ustxtxb_obs_1972_02_04_50_00013-00000_000.pdf

business engagement. “I have, of course, taken no active interest in the selection of the new chairman it would be inappropriate,’ Strauss wrote. “I have, however, noted the names of quite a number of people being mentioned, including Orr. Now that he has been unanimously recommended by the Nominating Committee, I think it might be of interest to the members of the SDEC to know what my experience has been with Roy On [follows several sentences on Orr’s helpfulness and cooperativeness] . . . I later recall that when the National Committee was having difficulty making a success of its Florida Gala that they turned to Texas for help. Everyone in the leadership of our State from the Governor on down was helpful and they each participated, including Roy Orr. Again, he was one of the first to make a contribution and he and his wife made the trip to Florida.” M.I. February 4, 1972 13 Austin contact: Marge Hershey 512/476-3838 Marge & John Yeaman 1801 Kendra Cove 512/454-9916 Houston contact: Cathy Tarte 713/782-3246 Dallas contact: Liz Stewart 6901 Robin Rd. 214/357-1176 Ken Gjemre 214/521-0207 Waco contact: Hope Bronaugh 817/752-4886 San Antonio contact: Trey Ellison 512/733-0883 Don Norton 512/824-5468 Beaumont contact: Dr. Leon Stertz 713/838-4289 A belated exposette Dallas The Observer, like a tyro Jack Anderson, has obtained documents. The documents relate to a not-very-memorable Democratic Party fund-raising gala held in Miami, Fla., in early 1970. The gala raised only $400,000 at a time when the party was $8 million in debt. But Robert S. Strauss, national Democratic committeeman from Texas, was credited with having raised 25 percent of that sum single-handed. And Bob Strauss was shortly thereafter named national committee treasurer. And many were the stories written about Strauss, the fund-raising wonder; the one man who could lead the Democrats out of deficit and blah, blah, blah. A close look at the SDEC’s records of who paid how much on that occasion shows that the Texas party, after deducting its expenses and its own cut of what it raised, contributed $28,900 to the national party. And $28,900 is not 25 percent of $400,000. Strauss told the Democratic workers who were asked to sell tickets to the gala that there were to be no freebies, cash customers only, no members of the press. The price was $1,000 a head or $1,750 a couple. But the final report prepared for the SDEC by George Christian’s firm shows some interesting exceptions: Earl Luna \(chairman of the Dallas Robert Spellings and wife \(he is Dick and Richard West \(the senior West is editorial director of The Dallas Morning News while junior West is an aide to $00 Robert Strauss and wife $1,000 The elder West was one of the journalists who reported after the gala that Strauss and the Texas contingent had accounted for 25 percent of the take. Also of interest is a brief correspondence between Dorothy Palmic, .who was then secretary for the SDEC, and Roy Orr, current SDEC chairman. Palmic wrote Orr, who attended the Miami gala with a guest, that she had no record of his payment. Orr wrote back, “Strauss told me the trip was free to me since he had picked up some money elsewhere. I will pay if I have to but that was not the understanding.” Which leads to another interesting bit of correspondence the letter Bob Strauss wrote to the members of the SDEC on October 19, 1971, days before the SDEC meeting at which Orr was narrowly elected chairman. Strauss wrote that he would not be able to attend the meeting because of a prior TEXAS NEW PARTY/PEOPLE’S PARTY Born in the ashes of Chicago in August 1968, nurtured in the Yarborough debacle of May 1970, and fertilized by the manure from the Sharpstown Stables, the NEW PARTY/PEOPLE’S PARTY is alive and growing. The NEW PARTY/PEOPLE’S PARTY represents the only hope of those Texans seeking political solutions to the pressing social, economic, educational, and ecological dilemmas of our times. Those hopes you have that are repeatedly and continuously dashed to ashes by the ever present, all powerful, Conservative Democrats. Those hopes that could not be served by either reactionary Republicans or the racist American Party. Come commune with us, come to the Conciousness III party, come as you are we’re an inclusive group. Watch for an announcement of meetings in your area or call or write one of those ‘listed below. TEXAS NEW PARTY/PEOPLE’S PARTY