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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 7, 1972)
ie 2 P o rtla n d i 'b i e r v e r Thunday. I k e e n i h e r 7 ,1 9 7 2 * IT IS INCONCEIVABLE TO HE THAT HE NHO HAVE PREVAILED IN S P IT E OF THE SAP PARISH O E H H IT E PEOPLE SHOULD, IN THE LAST QUARTER OF THE 2 0 * CENTURY STAND AS MUTE SPECTATORS TO OUR ohn doch :' The OROf. COMBS N Y NMiAZiNE Editor’« Desk ALFRED Public welfare in Oregon: Myths and PART I HEAR by L e n w o o d G . D a v is nothino There are a number of myths about Public Welfare all over the United Stales, including the Stale of O re gon. Moat people are of the upinion that mostly Blacks are on W elfare, obviously, this is NUT true in Oregon. After all. Blacks In the Bea ver S U M only consist of I (26,JUS - 1970 census) of the total population - nearly 2 m illion. Therefore, U every Black in the state were on welfare we still would only make up IJfc of the total. Since records do no« alleg edly list a person's race in the s u e , u is difficult to know how many Blacks are on W elfare. Nevertheless, one only has to visit the different agencies and observe that MOST of the recipients are whitel Another myth implies that "once on weltare always on w elfare." The facts reveal that half of die recipients have teen on wellare 11 months or less and over 1/2 had N I T previously received public assistance. The let<th of tune on assistance is high est for 1-6 months (33J%), with 6-12 moths only 22.5%, and 1-2 years having 203% . LEE HENDERSON Some of my best friends.... Congresswoman Green has stated that the fact that she is sponsoring a home rule hill proves that she is fo r home rule fo r the blacks . Washington, D .C . However, M rs . Green’s bill would put t e black citizens of Washington in the State of Maryland, i southern state. Statehood, on the other hand, would bring the L nited States its first state with a black ma o nly - - a state t at would in all probability elect two black senators and tw black representatives. In our opinion M rs. Green's bill is not designed to give the black citizens of Wash- i gton self-determination at last - - it is a move to skuttle statehood a d even worse, to dilute the voting power of black W ashington by merging it with Maryland, M rs . Green’s second argument is that Washington’ s citizens were net given home rule while they had a white m ajority - - so t ¡t must have been "white ra c is m ". That is a rediculous argument, used only to the most naive of people. T is reminds us of the argument that "the poor get ever- thing” — an arguments used by M rs Green. Further, it is a fact that those territo rie s with minority populations have found statehood difficult to achieve — Alaska, Hawaii, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. M rs . Green does not understand why black people would call e r i racist when she belongs to black organizations like the National Council of Negro Women and Tielta Sigma Theta Sorority. M rs . Green was admitted to these organizations - - both of which have many white members — years ago when many people considered her to be a " lib e r a l" . There have been movements within the organizations during the past four years to oust her. But her membership has little to do with e r politics or her philosophy. Persons join organizations for many reason. There are blacks who belong to such racist organizations as the John Birch Society - - and there is always tie example of the young black man in Idaho who joined the Klu Klux Kian. W at M rs. Green is really saying is very much like most WOplO say, "Some of my best friends are black." W e ta lk about com m unity control, w h ile the black com m unity becomes the most dangerous The N orthw est’s Best W eekly A Black O w ned Publication Publish«! every Thursday by E xie Publishing Company 2201 N . Killingsworth, Portland. Oregon 97217 M ailing address: P.O. Box 3137 ' Portland, Oregon 9 7 2 0 8 Subscriptions - $5.25 per year - Tri-County area by mail o.0O per year - Elsewhere by mail Telephone: 283-2486 application to mail at second-class postage rates is pending at Portland, Oregon. inpa ALFRED LEE HENDERSON, Publisher/Editor i e Observer s official position is expressed only in its Publisher s Column (The Observation Post; and the E d ito r’ s )esk. \ny other material throughout the paper is the opinion of the irxlividual w rite r o r submitter and does not necessarily reflect tie opinion of the Observer. Any erroneous reflection upon the character . standing or reputation of person, firm or corporation, which may appear m tie Portland Observer will be cheerfully corrected upon being rought to the attention o f the Editor. ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■g, ■ ; N o m in a tio n : • ■ ■ fo r P o rtlan d A re a « ! . . . 2 First C itizen A w a rd ; Nam e of Nominee Address----------------- Reason for Nom ination by Vernon E . Jordan, J r . In general, black GIs ire convinced they can't get jus tice in m ilitary courts. Some of the prisoners I spoke to at the stockade in Mannheim were certain that tfie court would try to set an example of them by giving them heavier sentences tecause One key area that remain: a trouble spot fo r racial ten sions in the Army is the system of m ilita ry justice. On my recent swing through L 3 . Army bases in Germany, 1 found that m ajor reforms are needed. Racism, not permissiveness In recent days, racial dis turbances in the Navy have dominated the headlines. "I he problems are not new. They are as old as the service it self and have been largely ignored. Tim es new are dif ferent. Docile blacks, whoen- dured the humiliation and in dignity of subservience to an unresponsive system which treated them as less than hu man, have teen replaced by young, impatient aggressives. They are essentially acti vists, demanding the imme diate resolution of their grievances. When there is no adequate response, they lash out angrily at the system, car ing little about old tried tra ditions or consequences. Thus, at long last, the prob lems in race relations have come to a boiling head at sea. Riots and sit-ins have taken place on the ca rrie rs Kitty- hawk and Constellation and the oiler Hassayampa. There have been other un reported incidents. One hundred and thirty-one black servicemen from tlie Constellation have been transferred following th eir pan in the rebellion of November 9. Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Chief of Naval Operations who addressed the NNPA conven tion in Atlanta in 1971, has (as lie told usj instituted a senes of "People to People" programs - all designed to improve race relations and to implement guidelines on e-^ial opportunity in the Navy. He has demonstrated his sin cerity; but too often, sad to say, his directives have been ignored. The hidebound hier- archy of tlie Navy is so jeal ous of its traditional prerog atives that it cannot bear to be forced to deal with the realities of the changing tim es. Equipment may he modernized, but not policies in human relations. A Congressional Committee is now looking into the in cidents. The apparent intent is to place the blame for " p e r missiveness" and a break down in discipline squarely on tie shoulders of Admiral Zumwalt, although there is overwhelming evidence to the contrary. The A dm iral, while holding firm ly to discipline, has just as forthrightly insisted that his subordinates obey tie rules on equal opportunity. We think that the central issue is far greater than Admiral Zumwalt and "perm issive ness." It is whether the Navy can catch up with the 20th c ntury as we march swiftly t 'ard the 21st, or w lether n « ill continue to hang back « king in the ruins of its pride. We do not by any means condone unruJlness and wilful disobedience of just and law ful regulations. Those who break such rules must be dea /¡th firm ly . However, we do 'nslst that the re must he no double standards in the Navy, either In the applica tion of V i tee or in the chance for all personnel to advance under equal opportunity guide lines. And this seems to be the core of what Admiral Zumwalt is fighting for. He has our full support. Nam e BOTTI Address Let PEPPS BOTTLE SHOP be your headquarters for champagne, wines, m ixers. . a t the lowest prices In > town Phone Portland O bserver ■ P.O. Box 3137 J ■ ■ After then only 93% would receive assistance for -3 years. Three (3) — five (5) years approximately 73% would receive aid. Five (5) to tan (10) years there is a decline to 4 . ^ , and ten (10) or more years only 2J% re ceive a s s is ta n c e . These figures are only for Aid to Dependent Children ( ADC). M o i l people, no doubt, be lieve that W elfare recipients are cheats. This la n o t true. Only four-wntha of one per cent of welfare cease are referred for prosecution for fraud. The actual number of cases, however, w lie re fraud is e s t a b l i s h e d is even sm aller. It must bs pointed uut, also, that undoubtedly a number of fraduient cases go undetected. D irect evidence available, seems to Indicate that tie amount of deliberate misrepresentation by Wel fare recipients is even sm aller in proportion to total caseload. Many of the fraud ulent "recip ients" are white hippie type - - whatever that la - - college and non-college students. Some of the have acknowledged. erroneously, that they are only getting ahi aa a way of showing up the Lenwood Davis establishment for what It la. I, however, do not accept that argument. Many no doubt are doing It because tlwy do not want to work, o ther myths surmise that Welfare fam ilies are loaded with kkla — and have more just to get more money. Wel fare fam ilies apjwar to be getting sm aller. Tlie latest ADC study (1971) in Oregon (Minted out that h l . 5% of the famHtea had only oiw (I) or two (2) children, [ he monthly Increase is only $27 a month per child. Obviously, tew people would have a child to get that small amount of m oney. P art II of "Public W elfare Ui Oregon: Myths and Reali ties w ill appear next week. Black G Is convinced m ilit a r y justice is shy AW T MMK TOGETHER FUR FULL ANP EQUAL EMPLOYMENT. dB As I See It l loyd C a n te - N ex t to the Liquor Store ». , , , T R W S One end O nly Store i . j X Op* " * » “ > * 0 0 p m Dotty V Su«d»Vt Noon to 4 0 0 p m 2 1 1 -2 7 3 1 they are black. Another prisoner, awaiting trial in a German court to r a civilian crim e, was just as positive that the German jury would not give him justice. Charged with robbery, the case against him hinges on the word of his fo rm er g ir l friend who is Germ an. He :eels that when the jury tears of th eir affair, they'll rush to convict him. What matters in these cases is less the factual situation than the way tie black p r i s o n e r s perceive their state. Unlike others accused of violations, they know they may not get fa ir treatment because of racial bigotry and discrim inatory practices. They were relieved just to have someone to talk to, someone to listen to their grievances, someone to care. In this instance that some one was me, a visitor from tlie States, but die Army ought to build into its m ili tary justice system a way to fu lfill tie need for human concern and support. At tie very least, equal opportunity officers ought to take off their uniforms and, in civilian clothes that re move tie b a rrie r of rank, talk informally