Document:LP News 1972 April Issue 5

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National Conference re-set for June 15-18; 150 LP Members expected to attend

Imagine: the leading activists in the libertarian movement all getting together to plan the first concerted large-scale attack on the bankrupt statist ideology that has stultified social and economic progress in America for the past 60 y ears.

Imagine: the synthesis of the best elements of the “left” and “right,” into a single political movement.

Imagine: the first tule new social and political movement in over a century, emerging from its cocoon and bursting forth like a jewel-bright butterfly in a world of grays and browns.

It is going to happen. In Denver, Colorado, on June 15-18, 1972. At the First National Conference of the Libertarian Political Activists. And you can be part of it.

There will be those who will say that we cannot change the world — that surrender, or retreat, or “boycotting” the real world is more rational and honorable than taking action against our oppressors. These are the neutralizers, who m outhitting freedom-words while promoting servility and copout-ism.

And there will be others who will say that it is too late for political action, urging us towards revolution and sabotage. These people only serve to give the rulers an excuse to clamp down even harder.

Ignore them. We can act — peacefully, within the political system — to save our freedom. And we will.

the first National Conference of Libertarian Political Activists will last four days. In th one four days, we will raft a platform, draw up strategies, choose candidates, and re-enforce each other’s enthusiasm for the biggest undertaking in the history of the libertarian movement — an undertaking which will enable us to carry our message to more people than we have ever reached before.

If it is humanly possible for you to be there, you should be. The Registration Fee has been set at $25, which a $5 discount if you pre-register by May 31. this fee covers the costs of the Conference facilities, plus two large brunch-style breakfasts. another $50 will cover your remaining meals and room expenses. Total: $75, to be part of the most important and exciting libertarian event of the year… perhaps of the decade.

The Conference will be open to all members of all LP organizations — local state and national. So recruit a couple of libertarian friends, and make it to Denver. A group of four can drive here for less than $25 each, from anywhere in the United States.

Make it for the whole four days, if possible. If you can’t do that, at least be here for the Friday evening Libertarian Libation, and the Saturday and Sunday sessions. But make it.

A complete Conference Schedule, information on accommodations, and reservation forms are enclosed. The rest is up to you.

John Zeigler, Inc. to handle LP’s advertising campaign

It is our extreme good fortune to announce that John Zeigler, president of John Zeigler, Inc. has offered his agency’s services to the Libertarian Party for the coming campaign.

John Zeigler, Inc. specializes in “cause” and environmental advertising, and their ads h ave appears in numerous national publications. You may have seen their ads urging repeal of the draft and abortion laws, or others promoting organizations dedicating to protecting the environment.

Mr. Zeigler is a staunch libertarian, and, as such, turned down opportunities to handle ad campaigns of two of this year’s P?residential aspirants. His creative ability, extensive contacts with persons of influence in the national media, and firm dedication to the ideals of individual liberty make him an invaluable ally, and all libertarians owe him a tremendous vote of thanks.

Progress Report

As of the time this Newsletter reaches you, LP membership should have reached the 500 mark, counting both state an d national members. We now have members in 38 states, plus the District Columbia, and have State Chairmen in 10 states.

Over 15,000 pieces of LP literature have been distributed, including 3,500 copies of the Temporary Platform. Ads will appear in five publications ink the next 30 days; the combined circulation of those five is 14,000, so we should get at least 300 to 400 new members from these ads alone.

The UPI story we mentioned two issues ago went out to papers all over the country on April 2nd; we’re still getting phone calls two weeks later. We now expect to have 1,200 members by June.

U.S. News, Playboy top media poll; Human Events has highest reader ratio

Last month, we asked you to tell us what magazines you read, in order to get some idea of where we should advertise, in order to reach other libertarians, and people who are likely to be sympathetic to libertarian ideas.

Over 100 responses were received, but to simplify the analysis of results, we took the first 100.

The 100 respondents named a total of 144 different publications, but 84 of these were mentioned only one time, and only 21 were were mentioned often enough to merit study. The results on these 21 are shown below, but a few broad-stroke results might be of interest.

