Reagan Stresses Specter of Crime on Trip to State

President Reagan, raising the specter of violent crime, Thursday called a vote for Republican candidates an “act of self-defense” and urged voters to “do some negative campaigning of your own” by rejecting Democrats.

“Say no to new taxes and say yes to the Republican ticket,” Reagan said.

The comments were made in a speech here after an ebullient cross-country trip, possibly his last campaign journey to California.

Poignancy Noted

White House aides acknowledged the poignancy of the trip and noted the seriousness of the mission. “The President is doing everything he can to help (Vice President George Bush) win in California,” White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater told reporters aboard Air Force One en route from Washington to Little Rock, Ark.

After appearing in Little Rock, Reagan stopped in Springfield, Mo., and San Diego and was greeted by fervent supporters who cheered, waved flags, exploded fireworks and released balloons at festive rallies.

The ebullient mood was mixed with heavy politicking as Reagan portrayed Bush as tough on crime, asserting that Democratic presidential nominee Michael S. Dukakis is not.

Speaks in Little Rock

Reagan told an airport rally in Little Rock that in Massachusetts, “and only in that state, first-degree murderers not even eligible for parole were let free on weekend passes, and some of them never bothered to return.”

To the delight of the flag-waving crowd, he called the furlough policy, which has since been tightened, “the most liberal prison program since Billy the Kid sprung the Lincoln County Jail.”

Reagan contended that violent crime “has fallen significantly since 1981 because George and I put criminals on notice: We said make a false move and the next sound you hear is the clang of a jail cell slamming shut,” a line he has used often.

Bush, unlike Dukakis, believes in the death penalty “for the most horrible crimes, like when a drug dealer murders a policeman in cold blood,” Reagan said. And Bush “led the offensive against drug-smuggling . . . “ in which a record 70 tons of cocaine was seized “before it could reach our borders.”

Supports Pete Wilson

In speaking to 11,000 people at the San Diego Sports Arena, Reagan urged support for California GOP candidates, including Sen. Pete Wilson, whom he called “a great public servant.”

He hailed the recall of former California Chief Justice Rose Elizabeth Bird and urged voters to support the GOP, thus giving the state “the protection it needs from those who are just for the birds.”

Reagan noted his two terms as governor, saying he has “a special place in my heart” for the state’s residents. “You’ve already given me so much, I hate to ask you for anything else,” he said, about to repeat a request he had made throughout the day. “But will you do just one more favor for me? Will you go out and win one for ‘the Gipper’?”