ustxtxb_obs_1967_04_14_50_00003-00000_000.pdf

the protest is that of the Citizens Committee, which has been critical of the operation of the school district and which failed to win a seat on the board. 1, In neighboring Hidalgo County, ballot boxes were impounded by the district attorney after citizens requested the action, fearing “some kind of fraud” in municipal elections. The boxes will be held in case an election contest is filed. vr In other South Texas voting, Mexican Americans won city council positions at several cities. In cities where five positions were at stake, they won as follows: Alice \(two, members of a “businessman’s” two, plus a third who is two, Raymondville \(two of three men seeking two positions in a runoff are MexicanIn school races three seats at stake: Negroes Rebuffed v Other than the Dallas school race mentioned above, the most interesting election involving a Negro was at Bryan, where Harmon Bell, believed to be the first Negro to run for office there, finished seventh in a field of eight. The only candidate whom Bell ran ahead of was a white man who died after the ballots had been printed. For the first time in several years police officers were sworn in as election officials and patrolled the areas around the two voting places. This step was taken at the request of election judges. g/ The only known Negro winner in the small cities was James Pillot, who became the first of his race elected to the Cleveland school board, north of Houston. At Athens, 0. D. Baggett, Jr., the first Negro to run for the council there, is in a runoff with Addison Skinner, Jr., white. Ten other Negro candidates were de feated in school board elections, mostly in East Texas at Palestine \(by just a seven-vote two where a Negro got 116 Timpson, and Angleton. 1, Three Negroes lost in other city coun cil elections at Crockett \( the first go0 Another sort of minority is doing bet ter. Women won council seats at Farmers Branch, Angleton, Center, and San Marcos and school board posts at Navasota and Victoria. Other Matters v Dr. George Sanchez, U.T. professor and longtime champion of equal rights for Mexican-Americans, has withdrawn from participation in the Texas Conference of Mexican-Americans this weekend in San Antonio. Sanchez is unhappy that Sen. Ralph Yarborough will not be the featured speaker, and that, evidently, Gov. John Connally will be. Bernal, San Antonio, has told the Observer that there will be three main speakers, one each day of the conference Yarborough, Connally, and Cong. Henry Gonzalez. Press accounts originally had listed only Yarborough as the principal speaker; the governor was not mentioned in first discussions of the conference, early this year. But Bernal maintains that Connally was to be invited all along. The conference will discuss educational problems in Texas. At last word from Yarborough’s office, the. Senator Still planned to participate. 1/ Another meeting, the Joint Confer ence of Mexican-Americans, will gath er this Sunday in Austin, chaired by Dr. Sanchez. The conference was scheduled several weeks ago, not to compete with the San Antonio gathering, but to coincide with it, in the hope that those attending in San Antonio will also participate at Austin. Incorporating the State Observer and the East Texas Democrat, which in turn incorported the State Week and Austin ForumAdvocate. We will serve no group or party but will hew hard to the truth as we find it and the right as we see it. We are dedicated to the whole truth, to human values above all interests, to the rights of man as the foundation of democracy; we will take orders from none but our own conscience, and never will we overlook or misrepresent the truth to serve the interests of the powerful or cater to the ignoble in the human spirit. Editor, Greg Olds. Partner, Mrs. R. D. Randolph. Editor-at-large, Ronnie Dugger. Business Manager, Sarah Payne. Associate Manager, C. R. Olofson. Staff Artist, Charles Erickson. Contributing Editors, Elroy Bode, Winston Bode, Bill Brammer, Larry Goodwyn, Harris Green, Dave Hickey, Franklin Jones, Lyman Jones, Larry L. King, Georgia Earnest Klipple, Al Melinger, Robert L. Montgomery, Willie Morris, James Presley, Charles Ramsdell, Roger Shattuck, Robert Sherrill, Dan Strawn, Tom Sutherland, Charles Alan Wright. Contributing Photographer, Russell Lee. The Observer publishes articles, essays, and creative work of the shorter forms having to do in various ways with this area. The pay depends; at present it is token. Unsolicited manuscripts must be accompanied by return postage. The editor has exclusive control over the editorial policies and contents of the Observer. 1/ A fiesta-dance is planned in Dallas’ Adolphus Hotel as a benefit for the striking Valley farm workers. It will be April 21, San Jacinto Day, sponsored by the Dallas County Young Democrats in cooperation with the Dallas AFL-CIO Council. Tony Orendain, Rio Grande City strike leader, and the Rev. James Novarro, Houston, a co-leader of La Marcha, will speak. For information, contact Mrs. Ann Richards, Rt. 1, Box 119, Garland, EM1 4436. g/ Dick Cherry, former state representa tive from Waco, who has been Sen. Ralph Yarborough’s administrative assistant, is resigning to take a post with the Housing and Urban Development Agency in Washington. Bill Hamilton, former UPI staffer in Austin who has been working in Latin-America for that wire service, is joining the senator’s staff as the press man, replacing David Hearne. W.W. Heath, Austin attorney, has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate as am bassador to Sweden. Eugene Locke, Dallas attorney, has become the deputy ambassa dor to Vietnam, moving there from Pakis tan, where he was the ambassador. The Dallas News speculates that Locke has a future in Texas politics. Ambassador to Australia Ed Clark is severing his con nections with a law firm and a bank in Austin. This has lead to talk that another federal appointment is upcoming for Clark, since ambassadors don’t have to None of the other people who are associated with the enterprise shares this responsibility with him. Writers are responsible for their own work, but not for anything they have not themselves written, and in publishing them the editor does not necessarily imply that he agrees with them, because this is a journal of free voices. Unsigned articles are the editor’s. Subscription Representatives: Arlington, George N. Green, 300 E. South College St., CR 70080; Austin, Mrs. Helen C. Spear, 2615 Pecos, HO 5-1805; Corpus Christi, Penny Dudley, 1224% Second St., TU 4-1460; Dallas, Mrs. Cordye Hall, 5835 Ellsworth, TA 1-1205; Denton, Fred Lusk, Box 8134 NTS, 387-3119; Ft. Worth, Dolores Jacobsen, 3025 Greene WA 4-9655; Houston, Mrs. Shirley Jay, 10306 Ave., iffwood Dr., PA 3-8682; Lubbock, Doris Blaisdell, 2515 24th St., Midland, Eva Dennis, 4306 Douglas, OX 42825; Snyder, Enid Turner, 1706 Glenwood, EM 6-2269; San Antonio, Mrs. Mae B. Tuggle, 531 Elmhurst, TA 6-3583; Cambridge, Mass., Victor Emanuel, Adams House C112. The Observer is published by Texas Observer Co., Ltd., biweekly from Austin, Texas. Entered as second-class matter April 26, 1937,. at the Post Office at Austin, Texas, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Second class postage paid at Austin, Texas. Delivered postage prepaid $6.00 a year; two years, $11.00; three years, $15.00. Foreign rates on request. Single copies 25c; prices for ten or more for students, or bulk orders, on request. Editorial and Business Offices: The Texas Observer, 504 West 24th . St.. Austin, Texas 78705. Telephone GR 7-0746. Change of Address: Please give old and new address and allow three weeks. THE TEXAS OBSERVER Texas Observer Co., Ltd. 1967 A Journal of Free Voices A Window to the South 61st YEARESTABLISHED 1906 VoL 58, No. 31 j olaPP April 14, 1967