Voter apathy may determine winner of Texas elections
By PAM TROBOY
Battalion Staff Writer
Voter apathy, a chronic problem
for Democratic candidates in Tex
as during recent years, may be
the prime factor in Tuesday’s gen
eral election, according to top
party officials.
Even the wet-dry issue (listed
as constitutional amendment num
ber two), traditionally a bitterly
contested point, has drawn little
interest.
“Apathy this year is so bad that
the Baptist minister hasn’t even
preached one sermon against li
quor by the drink,” bemoaned
State Democratic Executive Com
mitteeman Jerry Kraft.
The liquor issue is generally
considered to be helpful to Demo
cratic candidates, however since
dry, rural areas normally heavily
Democratic, will have a large
turnout.
Only two state-wide races have
drawn measurable interest this
year—Preston Smith and Paul
Eggers in the governor’s race and
Lloyd Bentsen and George Bush
in the United States Senate con
test.
Other state offices being con
tested this year include lieutenant
governor, attorney general, comp
troller, treasurer, land commis
sioner and agriculture commis
sioner. Seven constitutional
amendments are also on the bal
lot.
Bentson has said his chances
of winning are on “thin ice” when
the total voter turnout is at 1.6
million votes, and improve as
turnout increases. He has pre
dicted a turnout of more than two
million and has concentrated on
getting out the vote during the
last two weeks of the campaign.
The Ripon Society, liberal arm
of the Republican Party, has said,
however, that “it is likely that
the turnout in November will be
the smallest in a decade—a de
velopment traditionally thought
helpful to the Republican cause.”
Both Bush and Bentsen have
tried to capitalize on their dif
ferences but there really aren’t
many aside from party labels.
Bush is 46, Bentsen is 49; both
are wealthy; both were shot down
as pilots in World War II, Bush
in the Pacific and Bentsen in
Europe.
Politically, both are against
welfare abuse, gun registration,
inflation, excessive government
control, pollution, crime and the
war in Vietnam. Both have served
in the House of Representatives,
Bentsen from 1948 to 1955 and
Bush from 1966 until this year
when he gave up his seat to run
for the Senate.
The campaign itself has been
more of an issue than any other
topic, although both candidates
have spoken out on the economy,
welfare reform and protection of
the oil and gas industry.
Calling recent visits to Texas
by the president, the vice presi
dent, the secretary of the treasury
and the secretary of commerce a
political power play, Bentsen has
claimed that Bush is a “coattail
candidate.”
“National Republican officials
have been wearing out their
planes coming to Texas,” he said.
“These people are more interested
in, seeing another number, another
Republican, rather than a man
who represents the State of Tex
as, elected. When Mr. Bush calls
on those kinds of forces to help
him, you can imagine how much
independence he’ll have up there
in Washington.
“I've been seeing some of those
bill boards of my opponent’s where
he’s looking up in the air,” Bent
sen said. “I finally figured out
what he’s doing. He’s looking for
Air Force One.”
“The non-partisan Congression
al Quarterly reports that I have
supported President Nixon 64 per
cent of the time,” Bush said. “I
am independent enough to sup
port him when I think he’s right—
even on the tough ones—and bat
tle him when I think he is wrong.
I can guarantee you that I can
always get the Texas message
through to the President.”
Despite numerous appearances
by Republican leaders endorsing
Bush, he is playing down the
party label on his billboards.
Bentsen has emphasized that he
is a Democrat.
Bentsen 4lso has hopped from
small airport to small airport in
order to capture the rural vote,
hoping to establish a “plain folks”
image. He has relied on a Ijesure-
ly traditional appeal to Democrat
ic strength in Texas while Bush
has waged a dynamic Kennedy-
style campaign.
Bentsen has also accused Bush
of trying to buy the election—a
charge leveled at him during his
close primary contest with Ralph
Yarborough.
Bush reported that he has spent
$969,008 in his campaign while
Bentsen said he spent only $419,-
332.
A report in a Washington news
paper Tuesday that Bush is being
considered for the vice pres
idency in 1972 and that this may
cloud the campaign issue in the
last few days of the race.
