The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 62, No. 17, Ed. 1 Monday, January 6, 1975 Page: 2 of 8
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the rice thresher
•dltorlal
For the first time since 1948—49, the Thresher will pub-
lish two issues each week this spring.
The decision to go with the semi-weekly schedule was
not reached, however, without serious consideration as to
what the goals of the Thresher ought to be and how best
the paper can serve the student body.
This past year and particularly this semester, the
Thresher has almost tripled in size, covering more campus
news than ever before. Currently the paper averages a total
of 24 to 28 pages per week.
We believe that the Thresher has nearly reached an
upper limit on the size of the paper, at least for the time
being. Rather than working for more and more pages every
issue, the staff is now trying to improve the quality of
writing and reporting in all areas. Our goal is to grow in
depth and competence, not size. The semi-weekly schedule
can help achieve this.
For the staff, the move to semi-weekly publication will
mean a more steady work load, rather than a surge of
effort on Wednesday evening. Moreover, the Thresher staff
can gain better experience working under a schedule which
more closely approximates that of a real-world newspaper.
For the student, the Monday—Thursday schedule will
mean better and more timely news reporting. Under the
old weekly system, news breaking on a Wednesday or
Thursday couldn't be included in the same week's issue.
By the time the paper was printed, the news was often a
week or more old. On a semi-weekly schedule, news will be
only three or four days old, and thus much more current.
There are many drawbacks to the twice-a-week effort.
For one, printing costs are significantly higher. Undoubt-
edly, the staff will be required to put in more hours per
week. Efficiency in the actual 'production of the paper
(typesetting and pasteup) will h&Ve to increase.
All this boils down to people. The Thresher has an
immediate and severe need for reporters, writers, proof-
readers, typists, typesetters, and gnomes of all varieties. In
particular, many of the production jobs are paid—for skills
which are easily learned and which can be used to land a
high-paying summer job. In addition, the Thresher will pay
you while you learn to typeset or pasteup.
The Thresher has made great strides over the past two
years. Our latest effort exemplifies the energy and dedica-
tion of the staff.
This is all pretty remarkable, considering that Rice has
no journalism program of any kind, and thus there is no
natural pool of talented and well-trained individuals for
the paper to draw upon.
The Thresher is entirely student-managed, and proud,of
this independence. Whatever measure of success we achieve
is a credit to the adaptability and intelligence of Rice
students.
Don't hesitate to criticize the Thresher. We need your
suggestions, and even more your help. If you'd like to
work a little, or are merely just curious, stop by the
Thresher office (second floor, RMC) and have a Coke on
us. We'd like to talk.
ill!!
thres
m
GARY BREWTON
Editor
DALE PAYTON-ENGLE
Business Manager
Kevin CampbellAdvertising Manager
Cathy Egan Assistant
Business Manager
Dana Blankenhorn Circulation
SMutM
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HAPPY NEW YEAR, YOURSELF—I'M CIA!'
Bentsen candidacy expected
John Anderson .... Associate Editor
Nancy Taubenslag . . Associate Editor
Debbie Davies News Editor
Emily Coffman . . Editorial Assistant
Philip Parker Sports Editor
Doug Peck Head Photographer
Forest Davenport . Back Page Editor
David Strong . . . Production Manager
Mark Linimon Gadfly
Editorial Staff: Ron Miller, Randy Kelley, Wiley Sanders, Shannon Vale,
Linda Eichblatt, Jim Asker.
News Staff: David Walker, Brian Buchanan, Shannon Vale, Ron Miller, Beth
Quarles, Laura Opitiemez, Danna Bledsoe, Wiley Sanders, Cheryl Miskell,
Debbie Osterman.
Fine Arts Staff: Vaughan Johnson, Elaine Bonilla, Thomas Zimmerman,
Andrew Blakeney, Paul Alley, Ted Anderson, Barbara Morris, Carol
McKinney, Debbie Osterman, Rosine Wilson, Susan Taylor.
Sports Staff: Steve Fouga, Scott Sparks, Cheapshot Williams, Wiley Sanders,
Linda Eichblatt, David Au, Manu Hinduja, Larry Nettles, Marc Siegel, Stan
Barber.
Business Staff: Carolena Houze, Susan Goodson, Carla McFarland, Mike
Hindman, Rosine Wilson, Ann Spiering, Janet Doty, Margaret Nabors.
Production Staff: Connie Dressner, Ruthie Melton, Dennis Abbe, Claude
Sisson, Bonnie Gershon, Gary Preuss, Trissa Elkins, Leslie Lauderdale,
Doug Turner, Ted Anderson, Jo Simpson.
