NEWS CONFERENCE 121

being pressured into doing so by people standing over you looking
over your shoulder. In short, I'm more for the idea of a secret ballot
to determine who is to be represented by whom. The way I think the
bill reads, I may not be able to sign it.

Q. Governor, if the death penalty bill is sent to you for signature,
will you sign it?

A. Well, it's been changed around so much that I'm not sure what
it's going to say when it gets to me. But if it substantially meets what
I indicated earlier in the session I believe should be done, I'll sign it.
But I want to look at it again because it's still in the process of being
amended.

Q. Governor, the fact that each house has passed a bill, even though
they do not agree on amendments, and it does not reach final enact-
ment, would this be an inducement to commutation of death sen-
tences?

A. Not the commutation of all sentences on a flat basis, because I
have already voiced a great deal of concern about the existing law
which allows fifteen-year paroles in the event of a life sentence, and
there well may be some people who are presently under the death
sentence who I would not like to see be able to become parolled within
a fifteen-year period. I would have to look at them one at a time. It
wouldn't be regarded by me, if it fails, as an invitation to blanket
commutations.

Q. Governor, three bills of your administration submitted this year
— the ombudsmen, the administrator of election laws, and the bulkier
traffic safety program — were killed by the Legislature. Do you feel
personally that the Legislature was derelict in killing these, especially
the traffic safety legislation, since this must be enacted to set stan-
dards by next year?

A. Well, I don't feel that they were derelict in killing that particular
measure, and, with regard to the other two measures, I don't feel a
great amount of disappointment because they were very quickly
thrown into the laps of the legislators. I think they are entitled to
take a look at these measures over the coming year. I hope they will
be reconsidered favorably in the next session. And again, with regard
to the traffic safety measure — the automobile inspection measure —
I think it is vitally needed. I did hear that it's entirely possible that ii
will still be timely if enacted at the next session, and if that's true
we haven't lost a great deal by putting it off for a year.