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Show left of center Vietnam: both candidates formed policy By Alice East Vice President Hubert Humphrey says he'd stop the bombing of North Vietnam to show good faith in the North Vietnamese and make them realize what we've been doing for the last eight years has been in their own best interest. Republican candidate Richard Nixon says Vice President Humphrey would do no such thing if elected. And the race rapidly comes to the wire. With the Johnson administration's credibility gap and with the way Vice President Humphrey has previously cemented himself to that administration, one wonders just how seriously to take this last campaign promise, if it can be called a promise. On the other hand, the Republican administration under President Dwight D. Eisenhower first got us involved in Vietnam after the French left. Mr. Nixon was part of that administration and is bound as much to it and its policies as Vice President Humphrey is tied to Johnson's. The real question that must be weighed this year is not whether there is really any difference in the Viet policy in the two camps, but to what extent were respective vice presidents involved in the formulation of the Vietnam policy or any other of the administration's pitfalls or successes. This is where both of our boys seem to be running into trouble. Each individual keeps insisting that each administration has done a great job and, therefore, he should be elected. But there are many who would just as soon hear what Hubert Humphrey and Dick Nixon have done as men themselves rather than what the captain of the team has signaled. Perhaps if the campaign had taken on this twist from the beginning we could accept this latest promise with more than a grain of salt. Vice President Humphrey has done a somewhat better job of selling on the law and order position. It seems Vice President Humphrey deep down understands the hippie population and its problems. It is, perhaps, because of this understanding that he gives the hecklers the attention they want that follow him everywhere, except Salt Lake (where, by the way, there was intended to be some heckling, but the practice session at the Tabernacle organ recital was less than successful). This is understanding, I suppose, and Vice President Humphrey should be commended for it. The reality unpredictable sleepers in his election are, of course, ex-Gov. George Wallace and big labor. Now in Jtah then has been a good deal of talk abo' : the "revelation" of Joseph Smi! It seems one of the journals fro : the Smith period written rr years later tells of the split of I two great parties and the arisir- 7 the American Independent pt . Whether or not this is a revel 1 has got to be a matter of per A , belief. The person writing it journal was only 11 yef.n 1 when he knew the Prophet . i there is nothing else writtc n the subject. But for an elf n prediction at this early st; . I think there will be a great C. j: f Gov. Wallace and Ameri -n Independent party support in I lie state. Whether it is due to tuis "revelation" or dissatisfaction with the major parties is immaterial. The other sleeper is the position of organized labor. While the labor leaders are going with Hub' rt Humphrey, the rank and file rr iy not. If enough of them re 11 away from the major partie ir one or two of the Nort' rr industrial states and go for r Wallace, the race will undoub' ' go to the House Representatives and what ha; there God only knows. |