Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ann Richards on Thursday denounced an unattributed allegation that she was in a restroom where several women appeared to be smoking marijuana almost 11 years ago. ``Do you think this country has reached the point now ... that unsubstantiated people can say what they want to and suddenly it takes on the vein of truth by appearing on television and in the newspapers?'' Ms. Richards said at a campaign stop in Dallas. The state treasurer blamed her runoff opponent in Tuesday's primary election, Attorney General Jim Mattox, for spreading rumors about drug use. Mattox has said he possesses sworn statements from people who say they know Ms. Richards used illegal drugs in the past. But Mattox repeatedly has refused to reveal the names of those people or offer any other evidence to back up his accusations. The Houston Post on Thursday quoted a woman it didn't identify as saying she had seen Ms. Richards with a group of women in the restroom of an Austin hotel during the National Association of Women in Construction convention in 1979. The woman, who refused to tell her story unless guaranteed her name not be used, told the Post, ``When you walked in the door you could smell the definite aroma of marijuana. ``When I walked in (Ms. Richards) put her hand behind her and held it. The girl on the end, who I did not know, had a roach or a joint that had been smoked down in her hand,'' the woman told the newspaper. The Post report said the woman felt compelled to recount the incident after watching Ms. Richards refuse during televised debates to answer yes or no to the question of whether she had ever used illegal drugs. Ms. Richards, a recovering alcoholic, has said she has not had an alcoholic drink nor a mood-altering chemical in 10 years. Asked about the alleged 1979 incident, the state treasurer said, ``I have no idea what they're talking about.'' Ms. Richards said Thursday she was shocked the allegations had been reported. ``The surprising part is that now people are willing to put it in print, with no substantiation at all. That's not what this country is all about,'' she said. At a Thursday campaign stop in Lubbock, Mattox said he promised confidentiality to people who alleged Ms. Richards has used drugs. He also refused again to release his income tax records, as Ms. Richards has requested, unless she releases her medical records. When asked why, he said, ``Because I intend to win this campaign, and I choose the playing fields and I choose the methods by which we are going to play this game. That just happens to be the way politics work.'' Mattox has repeatedly said he expects to win the runoff and face Republican Clayton Williams in November. Releasing his income taxes when Williams hasn't done so would give Williams a signficant advantage, Mattox said.
