Page 2
To Be Equal—
MUST WMK TOGETHER FOR FULL
AND EQUAL EMPLOYMENT.
t hursday
September 28, 1972
The Northwest's Best Weekly
A Black Owned Publication
Published
every Thursday by E xie Publishing Company,
2201 N. Killingsworth, Portland, Oregon 97217
Subscriptions - $5.25 per year in Tr>-<3ounty area by m ail.
Uutade
the Tri-County aiea - $b.00 per year by m ail.
Phone: 283-248c
M ailing adress - P. O. Box 3137, P o n ia rd, Oregon 97208.
ALFRED LEE HENDERSON. Publisher E d ito r
INPA
The Observer's official position is expressed only m its
Publisher's Column (The Observation Post' and the E ditor's
Desk. Any other m aterial throughout the paper is the op ion
of the individual w rite r o r submitter and does not necessarily
reflect the opinion of the Observer.
Any erroneous reflection upon the character, standing or'
reputation of person, firm o r corporation, which may appear'
in the Portland Observer w ill be cheerfully corrected ipon
being brought to the attention of the E d ito r.
i
1
The
Editor’s
Desk
ALFRED LEE «lOERSON
As I See It
Black Republicans:
Some observations
by Vernon E. Jordan, J r .
To Presuient Nixon and
Senator McGovern:
This open le tte r is oc
casioned by the deep sense of
d isp a ir felt by many of your
black fellow citizens t f * t their
interests are being neglected
aid theirhopes ignored in this
'c ru c ia l election campaign.
It is readily apparent that
the great running would that
has so crippled our nation —
m o ra lly, economically and
s p iritu a lly — is racism . It
is equally apparent that the
number one domestic p rio rity
must be the revitalization of
our urban areas.
Ard yet, neither of these
issues upon which the history
of our country w ill turn, has
been dealt with bv e ith e r can
didate o r party with the hones
ty ard detailed concern they
demand. A political cemapegn
is more than a completiuon
fo r power and office; it is
an opportunity to educate the
public to the issues that so
deeply affect their live s. This
campaign in p a rticu la r,o ffe rs
a m ajor opportunity to take
the words and phrases that
appeal to emotions and in
stead, to initiate a great de
bate on the real public policy
issues of our tim e.
This has not yet been done.
Many black people sense, in
stead, an open h ostility to
th e ir cause, or, at best, a
disinterest in our aspirations
fo r a more equal, justsociety.
The feeling is strong that
white Americans are not being
educated to the issues that
affect our citie s and black
people, and that black A m e ri-
cans themselves have been
neglected as a measure ot
political expedience.
I bis is a dangerous situa
tion. It breeds cynicism and
m is tiu s t of the political pro
cess. It deflects national at
tention from problems that
need to ba solved. And black
disaffection would well mani
fest Itself in a reaction at
the voting booth that could
defeat either candidate, both
he who takes black votes fo r
granted and be who p re
maturely may have w ritten
them off.
There are numerous as
pects of the nation's educa
tional system that need se ri
ous discussion on the national
level, » ith clear proposals on
how education problems a f
fecting black children w ill he
met by the Administration.
Problems of school finance,
upgrading
ghetto
schools,
early childhood development
and others come readily to
mind.
Instead, the onlyeducational
issue that has been aired has
been the a rtific ia l anddivisive
issue of fusing. A matter
that has been ade juately lealt
with by the judiciary has teen
thrown needlessly into the
political arena, unleasing vio
lent emotions and im periling
the constitutional rights of
little black children.
C ities are decaying and
housing fo r poor ami lower
income fam ilies is virtually
non-existent.
Black people,
caught in a desperate ‘•ousing
c ris is , look to political cam-
paigners fo r their views on
this basic issue and fo r pro
posals to eliminate housing
inequities ami fo r rational
development of
land re
sources.
But, as yet, such
proposals have not l«en forth
coming.
