The Kickoff

Prescott, Ariz., nestles in a mile-high bowl amid the pine-covered knobs of the Bradshaw and San Prieto mountains. It was there that Grandfather "Big Mike" Goldwater, the Jewish peddler, settled in 1875, laid the foundation of a prosperous family merchandising business. It was in Prescott that Uncle Morris Goldwater served as a Democratic mayor for 26 years. It was in Prescott that Barry Goldwater himself made the opening speeches in his two successful campaigns for the U.S. Senate. And it was to Prescott (pop. 13,000), his "lucky town," that Barry returned last week for the formal kickoff of his presidential campaign.

He stood behind an old-fashioned wooden lectern set up on the stone steps of the Yavapai County courthouse. Nearby were his wife, Vice-Presidential Candidate Bill Miller and Mrs. Miller. Across the lawn to his right was the old stucco building that for years had housed the family store. These days, the Goldwaters' Prescott store occupies a more modern structure nearby. Off to Goldwater's left was "Whisky Row," dominated by the historic Palace Saloon, which still does a thriving business. Straight ahead was a bronze equestrian statue of "Bucky" O'Neill, a onetime Yavapai County sheriff who served as one of Teddy Roosevelt's Rough-riders. Barry is fond of saying that Bucky was the first American to fall in the charge up San Juan Hill. But Prescott historians ruefully admit that Bucky actually died before the charge, the victim of a sniper's bullet while relieving himself at a slit-trench latrine.

The Indictment. Goldwater's speech was both reasoned and reasonable, and it was delivered with a rare verve. He began with a cadenced indictment of the Democratic Administration. Cried he: "Choose the way of this present Administration, and you will have chosen the way of the regimented society with a number for every man, woman and child.

"Choose the way of this present Administration, and you have the way of mobs in the street, restrained only by the plea that they wait until after election time to ignite violence once again.

"Choose the way of this present Administration, and you choose the way of unilateral disarmament and appeasement in foreign affairs.

"Choose the way of this present Administration, and you make real the prospect of an America unarmed and aimless in the face of militant Communism around the world.

"Instead, I ask that you join with me in proving that every American can stand on his own, make up his own mind, chart his own future, keep and control his own family, asking for help and getting help only when truly overwhelming problems, beyond his control, beset him."

The Threat. Goldwater made headlines with a pledge that if he were President he would put an end to the U.S.'s "outmoded and unfair military draft system." Actually, President Johnson four months ago ordered a Pentagon study aimed at completely revamping or even eliminating the draft, and in Prescott, Goldwater was merely beating Lyndon to the political punch.

Barry also went out of his way to allay fears that his itchy trigger finger might set off nuclear war. "A major concern of ours," he said, "has been the military security of this nation. Some distort this proper concern to make it appear that we are preoccupied with war. There is no greater political lie. We are preoccupied with peace. We seek a strong America because only a strong nation can keep the peace. I do not intend to be a wartime President."

The Theme. But once again it was upon the subject of law and order in U.S. cities and morality in the country that Goldwater struck his main theme. "If the tone of America is not set by men in public service," he said, "it will be set, as unfortunately it is being set too often today, by the standards of the sick joke, the slick slogan, the off-color drama, and the pornographic book. It is on our streets that we see the final, terrible proof of a sickness which not all the social theories of a thousand social experiments has even begun to touch. Crime grows faster than population, while those who break the law are accorded more consideration than those who try to enforce the law. Law enforcement agencies--the police, the sheriffs, the FBI--are attacked for doing their jobs. Lawbreakers are defended. Our wives, all women, feel unsafe on our streets."

Then, in obvious reference to eruptions of racial strife, he added: "When men will seek political advantage by turning their eyes away from riots and violence, we can well understand why lawlessness grows even while we pass more laws . . . It is a responsibility of the national leadership, regardless of political gain, political faction or political popularity, to encourage every community in this nation to enforce the law, not let it be abused and ignored."

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