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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 14, 1972)
P o rtla n d /O b s e rv e r secrecy (E D IT O R 'S N O T E : The fe l- lowing la a stau rn ent p re pared by Common Cause.) A naw Congress w ill con- vane next month and Im m edi ately proceed to maka c ru c ia l ly im portant dec la Iona - in s e c re t. No b ills w ill be involved. R ather, the Im portant d e - clalona In the fl ra t daya of the 93rd Congraaa w ill ba the eelectlon of Republican and D em o cratic p arty leaders who, throughout the following two years, w ill quid« A m e r ica’ s national la g la la tu re . Unless reform a are made before these actions In Janu a ry , citizens w ill have no idea how these leaders won th e ir jobs: all the public w ill know la the outcome. T he Importance of the lead ersh ip positions - only a hand ful in number - cannot be overem phasized. T he M e m bers of Congress who f ill them have vast Influence o ver public a ffa ire . They control the ac tiv itie s of the Senate and House, d eterm ine the flow of legislation, c o rra l votes fo r and against proposals, influ ence com m ittee assignments, and In many other waya deep ly affect the output of Con g re s s . Because of thia, voters have a legitim ate Interest In the quality of Congressional leadership. Considering this Interest, It la appalling that: 1. Both p olitical p arties In Congress choose th e ir lead e rs behind closed doors and refu se to divulge how m em - bers vote In leadershlp con- tests; and 2 . House Dem ocrats appoint - not e le c t - th e ir party Whip, a position which la the f ir s t step toward the top jobs of party leader and House speak e r . (The W hip is. In effect, the assistant party leaden hie Job Is to help m arshal m a jo rity forces In mipport of party strategy.) The procedures governing these contests a te Indicative of two fundamental problem s - secrecy and senio rity - that d ra in Congress of the v ita lity needed to 1» an equal branch of the federal governm ent. T he secrecy In which leader ship choices are made re flects the widespread secrecy In which Congress conducts so much of Its husiness.Th e u p -th e -la d d e r philosophy of House D em ocrats la an out growth of the seniority sys tem that exalts longevity o ver a b ility . Intelligence, energy - a ll the q ualities that n o rm a l ly qualify a person fo r a leadership ro le . Common Cause believes these practices must be changed, not only In the lead ers h ip contests but In a ll proceedutes of C o ng ress.Th e leadership contests w ill be the firs t Instances of (tie de m o tin g senio rity and secrecy weaknesses to appear In the new Congress that convenes In Janu ary. Common Cause Is urging recorded public votes fo r Senate and House leadership positions and election of the House D em o cratic W hip. PORTLAND CLEANING WORKS NORTH & N .l. PORTLAND .ONE D A Y SERVICE KNIT BLOCKING OUR SFRCIALTY w e Qlve P A J tt-M O O4AKM n o n * s Dsuvw v 282-1361 3954 N . W illia m s Ave. T r M T h . R « t, Nt»w Try T h . Bwst' N. AlsMOwdwr, RreetUtor Need Glasses a c S & if SE^SEM LER' • All It u s i Gtttsd le you D ocloii Prescription • O n UMLKR APPOINTMENT NEEDED B r . S e w lr r A af r is e s . . . H A VI TOUS All Optaci IWWRAWa RYI* IX AM IN IO S a le n te OeX F er Best A 4 ACCURVM I t t l l T L IV U * >1 M l IS St OO orricii S.W. Third and Marriien EklttNf • Fbees tV -lt* 4 m r l » u OKIaza • / Optematry - t HUUeM.nuraw.M<ctUM«H.wtttaC mi « m xnn « o wxttf&f Mat OMua is M U M * Both p artie s a re faced with s e v era l leadership vacancies In the 93rd Congress as a re s u lt of election defeats and the lllfated plane trip of Rep. Hale Boggs ( D -L a .) InA laska. Boggs, who was House M a jo r ity L e a d e r In the last Con g re s s , was on a campaign trip with A la s k a's Rep. Nick Beglch (D) when th e ir plane disappeared O ct. 16. In tlw Senate, the defeat of S e n .M a r ge re t Chase Smith (R -M a ln e ) has opened the position of chairm an of the Republican C onference, which is the cau cus of a ll Republican Sena to rs . The defeat of Sen. Gordor A llo tt (R -C o lo .) has le ft vacant the job of chairm an oftheGOP P o lic y C o m m it» « . In addition, there may be Challenges to some party le a d e rs who are re lu m in g . Such challenges a re not un common at the beginning of a new com