A total of 513 mentions were made, indicating that the average libertarian (if there is such a beast) reads about five publications, not counting "movement" magazines and daily newspapers. Of the five, one is a weekly newsmagazine, one is a "right-wing" magazine, one is a business or financial publication, and two are special-interest publications.

The top 21 accounted for 308 of the 513 mentions. They are listed, in order of popularity, immediately below. After each publication, there are three figures. The first is the number of mentions received by that publication, the second is the approximate circulation of that publication, in 100,000's, and the third (and most important) is the ratio of responses per 100,000 circulation.

U.S. News	31	19	1.6
Playboy	31	53	0.6
Time	30	43	0.7
Newsweek	29	26	1.1
Human Events	26	0.9	29	***
National Review	25	1.1	23	***
Barron's	13	2.4	5.4	***
Intellectual Digest	13	4.0	3.3	***
TV Guide	12	153	0.08
Reader's Digest	11	178	0.06
Business Week	10	6.7	1.5
Life	10	85	0.1
Wall St. Journal	10	12	0.8
National Observer	9	5.2	1.7
Fortune	8	4.0	1.4
National Lampoon	8	2.5	3.2	***
American Opinion	7	0.4	17	***
The Freeman	7	0.5	14	***
Analog	6	4.0	5.4	***
Road & Track	6	3.3	1.8
Stereo Review	6	3.0	2.0

Not surprisingly, the four publications with the highest proportion of readers of libertarian inclination are the four "conservative" standards. Of these, Human Events to be the best bet for us.

Thus, we will run an ad in Human Events, as soon as we raise enough money to for an ad that's large enough to tell our story and also large enough to create an impression of strength.

A full-page ad in Human Events costs $900, which is very reasonable for a publication that reches 90,000 people. a half-page ad costs $490, and a quarter-page costs $265. Less than a quarter page would not be enough to do the job.

Because we just plain don't have $900 to spare out of operating revenue, we are therefore asking every member to contribute whatever or or she can afford towards this project. Every little bit helps; $2 from each of you will pay for a full-page ad, and even $1 will help. If you can afford $5 or $10, or even $25, we would be extra appreciative, as larger amounts will offset the people who do not contribute.

So, please, contribute whatever you can -- and indicate that the money is designated for the Human Events ad specifically; we will use whatever we get to buy as large an ad as it will pay for. The money will not be diverted to any other use. We want to get the ad in by the third week in May, so as to get as many new members as possible before the National Conference, so we need the money by May 1. Send whatever you can afford today, even if it's only a dollar.

Looking beyond Human Events to other publications, our best bets appear to be Analog, Barron's, Intellectual Digest, and the National Lampoon. If all goes according to plan, we will be able to start advertising in one or more of these publications this summer. The results of this survey have been turned to our ad agency John Zeigler, Inc., for further analysis, and they should have some recommendations and ad ideas for us within a month or so. We want to break out of the old conservative sphere into new territory, so we will not be advertising in any other "right-wing" publications besides Human Events. The four magainzes mentioned above should enable us to reach new people.

Platform poll shows most LP members are Objectivists, Isolationists

The ideological poll which we conducted last month to serve as a guideline in putting the Platform Committee together, yielded the results below. The Platform Committee will be balanced accordingly.

CIVIL LIBERTIES
Minimal Restrictions	50%
No Restrictions	47%
Undecided	3%

ECONOMICS
Conservative	3%
Objectivist	72%
Anarcho-Capitalist	25%

ECONOMICS
Pacifist	2%
Isolationist	50%
SemiIsolationist	35%
Containment	4%
Rollback	8%
Undecided	1%

To assure that all planks in the Official Platform will have strong support, a two-thirds vote will be required for approval on the floor. Planks will be reported out in order of degree of support (unanimous first, etc.).

POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE

III. THE RISE OF TWO GEORGES

In our last issue, we stated that, after the smoke clears, the Democratic Presidential candidate would probably be either "Humphrey, Muskie, or (possibly) Jackson" -- and went on to explain why the smart money would be on Hubert.

Now, with Minnesota's crucial primary over and done with, the picture has altered a bit. Jackson is kaput. Muskie has slipped even further -- probably fatally, unless he can win big in Massachusetts or Pennyslvania. Indeed, Horrible Hubert would appear to have it bagged, were it not for the amazing squeeze play that ahs been executed by two men named George.

