The Alvin Sun (Alvin, Tex.), Vol. 90, No. 241, Ed. 1 Sunday, August 10, 1980 Page: 4 of 12
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Page +TE ALVN SUN Sunday, August * 1980
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Cooperation needed
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never have moved as well as it did if police had not
JOE MURRAY
The Alvin Sun
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'Anybody but Carter’ campaign stronger
President called ‘ticking bomb’ that could destroY Democratic party
themoderniza-
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the hands of Franklin Roosevelt in 1902,
a defeat from which they are only now
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COMMENTARY
Don Graff
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By the way, if you like to know how
stones end. Charlie Epps didn’t spend
all his days building roads and bossing
mules and men. It's sad to tell. but he
was bedridden for the last 13 years of his
life Nope, it wasn't a mule that got him.
Somewhere along the way, he decided
to settle down in a more normal line of
work, and he ended up running a grocery
store And he ended up having a stroke.
Sometimes a job will do that to you.
Bi Aile
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are still 300-400 mules in our county
nowadays, but mostly they're used by
hur ters, especial. . von hunters, who
like to get way back into the thickets.
M Jes must be good for all sorts of things
- whether to build a road or go where
there aren't any roads. They're tough
ana hard-working, even if they do have a
mind f their own. I guess if mules were
people, they'd probably be the kind who
would ride a white horse and get things
done.
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his mule teams. He must have made
quite a picture himself.
Whether Charlie Epps was rawboned
and red-haired, or big and fat and bald-
headed. I don't know and didn't bother to
ask. Just the fact that he had charge of
such an operation and rode astride a
white horse tells me all I need to know
about him - that Charlie Epps was a
man you didn’t mess with.
I'd bet every one of his 100 mules
recognized him on sight, and when he
rode up, they probably acted a little less
like mules and more like moo cows.
Don't you know, he must have had fists
like two-by-fours, and whether it was
man or mule making trouble on the job.
he could handle most any problem that
came along.
There must have been a lot of men like
him back in those days because, ac-
cording to the agriculture census, Texas
had a lot of mules - more than a million
of them back then. I'm told that there
The Japanese lesson
By Dm Graff
The figures coming out of Detroit these days would seem to
have more in common with the national debt than with the
bottom line of business operations
Chrysler registering a loss of more than half a billion dol-
lars for the second quarter of the year. Ford in the bole by
almost as much, even mighty General Motors dropping in
excess of $400 million The aggregate loss of U.S auto makers
November. Some new studies predict
that such a large-scale victory could
result in the swing of 60 or more House
seats - and a Republican majority in
that chamber for the first time' since
1954
Fears of such a sweep are harbored
not only by House members but by
House committee staffs, whose jobs
depend on which party is in the ma jority.
' the Republicans gam control of the
wise, several thousand jobs would
. sange from Democratic to Republican
There/sachance that those who left Alvin while Hurricane Allen
wasapprcaching could be prevented from returning as soon as the
soxrm passes.
The Alvin Sun encourages everyone to cooperate with authorities
wha may have to order this inconvenient - but perhaps necessary ■
delay.
The health and safety of as many persons as possible will be at
thetpaf afficiais' list of priorities. Property is important, but not
ascrudal as human life.
■ water is contaminated, or sewerage facilities are not
aperating the threat of epidemics will be very real. Officials will
mat prowl* people from returning to their homes unless they
believe they have no other choice.
Please be patient
1900 photo makes Murray feel better
This guy really had work problems
a
basc d political motives: survival
There is i growing feeling on Capitol
Hilthat Jimmy Carter is • ticking bomb
waiting to destroy the Democratic
Party .This feeling goes far deeper than
the fear that Carter will fail to beat
Republican nominee Ronald Reagan in
November Rather, it is rooted in the
fear that Carter would lead the
Democratic Party to a defeat as massive
transportation, communications. medical aid - all are
I in such emergencies by persons who volunteer for the job.
er you received a lot of help from such workers, only a
noneat ait. take a minute to let them know somebody
295
••Wre checking it out — the four of us have been working night and day to
cane up with a more accurate figure.”