gress. News reports about le a d e r ship battles have focused on person alities ra th e r than the m o re Im portant Issue of open po reed u rea In selection of le a d e rs . Students register e le c u d . Students new to Portland Com m unity College fo r the w in te r term s u it in g January 2 w ill r e g ls u r Tuesday tlirough Thursday, January 2 through January 4, 9 a z n . to 8 p j n . and on F rid a y , Janu a ry 5, 9 a j n . to 4 p jn . Returning students and new students who have p re -r e g la - tered are c u rre n tly r e g ls u r - tng at both the Sylvania and Cascade centera. Counselors and c a re e r ex ploration tools a re available to help students deckle on the p ro gram beat suited to th e ir Interests and a b ilitie s . To make an appointment with a counts lo r, c a ll the PCC num b er 244-6111, and the o perator w ill help you. Santa’s Lane opens T h e re a re no eluee but lo u of workshops at The Salvation A rm y M en 's Social Service C e n u r . Recently rehabilitees there have been busy re p a ir ing toys and other contributed goods mi I table fo r C h ristm as g ifts , The résulta go on d is play the firs t weak of Decem b er In the main T h rlftS to rs at 139 S .E , Union. A C h ristm as lane In T i e Salvation A rm y T h r ift store is a " f i r s t " f o r t h » a r e a , ac cording to M aJorClenton Irb y , M an 's S o c » I S ervice C e n u r d ire c to r. The g ift c e n u r w ill be maintained u n tilC h r» tm a e If stocks can be continued. "W e fe lt there was a real need to P rovid e 're c y c le d ' g ift lu m a as a service to low Income fam llW s who went to have the Independence of buy ing th e ir own things but haven’ t the money to get what they want brand n ew ," M a jo r Irb y said. Persons who have toys and other s u lu b le g ift tu rn s that they would like to d on au may call The Salvation A rm y M en 's Social S ervice C e n te r fo r truck pick-up, 2 3 5-4192. P o r tla n d C o m m u n it y C o lle g e E d u c a t io n P r o g r a m s in y o u r If tradition Is followed, OOP znd D e m o c ra tic leaders w ill 1« selected in secret In each p a rty 's caucus In the Senate and H ixise when the new Con g re s s convenes In the firs t week of Janu ary. The caucus consists of a ll of the party's m em bers in tlie House o r Senate. T he p rincip al positions to be fille d by the D em o crats, who w ill continue as the m a jo r ity p arty, a re the Speaker ship, the M a jo rity L ea d e r, the p arty whip and the c h a ir man of the caucus. Although the Speaker is elected by tie e n tire House, the v o u Is on p arty lines and thus the In dividual nominated by the ma jo r ity party always w ins. The D e m o c ra tic p arty lead e r and caucus chairm an and the nominee fo r Speaker are selected by elections In tie caucus. The D e m o c ra tic whip, however, Is appointed by tie p a rty 's two top o ffic ia ls , tie Speaker and the party lead er. House Republicans meeting In caucus w ill be fillin g s im i la r leadership positions except that, as the m in o rity p arty , th s lr candidate fo r Speaker w ill serve as House M in o rity L e a d e r. A ll House Republican positions are In the Senate, Dem ocrats and Republicans e le ct a ll of th e ir le a d e rs . T he principal positions are m a jo rity and m in o rity leaders and whips and the chairm anships of tie Republican P o lic y Com m ittee and the caucus. In both cham bers, the lead e rs w ill seek to conduct all of this business In secret sessions. Common Cause » urging two principal reform s in the leadership selection process: public ra th e rth a n secret votes on i l l party leaders In both cham bers of Congress; and election ra th e r than appoint m ent of the House D e m o c ra t ic W hip. W h etb sr Congress consid e rs end passes legislation of one o r another p o litic a l phi losophy ( f o r exam ple, m ore o r less business o r consumer taxes, stronger o r w eaker pollution controls, and so on) w ill be much influenced by the p o litic a l outlook of each p a rty 's leadersh ip. The public should know how M em b e rs of Congress v o u on leadership contest; only when that Inform ation » available to the public can meaningful citizen Influence be brought to bear and can M em b e rs oi Congress be held accountable fo r th e ir votes on leadership choioes. Secret voting and hand picked appointment