Senators debate authority to nullify Packwood election
ilyii
WASHINGTON
(AP) — Senators
sharply questioned
whether they could
nullify Sen. Hob
Packwood's elec
lion because ol allegations that no won ny
lying lo tho media about hi* sexual
behavior.
"How could senator* possibly make
this assessment?” Rules Committee
Chairman Wendell Ford asked, after the
committee was urged Monday to deter
mine whether Packwood's alleged mis
statements changed the outcome of the
vote.
The committee hoard oral arguments
from lawyers arguing for and against peti
tions by more than 250 Oregon voters
seeking to oust Pack wood from the Sen
ate.
The committee adjourned without
making an immediate ruling.
Challengers, represented by attorney
Katherine A Meyer, contended Pack
wood defrauded voters by lying to
reporters — thereby delaying until after
the election any news stories about his
unwanted sexual advances.
Nearly two dozen female employees
and acquaintances now have accused
him of making such advances over two
decodes.
The challenger* also accused Pack
wood of Irving to intimidate these
women into silence by threatening to
expose intimate details of their sex lives
"Mr Packwood stole the Nov. 3 elec
tion," Mever told the committee in asking
for a full investigation of his conduct.
Mr Pat kwood has for venrs enfoyed
strong support from women's rights
groups There can lie no reasonable
doubt." she said, that the women would
have Iwen offended if thev learned of his
conduct before election day
Packwood attorney lames F Fitzpatrick
argued that neither the senator nor his
staff lied about his conduct, but respond
ed i-autiously to specific questions asked
by the media lie said Packwood did not
control the timing of news stories nor did
he intimidate any of the women
Fitzpatrick urged the Senate not to
adopt "a radical new procedure" that
would "put the Senate in the business of
conducting fraud trials based on state
ments made in the heat of the campaign."
He contended that a 1969 Supreme
Court case limited the Senate's authority
to review elections. He said the Senate
could only review allegations of fraud
"that deal with the voting process itself,
... stuffing ballot boxes anti dead people
voting This case is far afield."
The arguments were separate from an
ethics committee investigation of Pm k
wood’s actual conduct, hut I’m A wood '*
opponents in both cases are Irving to kick
him out of the Senate
Sen Ford. I)-k\ , wrestling with how
to determine what influenced an elec -
tion* outcome, said, "public: opinion
polls have to he ruled out" bec ause
thev re mac curate
"How can the Senate determine
whether a single event or fnc t determined
the outcome?" he asked Mever
Mever disagrcsHl that (Kills should auto
matically he ignored She said one poll,
taken shortly after Pa« kwood was elecled
to a fifth term last November hv 78,000
votes, was valid — and showed many
voters would have changed their minds if
they had known about the allegations
I mi fore voting
T he committee’s ranking Republican.
Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, asked Mever.
T)o you think we i an he the judge of
campaigns’ How far hac k in the cam
paign process does this power go?"
Mever responded. "The conduct that
the candidate engages in shortly before
an elec tion is an important part of the
process. I read the electoral process as
encompassing the campaign
Committee member Thod Cochran. K
Miss . said in a written statement he
favored dismissing the complaint
Sen. Bob Packwood
because the election was not contested
and lh«> Oregon mi rotary of Matt’ dw hired
Pat kwood duly elected.
'In absence of on election contest i hoi
hinging the election result this com
mittee should not consider suhsliluling
any finding of its own for (he decision
reached bv the voters." he said
Sen Dianne Feinslein. D-Calif.. said
she was i oncerned the petitioners' argu
ment "really opens Pandora s Imx for this
body ”
School gun bill faces opposition in conservative House
SALEM (AP) — The Oregon
Senate's recent approval of a hill
to make it a felony to take guns
into schools underscores the
sharp split between urban and
rural Oregon
Despite being watered down in
committee, the measure drew
heavy opposition from most of
the Senate's rural Republican
members. It faces on even tougher
fight in the more conservative
Mouse.
Political analyst Bill Lunch
said he was not surprised by the
amount of antagonism the mea
sure. SB334. generated in the
Senate.
"For urban legislators, guns are
a iymbol of crime and violence."
Lunch said ‘For rural people,
guns are associated with the free
dom to go out in the Helds hunt
ing. to he free of restraints which
they associate with cities.
"It s a part of a larger dehate
over differences in lifestyle and
values in urban areas vs. rural
places." said Lunch, who teach
es political science at Oregon
State University in Corvallis
Land-use planning and state
regulation of natural resources
ure other areas of sharp dis
agreement between lawmakers
from cities and their colleagues
from rural areas, he said.
More than 40 percent of Ore
gon's population lives in the Port
land area Outside the cities of
Eugene and Salem, each with
100,000 residents, most of the nisi
of the people live in or around
towns scattered around the state
No one is more keenly aware
of the urban-rural split than Sen
Jeannette Hamby, the chief
sponsor of the gun hill, who
lives in the Portland suburb of
Hillsboro
Bowing to opposition from rur
al lawmakers and the National
Rifle Association, the Republican
legislator agreed to water down
the bill by limiting it to sc hools
and adjoining property. The orig
inal version of the bill made it a
felony to bring a firearm within
1,(KM) feel of a school
As it’s now written. the bill ele
vates possession of a gnu on
school grounds from n misde
meanor to a felony, (ions end oth
er weapons would tie confiscat
ed.
At the suggestion of Mouse
Speaker l-arry tiimpbell. Hamby
now is considering supporting
amendments that would further
weaken the hill.
She said the Eugene Republi
can called her to nis office last
week to talk about the gun bill.
"He said to me. ‘Let’s talk about
my eastern Oregon folks,"' Ham
by said.
Hv Inal, she sa»u. Cwhs
referring to i om erns thnl n par
tint nr student driving with a gun
in n gun rui It t oil Id lie charged
with o felony hv parking in n
school lot.
Hamby said she is now will
ing In see the hill amended in
the House to allow students to
carry unloaded weapons in their
locked cars and trucks during
hunting season.
Opposition from rural areas is
just one of the elements in the
debate over the measure, said
House Majority Lender Greg
Walden, who is from the small
agricultural community of Hood
River.
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