dirty, dastardly deed. I feel it is my opponent

dirty, dastardly deed. I feel it is my opponent on the issues,” he said of the strategy.

Last week, the issue was abortion. On that tape, Slaughter reaffirms his opposition to abortion except in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother. He adds that he is opposed to a Constitutional amendment banning abortion. “The question of restrictions currently rests with state legislatures, not with the United States Congress,” the congressman says.

Smith called abortion “the issue” for single-issue voters on both sides. He voiced, as he has from the beginning of his campaign, a strong prochoice stand.

“I think moving the issue into state legislatures is a cop-out. It shouldn’t be left up to the national legislature. I think government ought to stay out of it. I support Roe (the 1973 Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision, which affirmed a woman’s right to an abortion) and I think that’s where it ought to stand.”

Asked about the possibility of a strong stand on that emotional issue hurting his campaign, he admitted, “I wonder if I’ll get picketed. But if you can’t stand that, then you shouldn’t run for Congress.”

If elected, Smith said he has some ideas about how to reform the electoral process to make it fairer to challengers. He suggested that the frank mailing privilege should be limited to genuine discussion of issues rather than self-serving handouts. “If they are going to send mail at my expense . . ..at least make it worth reading.”

He said he does not support a limit on congressional terms, as some have proposed. “If somebody is doing a good job, has a good rapport with people, it doesn’t seem right to have to quit just because he has run out of time,” Smith said.

The key to reform of the electoral process, he said, “is to find new and creative ways to make representatives more accountable, to make the election system work.”