Document:LP News 1972 August Issue 8
LP to run 6, back 3
In addition to supporting the Hospers-Nathan ticket, LP Organizations in various states are running or supporting a total of nine candidates for lower offices this year. Six of the nine are running for Congress, and three are seeking seats int heir respective State Legislatures.
All nine are hard-core libertarians, although only six are running under the LP designation. If you live in one of the six states where these candidates are running, your support would be greatly welcomed; if you live in another state, you might pick one or two of the nine , and send a campaign contribution.
Here, on a state-by-state, basis, is a brief rundown on each of the nine candidates. If you’d like more information, write directly to the candidate’s campaign HQ.
NEW YORK: The New York LP (officially called the “Free Libertarian Party,” for legal reasons) is running two candidates, and backing a third.
Gary Greenberg, a well-known libertarian activist, is the FLP’s candidate for Congress in the 18th District. Gary’s stands include a call for the legalization of heroin, as the surest way to reduce crime, an immediate withdrawal from Vietnam, and reparations for draftees, to be paid by the politicians and gov’t officials responsible for the draft. As of press time, it appeared virtually sure that Gary will be on the ballot. Greenberg for Congress Committee, c/o Laissez Faire Book Store, 208A Mercer street, New York, NY 10012.
Walter Block, Publisher of Outlook, is the FLP’s candidate for State Assembly in the 65th Assembly District (which lies within Gary Greenberg’s Congressional District). Walter stands on local issues include calls for abolition of rent controls, de-regulation of transportation, and opposition to moves to repeal New York’s liberal abortion law. He also favors NYC’s secession from NY State. Block for Assembly Committee, c/o Laissez Faire Book Store, 208A Mercer street, New York, NY 10012.
Guy Riggs, a Party member who had already filed his Assembly candidacy in the 99th Assembly District (Poughkeepsie) under the Individual Rights label, before he had head of the LP, is also being backed by the NY Party. Guy’s statements call for “repealing laWs, rather than passing new ones,: and a commitment to “Zero Tax Growth.” Riggs for Assembly Committee, P.O. Box 1776, Poughkeepsie, N.Y. 12601.
COLORADO: The Colorado LP is dueling two candidates this year, both of them members of the original group of eight people who founded the National LP.
Pipp Boyles, Treasurer of the National Party, and Chairman of the Platform Committee at the LP Convention in June, is running fo rCongress in the new 5th Congressional District. In his pubic speeches, Pipp has been comparing the 20th century Welfare state to the feudal system. Pipp will definitely be on the ballot. Boyls for Congress Committee, 1415 N. El Paso, Colorado Springs, CO 80907.
Hue Fitch is laying plans to run for the State House of Representatives, in the 11th District. Hue’s campaign stands will include support for a ballot referendum to cut off state financial support for the 1976 Olympics, and another to allow a privately-run lottery which would reduce the tax load in Colorado. Temporary address of the Futch for Assembly Committee is LP National HQ.
ILLINOIS: The Illinois LP has filed petitions with 6,000 signatures (5,000 required) to place Paul Stout on the ballot for Congress in the 14th District. Paul’s strongest stands are in opposition to the draft, and to antiabortion laws. In his campaign speeches, Paul stresses that “government in more of a hard to the individual than any other individual could possibly be.” He can be contacted at 150 N. Main Street, Lombard, IL 60016.
CALIFORNIA: Although we have no details as yet, we have been informed that Manny Klausner, one of the editors of Reason, will be running for Congress in the 27th District, on the LP label. His opponent on the Republican side will be Barry Goldwater Jr. who has been steadily drifting towards collectivism since he was first elected, four years ago. Manny hopes to force him to reverse this trend.
IDAHO: Steven D Symms, a libertarian, won a strong victory over his two better-known opponents in Idaho’s GOP primary on August 8th, getting nearly as many votes as both of them combined. As the candidate for Congress from Idaho’s 1st District, Steve has been using LP literature, and has made his campaign theme “Take a Bite Out of Government.” His literature shows an apple with a large bite missing (Steve is an apple grower). Symms for Congress Committee, Route 6y, Caldwell, Idaho, 83605.
MASSACHUSETTS: The still-tiny Massachusetts LP is concentrating its efforts on supporting the candidacy of Avi Nelson, an Objectivist who is seeking the GOP nomination for the 3rd Congressional District. If he succeeds in obtaining the nomination (which he is expected to do), his democratic opponent will be Phil Drinan, the ultimate mystic-altruist-collectivist. Nelson for Congress Committee, 215 Newbury Street, Boston, MA.
