Yarborough Denounces NDEA Revision

Texas's Democratic Senator Ralph Yarborough denounced last night at the Administration's proposed phase-out of student under the National Defense Education Act.

Speaking to the Law-Grad School Democrats at Harkness Commons, the Southern liberal called the move "a great tragedy for American education." The Administration proposal would replace the present government-run program with government-insured loans.

"The change means an entirely different approach to student loans," he said. "The colleges are concerned with education; the banks, with profit; it is a bad mistake to downgrade education to the three balls of a pawn shop."

Yarborough pointed out that since the NDEA was passed with his sponsorship, in 1958, the number of colleges with programs has risen from only 100 to more than 1600. He said the program was one of the most successful ever devised by Congress, and favored its extension.

Supports Democratic Ticket

Turning to Texas politics, Yarborough said he would support the straight Democratic ticket in this year's election as he had in the past but added that he had "supported bitterly distasteful candidates before." He characterized Governor John Conally, Republican Senator John Tower, and Attorney General Waggoner Carr as "a biological miracle: political triplets."

Before answering questions, the Senator delighted his audience for more than an hour with his assigned topic: a vigorous denunciation of the Radcial Right. He charged right-wing extremists with "a general debasement of political dialogue on every level" and said they posed a real threat through "personal intimidations, ruined reputations, and telephone guerilla campaigns."

Yarborough said there are more than 400 radio stations carrying "hysterical" rightist radio programs and that an estimated $14 million is spent yearly on rightist publications. "I have just a few samples here," he said, and then proceeded with great relish to read selections such as "Register Communists, Not Rifles" from a giant folder of Congressional