Document:LP News 1973 July-August Issue 15
'73 Convention draws 175
The Second Annual LP Convention, held in Strongsville, Ohio, June 8-10, attracted over 175 libertarians from all over the country, including representatives from most of the other major libertarian organizations in the United States, and a number of Canadians.
The convention began with a session on the use of issues to gain public support, held Friday afternoon. This session was moderated by LP NEWS Editor David F. Nolan, and featured Willis Stone of the Liberty Amendment Committee, Karl Bray of the Tax Rebellion Committee, Gary Greenberg of New York, and Steven Brown of Oklahoma. Howard Katz of the National Committee to Restore the Gold Standard was also invited to be a panelist, but could not be located. The session gener ated an enthusiastic response from the floor, with Karl Bray in particular drawing applause.
Friday evening, over 150 people "packed the hall" to participate in a Speakersr Banquet arranged by the Ohio LP. This event, which was the highlight of the Convention for many, featured nearly 20 speakers who held the audience rapt until nearly 1:00 am, with only a brief break to allow people to catch the 11:00 News on television, which included an interview with LP spokeswomen Kay Harroff, Susan Nolan, and Fran Youngstein.
Featured speakers at the Friday evening dinner were Tonie Nathan and Roger MacBride; MacBride received a lengthy standing ovation, with several "MacBride in '76" banners appearing around the room. Other speakers included Dave and Sue Nolan, Ed Clark, Ed Crane, Willis Stone, Kay Harroff, Bob Steiner, Karl Bray, and Susan Brown, plus nearly a dozen delegates from the Free Libertarian Party of New York, including Chairperson Andrea Millen, "token radical" Sam Konkin, David Friedman (who spoke on Icelandic Sagas), Howard Katz, and Mayoral Candidate Fran Youngstein, who was the "hit of the show."
On Saturday morning, events resumed with a Buffet Breakfast, during which delegates heard taped greetings from the movement's two leading intellectuals, John Hospers and Murray Rothbard.
This was followed by a seminar on use of media, moderated by Pipp Boyls, and featuring Tonie Nathan, Karl Bray Don Ernsberger (of SIL fame),Bill Westmiller and Paul Streitz.
Interest in this session was so great that it had to be extended an extra half hour, and was finally terminated only because of the need to break for lunch.
The third political action training session which convened after lunch, was devoted to' the subject of fund-raising. Under the skillful leadership of D. Frank Robinson, three fundraising experts -- Wain Dawson, Dave Walter and Bob Meier -- imparted invaluable tips on this vital subject.
The final session was devoted to the subject of organizing a State LP. This consisted of a free-wheeling "give and take" by present and prospective State LP Chairmen, under the guidance of National Vice-Chairman Ed Clark, who has served as Chairman of both the New York and California LP organizations.
Throughout the day Saturday, in conjunction with the main sessions, there were also numerous "workshops" on a wide variety of topics ranging from Public Speaking to Indian Affairs. One of the most popular was that on the Tax Issue, held by anti-tax leaders including Karl Bray and Willis Stone. An outgrowth of this meeting was the formation of a Tax Strike Coalition which may prove to be one of the most significant libertarian groups in America in the near future.
Saturday evening, the Convention wound up with a Poolside Luau arranged by the Ohio LP, where, as the phrase goes, "a good time was had by all."
In its entirety, the '73 LP-Con was a great success, and thanks are due to the Ohio Party, and to Kay Harroff, Sue Arnold, Tom Tanner, and Ross and Goldie Black in particular for doing so much to help make it the success that it was.
ExecComm Acton
At the National LP Executive Meeting on Sunday June 10, several actions of importance were taken.
Georgiann Trammell was elected Secretary, to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Diana Amsden. Winston Duke and Bill Westmiller were elected to fill vacancies created by the resignations of Pat Lowrie and Paul Hodgson.
$1,800 was appropriated for display ads in Analog (a co-op ad with Reason), Commentary and Human Events, plus classified ads in the Wall Street Journal and Intellectual Digest.
Ed Clark was put in charge of setting up a committee to review the National LP Constitution, in order to recommend changes in membership structure in '74, so that the need for dual memberships (national and state) can be eliminated.
It was voted to aid the NY and NJ parties in their current campaign efforts, by giving them full-page ads in Reason, allowing them to have inserts in LP News, and making mailing lists available to them.
Bids for the '74 Convention were taken from Dallas and Chicago, and the Fall '73 ExecComm meeting was set for Denver on November 24.
POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE
XII. WATERGATE AND THE LP
With Watergate figuring so prominently in the news these days, it is only natural to ask what effect it will have on the development of the LP as a political party.
