion \(issued upholding Harris County Repub licans over County Clerk Bob Tur rentine. Wilson said the county clerk must accept a party’s nom inees as certified and cannot in vestigate the method by which they were nominated. Turrentine has warned he will withhold the names of Republican candidates from the November ballot unless primaries are held in all county precincts. State GOP director Jim Leonard said we-told-you-so, Tur rentine complained he does not consider the opinion binding. . . . Clyde Johnson, Democratic execu tive director, accused the GOP of “hiding behind an attorney gen eral’s opinion which has no bear ing whatsoever on the statutory requirement that primary elec tions be held in all precincts.” .. . GOP state chairman Tad Smith has written newspapers asking them to make editorial endorse merits in the Republican as well as the Democratic primary. /000 Sen. John J. Williams. Dela ware Republican, announced he is pushing a measure which will cut the oil depletion allowance from 27 1/2 to 20 percent, coupling it with a proposal to reduce the top personal income tax rate from 87 to 60 percent, a net saving of $120 million yearly to the Treasury. The allowance has come under attack again in the Senate finance committee, and advocates of a reduction are hoping for some backing from the Kennedy administration. The chances again appear slim that a reduction measure can emerge from committee, however. One of the hottest of the state Senate races is the one in Corpus Christi, matching the staunch conservative veteran Sen. Bruce Reagan and moderate liberal Rep. DeWitt Hale. They have been debating face-to-face in a series of appearances, with both records under fire. . . . Former House member Andy Anderson of Midland, challenging conservative state Sen. Frank Owen of El Paso in another bitter campaign, called Owen’s record “scandalous” in a speech this week and said Owen has been a “water boy” for the loan sharks. Rep. Pete Snelson of Midland is also in the race as a conservative. . . . Reports from Fort Worth indicate Rep. Don Kennard and Sen. Doyle Willis, both liberals, are running neckand-neck for the Senate. “Texans Against Race Track Gambling,” the organization headed by E. B. Germany and Baylor Chancellor W. R. White, is sending out a bevy of releases against Red Berry’s referendum. “Gambling is morally wrong because of its damaging effect upon society,” a press release said this week. White, in a Dallas speech, said $15 go for gambling in this county every year for every one to churches and Sunday schools and $2.73 for every one spent on education. Berry says he is too busy running for re-election to the House and will not be active in the racing campaign. frit In Lubbock, where voters have favored Republicans with majorities at the last three opportunities, usually reliable sources predicted this week that Price Daniel will lead the Democratic ticket and Don Yarborough will run a strong third close behind John Connally. The heavy vote in the city of Lubbock is expected to discount High Plains resident Marshall Formby’s area “loyalty vote.” “I’ve lived in Lubbock twenty years,” a businessman told the Observer, “and it has grown in that time from 30,000 to 130,000; so there’s very little area loyalty in the city vote when it comes ‘to state and national elections. Most voters here just haven’t lived out here long enough to have it.” Formby is well liked outside the city, though, and probably will run very strong in towns like Lamesa and Brownfield. V Bob Dennis, Lubbock printer who is chairman of Yarborough’s campaign in that South Plains county, said his candidate may run second in the first primary. “If Don does come in second out here,” Dennis said, “he’ll be our next governor. We believe he has a good chance because there’s been very little Connally talk around. Daniel has held his support in the county and the Subscribe to The Observer Republicans are holding elections in all precincts.” por Vern Sanford polled weekly editors. With heaviest replies so far from West Texas, he found Daniel and Connally neck and neck, Formby third, T-urman well in front for lieutenant governor and Preston Smith second, Carr well ahead for attorney general and Reavley second, and Woodrow Bean far in front in the congressman-at-large race. g o dor A Belden Poll found Wag goner Carr far ahead in the attorney general’s race. Carr had 44 percent, W. T. McDonald 13, Reavley 10, James 9, Looney and Proctor 6 each. Carr responded that he might win without a runoff. McDonald said he would be in a run-off with Carr. g o ot While Sen. Ralph Yarbor ough has said nothing officially, a visitor to his Washington office cannot possibly misconstrue the signs: the senator’s office staff are overwhelmingly for Don Yarborough for governor. vir Vice President Johnson must have been stung bady by the NAACP’s recent sneering at the work of his President’s Commis sion on Equal Employment Op portunities on grounds the com mission has not exacted any pen alties against companies for vio lations of their voluntary non-dis crimination a gr eem en t s. The Johnson staff have been hopeful that he has been gaining ground in national opinion because of his overt work for equal job rights. Johnson’s problem is simply how to attract attention. As Vice President he cannot say any thing new: that is the President’s function. His recent adventure of the camel driver did not endear him to the presidential family, but he may be able to make other semi-diplomatic journeys that will keep him in the public eye. An in tensified attempt at eloquence, garnished with historical allu sions, may be another facet of his approach to his problem. Yet if the Kennedys or circumstances have decided that Bobby, not Lyn don, is the Number Two man in Washington, there may not be anything Johnson can do about it. goof The brutal possibility is John son may not l’c on the 1964 ticket with Kennedy. One knowledgeable Texan goes so far as to say in Washington that he would take a three-to-one bet that Johnson will . not be. p o of LBJ was given two hours of bipartisan tributes on the Senate floor this week. It was his 25th anniversary in public office. Sen. Yarborough talked about Johnson’s growing prestige in na tional govqrnment and his role as Kennedy’s confidant, Sen. John Tower also extended his congratu UR TomReavley Page 8 April 14, 1962 THE TEXAS OBSERVER lations and said Johnson had established a high standard of ability and skill. g o / A liberal associate of John Connally in the Department of Defense regards him as not an all-out liberal by any means but as an honest man. goof The billboards for the poli ticians are littering the roadsides as usual. New twists: On Bob Baker’s poster, a ribbon suggesting, ” ‘B’ for Baker.” On Preston Smith’s, a P.S.: “Be sure to vote May 5th.” Tom Reavley’s picture is unusually good. Waggoner Carr’s signs stress “A Democrat for Attorney General.” John Connally’s