Meanwhile, Down at the Ranch

THE PRESIDENCY

While Republicans hogged the headlines, President Johnson spent a casual week in Washington, twice called in reporters for non-newsworthy news conferences ("I don't have anything for you, but I thought I'd visit with you again"), took a hand-in-hand stroll with Lady Bird, left at week's end for some real relaxation at the L.B.J. ranch in Texas.

There, with white-faced Herefords lying unconcernedly beside the driveway and peacocks strutting among the ancient liveoak trees, Johnson held a lawn-chair news conference. This time he had a few things to say. For the third time since the original budget message of January 1963, Johnson cut his estimate of deficit spending for fiscal 1964--this time by $500 million--to a total $8.3 billion.

Then the President launched a condemnation of "organized violence by small groups" intent on disrupting civil rights progress. Said Johnson: "Savagery of this or any other kind is completely alien to the entire moral and political tradition of the U.S. The effort to force, bully and intimidate American citizens--to prevent them from claiming their rights under the Constitution--must be stopped." If anybody thought this was a less-than-subtle campaign pronouncement, they were right.

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