In this writer's opinion, the first obvious political effect of Watergate is to tarnish the Nixon administration and, to some extent, the Republican Party. The immediate benefi ciaries will be the Democrats. Gains in next year's Congressional election and recapturing the White House in '76 seem within their grasp now.
However, as a minority party we can also pro fit from the decrease in respect for the GOP. We must get all the mileage out of that attain able to us. We can broaden our gains if some thing else happens. Specifically, if the Democrats throw courtesy to the winds and go after Nixon and friends with full abandon, rake the muck and make Nixon look worse than Teapot Dome, Tammany Hall and Mayor Daley combined. Nixon will then send his dogs out to bare corruption and political trickery by the Democrats, both real and fabricated. That shootout would leave both parties (particular ly the more vulnerable GOP) politically weakened. Thus, the two-party system will be hurt, which is our foremost goal in terms of political strategy right now.
Even with a Nixon counterattack, the Democrats will probably win a convincing victory in '76 behind Teddy Kennedy, whom they will be even more sure to turn to if under fire (to unite and save them). The certain Republican in fighting that Watergate has already caused will lock up the victory for the Democrats. 1976 is the year the GOP will nominate their man through a wide-open primary struggle, as the Democrats did in '72. They will never unite enough to even have a chance, especially with the damage and division Watergate has done them.
In sum, the Democrats should win in a Kennedy landslide in '76. Which may also help us, according to no less a statist than columnist Stewart Alsop. He said last December that continued landslides like '64 and '72 could weaken and ultimately destroy (right on!) the two party system.
To help bring all this about, I urge all of you to write a letter to your Democratic Congressman and Senator(s), if you have any, and to Senator Sam J. Ervin, Jr. (U. S. Senate, Washington, DC 20510) to urge a gloves-off style full scale attack on the Watergate scandal and the entire surrounding GOP spying and sabotage of the last election.
I wouldn't put down "I'm an LP member," because it should look spontaneous. If every LP member writes Sam Ervin such a letter, demanding a no-holds-barred app roach, it can pay off well for the LP.
An Invitation
We are pleased to bring you, in this issue, the first "Political Perspective11 column written by someone other than your editor.
We hope this will be the first of many articles contributed by readers, and thus urge any of you who have something to say that is of interest to politically-oriented libertarians to send in articles for consideration. In addition, we hope more of you will take the time to offer. comments on items which do appear in LP News; at this time, there are only about fifteen people who offer comments on the contents of LP News, and, while we have more than enough mail to handle on other subjects, we would like more "reader feedback" on LP News. We must caution you, however, that we can not always answer letters personally.
Criteria which will be used in selecting items to be published are the following:
- Relevance. Items must be specifically oriented to political topics; if they· deal with other subjects (e.g. economic trends), they should deal with the relation between those subjects and libertarian political action.
- Length. The shorter the better; ideally, submissions should be no more than 500 words long. Absolute maximum: 1,000 words.
- Quality. Items should be written clearly and concisely, presenting points cogently and in an easily-understandable form.
Items submitted for inclusion in "Bits & Pieces" may deal with a wider range of topics, but should be informative and brief (100 words).
Letters will not usually be considered for publication {we just don't have the space), unless they are of unusual importance. Data received in letter form may be incorporated in "Bits & Pieces" however.
That's it. Let's hear from you.
White Plains, NY
LP GROUPS TO RECRUIT AT STATE FAIRS
In many areas, the annual event of the summer is the State or County Fair, where thousands or even millions of people come to see exhibits set up by various organizations. And this opportunity to reach people, by having an LP booth, is being taken advantage of by several LP groups -- notably the Oklahoma and Alaska Parties, and the FLP group in Poughkeepsie, NY. If you are interested in undertaking a Fair project, contact Oklahoma LP (Box 25517, Okla. City OK 73129) for tips, and see page 32 of the Political Action Manual.
CALIFORNIA LIBERTARIANS PICKET EVICTION TRIAL
A group of California LP members, led by David Merrick of Monterey, recently received media cover age by picketing a trial where the gov't is seeking to evict an elderly couple who don't want to give up their home to urban renewal planners. Not only have Merrick and Co. succeeded in getting the trial moved once, by influencing public opinion against the bureaucrats, but they have conveyed to the public the fact that the LP stands for true humanitarian ideals, and that the gov't is the violator of human rights.
