774 ADDRESSES AND STATE PAPERS

Q. Does that mean that you have cooled off on his candidacy?

A. No, it certainly doesn't.

Q. In the meantime, do you think the nomination is still open?

A. I think it's more open now since the withdrawal of the President
than it's ever been.

(Interracial Commission)

Q. Governor, do you have any plans to replace Mr. James, the execu-
tive director of the State Interracial Commission?

A. No, that will be up to the Commission to decide.
Q. You make the appointment and they make the recommendation?
A. Yes. I would go with their recommendation.

(Militants)

Q. Governor, would you have any objections on restating your posi-
tion on dealings with so-called militants. Frankly, we missed it the
first time.

A. Well, it's hard to restate because I don't remember what the
question was.

Q. I think the question had something to do with your barring mili-
tants from the previous meeting and (interruption)....

A. Oh, I think I know what you want. The use of the word "mili-
tant" is sometimes misconstrued among people who think they under-
stand it. There are militants who operate entirely within the frame-
work of the law but are called militant because they are by language
aggressive. There are militants who break the law. I would not pre-
clude communication with militants who simply are characterized as
such because they are strong spokesmen for their point of view and
won't tolerate a person being against it without letting him know
about it. I do not want to communicate with law-breaking militants.
I feel, however, that if a militant has crossed the line of propriety on
occasion and broken the law — that if he sees that this is not the way
to get what he wants done — I wouldn't cut off the possibility of re-
suming communication with him if he assured me at that point that
he intended to stay within the lawful process.

(Campaign for Proposed Constitution)

Q. Governor, what role will you play in the remaining weeks of the
campaign for the Constitution?