BREAK FREE FROM BIG BROTHER. VOTE LIBERTARIAN.
CAMPAIGN NEWS
In the two months since Dr. Hospers and Mrs. Nathan were nominated as the LP’s Presidential and vice-Presidential candidates, a lot has happened.
Dr. Hospers officially kicked off his campaign in Los Angeles on July 4th; a copy of his speech upon that occasion is enclosed. As a result of this speech, which was well-covered by the media, he was invited to appear on numerous radio and TV programs, and was interviewed by several newspapers.
Dr. Hospers also spoke by speaker-phone to a press conference held by the New York LP on July 4th. At that conference, the New York crew introduced its local candidates, put on guerrilla theater presentation, and got excellent coverage on radio, TC, and in the N.Y. Times. Dr. Murray Rothbard appeared at the conference as Dr. Hospers ’s economic adviser.
Meanwhile, Tonie Nathan was receiving similar coverage in Oregon; at one point, a reporter told her that she was doing such a great job that he wouldn’t be surprised if she could win in Oregon, if she got on the ballot. As of the time this Newsletter goes to press, it appears likely that the Oregon LP will succeed in its efforts to get on the ballot, by getting 1,000 registered voters to attend a state nominating convention.
Most recently Tonie spent ten days on a trip from Oregon down through California, arriving to meet with Dr. Hospers in Los Angeles for a very successful campaign dinner attended by nearly 100 people, and for several joint appearances. On her way to Los Angeles, she received excellent media coverage of her appearances, which included a speech at Berkeley.
And this is just the beginning. To take advantage of the tremendous potential for spreading libertarian ideas, both of our highly effective candidates have agreed to make national tours.
In September, Dr. Hospers will be spending a week visiting seven states, where he will make public speeches, hold press conferences, and meet with leading libertarian activists. His tentative schedule is as follows:
- Wednesday, September 6 — Dallas
- Thursday, September 7 — Houston
- Friday, September 8 — Okla. City & Tulsa
- Saturday, September 9 — Chicago
- Sunday, September 10 — Chicago
- Monday, September 11 — Boston
- Tuesday, September 12 — New Hampshire
- Wednesday. September 13 — Philadelphia
- Thursday, September 14 — Des Moines
- Friday, September 15 — Denver
In October, Tonie Nathan will be attending the national convention of Theta Sigma Phi, he association of women in journalism, to be held in Houston. AS member of that organization, Tonie hopes to be able to gain considerable media exposure for the Hospers-Nathan campaign via her efforts at the gathering. Plans are now being laid to have Tonie appear in other states while on her trip (e.g. Colorado, New Mexico, and possibly Michigan, New York, and Massachusetts).
Press coverage to date has been good; many newspapers around the country have carried news items and columns on the LP campaign; Jeffrey St. John had a note on the NY party’s activities in his comments on the national radio program, Spectrum; Human Events carried an item recently; and our advertising agency, John Zeigler Inc. in New York is working on possible national TV appearances, and on getting free ad space promoting Dr. Hospers’ book in several magazines.
All in all, things have gone exceedingly well. Our only limitation is a shortage of funds. So send your contribution to the Campaign Fund today.
RECOMMENDED LIBERTARIAN PUBLICATIONS
Many people who have joined the LP from outside the “movement” have asked us to recommend publications they can read to learn more about libertarianism. While there are many of value (and a lot more of no value), we’d recommend the following four as the best of the lot…
Reason (Box 6151, Santa Barbara CA 93111; $9/yr) is one of the first, and — we think — still the best of the “in-depth” publications. Viewpoint is definitely limited gov’t; heavy on real-world analyses, with an emphasis on technological and economic factors.
Outlook (Box 1027, Newark NJ 07101) is a relative newcomer, and still a half-notch below Reason, in our opinion, but is coming on strong. Articles represent a wide range of viewpoints, ranging from Objectivist to bother “left” and “right” anarchist. Emphasis is on political and social topics. $6/yr.
A is A Newsletter (9730 Hyne Road, Brighton MI 48116; $5/yr) is exceptionally professional in its execution, and, in less than a year, has become the place to keep track of what’s going on in every sector of the “movement.” No discernible bias in favor of any one libertarian dogma.
