736 ADDRESSES AND STATE PAPERS

weight around. He's got to operate in a more circumspect fashion co-
operatively with the Legislature, and I want to emphasize that I find
that this year my relationships with the leadership are better than
they were last year. They have been much closer. There's been a freer
interchange with less reservation between the President of the Senate
and the Speaker of the House and the other majority party leaders
and me than ever before. I consider that much of the legislation could
not have passed had we not worked together, and I think that we did
play a very effective role, behind-the-scenes as it were, in the passage
of much of this legislation. I am not trying to preempt or take away
any credit from the Legislature. They did a magnificent job and I am
very proud of the work that they did, but I think that maybe the
people in my office who worked during a long, arduous session that
looked like it was going to get off the track in the middle of it —
you remember how worried you were, gentlemen, about how things
were going, that nothing was going to be accomplished. I think the
work of my staff, and I commend them very highly for what they did,
was most effective in restoring a cooperative atmosphere that allowed
the passage of this legislation. So I just feel very good about the whole
thing. Sort of bad about the fact that the Governor's staff and the
Governor have been relegated to a less effective role in the judgment
of some than I think they justify, but the result is good and I am
satisfied with that.

Q. Governor, are you unhappy about any legislation that did pass?

A. Well, I haven't had a chance to really look at all the legislation
and, of course, I'm certain it will happen this time, as it always does,
that there will be people against certain bills who will make known
to me reasons for their opposition \vhich may be valid. So I don't
want to comment until I have a chance to appraise the objections and
to hear from those who are concerned about bills that went through,
and have a chance on my own initiative to review the bills that I
might not have been following as closely as some.

Q. Governor, what about the legislative suggestion that you no
longer try to end programs by withholding funds?

A. Well, I haven't done that really. I think I have funded everything
the Legislature passed. I indicated at the very beginning that I would
do that, and I believe if you talk with the leadership, both majority
and minority, that they would tell you that I have played down the
middle of the line with them, that I haven't told them anything —
that I haven't changed or deviated from what I said I was going to
do, and I just don't think that's a legitimate criticism.