state
THE BATTALION Paged
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1979
“at
nts
2-party state
Review of Texas politics in 70s shows scandal, turmoil
lte d, coord
°unty anj
nations,
aiation wan,
* T «as
ftyandd
d be mad e
!;
United Press International
AUSTIN — A cold wind whipped
round the pink granite Texas Capi-
ol building Jan. 19, 1971, while sun
plashed across a wooden platform
'here Democrats were being inau-
urated as the state’s governor and
ieutenant governor just as they had
ieen every two years since Recon-
truction.
Gov. Preston Smith had just won
iverwhelming election to a second
ferm, and Ben Barnes, considered
lie brightest star in Texas politics,
t remember 1 abiding his time as lieutenant
1 ’ ™ overnor, waiting for the opportune
ime to make his bid for the
Jovernor’s Mansion. But before
mith and Barnes placed their hands
n the Bible to take their oaths of
ffice, there were whispers in the
rowd of a Securities and Exchange
ommission suit that would spark
ic biggest scandal in Texas politics
i years, and usher in a decade that
mild see;
— indictment and conviction of
' s ' we ’ve bn)
said,
3 mo stserioii S j
was the,
a d three tan!.
A but Doiij
for Collegf
iyl chloride,
)ou f it,” LaJ
have one aii
: vv iH wipe m
described
Tans portion
guide
ighly OamoiS
Texas Supreme Court in 1976. But
he served only seven months before
being forced to resign in the face of
charges he had lied to a grand jury
investigating allegations he had also
attempted to hire the murder of a
former associate and forged the title
to an automobile. He later was con
victed of aggravated perjury, and
sentenced to five years in prison.
The Duval County region ruled
for years by George Parr came under
investigation by various law enforce
ment agencies during the decade.
triggering a feud between the Parr
and Carrillo factions that resulted in
impeachment charges being filed in
the Legislature against District
Judge O.P. Carrillo of Benavides.
The Senate, in the first impeach
ment trial in Texas since 1931, con
victed Carrillo on one article of im
peachment, removed him from
office, and banned him from ever
holding public office again.
The Senate deliberated only 35
minutes before voting 23-5 to convict
Carrillo of channeling thousands of
HOWDY
I'M YER
/ FRIENDLY
^ democrat
— inuictmem and convictio
'.r all a dozen state officeholders;
it can also 9
ng of the 4
an exploding)
V lly almost;
roperty or
fry an acdei
nentisonedt
respond iniiii
‘micalsp
ie police
the firt impeachment trial of a
fate official in three decades;
— the forced resignation and con-
iction of a Supreme Court justice;
— an increase in the forces of Re-
ublicans and blacks in the state
,egislature;
— and election of the first Repub-
can governor of Texas in modern
story.
In its lengthy petition filed in Dal-
s, the SEC alleged that Smith,
> ege Statiomj fj ouse Speakr Gus Mutscher and
everal of Mutscher’s top aides had
>r Mtxstnpl ia cle handsome profits on stock
e movemet eals financed by Houston financier
ui/s in Tew rank W. Sharp in exchange for their
( ((wMafcbin passing/egis/ation that woufo
mount of tit ave henefitted Sharp’s Sharpstown
chemical sib
lie in Tea,
wrtaimk
when needd
personnel p
Itate Bank.
Smith eventually vetoed those
ills, but before the scandal died
ownSA'aVsc'nei, Wep. Tommy SWn-
on, D-Fort Worth, and Mutscher
kle Rush McGinty had been con-
jcted of conspiring to accept
ribe, Smith and Barnes had been
jent, deterii ' rown out Texas voters angered
entifv thcif!| a * scandal at the highest levels of
tate government, and a South Texas
incher and banker, Dolph Briscoe,
ad been elected governor on a plat-
the flow, pal;
njured.
iponsiblefon
dollars of Duval County funds into
his personal bank account through a
scheme involving rental of nonexis
tent equipment. George Parr, mean
while, had committed suicide, and
Archer Parr had been sent to prison,
bringing to an end the political
machine that had dominated South
Texas politics.
The Texas Legislature, long
dominated by rural lawmakers, grew
steadily more urban during the
1970s, with the number of Republi
cans increasing from 12 in 1971 to 26
by 1979. The number of blacks in the
House and Senate increased from
three in 1971 to 12 by 1979.
But the scandals of the early 70s
were superceded by another politic
al event in 1978 that carries over into
the 1980s, and leaves Texas on the
brink of becoming something Re
publicans have long sought: a true
two-party state.
Clements, who had never before
run for elective office, put together a
statewide campaign organization un
matched in previous GOP cam
paigns in Texas, and let it be known
early he was not merely a token can
didate against Democrat Hill.
