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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 2, 1972)
Vote November 7th- it makes a difference by Norman Slvgel Executive Director Youth Citizenship Fund understood the potential and power of the vote. Chicanos in Crystal City, Texas were able to get a foothold in their local community by utilizing their right to vote. For the first time Chicanos elected Chicanos to the school board which gives them a powerful voice in the education of their children. Young people in B e r k e le y , California have also understood the potential and used the power of the vote. Blacks, Chicanos and young peo ple In these communities have organized around It — they got themselves registered, they made sure they had someone to vote for and of course they made sure they voted. It wasn't easy. In these communities It took s great deal of hard work and the capacity to keep at It. Now, the results are In, and Blacks, Chi canos and the young have achieved political power. They are now on their way to confronting and dealing with the problems that affect their lives. It was the vote — and the understanding of how to use it — that helped bring about local politi cal power to those who organized around the vote. If Blacks in Greene County did not register, did not set up their own political party, did not come out and vote, the lhlb year, twenty-five million IN to 25 year old Americans are eligible to vote for the firs t time In a national election. Hut extending the right to vote to the young does not mean they will vote - - or even register. It Is no secret that many millions of young people are alienated from the nation's politics, an tagonistic toward its gov ernments, and i n d i f ferent to its future. Many ask the question "why should 1 vote? It doesn't make a difference — my vote doesn't count." The alienation and in difference are Indeed great. Yet, we cannot af ford to sit back and allow things to "Just happen.” We must and should have a say In what happens to our lives and what happens to the communi ties we live In. America has many problems that must be confronted; rac ism, war, poverty, sex ism, pollution and dis honesty are but a few. The vote Is a tool, the function of which if un derstood correctly, can help us confront and deal with these problems. The vote is a means for an individual to express his or her beliefs; a tool which has. In the past, and, can In the present and future, bring about change. The vote does make a difference. Black citizens in Greene County, Ala bama and Hancock County, Georgia have brought about dramatic "Although national public changes in th .ir local opinion polls show Black vot government because they ers lavor George McGovern county would still be run by a few wealthy whites. But the blacks in Greene County understood the vote and what it could mean. They used it and as a result things are changing In Greene Coun ty. And change is what the vote Is all about. If It happened in Greene County, Alabama; Han cock County, Georgia; Crystal City, Texas and Berkeley, California, it can happen anywhere. So begin to understand the vote. It can be an in credibly powerful tool. It would be crazy and al most suicidal for young people - dedicated to seeing change come about - not to use the vote. If you say you want to see change come about, then don't Just talk -s ta rt doing something about it. Begin by registering to vote. Then, make sure you vote this November 7th. Remember Greene County, Alabama, Han cock County, Georgia; Crystal City, Texas and Berkeley, California. It can be done. Norman Slegal is the Executive Director of the Washington-based Youth Citizenship Fund. Thia is one in a series of articles prepared by the Youth Citizenship Fund in the hope that every one will participate in the November 7th election. Diggs w ill head D.C. committee Sums jieople would ra tte r Fauntroy of tie D istric t and have tie Bouse D is tric t of Diggs (all Democrats) — Columbia Committee die than were Black. be taken over try a Black Observers here who sup person In the next session, port Home Rule for Washing but such w ill not be the case, ton acknowledged that although reported Informed Capitol there is some chance that H ill sources last week. Committee assignments In I lie remarks came In re the 93rd Congressional ses sponse to statements attrl- sion could stack tie group luted to Representative Joel against any p r o g r e ssiv e T . BroyhUl (G O P-Va.) that chairmanship Diggs might t l * legitimacy of ttie Com hope to wield, there Is an mittee had to be called into equal chance that just tie op question. This was generally posite could occur. taken as a threat to scrap In some circles, it has been tie D is tric t Committee which speculated that heading the should te carried In the next Committee might become too session by Representative time consuming a task for Charles Diggs, a Black Diggs, who already chairs the Michigan Democrat. House Sub-Committee on in the past, tlie Committee A frica. But the Michigan has teen under tie chairman legislator has already said ship of Representative John that should le take over tie L . M cM illan of South Caro D istric t Committee, he would lina. However, last month seek out a highly competent the veteran Democrat of 24 staff to assist him in the years was defeated In his bid work. fo r re-election (with tie If tie Committee has been Black vote playing a signifi legitimate up to now, say