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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 21, 1974)
U.S. Senate candidates Morse: running because of age Sen. Sam Ervin is 78 years old and he's not running for reelection to the U.S. Senate. Neither is 81-year-old Sen. George Aiken, 74-year-old Sen. Norris Cotton or 75-year-old Sen. Wallace Bennett. Why, then, is 74-year-old Wayne Morse running for the U.S. Senate? "The people of Oregon have asked me to run because of my age not in spite of it," the gravelly-voiced tormer senator claims. They said Oregon has an investment in my jge, in my knowledge and in my 24 years experience as a senator." The issue of Morse's age has been played up considerably by his opponent in the May 28 primary, Jason Boe. Boe, 45, claims Oregon's senators should be young enough that, via the seniority system, they will be able to work their way up among the ranks. Morse calls the seniority systenv "an arbitrary discretionary power base. "Back in 1946, I proposed that we abolish the seniority system," recalls Morse. Not surprisingly, Morse also knocks compulsory retirement at the age of 65. He points to excellent records of elder statesmen, legislators and judges as prime axamples of why compulsory retirement is s "wasteful requirement. "Much of their contribution is based on the training, experience, and know-how that came to fruition after they reached 70," says Morse, a former dean of the University Law School. Morse would just as soon chuck the age issue and get down to brass tacks. "The lack of honesty in our government is the greatest crisis in the history of the country," he told students recently. "It's not only a lack of honesty in the executive branch, but also in Congress and the Supreme Court." The outspoken civil libertarian lashes out at the Nixon administration, calling it a "government of secrecy and diplomacy." He says Nixon should be impeached. "He should be impeached as a war criminal and as a shocking war criminal. Impeaching him on domestic issues is all right with me," says Morse. Morse says inflation has become a major issue because Congress has delegated too much power to the President. "They (Congress) have ducked the whole inflation issue and have violated their constitutional responsibility." The use and abuse of nuclear power plants greatly concerns Morse. He insists Wayne Morse nuclear power plants snouid be built away from populated areas. They've got to stop building nuclear power plants where they've been building them. The Trojan Nuclear Plant (near Rainier) never should have been built," he says. Morse says that, as a political realist, he knows that nuclear power plants will be built. Morse would like to see elections federally funded. He favors adopting a system similar to the British system of financing elections. The British system includes having the government pay the costs or television, raaio ana newspaper campaign advertising. In addition, Morse would favor allowing the taxpayer to deduct up to $250 from his taxes to go to one political candidate. Should a general amnesty bill ever get before the Senate —and Morse says there's very little chance of this ever happening —it would receive Morse's whole-hearted support. "A general amnesty bill is never gonna get out of committee but let the record show that I would vote for it." John Knowtton County commissioner candidates Ply/er: legalize prostitution Roy Plyler, 57, was prompted to run for the Republican primary for county commissioner partly because he had trouble getting a septic tank permit for some propery he wants to build on near C reswell. He said his desire to run, (his first time) for public office, was also influenced by "the money a commissioner makes. It's honest money," he said. Plyler, who teaches shop at Creswell High School, said he would favor legalizing prostitution in the county to help raise tax revenues. He said it "would cut out a lot of graft" but would have to be controlled by local govern ment and supervised by doctors. Plyler also said he'd favor legalizing gambling as a way to generate revenue. An Oregon resident since 1956, Plyler said a major issue of the campaign is having decisions on local issues such as zoning decided by a local vote. He said he'd set up guidance committees in communities to replace the ''pseudo-hearings” the com missioners now allow. Plyler said some of the citizens advisory committees are inadequate but could not say which ones. Plyler said he would favor having five county commissioners in stead of the present three, even if it meant a $5,000 salary cut. "Even at that I'd be making more Roy Plyler Be proud of your choice for Governor BETTY Roberts betty ropmiz for governor committee john I. weatherby, treasurer 517 s.w mam. Portland. Oregon 97204 may 5, 1974 than I ever made in my life," he said. The five commissioners should each be elected by a district to give people "a better assurance of their vote." Plyler said if he is elected, he would spend at least 50 per cent of his time out in the county, and would use his own car in order to not use up taxpayers' money for gasoline. Plyler said he would favor recycling solid waste ("it's proven that it works") but only if the people of the county voted for it, and then only after competitive bidding, he said. Regarding land use planning, Plyler said he didn't know too much about the 1990 plan but said "planning would be good if we got together on it." "Oregon's beautiful and Oregon's big. There's lots of room," he said. Plyler said he didn't see how urban sprawl could be prevented because people would build where they want to, but agreed zoning could help. Plyler said the county should let people know before they buy land what they may do with it. Plyler said that more important than zoning is encouraging in dustries to move in to create more jobs for people. Plyler said he favors a county wide library system and bus system, but that these things should not be decided by com missioners, instead "presented to the voters." Plyler is married and has six children. He is a graduate of Oregon State University and did graduate work at Oregon College of Education. He has been a teacher for 11 years and lives in Creswell. Shelley Anderson Pizzella: 'bigger is better' A county-wide sewer system, a county-wide garbage system and a county mass transit system are three things which Gori Pizzella, democratic candidate for county commissioner, feels are a "necessity" for Lane county. There's no reason a man shouldn't be able to take a bus to go home," he says, "just because he lives out of town a little bit." He sees funding as no major obstacle as it will come mainly through taxation. "But funding for anything that is necessary to sustain health or to be beneficial to the majority of the people has always been found," he says. Pizzella would like to see Eugene become a big city, and he believes it is on the way to becoming one. The increased tax money would balance out the problems of increased pollution. "More people equals more pocketbooks equals more jobs, equals more tax money," he says, "so to me the bigger the better." He says the rising crime rate would be taken care of by having a larger police department. Pizzella is "100 per cent" in favor of the $3.5 million solid waste proposal. He favors encouraging new industries to come here and possibly another newspaper because he doesn't like monopolies. He favors the legalization of gambling, and feels it is a shame that gambling is going untaxed. He believes that the county should create jobs to alleviate unemployment. ( Continued on Page 11)