With both candidates jo in
ing in the attack on a so-
called quota system which is,
in reality, merely a practical
system of guidelines fo r the
inclusion of black people into
the labor force, we are faced
with what appeal to 1« with
drawal
of
prospects fo r
equality of employment op
portunities.
And with neither candidate
offering a welfare reform
program black people can
support, replacing serious
discussion of poverty with at
tacks on those whom our eco
nomy has so sorely tailed,
black Americans are again
faced by withdraw il ami ne
glect, N o r has either can
didate dealt with issues sue!
as penal reform o r a con
structive African policy.
It is not too late to change
the disastrous direction m
which this camjieign seems
headed. It is not too late to
clim b tack to high gnund
tfiroug! serious consideration
ot tie needs arid aspirations
of 25 m illio n black A m eri
cans and fo r tfie future of our
nation that I ask fo r positive
signs that black Americans
too, are welcome in the “ new
ma o rity ,'* and (lack people
too,
are included in the
America we are asked " to
oine hon e " to .
The choice is ours
Recently the House of Representatives passed a repressive
amt-busing b ill which, if passed by the Senate, could reopen
a il school desegregation cases and create complete chaos.
Even in d is tric ts where desegregation has proceded peace-
fillly fo r a number of years, segregated schools could be
restored. This b ill was pushed through the House by Edith
Green, the Congresswoman from Oregon.
The b ill could go to the Senate fo r approval w ithin the next
few days. The Leadership Conference on C iv il Rights has
asked that concerned citizens w rite their Senators and ask
that they vote against this racist b ill. It is a well known
fact that Senators do respond to the w ill of their constituents_
especially in an election year.
But we are not so sure about the Senators from Oregon—
they have never been very responsive to the needs and the
appeals of black people.
Mark Hatifield, who is campaigning fo r reelection in
November, has always talked about c iv il and human rights.
But he also talks on both sides of the case—he told a cor
respondent from the OREGON JOURNAL that he opposes
busing to lesson racial isolation, yet told the OBSERVER
that he favors busing to fu rth e r desegregation. Except fo r
his anti-w ar policy, be bas steadily moved to a more con
servative position during his six years in office. His vote
on this issue bears watching.
Bob Packwood's views on busing are not known to the
OBSERVER. Packwood has attempted to stick with Nixon
when possible, but to go with the m ajority at all costs. On
the .ote on the confirmation of Haynsworth to the Supreme
Court, which was opposed by a ll black and c iv il rights or
ganizations, Packwood withheld his vote until a ll other
Senators had voted, and when the outcome was clear, be
joined the m a jo rity. Hardly an act of leadership! Packwood’ s
four years in the Senate have been largely devoted to work
on an a n ti-la b o r b ill which Nixon has now forsaken. This is
not a very imposing record fo r our Junior Senator.
These are our Senators because they were chosen by the
people of Oregon. M r. Hatfield is now asking that the people
o i Oregon return him to the Senate. But where has M r. Hat
field been when we needed him?
Now the choice is ours. W ill we choose M ark H atifield—
who bas hesitantly supported our rights but who has often
voted against us? O r w ill »e choose Wayne Morse, whose
long and courageous record in the senate placet him squarely
and consistently on our sxfe ’
The choice is ours . . . . <
If you send your name and
address we w ill be glad to
pring your le tte r regarding the
Black Caucus.
E ditor
Dear E d ito n
1 must commend you on your
editorial of September 21.
Jim Rogers
SHOP
■ENOW'S
L
FOR
WASHINGTON POST
September 13, 1972
A t some point in the next
few days o r weeks, depending
on how a p o litica l/p e rlia m e n -
tary wrangle comes out, the
Senate may be obliged to take
up HR 13915, a te rrib le b ill
that only incidentally may be
termed
an ' ’ anti-busing’ ’
measure. It would be more
appropriately called the Urban
Chaos A ct of 1972, That is
because, although the b ill
purports to be a legislative
e ffo rt to put some lim its on
school desegregation plans
requiring busing, a combina
tion of cynicism and hysteria
in the House has transformed
it into something quite d if
ferent.