Bits & Pieces
HOSPERS' "POLITICS OF LIBERTY" AVAILABLE ON RECORDS, TAPES
An excellent statement of the basics • of libertarian political philosophy has been recorded by Dr. John Hospers, for Academic Associates. It is available on both record (two long-playing albums) and cassettes, for $6.95 from AA, 8380 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90069. Great for playing at recruiting sessions, in poli-sci classes, or on radio.
"POLITICAL SYSTEMS" ARTICLE REPRINTS AVAILABLE
National LP now has available reprints of your editor's article on "Classifying and Analyzing Politico-Economic Systems," which appeared in INDIVIDUALIST, January 1971- Proved effective as an educational tool for explaining the differences between lib'ism, and other political philosophies. Prices on enclosed Order Form.
LP FINANCIAL REPORT AVAILABLE
Copies of the National LP Financial Statement for the year 6/72 - 6/73 can be obtained by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope to LP National HQ. As far as we know, we are the only libertarian organization which makes its financial information public; with LP, you know where your money goes.
MACBRIDE, REHMKE NEWEST LIFE MEMBERS
Roger MacBride, libertarian hero of the year, and Jane Rehmke, an active LP member from New Jersey, are the latest Life Members of the LP. Many thanks, Roger and Jane.
HOSPERS ON RADIO AND TV 120 TIMES IN YEAR
During a recent phone conversation with John Hospers, your editor learned that Hospers has appeared on radio and TV over 120 times in the last year, promoting the libertarian philosophy, with invitations still coming in at the rate of better than one a week. Proof positive that political action- is one of the b·est possible ways to get the word out to the public.
CONVENTION PROGRAMS AVAILABLE FROM OHIO LP
A special "souvenir program" covering the 1973 LP Convention in detail, with photos and a list of speakers and registrants, is available for $2 from Ohio LP, 204 Solon Road, No. 6, Bedford OH 44146. A great opportunity to re-live (or experience vicariously) the libertarian event of the year, and at the same time provide some financial assistance to some people who really deserve it.
LP ORGANIZING IN FLORIDA, TENN, AND MARYLAND
We now have Temporary State Chairmen in three new states (Florida, Tennessee and Maryland), bringing our total number of states where there is a permanent or temporary LP organization to 32 (22 permanent and 10 temporary). In Florida, the man to see is Richard Spilman; in Tennessee, it's Jim Forrester; and in Maryland, it's William R. Bobick. In addition, Fran Moore of Hartford is making a new attempt to get things going in Connecticut, after an unsuccessful attempt by Charles Curley last year. A new Greensheet, giving complete addresses of these and all other LP State Chairman, can be obtained by sending a self-ad dressed stamped envelope to LP National HQ.
TEXAS LP CONTRIBUTES $50 TO HELP KARL BRAY
The Lone Star State LP raised $50 at one of the social events at its state convention, held June 3, and contributed the proceeds to help Tax Rebel Karl Bray with his legal expenses in his battle with the IRS (see story last issue). Good idea; how about holding a Bray Benefit in your area?
OSCAR JOHANNSEN ENDORSED BY NEW JERSEY LP
Oscar B. Johannsen, running as the Individualist candidate for State Senate in New Jersey's 20th Legislative District , has been endorsed by the NJLP. His opponents are a "law and order" conservative on the GOP side, and Democrat described as "a standard Northeastern liberal." Any assistance, in ideas or finances, should be sent to Committee of One, 825 Walnut Street, Roselle Park NJ 07204.
PICASSO COMMENT PROVOKES HEATED RESPONSE
Our item on the passing of Pablo Picasso last issue provoked no less than six letters of comment -- an all-time high for any one item in LP NEWS. One letter was favorable in its comments, and five were negative. Those critical of the item pointed out that such an item was not appropriate in a political newsletter, and their point is well taken. We'll try not to let it happen again.
CAXTON PUBLISHES MACBRIDE'S LATEST BOOK
The Lady and the Tycoon, a collection of letters exchanged by libertarian novelist Rose Wilder Lane and industrialist Jasper Crane, and compiled by our own Roger MacBride, has been published by Caxton Printers, Caldwell, Idaho 83605. $5- 95 gets you this fascinating book and lets you show your appreciation to Roger.
FOOD SHOR TAGE POSSIBLE; STOCK UP NOW
Thanks to Nixonomics, there may be a serious food shortage th is fall and winter, according to several recent newspaper reports. Don't get caught short; a $100 investment in canned food now could save you $500 or prevent serious hardship in a few months.
DID ANYBODY NOTICE
That the wirephoto pix of the Giglottos, whose house was mistakenly raided by the Federal Gestapo in Collinsville, Illinois last May, showed Mrs. Giglotto holding a copy of Atlas Shrugged.