Rag Aw TH MtiHIAN D LAALYf Iaudy MAy f. 197%0 Page Two THE MICHIGAN DALY SaturdayMay15,176 The 'Wallace Factors Fading fast? (Co,tlused from Poie 5) Despite the obvious one- sidedness of the book, however, it is full of good and apparently accurately reported information (none of which is really new, however) on Wallace's stand- points and the condition of Ala- bama under his governorship. The author also brings up the familiar topic of Wallace's supporters, who include Ku Klux Klansmen, the American Nazi Party, and other racist terrorist groups. And, he says, Wallace is every bit as racist as when he used segregation as a platform in his 1962 guber- natorial campaign. Dorman does a creditable job of discounting Wallace as a good governor, in more areas than race relations. ,jHe points out, for example, that Alabama now ranks forty-ninth in order of per-capital income among all states - it is one of only a handful of states which still have no minimum-wage laws. Statistics such as these are even more prolific in a third book, The Wallace Factor. Au- thor Philip Crass offers the reader a political science treatise; an exhaustive and rather exhausting study of Wallace in the polls, Wallace in surveys, Wallace in the 1972 primaries, etc., upholstered here and there with descrip- tive passages of the ubiquitous 75-cent novel variety. The basis of Crass's book is an inference he makes from connecting all his polls and surveys: the "Wallace Factor," which he defines as "that re- cent ^ American phenomenon, dating from at least 1968, that makes the formation of a Presi- dential majority impossible without a large portion of the votes of George Wallace sup- porters." j TNFORTUNATELY for Crass and his carefully informed calculations, he had no way of knowing when he wrote the book that something would en- ter the political scene which will probably cancel the Wal- lace factor out of the presiden- tial equation for good: namely, the "Carter Factor." Jimmy Carter, the former Georgia gov- ernor, seems to have some mysterious charisma for the American voter which has cut across both liberals and con- servatives within the Demo- cratic party. He has swept to resounding victories in almost every primary thus far. Even with what Crass - calls the most organized and well- funded campaign Wallace has yet had, he has so far been able to muster the support of only 143 delegates to Carter's 594. The Wallace'threat' has somehow dimmed, probably be- cause his former supporters no longer have faith in his health. "I expect a win in Michigan, honey," George Wallace told me at a campaign rally last month. But if the Carter land- slide continues, despite the opinions, polls and surveys of eminent Wallace scholars, it is unlikely that the voters of this state will give George Corley Wallace a repeat of his 51 per cent 1972 victory in next Tues- day's primary. And it seems even more unlikely that he will ever get enough delegate sup- port to gain the Democratic n o m i n a t i o n - this year, or in any year to come. The operator and the 'underworld' U ~- SART * nx DANCE PHOTOGRAPHY 85 CLASSES START NOW Day, Evening and Saturday Courses FOR INFORMATION AND 2131/2 S. MAIN CATALOG, CALL TODAY 994-8400 Ann Arbor, MI 48108 I Timber! Th n sc on.s'oo Tb, ako odLgigCmay A - A A A A A A - . ... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ._-_._-___.---_ m_ ._..__.____ A A A A..1_1 ._ _ A_.1. _l APR. 26 TO DEC.20,'76 LI . 540 ROOMS 'ALL ONE PRICE" Si FOR 1To4 PERSONS (THESE ROOMS UPTO$40. DAILY WINTER SEASON) -C 540 DELUXE AIR CONDITIONED GUEST ROOMS. (250 FULLY EQUIPPED KITCHENETTES) * REFRI- GERATOR AND 23" COLOR TV IN EVERY ROOM 5 POOLS * SAUNA * TENNIS * WASHERS AND DRYERS * CHILDREN'S COUNSELORS MIAMI BEACH'S YOUNGEST RESOR1 ON THE OCEAN AND 163RD ST.- MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA 33160 T SEE YOUR TRAVEL AGENT OR - , CALL TOLL FREE 80 327 5271 BOOKING NOW/ FIRST COME/FIRST SERVED S A . * . * * * * * * * * * * * * 1* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * (continued from Page 5) his business, until one day when a woman called up and greeted me with, "Hello - is that rat in?" I was taken aback, but she barrelled on. "Tell your friend that I'm reporting him to the police." It seems that the man, after asking her to report to the Star-Lite Inn, had taken her to the back room, and-"do you know what they made me do?" she screamed. "Do you know what they MADE ME DO? THEY MADE ME TAKE OFF MY CLOTHES!" It turned out