Photo by Raymond Carter
Five candidates for Kansas attorney general spoke at KU last night to an audience of Collegiate Young Republicans. Three of them were, from left, Marion Chipman, Johnson county counselor; Robert Seaton, assistant attorney general; and Robert Hetch, Shawnee county attorney.
State politicos speak to CYR
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At a meeting of the Collegiate Young Republicans last night Charles McAtee, director of Kansas penal institutions, said he thinks control over state universities should be delegated to the state legislature rather than the Board of Regents.
McAtee, an unannounced Republican candidate for attorney general of Kansas, also favors sale of cigarettes on campus.
Also attending the meeting were announced candidates Marion Chipman, Johnson county counselor; Richard Seaton, assistant attorney general; Kent Frizzell, Wichita state senator; and unannounced candidate Robert Hetch, Shawnee county attorney.
Among the subjects discussed were changes in the state's proposed juvenile laws, capital punishment, the proposed state sponsored law enforcement training academy, penal institution reform, lowering the voting age to 18 and possible riots in Wichita this summer.
Frizzell thinks the state's current policy of treating 16- and 17-year-olds as adults and prosecuting them under felony laws is wrong.
"Better than 90 per cent of these people are salvageable," he said.
Frizzell also said the current bill to raise the drinking age to 21 in Johnson County had been
--sent to committee today where it would remain until it died.
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Fair skies and colder temperatures are predicted tonight by the U.S. Weather Bureau. The low tonight should be around 20 degrees, with precipitation probabilities near zero tonight and about five per cent Friday.
Three of the candidates said they favored capital punishment. Frizzell, Seaton and Hetch all agreed that the death penalty was necessary to maintain order with extreme criminal types.
"Even the person who proposed the bill now wishes he hadn't," Frizzell said.
UW
"You have to have that extreme penalty back there in cases where people have nothing to lose, such as the 'lifer' in prison who commits a murder," Seaton said.
McAtee took no stand on the death penalty and said he would reserve his opinions on capital punishment until he thinks the public has a right to know.
When questioned about possible race riots in Wichita this summer, Hetch said he didn't believe in civil disobedience and he would deal with riots in whatever manner necessary. He said there was a possibility that harsh actions in controlling riots could lead to more trouble in the future.
--his willingness to accept a presidential draft at the GOP National Convention at Miami Beach Aug. 5.
kansan
A student newspaper serving KU
"Jayhawk Boulevard will be in one piece again by Monday morning," a Leavenworth construction company supervisor said Wednesday.
"Of Gov. Rockefeller I would add this: he has asked nothing of me and has given more than I have asked. He has supported me on his own initiative without reservation," he said.
Romney gave special tribute to Gov. Nelson Rockefeller of New York for his support.
The supervisor, Chester Thormen, was referring to a ditch that in the past few days has been harassing traffic and pedestrian flow as it crept across the street near the site of old Robinson Gymnasium.
KU `Main Street' to be fixed Monday
LAWRENCE, KANSAS Thursday. February 29.1968
"I am not a candidate." Rocke- feller said, although he repeated
The ditch and a temporary hole in front of Strong Hall are part of installation of a conduit system between the KU power plant and Spencer Library to carry power for air conditioning.
He said he would wholeheartedly support any candidate the governors backed.
Romney said he was leaving for the Republican governors meeting in Washington this weekend the chance to make "a maximum contribution to the drafting of a sound party platform and to the selection of a candidate who will offer sound solutions to the problems which confront America."
Romney out of race
Compiled from UPI
"Time is growing short" before the New Hampshire Presidential Primary March 12, the first in the nation, he said.
Gov. George Romney of Michigan abandoned his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination Wednesday in favor of someone with a better chance to win.
Romney read a statement at a press conference in Washington, D.C., saying, "It is clear to me that my candidacy has not won the wide acceptance with rank and file Republicans that I had hoped to achieve.
"Romney," he said, "was my candidate. I don't have one now."
The question immediately after Romney's announcement was whether and when Rockefeller would make his move to keep former Vice-President Richard Nixon from sewing up the nomination in advance of the convention.
It has become clear that timing is a crucial part of Rockefeller's decision.
Were he to announce too early, he would draw intense and bitter fire from the conservative wing of the party. But if he waits until convention time this year he might find that Nixon has the nomination before the first gavel is sounded.
Nixon said Wednesday at his Manchester, N.H., headquarters that he still is certain Romney will play a "major role" in assuring a GOP victory in November.