Hill had won the Democratic
nomination without a runoff, and
Clements smashed highly regarded
state GOP chairman Ray Hutchison
in the GOP primary with such ease
that Democrats began to show con
cern at the force and finances of the
Clements campaign.
Top stories selected
United Press International
DALLAS — The top 10 stories in Texas during the 1970s, as selected
by the state’s newspaper and broadcast editors, based first on headline
value and then significance:
— Headline value 1. Houston homosexual mass murders. 2. The
trials of T. Cullen Davis. 3. Fred Gomez Carrasco leads prison break
attempt. 4. Wichita Falls tornado. 5. Energy crisis of 1973. 6. Hurri
cane Celia. 7. Electfon of the first Republican governor in a century. 8.
Ixtoc I oil washes onto Texas beaches. 9. Death of Lyndon B. Johnson.
10. Texas stock fraud scandal. Close: Lubbock tornado, central and
western floods of 1978 kill 33, grain elevator explosions, Federal Judge
John Wood assassinated and federal prosecutor James Kerr shot at, and
the Texas Legislature’s “killer bees.”
— Significance 1. Energy crisis of 1973. 2. Election of the first
Republican governor in a century. 3. Population explosion in the
Sunbelt. 4. Mexican-American gains in civil rights; 5. Mexico discovers
oil; international influence increases. 6. Hurricane Celia. 7. Allega
tions of police brutality. 8. Retirement of six veteran congressmen in
1978. 9. Texas stock fraud scandal. 10. Houston mass murders. Close:
Ixtoc I oilslick, construction of D-FW Regional Airport, cutback of the
space program, and decline of the George Parr political machine in
South Texas.
iillH
Great Stocking
Staffers
Happy Holidays
from the Newtons
and staff!
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Dining: 11 A.M. to 1:30 P.M. —4:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M.
Open Thursdays 'till 9:00
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MONDAY EVENING
SPECIAL
Salisbury Steak
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Whipped Potatoes
Your Choice of
One Vegetable
Roll or Corn Bread and Butter
Coffee or Tea
TUESDAY EVENING
WEDNESDAY
SPECIAL
EVENING SPECIAL
Mexican Fiesta
Chicken Fried Steak
Dinner
Two Cheese and
w/cream Gravy
Onion Enchiladas
Whipped Potatoes and
w/chili
Choice of one other
Mexican Rice
Vegetable
Patio Style Pinto Beans
Roll or Corn Bread and Butter
Tostadas
Coffee or Tea
Coffee or Tea
One Corn Bread and Butter
f area fieviM m Hrestoring confidence in gov-
the fire i
rnment.
Briscoe’s administration as chief
xas A&M’sS: 1 h xecutive v y as a 4 u iet one. His “no
r saidheisa ew taxes campaign theme was
sibilitv ofai l0 P u i ar wit h voters and kept him in
■nt close to
rmitory eva®
nf/y beiticf
■ for reaction
k with a p®
;t, which con
ffice until 1978, when Attorney
leneral John L. Hill defeated him in
ie Democratic priinry and set up a
howdown between Hi]} and Wil
iam Perry Clements Jr. of Dallas.
In a major upset Donald B. Yar-
rough defeated Charles Barrow of
an Antonio and won election to the
auto shift,
EALER,
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5582
THURSDAY EVENING SPECIAL
Italian Candle Light Spaghetti Dinner
SERVED WITH SPICED MEAT BALLS AND SAUCE
Parmesan Cheese - Tossed Green Salad
Choice of Salad Dressing - Hot Garlic Bread
Tea or Coffee
FRIDAY EVENING
SPECIAL
BREADED fish
FILET w/TARTAR
SAUCE
Cole Slaw
Hush Puppies
Choice of one
vegetable
Roll or Corn Bread & Butter
Tea or Coffee
SATURDAY
NOON and EVENING
SPECIAL
Yankee Pot Roast
(Texas Style)
Tossed Salad
Mashed
Potato w/
gravy
Roll or Corn Bread & Butter
Tea or Coffee
(“Quality First”|
SUNDAY SPECIAL
NOON and EVENING
ROAST TURKEY DINNER
Served with
Cranberry Sauce
Cornbread Dressing
Roll or Corn Bread - Butter -
Coffee or Tea
Giblet Gravy
And your choice of any
One vegetable
For Your Complete
m
e tocafl 1 '
-cute.
jn
the"
Curiosity Shop
' Culpepper Plaza - College Station
Open Thursdays till 8
Texas A&M Bookstore
New Selection has just been put out!
New titles daily—
NOW 50% OFF
FOR YOUR GIFT GIVING PLEASURE!
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SALE ENDS
DEC. 21, 1979
SAVE 50% on Childrens books
located in the msc