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Currently, Democrats hold a 275-159
majority in the House Most political
experts have been predicting a
Republican gam of about 10 seats in
November, though some private
Democratic studies forecast that a
Reagan victory might result in a swing
of as many as 39 seats to the
Republicans.
But what has fueled the job-security
paranoia of Hill Democrats in recent
days is the fear - now often expressed
openly - of a-Republican landslide in
is going to be needed if telephone, electric or-water
ilsrupted. Remember, the people responsible for $p-
with these services will be doing the best they can under
cesthat are far from ideal.
n the effects of the storm are past, and the cleanup is
The Alvin Sun encourages all residents to remember to
■ who never considered leaving because they had a civic
3a
By JOE MURRAY
Most all of us have days when we re
unhappy with the way we make our
living, feeling that the frustrations we
put up with aren't worth the money we
put in our pocket on payday.
When I get that way - feeling sorry for
myself -1 get out an old photograph that
a fellow left with me at the news office. I
tak a long hard look at it and then think
about how hard I really have it - and
then I think twice about it.
, If you had to guess, you might think
the picture was a commercial for 20-
Mule Team Borax. (If you're old
enough to remember when Ronald
Reagan wasn’t a politician, you may
remember the old TV program he
hosted. Death Valley Days, and know
what I’m talking about i. But what the
picture is - or was - was highway-
construction in East Texas, back when it
was done with mule teams.
This photo was taken in the early 1930s
when U.S 190 was being built between
Jasper and Newton, so I’m told It was
Alton Warner’s uncle, Charlie Epps of
San Augistine, who owned, those mule
teams, and that's how the picture ended
up among his family's collection of
photos.
Can you imagine what is must have
been like to have the responsibility for
such a job, especially doing it with
mules’ I don't know much about mules,
except what I’ve read or been told. In
fact, this picture is about as close as I’ve
ever come to a mule. But, goodness
knows, bossing mules around had to
require a special kind of man. somebody
who could be both ornery and un-
derstanding sometimes both at the same
time.
In numbers alone, Charlie Epps was
2% times harder working than 20-Mule
Team Borax He had no less than 50
teams of mules.
What the picture doesn’t show is a man
on a white horse That would have been
Charlie Epps, and that's the wav he led
billion by the end of the year
The figures are. in fact, much more than bottom lines They
measure the decline of an entire industry.
Worse, they are only part of the story The sickness that is
closing plants and has idled a third of the work force is not
confined to the auto industry It also affects steel. rubber,
glass and more, the producers of the many components of a
finished automobile
Like the national debt, it is a national problem Only much
■more pressing
And it has led to pressures for assistance from the only
quarter with resources commensurate with the need -
government Aid has already materialized in the form of the
$1.5 billion federal loan guarantee for Chrysler But inevitably
there are pressures for more And inevitably in an election
year they will intensify
They focus on aiding US auto makers in meeting their
most visible problem competition from foreign imports
Which, for all practical purposes, means the Japanese whose
products now account for almost a quarter of all autos sold in
_ the United States
What the various proposals, from import quotas to special
dispensation for U.S producers in meeting pollution and mile-
age standards, really come down to is a retreat into protec-
tionism
Which, as almost any economist will tell you and most poli-
ticians know perfectly well but are reluctant to disuss public
ly. is no way to solve the basic problem
Protectionist measures have the effect of preserving rather
than eliminating the weaknesses that created a problem. For
an ominously apt example. the U.S auto industry need look no
further than the experience of its British counterpart, once
number two in the world
Protectionist policies in the cause of preserving British jobs
ly eliminated as a factor in the world market in the end, the
jobs have been lost after all
Rather than repeating the disastrous British experience.
American auto makers would be much better advised to take
a tip from their Japanese competition
Criticism that Japan makes it excessively difficult for for-
eign products to penetrate its home market notwithstanding
the real secret of Japanese success is not a protected but a
methodically pruned economy. Industries are constantly being
apa
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more smpiy, "The ABC."
