The Montgomery Advertiser from Montgomery, Alabama • 5

PAGE 5A Abpgrltggr-JomxAL Complaints OH Heard Simply Aren't True By WILLIAM 0. BRYANT Of The Journal Staff The complaints I hear most often are "You're against everything" and "You don't like anybody." To those who read frequently of corruption, padded expense accounts and blatant misuse of the taxpayers' money, it must sometimes seem that way. But it isn't so. Is He or Isn't He? Answer: Yes; No! By DON F. WASSON Of The Advertiser Staff The letter from a concerned Democrat which appears on the opposite page is a well-thought plea for political honesty and it calls to mind a recent discourse here on political labels and the necessity of belonging to, or espousing the causes of, a political party.

Thcre can be little doubt that x- former Gov. George C. Wallace will receive Alabama's 11 electoral There are many things I'm not against such as honest, efficient government, better schools and highways, a better Alabama. And there are many state officials and employes that are sincerely liked and admired. Without them, there would not be a state government.

The vast majority of them are honest and efficient, many of them are dedicated public servants, and they are, indeed, appreciated. vuies, no mailer unuer wnai lauei he chooses to make the race Trying to pin a label on Wallace is somewhat like trying to pin a tail on a donkey (and there is no symbolism, real or intended, in that). Is he a Democrat? Well, he is and he isn't. He's an BRYANT WASSON ACCIDENT KEPORT: APEfECllNTHE STEERING Road Was Tough In California, It Will Be Touaher In Ohio They can be found in every department, on every floor of every building from the governor's office to the least one. This state has some of the best officials and employes that can be found anywhere.

The people of this state depend on them and owe them thanks. Unfortunately, there are some of the other kind as well. Xot like anybody? It just isn't true. Who could fail to like Secretary of State Mabel Amos with her big happy greeting every time you walk in the door? Who could turn a deaf ear to the friendly reception always available in Taylor Hardin's office, in Melba Till Allen's, in John Graves'? Who could dislike the warmth of Kate Simmons in the governor's office or the talks with Ed Ewing, Cecil Jackson and Hugh Maddox. It would be possible to go on and on McDowell Lee, Jake Jordan, Tom Weston, the ladies who work for the legislature, the courts, the education and health departments and Agriculture Commissioner Richard Buard, one of the nicest public officials around.

Another frequent complaint is "You never write anything nice." That isn't true either. It's just that the nice things go unrcmembcred. Who besides the people involved would want the bad which docs exist unexposed? Think, for a moment, what situations could develop if it were not for the constant observing of the press. How many bad laws could be enacted, how much money stolen? Politicians are frequent attackers of the press. Yet they could not exist without it.

They may have to run for office officially only every few years but in reality they are constantly running. And they depend heavily upon the press to get the message to the folks back home. Former Gov. George Wallace is always fussing about the newspapers. Yet, who would have ever heard of George Wallace without them? It's all part of the system of government.

It's nice to be part of it and to get to know people such as Mr. Beard, the Wallaces, Mrs. Amos and all the rest. To all of them, a Happy New Year. There, I feel better.

I'll be back to normal next week. Alabama Democrat, or a State's Rights Democrat. Eut he certainly isn't a National Democrat. Is he an American Independent? Well, he is and he isn't. If he's out of Alabama, he is, because he will appear on the presidential ballot in California as a nominee of the American Independent Party.

But in Alabama, he'll appear probably as a Rooster Democrat. Is he a Conservative? If the discussion centers on racial matters, then he is a conservative as white Southerners define conservatism. Loosely interpreted, that means one so labeled is against slavery and lynching but in favor of separate drinking fountains. Catching up on some reading during the holidays, a passage was discovered which is especially fitting and timely to the subject at hand. The author is the erudite William F.

Buckley Jr. and the somewhat lengthy passage is from his highly entertaining hook, "The Unmaking of a Mayor." That volume concerned his race for mayor of New York against Republican John Lindsay, the winner, and Democrat Abraham Beame. The Slate of New York has as many problems, political partywise, as does Alabama, what with the Liberal Party and the Conservative Party. Buckley was the nominee of the Conservative Party. The Liberal vote went to Lindsay.

