Hofheinz presentation

MR. BAKER: And now, presenting the negative side -- Mr. Roy Hofheinz.

MR. HOFHEINZ: Mr. Chairman, members of the Citizens’ League of McAllen; my fellow citizens:

I want to again tonight, express my appreciation not only to the citizens’ committee and the Citizens’ League of McAllen, but to the citizenship of this very fine Rio Grande Valley city for the splendid, wonderful turn-away crowd tonight that turned out in order to listen to the argument on both sides of the public schools issue.
As I make a formal statement for the last time in this series of debates, I’d like to review just a little background. As you know, these two debates are the climax of a series of events which began last October 1st when Mr. Hoiles and his associates bought the three Valley newspapers.

There have been some harsh words that have passed since that time. I've been referred to, for instance, as a -- and I quote -- liar -- unquote, directly, and 'likened to various jungle animals in a series of parables, and I’ve had my motives and my intellectual integrity questioned numerous times. Mr. Hoiles disclaims any reputation as a speaker, but to those of you who may not have followed his writing, I want to point out that he is a master of sharp words with the pen. And the pen can be mightier than the sword.

I'd like to point out also that he controls the only dailies in the Valley's three largest cities, and that he has a powerful opportunity to mold public opinion in this Rio Grande Valley. In the use of that power he has not hesitated to condemn, to accuse, to castigate in the printed word, people who have had no means of answering back with any comparable force. I want to again tonight, express my appreciation not only to the citizens’ committee and the Citizens’ League of McAllen, but to the citizenship of this very fine Rio Grande Valley city for the splendid, wonderful turn-away crowd tonight that turned out in order to listen to the argument on both sides of the public schools issue.

As I make a formal statement for the last time in this series of debates, I’d like to review just a little background. As you know, these two debates are the climax of a series of events which began last October 1st when Mr. Hoiles and his associates bought the three Valley newspapers.

There have been some harsh words that have passed since that time. I've been referred to, for instance, as a -- and I quote -- liar -- unquote, directly, and likened to various jungle animals in a series of parables, and I’ve had my motives and my intellectual integrity questioned numerous times. Mr. Hoiles disclaims any reputation as a speaker, but to those of you who may not have followed his writing, I want to point out that he is a master of sharp words with the pen. And the pen can be mightier than the sword.

I'd like to point out also that he controls the only dailies in the Valley's three largest cities, and that he has a powerful opportunity to mold public opinion in this Rio Grande Valley. In the use of that power he has not hesitated to condemn, to accuse, to castigate in the printed word, people who have had no means of answering back with any comparable force.

I want to again tonight, express my appreciation not only to the citizens’ committee and the Citizens’ League of McAllen, but to the citizenship of this very fine Rio Grande Valley city for the splendid, wonderful turn-away crowd tonight that turned out in order to listen to the argument on both sides of the public schools issue.
As I make a formal statement for the last time in this series of debates, I’d like to review just a little background. As you know, these two debates are the climax of a series of events which began last October 1st when Mr. Hoiles and his associates bought the three Valley newspapers.

There have been some harsh words that have passed since that time. I've been referred to, for instance, as a -- and I quote -- liar -- unquote, directly, and 'likened to various jungle animals in a series of parables, and I’ve had my motives and my intellectual integrity questioned numerous times. Mr. Hoiles disclaims any reputation as a speaker, but to those of you who may not have followed his writing, I want to point
out that he is a master of sharp words with the pen. And the pen can be mightier than the sword.

I'd like to point out also that he controls the only dailies in the Valley's three largest cities, and that he has a powerful opportunity to mold public opinion in this Rio Grande Valley. In the use of that power he has not hesitated to condemn, to accuse, to castigate in the printed word, people who have had no means of answering back with any comparable force. And when I look out here at McAllen tonight and see and think about Lewis Moore, Chris Carey, Dr. Wiggins, Doug Frazier and Fred Phillips; to those of you who know these men so well, I say that any blanket, irresponsible castigation of men of such integrity who serve without pay, is an unwarranted blanket indictment that deserves to be answered forcefully by a voice qualified to speak for all who have been condemned, without either examination or trial, in the columns of the Valley papers under the signature of this gentleman on the platform with me tonight.

After reciting what Mr. Hoiles interpreted Mr. Acree, a school teacher in Colorado, to have said, Mr. Hoiles has concluded in his paper additionally: “Therefore, we must conclude that Mr. Acree is an unprincipled principal." And I direct your attention to the logic of the next sentence, again in the Valley papers. Mr. Hoiles' next sentence-- and I quote it verbatim: That leads us also to conclude all public school teachers are unprincipled.” Unquote.

By the logic of the gentleman whom I oppose tonight, a horse is a quadruped, and therefore, by his standards every quadruped must be a horse.

Yes, there’ve been some sharp, damaging words on both sides of this issue, and there'll continue to be sharp words as long as the campaign to destroy confidence in public schools, as a preliminary to abolishing them, continues.

Now, I'd like to explain the basis of my position on tonight's question. First, Mr. Hoiles has stated that he's been developing the case against tax-supported schools for a period of fifteen years. As he told you several times last night, he looks on tonight's debate as the real test of the case that he has been building up for fifteen years.

And I trust, my friends, that all of you will keep in mind that while public education or government education is the subject of the debate, it may not be the schools which will be proven inadequate by this contest tonight, but perhaps the sharpness of my own wit.

Tonight it's up to Mr. Hoiles to prove that tax- supported schools are in violation of and incompatible with the Ten Commandments, the Golden Rule, and the Declaration of Independence, and that means all three of them. From what Mr. Hoiles has said previously, it will be my purpose to prove that he's wrong in all of his premises, and I propose to try and do so with my line of questioning.

Thank you very much.

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