University of Virginia Library

Byrd's 'Machine'
Prizes A Centrist,
Fundamental Tack

Byrd Enjoying A Quick In His "Whip" Office

Notably, his advocacy of
the man-in-the-house rule
prohibiting public assistance to
families having an employable
male parent, and his actions to
remove ineligibles from welfare
support made him unpopular
with much of the Washington
community, particularly blacks
who were aware of his Klan
association.

Byrd asserted that he was
working for the decent,
hard-working fundamentalist
Americans by reducing welfare
costs and getting rid of people
trying "to get a free ride."

Yet, with this hard-nosed
stance, his opponents brought
up his past Klan associations,
and his reputation as a
"racist".

The Democratic nominee
for Washington's first
non-voting representative in
Congress, Rev. Walter
Fauntroy once described the
senator as"a Dr. Jekyll-Mr.
Hyde personality-his tongue
was smoother than butter, but
war was in his heart."

Nor did Byrd further
improve his relations with the
black community when he led
a 14-hour filibuster, lasting
long into the night, during the
civil rights legislation of 1964
and 1965.

He strengthened
speculation about his 'racist'
past by befriending
Southerners when he first came
to the Senate. His mentor was
Richard Russel of Georgia, and
Byrd has said of that
relationship, "He once told me
that although he never had a
son, he had a feeling toward
me that he believed could be
equated with that for a
son."

Confirms Southern Loyalty

Near the end of 1965, Byrd
firmly established his position
among the Southern ranks
when he delivered what many
have considered to be some of
the most racist oratory ever
presented before the Senate.

At a time when violence
was flaring in the nation's cities,
Byrd lashed out, "The ghettos
are blamed; yet, people of all
races have lived in the ghettos
in the past; but they have not
rioted. Poverty is blamed for
the riots; yet poverty- stricken
whites outnumber
poverty-stricken Negroes in
America, but they are not
rioting... We can take the
people out of the slums, but
we cannot take the slums out
of the people."

After the murder of Martin
Luther King,Jr., he suggested,
"If it requires the
Army,Navy,Air Force, Marines,
we should put the
troublemakers in their places."

Again Byrd utilizes the
fundamentalist, law-and-order
tack which has kept him
ever-popular in West Virginia.

His appraisal of the anti-war
demonstrators who marched
on Washington in the late
sixties and early seventies won
him more fame as a hard-nosed
law-and-order proponent.

He called the
demonstrators, "hypocritical,
self-centered,selfish, long-hair
know-it-all students and
pseudo-intellectuals"

Although his oratory is a
bit reactionary at times, Byrd
is known for his coolness and
candor under fire. He rarely
commits himself to a position
on either side of the political
fence. His diplomacy has
helped develop his career, as
much as his intense,
hard-driving ambition.

Polishes Sterling Image

He has worked for the
prestige and power he now
wields. Byrd has developed a
sterling image in his home
state, and he works to keep it
that way.

His office complies a
color-coded file of more than
2500 constituents, including
local politicians, ministers, and
newspaper editors, all of whom
he contacts regularly.

Byrd returns to West
Virginia about 25 times a year,
but keeps no offices there. He
answers constituent mail daily,
and sends about five or six
newsletters a year to 240,000
West Virginians, and weekly
columns to 70 newspapers.

The columns, however,
rarely outline his votes on
various issues, but actually
only present general
information and his learnings
on a particular subject.

Yet, these media
presentations enable Sen. Byrd
to at least make the voters
think he is listening to their
positions.

Moreover, his membership
on key Senate subcommittees
further enhances his image
with this constituents. He
currently serves on five
Appropriation Subcommittees,
three Judiciary Subcommittees
and two Subcommittees on
Rules.

His membership on the
Appropriations Subcommittees
places him in an advantageous
position to secure federal aid
for projects in West Virginia.

His position as chairman of
the Appropriations
Subcommittee on
Transportation allows Byrd to
funnel federal monies for
interstate highways into the
state. This works to his
advantage, since "improved
roads" have been an issue in
the Mountain State since time
immemorial.

***

Robert Byrd's rise to power
is to be admired. His devotion
and willingness to serve others
have made him the
"workhorse" of the Senate. He
has effectively seized the
opportunity in the last few
years to move forward with a
fundamentalist, law-and-order
philosophy that has appealed
to voters. The result is
reelection time and time again.

Even though his drive and
ambition have won the support
of West Virginians, these
qualities have been
over-shadowed by his
accomplishments in office for
the state. He has helped
provide monies for at least 75
federally funded projects in
West Virginia. This kind of
work wins votes from every
political group in the state.

Byrd, however, appeals to
consecrative voters yet, regardless

of his "hawkish" views on the
war, and his hard-nosed
law-and-order position, liberals
respect his integrity. He is not
to be pushed or pressured into
compliance, he consistently
says what he believes, and
more often than not returns to
his pragmatic
middle-of-the-road stance.

His diligence is perhaps best
exemplified by his graduation
from American University's
Law School in 1963, when at
45 he obtained a degree by
attending night school while
serving in the Senate.

Byrd has risen from poverty
to power, and has proven that
any man can. He may never
escape his past membership
with the Klan, which
periodically a critic may bring
to the surface, but he has
shown with his
straightforwardness that he has
risen above the situation and
can face his mistake.

Respects Power Positions

One thing is certain, Robert
Byrd, through his scramble for
power and prestige, has become
aware of his life and his
limitations. He has developed a
deep respect for those in
positions of power, and
expects the same respect
himself. He relies on no one,
and rarely shows a weak
moment of emotion.His only
relaxation is to work. To him
it is a way of life.

Perhaps because of his
steady rise from the West
Virginia coal fields to the
Senate chambers, or perhaps
because of his pragmatic
approach, he has frequently
been referred to as the Horatio
Alger of West Virginia.

Of this depiction he said,"I
don't know much about that
image,I haven't given it much
thought. There's work to be
done, and I try to do my
share."

Pulling A Heavy Load

Some would argue that
Robert Byrd, in fact, does
more than his share. He is fair
to his fellow senators, and
serves them well as majority
whip.

Furthermore, Robert Byrd
would love to become the next
Democratic Majority Leader,
and since Mike Mansfield
would probably like to see him
get it, his chances are better
than average. Those"little
favors" he performs daily
could come in handy during
the next caucus for majority
leader.

At any rate, Robert Byrd,
with his humble beginnings,
is a good man to know in
political Washington...