Page 2 THE BATTALION
TUESDAY, OCT. 21, 1975
Autocross race
m
Headline causes problen
By ROXIE HEARN
Assistant Editor
The Ombudsman is a reader service that
rect name of the institution»
Texas Woman’s University, not
Women’s.
fields questions, complaints or comments
about The Battalion. This column is a discus
sion of calls and letters received throughout
the week.
Cv AMScter
TVS YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY/'
Part 1 of 9
If The Battalion were keeping
a “most gross errors list,” Fri
day’s preview of the Sports Car
Club’s autocross would be at the
top.
A,sports story said the club
The constitution proposal
Associated Press
AUSTIN — On Nov. 4, Texas
citizens will have the first oppor
tunity in a century to vote on a
complete revision of the Texas
Constitution.
The proposed revision, submit
ted by the 1975 Legislature, is in
the form of eight separate amend
ments, each of which revises a par
ticular portion of the present con
stitution.
One article will not be on the
ballot for a decision. That is Art. 1,
the Bill of Rights, which contains
the constitutional guarantees of
Special News
Analysis Series
The present constitution was
written in 1875 by a constitution
convention in Austin and approved
by voters in 1876. Since then it has
been amended 220 times and
grown to 63,000 words. One out
moded provision still gives the
governor power to call out the
militia to “protect the frontier from
hostile incursions by Indian or
other predatory bands.” A section
added in 1966 contains only three
sentences, but one of them is 750
words long.
Actually much of the deadwood
in the constitution was removed by
voters in 1969 when they repealed
50 obsolete sections.
people and turned over to the legis
lature.
Sen. Peyton McKnight,
D-Tyler, chairman of a statewide
opposition group said “it is a real
booby-trap. . . . They have thrown-
away the concept of public restraint
on the powers of the government
and made political office-holders,
especially the legislature, the true
ruling class in Texas.”
Next: The proposed new con
stitution and the changes it would
make in the powers of state legis
lators.
would hold an autocross race
Sunday. That part was fine, but
the headline above the story
shouted in half-inch high letters
that the event was scheduled for
Saturday.
That sort of error can t be cor
rected, so if you got up at 8 a. m.
on the wrong day, we re sorry.
Our coverage of the race ap
pears on Page 8 today.
Financial problems are still
taking their toll on The Battal
ion. At the end of last month, we
showed a loss of almost $3,500.
Until we can get back on our
feet fiscally, the weekly “Special
Section will be discontinued.
(Hopefully, with the emphasis
off feature and entertainment,
our in-depth campus coverage
will improve.)
An editorial is a statement of
opinion, and simply because of
that it’s bound to get comments.
Usually these comments
wouldn’t involve an om
budsman, but this week they
did. Several people called about
Tuesday’s editorial which
criticized the ticket distribution
system and said the facts in it
were wrong. Spring preregis
tration is not held in the spring
as the editorial stated, but in the
winter. A correction was
printed in “Top of the News
the following day.
Other callers simply disa
greed with the editor’s state
ments. Not too much can be
done about that sort of com
plaint, but since they felt they
deserved equal time, Thurs
days Battalion ran a letter to the
editor supporting the present
distribution system.
One final item brought to my
attention this week was our in
correct use of TWU. The cor-
ladies
Am US' Pat
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I DON'T THINK ^Ol/'p
ENJOY IT... ALL YOU m
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15 YOURSELF!
Political Science prof
Benton urges study of charter
By JACK HODGES
Battalion Staff Writer
equal rights, freedom of speech
and religion, and the right to
speedy public trial by an impartial
jury-
Modern legislators and constitu
tion writers felt the guarantees
written in 1876 are just as good to
day.
But on the other eight proposi
tions on the ballot there have de
veloped wide differences. Some of
the most controversial issues in
clude:
—A proposal that the legislature
meet every year, instead of bien
nially.
—A plan to combine the Texas
Supreme Court with the Court of
Criminal Appeals, and let the 14
courts of civil appeals handle crim
inal cases.
—A proposal that each of the al
most 200 state agencies, except col
leges, return to the legislature
every 10 years for authority to con
tinue operations.
Voters have a choice on each of
the eight propositions. Each
amendment will succeed or fail ac
cording to the popular vote.
If a portion, or all, of the new
constitution is voted down, then
the corresponding part of the 99-
year-old current constitution will
continue in effect.
Texans have lived under six dif
ferent constitutions since 1836
when the first document was
adopted to form the Republic of
Texas.
In 1971 the legislature proposed,
by constitutional amendment, a
constitutional convention in 1974
with the 181 state legislators as
convention delegates. The voters
approved the convention, and it
met for seven months but failed by
three votes to approve anything to
be submitted to voters.
Then in 1975, with the urging of
most high state officials, the legisla
ture picked up the constitutional
convention’s work. On April 16 the
legislators set the Nov. 4 vote on
the eight amendments that closely
resemble the unsuccessful conven
tion version.
Some proponents argue the new
constitution should be adopted if
for no other reason than it is only
18,000 words, instead of 63,000.
They also say that it is flexible
enough to serve the state for years
to come and that it is understanda
ble to the average Texan.
“I don’t agree with everything
proposed in the new constitution
but I think it is so much better than
what we have today that I think it
would be wise for us to adopt the
revision,” says Associate Justice
Price Daniel Sr. of the Texas Sup-
rerrte Court, a former Texas gover
nor and U.S. Senator.
Opponents have the argument
that a state charter that has stood
the test of time for 99 years should
not be discarded for an untried
document. One of their main ar
guments is that too much power
has been taken away from the
The proposed revision of the 1876
Texas Constitution ma> fail unless
people careful!) read and research
the articles, Wilbourn E. Benton,
author and political science profes
sor at Texas A&M Uni vers it \ said
Mondax .
