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Vol. 67 No. 16
College Station, Texas
Friday, September 24, 1971
Friday — Cloudy to partly
cloudy. Northerly winds 5-10
mph. High 73, low 64.
Saturday — Partly cloudy.
Easterly winds 10-15 mph. High
77, low 61.
Saturday — Lincoln, Nebraska,
kickoff time—Partly cloudy to
cloudy. Northerly winds 10-12
mph. 66°. 40% relative humidity.
845-2226
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HOUSTON’S LOUIE WELCH emphasized the importance of good municipal government
to the audience at the Memorial Student Center Thursday. The mayor of Texas’ largest
city spoke for the first meeting of the Political Forum Noon Series. (Photo by Randy
Freeman)
DALLAS (A*) — House Speaker
Gus Mutscher should step aside
as speaker until bribery charges
against him are cleared up, State
Rep. Dick Reed said Thursday.
Reed, a member of the “Dirty
Thirty” Ethics minority which
opposed Mutscher’s iron rule dur
ing the legislative session this
spring, said “it's in very, very
poor taste to have a man who’s
under indictment serving as
Speaker.”
Reed said Mutscher has interim
powers as Speaker “that I think
should not reside in the hands of
a person who’s under indictment
for bribery,” Reed said.
‘“He has appointed himself
again to the Legislative Budget
Board; he will be in charge again
of activating and appointing the
membership of interim commit
tees to study the various prob
lems that relate to the Legisla-
Political Forum series
Welch talks of city government
By SUZANNE FORD
Staff Writer
“Municipal government should
not try to do everything for
everyone”, said Louie Welch,
Mayor of Houston at the first
meeting of the Political Forum’s
Noon Series in the Memorial
Student Center Thursday after
noon.
Welch, speaking on the sub
ject “Problems in City Manage
ment” expounded on what he
believed to be the duties and
responsibilities of city govern
ment in the growing urbaniza
tion of Texas.
“Thirty years ago, 70 per cent
of Texas citizens lived in rural
areas. Today two-thirds of the
population reside in standard
metropolitan statistical areas.
This shift in population demands
a growth and maturity in city
government to accommodate the
passing problems of the urban
University apartment rent
will revert to former level
Rent for A&M’s student apartments will revert to the
1970-71 level for the duration of the 90-day wage-price freeze
as the result of a decision Thursday by the national head
quarters of the Office of Emergency Planning.
The rental increases, ranging from $5 to $10 per month,
had been established by A&M’s board of directors in No
vember, 1970, to provide for employment this year of addi
tional maintenance personnel and to meet debt service
requirements for enlargement of the utility system.
“For the duration of the freeze,” noted President Jack
K. Williams, “monies will have to be taken from other pro
grams to meet these obligations.”
The action follows resolutions by the Student Senate
and Graduate Student Council asking that rents be lowered
“in the spirit of the Nixon wage-price-rent freeze.” Married
students had asked that the rents be frozen because an ex
pected university wage increase had been frozen.
The reduction, however, comes not from the resolutions
but from the decision of the Office of Emergency Planning.
community.”
“I believe the Mayor-Council
form of government, which is
unique to Houston is the answer
to the problems of municipal
government,” he said.
“The mayor is elected directly
by the people, and although he
presides over the city council he
is not responsible to the council
for his officeship.” The Mayor
further said that he believed this
form of government gave him
greater political mobility and a
non-partisan outlook, incurring
a higher degree of political re
sponsiveness to the electorate.
In a recent Washington survey
which investigated the burden of
the taxpayer in supporting state
and local government, Houston
ranked twenty-fifth. To the
Houston urbanite, this means the
lowest per capita tax, including
federal tax, in support of muni
cipal services.
“Houston’s non-partisan form
of government does not identify
with national political parties. It
is not responsible to pressure
groups but rather to the entire
electorate.” The Mayor further
commented that in not catering
to political bureaucracy allows
capable employees to fill city
jobs rather than using the jobs
as the ploy of elected officials.
“Low cost public assistance
programs are responsible for a
limited tax burden,” said Welch.
“Statistics show that in the
highly populous metropolitan
areas such as Newark and New
Editors argue about press
and responsibility at seminar
York one in every three and one
in every seven people respec
tively receive some form of pub
lic assistance.” “In Houston
these staggering figures are
limited to one in every thirty-
five, a cost which can easily be
absorbed”. “While the cost of
municipal government has been
kept to a minimum, quality has
not been sacrificed,” commented
the mayor.
