European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 15, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 12 the stars and stripes Blind Man s Bluff thursday september 15, 1977 William f. Buckley the Panama Cana treaty Torrijos and the Boston Tea party 1377 los angelic j times seven leaders of Young american for Freedom questioned on the opposition of their organization to the new Panama canal treaty so firmly registered at their biannual convention in new York last week seemed to agree on one Point which. 1 think will prove critical in the discussions ahead. They were asked if the revised treaty had resulted from an Amer ican initiative rather than a panamanian initiative would you alter your position on it most seemed to agree that they would. That is to say that other considerations were relatively insignificant by compari son considerations arising out of the eco nomic Cost to us of the canal and the residual military situation. What matters most is the symbolic act we re being pushed around. The figure of general Omar Torrijos Fig ures prominently in this act of International theater. He is out of Central casting As the Guy we would i East like to do a favor for. He is an unsmiling left Wing tyrant who has expressed admiration for such characters As Fidel Castro and the mad khad Afy of Libya. He is a specialist at Home in obliterating the opposition whom he dispatches by the neat expedient of taking their property and booting them out of the  the Leader of Panama were the Man who serves As its president. Demetrio lakas rather than Torrijos the Caudillo. Tom Wicker demo Battle shaping u Texas rep. Robert Karl Eger of Texas old the Basic contractors association Insan Antonio tex., the other night a homely anecdote about trying to build a new paint shed at an automobile dealer ship his family owns in nearby new Braun Fels the shed never got built he said. Because Osha regulations made it Cost t x much. Krueger is a candidate for the demo cratic nomination to run against sen. John Tower next year. He did not have to Tell the contractors who laughed and applauded his Story that Osha stands for occupational safety and health administration among businessmen probably the most hated of All Federal agencies not excluding the internal Revenue service. And Krueger s effective use of the Story Symbol i de both his intention to make Over Regula Tion a major theme of his Campaign and his easy rapport with conservative Texas audiences. The latter Point is important since Bob Krueger though a native texan has scar cely a Trace of the state in his voice or manner and spent most of his adult life As a student in the East and in England and on the English faculty at Duke University. But at 41, and Halfway through his second term in Congress from a West Texas District bigger than Pennsylvania. Krueger swell out front in the developing Campaign for the Senate nomination. Early this month in fact the most Likely alternative to Krueger 41-year-old former state sen. Joe Christie resigned As chair Man of the state insurance Board to begin campaigning virtually full time a month ahead of his own schedule. That was widely taken As tacit acknowledgement of Krueger s fast Start since he announced his candidacy on july 4. The contest impending Between these two relatively unknown texans is interest ing for at least two reasons. One is that they seem to represent a new Breed of centrist Texas democrats mostly dissociated from the old ruinous Battles Between basically conservative regulars of the John Connally Stripe and the passionate liberals who battled so often for Ralph Yarborough. Krueger for example sup ports All Industry interests but also vote for application of the Federal voting rights act to Texas. The other reason is that. Texas political buffs believe Tower after 16 years in office just might be beaten in his fourth Campaign for the Senate since he is one of the leading conservatives on the National scene a pillar of the Republican right Wing the Democrat who Defeated him would gain instant National  might be harder to do than some Tower opponents now think. An informal mail Survey of Rural counties by a Candi Date for another office for example showed that probable voters who Call themselves democrats would support Tower Over numerous Well known democrats. He ran ahead of Krueger by 221 to 176, with 90 no votes among the 487 respondents. In the same Survey however Krueger topped All other democratic challengers including Joe Christie. Christie might have been expected to be ahead on name identification since he waged a statewide Campaign for lieutenant governor in 1972, and was the senator most responsible for the constitutional amendment that brought Texas liquor by the drink. Christie also has been something of a consumer advocate on the insurance Board for one thing he greatly simplified the language of health insurance policies. But Bob Krueger hard working and articulate has been campaigning constantly and effectively aided in name recognition by the fact that the television for his two congressional campaigns was carried far beyond his sprawling District by the numerous stations on its Periphery. He is Well financed and prepared to spend aides say at least $800,000 in a contested Pri Mary. A Strong supporter of deregulation of natural Gas he naturally has consider Able support from the Oil and Gas Industry. Even democrats sym Pathic to Joe Christie doubt his ability to match Krueger s financing or the smooth organization already functioning for the latter. They pin their Hopes for Christie on effective per Sonal campaigning Strong television Appeal and the fact that he looks sounds and is More of a Home town boy than Krueger. Can either whip John Tower some democrats fear that Texas conservatives who Are not bound by party registration May Back Krueger in the primary then go Home to support Tower in the general election. That Way they might eliminate Joe Christie in the primary and Bob Krueger in the finals which is the sort of thing that makes Texas politics unique. C new York Rimes of indicted co-com6p1l?Atoa the situation would very Likely change substantially. President lakas was educated in Texas Speaks As idiomatic ally As Lyndon Johnson ind almost As colourfully and positively brims Over with pro americanism and a deep distrust for communism and its evil deeds. Ask not Why therefore he associates himself with Torrijos. That is the Way in Spanish politics and the Way if less so. In non Spanish politics not everybody associated with Hitler was evil. But Here is a Point that ought to be considered. The protests against american occupation of the canal zone antedated the Ascendancy of Torrijos. U is certainly True that Torrijos has continually identified himself with the anti canal rioting. It is not True that he instigated that not ing in 1964 he was an insignificant Mili tary officer. Nor is it True that his own tyrannical habits and his own ideological predilections have anything to do with in feeling of he panamanian people toward the canal zone. If Panama were led by Pericles the popular fever about the canal zone would be unchanged and Why no tit simply in t the Way it. Happens thai the overlord always thinks first about the happiness of his subjects. They need to express themselves. There Are Civili de ways to do this and it is lamentably True that in Many instances these Are not heeded. Within a country there Are grounds fur being especially strict in discouraging civil disobedience. As Between countries particularly where there is a volatile Trade lion it does t always go thai Way and we Are no exception. When we Felt ourselves maltreated b the British we engaged in acts of sedition against the Crown at least the equivalent of the riots engaged in by the panamanians the Boston Tea party for instance. Ameri can non Jingo its and that ought to embrace All american conservatives Art required to ask themselves the question How would we if we were panamanians express ourselves in the matter of tin canal / now panamanian resentment of  occupation of the canal zone is no More an argument for . Evacuation than cuban resentment of occupation of Guantanamo is an automatic argument for . Evacuation or japanese resentment of the Ocee pation of Okinawa an automatic argument for . Evacuation. What it is is a single Factor. But it is m less a Factor because that indignation brought on discussions Between representatives of Panama and representatives of the United Stales yet it is this Point that above All others governor Ronald Reagan continues to stress. The United states presumption should always be that we do not want to remain where we Are not wanted but will do so it considerations of National Security require it. And considerations of National Security not Only do not require our presence in the Panama canal under the present arrange ments they argue against our presence in the Panama canal under the present arrangements. The reason for that tirelessly put for Ward is that the canal is at the margin in defensible. But the chances of defending it against sabotage Are greatly increased with the cooperation of panamanians. We should then be As angry at the panamanians who assaulted the zone in 196-1 As we Are at our forefathers for harassing the British in Boston 200 years ago. There is no reason to deny others those urges we feel so strongly in ourselves. Ours must be the Cool deciding voice. But it must not be governed by petulant considerations. C Washington Star Syndicate