Nixon may find he is still dogged by the ghost of Romney in the New Hampshire primary. His withdrawal notwithstanding, Romney's name remains on the Republican ballot.
Gov. Ronald Reagan of California said in Sacramento Wednesday the withdrawal of Romney narrowed the choice to Richard Nixon, Harold Stassen or "a noncandidate."
Reagan said his own noncandidate status was unchanged.
Asked if he felt Romney's with- drawal "wrapped it up for Nix- on." Reagan replied "No."
GOP brass reacts to Romney move
Kansan News Roundup
Caution and indecision seemed the sentiments of Kansas Republican leaders late Wednesday as they attempted to analyze both national and state consequences of Gov. George Romney's withdrawal as a candidate for the GOP presidential nomination.
Officially committed to Sen. Frank Carlson as a "favorite son" candidate on at least the first ballot of the GOP National Convention Aug. 5, Kansas' 20 delegates—not yet chosen—reportedly were going to throw their support to either Richard Nixon, former vice president and announced presidential hopeful, or Romney.
Some reports even indicated that Gov. Ronald Reagan or Gov. Nelson Rockefeller might receive part of the Kansas vote if they entered the race.
But now that Romney has stepped down as a candidate, some observers say his Kansas supporters may switch to Rockefeller, should he choose to run.
"That's more likely to be the case," noted Alf M. Landon, for-
KU's budget grows by $4,590
The bill outlining KU's proposed operating budget of $40.1 million for fiscal 1969 was still in the Kansas Senate Wednesday, but it is expected to pass without any major modifications.
The only modification to the bill has been to increase the proposed KU budget by $4,590. The funds will be used to provide custodial service for Spencer Library starting in June.
The proposed 1969 budget, a hike of $3.3 million from the 1568 budget of $33.8 million, was introduced by the Kansas Board of Regents after Gov. Docking made his recommendations for the budget in December 1967.
The bill will be sent to the House for approval next week.
Max Bickford, a member of the Board of Regents, said the original figure of $40,617,144 proposed by the Board was cut $422,288 in December 1967 by Gov. Docking, making the current budget figure $40,194,856.
Of the $40.1 million, $18,755,545 is state-appropriated funds. The balance comes from student fees ($5 million); U.S. government research grants ($7 million); residence hall fees ($6.49 million) and University Extension operations such as correspondence courses ($900,000), Ray Nichols, KU vice-chancellor of finance, said.
Nichols said the state legislature appropriates and approves all University budget funds—even those earned by the University.
A detailed breakdown of the 1969 budget will not be available before July 1. However, $3,767,600 will be used for capital improvements such as new buildings and maintenance of existing buildings.
Keith Lawton, vice-chancellor of operations, said the $3.7 million for capital improvements would be divided as follows: $750,000 for the state geological survey building which will be completed in two years; $354,000 for the proposed National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) building which will also be completed in about two years; and $175,000 for campus repairs and improvement.
The balance of the $3.7 million is made up of $1.9 million given to KU by NASA and $308,000 which is the second part of last year's state appropriations for the proposed humanities building.
mer Kansas governor and 1936 Republican presidential candidate. Landon, still a powerful voice in Kansas politics, said that he favored Romney but "now would be inclined towards Rockefeller." However, Landon said he wanted all the candidates to "debate more" on Vietnam.
Landon also indicated that unless Rockefeller announced zoom and carried out "an aggressive campaign," Nixon may win the nomination.
"You can't lick somebody with nobody," chuckled the former governor.
Other state Republican leaders were more cautious than Landon.
"The old rule of politics is that if you get out front too early, it's difficult to hold your position," said McDill "Huck" Boyd, Republican National Committeeman for Kansas, of Romney's withdrawal.
Boyd, retreating from public speculation on how the Kansas delegation may react if either Rockefeller or Reagan announce candidacies, added, "I really feel developments of the next three or four months will tell us more than we could guess at today."
Mrs. Allen Dodge.state Republican National Committeewoman, was even more cautious in her reassessment of the GOP arena.
"I imagine the so-called moderates are going to thrash around and find another candidate. They were mostly supporting the Romney campaign, but Nixon certainly is not going to be unopposed," she said.
George Nettles, chairman of the April 27 Kansas Republican delegate-selecting convention, noted that "there is no firm feeling among folks I've visited with for a particular candidate."
He did say the GOP candidate would be "someone who represents GOP philosophy and some one who can win.
"At this point, though, I think anybody can win."