HR 13915 would en
join both federal courts and
the executive branch from
compelling any desegregation
pan that involved the "tra n s
portation of any student to a
school other than the school
closest o r next closest to his
place of residence.” It would
also provide fo r lor.g-settled
school cases to "b e reopened
and modified to comply with
the provisions of this A c t."
Wbat a ll this means is not
Dear B rother Henderson:
1 am very pleased to dis
cover that "T he Observer”
can use "Soul Purpose” .
1 read through a backlog of
three of your papers as 1
returned to my office after
much traveling and 1 was very
Impressed with the quality
new m aterial.
As I ’ ve read the larger
white newspaper during thia
election year 1 wish to es
pecially commend and en
courage your honest in pub
lishing.
1 am in hopes of visiting
you soon in Portland, Thanks
again.
“ B r a n d s you know
Sincerely yours,
Chuck Singleton
V A R IE TIES you like
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m en tio n e d men have te e n life
tu n e D em o ra ts and fo r them
to becom e o v e rn ig h t " B la c k
R e p u b lic a n s " I m u s t question
H e i r m i liv e s . M o re o v e r, th is
Another point of view
Letters to the Editor
Linda Sue:
by Lenwood G. Davis
I can understand— to some
degiee— how some long time
Black Republicans w ill sup
port the Republican Party and
President Nixon in the forth
coming election. I can not
understand how some long
time Black Democrats w ill
support the Republican Party
and President Nixon in the
upcoming elections. Recently,
some Black Republicans and
Democrats raised $25,000 at
a $100-per-plate dinner fo r
President Nixon’s leelection.
This act along brought sharp
c ritic is m tn the ranks of
both Black Republicans and
Democratic P a ttie s. Need
less to say. the Black popu
lation in general was also
c ritic a l of that a ffa ir.
home of the national known
Blacks that have come out and
supported M r. Nixon included:
ham m y
Davis, J r.; jm .
Brown; D r. Charles G. Hurst,
J r „ President of Malcolm \
College in Chicago. Floyd Me
K issick, form er d ire cto r of
Cl>RE and developer of Soul
C ity, N.C.; Roy Innis, D ire c
to r of CURE; Stanley s. Scott,
Assistant D ire cto r of Com
munication attheW I iteHouse:
Robert J. Brown. Special
A s s is t a n t
to President
Nixon; . , . etc. Georgia
state Representative J u lia n
Bond called them a "new
breed
of political p ro sti-
tutes’
I rarely agree with
M r.
Bond's
suppositions,
> » e v e r
on this point 1 do
agree
M any of the atove
Anonymous ’Residents of the
Model Neighborhood’ :
The salary of Portland City
Commissioners is $22,132 a
year. Chalmers J ones or any
one appointed w ill receive that
salary. The Mayor’ s salary
is $28,898.
just that enactment of this
measure would put a -ard
won record of southern school
desegregation in jeopardy. It
also means that judges and
federal administrators would
be invited to remedy unlawful
discrim ination in a way likely
to enhance social tensions
without providing a com
mensurate gain—or any gain
at a ll— in the quality of the
txised children's schooling.
F o r the legislators have, in
effect, done two things. They
have voted to spare high in
come persons such ts them
selves and the communities
in which they live the incon
veniences that attend busing
orders.
But they have also
made sure, in their " c l sest
o r next closest” school pro
vision, that the impact of out-
*a rd hound ghetto fusing w ill
be hardest felt in those ad
jacent blue-collar, lower-
income "e th n ic” communities
whose schools have least to
offer poor black children and
where racial feelings are the
most inflamed, [he word is
overworked these days, tu t
never mind; This is a tru ly
e litis t peice of legislation.
The cynicism that under
lies all this posturing has a
happy home at the.NIxonWhite
House, which was the w e ll-
spring of t!«se election year
e ffo rts.
