The Presidency: Meanwhile, Down at The Ranch

THE PRESIDENCY

While Republicans hogged the headlines, President Johnson spent a casual week in Washington, twice called in reporters for non-newsworthy news conferences ("I don't have anything for you, but I thought I'd visit with you again"), took a hand-in-hand stroll with Lady Bird, left at week's end for some real relaxation at the L.B.J. ranch in Texas.

There, with white-faced Herefords lying unconcernedly beside the driveway and peacocks strutting among the ancient liveoak trees, Johnson held a lawn-chair news conference. This time he had a few things to say. For the third time since the original budget message of January 1963, Johnson cut his estimate of deficit spending for fiscal 1964—this time by $500 million—to a total $8.3 billion.

Then the President launched a condemnation of "organized violence by small groups" intent on disrupting civil rights progress. Said Johnson: "Savagery of this or any other kind is completely alien to the entire moral and political tradition of the U.S. The effort to force, bully and intimidate American citizens—to prevent them from claiming their rights under the Constitution—must be stopped." If anybody thought this was a less-than-subtle campaign pronouncement, they were right.