“We are trying to elect a sena
tor to represent Texas for the
next six years, not a new speech-
maker for the Republican party,”
Bentsen said.
Bush denied the report, term
ing it “wild speculation with g*
credibility at all.”
The main issue of the campaign
so far has been whether Republi
can policies can halt inflation.
Bentsen has called for the pres
ident to use stand-by credit con
trols and to talk with business
and labor leaders about holding
down price increases and wage
demands.
“This is no time to give the
Republicans a vote of confidence
on policies which have put nearly
two million Americans out of
work without stopping inflation.”
he said. “Texans want a chance
in the policies that have brought
us soaring prices, rising unem
ployment, a crippled housing in
dustry and a tumbling stock mar
ket.”
Bush has claimed that the econ
omy is “better today than it was
several months ago” and still im
proving.
He said Nixon “inherited a
whale of a problem” from the
Democratic administration be
cause of its big federal spending
deficits and the only real “cure”
for inflation “is for Congress not
to spend more than the taxes
will bring in, or if it does, to have
the guts to raise them.
“The economy is clearly reviv
ing—yet at the same time infla
tion is coming under control,” he
said. “We are moving forward
with real strength in our fight
against inflation. All economists
agree on this.”
Both Bush and Bentsen have
courted the powerful oil and gas
industry, each endorsing legisla
tion which will take the authority
to fix prices away from the Fed
eral Power Commission (FPC).
Punitive government regula
tions particularly the FPC’s gas
price-fixing policies, have cur
tailed exploration at the expense
of the consumer who is now the
victim of an energy crisis, Bent
sen has said.
Bush agreed saying that federal
controls have forced producers to
sell intra-state, resulting in a
“critical gas shortage” in other
parts of the country.
Bentsen has criticized Bush for
voting for the welfare-reform act
that has gained the tag of a
guaranteed annual income bill.
The bill will double welfare
costs and increase the number of
welfare recipients from 10 mil
lion to 24 million, he said.
Bush has repeatedly said that
he is opposed to a guaranteed an
nual income but favors welfare
reform that will require welfare
recipients to register for job
training and for work availability.
“If we do nothing, the cost of
welfare will be $12 billion a year
by 1974,” Bush said.
The outcome of the guberna
torial race may well have a bear
ing on the senate race. Voter
apathy about the Eggers-Smith
race is a bad sign for the Demo
cratic party and may pull Bush
and Eggers into office by a slim
margin.
The incumbent, Smith has
served six years as state repre
sentative, six years as state sen
ator and six years as lieutenant
governor. He defeated Eggers
two years ago in the first major
Republican campaign for gov
ernor.
Eggers’ experience in govern
ment has been on the national
level. He has served as general
counsel for the treasury, as liai
son officer on minority affairs
and on the Presidential Task
Force on Dangerous Drugs.
Smith did little campaigning
until the last two weeks, depend
ing on his record to re-elect him.
He has attacked Eggers’ lack of
understanding of state govern
ment and defended the record of
his administration as “sound one-
party leadership here in Texas.”
“I looked at his record to try
to attack it,” Eggers countered,
“but there’s not much you can
say for or against Preston. He’s
just been there.”
He challenged Smiths’ claims
of accomplishment on the econom
ic front, citing statistics he said
proved “we’re losing ground in
terms of personal income when
compared to other states. I don’t
believe we need this kind of help
(See Voter apathy, page 4)
Cbe Battalion S
Vol. 66 No. 35 College Station, Texas Tuesday, November 3, 1970
Friday — Clear. Winds from
the west at 10-15 mph. Low 44
degrees. High 71 degrees.
Saturday — Clear. Northerly
winds at 10-15 mph. Low 47 de
grees. High 68 degrees.
Kyle Field — Partly cloudy,
easterly winds 10-15 mph. 67 de
grees.
845-2226
Kirby Brown, left, and Fernando Giannetti discuss International Association Con
stitution proposals at Wednesday night’s meeting. (Photo by Hayden Whitsett)
Tuesday at MSC
Ski trippers will meet
In International Association proposal
Assembly to consist
of one per country
A meeting of A&M students,
faculty-staff and active former
students interested in the 1970-
71 “Ski the Alps” trip will be
held Tuesday at the Memorial
Student Center.