cant role). As a result,Diggs Black Capitol H ill sources, will assuredly ascend to the it should continue to be legi Committee chairmanship by timate, at least until a Home virtue of seniority standing Rule bill is passed. That, during the next session. predict sources close to The Committee has tra Fauntroy, should occur tn the ditionally field decisive power next Congressional session. over many of the affairs of " I t ’ s just like the m atter this city, which still has no of bussing,” said one Black real vote In national affairs official. "When I was bussed and a city council chosen by past white schools to get to the President of tie United a Black school for segrega States. tion, it was alright. But Last year tie Committee now, bussing white kids past contained 16 Democrats and white schools to get to inte 10 Republicans. Eight of grated schools, there's a lot those persons were from the of fuss. Now, all of a sudden, South and three — Ronald it’ s a big issue." Dellums of California, W alter Portland 'Obser.er Thursday, November 2,1972 ’ THE RIGHT TO VOTE WAS WON WITH BLOOD AND LIVES DON’T THROW IT AWAY Page 3 AMD £ i.t À N ii« 4 * * ? 2 K S NCR. H & N.E. PORTLAND ONE DAY SERVICE KNIT BLOCKING OUR SPECIALTY a voteless people is a hopeless people. We Give MINOS StSAjSS NO CMASOe PIC* US I OtUVfSV 282-8361 '954 N. W illiams Ave. ‘‘You’*« Tried The Rest, Now Try The Bost" N. Alexander, Proprietor Louise Circuit JffQffiJUDGE For Judge of the Circuit Court, Fourth Judicial District, Multnomah County, Dept. No. 1 Louise Javne has the ex perience and ability required ot a judge, resulting from 20 y e a rs of rep resen tin g people, not special in te re s ts . H er d is tin guished civil and crim in al p ractice includes ap p earan ces before the Suprem e C ourt of O regon, the United States C ourt of Appeals to r the Ninth C irc u it, and the United States Su- prem e C ourt. Y O U h a v e th e rig h t to E L E C T ! Paid by the Committee to Elect Jayne for Judge k< neti. K raerrer. C^airr- Black voters favor McGovern toe r F A M IL Y ^ LAW YER. Wife in Name Only During Ih n r courtship. Hannah spoke soulfulls to Jim about the Joy» of raiding a family Hut right after the marriage, the changed her tune In fact, she refused lo hase actual relations uith him I -inally Jim sued for an annul ment "She is a wife in name only,” he complained in court "She deliheralelv misled me u ilh all lhal talk about raising a family, the marriage was based on fraud " "M aybe I was less than hon est," Hannah conceded " Ilu l if people had lo tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth before the wedding, there would lie mights few nt ,rnagcs " over Richard Nixon 4 to 1 and although thre are now more Blacks registered than ever lefo re, the re is evidence that fewer and fewer Blacks vote in Presidential elections every four years," an Inde pendent political research firm said this week. T l * firm , Political Assoc iates, leaded by Georgia State Representative Julian Bond, ie|x ited that .i recent Gallup [soil gave McGovern a 4 to I lead over Nixon among Black vote rs. " T l * support Blacks cur rently give McGovern near ly mat. lies tie average vote Blacks have glvenliemocratlc candidates In national elec tions since I9S2," George Gal lup reported. " 1 le vote of Blacks for tie Democratic (presidential) candidates in tie last five elections averages 77 je r cent," tie Gallup report said. "These figures and predic tions must le encouraging to McGovern supportersanddis- appointlng to tie Nixonltes,” Political Associates sax) in a pre-election report on po tential Black voting strength and current trends, " h it a closer look at tie declining lercentages of eligible vot ers among Blacks who actu ally vote in 1’ residental elec tions would startle anyone in terested In Black participation In American decision mak ing." A sm aller percentage of registered aid eligible Blacks actually voted in N o rth e m cil- tes In the 1960's than In tlie 1940s. Southern Blacks, who have had greater difficulty in winning tlie franchise, tend to vote In larger percentages than tlieir Northern counter parts, and in rare instances, are registered In higher per centages than are Northern Blacks. "In 1968, " Political As sociates reported, "13 per cent fewer registered Blacks than whites voted for Presi dent. Had these voters par ticipated in tlie 1968 election and split their votes In direct proportion to those Blacks who did vote, Hubert Humphrey and not Richard Nixon would now le President of tie United States." Low political participation and low income and education levels are parallels. Political Associates said. As long as disproportionate» numbers of Blacks live below or near the poverty line, low voting pro files w ill result. "In conclusion," Political Associates said, "black pol iticians and Black political ac tivists of any party must make a special election period ef fort to Insure a maximum Black vote." With Ron Hendren A Y O U N G V IE W OF W A S H IN G T O N Nevertheless, the court granted Jim an annulment I he Judge said Hannah's deception involved no minor m ailer but an essential element of matrimony itself. ll is true lhal the law will over look a certain amount of what it calls "the deceptive arl>" in courting Ilul deception about (he intent lo have sexual relations is usually considered too vital lo be condoned This is so even if the subject of ses is never mentioned before the wedding Courts say lhal