McGOVERN NEAR NOMINATION

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32967, 13 July 1972, Page 13

McGOVERN NEAR NOMINATION

Wallace fails to change platform

(N Z. Press Association—Copyright)

MIAMI BEACH, July 12.

Senator George McGovern tightened his control over the Democratic Party early today by halting a Conservative drive, led by Governor George Wallace, to rewrite its 1972 platform.

The packed hall roared its endorsement of platform planks calling for immediate withdrawal from Vietnam, busing of schoolchildren, and payments to bolster incomes over the poverty line.

But earlier in its sec-’ ond marathon session, the convention roared a tremendous welcome to the Alabama Governor, I crippled in May by an assailant’s bullet, when he was lifted in his wheelchair to the rostrum.

Earlier in the day both Senator Hubert Humphrey and Senator Edmund Muskie withdrew from the race to become the Democratic Presidential candidate. Senator Henry Jackson stayed in the race. Governor Wallace won cheers and whistles from his supporters and a counterbarrage of boos from other delegates when he denounced •'senseless, asinine busing of school children.” But McGovern headquarters had sent out the word hours earlier: vote “no” on Wallace's entire eight-part package of dissenting planks. With the majority alreadypledged to Senator McGovern as the Presidential nominee, most of the delegates followed the McGovern line. In spite of Governor Wallace’s complaint that Americans were “frustrated, tired of big government”— and feel themselves neglected except on election day and tax day—the sense of the convention was plain. The delegates preferred the planks adopted one week ago by the convention’s 150niember platform committee. So the convention took these McGovem-oriented positions, adopting them in separate votes that began six hours after the second convention session opened.

An “immediate and complete withdrawal of all United States forces in IndoChina.” The defeated Wallace plank called for release of all war prisoners as a precondition to ending hostilities. I An endorsement of school busing as one means to further quality of education and racial balance. The Wallace plank proposed a ban on required busing for racial balance. A call for abolition of capital punishment. Governor Wallace’s plank urged its preservation. A fairly strong call for control of hand guns. Governor Wallace asked for endorsement of the citizens’ right to bear arms. No reference to prayers in public schools. Governor Wallace had asked that they be permitted. An endorsement of strong anti-inflation curbs, including controls on profits, dividends, prices and executives’ salaries as well as wages. The Wallace plank called for reliance on competition, not controls. [Abolition of the present welfare system, and its replacement by a system of Federal payments and other pay measures to assure all Americans of incomes above the poverty level. The Wallace plank called for higher social security payments, screening of welfare recipients, and other measures. Governor Wallace reminded delegates of his success in Presidential primary elections this year, especially

in Florida, apparently warning the Democrats that they needed his help to win the South in the November election.

“I want to help the Democratic Party, but I want it to become again the party of the average citizen and not the party of the pseudo-intellec-tual snobbery,” he declared. With his party deeply split over his impending nomination, Senator McGovern for the first time qualified his previous promise to order a total United States withdrawal from Indo-China within three months of his election.

In a statement accepting an endorsement from families for immediate release, Senator McGovern said he would keep a United States “residual force” in SouthEast Asia until all American prisoners of war were released, although “I am fully confident that there would be no such need.”

The 61-year-old former Vice-President and unsuccessful 1968 nominee, Senator Humphrey, said in his announcement that he would not permit his name to be placed in nomination for the Presidency and that he was “now releasing my delegates to vote as they wish.” Senator Humphrey made no mention of Senator McGovern by name, and offered no endorsement in any way, as his eyes brimmed with tears and he managed to smile with obvious difficulty. McGovern strategists figured that Senator Humphrey’s withdrawal would give them 50 or 60 firm votes from among the 400 or so delegate votes he released. Their new estimate of Senator McGovern’s first ballot strength was between 1620 and 1622 votes, with 1509vote majority required for nomination.

The younger Senator McGovern, who at 49 years of age has assumed from Senator Humphrey the leadership in the mid-western liberal tradition, said the withdrawal of his old friend and fellow native of the South Dakota plains “leaves us all with a sense of poignancy, but most of all it reminds us of his 25year fight for human justice.” Senator McGovern said Humphrey had been “my neighbour, my friend, and my personal counsellor” for many years, and that the relationship would continue.