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Show STATEHOUSE REPORT Legal Skirmishes Flare on Hill Preparatory to Presidential Vote! to perfunctory matters such as setting up guidelines for operations if the courts hold that the committee is constitutional. consti-tutional. Rep. Allan E. Mecham, R- I By C. Sharp Legal skirmishes continue to flare on Capitol Hill, with office holders keeping a wary eye on political issues preparatory pre-paratory to the 1968 presidential presiden-tial election. Gov. Calvin L. Rampton announced an-nounced July 11 that he will run again for governor "if the Democratic Party wants me." Salt Lake, committee chairman, chair-man, and John H. Snow, special spec-ial assistant attorney general employed to defend the committee, com-mittee, said they knew of no such agreement. The Utah Wool Growers filed suit in Third District Court July 11 seeking to compel com-pel Gov. Rampton to appoint Veigh Cummings, wool growers grow-ers official and nominee of the association, to the Board of Big Game Control. Gov. Rampton declared that the suit was politically motivated. moti-vated. He said that he would not appoint Mr. Cummings to the board unless the court orders him to do this. He said he would announce his political plans "after the first of the year and after an informal poll of party workers." Some observers interpreted this to mean that Gov. Rampton Ramp-ton would like to run against Republican Wallace F. Bennett for a seat in the U. S. Senate or against the Republican nominee whoever he is. Hits "Watchdog" Unit Atty. Gen. Phil L. Hansen hit the headlines again by threatening to seek a court injunction to stop the Legislative Legisla-tive Investigations (Citizens' Complaint) Committee from boring into executive department depart-ment operations. "If the committee persists in this line of activity I will see to it that directives are sent to department heads ad- Supersedes Law The power of appointment, he claims, is vested by the constitution in the governor. This supersedes a law authorizing author-izing the wool growers to name a representative of the board, he said. In the court petition written by Rep. Ray M. Harding, R-Salt R-Salt Lake, attorney for the vising them not to appear before it," he said. Mr. Hansen said this after the so-called "Watchdog" committee com-mittee questioned John H. Klas, Liquor Control Commission Commis-sion chairman, concerning policies and regulations. The chief state legal officer, confident after winning a State Supreme Court decision July 10 that the Legislature may not employ its own legal counsel, said the committee had departed from a gentlemen's gentle-men's agreement. Set Guidelines Under this agreement, Mr. Hansen said, the committee had agreed to confine itself wool growers, he claims that Gov. Rampton is refusing to appoint Mr. Cummings for political reasons, "to wit: The nominee's contrary opinion regarding re-garding state executive reorganization." reor-ganization." The State Building Board is to submit findings by mid-August mid-August on possible consolidated consolidat-ed regional centers of state operations in Price, Mqab, Cedar Ce-dar City, Richfield and other centers. Sen. Dixie Leavitt, R-Cedar City, made this report on July 13 to the Legislative Council committee on planning and goals of which he is chairman. |