Page 4-Saturday, May 27, 1978-The Michigan Daily
Carter urges passage of ERA
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP)-President
Carter discarded a prepared text which
expressed frustration with the
Washington establishment, deciding in-
stead yesterday to plead with the
Illinois Legislature for ratification of
the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).
Instead of giving his prepared
speech, Carter had it handed out to
those who wanted it and chose to make
a low-key pitch for the ERA and take
part in an easy-going question-answer
session with Illinois lawmakers.
LATER, THE president arrived in
Charleston, W.Va., where he was
scheduled to make an address on
energy and attend a fund-raiser. Car-
ter's two-day trip began Thursday with
a stop in Chicago, where the president
mingled with local Democratic Party
officials, attended a fund-raiser and
held a nationally broadcast news con-
ference.
Carter was scheduled to return to
Washington yesterday afternoon.
The text prepared for the Illinois
Legislature had Carter launching one of
his toughest assaults on the
Wasshington establishment-the sub-
ject of much of his campaign rhetoric in
bureaucracy, congressional commit-
tess and lobbies can mobilize opposition
to needed reform.
The president's planned speech
assailing the Washington establishment
came only two weeks after Carter used
a.West Coast journey to attack the legal
and medical professions.
In the text, Carter described some of
the problems he has faced in dealing
with the federal agencies, the Congress
and long-entrenched special interest
groups.
"STATE AND local governments are
now the clients of the federal gover-
nment, rather than its partners,'' the
prepared speech said. "That's not how
the system is supposed to work.
"After a year and a half, I am still
frustrated by the federal bureaucracy.
There is in Washington an iron triangle
of bureaucracy, congressional commit-
tees and well-organized special in-
terests who can mobilize strong op-
position to the reforms we need."
The speech was similar to many Car-
ter made as a candidate for president,
when he characterized himself as being
outside the Washington establishment
and thus well-positioned to overhaul the
bureaucracy
unanswered letters, complicated for-
ms, referrals to other agencies and
plain inaction," said Carter's prepared
remarks.
"We are a people of the 20th century;
working with a government structure
that comes from the 18th and 19th cen-
turies, trying to prepare for the
challenges of the 21st century," the
speech said.
Carter had planned in his speech only
a brief reference to the ERA. But as he
arrived at the Illinois capitol, the
president heard women's rights ad-
vocates chanting "ERA Now" outside.
AS HE BEGAN his speech, Carter
suggested that the legislators could
read the prepared text instead of
listening to him recite it. Then, he made
some off-the-cuff remarks on the ERA,
setting off the question and answer
session.
"Illinois has a great tradition of in-
sisting on equality of opportunity,"
Carter told the Illinois legislators.
"What you do here in this chamber in
the next few weeks might well deter-
mine" whether the Equal Rights
Amendment becomes law, the
president said.
Illinois is the only major in-
dustrialized state that hasn't ratified
the amendment. Thirty-five states have
approved it. Three more votes of
ratification are needed before the Mar-
ch 31, 1979, deadline if the proposed
amendment is to become part of the
Constitution.
Two prison eseapees
killed in gun battle
CADDO, Okla. (AP) - A gun battle state troopers and both escapees were
CARTER SAID in the prepared "WhEN PRIVATE citizens seek the erupted between two prison escapees killed.
speech that an "iron triangle" of simplest form of help from their gover- and law enforcement agents at a road- The prison escapees were wanted in
nment, too often they get only waits, block near this southeastern Oklahoma connection with a two-state, five-death
town Friday. Authorities said three crime spree.
The Oklahoma Department of Public
Safety confirmed that the five were
dead and said another trooper had been
wounded.
Earlier, there had been conflicting
reports as to the fate of the escapees,
and a Highway Patrol dispatcher had
reported they were being taken back to
the state penitentiary at McAlester.
x° " The dead 'convicts were Claude
. Euene Dennis, 35, and Michael Lan-
caster, 25. There was no immediate
identification of the slain troopers.
Authorities said the shootout began
when a car carrying Lancaster and
Dennis ran into the roadblock - one of
many set up in the Lake Texoma area
on the Oklahoma-Texas border - and a
man came out shooting.
'..The hunt near here was renewed late
Wednesday by federal agents and
authorities from two states after of-
ficers founda car believed stolen by the
two escapees from an Alabama murder
victim.
Dennis was serving 35 years for man-
slaughter and Lancaster 25 years for
robbery when they escaped from the
state penitentiary April 23.
Oklahoma highway patrolmen, FBI
agents, sheriff's deputies, agents of the
Oklahoma State Bureau of In-
vestigation, off-duty city police and
Texas Rangers set up roadblocks and
began searching the area after the
station wagon belonging to a slain
Alabama woman was found ina wooded
area late Wednesday.
About 50 vehicles manned by law of-
ficers, including deputies from three
* counties, maintained the search Thur-
sday and Highway Patrol officials said
one helicopter, a light airplane and
tracking dogs also were used.
Besides the Alabama slaying, Dennis
and Lancaster also are wanted in the
wounding of a Butler, Ala., policeman
last week and for shooting at a state
trooper.
In Texas officers believe the two are
H AP Photo responsible for the slaying of a Hem-
phill, Texas, man, a Denison con-
- venience store operator, a Garland ser-
This new home in Lake .zarz Missour is ar exaaxpfr. of, ti.e-utore .eup s' e ono jtruetion, ithLe. Lake of th ,. . , . vice. station ,attendant .and. a.Garland
Ozarks region, which was once marred by tourist traps and zealous commercialization. minister.