Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 3, 1977)
30 ^ a wed rcleStat] n for rod l fs, anc a boi >n tliai,| outpoijj lie. 5 you, w :>n cafe o Walls, rfonu; stomped illie N id wenl P truck, he seals ouug ad, ire, I) t older pt had a ks s was a lookingl Ik, f u r and ey were ley saual )w, and ; the ' bv )ody’ d to 1 cassette young a chain, “Ison k land ans pass all bul! •eshmeal beer th him Johnson’s papers open to public THE BATTALION Page 5 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3, 1977 United Press Internatiomil AUSTIN -— Lyndon B. Johnson’s personal papers con cerning his 1948 election to the U.S. Senate will be opened for public inspection for the* first time today, the director of the LBJ Library said yesterday. A South Texas election official has contended in a series of recent interviews Johnson stole the 1948 Democratic nomi nation from former Gov. Coke Stevenson. Luis Salas of Jim Wells County said he certified 202 fictitious votes for Johnson at the instruction of George B. Parr. Johnson even tually won the race by 87 votes, and the race became a significant milestone in his rise to the presidency. Harry Middleton, director of the LBJ Library, said the news media will he permitted to inspect approximately 5,000 pages of Johnson’s personal papers beginning at 10 a.m. today. He said the documents relate to the 1948 election. "What we have are seven manuscript boxes that are iden tifiable as documents relating to the 1948 election, and the estimate I have been given is that they total something around 5,000 pages ” Middleton said. “I don’t know what they are. The archivists are going through them now. I would guess they would range from memoranda to news paper clippings.” Middleton said materials relating to Johnson’s early polit ical years have not been made public before because they were on a lower priority than papers from his tenure as senator and president. “But because of the publicity we decided to go ahead and make these public,” he said. “They’re being made available just the way all our papers are.” Salas said Johnson attended a meeting with Parr in San Diego, Tex., on the Tuesday following the Saturday Demo cratic primary runoff in August, 1948, and told Parr lie needed 200 more votes. Salas said Parr promised Johnson the votes, and had the votes registered from lists of persons who had not voted in the election. Three former Johnson aides said Monday Johnson did not leave Austin for the week following the election, and could not have attended such a meeting with Parr. “It would have been absolutely impossible for Mr. Johnson to have been outside Austin for the length of time it would have taken for him to go to Alice,” said Walter Jen kins, Johnson’s administrative assistant in 1948. Salas said he is sure Johnson participated in the meeting, however. “I don’t recollect the day or the date, hut I know he was there, Salas said. It was a nighttime meeting in San Diego. The election was on the 24th. It was after the election.” LAKEVIEW CLUB 3 Miles N. on Tabor Road Saturday Night: Johnny Bush and the Bandoleros From 9-1 p.m. stampededance" Every Thursday Night Ladies $1.00 Men $2.00 All Brands, Cold Beer 40 Cents 8-12 Tax lists contradict Salas’ story * 0PEN 't&ms jm$kl 10 ^ 7 'j 't & United Press International AUSTIN — Poll tax records un- •overed by Comptroller Bob Bul- ock contradict the story of a former lenchman of George Parr who laims Lyndon Johnson stole his '948 Senate election. Luis Salas made headlines Sun- lay claiming Johnson personally isked Parr to find him 200 more otes three days after the poll closed nd that the South Texas political mss and his backers complied bv ituffing 202 ballots into Box 13 in lim Wells County. Salas said the names were taken n alphabetical order from poll tax ists and named three Alice resi- lents he said voted fraudulently — in Texas had to pay a $1.75 poll tax to the county tax assessor-collector between Oct. 1 and Jan. 31 prior to the election to be signed up to vote. The only exceptions were for people who were 60 years old at the time and people who had paid their poll tax in another county and moved to a new area six months be fore an election. Salas, however, told interviewers the names signed to fradulent bal lots were taken directly from the poll tax lists. “They all came from the poll taxes, I mean, from the poll tax sheet, he said. Salas said the poll lists vanished after Coke Stevenson, a former Texas governor and Johnson’s oppo nent, lost a court challenge over the change in vote totals from Box 13. Unknown to Salas, copies of the county records on poll tax receipts were forwarded to the state comp troller along with a portion of the money. A check of names entered during each of the four months for Box 13 in Alice shows none of the three indi viduals Salas said were selected from the poll tax lists had paid poll taxes. Tf they hadn’t paid their poll tax they couldn’t do nothing,” Bullock said. "They ain’t going to take any body that didn’t even pay their poll tax.” Bullock said close associates of Parr have told him the “Duke of Duval ordered the ballot box stuf fed on his own without Johnson’s knowledge. “They said he just did it voluntar ily,” Bullock said. “He thought it would make him a kingmaker with Johnson.” 315 1 ^ UNIVERSITY a by PI , -’“‘V vwnva iiauuuicuuy raplis- ^ rs ' Miguel Acero, Miguel Acero ind Hector Cerda. Records maintained in the com- itroller s office, however, include complete poll tax lists for Jim W ells bounty for 1947 and 1948, and none ifthe three Salas named are on the ist. I really question what that man aid," Bullock said. Until a federal court declared the irrangement unconstitutional in 966, a person who wanted to vote Sun Theatres 333 University 846-9808 The only movie in town Double-Feature Every Week Open 10 am - 2 am Mon-Sat 12 Noon - 12 Midnight Sun No one under 18 Escorted Ladies Free BOOK STORE & 25c PEEP SHOWS DR. NORTHGATE -, 846-5515 (g Reg. 7.98 List LPs 8-tracks & cassettes Reg. 6.98 List LPs $£62 $£99 These Reg. '5.99 LPs This Week '4 99 Electric Light Orchestra Sound Track to “Joy Ride” Serving Luncheon Buffet Sunday through Friday 11:00 A.M. to 1:30 P.M. $3.00 Firefall ‘Luna Sea’ Judas Priest ‘Sin After Sin” Top Floor of Tower Dining Room Sandwich & Soup Mon. thru Fri. $1.50 plus drink extra S' Import LPs T-Shirts Open to the Public^ "QUALITY FIRST ' 5 ^ ' David Bowie ‘Starting Point” Now In Stock Blank Tapes Stereo & Accessories Needles PARAPHERNALIA Battalion Classified Call 845-2611 :30p. ii, R# radii* 1 if the C fip Sea* 1 * CE Bobby couidn’t make it... till be went CROWN INTERNATIONAL PICTURES prasetits STARTS FRIDAY West Screen Skyway Twin Starts 9:10 Come Join the Crowd in a Hilarious Nite of Fun & Excitement. A member/fdic new car financing for graduating seniors. And defer the first payment for six months. Pick out the car you want, drive it this semester, then begin your payments after you go to work. The Bank of A&M can put you in a new set of wheels today. Terms include 100 per cent financing (including insurance); deferment of the first payment up to six months; loan repayment extended up to 48 months (including the deferred payment period); and credit life insurance. Bring your job commitment letter or your application for active duty month. We can work out a repayment program that fits your circumstances. Personal banking department, see Mike Laughlin ’65. Worldwide banking department see Lt. Col. Glynn Jones (USAF-Ret.) ’43 or Col. Bob Elkins (USAF-Ret.) ’51. The BANK of A&M /Vo bank is closer to Texas A&M or its students. 111 E. University Drive 846-5721