Portland observer., May 24, 1973, Page 2, Image 2

Page 2
Portland/O beerver
I
Thursday, M ay 24,
WE SEE THE WORLD 0
»
THROUGH BLACK EYES
With Ron Hsndren
A YOUNG VIEW OF WASHINGTON
ALFRED LEE HENDERSON
EDITOR/PUBLISHER
AMERICA’S BICENTENNIAL TEST OF MATURITY
King Richard : guilty or innocent ?
P resident N ix o n has d ire c tly or in d ire c tly b ro k e n
e v e ry te n e t on w h ic h the p rin c ip le s o f d e m o c ra c y
a n d th e p h ilo s o p h y a n d system o f A m e rica n g o v ­
e rn m e n t a re based.
Can a m an w h o has so
su b ve rte d th e g o v e rn m e n t he w as e le cte d to lea d
a n d th e C o n s titu tio n he w as sw orn to u p h o ld c o n ­
tin u e to g u id e n ot o n ly the A m e ric a n p e o p le b ut
the n a tio n s o f the w o rld ?
W h a t is a d e m o cra cy? O r if you p re fe r, w h a t is
o u r re p u b lic a n fo rm o f g o v e rn m e n t? It is based on
som e v e ry s im p le b u t im p o rta n t ide als: The rig h t
o f th e p e o p le to choose th e ir re p re s e n ta tiv e in a
fre e e le c tio n , based upo n a tw o -p a rty system ;
checks a n d
b a la n ce s on
g o v e rn m e n t p o w e r
th ro u g h th e se p a ra tio n a n d e q u a lity o f the th re e
bra nch es o f g o v e rn m e n t — th e e x e c u tiv e , le g is ­
la tiv e a n d ju d ic ia l; a system o f c iv il lib e rtie s th a t
insures p e rs o n a l fre e d o m a nd p riv a c y so th a t the
c itize n n e e d n ot fe a r h arassm ent or in tim id a tio n
fro m th e p o lic e a rm o f th e a o v e rn m e n t.
P resident N ix o n a n d his closest frie n d s a n d a d ­
visors h a ve in th e ir q ue st fo r p o w e r b ro ke n a ll o f
these basic rig h ts o f o u r g o v e rn m e n t.
He has
p la c e d h im s e lf a b o v e th e la w , a b o v e the courts,
a b o v e th e C o n s titu tio n o f the U n ite d States.
Fearing th a t the A m e ric a n p e o p le w o u ld e le c t
so m eone e ise , the N ix o n c a m p a ig n not o n ly used
p o litic a l e s p io n a g e , b ro k e c a m p a ig n fin a n c e law s,
d e a lt in s la n d o r, a n d used a ll o f th e a g e n cie s o f
g o v e rn m e n t to o b ta in re -e le c tio n , th e y e ve n w e n t
so fa r as to in te rfe re w ith the rig h t o f the m e m b e rs
o f the o p p o s in g p a rty to choose th e ir o w n c a n d i­
date.
This com es ve ry close to c re a tin g a o n e -
p arty system th a t w e so lo u d ly co nd em n w h e n
fo u n d in o th e r natio ns.
The in te rfe re n c e w ith th e e le c tio n is but a m in o r
p a rt o f th e a d m in is tra tio n 's m isuse o f p o w e r. The
a d m in is tra tio n m a d e g re a t e ffo rts to co n ce a l those
a c tiv itie s , g o in g so fa r as to b u y w itnesses, c o m m it
p e rju ry , b rib e g o v e rn m e n t o ffic ia ls , in te rfe re w ith
th e courts, use th e C IA a n d th e FBI a n d d estroy
records. This show s n ot o n ly a d isre g a rd fo r the
e le c to ra l process, b u t a su bve rsio n o f the courts
a nd p o lic e p o w e rs.
President N ix o n has o p e n ly d e fie d Congress. He
has im p o u n d e d m o n e y vo te d fo r p a rtic u la r uses by
Congress.
He has e ven
im p o u n d e d m o n e y
b e lo n g in g to p ro g ra m s he su pp o rte d h im s e lf
b e fo re the e le c tio n . He has c o n tin u e d the b o m b ­
ing o f C a m b o d ia a g a in s t th e w ishe s o f Congress,
a n d e ven said th a t if C ongress refuses fu n d s fo r
b o m b in g , he w ill fin d th e m e lse w h e re .
He has in te rfe re d w ith th e system o f justice. His
in te rfe re n c e in th e Ellsberg case caused the
charges to be dism issed.
He o ffe re d th e ju d g e
h e a rin g th e Ellsberg tria l a h ig h o ffic e d u rin g the
course o f th e tria l.
He has used the Justice
D e p a rtm e n t, th e C IA a n d th e FBI to spy on the
o p p o s itio n a n d p ro v id e in fo rm a tio n to his p o litic o 1
c a m p a ig n . N ot o n ly is this u n fa ir a n d ille g a l, it is
a m isuse o f fe d e ra l funds.
He o rd e re d th e w ire ta p p in g o f his o w n a nd
K issinger's sta ff.
He set up a secret u n it o f the
Justice D e p a rtm e n t to spy on the p o litic a l o p p o s i­
tio n .
He used th e FBI a n d th e C IA to his o w n
p o litic a l ends. He has in te rfe re d and) re a ch e d into
th e v a rio u s a g e n c ie s o f g o v e rn m e n t — Justice,
C o m m e rce , S e curities — u n til no d ire c to r kn ow s
w h e th e r his e m p lo y e e s a re p u b lic servants or ser­
vants o f th e President.