Poor Hubert! Despite his having bested Ed Muskie twice, he has yet to win a primary. There he is, Lord of the Democratic Center, and two upstarts on the Left and Right have stolen his thunder. In the long run, he will probably still emerge the victor, but not iwhtout a long, hard fifth. And there is even the possibility that he may be beaten out by a strange coalition of the alienated.

For, much to the old politician's chagrin, it appears that alienation is the name of the game this year. The people are out for the Establishment's blood, and George Wallace and George McGovern have struck responsive chords.

On the Left, McGovern has apparently captured the erstwhile supporters of McCarthy, Lindsay, Harris, and Chisholm -- emerging, after only four primaries, as the champion of the dispossessed ultra-liberals. This bloc makes up perhaps a third of the party, and, acting in concert, has a long-short chance at gaining the nomination for "one of their own." (In many respects, the McGovern campaign is reminiscent of the Goldwater campaign in '64.)

On the Right, George Wallace has pushed Mills, Yorty, and Jackson in virtual oblivion, emerging as the hero of that 25% or so who are doomed to everlasting exclusion from the Seats of Power, but who often decide which of the orthodox receive the prize.

Thus, between them, the two Georges have m managed to siphon off a majority of Democratic voters -- leaving Big Ed and Hubie to fight over the 40% or so in the middle. The victor in this fight will probably wind up the nominee, but not without making concessions to one or both of the dissidents' leaders.

This is a development to be welcomed, for any rebellion against the Establishment is to our benefit ... and the deeper the rifts between the various Democratic factions, the better our chances at picking up the supports of the losers, come September.

Of course, neither Wallce nor McGovern is a libertarian, by any means. But both of them have their libertarian aspects, and both are identifiably anti-status-quo, which is more than can be said for Nixon or HHH. In fact, between them, you could put together one fairly decent candidate -- something that not even Merlin the Magician could do, given Nixon and Hubie as his sources of raw material.

Indeed, despite their differences (which are many and large), both Wallace and McGovern are cut from the same basic cloth; perhaps this is why surveys taken in Wisconsin showed that the second choice of Wallace voters was McGoern, and vice-versa.

Looking at them both from our viewpoint, what can be said? Is there any hope for libertarianism in either of these men?

To begin with McGovern, it must first be noted that he is by the far the worst of all the prospects -- including Nixon -- in the area of economics. H e makes no bones about being in favor of massive income redistribution, and has voted in favor of sociialistic proposals even more consistently than Hubert Humprehy -- which takes some doing.

In the area of civil liberties, however, he is probably the best of the lot. His long-standing opposition to the draft, and to Big Brotherism in the area of government surveillance of the citizenry, are particularly commendable.

In the area of foreign policy, McGoern deserves a "plus" for his basically isolationist views, but this is offset by his apparent willingness to disarm the United States unilaterally, leaving us open to nuclear attack by totalitarian aggressors.

On balance, then, Mc Goern rates only a low "fair" by our standards -- making him perhaps less odious than Nixon or Humphrey, and thus deserving of silent good wishes in his fight with Dick or Hubie, but hardly worth bleeding and dying for.

Wallace, on the other hand, is better than any of his competitors on economic issues -- although this is hardly a claim to fame. At most, he rates a "fair," in contract to everyone else's "poor" or "abysmal."

In the area of civil liberties, Wallace offers a strangely mixed bag. His aversion to "hippies, punks and anarchists" iw well-known, and the thought of Wallces extending amnesty to draft resisters, or signing a bill repealing all laws against victimless crimes, stretches one's credibility beyond its limits. On the other hand, Wallace has spokenout against government snooping, favors abolition of ht eFCC, and supports the right to bear arms. And, unlike virtually all of his competitors, he opposes laws which ignore or eliminate distinctions between public and private property. Thus, overall, Wallace rates a "fair" on civil liberties, as well as on economics. In the foren-policy sphere, Wallace is probably the best of all the major-party hopefuls. Like McGovern, he is basically an isolationist; he has long said that the U.S. should not have gone into Vietnam, but should have accepted Chaing Kai-shek's offer to assume this tasks, for instance. Yet, unlike McGovern, Wallace recognizes the need for a strong domestic defense system. So, on balance, Wallace rates a "good" (although not "excellent") on foreign policy.