are the antithesis of an open Congress operating u nderthe scrutiny of an Inform ed e le c to r s » . C it izens would be outraged If the Senate o r House took a se c re t v o u on raisin g Income taxes. T h e re Is, by the same token, no good reason why the public should tolerate secret votes on the Con gressional leaders who w ill exercise so much control over the fate of the tax, pollution- control and o ther b ills that w ill come before Congress in the next two y e a rs . THE f FAMILY^ LAWYER^ Dog-Caused Collision c o m m u n ity C la a a a s s t a r t « J a n u a ry 2 C areer Development A d u lt Basic Education College transfer courses Hobbies and recreation Special events Molorisis kill dogs at an alarm ing rale But dogs can be deadly Io motorists, too One year’s study of a single thruway re vealed (hat more than 200 acci dents had been caused by dogs dashing in front of cars. What are the legal conse quences of such an accident? If a dog causes injury Io a motorist, may the owner of the dog he held liable in court? Consider 'his case A m o to ris t, suddenly con fronted by a dog in the street, swerved to the right, struck (he dog. lost control of his car. and crashed into a fire hydrant C all 244-6111 for a schedule of classes or to enroll. £2 F o r t i e n . C o m m u n i t y C o ll e g e 1 3 0 0 0 S o u th w e s t 4 . t h A v e . P o r t la n d . O r a « o n « 7 3 1 « Injured, he claimed damages from the owner of the dog under the stales "strict liability” law. Labor Bureau sets hearing Norm an O . N lls e n , theState L a b o r C o m m issio ner, has an nounced that he w ill hold a public fea rin g in Portland on Wednesday, D ecem b er 20, on a proposal to adopt ln u r p r e - tlve rules and policies fo r adm inistering and enforcing the stats P riv a te Em ploym ent Agency L a w . The hearing w ill be In Room 36 of the State Office Building 1400 S.W , F ifth Avenue. T im e w ill be 1:30 p j n . . T estim o ny can be made e ith e r o ra lly at the hearing o r submitted In w ritin g In advance. The proposed In te rp re tiv e rules end policies are con tained In a s u u m e n t explain ing what Is p ro per and what Is Im proper under the law which has been used since the law was revised In 1961 fo r the guidance of owners and operators of p riv a te e m ployment agencies. Copies may be obtained from A .W . (B u d )G a rd n e r. Ad m in is tra to r of the Wage and H o ur D ivision of the Oregon Bureau of L ab o r, 115 L ab o r and Industries Building, Salem , Oregon 97310, te le phone 378-3292. The Oregon P riv a te E m ployment Agency Law s apply to any business which con ducts an office o r a type of agency which acts, o ffers, prom ises o r attempts to get employment fo r others o r which provides fo r the re g is tration of persons seeking to gain o r re ttln em ploym ent o r which partlctpaiey in the giv ing of Inform ation about e m ployment which charges fo r Its services. The laws also apply to any person, bureau, organization o r school who offers to get employment fo r anyone who pays fo r 1» services orw hlch charges tuition o r charges fo r any services where the object of the person paying the money Is getting a job. Not subject to the law are educational associations with some teacher-placem ent ac tiv itie s , nonprofit organiza tions working fo r civic pur poses and vocational guidance agencies. A public hearing has been set fo r D ecem ber 21 by the Oregon Wage and H our C o m m ission on proposed revisions of the C o m m » s lo n 's C onsoli dated W ork O rd e r, according to Norm an O . N llsen , the State L a b o r C o m m issioner and ex ecutive O fficer to the Com m ission. The hearing, which was o rig in a lly set fo r D ecem ber 6 and was set over because of unavoidable conflicts, w ill be held at 10 a j n . in Room 36 of the Stale O ffice B uild ing In Portland, 1400 S.W . F ifth Avenue. The proposed revisions m ostly deal w ith providing equal coverage regarding w orking conditions f o r a lle m - ployers as authorized by the last session of the L eg is la tu re . P re v io u sly , coverage was perm itted only to women and m inors of both sexes un d e r 18 years of age. A lso proposed » that a ll persons ever 16 years of age he allowed to w ork as door- to -d o o r canvassers. A t p re s ent, such w ork Is denied to fem ales under 18 and m ales u n d er 16. And the court