It is compounded
when you realized, firs t, that
a number of the big busing
cases in contention came to
us as a result of ea rlie rN ixo n
adm inistration desegregation
efforts and, second, that it
is commonly assumed that the
Supreme Court this fall w ill
establish firm outer lim its
to mandatory busing in tny
event.
But such things are
meant to be overlooked in
tfie great legislative suction
now going on. It is an auction
in which the White House and
certain sp iritu a lly attuned (o r
p o litica lly frightened' legis
lators keep bidding up the
moderate middle. Introducing
and countenancing ever more
reckless measures w ith a view
to forcing tie other ultim ately
to buy a so-called " a n ti-
busing comprimise program
well beyond anything that con
science o r sense can recom
mend. Thus it is that the
same teleagured senators of
tfie middle may te put to tie
test once again when HR 13915
comes to the flo o r.
Being
w rite r can only conclude that
some ol them are obvious
“ Opportunists'*. It is suing«
tiist Floyd McKissick had leen
tryin g fo r years to get the
F a ie ra l Government to loan
him several m illio n d o llais
fo r the development ol Soul
C ity, N .C „ aid the kept giving
as it relates tu Black |»ople
huu the run around and then
because It s|«aks fo r »sell.
they changed th e ir minds and
Before Blacks support P resi
gave him a $14 m illio n HDD
dent Nixon, aid tl« Republican
grant. Wlist implications can
P a tty, we must ask ourselves
Iw drawn from Uns decision?
what lias tt« Republican Party
I wonder!
done (o r Black people over
Most colleges ui America
Uie |>ast three aid a halt
are lacing drastic financial
years? What have they done
c ris is , yet Malcolm \ College
in
employment,
housing,
in Chicago is ex|ianduig with
schools, war, iKivetty, ect.?
the help of tr«e Federal Gov
Some ol tlese ' ’ turncoats'*
ernment aid private louida-
w ill say that it is not what
tlons. \A list implication can
tt« Republican P atty lesdor«
!e drawn from this situation'
in tl« |iast, lu t what it w ill
I »order1
do in tl« future. L e t's turn
that question around, not »tiat
I ’a ie n th e tia lly , most otthe
the Rei>ut'lican Party w ill do,
Blacks that t i e supporting
lu t what lias it dot«,* 11«
M r . Nixon surmise thatBlacks
Republican P arty's record—
must liave a two party system
ui , iv il rights, employment,
aid U n the Republican Party
housing, schools--speaks tor
must actively reek the Black
itse lf.
Need J say more,'
vote. Consequently, it Bla>. ks
It is co n ce ive ah le tlia t if
vote aid support them, we
w ill get a bigger piece ot
is
doubttul--(ur President
t! e pie aid some say so in
Nixon aid ttie Reixihlleans.
G o v e r n m e n ta l
P olicies.
Blacks would (that is the
Hence, Black people w ill bene
masses ol Blacks tenet It aid
fit trom this alliance' 11«
receive some pieces of tl«
question that comes to my
pie.
At this juncture of tt«
mind ts which gi uup ot Blacks
game, we liave no precedence
» ill twnefit. ulwiously, not
oi assurance that Black people
the masses ol Black people,
»UI even get an invitation tu
unly those Blacks that are
tt« ! an juet, let alone le in
already in "p o w e r" ard liave
vited to stere in the (east.
influence w ill gain from tins
However, I suppose »e w ill
alliance »ith sue! i stunge
get It« le ftuveis--as usual--
le d le llu w .
i o believe other-
it * e supported tt« Republican
»rse is sheer fo lly.
P arty.
It is not necessary to state
1 his is oi« election w l«re
the R e publican P a r ty ’ s record
.'¡ere is s cle a r choice.
W lelhei Blacks are R e|uhli-
cans o r Democrats, we must
vote.