N o o ne is r e a lly safe fro m th e e s p io n a g e
a n d s p yin g o f th e a d m in is tra tio n
— not c o n ­
gressm en, not Senators, n ot peace groups, not the
press, n ot c iv il rig h ts lea de rs, not e ven the
c o m m o n c itiz e n .
H o w can th e p re s id e n t n o w le a d the p e o p le o f
th is n a tio n ?
W h e th e r or not d ire c t e v id e n c e
in c o n c lu s iv e ly b in d s h im to these crim es, is not his
a b ility to g o v e rn se riou sly in d o u b t?
For if the
P resident has so is o la te d h im s e lf th a t he does not
k n o w w h a t his closest frie n d s , associates a n d a d ­
visors a re d o in g , h o w can he k n o w w h a t is h a p ­
p e n in g in th is n a tio n ?
If, w h e n ru m o rs w e re
ra m p a n t across the c o u n try , he d id not e v e n b oth e r
to ask frie n d s w h a t w as g o in g on, th e n does he
h a v e th e in s ig h t a n d a b ility to le a d ? If he chose
those m en, a n d e v e n c o n tin u e d to c o ll them
h o n o ra b le b u t m is le d w h e n he had to le t th em go
to save h im s e lf, does he h ave th e ju d g e m e n t to
lead?
As J u lia n Bond said, "T h e m a n is e ith e r a fo o l or
a c ro o k. Either he c a n n o t c o n tro l his s ta ff a n d they
h id it fro m h im , in w h ic h case he's a fo o l; or he
k n e w a n d a p p ro v e d , w h ic h m akes h im a th ie f and
a c r o o k ."
W h e th e r he is g u ilty or w h e th e r he has m e re ly
b e e n used is n o t im p o rta n t. N ix o n is c a lle d "K in g
R ic h a rd " in jest -- b ut he is the closet th in g w e
h a v e e v e r h ad to a d ic ta to r. If he re a lly b e lie v e s
in th e d e m o c ra tic process, in th e p e rso n a l lib e rty
a n d in th e fu tu re o f n a tio n , he a n d his e n tire a d ­
m in is tra tio n w ill resign .
Those w h o say "in n o c e n t u n til p ro v e n g u ilty "
a re rig h t.
N ix o n is in n o c e n t u n til p ro v e n g u ilty .
But w e a re n ot ta lk in g a b o u t c o n v ic tin g h im o f a
c rim e a n d p u ttin g h im in ja il; w e are ta lk in g a bo ut
s a lv a g in g a c o u n try .
As fo r Spiro A g n e w , p erh a p s he is an in n o ce n t
b y s ta n d e r; h o w e v e r, w e m ust not fo rg e t th a t he
w as e le c te d w ith th e sam e m o n e y, th e same
crim e s a n d th e sam e "C o m m itte e to R e-E lect" as
th e President.
W e d o not n e e d to th in k a b o u t im p e a c h m e n t
because th e y w e re not e le c te d le g a lly . Since the
e le c tio n w as rig g e d a n d ille g a l, the e le c tio n should
be th ro w n o u t a n d N ix o n a n d A g n e w d e th ro n e d .
W ASHINGTON With the opening o f the
Watergate hearings last week, the Ameri­
can government, now approaching its
200th anniversary, undertook an impor­
tant test of its maturity.
Pew courses are more heavily laden
with potential disaster than one which
even hints of the possibility of serious
wrongdoing on the part of the President.
And although there is no evidence at
this time to implicate Mr. Nixon, enough
doubt has been cast to set in motion a
dangerous undertow in the still-rising
Watergate tide
How the investigators handle that un­
dertow is as much a key to the final
outcome of the matter as are the facts
themselves.
One of the problems is that the actions
and styles of Mr Nixon and many of
those he gathered about him, both inside
the White House and throughout the
executive branch, have not been calcu-
froin those in the media who exposed this
sordid affair or those in Congress who are
now charged with investigating it.
Indeed, when the resignations of Mr
Haldeman and Mr Erlichman were finally
announced, the first reaction on Capitol
Hill was jubilation These men played key
roles in establishing and maintaining the
overall attitude of contempt which the
White House for years has displayed
toward Congress and the press Pew were
sony to see them go
The temptation, then, is to administer
to the President and his former advisors
some of the same medicine which they
themselves dished o u t - t o let personal
feelings turn what should be a careful and
deliberate process into a charade
When Senator Ervin opened the hear­
ings. he voiced his determination to avoid
that pitfall His Republican counterpart.
Senator Howard Baker (Tenn.), under­
scored that determination
Certainly, Senator Ervin is the man to
head the committee There is no question
in anybody's mind about his integrity
There are no questions as to his skill as a
lawyer and his expertise as an authority
on the Constitution If any member of
the Senate could keep the Watergate
committee on course, it is he
But Senator Ervin's assurance notw ith­
standing, the doubt is still .here The heat
of scandal is a powerful force which has
consumed many o f the best intentions,
and when the glare of national television
is added to that heat, the outcome is
somehow all the more unpredictable
This is not to say the heanngs should
not go on What appears to have been
perpetrated is of so serious a nature as to
compel a thorough public examination
which would not likely be achieved
through the courts alone
Persons, almost on the eve o f our
200th anniversary as a free nation, have
attempted to thwart the democratic pro­
cess which has kept us free for these two
centuries. And apparently, they did not
do it for money or for personal gain, but
rather out of a commitment to the
President they served and ideals he stood
for
And no matter how tired we become
of reading about the Watergate, we must
not let that thought pass from our minds
As Senator Ervin said, "There are people
who wouldn't steal a penny o f your
money but who would steal your vote
That is a queer kind of morals " It is
more than a queer kind of morals It is an
unacceptable kind of morals And it is a
kind o f morals which must not be in­
dulged in to any degree by any o f those
investigating the Watergate affair
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