Thus, overall, Wallces rates perhaps a half notch above McGovern -- which is hardly good enough to send libertarians flocking to his banner, but which nonetheless makes him the best of a bad lot.

What does all this mean, from our viewpoint? Very little, actually, as the chances of the Democrats nominating a McGovern - Wallace or even Wallace-McGovern ticket are very remote (although not absolutely zero). And, even if this were to happen, it is doubtful that many libertarians would be willing to devote much energy to supporting such a ticket.

In sum, as we said regarding Ashbrook and McCloskey two months ago, any LP member who wishes to work or vote for Wallace or McGovern between now and June should certainly feel free to do so, for as was noted above, anything that serves to drive wedges between existing po.iltical factions is to our advantage. Primary emphasis should be placed on building the Libertarian Party, however, to assure that the disaffected will have some place to go when the Democtas nominate Hubert Humphrey, as they are almost certain to do.

BITS & PIECES

POLITICAL ACTION MANUAL COMING OUT NEXT MONTH

With next month's Newsletter, all LP members will receive a copy of the new LP Political Action Manual. This concise guidebook will cover every aspect of organizing for political action, from recruiting to PR to fund-raising, and will be about 56 pages long. Non-members who wish to purchase a copy, or members who want extra copies, can order as many as they wish. $1.25 for one copy, $3/3, $5/6, $10/15.

PAUL LEPANTO LEADS IN MEMBERSHIP CONTEST

With six weeks left int he Membership Recruiting Context, Temporary Executive Committee member Paul Lepando of New York is leading the pack, with 57 points. This assures Paul of a minimum of $50 towards Conference expenses, and puts him well within hailing distance of the $100 First Prize. If Paul can do this well, the rest of you can easily get at least 25 points, and rip off $25. Student Memberships are worth 1 point, Regulars 2 points, Sustaining Memberships 3 points, Life Members 25 points, and Life Sustaining Members 50 points. Be sure to put your name on any Membership Applications you hand out, to get credit.

NED NOLTE IS LP'S SECOND LIFE MEMBER

And speaking of Life Members, Ned Nolte of Lincoln, Nebraska, recently become our second Life Member. Many thanks, Ned.

SEND A CLIPPING, GET A BUCK

A number of members have been taking advantage of our offer to pay $1 for any newspaper clipping of a story that mentions the Libertarian Party. Keep your eyes open, because you could be next. If you prefer, we'll send $2 worth of materials (your choice). Specify which you prefer.

"1984" BY SPIRIT -- WE'LL PAY $2

If you have a copy of the 45-rpm record "1984" by Spirit, we'll pay you $2 for it, assuming it's in good condition. If you don't have a copy, check your local record stores; we can't find a copy in Denver.

BRUCE BROCKWAY RUNNING FOR CONGRESS

Bruce Brockway, an Objectivist, is running for Congress in Mennesota. His literature asks voters the question "Who owns your life?" and suggests that if they think they should control their own destinies, they should vote for Bruce. For more information about Bruce and his campaign, or to contribute financial support, write Brockway for Congree Committee, 1622 Sherburne, St. Paul, Minn.

CHANGING YOUR ADDRESS?

If so, be sure to notify us, giving both the old address and the new. And, whenever you write to us, be sure to include your Zip Code. Our files are set up by Zip Code, so you'll get better service if you include your Zip.

3 Ways to get an attractive Libersign Pin

Display your commitment to libertarianism; set yourself apart from the collectivist herd by wearing a solid 14K gold Libersign pin! You can get one by any of the three following methods…

1. BUY ONE — for only $4.95, from Frantonia Specialties, Warren, R.I. 02885. 2. BECOME A LIFETIME MEMBER of the LP, and we’ll send you one in appreciation, or 3. ACCUMULATE 10 MEMBERSHIP POINTS, and rip off a freebie!

Act today; supply is unlimited! No well-dressed libertarian should be without on of these attractive 3/8” doohickies; may be used as a tie-tac, lapel pin, scarf pin, thumbtack, or secret weapon (supply your own curare)! Such a deal!