City Hall’s opinion concerning
the Wallisville Project was ex
pressed in a brief question and
answer period. Welch cited two
reasons for the implementation
of the project: First, as an effi
cient water and fowl preserve,
second, as an effective salt wa
ter regulator in time of drought.
The Mayor believed that if the
four foot water harrier was not
built, the capabilities of the res
ervoir would be reduced by 50
per cent.
When asked what kind of
pressure was placed on his office
concerning the ship canal pollu
tion, he replied that he had re
ceived none to date, however,
such directives would be han
dled by the Air Control Commis
sion organized in 1967.
The present lawsuit pending
against the city as a result of
the Compost Plant has not yet
been resolved. There have been
no plans to overhaul the process.
Welch contended that the build
ing would probably be bought in
the near future and used to store
city equipment. Welch added
that his future aspirations for
Houston as not merely a prod
uct of contemporary urbaniza
tion but rather as “a good place
to live.”
ture during the interim, Reed
pointed out.
If Mutscher doesn’t step down,
something may have to be done
to remove him, Reed said.
The only precedent for remov
ing members of the legislature
for bribery that he knows of was
established in 1927, Reed said.
That year, State Reps. F. A.
Dale of Bonham and H. H. Moore
of Cooper were overwhelmingly
voted out of the House of Rep
resentatives for asking for and
getting a $1,000 bribe from a
lobbyist for the State Optometric
Association.
The lobbyist, however, had told
police of the bribe request and
they observed the payoff.
That offense, however, took
place during a legislative session,
and House Speaker Robert Lee
Bobbitt took the lead in appoint
ing an investigating committee
which recommended expulsion.
The legislature can only be
called into special session by Gov.
Preston Smith, himself a profi
teer in the stock deals. And it
is unlikely that Mutscher will
appoint a committee to decide
whether he should be ousted.
Another legal problem in tak
ing action against Mutscher, Reed
said, is that there is some ques
tion whether the 62nd Legisla
ture could take any action against
one of its members for an offense
committed during the 61st Legis
lature’s term.
Dallas County Republican Par
ty chairman Tom Crough pre
dicted the indictments against
Mutscher and his top House lieu
tenant, Rep. Tommy Shannon of
Fort Worth, “will have a far-
reaching impact on the 1972 elec
tions.”
“Most assuredly, these indict
ments will be an issue in the
legislative elections in Dallas
County,” he said.
A&M scholarship
honors Nixons
A $25,000 endowed scholarship
is being established at Texas
A&M in behalf of President and
Mrs. Nixon, A&M President Jack
K. Williams announced Thursday.
Funds for the scholarship have
been provided by James M. (Cop)
Forsyth of Houston.
“Texas A&M University has
contributed mightily to the Lone
Star State and to this nation,”
President Nixon noted in a letter
to Forsyth, “and I would be proud
to be a part of the dynamic role
it will play in the future, especial
ly through the means you have
created.
“It is a distinct privilege to
accept your offer and he among
those participating in the Presi
dent’s Scholars Program at Tex
as A&M,” the President added.
“For the kindness you have done
me and for tomorrow’s students
who shall reap the benefits of
your goodwill, please accept my
heartfelt thanks.”
The President and Mrs. Richard
M. Nixon Scholarship will be part
of a program conducted by the
university’s alumni organization,
the Association of Former Stu
dents. Its goal is creation of 100
such scholarships to be offered
to high school seniors who excel
academically and display out
standing character and leadership
ability.
Former Students President
Leslie L. Appelt of Houston
pointed out more than half of
the proposed $25,000 scholarships
have already been endowed.
“The entire alumni association
is grateful to President and Mrs.
Nixon and to the Forsyths for
this significant gift, which will
have a most salutary effect on
our continuing drive for academic
excellence at Texas A&M Univer
sity,” Appelt said.
“President Nixon has paid
Texas A&M a compliment of the
(See Scholarship, page 2)
Best resident
suspended by
hall award
the CSC
“Outstanding Resident Hall
Award” has been suspended for
this year by a one vote majority
in the Civilian Student Council
Thursday night.
The controversy originally be
gan when the council voted to
stop paying for the annual mov
ing of the award placard, which
was being moved each year at
the council’s expense. The award,
sponsored by the council was
originally created to give recog
nition to the most active resi
dent hall.
The discussion arose this
semester concerning the method
of selecting a hall for the award.
A few dorm presidents felt that
program halls had monetary ad
vantage over the non-program
halls who were also participating
in the contest.
