The Michigan Daily-Saturday, July 14, 1979-Page 5
Carter gears up for tomorrow's TV speech

THURMONT, Md. (UPI) -
President Carter stole away to another
back porch summit with average
citizens yesterday, pumping a West
Virginia cattle farmer and his neigh-
bors for ideas on what ails America in
preparation for Sunday's address to the
nation.
Carter then sped back to Camp David
by helicopter to brief selected jour-
nalists on his secretive 10-day domestic
summit conference and explain "what
he hopes to accomplish" once he comes
down from the mountain to exhort the
public at large tomorrow night.

THE PRESIDENT went into
seclusion July 3 and started consulting
scores of political, business and
religious leaders on the energy crisis,
the economy and the "malaise" afflic-
ting American life.
Carter rounded out his long retreat
from public life with two secret
meetings with private citizens.
First, Thursday evening, he traveled
unannounced to Carnegie, Pa., a Pit-
tsburgh suburb, to chat with machinist
Bill Fisher, 29, his wife Bette, 25, and
five couples assembled on the back
porch of the Fisher home.
Fisher said later White House of-
ficials told them some "important per-
son" would be visiting, but Carter
pollster Pat Caddell casually announ-
ced who that person was only a few
minutes before the president arrived.
ALTHOUGH NO one would discuss
specifics, Fisher said Carter sounded
out the group's views on "where we
thought the United States would be in
five years if we keep going the way we
are going. All the guests agreed things
would get worse."
Then, yesterday at 10 a.m., Carter
again flew off unannounced to Martin-
sburg, W. Va., about 30 miles from
Camp David, where 18 people had been
gathered at the one-story stucco home
of Marvin Porterfield, 61, a wheel-
chair-bound former Marine combat
pilot and local cattle farmer.
Granum said Carter had no further
plans to leave Camp David before he
returns to Washington tomorrow for a

10 p.m. nationally broadcast speech on visits in secret.
energy, economic problems, possible "We feel very strongly, this is the
discussion of White House staff best way. . . for the president to get
shakeups and philosophical pep talk on very direct and candid views from
America's future. private citizens about the country and a
HE DEFENDED Carter's decision number of issues," he said.
to make the Carnegie and Martinsburg

ENERGY.
We can't afford to waste it.

Carter

Schlesinger replies vaguely
to rumors of resignation

From UPI and AP
WASHINGTON-Energy Secretary
James Schlesinger yesterday sidestep-
ped reports he is about to be forced out
of office by saying President Carter has
supported him "in the past" and ad-
ding, "I plan to stay around as long as it
is useful."
Schlesinger confirmed he has made.,
Carter "a continuing offer" to resign
should the president find the growing
clamor for the secretary's ouster a
serious political liability.
Schlesinger then cut off that line of
questioning by reporters who were
pressing him for information on the
rumors, rife in Washington# that Carter
might dump him in an effort to whip up
public support the revamped energy
policies he is expected to announce
tomorrow.
SCHLESINGER HAS previously said
that he has submitted his resignation on
two occasions-but that the president
had turned it down both times.
"I plan to be around as long as it is
useful," Schlesinger told reporters he
invited to a special briefing on energy
issues. "The president has in the past
indicated his support."
He said he regards his tenure in office
as "a matter between the president and
myself."
EARLIER YESTERDAY, several
members of Congress rallied in support
of the beleaguered secretary while
anothe proposed a resolution deman-
ding his ouster.
House Rep. Jim Wright (D-Texas)
said Schlesinger had been correctly
warning Americans about the critical
need to boost domestic fuel production
for more than a year.

"He is to be commended for his stead-
fastness and, if you will, grace under
the severest pressures," Wright said.
REPS. CLARENCE Brown (R-Ohio),
John Dingell (D-Mich.), and Thomas
Ashley (D-Ohio) issued a joint
statement praising Schlesinger for
"diligent, competent performances un-
der extremely difficult circumstan-
ces."
But Rep. Patricia Schroeder (D-
Colo.) introduced a resolution calling
for the secretary's resignation.
"The Energy department has been
poorly run, employee morale is at rock
bottom, key positions remain vacant,"
she said. "In short, there is
mismangement at the top,
disorganization in the middle and chaos
at the bottom."

Schle irgrer