European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 24, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Magazine Texas desert Fox by Mike Cochran associated press Easi of . The is. An arched Gateway Marks Itic Entrance to the remole Duva county ranch Ihal Clinton manges Call Shoethe ranch 15 called the magic kingdom to is caller Pic do sort Fox the House Itsell is big and luxurious and open with the Kitchen set apart by a circular bar and the living area anchored by a Magr Alicent fireplace. It is a worm Friendly Dezeil hideaway Lor a Man once described As Brilliant backward Brash bashful and ruthless. Camion manges also has been portrayed As persecuted powerful generous ignorant Lucky shy and misunderstood today. Manges is highly agita cd and Jiust a Little combative. A Seattle bar wants to foreclose on his 100,000 Aero Lanctin to sello a $53 Milton debt and the local school District is demanding $1 5 million in Back lanes. There arc other lawsuits other creditors other unpaid Bills and other miseries stemming from his ownership of the san Antonio guns Mefs of the ill laced United slates football league. But whal irks manges As much As anything is Ihal to wants a new car and can t gel it despite Assels of perhaps so veil Hundred million dollars his credit and current Cash How Are zilch there s not a Bank in Texas Ihal will loan me 15 cents he grumbles As he guides a visitor around his ranch and past herds of Deer Bufalo and Callie. I be been on a Cash basis tort be years. When they Cut Oil All your blood somewhere Down the Tine you re supposed to die but i did to in Trie mangos mind they Are a conspiratorial my of big Banks big Law firms big Oil and big insurance companies they Are the establishment the Power Struc Tui. They control 95 percent of the wealth in Texas he snorted. And they make the politics. Some of Tho things they be done to me should t happen to a dog " who is of ilor manges the answer depends on who you asic a liar and a  says san Antonio Al Lorney pal Matoney a Lormer Friend and Legal counsel who once sued manges for $20 million in a Flap Over i he gunslingers ii was also Maloney who said he has a degree of raw courage. He s Quick. He s Tough. He s the Best Irader i be Ever  san Antonio lawyer James Ingram he s very Tough and very shrewd. I double Ihal you could Ever apply enough heat to Loic him to his Knees. Hoti Light you lit his last  , Mcneese retired chief executive officer of Houston s Bank of the Southwest now Bank a classic subject for publicity poor boy Kettle formal education scaling Heights Lew people even  slats comptroller Bob buttock a longtime manges Friend and political ally i love the Man. He is one of the most generous people i be known and not Only with Money but  land commissioner Garry Mauro a remorseful recipient of manges Campaign largesse he lives in a Lan lasy world in his magic kingdom and i Don t have the key to the kingdom. If i never see Clinton manges again i la be belter  Freer car dealer Frank Thomas he s in his realm when he s in a courtroom fighting a  attorney general Jim Mattox to be s capitalist you be got 10 have a Little larceny in your heart and i think he s probably got a Little Tai Ceny in his heart. He s been an underdog and he likes to help  Ruth manges Clinton s wife of 42 years and Mother of the couple s Lour adopted children everybody in town knows who he is. But they Don t know  in 1974, Texas newspapers speculated that a rags to Richos rancher named Clinton manges might seize Clinton manges stands behind the circular bar in the Kitchen of his Home thu Bretl the magic  the South Texas Power base of troubled political Boss George Parr the legendary Duke of Duva county. Parr later killed himself to 19b4, Texas monthly concluded that the newspaper prophecy had come to pass. The Magazine described manges As corrupt and manipulative a convicted Felon who was rely clan to pay his Bills. Yet the Arsiclo conceded his mystique and Money have combined of make him the most powerful and most controversial behind the scenes figure in current Texas politics no one else has so much  manges dismissed the Arsiclo As a Hatchet Job regarding the crime itself a false statement on a 1959 Smalt business loan application manges Friend Lloyd Bentsen father of the slate s senior . Senator contended the indictment should never have been brought and was Only sustained on a  Al 64, Clinton Mange is hefty and balding with muscular arms and a round lace creased by Sun wind Sand and stress. He often Speaks in rapid spurts like bursts from a machine gun. Despite what they Call me said manges pouring Gravy Over freshly tried Quail. I m not a Kingmaker or a Power broker. But i have helped a lot of  he said it was no secret thai he funnelled nearly s1 Milton into the 1982 state democratic primary through a political action committee headed by Pat Maloney and called texans Lor Good government. But he suited. He actually Speni about $3 million in thai Etc lion much of it earmarked of a wide ran ool Liberal democrats. The Pac Money they know about he said. What else i did nobody  whatever he did it was Money Well spent. His candidates captured several of the state s top of fico. Judgeship and legislative seats. Jim Mattox is now attorney general Garry Mouro is land commissioner Bob Bullock is stale comptroller and Jim Hightower is agriculture commissioner. All could move up in 1990. When Mattox most Likely will run Lor governor and or glower Wib oppose  sen. Phil Gramm a conservative Republican. You know Why they re ready 1c move up manges asked his visitor. Because they re Good people they re clean and they re fair. You Don f catch Thorn running around taking payrolls like that Bunch controlled by the establishment they re not doing Loo badly by manges either. As representatives of the state Malto and Mauro played Pivotal roles in the 19b4 sell Emend of a $1.7 billion lawsuit filed by manges against Mobil Oil corp Wilh Tho stale of Texas aligned with manges. Mobil surrendered its Oil and Gas lease covering 64.000 acres of the Duval county ranch. The settlement was hailed As a � 100 million Windfall Lor the stale Treasury and a $400 million Victory Lor manges. Those figures Are now suspect based As they were on what was later described As a property production and paper  but Here is no doubt that manges emerged the big Winner in his Battle with Mobil. I was t trying to gel a fix manges insists when questioned about the political funding activities thai preceded the state s intervention in his Case. All i wanted was a fair shake. Mobil did t wan any part of Ihal lawsuit Afler Tho election. They knew they were facing people wild no love for big Oil companies tha they could t buy them " there is no evidence to suggest that Mallox or Maura peddled their influence on manges Behall or in act did anything improper. Both maintain the Sale will reap millions from the Mobil Deal Lor years to come. In an interview at his office in san Antonio 110 Miles North of Freer manges denied claims that he is a Deadbeat. I always pay when i can and in the end i pay Emall he said flu sometimes you can t pay because you Don l have the Money. And sometimes you file. Lawsuits to stall pm until you gel the  the stars and stripes Page 13