But speaking of party affiliations and labels, Buckley had this to say: "THE OFFICIAL POSITION, in American politics, tends to be that a politician in, no questions asked, a legitimate member of whatever party be runs nnder the banner of, if he wins. "As far as the Republican National Committee was concerned, Lindsay was a Republican if only because that is what he had listed himself as being, and had run regularly for re-election as. Very soon after Lindsay announced that he would run, he was publicly adored by Ray Bliss, Chairman of the Republican National Committee, and General Eisenhower and Richard Nixon and other prominent Republicans offered their active support (which Lindsay was, however, careful not to invoke). "On purely organizational grounds, it was always that simple as simple as Governor George Wallace's attempt, In the spring of 1964, to run in the Democratic primaries of Wisconsin, Indiana, and Maryland, against Lyndon Johnson. As a Democrat of record, Governor of the State of Alabama, he bad every right to enter the Democratic primaries even in states whose official Democrats were nnited In passionate opposition to the principles of George Wallace.

"Lindsay fared better than Wallace. Wallace was repudiated by important members of his own party Lindsay was not. It js interesting that even without official Democratic support Wallace succeeded in winning 31 per cent, 30 per cent, and 43 per cent of the Democratic primary vote In Wisconsin, Indiana, and Maryland, respectively. It is inconceivable that he would have succeeded in doing so had he not run as a Democrat; even as Lindsay to be sure without official Republican opposition ran, or rather was listed, as a "Lindsay Is a Republican largely as a matter of baptismal affirmation, even as Wallace is, congenially, a Democrat. Affirmations are not, of coarse, enough: it Is required that they be ratified by a constituency.

The constituency's powers in these matters are, however, largely nominal, of special interest to the locality, but of no interest to the national party. "Alabama's overwhelming certification of George Wallace as a Democrat is hardly binding on the Democratic Party of, say, California; indeed, Wallace has been a negative concern of the Democratic National Committee, which runs pell-mell from any implication that Wallace is a representative Democrat. "The relationship between the locally-certified Democrat and the national Democrat is, in other words, a matter for negotiation, ft is a relationship warm or cool depending on whether the local Democrat has plowed fresh political ground, suggesting extralocal means of strengthening the party. "In other words although a politician is ex-officio a member of the party whose designation he rnns and wins nnder, he is not, simply jn virtue of his local success, a mainstreamer within his party. In Lindsay's case, his public positions have been, roughly speaking, as far removed from the GOP's as Wallace's have been from the Democratic Party's." IT WAS INTERESTING to hear the Senator from Morgan, Bob Harris, declare last week that Alabama lawmakers need to devote more time to solving state problems and less to the problem of getting re-elected.

Sen. Harris was generally conceded to be one of the brainiest and certainly the best-versed member of the Senate on pending legislation in the last session. These abilities von him the Press Corps' accolade as outstanding freshman. Best proof of what he said last week being the unvarnished truth is that the majority of the regulars in the legislature considered their colleague from north Alabama as an impractical idealist. Hasn't it always been that way? Cecil Jackson, executive secretary to Lurleen, salary $15,000.

Lynchmore Cantrell, deputy commissioner of prisons, $14, 500. John de Carlo, assistant state banking director, $11,000. Ed Ewing, press secretary to Lurleen, $13,000. Joe Fine, executive assistant to the state insurance commissioner, salary $10,000. Earl Morgan, district attorney of Jefferson County.

Ed Tease, assistant district attorney of Lauderdale County. In addition there is Doug Benton, director of the Alabama Board of Healing Arts. Back in Alabama, furthermore, Wallace has drafted the director of finance, Seymour Trammell, to set up headquarters for him in Montgomery even though Trammell continues to be paid $18,000 a year by the state. Trammell's assistants are Allen L. Brislin, who is supposed to work as executive assistant to the Alabama state docks department at a state salary of $11,000, and Stanley Sikes, recording secretary to the governor, who gets $10,000 from the state.

Never have so many worked at public expense for the political benefit of so few. Supreme Court Acts Fast It is not often that the Supreme Court of the United States tells the Solicitor General of the United States to go jump in the lake. That, however, was what the Supreme Court, in effect, did this month in one of the quickest brush-offs the court has ever administered to anyone. The brush-off, incidentally, was given to Solicitor General Erwin X. Griswold, former dean of the Harvard Law School, an institution which has been extremely snooty toward the court; has claimed its decisions were sloppily written.

So when Dean Griswold of Harvard Law was appointed Solicitor General to plead cases before the court, observers were interested in seeing what would happen. Things happened sooner than expected. On Dec. 12, Griswold submitted a "memorandum," as a friend of the court, strongly recommending that the Supreme Court not consider a CATV copyright case as to whether community television users must pay copyright fees to motion picture producers, actors, singers and others whose talent is picked up from the networks and re-used. The case, that of Fortnightly Corp.

vs. United Artists Television had been appealed to the Supreme Court and the Justices had decided that it was a vitally important one which must be decided. At this point the new Solicitor General came along with a recommendation that the court not review the CATV case because it "is likely to delay and prejudice the ultimate legislative solution." Griswold filed his "memorandum" on Dec. 12. Ordinarily the Supreme Court waits weeks before acting.