“With Briscoe s stand there max
be some doubt for its passage, but I
don t think that am one man s opin
ion should swax ex erxone s xote,
Benton said.
People should studx the critical
matters and xote on their own eon-
x ictions, he added.
The referendum for the constitu
tional rex ision is Nox . 4 and there
are eight amendments in question.
The Bill of Rights, which is not on
the ballot, will be retained in full
without change.
Voters could approx e passage of
all or part of the proposal package,
most of which would become eff ec-
tixe in late 1976.
According to Benton, the most
important articles are the terms of
the legislative sessions and the court
sx stem.
“We need the xearlx sessions be
cause this state has grown so much
since 1876 when the largest citx in
Texas was Galxeston, Benton said.
“Texas goxernment is a big opera
tion and there is a need for xear to
xear operation.
With the legislature meeting
ex erx xear it should "tone up the
whole goxernment sxstem in
Texas, he said.
As the constitution stands now,
the legislature meets during odd-
numbered xears with special ses
sions called bx the gox ernor on
exen-numbered xears.
“'file proposal to combine the
Texas Supreme Court with the
Court of Criminal Appeals would
speed up the present court sxstem
without the main delaxs we hax e
now, Benton said. "A number of
other states hax e it this wax and a
number of judges and laxvxers in
Texas fax or the idea.
Right now, the court of Criminal
Appeals and the Supreme Court are
separate. The Supreme Court hand
les all eix il matters and the Court of
Criminal Appeals has jurisdiction
over criminal appeals. The prop
osed amendment will combine
these two and make one new Sup
reme Court. The court would con
sist of a Chief Justice with at least
eight justices that sit in session with
no fewer than five at a time.
T he chief justice of the T exas
Supreme Court would become the
Chief Justice of T exas and the
judges of the Criminal Appeals
Court and associate judges of the
present slate Supreme Court be
come justices of the new Supreme
Court, according to the pro postal
rex ision.
"I am in fax or of all eight propos
als which xvill completelx rex ise the
l()()-x ear old constitution, Benton
said.
The best part of it, he said, is that
it is worded in a simple style. It s
well-organized and it s easily under
stood, he added.
“T he legislature should he com
mended lor all ol its work, he said
anyujay, A6 i (UA* emt,
1 THINK THAT NEXT
YEAK OUR TEAM SHOULD.,,
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IF THE SUBJECT OF ME
SUDDENLY COMES UP, III
JUMP RlSHT IN!
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Oct
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Che Battalion
Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the editor
or of the writer of the article and are not necessarily those of
the university administration or the Board of Regents. The
Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting enterprise operated
by students as a university and community newspaper. Edito
rial policy is determined by the editor.
Represented nationally by National Educational Advertising Services, Inc.,
New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles.
McLaughlin’s
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THE BEST HAIRCUT OF YOUR LIFE
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We truly believe that no other men’s or ladies’ hair
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We cost a little more (Artists don’t come cheap.) But
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For proof we make this offer: Let us cut your hair. Wear
it for 10 days. If you’re not showered with compliments we’ll
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CALL 846-5764 FOR APPOINTMENT
1403 UNIVERSITY DR. COLLEGE STATION
Texas A&M University
MSC Directorate &
Aggie Players
Dinner Theater
The Women
o
October 21,22, 23 6:30 p.m.
MSC Ballroom
A&M Students I Dates $4.50
General Public $7.00
Reservations close 24 hours prior to performance. Tickets &
information MSC Box Office 845-2916.
@c
/tep Into the m/c circle
The Battalion, a student newspaper at Texas A&M, is published in College
Station, Texas, daily except Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and holiday periods.
September through May, and once a week during summer school.
LETTERS POLICY
Mail subscriptions are $5.00 per semester; $9.50 per school year; $10.50 per full
year. All subscriptions subject to 5% sales tax. Advertising rate furnished on
request. Address: The Battalion, Room 217, Services Building, College Station,
Texas 77843.
Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words and are
subject to being cut to that length or less if longer. The editorial
staff reserves the right to edit such letters and does not guaran
tee to publish any letter. Each letter must be signed, show the
address of the writer and list a telephone number for verifica
tion.
The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for reproduction of all
news dispatched credited to it or not otherwise credited in the paper and local news
of spontaneous origin published herein. Rights of reproduction of all other matter
herein are also reserved. Copyright © 1975, The Battalion.
Second-Class postage paid at College Station, Texas.
Address correspondence to Listen Up, The Battalion, Room
217, Services Building, College Station, Texas 77843.
Members of the Student Publications Board are: Bob G. Rogers, Chairman; Dr.
Gary Halter; Dr. John Hanna; Roger P. Miller; Dr. Clinton A. Phillips, Jeff Dunn,
Tom Dawsey and Jerri Ward.
Director of Student Publications: Gael L. Cooper.
MEMBER
The Associated Press, Texas Press Association
Editor James Breedlove
Assistant Editor Roxie Hearn
Production Manager T. C. Gallucct
City Editor Steve Gray
Campus Editor Sandy Russo
Sports Editor Tony Gallticci
Photography Director j’ack Holm
ARTISANS & CRAFTSMEN
Needed For
ARTS & CRAFTS FAIR
November 7,8
Registration in Arts & Crafts Center - MSC
Phone 845-1631
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SC-20—$59.95
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LOUPOTS
N0RTHGATE—ACROSS FROM THE POST OFFICE
® 1975 Application Calculators Incorporated
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