convicted murderer prior to his election, and his action drew scrutiny from blacks. The following week, he declared that Medgar Evers Day would be celebrated on the tenth anniversary of the civil rights leader's death, but then did not attended the formal ceremony marking the date. Some observers saw this declaration as an attempt to deflect from the release authorization. Legislative action By the time Waller took office, the position of governor in Mississippi had long been subordinated in policy matters to the legislature. Waller announced large annual legislative proposals, but made little effort to build relationships with legislative leaders, including Lieutenant Governor William F. Winter and Speaker of the House of Representatives John R. Junkin. Waller rarely informed Winter when he was leaving the state, meaning the latter often discovered that he was to be acting governor from newspaper stories. Waller disregard Junkin's advice to leave most matters of public importance to the legislature, and came into frequent conflict with the body, vetoing 32 bills during his tenure. His relationship with legislators was poor on an individual level, and he would seek support for his ideas from the public rather than them. The legislature overrode some of his vetoes, the first time it had done so to a governor in 44 years. Waller proposed several reform measures which were opposed by older and more rural legislators. He supported efforts to create public kindergartens and reenact a compulsory education law, but these measures all died in the Senate. He appointed a blue ribbon committee to make recommendations on higher education, but the board of trustees of the University of Mississippi refused to cooperate with it or accept its criticisms of the university system. He supported the legislature's creation of new schools at Mississippi State University. In February 1974, he vetoed a special appropriation bill for university libraries, arguing that the university system did not require additional capital outlays. He also backed an unsuccessful bill to set limits on campaign spending. The legislature ignored his proposals to redraft the state constitution and permit gubernatorial succession. Waller endorsed the funding of a $600 million highway program, but the proposal had been devised during his predecessor's tenure and declining government revenues led it to be later suspended. He initially backed a reform of the state's tax structure and the raising of the oil and gas severance tax, but later backed away from these