Viewpoint
The Battalion Monday
Texas A&M University October 30, 1978
Wilson a good choice
for A&M, the team
Texas A&M University President Jarvis Miller and the Board of Regents
deserve commendation for Friday’s decision to sign Tom Wilson to a
three-year contract as head football coach.
As Miller said in his announcement of the decision, “We could have spent
weeks, or even months, searching for such a man, and all the while have our
overall program in a state of limbo.” The decision does several things to
promote the future growth of the athletic program at Texas A&M,
First, it puts to rest the rumors about which coach from which school
would accept which alumni group’s offer to come to Texas A&M. This kind of
national guessing game reflects negatively on the University.
Second, the speedy decision salvages a recruiting program that reached
new standards of excellence under the tenure of Emory Bellard. It is still too
early to determine the effects that Bellard’s resignation will have on Texas
A&M’s recruiting year, but the appointment of Wilson and the assurance of a
stable coaching staff will minimize any adverse effects.
Finally, and presendy most important, Wilson’s hiring as head football
coach brings stability to the 1978 Texas Aggie football team. Wilson is not
simply a fledgling 34-year-old assistant coach who happened to be in the
right place at the right time. He has contributed to the Aggies’ offensive
development since he arrived at Texas A&M in 1975 and he was considered
for the head coaching job at Texas Tech University last year.
Wilson is a man capable of the job of head coach and the football team
realizes this. Before finding out about Wilson’s appointment, members of
the team had signed a petition asking that he be hired as head football coach.
Some players had planned to leave Texas A&M at the end of the year had
Wilson not been hired. They foresaw problems in adjusting to a new
coaching staff.
Wilson brings a new spark of optimism to a high-quality football program
that was dangerously close to self-destruction. D.B.
Covering
By ARNOLD SAWISLAK
United Press International
WASHINGTON — It is against the law
for companies or unions to make direct
contributions to candidates for Congress
or the presidency. It is legal for “political
action committees” formed by companies
or labor unions to make voluntary con
tributions.
Commen tary
The labor unions were the first to use
the PAG device. Through groups like the
Committee on Political Education, labor
has been supporting candidates for many
years. Professional organizations, such as
the American Medical Association, also
were early users of the committee ap
proach to political contributing.
It wasn’t until the Watergate investiga
tions venilated widespread direct corpo
rate political contributions that industries
and individual businesses latched onto the
device.
Now there are hundreds of PACs at
tached to industry groups or directly to
specific companies which permit execu
tives and other employees to pool volun
tary contributions to help finance the
campaigns of candidates who represent
their political views.
The rationale for PACs is that those who
contribute to them have common political
and issue interests that they want to sup
port. Thus, union PACs might want to
back candidates who support common
situs picketing legislation, medical PACs
might get behind candidates opposed to
certain health legislation and so on.
Critics of PACs, especially when the
system was used almost exclusively by
your bets
unions, have argued that (1) the fundrais
ing is not really voluntary and (2) those
who contribute the money have little to
say about what candidates get the con
tributions.
Behind these criticisms is the conten
tion that rank and file union members
were pressured to contribute to COPE or
similar groups and that the choice of can
didates to be helped was made by “union
bosses.” Similar objections have been
raised more recently about professional
and business-related PACs.
Now another objection has surfaced.
Common Cause recently studied contribu
tions to the Texas Senate race and discov
ered that 46 corporate and professional
PACs had contributed $110,000 to both
the Democratic and Republican candi
dates. Sen. John Tower, the GOP incum
bent, did almost twice as well as Rep. Bob
Krueger, his Democratic challenger, but
in some cases the PACs gave each man the
same amount.
Does this mean the PACs are dividing
their candidate aid in an effort to reflect ’
the wishes of those who contributed the
funds? No way, says Common Cause.
“These interest groups are making sure
they will have easy access no matter who
wins the Texas Senate race,” said vice
president Fred Wertheimer. “It’s like
backing both teams in a football game —
you’re bound to have a winner.”
