ustxtxb_obs_1971_10_08_50_00015-00000_000.pdf

Behold the Lud So that all we liberals can disguise our second-rate minds with a first-rate vocabulary, I am providing the correct definition of the term “Luddite” mentioned by Molly Ivins in her article on the YAF convention. As anyone familiar with English economic history knows, Luddism was a movement which attempted to destroy industrial machinery \(primarily Luddites were handicraft workers put out of work by the machines. Since I have never heard of Ralph Nader using a sledge hammer on a Corvair, I believe that Buckley probably used the term improperly. John F. McDonald, 836 S. Ada, Chicago, Ill. 60607. In a snobbish assumption worthy of Buckley himself, Ms. Ivins took for granted that all 13,500 intellectually elite readers of the Observer would not only know what a Luddite was, but would also enjoy Von Hoffman’s comic definition. Ed Vested vestals Without apology, I plead guilty to a limited knowledge concerning kinds and types of virgins. Buckley’s description of The Houston Chronicle as a “vestal virgin” consequently sent me scurrying to Webster. Ironically, it seemed, there was “vestal,” one line above and closely snuggled up against, another phrase which might aptly describe the Chronicle. That phrase: “vested interest.” Dylan Thant, Box 680, Clute, Tex. Allen paid own way As Chairman of the Pastoral Relations Committee of the First Methodist Church, Houston, Texas, my attention has been called to the article on page 7 of your issue of September 10, 1971. I have no idea where you got your alleged information, but the story should be corrected promptly and with equal prominence. Mr. Frank Sharp did not take Dr. Charles Allen on a “junket to Rome.” Since Frank Sharp was and is a member of First Methodist Church of Houston, at the invitation of Frank Sharp, Dr. Allen did attend the ceremonies at the Vatican honoring Mr. Sharp. However, Dr. Allen paid all of the expenses of his wife and himself on their trip to Europe and were not a member of Mr. Sharp’s group. Dr. Allen had a separate itinerary except for attendance at the above mentioned ceremony. In this type of article, may I suggest that you should check your facts. Marvin K. Collie, First City National Bank Bldg., Houston, Tex. 77002. Dialogue Barnes’ had it Well, you are going to have to spell it out for me: the difference between inferring that Barnes took a bribe and implying that he took one. Moreover, you say we misused the word accusation. I read Version No. 1 and I believed it. I think that Sharp implied, inferred and accused Barnes of taking the bribe, your semantics to the contrary. I think that Osorio learned his lessons well from A. Shivers and I refer you to the Sept. 16 issue of The Tulia Herald for a review of Shivers’ financial manipulations. I think you ought to print the Herald version. Barnes’ worst defense was his phony charge that it was all a Republican plot. Barnes is dead and all that’s left to do is bury him. Archer Fullingim, The Kountze News, Kountze, Tex. Coverage divisive I was raised on a demonology in which Allan Shivers and the devil walked hand in hand. I have campaigned for Don Gladden, Don Yarborough, Ralph Yarborough and others in every election since I became involved in politics. As a director of the Students for Responsible University Administration, I helped fight Erwin’s destruction of the College of Arts and Sciences. We got early financing for the Legal Research Project, which has since uncovered major scandals among the minions of those in power. Thus it comes as something of a shock to find myself and many of my associates lumped as “Johnson, Connally, Barnes” “opportunists” for having left Countdown ’72. I would suggest that Mr. Dugger start checking his facts instead of accepting reports from “people I rely on”. There was no organized walk-out from Countdown, only a drifting away in discouragement by many of us who had been maligned by Lownstein for no other reason than our disagreement with his people over voter registration tactics. Had you checked your facts you would know that only 800 delegates attended the conference, not 1,200. You would know, as Miss Ivins apparently failed to advise you, that the open split did not develop until an unscheduled general session was held after the conference had officially closed and most of the delegates had left. The only vote, taken by hand count, indicated only 160 persons voting, 74 of them against the Lowenstein position. Had you checked your facts you might have learned that what you label provincialism was an unwillingness to accept the leadership of non-Texans ignorant of conditions here. For example, one of Lowenstein’s interns stated that he had thought John Connally was a moderate liberal until he got to Texas. Instead of insinuating that we were Barnes people, you might have discovered that Dan Boyd, president of UT Young Democrats and myself were adamantly opposed to a suggestion by Cleta Deatherage to invite Barnes to address the conference so as to gain establishment respectability. You might have noted that the people who left Countdown were the ones who doubled student voter strength at UT in one year and then lined it up to topple the reactionary Austin City Council. Your entire coverage of Countdown ’72 has been a case of bad judgement, bad journalism, and poor liberalism. We have ‘.submerged our disputes with Countdown since the conference considering them no excuse for jeopardizing voter registration. It has not helped matters to have the Observer dragging up stale divisions and badmouthing some of the most effective reform groups in the state. As a liberal Republican said on reading your column “why is he trying to write like Whitaker Chambers?” Dan Meador, The Ark Community, 2000 Pearl, Austin, Tex. Bought off! Why give front-page coverage to the YAF’s when you did a dagger story on the group that gathered to celebrate Countdown ’72? Every person there knew at least those who had any savvy, and there were plenty of those there that what happened at Countdown ’72 was precipitated by Barnes people, that most of those who objected had been sent there by stalking horses by the Barnes and Briscoe establishments. Knowledge like this is hard to hide, but it Octolier 8, 1971 15 Since 1866 The Place in Austin GOOD FOOD GOOD BEER 1607 San Jacinto 477-4171