Ibe sexual rcl.ilKinship, even if not discussed, is nonetheless con sidered by common consent to be implied in the contract of marriage On the other hand, lying about something less important will not ordinarily Justify an annulment, l or example: A disgruntled wife sought a decree on the ground that her spouse had lied about having a college education But Ihe Judge decided this was not adequate grounds lo annul the marriage. "Surely every representation leading up In a marriage cannot he material." said the Judge " The fact that a hrunelle turned In a blonde overnight, or that Ihe beautiful teeth were discovered lo be false, or lhal ihe ruddy pink complexion gave way sud denly to pallor, or that a woman misstated her age. would lead no court lo annul the marriage for fraud Ihe fraud must relate to something vital.” A p u b lic service fe a tu re o f llie A m e ric a n B a r A aaoelallon am i th e O reg o n S late B a r Assoeia- a lin n . W ritte n by W ill B e rn a rd . C 1972 American Bar Association RICHARD NIXON: THE MEN BEHIND THE MAN W ASHING TO N In one way re-elected or not and like it or not Richard Nixon will surely he remembered as one of Ihe most effective Presidents since Roosevelt In four years he has ( I ) apparently coine very close lo achieving peace ol his sort in the Vietnam conflict which has plagued (his country for twelve years,(2 ) thawed relations wilh Red China, Amer ica's bitterest and most feared enemy for the last quarter o f a century, and (3 ) at Ihe same time eased tensions with Russia, whose leaders aren’t even speaking with the Chinese, and who, along wilh Ihe Chinese, have been directly aiding (he North Vietnamese Those three accomplishments in them selves mark Nixon as a man of consider able talent, a diplomat to he reckoned with in Ihe affairs of the world On Ihe other hand, Nixon has proved astonishingly inept here at home lie has cloistered himself in the White House, surrounded by one o f (he most brazen and high-handed collection of knuckle heads. klutzes and even crooks to be assembled at one lime in Ihe White Bouse in this century And what is equally remarkable, he refuses lo rid himself of the bums, even when faced with irre futable evidence of their disservice to him and to the democratic process Less fortunate still, Ihe President's poor ludgincnt about personal advisors extends as well lo his choices for ludges and cabinet members, for he has appointed a Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who apparently tries to tell the Speaker o f Ihe ¡louse of Repre- senlatives what laws should and should not be passed. appointed a Secretary of Agriculture who within months after his confirmation perpetrated the Great Grain Robbery of all time, and exhibited his scorn for the small farmers whose interests he is sup posed to represent. appointed a Secretary of Commerce, now his campaign finance chairman, who collects millions of dollars from undis closed sources, funnels thousands through obscure Mexican bank accounts and de funct corporations, supports a spy oper ation from a small fortune stashed in his office safe, and has Ihe unmitigated gall to maintain that the whole affair is completely proper. The mind boggles Washington hasn't witnessed anything like it since Ulysses S. Grant floundered in the near total cor ruption of his staff and friends 100 years ago But the country re-elected Grant, and Nixon, with a 25 point lead, seems headed toward his four more years as well. If so, we can only hope he will have the good sense to clean house after the victory celebration is over, and find some advisors who will help him devote serious, innovative attention to the problems here at home which have gone begging for the last decade But it ’s a hollo- hope, not voiced with much assuredness, for the only ’^•ople who seem to have Mr N ixon’s var are those who ought to be kicked out on theirs. has earned your vote. Here’s why. He has campaigned harder than any candidate in the history of the third congressional district. Mike Walsh has met and talked to and listened to over seventy thousand people. Mike Walsh was born in Portland and grew up in the Irvington district. He He has been going hard since January. attended Portland University and Door to door. Person to person. earned a schol irship award. He went Walking the district. on to Georgetown University Law School in Washington, D C. and He now kno vs what the people want worked on Capitol Hill as a and need. Mike Walsh is concerned congressional assistant. about the issues that concern you. Mike returned to Portland and was And he has demonstrated he has the energy and the interest to give his full appointed law clerk to former Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, attention to the problems of the William C. Perry. He has been a third district. practicing attorney in Portland for Edith Green has been in office for twelve years. eighteen years. Mike is married and has three She has concentrated on higher daughters. He has been an active education. Now it is time to elect a leader in many community projects. congressman who pays attention to the district. Seventy thousand people! M i k e W a ls h H e ’ll d o m o r e f o r y o u . H e re . ©Copyright I 97 J by W A S H IN G T O N W E E K L Y . Inc All rights reserved At hom e. P aid by W o r k e r s for M th « W a lsh fo r C o n g re s s C o m m ih e e J im l a r p e n t e u r J» C h a irm e n 11®1 N E ,39th Awe P o rtla n d O r e g o n