Common Cause, of course, also has an
axe to grind. It has been trying for years to
get Congress to outlaw campaign financing
with private funds and go to a system of
public financing. It was instrumental in
selling Congress on a modified system of
public financing for presidential cam
paigns, but thus far has failed to convince
Congress that the same medicine would
be good for it.
Meeting of the lines
By ROLAND LINDSEY
UPI Capitol Reporter
AUSTIN, Texas — Wednesday will be a
key day in Republican Bill Clements’
campaign for governor.
Clements contends his polls show that is
the day he will overtake Attorney General
John Hill in the race and his lead will build
in the remaining six days before the
election.
The GOP contender bases that
contention on graphs showing Hill’s
popularity declining since the Democratic
primary — a normal drop based on past
elections — and his own polls showing his
popularity steadily increasiijg.
Wednesday is the day? the two lines on
the graph meet, signifying die has-caught
up with Hill, Clements says.
Politics
Voters needn’t worry too much about
that prediction, however, since the
election will be only six days away and that
outcome is more certain than any
prediction.
Clements campaign, which he estimates
will cost more than $5 million, is the most
expensive ever waged by a Republican
candidate for governor in Texas, and
perhaps is the first time the GOP nominee
has outspent his Democratic opponent.
The contrast in campaign spending
between Clements and Hill is made clear
by the listing of staffers on the campaign
expense reports.
Clements’ campaign reports show 73
paid employees. Hill has 13.
The State Insurance Board has been
more than two months without a
permanent chairman, and Gov. Dolph
Briscoe has given no indication when he
plans to appoint a successor to former
board member Hugh C. Yantis.
Yantis appointment was rejected by the
Senate during the summer special session
on tax relief.
Harrison Vickers of Houston is the man
mentioned most often as the likely
successor to Yantis, but Briscoe has just
over two months remaining on his term
and- has not yet filled the vacancy.
Railroad Commission hearing examiner
Brooks Peden showed some humor in an
otherwise dull hearing dealing largely with
statistics and numbers last week.
The hearing involved dumping of oil
brine in Whalen Lake in Andrews County,
and at one point environmentalist Midge
Erskine of Midland — the only woman
witness among a room full of men — stood
to ask for clarification on some of the
testimony.
“Could I have two dates please? ” she
asked.
“With whom?,” Peden replied.
After a brief bit of laughter, Mrs. Erskin
got her dates — the days on which
inspections had been made at the West
Texas lake.
Letters to the Editor
C.
Editor:
Since I was knee-high to a toadstool, my
father (’50) has taken me to Aggie football
games. Probably the biggest thrill of those
memorable days was “THE VOICE OF
KYLE FIELD.” At the time, as a matter
of fact up until this semester, I did not
know who Mr. C.K. Esten was.
I have read much about Aggie traditions,
some good and some bad. Upon Mr.
Esten’s retirement I realized a great Aggie
tradition was passing. This is saddening in
:my heart, as well as the hearts of countless
Aggies.
To Mr. Esten, we Aggies know how well
you deserve your retirement, no one could
question that. But sir, hoping not to
impose, only asking out of the greatest
. respect, will you not announce at least one
Texas Aggie football game a year? There is
nothing more moving to hear than, “now
forming at the north end of Kyle Field, the
nationally famous Fightin’ Texas Aggie
Band!”
Mr. Esten is a tradition too great to do
without. “THE VOICE OF KYLE
FIELD” is one hell of a reason to be a
FIGHTIN’ TEXAS AGGIE.
To A&M tradition ...
— William Marks, ’80
Editor’s note: this letter was
accompanied by 19 other signatures.
Hostile gripes
Editor:
Having been at A&M for almost five
years now, I have seen a lot of changes,
both bad and good. I have read The
Battalion almost daily for those five years
and have noticed that the majority of the
letters to the editor are in the form of
complaints. Most of the people write in to
complain about something, anything, just
plain nothing.