Teatemptt open up the selection of
the Demacfadie presidential nominee
M mat ariginate in the bac rooms 2
Sa Bmwi Twwi»-s headquarters.
asthewhteHouecaims Rather, *■
asutinemusefert fueled by that most
control Even those Democratic staffers
vho could remain on the Hill as
.ninority-party appointees would lose •
tremendous amount of power and
stature
This is the impetus that led 35 or so
Democratic members of the House to
form the Committee for an Open
Congress. The key people behind the
movement are a half dozen or so
representatives who see their seats as
less than safe and, perhaps more im-
portantly, a dozen or so House
Democratic staffers who see their jobs
as threatened. It should be understood
that many of these top-level appointees
have more clout than do junior members
of Congress
Presidential Press Secretary Jody
Powell has labeled the committee “a
Kennedy operation.” But that simply is
not true Key Kennedy staffers did not
learn about the committee's
organizational meeting until the night
before it took place - and then only in-
formally at a fund-raising party for Rep
Toby Moffett, D-Conn. In fact, Ken-
nedy’s people were as surprised as they
were pleased at the development.
Of course, Anybody But Carter is not
quite an accurate label for the open
convention instigators. Most perceive
Kennedy as being at least as easy a
target as Carter for the Republicans
The open-convention people say that is
one reason why their movement has not
gained the support of more than a few of
the party leaders and 143 House mem-
bers who have endorsed Carter’s re-
election. But, they say, if there appeared
to be a viable chance that Sen. Henry
“Scoop” Jackson or Secretary of State
Edmund Muskie or Vice President
Walter Mondale would emerge as the
nominee, the dump-Carter movement
could grow into a real groundwell
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surveyed and those adjudged to have a competitive future are
encouraged to make use of the most modern and efficient
production techniques available Those that can't hack it are
phased out as painlessly as possible
This policy, not abundant cheap labor, has made the Japa-
nese auto industry the most productive in the world it is, in
fact by far the most highly automated with the lowest work
ers-per-vehicle ratio and far higher standards of quality con-
trol than any other
The surveying, encouragement and phasing out are the
responsibility of the Ministry of International Trade and
Industry (MTI). a government agency that has no exact coun-
terpart in any other industrial power
That does not mean however, that there is no lesson in the
Japanese experience for others Government-industry cooper
ation can work to other ends than preservation of obsolete
operations. Application to Detroit s crisis would not mean
phasing out — although some present producers might not
survive - but a thorough overhauling The result would be a
much leaner industry, making maximum use of automated
techniques often developed in this country but put to practical
use by the Japanese And, inevitably, fewer jobs
That may appear hard to take at this point, but the alterna-
tive could be infinitely worse
•ioeynea- Qa.Ben., *8
did so for a time, but at the price of preventin
non of the British industry To the end that it
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starting to recover.
Much in evidence in the Capitol's
Democratic cloakrooms are copies of
two private polls commissioned by the
party. One taken several months ago
showed Democratic congressional
candidates leading Republicans in
popularity by a margin of 50-34
nationally. That margin had narrowed to
45-42 by the time of the second poll
which was taken even before the ex-
pected surge of Republican popularity
following the party’s Detroit convention.
>
Allen would do well to follow the advice of authorities, no matter
whether they plan to remain in the city or seek shelter elsewhere
Byfollawingrecommendations - and perhaps orders - of of-
ha better uhie to cope with a situation that at best
is chatric and at worst is tragic.
Coqperation is the keynote to getting through the hurricane with
a minimum at damage and loss. Some of your neighbours are
afraic some desperate, others nonchalant.
During the infamous flood of Alvin in July 1979, many local
mesidents remarked in surprise that so many of the people were
willingtaturn from their own misfortune to help someone who had
suffered worse damage.
The Alvin Sun has every confidence that the vast majority of
Alim residents will display that attitude again, whether damage to
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Looney, Richard. The Alvin Sun (Alvin, Tex.), Vol. 90, No. 241, Ed. 1 Sunday, August 10, 1980, newspaper, August 10, 1980; Alvin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1493571/m1/4/?q=Lamar+University: accessed May 31, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Alvin Community College.