Race a Key in Runoff (Raleigh News & Observer)

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This neutsPaP,lt oP "

Race a lcey in runoff
A better than average tPrno-t.of

voters in the 2nd Congresslonal Dls-
trict has helped propel I.T. "Tim"
Valentine to-the Democratic noml'
nation for a seat in the U.S. House' t

in several Eastern counties, !9 Per:
cent to 65 percent of the registered
Democrats'went to the Polls.

Even at a time of endemic low
Uirnouts, the 2nd District exPeri'
ence suirgests that, when voters
oerceive"tlrat an election matters to
lhem and that they have a clear
choice, theY can be motivatetl.-to
voii. tioweier, satisfaetion over the
handsotne turnout has - to be
tempered by voting that split along
racial lines. :

However many barriers in race
relations North Carolina maY have
broken down, race remains a-stron-g
moUvitor. Iri a distriet in w$ch 64

oercent of the registered De-mg-
6iits ire white and-ee percen! b!1ck

. and in an election in which ballots
.-l'were cast mostly according to race,

:,it:was practicdlly i-ncvitable that"Vatentin'e, a whife Nashville -law'
ier.- woulit defeat H.M.' l'Miekey"'
Midtraux, the black Durham lawYer
and former U.S. attorneY.

Valentine obviouslY also won suP
oort from voters in the nrral are-as

, ind small cities east of Raleigh who; wanted to retain a eongressmen
Irom their area ag"a successor u)
L.H. Fotrntain of Tarboro,-lvho has
feiA tUe seat for 30 years. The-turn'
out in Durham, Michaux's hor.qe

:tHJb H'J"#'H, t}*.trffT'Hx
, 8le Eastern turnout' and Mlcryru:(

Pot about 500 fewer votes in Dur-
tiin-itran he received in the first
pnmary.

The state clearlY has more chang-
ins to do before 

-elections 
betrveen

niEcfs and whites are no longer 4e'
cided with racial identity obscuring
or minimizing the candidates' quall-
fications ancl positions -on issues'

' th;re were' hdwever' glimmers of
. r,.:'..,, . :.,

I adlitc ond csioin licrr urto dircct lhc papc? tn thc tomormvt r?tr? to adtocolc

aay caun fot pcrronot p.ro1i't- o' p'z,!c,,rait'i --onld!'irf, il aluotr to Dt "lhr locrrr"

. aad to dcwtc itsc{ ta tt'r- iii';i oi ,rqaolity and jurti cc io thc uadrpritilelcd' l.f the

F??? tho;uldo, ory r;t.-!t-iit i;rl "S-i,ryiitill:7 
or }eto;r thc tpotrllr.aa of

brivihse ot rclfuhrvrtt 
" 

i''ti* uatii ti ;ts f,irlorl' -/OSEPHUS 
o'{N'ELs'

'Editot 
ond Prlbtithct t89{J9aE

such change. While Michaux and
two- Uticti"candidates for sheriff
weie Oefeated, blacks rvon runoffs
foi 

-Democratic nominations for
sheriff in three counties, lVarren,
Sampson and New Hanover.

Still. desPite the emergence of a
raiial'pattdrn in the voting, the 2nrl

Distriit mnoff gave the Democratrc
Fi*v a strongEandidate in the-gen-
6raf6tection c:ontest with Jack ilIar-
inlitie Candidate of the Republican
Pirtv And the National Congres-
siondl Club. With the excepttgn ot a
late camPaign letter in whlcn -ne
warniO: ieainst Miehaux's "bloc
vote." ValEntine attemPted to run
his damPaign on the high road ancl

should tie fi a Position to heve. the
Dl-mociitiE plrtv unr{v .Qe.ttind
him. Whilb,he sought to dePict hrm-
self as a conservative. vatentrne ln-
dicated that he is neither a riglq nor
a hidebound one, rejecting some..ot

the more extreme Positions of tne
eontemPorrY €onservatlve move'
ment. 'x''

For his Part, Michaux ran.an en-
. ereeiic raip. dnd his campaign.re'

ertohasized that blacks are a key
eleinent of the Democratic coalr-
[ion. 

-wtictraux and his supporter.s
are trtderstandably disappotnteo'
But their hurt should not blind them
to-ttre fact that sitting out the glner-
al election or turning away.from
mtitics will not advance their inter'
EJtJ-oi ureak down lingering racial
barriers.

Good ilIorning

Bv seeking an operational aud-it of
State Auditd'r Ed- Renfrow's office.
ttie Huni administration is like the
Oifersive back who wants to make
suiJltrai the end trying to -catch
Dasses in his . territorY hears
lootstegs. ri

AtEomgvs tor convrcleq rrlut(lstsr
John Wifliam Rook are PlaYing
their best card in an attempt to keep

One {inal oahuse' for Rook?
Attornevs for convicted murderer

theirbest card in an attemPt
their client from dYing in the gas
ohamtrer- Their aim is [o eet Rook'schamber. Their alm is-!9 get Roolc's

nrostitute. He became a famiiiar
Iicure lo luvenile courts. But nei'
ttr?i JuvenUe nor .adult courts, in
*[icd he appeared freguen-tly..be'
fore Miss Roche's murder dealt rn
nnv suhstsntial vav udth his..a"n.bto

N{

Goodbr*e Atlal

Goaern
To sav that the Southa

sociation is in a state o(!
put it mildly. A trvedaYl
feeding-end-watering sa
chief executives and s1{|t

assorted hangerson. hd
ton Head Island, S.C., I
transition.

I'irst. under the Prod
Gov. WilLiam P, Clem
incoming chairman, o
shake thE dust of Didei
head for Washington.
move SGA headquartr
the nation's capital d
onlv from Governors I

andHuot of North Carr

Seeond. the SGA'g'
WiUiam D. Osborne,
was resigning. Osbora
ment for centering tlr
tion's affairs in Wasld
along his incltnation
line of work. Osbornc:
he describcs as fu!'
vic.e.

Third, the Hilton lI
ed !,he concern ol m6
in full-iime attenda$
administration's "nel
spend a lot of the ir til
to c{pe with cutbt
through hiring freeu
or tat increases. Ilti
bearing on the fact t!
ns members didn't