To get to the point, it seems that the
letters involving hostile feelings are rising
at an alarming rate. For example, the
letters regarding the incident on the MSC
grass. Whether or not it is a registered
K. Esten: voice of Ag tradition
tradition to stay off the grass is not the
question.
The question is: Why didn’t the guy get
off when he was asked? The reason
according to the guy was that it was his
right to sit there. The fact is that he does
have the right to sit on state property, but
conversely the people who opposed him
also have the right to request that he get
off. All of us who pay taxes and/or tutition
own that land. In this democratic society
the majority rules and clearly the majority
did not want the guy on the grass.
Secondly, regarding the letter
complaining about the “two-per-centers at
the Houston game. I love the Aggies as
much as the next person, but I also get
upset with their sometimes horrible games
(i.e. Houston and Baylor). If people want
to leave early that’s their choice. After all,
you can’t win games on tradition. Some
may respond to this that, “Highway 6 runs
both ways.” I know that, but I stopped
here.
Lastly, in response to Miss Tipton’s
letter in (Oct. 19) The Battalion. Miss
Tipton you have every right to be “very
angry” when motorists don’t yield the
right-of-way to you. On campus the
pedestrian has the right-of-way at
intersections but not midway between
them.
Bicycles must obey the law the same as
the motorist, which I have rarely seen
happen.
As for your chasing them down and
telling them what you think of them, you
show a total lack of control and maturity.
Do not be surprised if you run upon
someone as irrational as yourself and they
slap the ever-living hell out of you.
In conclusion Miss Tipton, do not
believe that just because you have the
right-of-way that you are any match for an
automobile going 30 miles per hour.
— Greg Coulter, ’78
Broken record
Editor:
After suffering through days of epitaphs
concerning the resignation of Emory
Bellard, I think it is time to hear another
view on this matter.
First of all, I would like to commend
Coach Bellard for his achievements in
improving the athletic department during
his six years as athletic director. He has
put our school in the national limelight in
athletics.
However, the facts remain, A&M has
not won an outright Southwest
Conference championship since he has
been at the helm. Big deal, you say? Yes,
we have been winning. We have gone to
three straight bowl games, but what did
those bowls prove?
For the last four years, A&M has had
the best football personnel in the
conference. Just look in the professsional
ranks. It wouldn’t take much searching to
find close to 10 Ags from ’74-’76 who are
playing regularly on their respective
teams.
Why did such an awesome array of
talent fell short of a trip to Dallas on New
Year’s Day year after year? There is no
doubt in my mind that those teams and
this year’s team were of championship
caliber, but leading every championship
team is a championship coach. Bellard has
not proven himself to be one. A winning
coach he is, but such a team as A&M has
this year deserves more than just a
winning season.
A&M is long overdue for the SWC
crown, and it was obvious that we weren't
getting any closer by continuing to play
conservative football.
Bellard was a good coach, a great
athletic director, and is a great man. A&M
is a changing school, changing to keep
pace with a changing nation. Why
shouldn’t the football team also undergo
changes? You can “dance with he one what
brung you” only so long.
Many people seem to think that this
whole issue is based on the UH and Baylor
games. These bleeding hearts need to
review the course of events over the last
several seasons. It plays like a broken
record.
Maybe now we will see changes, and
win, or lose, at least now it will be more of
a challenge for the fans to predict each and
every play to be run. Good luck to Tom
Wilson and the entire staff on a successful
second half.
— Scott Parma, ’80
Daryl Parker, ’78
What happened?
Editor:
First, let me say that I don’t know why
Emory Bellard quit. All I know about what
is happening on campus at College Station
is what I read in the newspapers. The
newspapers don’t say it out loud, but they
imply that the best coach the Fightin’
Texas Aggies ever had quit because the
student body wasn’t supporting him.
