REPUBLICANS: Road Work

The pine-hemmed camp site overlooking northern California's Lake Shasta was cool and quiet, and the C. V. Cadwalla-ders, camped out there, had nothing more on their minds than a restful lunch. Then came a rising sound of motor traffic, a cloud of dust, the rasp of gravel on rubber as four automobiles slid to a stop near by. From the lead car bounded a bulky, shirtsleeved figure who plunged through the manzanita bush like a startled bull moose, thrust a hand at Mr. Cadwallader, announced simply: "I'm Senator Knowland." After five minutes of picture taking and small talk, William Fife Knowland, his wife, his aides and his escort of 8 newsmen got back into their cars and tore off down the road. Behind them, Mrs. Cadwallader held a bewildered head in her hands.

"Happy Homecoming." By such signs last week, Californians knew that Bill Knowland was home and running hard for governor. Flying in from Washington, Knowland made his first appearance at a state fair breakfast in Sacramento, got a mixed greeting from Fellow Republican Goodwin Knight. "I hope you have a happy homecoming," said Governor Knight with a restrained smile, "and I wish you success in all your endeavors, with the one exception I am sure you will understand: your possible candidacy for the office which I now hold."

Three days later Bill Knowland took his candidacy out of the "possible" category. The Knowlands packed their bags, set off from their Oakland home for a two-month, 140-speech whistle-stopping "Report to the People of California." The report ranged from a terse analysis of world affairs (Russia, explained Knowland, "attacked Poland from the rear while she had her back against the wall") to a reminder that Senate Minority Leader Knowland had administered the vice-presidential oath to California's own Dick Nixon, and was a confidant of the President's. But Knowland's sharpest comments were saved for local issues on which he ' could bang away at Goodwin Knight, e.g. California's critical water shortage, the high state budget. He did not attack Knight by name, but he said pointedly that California needed "executive leadership," not "an on-again, off-again Finnegan approach."

"The Time May Be Coming." Significantly, the issue on which Knowland chose to hit hardest was labor policy. Goodie Knight has announced that he would refuse to sign any right-to-work bill in deference to California's large and politically powerful labor forces, who mortally hate and fear the prospect of the open shop. Last week Knowland not only called for "a just and equitable right-to-work law" but went a strong step farther. Said he: "The time may soon be coming when Congress may have to apply the same antitrust laws to the big unions as it does to corporations." Thus Bill Knowland, recognizing the growing public disgust at corruption among labor leaders, walked front and center on a firm restrict-unions platform.