held that, since the dog had indeed caused the ac cident. the owner would have to fool the hill—even with no proof of his negligence Strict liability laws, although not yet universal, are already on the books in many states. And even without such a law. a dog owner may be held liable if shown to be negligent. In another case, a terrier had the habit of assaulting passing vehicles of all kinds. One day he rushed ferociou.ly at a youthful motorcyclist, causing him lo lose his balance and crash. Even with no strict liability law in effect, a court ruled that the dog’s owner would have to pay damages The court said he was guilty of negligence for failing to keep such a troublesome dog un der restraint. On (he other hand, there is no liability if the dog although in volved in the accident - was not really its cause Thus: A motorist, after barely touch ing a dog. ran his car into the ditch. But when he sought dam ages from the dog's owner, the quality of his own driving came under scrutiny. Considering all the circumstances of the en counter. the jury concluded that a reasonably careful driver would have had no trouble slaying on the road. Result: case dismissed. A p u b lic service fe a tu re o f the A m e ric a n B a r Association an d th e O reg o n S tale B a r Asaorla- a tio n . W ritte n by W ill B e rn a rd . C |972 American Bar Association The provisions Involving working conditions concern safe and sanitary work area, adequate lighting, adequate ventilation, adequate wash room s, adequate toilet fa c llf- tles, adequau rest rooms, adequate dressing rooms, ad equacy of what lunch rooms m ay be provided, adequate ta bles and work benches, suit able seating. Thursday, D ecem ber 14, |972 Cash and Maxey Barber Shop N llsen said the Comm ission welcom es testimony e ith e r o ra lly at the hearing o r sub m itted In w ritin g e ith e r at the hearing o r previously. Com m unications may be di rected to Wage and Hour D i vision, Oregon Bureau of L a b o r, 1 15 L a b o r and Indus trie s Building, Salem . Oregon 97310, Ulephone 378-3 292. 4603 N. Williams Lad y B a rb e r on d u ty Finally, a painless way to save. Now there’s a painless, almost fool proof way to save. Save-O-.Matic. It works very simply. You tell us how much you’d like to save each month, and w ell transfer it from your First National checking account to your savings account. Automatically. You’ll never miss the money. Hardly even realize you're saving it. Until, of course, you look at your savings account. It's a pleasant surprise. And completely painless! F IR S T N A T IO N A L OF OREGON B A N K H Member HJK. North Portland Special Patrolmen Inc. 1771 N. E. Dekum Portland, Oregon 97211 Phone 289-5536 Occupant: T his le tte r announces the opening of the NO RTH P O R T L A N D S P EC IA L P A T R O L M E N , IN C ., a p rivate, lo cally-ru n and operated s e curity force specializing in security p ro u c tlo n fo r homes and businesses, neighborhood patrol, and escort services. O u r office and staff are here to serve the C ity of Portland In any way we can The Portland Police Departm ent Is one of the finest In the Northw est, lacking only the necessary manpower to c over the growing c ity of P o rtland . You may not know It, tu t there are approxim ately 11,000 burglaries a y e a r In this city, and we are organizing all our resources to prevent a growing percentage of these, as w ell as any special security needs you m ight have. We hope you w ill give us a chance to be of service to you, as we have the very best of o ffic ers to serve you - hand picked and trained by the m ost qualified peo pie in modern law enforcem ent techniques. And we are bonded and insured fo r your p ro u c tlo n . W e are very proud of our organization, and we want a chance to show you what we have to o ffe r as the f ir s t m u lti-r a c ia l company of this kind In the Northw est. If you would like fu rth e r Inform ation, o r are interested In our services, please fill out the Inform ation sheet below . and our field representative w ill call on you. Thank you. Sincerely, T . J . O L IV E , P resid ent N A T H A N J . PRO BY. F ie ld Representative Name Address: Phone: Paite .1 I am In u r e s u d In Day P a tro l F o r M y Home Night P atro l F o r M y Home Business Security O ther North Portland Special P atro lm en . Inc. 1771 NE Dekum Street 289-5536