If this is not true, the student body
should do something to show that they did
support the coach and the team through
thick and thin. But if this is true, then the
student body deserves a 4-7 season to
show it what a good coach means to a
university.
This is one ol’ Ag that wishes that Coach
Bellard would change his mind, because I
think he was doing a damn fine job. But if
he won’t, I will still support the team, the
new coach, and the university, because
that is the Aggie way. I just wish that
somebody would tell me what happened.
— Michael Willett, ’70
Houston
Readers’ Forum
Guest viewpoints, in addi
tion to Letters to the Editor,
are welcome. All pieces sub
mitted to Readers forum
should be:
• Typed triple space
• Limited to 60 characters per
line
• Limited to 100 lines
V J
Top of the News
STATE
Davis jury selection starts today
NATION
Offshore drilling rig kills two
Salvage operations that may take several days in Intracoastal, La.,
will be the only way to determine what caused a $3 million offshore
drilling rig to topple into the Gulf of Mexico with 16 men aboard,
killing two of them. The other 14 workers escaped with minor injuries.
Two were burned when a pot of gumbo in the rig kitchen fell on them.
The president of Mallard Well Service, which owned the 48-by-80fbot
Mallard 35 drilling rig, said the cause of the Friday morning accident
was a mystery. The back leg, one of three 183-foot tall metal supports
on the rig, buckled in 40 feet of water. Most crewmen were in their
quarters and escaped without serious injury. But two who were se
cured with safety lines while working on the deck became tangled in
the drilling derrick and apparently drowned.
WORLD
Survivors head to Soviet Union
Ten survivors of the crash of a U.S. Navy surveillance plane were
headed toward the Soviet Union Saturday aboard a Russian trawler.
The survivors and five others crashed in icy North Pacific waters in a
P-3 Orion less than 300 miles from Siberia. Bodies of three were
recovered by the trawler MVS Senyavina and two others were still
missing. U.S. and Soviet aircraft continued to circle the area in hope of
spotting the missing men. The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Jarvis also was
en route Saturday but was delayed by rough seas
Park leaves U.S. for business
Tongsun Park, the South Korean rice dealer who was finally per
suaded to testify before a congressional committee about Korean
influence-buying, slipped offfor an "unauthorized” trip to the Domini
can Republic for a few days, the Washington Star reported Saturday.
The newspaper said the trip, made to sell some real estate Park owned,
caused a “flap at the State Department and in Seoul because the
arrangements that brought Park to the United States forbade his travel
elsewhere without the express approval of both governments. The
State Department declined immediate comment.
'Tortilla Curtain postponed
The foreign ministry in Mexico City said Saturday the U.S. Immi
gration Service has postponed plans to build a new fence along parts of
the U.S.-Mexican border to prevent the entry of illegal Mexican
workers. Mexican President Jose Lopez Portillo, currently on a state
visit to China, termed as “discourteous and inconsiderate” what has
been dubbed the “Tortilla Curtain. ” The foreign ministry said the U.S.
embassy advised that the fence, to be built along parts of the border
near San Diego, Calif., and El Paso, was being postponed “with a view
of carrying out an analysis of the implications of this matter.”
Mexico air controllers end strike
Mexico’s 800 striking air controllers agreed Saturday to become
government employees and end a walkout that sharply reduced the
number of national and international flights. Antonio Jose Abimerhi,
secretary general of the air controllers union, told newsmen in Mexico
City the controllers would start returning to work over the weekend
and that all flights should be normal by today. The government had
brought in military air controllers and its own personnel to replace the
controllers who walked off the job for the second time Oct. 5. How
ever, the Mexican Pilots Association limited the number of flights ofits
members for what it said were security reasons. The Pilots Association
said this week in a paid advertisement that there had been seven near
mid-air collisions since Oct. 5 due to the inexperience of the new
controllers.