“Ski the Alps” chairman Jim
Summers of Shreveport said the
8 to 9:30 first meeting about the
Jan. 3-13 trip will be in Rooms
2A and B.
The trip is sponsored by the
Ski the Alps committee, a part
of the MSC Travel Committee.
The 10-day excursion by DC-8
jet to Geneva, Switzerland, and
Argentiere - Chamonix Valley,
France, will include plane seat,
bus transfer from Geneva to the
French resort, nine nights lodg
ing, 12 hours of group skiing
lessons, equipment and chairlift
for $284 per person.
Those not interested in skiing
may take advantage of a motor
ing special at reduced rates
depending upon accommodations
and students with parents in
France, Italy or Switzerland may
take advantage of the travel ar
rangements, Summers said.
Ski party members will stay at
the Grand Roc at the base of the
famous “Grand Montets” ski runs.
The area is famous for Mont
Blanc, Europe’s highest moun
tain.
Numerous trails to fit the qual
ifications of novice, intermediate
apd expert skiers will be found,
along with 120 instructors, two
skating rinks, discotheques, ca
sino, curling and so forth, Sum
mers added.
A giant slalom race will be
conducted for the group, with a
presentation party including
prizes and trophies for the win-
The Contemporary Arts Com
mittee Film Series will present
Ingmar Bergman’s “Through a
Glass Sarkly” Friday night in the
Ballroom of the Memorial Student
Center.
Bergman’s film, the winner of
both the Academy Award for the
Best Foreign Film and the Swed
ish Academy Award in 1961, is
an epoch of family strife depicted
within a 24-hour period.
ners. Two multilingual guides will
meet the group in Geneva and
assist until departure.
Summers said the plane will
leave Houston International Air
port on Jan. 3 and return to the
same field Jan. 13. The excursion
will take advantage of A&M’s
long between-semesters break.
Only A&M students, faculty-
staff and active former students
and immediate families can quali
fy for Ski the Alps 71 application,
Summers said.
For the first time this year,
the committee will hold a discus
sion after the film for anyone
wishing to participate.
“We hope to generate some
type of audience response,” film
series co-chairman Lynn Jagers
said. Refreshments will be served.
Admission will .be by season
ticket only. Tickets can be ob
tained at the door or at the Stu
dent Program Office.
BY LEE DUNKELBERG
Battalion Staff Writer
Discussion was frenzied and
confused as foreign students met
to discuss a proposed constitution
for a foreign student organiza
tion.
The proposed draft was pre
sented by the group’s coordina
tor, Fernando Giannetti, and Kir
by Brown, Student Senate ad
visor. Kirby explained that the
committee had been formed by
the Student Senate, with the help
of the Great Issues Committee,
in order to help generate an un
derstanding between foreign and
American students.
Kirby proposed that the name
of the group be the International
Association. He explained that
it was “an international group
ing of people in one association.”
The purpose of the group will be
to generate understanding and to
provide a voice for foreign stu
dents about campus life.
There was a long discussion
on membership requirements of
the group. It was finally decided
to open membership to all stu
dents. Foreign students will au
tomatically be members, and
American students will have to
register.
American students will have to
register rather than automatical
ly be considered members, due to
the number of them and to en
able the group to have an idea
of active American support, Gi
annetti explained.
The organization of the asso
ciation was presented by both
Giannetti and Brown. They ex
plained that there would be a
WASHINGTON <A>) _ Official
U.S. sources say they have re
ceived hints from third parties
that North Vietnam is seriously
interested in private negotiations
on President Nixon’s peace pro
posal for Indochina including a
standstill cease-fire.
The third parties were not iden
tified but the American officials
said it is their belief that Hanoi
has found the cease-fire sugges
tion intriguing.
Noting that the dry season is
now beginning in large areas of
Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, the
American sources said there are
three options from which Hanoi
may choose:
General Assembly elected by the
members of the association and
an executive committee which
would be elected by the assembly.
