LIBERTARIAN CANDIDATE SEES PARTY WIN ONE DAY

Even though he will campaign in every state - sounding a popular theme of less government and less taxes - Andre Marrou has no illusions about his chances of becoming the next president of the United States.

But Marrou is confident that, sooner or later, a candidate running under the Libertarian Party label will be elected to the nation's highest office.

"If people voted for what they really believe in, I would be the next president of the United States," said Marrou in an interview Monday afternoon with the Southeast Missourian.

The mood of voters now is to choose between "the lesser of two evils. They are trying to minimize the hurt rather than voting to feel good about their choice," he said.

Marrou said he believes that trend eventually will change. And once it does, the Libertarian Party will be considered more seriously.

"We're building a major party," he said.

The Libertarian platform calls for such things as a dramatic decrease in the size of government; the elimination of foreign aid, including the withdrawal of all troops on foreign soil; ending the federal income tax and abolishing the Internal Revenue Service; increased personal liberties; legalization of drugs; an end to farm subsidies; and more reliance on charitable organizations rather than government to help people in need.

Marrou contends that the Libertarian platform dates back to the very roots of the nation and that the party's views include "what Thomas Jefferson and George Washington fought the Revolution for."

If they were alive today, Marrou said the signers of the Declaration of Independence and other founders of the country would spouse views of the Libertarian Party.

"We are the people of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence," Marrou said. "What we propose is basic Americanism... live and let live."

Marrou, who was the running mate with Congressman Ron Paul when he headed the ticket in 1988, is quick to point out that support for Libertarian candidates is growing.

In 1990 elections, he said, Libertarian candidates got two or three times more votes than in past elections. There now are 40 to 50 elected officials who are Libertarians and more running in each election.

Marrou believes the party will be successful sooner if it concentrates on running strong candidates for a few offices, rather than weak candidates for many offices.

Good candidates likely will lead voters to look more favorably at the party, which could lead to the election of a Libertarian president in 12 to 20 years, he said, and certainly within 50 years.

"It will occur. It is just a question of who and when," Marrou said. "People are changing and will come our way."

Ironically, in a year when many people have expressed concern about the present system of government and distrust of elected officials, 1992 may not be as successful of a year for Libertarians as first thought.

The presence of Texas billionaire Ross Perot as an independent candidate has a lot of frustrated voters looking his way rather than at the Libertarian Party.

Marrou had a brief moment of glory in February during the New Hampshire primary when he received 11 of the 31 votes cast in Dixville Notch, which traditionally votes before the rest of the state in the nation's first primary.

Marrou received more votes than any other candidate, including two more than President Bush and eight more than the eventual Democratic nominee Bill Clinton.

But with Perot in the race with a $100 million campaign war chest, Marrou conceded it will be hard for him to capitalize on the unrest.

He also is somewhat miffed at all the attention Perot is getting. For example, Perot was invited to speak to the NAACP convention last weekend in Nashville; Marrou could not get an invitation.

"I see Perot as a 12-year phenomenon," Marrou said. George Wallace ran an independent campaign in 1968, as did John Anderson in 1980.

But Marrou isn't certain if Perot will stay in the race. If the Texan were to drop out, "I would expect to be the beneficiary of his people," he said.

Even if Perot stays in the race, Marrou sees him fading after 1992. But because the Libertarians are a political party, they will be around for another run in 1996.

Marrou said Clinton, Bush and Perot all talk about cutting government, as have other presidential candidates in past elections.

But he said the problem with the front runners is that they lack a basic distrust of government.

"They see government as good and the more the better," Marrou said. "They see people as inherently evil. We see government as inherently evil. Government is the only group in our society that can use force without fear of retribution.

"These people are getting elected with Libertarian rhetoric, but are not serious about it."

If elected president, Marrou said he would cut the size of government by not filling vacancies that arise. Within four years the number of employees would drop by as much as 40 percent, he claimed.

Presently, 47 percent of a family's income goes for taxes at all levels, including 25 percent at the federal level, Marrou contended.

By eliminating the income tax, families would see their income increase 15-20 percent, which would provide a tremendous boost to local economies, he said.

Marrou said most people also would be willing to give some of that money to charity to support welfare programs now funded by the government.

By pulling all military troops out of foreign countries, not only would the United States save money, but it also would bolster its own defense.

"Let's have the troops defend us instead of Japan or Germany," he said.

Libertarians also believe in maximum individual freedom and oppose laws designed to protect individuals from themselves.

Marrou said government should give individuals freedom of choice. However, citizens shouldn't expect the government to step in and help when those choices get them into trouble.

A former member of the Alaska state legislature, Marrou said he anticipates being on the ballot in all 50 states by November. In 1988 the ticket was on 45 states.