Blowing the Whistle

Virginia Democrat David Lawrence, 72, is a conservative columnist who stands always ready to blow the whistle on his liberal punditic colleagues for sins of omission as well as commission. Last week, with most of the U.S. press still fondly ogling Jack Kennedy in particular and his upcoming Administration in general. Columnist Lawrence's whistle was sharp and clear. Wrote he: "Many days have passed with not a word from the professed defenders of liberal causes condemning three cases in which the civil rights of American citizens have just been disregarded." The three cases:

P: In Wyoming, after the death of Republican Keith Thomson, who had just been elected to the U.S. Senate, Wyoming's Democratic Governor John Joseph Hickey resigned from his own office, was appointed by the state's Democratic secretary of state Jack Gage (who succeeded him as Governor) to serve in Thomson's stead for a Senate term of two years. "Thus," said Lawrence, "the majority of the people of Wyoming, who elected a Republican to the United States Senate, have been deprived of a Senator of their own party and even of the chance to elect one until two years have elapsed."

P: In Massachusetts, President-elect Kennedy resigned his U.S. Senate seat before the end of the year so that Democratic Governor Foster Furcolo, who had been defeated last November by Republican John A. Volpe, could appoint a Kennedy pal, Benjamin A. Smith, as Kennedy's interim Senate successor. "By resigning before Jan. 1," wrote Lawrence, "Senator Kennedy prevented the Republican Governor from making the appointment. This kind of political maneuvering is not novel, but it doesn't erase the fact that a successor to Senator Kennedy cannot be voted on now for two years."

P: In Texas, Lyndon Johnson ran simultaneously for the vice-presidency and re-election to the U.S. Senate, won both races. But Lawrence saw a small ray of light in Texas. Said he: "Aside from the obvious irregularity in depriving the people of a chance to pick a different man in each party for two offices, the Texas laws do provide for a special election within 60 to 90 days when there is a vacancy in the United States Senate.''* It was more or less this solution that Lawrence proposed for all such encroachments on the voting franchise. Said he: "With all the talk about modifying the electoral college system, it would appear that an even more urgent need today is to provide a uniform system of selecting members of the U.S. Congress. This could permit the Governor to make an immediate appointment to fill the vacancy, but the appointee would serve only until a special election is held within 60 days."

* A special election has been set for April to elect Johnson's successor. The interim appointee, Dallas Multimillionaire William A. Blakley, will serve only until then--unless Blakley, who is standing for Johnson's seat, wins the special election.

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