But in this case it waited only six days. On Dec. 18 it rejected the Solicitor General's attempt to tell the court what to do. After all, the Constitution does provide for the complete independence of the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary. By DREW PEARSON and JACK ANDERSON WASHINGTON Ex-Gov.

George Wallace of Alabama is now reaching the Jan. 2 deadline to get his name on the California ballot in his race to become President of the United States. His strategy is to pull enough votes away from both Republican and Democratic candidates to throw the election into the House of Representatives. In California it has been very rough going, but Wallace has finally made it. It will be rougher going next month in Ohio, where Wallace has to get 430,000 signatures by Feb.

7. In California the goal is 68,059 registered voters by Jan. 2. When Mrs. Lurleen Wallace was elected governor of Alabama to replace her husband, George promised that he would be the stand-in governor.

Instead, he has been away from Alabama campaigning for President, has taken about half of her staff with him though they are still paid $4,000 a week by Alabama voters. During much of this time, also, Governor Lurleen has ben either ill or with her husband. As a result, Alabama has been minus its stand-in governor, minus its governess and minus part of the governor's staff. Meanwhile, George is conducting a sor, of political road show in California. It begins at 8 a.m., continues until 11 p.m.

There is a warm-up of country music aimed to attract a crowd. Then appears Doug Benton, whose duty in Alabama is operating the "Alabama Board of Healing Arts" but who in California operates as official announcer. Doug introduces the wiry, fast-talking, Bible-pounding ex-governor of Alabama. Wallace tells the crowd why they should desert the Republican or Democratic party to register with the American Independent party in order to elect him President. He is eloquent.

He is also an effective pleader. He sounds like a camp meeting preacher. But only a small part of the crowd files up to sign the petition after the harangue is over. Day after day Wallace tours and harangues, harangues and tours. Some 50 Alabamians tour with him, around 25 of them on the state payroll, the other 25 being businessmen obligated to Wallace through state contracts or lobbying jobs in the legislatures.

Truthful Lurleen Last October Wallace announced that the Alabama officials working for him in California were taking accumulated time off; that some of them "haven't had a vacation since 1964." Lurleen, however, was franker. When she went to California in November, she stated that she wished to avoid any "misapprehension" about Alabama employes in California and therefore was going to contradict the explanation that they were "volunteering their services on their own vacation time." None was on official leave or vacation, said Mrs. Wallace. They are working for a meritorious cause. "I know that what we are trying to accomplish in California would be pleasing to the people of Alabama," Lurleen explained.

Those who are working for Wallace in California while paid by Alabama taxpayers, include: Arlis Fant, director of the Alabama department of labor, salary $12,000. Lt. Gov. Albert Brewer Not Potential Candidate The upcoming race for the U. S.

Senate in Alabama camo more clearly into focus Saturday with the elimination of Lt. Gov. Albert Brewer as a potential candidate. Brewer said tersely, "I do not expect to be a candidate for any office in 1968." That narrowed the field to a possible two-man battle between the veteran Sen. Lister Hill and former Lt.

Gov. James B. Allen. There may be others, however, before the qualifying deadline next March 1 for the Democratic primaries. Allen, the only man in Alabama to serve twice as lieutenant governor, appears to be an almost certain candidate for the Senate.

And tacitly at least, he may get the blessing of former Gov. George Wallace. The Gadsden lawyer was lieutenant governor during Wallace's administration and led the Wallace-sponsored unpledged elector ticket in the 1964 presidential race. Allen and the nine other Democratic nominees for presidential elector certainly would have supported Wallace if he had stayed in the presidential race that year. Xow, four years later, the former governor probably will get into the presidential campaign to stay.

And once again the elector candidates nominated by the Democratic Party will he asked to cast their electoral votes for Wallace instead of the national party ticket. Allen could run for elector again as a pro-Wallace candidate as well as for the Senate. That would tend to identify him as a member of the Wallace team and perhaps enable him to benefit from the former governor's proven popularity. Mr. Bennett Takes Time Out To Compliment A Colleague double-check, phone, phone, dig and dig.

When he lays coverage plans, they are the best that can be made. When he says it, you can depend on it. Nothing will make him back down. No wonder Thomas-trained Montgomery alumni can (and do) slug it out toe-to-toe, world-wide with the best. Woe to one who doesn't measure up! AP is his avocation, his recreation, his fraternity, his lodge, his religion and his life.

