European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 4, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes columns Walter r. Mears Wright s so meddling dropped from report the Book they re throwing at Jim Wright is More than twice As Long As the one that got the speaker of the House into trouble in the first place. It s a government Tan paperback with the uninviting title report of the Spe Cial outside counsel in the matter of James c. Wright  and it runs 279 pages. Wright s lucrative reflections of a Public Man was ii7 pages a Light weight by comparison but a moneymaker. It made Wright $54,642.25 in what the House ethics committee charges were actually disguised honorarium pay ments that violated House limits. Wright a Texas. Says he never considered the Book purchases to be speech payments. But the report recounts 11 cases in which the speaker up against House limits on Honor aria made appear ances before groups ranging from the fertilizer Industry to Cranberry growers who then bought books instead of paying speech fees. His so called royally was 55 percent $3.25 a copy on a Book that was priced at $5.95. According to the report some or the interests that paid for books did t bother to take any. The speaker would have been better off if he d quit the Book business after one of his earlier works was published even though it did t do nearly As Well financially. The title of that one con Gress and  Richard j Phelan of Chicago outside counsel to the ethics committee put to Gether the Wright report accusing the speaker of 116 violations of House rules. The committee voted to charge Wright with 69 of them shelving the other 47. The Phelan report covers them All. The accusations the committee voted to pursue Center on the Book Deal and on gifts and benefits Wright received from his Friend and business associate George Mallick a fort Worth Texas  some of the most striking sections of the Phelan report cover alleged Viola Lions the committee is not pressing involving Wright s interventions with fed eral savings and loan regulators in behalf of Texas interests among friends and Leon Daniel political fund raisers. That happened Early in the savings and loan crisis that now carries a Price tag estimate at $ 126 billion Over the next decade. Wright s Early involvement in 1986, delayed action that might have started the government dealing with the process. Republicans contend the Cost of solv ing the so crisis would have been Cut by half if the government had started closing Down insolvent institutions and paying off insured depositors two years earlier. But the Federal savings and loan insurance corp. Did t have the Money to do it. Wright then majority Leader delayed i Louse action on a Bill to provide it while he pressed with so regulators about their dealings with a Texas so opera Tor. Edwin Gray chairman of the Federal Home loan Bank Board was said to Fig ure that the Only Way to get action on the Bill his Agenda needed was to do what Wright wanted. So he changed supervisors at an so that was under Board control. The Phelan report likened that to blackmail. The so Bill was stalled for a week. It passed tic House but did t make it through the Senate before con Gress adjourned. Legislation to replenish the insurance fund did t become Law until August 1987. Wright also intervened in behalf of Thomas m. Gaubert ousted by Federal regulators As chairman of an insolvent so and barred from getting Back into the business under an agreement he had made with the Bank Board. Gaubert who was treasurer of the democratic con Gressional Campaign committee said he had been unfairly pressured into accept ing the agreement and wanted it rescinded. Wright called Gray. Eventually the Bank Board chairman named a special counsel to review handling of the Gau Bert Case even though he told the ethics committee he had no reason to doubt the original handling. The Bank Board still did t have it s recapitalization Bill. We had to have passage of the legislation and i had. Jim Wright making it Clear that i was to talk to his Friend his buddy Gray said. Soon after that in november 1986, Gray got another Call from Wright this one to complain More generally about the ways is were being treated in Texas. In that Call Gray testified Wright said that a top Texas regulator for the Bank Board was a homosexual who had established a ring of homosexual lawyers in Texas at various Law firms and was forcing people to Deal with the Federal Home loan Bank of Dallas through those lawyers Gray said Wright asked him to get rid of the Man. And 1 said no. 1 was the one who recruited him. I think very highly of him. He is doing what i want him to do " while Phelan recommended that Wright be charged with rules violations in the so cases a divided committee did t do so. That probably re pets legislators sensitivity about their own presumably More restrained interventions with executive agencies in behalf of constituents. It is part of the Job. And As Phelan noted there is no House Rule expressly defining undue influence. Editor s note Mears. Vice president and columnist Tor the associated press has reported on Washington Tor More than 25 years. Jackson s dilemma to run or Noffo run in . With wags averting that . Should stand for Dodge City perhaps in was inevitable that folks in the nation s capital would look to a hired gun to clean up the mess. But the Rev. Jesse Jackson of Chicago knows that a losing race for mayor of Washington next year could Bury him in a political Boot Hill. It s True that a lot of democrats for decidedly different reasons want Jackson to run for mayor of murder City so dubbed because it is afflicted with the nation s worst homicide rate. Jackson who owns a House in Washington says he has t decided whether to run. But he insists he won t run against his pal mayor Marion Barry who has been wounded politically by his association with people involved with drugs. Others who want to be mayor already arc hinting they would Brand Jackson a Carpetbagger if he moves to Washington to run. Sharon Pratt Dixon one of two democrats already running said we need a candidate whose eyes Are on the District of Columbia and not on some future higher  a two time candidate for the democratic presiden tial nomination Jackson knows that losing the mayor s race probably would end forever his White House dreams. Meantime the speculation on his plans keeps his name in the news. Perhaps Jackson also Hopes it will make people forget the loss of his candidate in the recent Chicago mayoral race. If Jackson runs for mayor in 1990 and passes up a 1992 run for the White House White aspirants for the presidency would be obliged to Campaign for Black support in the primaries. This would enhance prospects for a biracial democratic coalition in the general election. If Jackson tries again and fails to win the presiden tial nomination in 1992, he would be a three Lime loser at age 51. Some observers contend that a Victory in the mayor s race should satisfy those who argue Jackson must get elected to some office before running for president. Al Lapierre Cuccu Sivc director of the Alabama democratic party told the new York times that a decision by Jackson not to run for president in 1992 would be Welcome because it takes us out of a  Lapierre said democratic presid Colial candidates were accused of pandering to Jackson and not Tak ing him  but challenging him risked losing what Ever Black support they enjoyed he said. There is ample reason to believe that Jackson would do Well in a race for mayor in this City whose Popula Tion of 638,000 is 70 percent Black and supported him solidly in his two presidential bids. But whether he makes the race will depend a lot on How the City s political elite views a Jackson candidacy. If Washington s politically powerful Black ministers and leaders of the City s Black Middle class let it be known that Jackson is Welcome to move Here and make inc race he could be a shoo in. Perhaps the District of Columbia will invite Jackson to Saddle up and ride into town. Dodge cily after All used a succession of marshals and ii Wiff including bal Masterson and Wyatt Earp in an Effort to quell lawlessness. Bui Jackson will want to make very sure he does t mount up and ride hell for leather into a shootout that will Bury him in Boot Hill. Daniel is a up senior editor the opinions expressed in the columns and cartoons on this Page represent those of the authors and Are in no Way to be considered As representing inc views of the stars and stripes or the United states government