Libertarian Forum (Box 301, Madison Square Station, New York NY 10010) is a lively, timely “letter of commentary” on everything under the sun, from an anarchist viewpoint. The Forum is highly mercurial; we find many of its analyses completely off-base, but the good stuff (which constitutes the majority) is so good that we’d recommend it anyhow. $8/yr.
POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE
VI. THE NEW POLARIZATION
A lot has happened since we last examined the political scene. George McGovern managed to surprise everyone — even us — by capturing the Democratic nomination, and then made an utter fool of himself in the Eagleton fiasco. then, in early August, the Wallaceite American Party nominated two Birchers for President and Vice-President, thus sharply altering the thrust of its impetus. (One of the members of the AP’s Platform Committee actually took our platform into the committee hearings!)
The net result of these two developments i that we face a situation that is radically different from that we would face in, say, a Nixon-Humphrey-Wallace race. The Left is now virtually inaccessible to us, being committed to McGovern. And the orthodox Right will be far harder to reach, for two reasons. First, because McGovern’s candidacy will scare a lot of the potential recruits back too Nixon. And second, because those who don’t go back to Nixon will probably go to Schmitz.
The first of these problems can be overcome, to some extent, by hitting disaffected conservatives with the arguments presented in our leaflet, “McGovern: The Dangerous Decoy.” The second will be harder (Schmitz himself is using many of the same points about McGovern and Nixon to swing people away from RMN).
In a way, the respective candidacies of McGovern and Schmitz are a good thing, for they will force us to stress our differences from orthodox liberalism and conservatism. An d, at least McGovern and Schmitz are not just handing out the same old Establishment bull; they are forcing people to at the System, become aware of its weaknesses, and consciously choose between differing philosophies. In sum, they are polarizing and fragmenting the body politic — something chichis to our benefit, in the long run, although it may make our task a bit more difficult in the short run.
We can capitalize on the McGovern and Schmitz candidacies, to some extent, by pointing out that the LP offers a philosophy which combines the best aspects of both McGovernism and Schmitzism— greater social freedom, less repression, reduction of foreign involvements, and economic freedom. This is a combination that should have tremendous appeal to dissatisfied individuals who find both the current system, and the half-solutions offered by McGovern and Schmitz unsatisfactory.
A few people have written in, asking for my opinion of the AP’s Schmitz-Anderson ticket. It so happens that I have met both John Schmitz and Tom Anderson personally, and was at one time fairly friendly with one of Schmitz’s assistants. I don’t like a lot of Schmitz’s stands (e.g. he’s pro-draft, and violently against legalization of drugs, and is an extreme Ultramontanist Roman Catholic), but then, anyone who advocates repeal of the Federal Income Tax, repeal of laws against gold ownership and legal tender laws, and getting out of the U.N. can’t be all bad. Both Schmitz and Anderson are intelligent, sincere men of high personal integrity; unfortunately, they aren’t libertarians.
Comparing Nixon, McGovern and Schmitz, I’d rate them as follows in the three major areas of political philosophy (economics, civil liberties, and foreign policy):
| Econ. | Civ. Lib. | For. Pol. | Overall | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nixon | D+ | C- | D | D+ |
| McG | D | C+ | D+ | C- |
| Schmitz | B+ | D+ | C | C+ |
This assessment (which is my own, and not an official LP statement) gives Schmitz an edge, and if these were the only three choices available, I’d vote for Schmitz. Thankfully, these aren’t the only choices.
DFN
PROGRESS REPORT
We now have at least embryonic LP organizations in 22 states. Total membership is about 1,200, with 40% of this giro being national members, and 60% being state party members. In addition, there are near 800 “sympathizers” in various states who are working with the Party, giving us a total of about 2,000 supporters.
Of the 1,200 members, about 25% are in two states — New York and California. Another 25% are ink Colorado, Texas, Michigan, Illinois, New Mexico and Oregon. A third 25% are in the 14 states where we have some kind of LP organization, and the remaining 25% are scattered around the country.
To date, National LP and Hospers-Nathan Campaing Fund have take in almost $10,000, and have distributed about 60,000 pieces of literature, including 13,000 copies of the Platform and 6,000 of the Temporary Platform. The state LP’s have spent and distributing used approximately equivalent amounts, between them.
Our growth rate has slowed somewhat, but we expect that all the foregoing figures will have approximately doubled by Election Day; with luck, they might triple, or even quadruple. It depends on you.