His feeling for other reporters can be described, at best, as a mixture of pity and contempt for those poor so-and-sos not lucky enough to work for AP. His only regret is that the days are not 40 or so hours (sometimes they are) long, for AP, instead of 24. I've known some politicians (few) who didn't like RNT. But never one who didn't trust him. Most would rather have him on their side than a governor or Marine company.

I'll be darned if I know why. His reputation for fairness is legend. His mother or his worst enemy would get the same impartial treatment. Absolutely unflappable, Rex Thomas is an expert on anybody, anything and everything Alabama. And on two of the nation's hottest topics race and George Wallace he has no peer.

Recently immobilized temporarily by cataract operations, Thomas, with both eyes swathed, was still the best reporter here. By wide and faithful contacts, the minute he could have someone dial for him, he began laying down by phone a blistering and continual barrage of bureau tips and instructions from "AP Hospital Central." In 20 years of prized (by me, anyway) friendship and intimacy with RNT, we've been through much together. Once I almost got him divorced with a highly-fictionalized column about his visit to a New York discotheque. This week Rex proudly showed me a letter from New York, congratulating him on his AP quarter century. Being press association-trained, I was more interested in his carbon reply, clipped to the letter and snuek a reading on it, when he wasn't looking.

This paragraph I steal. AP being the prim, stuffy old maid she is, some cane will be raised when this is printed. Rex will be greatly embarrassed. But in its way, its, a little masterpiece, and deserves publication: "That I should never become satisfied with my work because self-satisfaction impedes progress that I can compete only by doing the best job I can and trying to stay ahead of the others that I will get out of a Job no mor than I put into it and that if I do no more than the minimum, I cannot expect to rise above the minimum." This is the Thomas philosophy, credo and rule of the game. It could be said that this is what makes AP great.

But being UPI born and bred, I've already said too much, and I'm sure not going to start saying nice things about those other guys this late in the game. But how could any newspaperman aim for more? The funny thing is that it probably hasn't occurred to Thomas that all reporters don't feel Ihis way. ifs as natural to him as breathing. And besides being a dandy keyboard craftsman and wonderful companion, this Thomas is the only friend I've got who knows (and cares) less than I do about lawnmowers, home plumbing, carpentry and other such foolishness. By BURNS BENNETT The best all-round newspaperman I ever knew has this week completed 25 years with the august Associated Press.

I met Rex Thomas strangely. One midnight years ago I made a routine call from Atlanta's United Press Overnight Desk to see if an electrocution at Kilby had taken place. At the Advertiser they thought I said Atlanta AP, instead of Atlanta UP, (naturally I didn't disillusion them) and this youngster began to talk excitedly about the great story Rex Thomas had called in from Kilby. "You can always depend on Thomas," I said. (It was the first time I'd ever heard the name.) "Tell me about it, Son!" It seems the prisoner awaiting execution had shredded his sheet, tied the cell door bars to the wall bars, stuffed the keyhole with cloth and obtained a broom handle.

He could hide behind the wall by the door, and thus protected, rap the hand of anyone trying to unlock the door. Of course, it was just a temporary delay. But it made one of those colorful little yarns which make wire editors drool. Thomas was the only writer present and had a direct phone from the cell block to The Advertiser. This guy can dictate faster and more coherently than most of us can talk (darn him), and it was this gorgeous play-by-play which the Advertiser reporter read verbatim to me, in Atlanta.

When our wire opened at 5 a.m., well like I said, it was one of those brighteners which make wire editors drool. It won me kudoes from all over, including our New York bureau. The Montgomery explosion, heard in Atlanta, was the betrayed Rex Thomas. And that's how I met RNT, as he signs the AP wire. When I transferred here, we butted heads for several years on sports, floods, fires, tornadoes, legislature stories and other catastrophics.

He was the roughest competition I ever encountered. (Since I left the news business, except for this Sunday column, he's been kind enough to say the same about me.) I know he respected me, because we finally came to an understanding where neither of us ever trusted the other out of sight on a story and we would eat together, etc. That Rex Thomas was (and is the most dedicated reporter I ever knew, meticulous to the ultimate, check and 8,000 More Alabamians Helped by U.S. Food Aid ATLANTA (UPI) Federal food programs last month aided nearly 8,000 more persons than in the previous month in Alabama. U.

S. Department of Agriculture Consumer and Marketing Service officials said the total aided in November was 197,894 with 157,234 in 34 counties taking part in the commodity distribution and another 40,660 in the food stamp program in eight counties. Butler County entered the commodity program in November and USDA said six more counties are planning to enter early next year. BENNETT COKTEnriATlNS THE BUST OP THOMAS.