Show Cong Laurence Burton Details Election Thoughts Impressions What goes through the mind of a public office seeker What does the candidate think during the closing moments of a campaign campaign campaign cam cam- I caught myself reflecting reflecting reflecting reflect reflect- ing on such such questions questions Tuesday evening as the first returns came in from the election districts districts districts dis dis- of Utah The thoughts of Democrats and Republicans are much the same I think The whole campaign campaign campaign cam cam- seems to flash before ones one's eyes what what has been done wrong wrong what what has been the most effective what effective what could have been done if there had been more time time and and money Suddenly my mind reverted back to 1962 and my first cam cam- That was my hardest it was my first It was the campaign campaign campaign cam cam- which most said I could not win T The e polls showed me trailing trailing trail trail- ing my opponent Blaine Elaine Peterson Peterson Peterson Peter Peter- son by at least 20 per cent cent cent- and this was only two weeks prior to the election Everyone was predicting the outcome and it did not include me in Wash- Wash ington About election night I received a phone call from Blaine Elaine He asked my how the voting looked I told him I wasn't too happy but it looked good for him He said that if I won I wouldn't find Washington such a a a- great place that my job as Congressman w would 0 u 1 d be the hardest job I would ever under under- take We both wished each other well and concentrated then on the results A As s I traveled from the Ogden Republican Headquarters to Salt Lake City I heard a University of of- Utah political science professor professor professor pro pro- fessor Dr Frank Jonas predict predict predict pre pre- dict on a radio program that Blaine Elaine would be re-el re elected re-elected and Laurence Burton would go back to teaching sch school ol at Weber Col Col- lege As it turned out I arrived at the radio station as Dr Jonas was walking out the door I asked him to join me in the station to watch the final re re- re He said he didn't have enough h time It was too bad because I would have liked to hear what he would have said when the final results showed me to be the winner This last Tuesday was another example of excitement and heartbreak Jan and I made the rounds to the local newspapers newspapers newspapers news news- papers and radio stations watching the results and talking with those assembled I couldn't help being happy over the results and Im I'm sure I showed it Jan had to keep telling me to quiet not down-not to be too eager My daughter C Carol arol and my m mot mother o t h her e r and father were with me but I just couldn't be content sitting still and watching the tabulations I Iwas Iwas Iwas was all over the place shaking hands and introducing my family The heartbreak came as I finished one interview and came off the stage to the audience and found my opponents opponent's wife Mrs Richard Maughan and her daughter My opponent had done donea a good job campaigning pick campaigning picking pick pick- ing up some votes votes and and now it was all allover over for them What can one say Mrs Maughan was firm in her stand that she still believed her husband was the best man but she was also resigned to the fact that he lost I asked her if she wanted to do it all over again and she simply smiled and said that all she wanted to todo todo todo do now was relax for a while Her daughter reminded me of my daughter Carol and how excited cited our youngsters can get Although Mrs Maughans Maughan's daughter was smiling you could see her eyes were misty and she was doing her best to hold back the tears My daughter Carol had a similar experience in 1962 when her math teacher at Mt Ogden Junior High told her on election day that Laurence was a good guy but he was going to lose Carol came home crying her stomach and nothing nothing nothing noth noth- ing we could say would soothe her feelings These are the problems problems problems pro pro- each candidate experiences exper experiences r during an election And just so o you might not get the idea that a winner doesn't have some pitfalls let me re relate relate relate re- re late a story to you Each candidate usually experiences a loss and he gains from those losses Dick Nixon is a good example He lost two big elections elections elections elec elec- before he found victory My loss wasn't as dramatic but it might tell a story for anyone anyone anyone any any- one wanting to experience the taste of victory I was running for the office of president and I experienced the bitter taste of defeat I was attending Ogden High School My friends prompted me meto meto meto to run for student body dent I was ho gong so I agreed They bill billed e d me as the Super the man who could solve all the problems of the teenagers The superman cartoon and movie s serials rials were big hits so my image was in tune with the times or so I thought I even came swinging into a school assembly on a rope rope- Tarzan like with like with my Super Burton cape cap e flying in the breeze We all thought the image was great and I was on my wa war warto to being the next student body president There was one problem The following day prior to the elections elections elections elec elec- several hundred students we were rein in our high s school c h RO ROTC T C uniforms standing at attention One of the students passed out from the heat You guessed it-it it was Super Bur ton The results were announced over the P. P A A. A system during my English class and I didn't win My English teacher related the story to me just last week My former teacher told me the whole class looked my way after we heard the results and I shrugged say saying in g Well you cant can't win em all |