Austin Bureau: Steve Jackson. "
The Rice Thresher, the official student newspaper of Rice University since
1916, is published semi-weekly on Mondays and Thursdays during the school
year except during examination periods and holidays by the students of Rice
University, 528—4141 ext 221. Advertising information is available on
request, 528—4141 ext 356. Mail subscription rate, $15 per year. The opinions
expressed herein are not necessarily those of anyone except the writer.
Obviously.
the rice thresher, monday, january '6, 1975 — page 2
by JACK ADAMS
Last week, former Houston U.S. Attorney
Anthony J. P. Farris charged that high Jus-
tice Department officials in Washington
overruled his recommendations to prose-
cute certain state office holders in connec-
tion with the Sharpstown case.
Farris told the Houston Chronicle that
there were some state officials who should
have been prosecuted: "I won't say who
they were, because that would be an abuse
of power, since they were not prosecuted."
However, Farris indicated that former Lt.
Gov. Ben Barnes was not one of those who
should have been prosecuted, as some may
have speculated. However, he rfefused to
exonerate former Gov. Preston Smith,
incumbent at the time of the scandal.
Farris claimed that the decision against
prosecution came from Washington from
the office of the Assistant United States
Attorney General Henry Peterson. Farris's
renomination as U.S. Attorney for the dis-
trict of South Texas was blocked last year
by Sen. Lloyd Bentsen (D., Tex.) who said
Farris handled the Sharpstown case "inept-
ly." By custom, both senators must
approve the appointment of U.S. attorneys
in their respective states. Farris was reap-
pointed by Nixon in 1973; he is a Republi-
can.
Farris said that the Justice Department
would give the go-ahead to a regular crimi-
nal case which was "90%" certain to result
in conviction. However, Farris said, the
Department requires "200%" to okay pros-
ecution of sitting state officials.
* * *
Informed sources say that Congressman
Wright Patman, (D., Tex.) will not be seek-
ing reelection in 1976. Patman, iconoclastic
chairman of the House Banking and Cur-
rency Committee, is over 80 years old. In
the last Democratic primary, Patman was
forced into a runoff against Fred Hudson,
Jr., a banker-merchant from Center. Pat-
man, who has served the first district in
east Texas for over 40 years, is the dean of
Congress.
The same sources suggest that former
Congressman Lindley Beckworth of Glade-
water (near Longview) will be a candidate
to succeed Patman. Another candidate will
probably be Wallacite Glen Jones.
* * *
Trend? Incumbent county officials in
Texas faired poorly in last year's elections.
In Houston, Harris County Judge Bill Elliot,
a veteran liberal Democrat, lost in the gen-
eral election to Republican Jon Lindsay.
Tarrant County (Fort Worth) Judge
Howard Green, a moderate Democrat, lost
his primary battle to oil millionaire Mike
Moncrief. Smith County Judge Kenneth
Barron (a Tyler Democrat) lost to arch-
conservative Democrat Billy Williamson,
perhaps the most reactionary member of
the State Legislature. And in Dallas, W. L.
(Lou) Sterrett, an extreme conservative and
veteran County Judge, was defeated by a
conservative Republican. (In Texas, the
county judge is the county executive.)
Dallas County Sheri'ff Clarence Jones
has come under fire, too. Last summer,
Dallas Times-Herald reporter Bob Dudney
exposed irregularities in the bail bonding
division in Jones' office. The new county
commissioners court is hostile to the sher-
iff, and many observers expect Jones to
resign before year's end.
* * *
State Representative Emmett H. White-
head of Rusk is upset with a recent federal
court decision which ordered the Texas
Youth Council (TYC) to close its large
rural reform school. The reform school is
to be replaced by small community treat-
ment centers or half-way houses. White-
head castigated U.S. District Judge William
Wayne Justice of Tyler, the man who
ordered the sweeping changes. "If William
Wayne Justice of Tyler wants to turn those
little monsters loose on society, just place a
half-way house next door to him in the
silk-stocking district of Tyler." Whitehead
said. Whitehead also announced that he
would introduce a bill in the legislature to
establish such a half-way house next door
to Justice in Tyler.
* * *
For 1975: In Harris County, expect Sen-
ator Bob Gammage to challenge incumbent
conservative Democrat Bob Casey for the
22nd District seat, which includes the Rice
area. Gammage, a liberal Democrat, is
expected to receive strong labor backing.
Casey, a former Harris County Judge, is a
member of the powerful Appropriations
Committee. Last year Casey faced an unex-
pectedly stiff challenge from radio-tele-
vision personality J. Kent Hackleman.
Look for Texas Senator Lloyd Bentsen to
announce his candidacy for president late
this month, or in early February. Bentsen
raised a cool $600,000 last year in a single
Texas testimonial dinner. Bentsen is a slick
operator, and his camp will probably be
well financed.
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Brewton, Gary. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 62, No. 17, Ed. 1 Monday, January 6, 1975, newspaper, January 6, 1975; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245212/m1/2/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.