A lte r a ll, tl« Demo
crats liave taken tt« "B la ck
Vote” (or granted fo r too
lung,
I l«y also liave pro
politicians, presumably tl«y
mised much, tu t deliveied
too would like an ’ antl-
little . Tie Democrats record
busing" vote in their record.
in tl« area of c iv il rights,
I he question, forced upon
employment, housing, shcools
them by the White House ard
speaks to r itself, and from
Com|«ny, Is whether tl«y
w l« re I am sitting it dues
want such a vote badly enough
not look to w ell.
to support legislation that Is
It would 1« e rrant dog-
on its (ace a fra u d and a hoax
' alien. H a m i I Het all of
ard a cruel hoax at that. A
tl« manifestations of Black
m ajority in tl# House has
Reiubliciam have teen un
already indicated that it does.
raveled in thia a rticle . Many
ram ifications remain obscure
awaiting the tool of tim e.
Play Pool
With Ron Hendren
A YOUNG VIEW OF W ASHINGTON
HOW TO WRITE YOUR CONGRESSMAN
W A SH IN G TO N "Dear Senator,” the let
ter began "What are we going to do
about pornography? It has even crept
into my favorite television programs, and
I ’m so embarrassed Please, Senator, tell
me what I can do about pornography on
The Senator's eyes flashed mischie
vously as he dictated one o f the shortest
congressional responses on record “ Dear
Madam Turn it o ff Sincerely, Stephen
M Young. USS."
Until his retirement in 1970, Stephen
Young (D -O hio) was known throughout
the Senate and indeed around the world
for his cryptic responses to constituents
who wrote what he considered stupid
letters.
During his career Young, like other
representatives of populous states, re
ceived thousands of pieces o f mail each
week As a result, stupid letters were not
hard to come by, and Young's collection
of replies is now considered classic. (One
of his favorites was "Dear Sir Some idiot
ls going around putting your signature on
insulting letters, and I am advising you so
that you can take steps to protect your
good name .” )
But Senator Young’s reputation not
withstanding, constituent mail Is taken
seriously by most members of Congress,
and during a national political campaign
is as good a time as any to let your
officials know your views.
There are a few simple do’s and don’t's
which will make your letters, telegrams
and phone calls more effective
First, letters They should be short and
to the point, always on one page and
generally covering no more than one
subject Do expect a reply signed by your
representative but don't be surprised if he
per «on ally never sees either your letter or
hia reply Remember, legislators (Senators
especially) receive hundreds and in tome
caaes even thousands of pieces o f mall
each day To answer each one personally
would be an impossible task It should be
enough for you to know that most
legislators view their mail as an important
barometer o f public opinion As a result,
they pay attention to if and your letter
makes its mark along with all the others
Telegrams are often even more effec
tive For one thing, their cost forces you
to be concise and for another the Sen
ator will realize you felt strongly enough
to make an investment larger than the
price of a stamp.
You should know that there . are
..
special rates for telegrams to the Presi
dent, to Congressmen, to Senators or to
other important government officials.
While a regular 1 5-word telegram message
would cost $5 45, you can wire your
representative in Washington a message of
equal length for $1.2$ ($1 00 for tele
grams to your state government officials)
Check with your local Western Union
office for details, but in all cases remem
ber to ask for the special rates.
Telephone calls are acceptable, but it's
better to put your views in writing. If you
do telephone, don't expect to speak to
the Congressman or Senator himself Ask
for one o f his legislative assistants and
above all be succinct Remember, it's
costing you money on both ends for the
phone call in the first place plus taxes to
help pay that assistant's salary (While
some efforts have been made to provide
for toll free phone calls to the President
and members o f Congress, don’t bet on it
happening soon The costs for staff to
handle the increased load would be astro
nomical )
But no matter the medium you
choose, communicate. It's worth the
trouble because your voice will be heard
And that is the essence of representative
government
^C opyright IV» 1 by
W A S H IN G T O N W E E K LY . Inc
All rlfhls rn a rv til
• tl
Bob 'Woody’ Wtxdard of Inner City l«velopm ent Company
demonstrates tl« M a rse illa is pool shot at Geneva’ s Re
gulation Tables.
GENEVA’S
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