ustxtxb_obs_1982_02_12_50_00002-00000_000.pdf

iEIF,DBsERvER Incorporating the State Observer and the East Texas Democrat, which in turn incorporated the Austin Forum-Advocate. Vol. 74, No. 3 7CtP . 4V February 12, 1982 A journal of free voices Editor and Publisher: Ronnie Dugger Co-Editor: Joe Holley Staff Reporter: Ruperto Garcia Washington Correspondent: Bob Sherrill Research Director in Washington: Katharine C. Fain EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Frances Barton, Austin; Elroy Bode, El Paso; Chandler Davidson, Houston; Bob Eckhardt, Washington, D.C.; Sissy Farenthold , Houston; Ruperto Garcia, Austin; John Kenneth Galbraith, Cambridge, Mass.; Lawrence Goodwyn, Durham, N.C.; George Hendrick, Urbana, Ill.; Molly Ivins, New York City; Larry L. King, Washington, D.C.; Maury Maverick, Jr., San Antonio; Willie Morris, Oxford, Miss.; Kaye Northcott, Austin; James Presley, Texarkana, Tx.; Susan Reid, Austin; A.R. Tehachapi, Ca.; Alfred J. Watkins, Austin. LAYOUT: Beth Epstein. CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Warren Burnett, Jo Clifton, John Henry Faulk, Bill Helmer, Jack Hopper, Laurence Jolidon, Lyman Jones, Mary Lenz, Matt Lyon, Greg Moses, Janie Paleschic, Laura Richardson, M. P. Rosenberg, Bob Sindermann, Jr., Paul Sweeney, Lawrence Walsh. CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS: Berke Breathed, Jeff Danziger, Ben Sargent, Mary Margaret Wade, Gail Woods We will serve no group or party but will hew hard to the truth as we fund 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 humankind 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. Writers are responsible for their own work, but not for anything they have not themselves written, and in publishing them we do not necessarily imply that we agree with them because this is a journal of free voices. Business Manager: Frances Barton Office Manager: Joe Espinosa, Jr. Advertising, Special Projects: Cliff Olofson The Texas Observer postage paid at Austin. Texas. years, $56. One year rate for full-time students, $13. Airmail, foreign, group, and bulk rates on request. Microfilm editions available from Microfilming Corporation of America, Box 10. Sanford, N.C. 27330. Copyright 1982 by Texas Observer Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Material may not he reproduced without permission. PAGE TWO Campaign Update With Billy Clayton headed back to the farm, the Justice Dept. rejecting Texas House and Senate and congressional redistricting plans, a three judge federal panel probably re-redrawing congressional districts, and most candidates for state-wide office ready to take the plunge, it seems a good time to take a deep breath and try to sort everything out. Clayton’s decision not to run for the land commissioner’s office surprised a lot of people but not those who knew him well. A poll he commissioned last fall revealed a high negative rating among voters around the state, even before the LCRA episode. Longtime friends and supporters were telling him he had their support, but they would rather he sit this one out. They also felt the campaign would be brutal, that Garry Mauro would stop at nothing. Despite his high negative rating, Clayton would have been a formidable opponent. He can obviously raise the money his campaign chest had already grown to more than $300,000 when he made his announcement this week and he has overcome large odds before. He’ll be back, no doubt; don’t be surprised to see him appointed to the Water Development Board. Meanwhile, the question remains about what he plans to do with his campaign money. He ducked the question at his press conference, saying “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. I still have a year in office.” Legally, Clayton can keep the money and turn it into private capital or he can save it for future races. Common Cause tried to close that loophole last year, proposing legislation that would have required a candidate to return contributions or contribute them to their political party or a charity if they withdrew from the race. The proposal went nowhere. Just who profits most from Billy Clayton’s withdrawal is hard to say. Neither Sen. Pete Snelson nor Garry Mauro is that well known statewide, but both are familiar to Democratic Party workers. Mauro says he will pick up a major portion of the campaign funds from friends he made as a Democratic party official, as former Cong. Robert Krueger’s campaign director, and as a lawyer. He also expects to pick up “seconds” pledges redeemable only if Clayton chose not to run. Snelson is highly regarded by people interested in education legislation. He calls himself a conservative and will no doubt lay the liberal tag on Mauro, who calls himself a moderate. Snelson, from Midland, is also happy that he won’t have to split the West Texas vote with Clayton. The third prominent Democrat in the race, former Land Commissioner Jerry Sadler that’s right, the Jerry Sadler told Sam Kinch of the Dallas Morning News he wished Clayton had stayed in because “I would have liked to have some fun.” Sadler, now 74 and practicing law in Honey Grove, called Snelson “harmless” and Mauro “young.” “I don’t know if I will have to whip up on either of them,” he told Kinch. “And if they want to get on me, they won’t be on a virgin, because that’s been done before.” Sadler said he had filed by mail for the post he held for ten years before he was defeated in 1970 by Bob Armstrong, and, as we go to press, state Rep. Dan Kubiak of Rockdale has just entered the race. And now, here at the last moment, another withdrawal. Peyton McKnight, ostensibly the wealthiest Democrat in the race for governor, has decided he doesn’t have the money. “Realistically, I have known from the outset that it would require substantial media advertising early in the Democratic Primary campaign to compete for name recognition against opponents who have previously run statewide races,” McKnight said. “At this point, it does not appear that my political contributions will meet these early spending demands. I am faced with 2 FEBRUARY 12, 1982 POSTMASTER: Send form 3579 to: 600 West 7th Street, Austin, Texas 78701.