Show I Politic i Pondering Burton 1 I I i I i j I ji II Ir 1 i Ii i r i J i l i I i I I 1 I I i I I i I I I By BJ Rep Laurence J. J Burton R Utah R-Utah Utah What goes through the mind of a public office seeker I What does the candidate think during the closing moments of a campaign I CAUGHT myself reflecting reflect- reflect ing on an such questions Tuesday Tuesday Tues Tues- day evening as the first rel rei returns re- re turns came in from the election elec- elec tion lion districts of Utah The thoughts of Democrats and Republicans are much the same I think The whole campaign seems to flash beI before before be- be I fore ones one's what eyes has been done wrong what has been the most what effective-what could have been done if there had been more time and money my mind reverted reverted reverted re re- back to 1962 and my first campaign That was my hardest it was my first It was the campaign which most said I could not win i The polls showed me trailing my opponent Blaine Peter Peter- I II son by at least 20 per centI cent cent- and d this was only two weeks cent I prior to the election Everyone Every Every- one was predicting the outcome outcome out out- I come and it did not include I me in Washington I ABOUT election night I I received a phone call from Blaine He asked me how the I voting looked I told him I wasn't too happy but it looked looked looked look look- ed good for him He lie said that if I won I wouldn't find Washington Washington Washington Wash- Wash ington such a great place I i that my job jab as Congressman Congress Congress- man would be the hardest job I would ever undertake We both wished each other I well and concentrated then thenon 1 on the results As I traveled from the Ogden Republican Headquarters I to Salt Lake City I heard hearda a University of Utah political science professor Dr Frank Jonas predict on un a radio program that Blaine would be re-elected re and Laurence Burton would go back to teaching teaching teaching teach teach- ing school at Weber College AS IT TURNED out I arrived arrived arrived ar ar- ar- ar rived 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 results He said he didn't have enough time It was too top bad because I would have liked to heard what he lie would have said when the final results showed me to be bethe bethe bethe the winner This last Tuesday was another another another an an- other example of excitement and heartbreak Jan and I Imade Imade Imade made the rounds to the local newspaper and radio TV stations watching the results and talking with those as as- 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 to be too eager My daughter Carol Caroland Caroland Caroland and my mother and father were with me but I just couldn't be content sitting still and watching the tab tab- I was all over the place shaking hands and introducing introducing introducing in in- my family The heart break came as asI I finished one interview and came off the stage to the audience and found my opponents opponent's opponents opponent's opponents opponent's op op- op- op wife Mrs Richard Maughan and her daughter MY OPPONENT HAD done donea a good job campaigning picking up some votes- votes I and now it was all over for them What can one say Mrs Maughan was firm firmin 1 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 do now was relax for a while HER DAUGHTER reminded me of my daughter Carol and how excited our youngsters youngsters youngsters young young- can get Although Mrs Maughans Maughan's daughter was smiling smiling smiling smil smil- ing you could see her eyes were misty and she was doing her best to hold back the II tears My daughter Carol had a similar experience in 1962 when her ner math teacher at Mt 1 J Junior mor High told heron heron her heron on election day that Laurence was a good guy but he was going to lose Carol came home crying sick to her I stomach and nothing we could say would would soothe h her r feelings These are the problems problems problems II lems each candidate experiences experiences experiences exper exper- during an election I AND JUST SO you might not get the idea that a winner winner winner win win- II ner doesn't have some pitfalls pitfalls pit pit- falls let me relate a story I to you Each candidate usually usual usual- ly experiences a loss and andI he gains from those losses I j Dick Nixon is a good ex ex- I ex- ex ample He lost two big elections elections elections elec elec- before he found victory My loss wasn't as dramatic I but it might tell a story for anyone wanting to experience the taste of victory I was running for the office of president president president pres pres- ident and I experienced the bitter taste of def defeat at I I WAS attending Ogden High 1 I School My ly friends prompted I j me to run for student body president I was gung gung ho ho hoI i so I agreed They billed me mei i as a the Super man manI I 1 who could solve all the problems j I lems of oC the teenagers The I superman cartoon and movie serials were big hits so my I image was in tune with the I times or so I thought I even came swinging into a school assembly on a rope- rope I with Tarzan-like-with my Super Burton cape flying fling in the breeze We all thought the I image was great and I wason was wason wason on my way to being the next student body president THERE WAS one problem The following day prior to toi i I the elections several hundred I students were in our high i i school ROTC uniforms standI standing stand- stand I ing at attention One of the j students passed out from the 1 I heat You it it-it guessed was wasI I Super Burton The results were announced j over the P PA A system during I my English class and I didn't win My English teacher rei related re- re i the story to me just I last week My former teacher teach teach- er told me the whole class I looked my way after we heard I the results and I shrugged saying Well you cant can't win em email all |