ustxtxb_obs_1969_06_20_50_00012-00000_000.pdf

A-PLUS UNIVERSITY SERVICES With you in mind: typing theses resumes law briefs multilithing dissertations graphic arts dept. Our prices are reasonable and our service is good. Come by 504 West 24th St. or call 477-5651 \(in the same building with The Mutscher was thinking of delaying appointment of the House conference committee to consider differences in the House and Senate minimum wage bills, a move that would be crucial at so late a stage in the session, and which would be aimed at liberals who oppose increased student fees and support a minimum wage. The next day, the Hinson bill was not, for some reason, on the House calendar. Hinson again asked a rules suspension, needing only a two-thirds majority this time. The vote carried. Graves objected, saying the bill, which originated in the Senate, violates the Constitution, which holds that all tax bills must originate in the House. Mutscher overruled this, citing a precedent in the 33rd Legislature, when the speaker ruled that a Senate bill which created a fund to pay the state highway engineer by charging a license fee for auto registration was “not a revenue measure of such character as to prevent its originating in the Senate.” Graves thereupon appealed the ruling, needing the support of ten members to get a vote on the question. But only two other members, Mrs. Farenthold and Rep. Nick Nichols of Houston, supported Graves. The bill then was finally passed and sent to Governor Smith. Fifty-two House members voted against it. Smith has called the measure a “student head tax.” There is talk he might veto the bill. New Courts Twenty-seven new district courts have been established this spring. During debate on the measure in the House Rep. John Hannah, Lufkin, proposed that the courts’ establishment be delayed until the judges could be elected, rather than appointed. Hale, however, opposed this idea, for reasons, he said, which he could not reveal in public. It is understood that approval of the bill by Governor Smith is contingent on Smith’s being able to appoint the first judges to these new courts. The state’s metropolitan press has complained of the new courts that have been established, pointing out that many big city courts’ dockets are flooded, while many rural courts are relatively less busy, by far. Particularly annoying to persons concerned about the pace of justice in the 12 The Texas Observer large cities was the establishment of a district court in the sparsely populated South Texas counties of Duval, Jim Hogg, and Starr, the heart of George Parr’s political dukedom. Boosting the establishment of this judicial district was Rep. Oscar Carrillo, Sr., of Benavides, whose brother, Duval County Atty. 0. P. Carrillo, was thought to be the leading candidate for the new district’s bench. The situation pits two South Texas political dynasties, Parr’s and the Kazens of Laredo. Two years ago Representative Carrillo unsuccessfully proposed establishment of the new district. The fight that year led to Carrillo’s threatening to run against the Kazens’ ranking politician, Cong. Abraham Kazen, Jr., but the race did not develop. Governor Smith has let it be known that he will not appoint Representative Carrillo’s brother to the new bench. There was, nonetheless, some talk that the governor might veto this bill, given the more pressing need for courts elsewhere in the state. Defeat for Hardeman Senate liberals, who failed early in the session to block the reappointment of Frank Erwin, Jr., to the University of Texas board of regents, managed to stop the appointment of former Sen. Dorsey B. Hardeman to the State Board of Insurance. A coalition of liberals and a few moderates stood firm in their opposition to Hardeman, a strong-willed conservative The hearings for Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana on reform of the Democratic in Houston because the conservative leadership of the Texas Democratic party did not want the hearings in Austin, where they originally were scheduled. Just why Austin was deemed an unsuitable site is not clear; perhaps party leaders didn’t want the hearings held in the seat of government. Gov. Preston Smith’s faction of the conservative wing of the party evidently will boycott the event. The chairman of the State Democratic Executive Committee, Dr. Elmer Baum of Austin, a Smith man, will not attend but will send a statement on behalf of the SDEC. Preliminary reports indicated Baum would defend the current party structure. The day will be given, then, to spokesmen of the liberal and ex-Gov. John Personal Service Quality Insurance Alice Anderson”Bow” Williams INSURANCE & REAL ESTATE 808A E. 46th, Austin, Texas 465-6577 who collected an impressive list of political enemies during his 30 years in the Texas Legislature. Faced with the impending rejection of his friend and ally, Gov. Preston Smith finally asked the Senate to allow him to withdraw Hardeman’s nomination. By a majority vote, the Senate sent the nomination back to the governor. Sen. A. R. Schwartz of Galveston organized the coalition which had the 11 votes needed to stop Hardeman’s confirmation. Among those believed to be against Hardeman were liberals Mike McKool and Oscar Mauzy of Dallas, Joe Bernal of San Antonio, Ronald Bridges of Corpus Christi, Don Kennard of Fort Worth, Charles Wilson of Lufkin, and moderates Wayne Connally of Floresville, Jack Strong of Longview, and Bill Patman of Ganado. Schwartz’ antipathy for Hardeman dates back at least to 1963, when the crusty conservative led opposition to the appointment of liberal W. St. John Garwood of Austin to the UT Board of Regents. When the Senate, in a surprise move, rejected Garwood, Gov. John Connally appointed Frank Erwin in his place. Smith could appoint Hardeman to the Insurance Board now that the Senate is not in session. The appointment would be legitimate until the next regular session in two years. But many senators say that such a move on the governor’s part would be a breach of trust, and they guess that someone else will receive the coveted insurance post. G.O., K.N. Connally wings of the party. Among those expected to testify are liberals Curtis Graves, the black Houston state representative; Don Gladden, Fort Worth, former state legislator and a leader of the New Democratic Coalition of Texas; and, perhaps, Mrs. Billie Carr, Houston, also a Coalition leader. Connallycrats expected to be heard are Frank Erwin, Austin, Connally’s former national committeeman, and Robert S. Strauss, Connally’s choice to succeed Erwin. Liberal Houston Cong. Bob Eckhardt is considering putting forth some of his ideas for election law reform, if not in person at least in submission of a written statement. The hearings, being conducted through out the nation, are an outgrowth of the charges levelled often last year, that the party machinery is so designed as to not be responsive to the will of its various components. The charges were made in particular by supporters of Sens. Robert F. Kennedy and Eugene McCarthy, who noted acidly that Hubert Humphrey captured the nomination although he did not enter any primaries but simply fell heir to a decisive number of delegate votes largely in Political Intelligence