ustxtxb_obs_1977_03_25_50_00023-00000_000.pdf

Dialogue Fascinating Just wanted you to know I find “The Lawyers” special issue the most fascinating and well-written of all the Texas Observers I’ve read so far. Congratulations to the Observer staff and contributors on a superb job. Heather MacDonald, 1107 Fairmount-8, Fort Worth. Less than democratic As a Texas lawyer-in-exile now teaching in Kentucky, I found the Feb. 25 issue of the Observer, devoted to lawyers and the legal system, interesting and informative. In “Crossing the Bar,” William B. Hilgers, the chairman of the board of the State Bar says the board is “strictly democratic.” I am sure that he would say the same about the entire procedure of electing officers and directors for the State Bar, but many younger lawyers with whom I have conversed feel there is something less-than-democratic about the way Bar elections are contested. While the actual procedures followed in electing officers and directors would seem to be democratic, the arrangement is actually nothing more than a variant of the seniority system. Only those with strong bloc support ever have much of a chance of being elected to leadership positions. The younger lawyers, like the newer members of Congress, are afraid to rock the boat, knowing that it could be quite hazardous to their careers and believing that, if they “know their place” they will eventually be rewarded with leadership positions in the Bar. In the meantime, they can prepare for the day when they will be able to contest for such positions by participating in the State Junior Bar of Texas. Members of the rank-and-file ratify the leadership choices made by the Bar elite by simply not voting. Their participation would usually mean very little, in any case, since the nominees for most Bar positions are virtually indistinguishable. While I have certainly never heard the Bar charged with corruption, it is clearly unresponsive to the wishes of its rankand-file members. It consistently serves the interests of only the large law firms and the middle-aged, well-to-do lawyers, while the public interest, the basis of its existence, is usually nothing more than a catch-phrase. It is to be hoped that young lawyers, women, and members of minorities, will begin to contest for leadership positions in the Texas Bar. The Observer article should encourage change in the Bar. The EARTH SHOE STORE 474-1895 1610 Lavaca Austin, Texas 78701 La Fonda de \(a Noche Southwestern Cuisine Liberal Food Conservative Prices 2405 Nueces **, eV 474-7562 THE COMMODORE HOTEL On Capitol Hill Owned by Texans. Run by a Texan. 520 N. Capitol St., NW Washington, D.C. 20001 Classified advertising is 20 g per word. Discounts for multiple insertions within a 12month period: 25 times, 50 percent; 12 times, 25 percent; 6 times, 10 percent. BOOK-HUNTING? 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The Observer needs drawings and black-and-white photographs of small towns, farms, Texas architecture, and landscapesas well as caricatures of Texas political figures. Payment, of course, is nominal. Write or visit the Observer at 600 W. 7th St., Austin, Tex. 78701 or call PLANNING TO MOVE? Be sure to send the Observer your new address \(as well as notifyavoiding charges to forward magazines. We can change our mailing labels right up until the day before we mail an issue . . . provided we hear from you. The Texas Observer, 600 W. 7th, Austin, Texas 78701. March 25, 1977 23 FOURTH WAY SCHOOL. GurdjieffOuspensky Centers now accepting students. 2975. VOCAL TRAINING for business and professional people. B. Kirk McManus, PhD. 3435. BOOKPLATES. Free catalog. Many beautiful designs. Special designing too. Address: BOOKPLATES, P.O. Box 28-1, Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387. JOIN THE ACLU. Membership $20. Texas Civil Liberties Union, 600 West 7th, Austin, Texas 78701. NEW ORLEANS ON $8 A YEAR. The Weekly Courier, 1232 Decatur, New Orleans, La. 70116. FINANCE YOUR NON-TANGIBLE sales contracts through me. Trade school, health spas with service contracts financed without credit check. Write Kenneth Edwards. Economist. 3237 Ewing Ave., Houston. Texas 77004. FREE WHEELING BICYCLES, 2404 San Gabriel, Austin. For whatever your bicycle needs. EIGHT LARGE COLORED PRINTS, UT and Austin. $5.90 ppd. Longhorn Frame, 507 Bee Caves, Austin 78746. SUBSCRIBE TO HIGH COUNTRY NEWS, environmental newspaper of the Rocky Mountains. Investigative and explanatory articles on issues of national importance. $10 per year for 26 issues. Box K, Lander, Wyoming, 82520. TRAVELERSOVERSEAS RESIDENTS: Special personal affairs service, mail forwarding, banking and buying assistance, etc. Johnson Services, Box 18245, San Antonio, Texas 78218. SOUTHWESTERN ART The most expensively produced art quarterly in America. Annual subscription $16. For complimentary brochure write: SOUTHWESTERN ART, Dept. 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