– October 16, 1978 – CBS World News Roundup – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
News for this day in 1978: The princes of the Roman Catholic Church today failed in their fifth and sixth ballots to choose a successor to the late Pope John Paul I Cries of disappointment rippled through Peter’s Square on a sunny morning as black smoke billowed from the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel at ll:l8 am (6:18 EDT) The 111 cardinals who are choosing the 264th spiritual leader of the world’s 700 million Roman Catholics were going back into the ornately frescoed chapel to begin their –— seventh round of balloting at430 pm(lL30 am EDT).
The 95th Congress which waited until its final hours of a 34 hour marathon to deal with some major issues passed into history praised as “courageous and constructive” by President Carter who was awaiting the details of the tax cut bill that was its crowning effort Most indications today were that Carter would sign the $187-billion measure which would cut taxes for 65 million couples and individuals next year As the bill took final form on Sunday Treasury Secretary W Michael Blumenthal who was present throughout the drafting said it “is reasonably close to most of the president’s targets ” Stuart Eizenstat, Carter’s chief domestic adviser took a more cautious approach saying: “Whether they have made enough progress to merit our signing of the bill will depend on our analysis” In a telephone conversation with House Democratic Whip John Brademas of Indiana the president said from his retreat at Camp David Md that the 95th was “one of the most courageous and constructive congresses in the history of the country” ‘.
And nearly one million Canadians were slated to vote this day in the biggest public opinion poll since the 1974 general election. Later this day, Canadians were to know their verdict on the Liberal government — after 15 by-elections in six provinces stretching from Newfoundland to British Columbia. The Liberals with a majority in the House of Commons were expected to remain in power, whatever the results. But a disastrous showing by the Liberals would put into serious question Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau’s party leadership. Some observers pointed to ex-finance minister John Turner waiting with studied nonchalance in the wings perhaps ready to take the Liberal reins. Progressive Conservatives would prefer to fight Trudeau in the general election next year so they wanted to do just well enough today — say 10 or 12 seats — to confirm public support for leader Joe Clark and his new help-the-homeowner policy.
And along with waiting on word from The Vatican, that’s just a small slice of what went on, this October 16, 1978 as reported by The CBS World News Roundup.