Typhoon Rita hits Hong Kong
Typhoon Rita buffeted Hong Kong Sunday with winds as high as 75
mph but spared the British crown colony the devastation it wreaked in
the Philippines, where it killed 40 persons. Hong Kong police said
several persons were injured by falling objects set loose by winds that
averaged 39 mph. In its two-day assault on the Philippines’ rice bowl
provinces central Luzon plain last week, Rita killed at least 40 people
and forced more than 52,000 to leave homes threatened by flooding.
Damage to agriculture was described as minimal. Rita struck after
farmers had harvested their rice crop.
Iranian troops and students clash
Student demonstrators clashed with Iranian troops in Tehran, Iran,
Saturday one day after police in a small western town fired on a crowd
of anti-shah protesters who had showered them with flowers. The
police responded with gunfire killing five people. Two banks and a
liquor shop in downtown Tehran were set on fire and rioting youths
skirmished with armed forces throughout Tehran. Soldiers toting
machineguns and backed by heavy armor blockaded Tehran Univer
sity and the National University and fired into the air to break up gangs
of demonstrating youths.
WEATHER
Fair today and mild this afternoon with variable winds at 5-10
mph. High 80 and low tonight in the mid 50’s.
The Battalion
LETTERS POLICY
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 guarantee to publish any letter. Each letter must be
signed, show the address of the writer and list a telephone
number for verification.
Address correspondence to Letters to the Editor, The
Battalion, Room 216, Reed McDonald Building, College
Station, Texas 77843.
Jury selection begins today in Houston for Fort Worth millionaireT.
Cullen Davis’ capital murder solicitation trial, his second criminal
prosecution in little more than a year. Davis, 45, is charged with trying
to hire the murder of his divorce judge, Joe Eidson, who since has
withdrawn from Davis’ stormy and still incomplete divorce from his
wife, Priscilla. Prosecutor Jack Strickland said the trial will test the
ability of the American judicial system to deal with a defendant of
Davis’ wealth. The Tarrant County District Attorney’s office spent
$300,000 last year trying to convict Davis on charges he killed his
stepdaughter, Andrea Wilborn, 12, in a mansion shooting spree in
which his wife’s lover, Stan Farr, died and Mrs. Davis and a family
friend were wounded.
Colen
islan<
jops o
j0
Represented nationally by National Educational Adver
tising Services, Inc., New York City, Chicago and Los
Angeles.
The Battalion is published Monday through Friday from
September through May except during exam and holiday
periods and the summer, when it is published on Tuesday
through Thursday.
Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester; $33.25 per
school year; $35.00 per full year. Advertising rates fur
nished on request. Address: The Battalion, Room 216,
Reed McDonald Building, College Station, Texas 77843.
United Press International is entitled exclusively to the
use for reproduction of all news dispatches credited to it.
Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein reserved.
Second-Class postage paid at College Station, TX 77843.
MEMBER
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Congress
Editor KimTyx*
Managing Editor Liz Newt
Assistant Managing Editor . Andy Willi®!
Sports Editor David E
City Editor Jamie Aitkff
Campus Editor Steve I*
News Editors Debbie Parson!
Beth Calhoun
Staff Writers Karen Rogers, Mm!
Patterson, Scott Pendleton
Sean Petty, Michelle Scudde:
Marilyn Faulkenberry, Dian<
Blake Lee Roy Leschper, Jr.
Cartoonist Doug Grahtf
Photographer Ed Cunnini
Focus section editor Gary Weld
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, s^j'
supporting enterprise operated by student!
as a university and community newspaptt
Editorial policy is determined by the editor
ec
V
SAN J
Gonz;
ns are
ipeles:
unter 1
hy.
It has
menca
urns,
unicati
iday. “
mean:
itlessne
‘There
the lan
ipelessi
iu do r
ivemmi
f ery m
mself.”
Gonzal
apathy
led to
gamzec
tback o
Ive pro
“In th(
!0 has
ymg n
me tin
II
I
M
Of
Agt
civi
the
nat
inti
the
Hoi
OPf
sim
TO
car
spa
des
con
dev
are