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Convention Special!
Floor Battle Looms Over Legality of ‘Improper’ Proxy Ballots
Looming on today’s agenda is a battle on the report of the executive judges upholding Lindberg’s protest on the ballots, as the NAPA opened its 90th annual convention in Philadelphia’s plush Penn Center Inn.
Suspense! What will happen to the presumably improper proxy ballots? Can the elections be held at all? Is this convention legal? Who has a copy of the Constitution?
Quote of the day: “I think I’m under fire.” – Elizabeth Butt, Secretary-Treasurer.
Conventions With Presses Are Best
by J. Rolfe Castleman
I don’t understand why Anthony Moitoret should have fears or misgivings that a printing press should also be present at a convention of the National Amateur Press Association. Those conventions which have had presses to produce convention papers are the most memorable I have attended.
In recent times, the idea of having a press on which to issue convention papers was revived at the 1962 Newark Convention. For five or more conventions previously, no convention papers had been issued directly from the floor of the convention.
Moitoret’s fear that the press interferes with the business sessions of the convention is unfounded because the last three or four conventions had presses issuing amateur papers. They were produced in between and after all the business sessions, not during them.
Advantages to a convention in having a press available include:
(1) The press area provides a focal meeting point at all times during the convention. Someone is always present nearby engaged in the production work of the paper. It tends to keep the convention close by as a central point of interest and attendees do not wander off as much. Also, it is a fact that some convention attendees are not overly interested in convention business, especially if it dwells at length over a single piece of parliamentary business. The press provides additional interest.
(2) At Newark, very interesting printing and writing forums were conducted as an added feature of the program. Because a press was present, the printing forum was more effective because actual demonstrations were conducted with the machinery. The same thing occurred at the 1963 Cleveland Convention when a new Pilot hand press was in the corner of the meeting room.
(3) At several of the conventions where presses were present, I have witnessed neophyte compositors set their first lines of type, an opportunity they would not have had otherwise. A couple of these members are active in printing today.
(4) At Newark, the five convention papers produced there began the 1962-63 activity year and the attendees at the Newark Convention during the following year provided over half of the entire printed production occurring in all of the bundles. Without a doubt the convention press kindled considerable enthusiasm for activity which carried over for months after the convention closed.
(5) Those conventions with presses on the meeting room floor, somehow have seemed to obtain the best publicity from the professional press. We have obtained good recruits from conventions which produced papers during the sessions. Coverage by newspapers has been the best when the convention press has provided the unique news peg the professional press had used in covering our activities.
Our name is the National Amateur Press Association, so why shouldn’t a PRESS be present at our conventions? It is what our organization is about and printing amateur papers is the best activity we have.
Early Arrivals Swarm Informal Reception
Jack Dow (with Midge and John, Jr.) set some sort of record for a convention by arriving five days early, and held caucus with the Segals all week. Then they came in a flood – by land, by sea, by air or by surprise. By registration time last night, more than 40 bodies had been counted.
Surprises: Out of the West came Tony Moitoret; out of Cleveland came Bernice and Helm Spink; and out of the South came Jack Bond (with Louise, Jack C., Bill & Barbara) who revived the Southern Amateur in the June bundle (it last appeared in 1937).
From the Deepest South came Elizabeth and Clyde Butt and Verle Heljeson; from the Wildest North, Larry Notman, Bert Baker and Bob Kunde; from eastern lands came Randy Jennings, Geo. Albrecht and Roy Lindberg.
From the Prairies came Dorothy Schneider; and from Horse Country came the Castlemans, Rolfe, Ann and Gayle. The Segals practically fell out of bed: Hazel, Harold, Nancy, David and Wendy. Other contiguous points were represented by Mr. & Mrs. Dalton Brunsdon, Nita Gerner Smith, Karl Zeitner, Carol Newbold, Earl Bonnell. Neighboring New Jersey sent Bill, Tillie and Paul Haywood and Sheldon C., Helen, David and Pamela Wesson. Milton Grady represented the whole Midwest.
At press time: 44, including 26 members. Expected: Dick Mozzanica; Rowena, Cathy and Jackie Moitoret; Ed, Jan, Curt, and Holly Harler; Sesta Mathieson; Stan Oliner, Kermit Schuman, Robert Dunlap, Virginia Baker and Sheldon P. Wesson – and a few Question Marks, to bring the total to about 60. For late entries & scratches, see APC News tomorrow.
Preparations. In the absence of President Whitbread, a gaggle of six Ex-Presidents formed a Junta to set up the operation. They reportedly decided to let Roy Lindberg preside at all sessions and thus, depriving him of voice and vote, to speed up the whole convention.