that we had been answering for a massage front. "Is there a message?" I asked blandly. She hung up. Though this service was a little odder than the usual, certain aspects of the work are common everywhere. Operators, both male and female, are prone to fantasize about their unseen call- ers, leading to all sorts of ro- mantic complications. The imag- ination is good and stoked, and then-the operator and the cus- tomer very often get together; it's an occupational hazard. WHICH MAKES the job very difficult. I remember sit- ting next to Janice, who was carrying on one of these teas- ing affairs with a businessman (young, unmarried) by the name of Richard. She always leaned over to my switchboard and grabbed his line whenever he called in. Eventually, and some- what excitedly, they made a date. He was to come to the answering service one day on his lunch break, and they would -gasp-meet. The day finally came. Rich- ard walked in, and motioned for me to be still. Janice had her back to him, answering a line. I broke into gales of hysterical laughter, remembering Janice's romantic speculations - "He is tall and dark - e has, oh, such a handsome voice!" Richard was yes, dark, but also short, pit-faced, and horribly plump. He smiled, teeth a-tilt. Myself, I was carrying on by proxy with the midnight opera- tor. Her name was Barbara, and although my shift ended at six p.m. we used to leave little notes for each other, or books to read, and we'd talk on the phone late in the evening. We were all but engaged - and yet THE MICHIGAN DAILY Volume LXXXVI,Io. - Saturday, May 15, 1976 to edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan News phone 764-0562. Second class postage paid at Ann Arbor, Michigan 4109. Publishe d a isy Tuesday through Sunday morgt durng the tnter- sity year at 420 Maynard Street, Ann Arbor, Mchigan 4109. Subscription rates: $12 Sept. thru Apr1l (2 semes- ters) $13 by malt outsde Ann Arbor. . Summer session publhed Tues- day through Saturday morning. Subscription rates: $6150 In Ann Arbor; $7.50 by mail outside Ann Arbor. we'd never met. Barbara is now is Chicago, answering for Hon- eywell. Sigh. I'VE ALWAYS wanted to write a play, or a novel, about the answering biz. It would be about an operator who accidentally overhears a message he/she oughtn't and is embroiled in in- ternational underworld intrigues of some sort or other. The fact is, it's not impossible. I myself have talked to many famots local and national fig- ures. When we answered for as many notorious places as we did (some legitimate, but few, few), and they listed us as their legal address, we were bound to get some unsavory characters dropping in unex- pectedly. Until 11 p.m., there was al- ways a night watchman, who wouldn't-let anyone in the build- ing that didn't have business there. But after that, though the building was locked, we were fair game. One dark night, a group of thugs - yes, honest-to-God thugs - came marching delib- erately up to the answering ser- vice and demanded entrance. I opened the door (at 2 a.m.), and they told me, in no uncer- tain terms, that I'd better tell them where Mr. X was (X be- ing one of our more dubious clients). I told them that I had- n't the faintest. Feeling frus- trated, they forced their way in and slammed me around the office - instead of Mr. X. I finally managed to stumble to the phone, where I dialed 911, the Detroit police number, and filed a complaint. But by that time, they were gone. MR. X DIDN'T have long to live. Now, settled comfortably into my new job, I find that the basic work follows the same routine. Filing messages, get- ting to know secretaries and clients - that's the real allure of the job. t's steady and tol- erable and at times, enjoyable work. But nothing like the place in Southfield. I called a little while ago t find out what had happened to my first service. No one seem- ed to know - they had simply up and left, leaving no notice of their whereabouts, only a trail of questions. It was only just the other day, through a chance conver- sation with a well-informed fel- low operator, that my search was finally rewarded - Lydia had found a new location, a new, legitimate clientele, and a new name for her service. She runs consistently in the black, and she's expanded. But noth- ing could match those early hal- cyon days of her service. And I realized then: I am spoiled forever. Jeffrey Selbst is the Daily Arts Editor, vAA6,, o __ _ A A A A A A A A a A wwwwwiwlklklk****************