with pri soners and other so lders and lend an ear and a helping hand. The system of justice ought to be taken out of the com mand system to liberate it from suspicion of being a tool of the m ilitary and tnus convert It into a truly Im partial judiciary system. There's also a crying need for more black jucige-advo- cates and for expanded legal services for enlisted men. A far brlgher spot of my trip was tie unique experience of seeing so many black of ficers, some commanding key combat units. I was very impressed with die calibre of men, who were exceptional in their bearing, their com- petence, their skill and their grasp of essentials. To be briefed by ttese officers was an enjoyable lesson in pro fessionalism. It was especially gratifying to me that so many were pro ducts of the black colleger. It is a tribute to ttese schools that ttiey can train such men, and another indi cation that die black colleges are an important national re source. Perhaps die basic feeling one conies away with from an extsrxied tour of Arm y bases is fhe extent to which the Arm y Is a haven for whites and blacks who would other wise be mired in poverty lie re at home. Many of the Gia met in Germany told me that tie Army was tie first place d ey got three square meals a day, hot running water, an opportunity for training, and a feeling of importance and satisfaction. tells us that our nation has failed to order its domestic affairs so that the poorest among us has an opportunity to te wet! fed, well housed and to fulfill his needs and as pirations. What I saw in Germany was • U.S. Army groping tows nt remaking itself into an Insti tution that brings together members of all ethnic groups In an atmosphere of mutual respect to work toward a common goal. It has a long way to go tut It la at least conscious of the problem, which is more than can t * said about many people here at home. If effect, our country says to poor young men that tie re Is no place for them le re and that they'll have to put on a uniform and train to fight and peihaps dw, if they want d e barest essentials of a decent life. This Is a terrible com mentary on our society. It tells us that our country hat neglectsd tie productive capacities of hundreds of thousands of young men. It With Ron Hendren A YOUNG VIEW OF WASHINGTON GOING ALONG TO GET ALONG: THE SENIORITY SYSTEM IN CONGRESS 7 love Speaker Rayburn, hit heart u to warm A nJ if I love him he II do me no harm So I th a n t ta ti the Speaker one little bitty, A nd then I 7/ wind up on a ma/or committee " Quoted by Arthur Krock in the New York Times. A p r il 8 , 1 9 5 8 W A SH IN G TO N In January of odd- numbered years when new Congresses first convene, invariably one of the first issues to be revived and rehashed is the seniority system of selecting committee chairmen. And as sure as fhe sunrise, 1973 will prove no exception The long-standing tradition of select ing the most senior committee members of the majority party to fill the powerful chairmanships is one of the few organiza tional disputes which Members of Con gress launder publicly, regularly and heatedly Like most disputes, the argument over the seniority system when stripped to its basics is essentially one between those who have and those who haven't in this case, those Congressmen and Senators who have lived, literally and politically, long enough to attain the prestige and power of committee leadership and those who are newer to the Congressional scene. And again as in most disputes between those who have and those who haven't, logic does not always prevail The argu ments in favor of the seniority system are for the most part hypothetical and nega live, and necessarily so since nothing else has really been tried, at least within memory of the living The arguments supporting other means of selecting com mittee leadership, such as electing chair men by and from among committee members, are, on the other hand, signifi cant and persuasive Yet the system, like the aging patriarchs who benefit most from if, lives on. The most effective argument for retaining some semblance of the seniority system is that long periods of service provide the experience committee chair men need to be effective. But effective ness is only one characteristic of leader ship, and the ability to be elected over and over again does not necessarily reflect the highest degree of competence. Indeed, the seniority system means that the bulk of committee leadership posts are held by representatives from safe, one-party districts and states, states which often are small, and whose resi dents often hold views different from the majority of Americans on many impor tant issues The time has come for change, and while the seniority system is not likely to crumble in one session, particularly in the Senate where reform is more urgently needed, it is possible that some dents could be made in 1973 I t ’s worth a try by the newcomers and other Tint term Senators As for present committee chair men, if their experience has indeed made them most qualified for the job, they should have nothing to fear Volume II Number 22 For subscribri only Syndicated by W A S H IN G T O N W E E K L Y , In» A ll i reserved light OR. JEFFREY A PLATES PARTIAL PLATES AND EXTRACTIONS Immediate Restorations P le te t teaartad im m ediately a fte r taath ere tra<tad • Partial Plates • Dental Plates SLEEP DURING EXTRACTIONS S00IUM PINTOTHAI « IV IN IT RI6IS TIRED ANESTHETIST PARR ERIE ART PARR W SHOP LOT HOURS. W eehdeyi l : M te 1 *0 Seterdey I . M ta I « 0 NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY DR. JEFFREY BRADY DENTIST S fM lf» BUIlDING S A Jr rt A M om $nn Portland Or/qon Phone: 228 7545