Up to date, the award was
presented to the hall on a high
point basis. Points were given
to each hall, depending on its
ranking in general subject areas
that involved all of the civilian
halls. Each dorm was rated on
its achievements in the annual
intramural athletics in which all
dorms compete. Also, the social
activities sponsored by each
dorm and its campus and com-
dorm and it’s campus and com
munity activities. Even each
dorm’s innovations were taken
into consideration.
September 9, the last council
meeting, Bryan Garner from
Legett Hall said, “The competi
tion among the resident halls
was the whole idea of the
award”. He commented that his
hall looked forward to working
for the award each year, and
later added that discontinuing
the award would be a let-down
for his particular hall.
Garner brought up the motion
at last night’s meeting to dis
continue the “Outstanding Resi
dent Hall” award for this year
and proposed that several sep
arate awards for outstanding
intramurals and outstanding
GPR he awarded instead.
Last year several awards were
given along with the “Outstand
ing Resident Hall” award. These
included awards in intramurals,
academics, an outstanding pro
grams hall and an outstanding
activity hall.
Last night’s voting ran 10 in
favor, and nine against. Further
discussion defining the remain
ing awards being offered was
tabled to be discussed at a later
meeting.
Gordon Pilmer, CSC president,
announced that James McLeroy,
chairman of the Issues Commit
tee in the Student Senate, has
begun a program to help com
bat the current parking prob
lems. One room in every dorm
is to be set aside for collecting
student traffic compaints. Then,
the bulk of complaints are to be
presented to the weekly Traffic
Appeals Committee Meetings.
The Civilian Student Council
is sponsoring a post-game dance
Oct. 2, the Cincinnati football
game weekend. A “Hot Pant”
contest is planned at the dance
which is to he held in the Grove.
Admission will vary: couple
$2.00; with activity card, $1.00;
accompanying a date with hot
pants, $1.00; and stag, $1.00.
By ROD SPEER
Staff Writer
Should the New York Times
be allowed to decide what is to
be classified and what is not
was asked Thursday night by
Molly Ivins, co-editor of the
Texas Observer, to a small Great
Issues audience.
“On the other hand, who is
John Mitchell to decide?” she
said as she discussed the Penta
gon Papers with William Hobby,
editor and publisher of the Hous
ton Post.
Hobby, in his introductory
speech, spoke of the Pentagon
Papers in terms of the trial of
John Peter Zenger, a colonial
newspaper editor tried for libel
even though what he had print
ed was the truth. He went on
to talk of the other influential
journalists who risked lives and
reputations to seek and print the
truth.
“God made newsman for dig
ging into the facts and report
ing the truth,” Hobby said. He
emphasized that newspapers
should have a “watchdog” in
fluence on society.
Banking is a pleasure at First
Bank & Trust.
Ivins described the Pentagon
Papers incident as being the first
major attempt by the govern
ment to stop a newspaper from
printing something. She felt
that, with one exception, journ
alists have been very careful in
protecting the national interests.
The exception was during
World War II when a newspaper
printed that the Japanese code
had been broken, before the
Japanese had found out that it
had.
“It may be hackneyed and
overused by newsmen,” she said,
“but the people have a right to
know. Since Americans have
been paying for the Vietnam
War with limbs, lives and blood,
much less money, they should
know what brought us into the
war, she added.
Ivins also stressed what she
called the “fallacies of objec
tivity” in journalism. Objective
writing, she said, frowns on the
use of adjectives and adverbs
and encourages colorless arti
cles. “The press has blunted
their own tools — words,” she
said.
Ivins said she believed that, in
their present form, the newspa
pers are going to fade out, de
scribing the average news arti
cle as a “dried-out turd in a
cellophane wrapper.”
“Advocacy instead of objec
tivity,” was a phrase often used
to describe her ideas in new
trends in journalism. She said
the reporter should become more
involved and more involved and
more partisan in his reporting
of the news.
Hobby rebutted that newspa
pers are not dying out but
merely experiencing a change in
structure. “Newspaper circula
tion is increasing and there are
more and more small suburban
papers,” he said.
He also said that there are
many times in “objective report
ing” when a writer may indeed
inject the “whole truth.”
“Suppose Mr. X has said that
he will do such-and-such for the
fourth time,” Hobby said, “then
the reporter can say that he has
said so three other times and
not done anything. It’s just as
effective.”
University National Bank
“On the side of Texas A&M.”
—Adv.
Panelists Molly Ivins of the Texas Observer and Wil
liam Hobby of the Houston Post discuss the freedom and
responsibility of the press at a panel presentation by Great
Issues. (Photo by Joe Matthews)