LIBERTARIANISM NOW AVAILABLE IN PAPERBACK
Dr. Hospers’ brilliant treatise is now available in a high-quality paperback edition, specially identified on the cover as a campaign edition. You can order copies from LP National, at the following prices: $2.95; 4/$11; 10/$25; 25/$60; and 75/$150. This is a great fund-raiser, and also makes a good incentive for state LP organizations to offer for membership-recruitment efforts and so forth. Because we have to pay for the when we buy them from the publisher, we cannot offer filing privileges on this item, but we strongly urge every LP member to buy at least one copy. Allow three weeks for delivery.
OTHER NEW MATERIAL AVAILABLE
In addition to Dr. Hospers’ book, we have several other new goodies that haven’t yet been put on the Order Form.
First, we have in stork copies of Where The Money Went, a 186-page expose of bureaucratic wastefulness totaling $180 billion, by Willis E. Stone, Chairman of the Liberty Amendment Committee (the L.A. is endorsed in our platform). $1.25; 3/$3; 6/$25; 15/$10.
Second, the new leaflet McGovern: The Dangerous Decoy, designed to reach conservatives who are teetering between Nixon and libertarianism. 25/$1; 100/$3.50; 500/$15; 1,000/$25; 5,000/$100.
And third, a new campaign leaflet will be available ink about two weeks. This will have info both on the LP and the Hospers-Nathan ticket. Same price as McGovern Leaflet above.
And finally, the Illinois LP has copies of the blue leaflet promoting the LP (a very good piece), available at a flat 1 cent per copy. Order from Illinois LP, c/o Alan Neumann, 50 Forest #C2, Riverside IL 60546.
CLARK LETTER TO APPEAR IN PLAYBOY
A letter from Ed Clark, National LP Vice Chairman, is tentatively scheduled to appear in the Playboy Forum section the November issue of Playboy, which goes on sale early in October. The letter describes the reasons behind the formation of the LP, and summarizes our Statement of Principles and Platform. It runs about one column in length. Good work, Ed! Everyone watch for this, and send in letters of comment (i.e. praise).
NOTES OF THANKS
Two people who deserve salutes fro going “above and beyond the call of duty” for the LP are California Chairman Bill Susel, who has geeking doing an outstanding job as Dr. Hospers’ campaign manager (working 50 to 60 hours a week), and Taya Boyls, wife of LP Treasurer Pipp Boyls, who has taken on the thankless task of Circulation Manager for the LP Newsletter (no small job, now that circulation is almost 600, and growing by over 100 per month).
FOUR NEW LIFE, LIFE SUSTAINING MEMBERS
Much gratitude is also due four individuals who have become Life of Life Sustaining Members of the LP in the last month. Our fifth and sixth “lifers” are Vincent A. Drosdik of Massachusetts (currently with the Army in Berlin), and Ms. Jean McGuire of Colorado. Our seance and third Life Sustaining members are Anmatoloy Arutunoff of Oklahoma and Joan Kikel of New York. anyone care to bring the total of Life and Life Sustaining members put to a nice round 10?
CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE
You may not have realized it, but you can keep money out of Uncle Sam’s pocket by putting into ours. If you contribute to the Hospers-Nathan campaign, you can deduct half of the amount you contribute (up to $12.50 for a $25 contribution) from your income tax payment next year ($25 for a $50 contribution, on a joint return), or you can claim the full amount (up to $50 for an individual, or $100 on a joint return) as a deduction from your income. Obviously, if you’re in a tax bracket below 50%^, the former is more advantageous, while the latter is better if you’re in a 50%+ bracket. A rare opportunity to rip off Big Bother. H-N Campaign Fun is located at 1415 N. El Paso, Colorado Springs, CO 80907.
DON’T THROW AWAY THAT ENVELOPE
Next time you get a fund-raising letter from some obnoxious politician (is there any other kind?), don’t waste that postage-paid return envelope. Send him some choice piece of LP literature. We particularly recommend Dr. Hospers’ 4th of July speech, and McGoven: The Dangerous Decoy. As Arlo Guthrie woulds ay, “If fifty people a day do it, they’ll think it’s a movement.”
VALUABLE DATA IN POLITICAL ALMANAC
LP Member Ann Turner of California sends word of a new book that should prove of value and interest to LP members. Called the New Almanac of American Politics, it is by Michael Barone, G. Ujifisa and Douglas Matthews, and published (in paperback) by Gambit. Price is $4.95. Contents include data on Congressional Districts include data on Congressional Districts, voting patterns, and ratings of officeholders by various outfits (ACA, ADA, etc.).