Each country is to elect its
own representative to the Gen
eral Assembly. This representa
tive will be the only delegate of
that country that will be allowed
—A major military effort in
volving high-risk operations. All
supplies for such an operation
would have to be sent over the
Ho Chi Minh trail through south
ern Laos since the Communist
supply route by sea through Cam
bodia has been closed.
—The opposite extreme—^nego
tiating an Indochina peace settle
ment at the Paris talks.
—Low-cost, protracted guerril-
Junior class
to hold dance
Saturday night
An all-university dance spon
sored by the junior class rounds
out Texas A&M campus activities
Saturday after the A&M-Arkan-
sas football game.
First of the all-university dance
series, the juniors’ informal War-
lock Ball will be from 8:30 p. m.
to 12:30 a. m. in the Memorial
Student Center Ballroom, an
nounced Class President Jerry
McGowen of Mansfield.
Music will be furnished by The
Chayns, a well-known group from
San Antonio, he said.
“Since this is a Halloween
dance, dress will be either costume
or casual,” the junior class pres
ident said. “Civilian students will
appreciate the opportunity to shed
their coats and ties for the dance
and I’m sure corps members will
welcome wearing either a simple
costume or Class B uniform with
ascot.”
Admission will be $2.50 per
couple or $1.50 single. Advance
tickets may be purchased for $2
per couple at the MSC Student
Program Office.
to vote in the assembly, although
other delegates of that country
may participate in debates and
discussion.
“These are not the clubs’ rep
resentatives,” Giannetti stressed
in regard to the different coun
tries’ clubs. “They are the coun-
(See Assembly, page 3)
la warfare of the kind advocated
by Communist China’s leader
Mao Tse-Tung.
The american officials said that
between the choice of protracted
war or negotiations, there is a
significant possibility that nego
tiations would be the Communist
choice.
North Vietnam, the Viet Cong
and Communist China all reject
ed Nixon’s five-point peace initi
ative, made on Oct. 7, as a “peace
fraud,” but there have been indi
cations that the Communist side
is interested in talking about the
Nixon plan, the sources said.
Senate to hear
reports tonight
Tonight’s Student Senate meet
ing will be devoted almost solely
to committee reports, Student
Body President Kent Caperton
said Wednesday night:
The Senate meeting begins at
7:30 and will be held in the con
ference room on the second floor
of the library.
Committees have been meeting
regularly, Caperton said, “but
there don’t seem to be any issues
that anybody’s bringing up.”
Caperton also said a committee
to study possible revisions in the
Senate constitution will be form
ed, with himself as chairman.
“I think this revision study is
very important,” Caperton ex
plained. “At the meeting, I will
be asking senators for their ideas
and feelings.”
University National Bank
“On the side of Texas A&M.”
—Adv.
Crocker will host
TWU ‘sister’ dorm
Brother and sister usually need no introduction, but this weekend
will be an exception when Crocker Hall residents meet the women from
their sister dorm, Stark Hall, at Texas Woman’s University.
After five weeks’ work hall councils from both dorms got the
sister dorm program cleared with their respective university’s adminis
tration, Crocker president James Jones said.
“This will not only bring the two universities closer together, but
it will boost our boys’ morale and make dorm life here at A&M more
bearable,” Jones said.
Crocker Hall residents participating in the program have chosen
dates from a personahty-picture file for this weekend.
Housing will be provided for the women on the top two floors of
Crocker, which will be cleared of all men for the weekend.
The girls will be escorted to Town Hall and midnight yell practice
Friday, and to the game followed by a steak fry Saturday.
Crocker is sponsoring a dance at the Knights of Columbus Hall
Saturday night from 8 until 1. The Ghost Coach will play. Admission
will be $3.00 per couple for non-Crocker residents.
Sunday afternoon Crocker will hold a picnic for the Tessies.
Activities such as “a semi-powder puff football game” will round
out the weekend, Jones said.
Series to show Bergman film
at 4 C’; discussion will follow
North Vietnamese rumored
interested in ‘serious’ talks