Page 2 Portland Übaerver Thursday, July 25, 1974 D R . JEFFREY B R A D Y Soys: UL supports welfare concepts 00 Not Put Off Needed Dental (aie ; WE SEE THE WORLD THROUGH BLACK EYES lU y v - z l ALFRED I. HENDERSON E ditor/P ub lish er EDITORIAL FOCUS Im peachm ent essential Morse leaves legacy W ayne M orse, th e fig h tin g Senator fro m O regon, is d ea d, but his legacy w ill liv e as lon g as the n a tio n survives. G reat m en w ill honor h im ; even his detractors w ill praise his courage and his spirit. But it is w e — th e Black, the poor, the ch ild re n , the a g e d -- w h o have b e n e fite d most from this m an's lon g a nd b rillia n t career and it is w e w h o w ill cherish his m em ory. O ur Senator was a leader in the fie ld o f C ivil Rigt.ts, a nd a lth o u g h he was the Senator from O re g o n , a state w ith fe w Black voters, the a c h ie v e m e n t o f equ al o p p o rtu n ity fo r e very in ­ d iv id u a l w as one o f his m ajor concerns. He began w ritin g and intro du cing a n ti-d is c rim in a tio n le g is la tio n soon a fte r his a rriv a l in the Senate, and w as an a u th o r and co-sponsor o f the 1964 C ivil Rights Act. This was d on e out o f p rin c ip le , not p o litic a l e xp e d ie n cy, for the Black cause was not a p o p u la r cause in those days. Senator M orse was assigned to the u n p o p u la r W a shington, D.C. C om m ittee w h e n he le ft the R epublican Party, but he re m a in e d on the c o m ­ m itte e th ro u g h o u t the re m a in d e r o f his years in the Senate, w o rk in g fo r s e lf-g o ve rn m e n t fo r this m a jo rity-B la ck city. In 1968, C larence M itc h e ll, d irector o f the NAACP W ashington Bureau, said "T he Black p e o p le o f W ashington, D.C. pray th a t the p e o p le o f O regon w ill return 'o u r' Senator to the Senate." W ayne M orse was a sponsor o f the Econom ic O p p o rtu n ity Act o f ,964 - the W ar on Poverty - w hich b ro u g h t H eadstart, th e Foster G randparents Program , m a n p o w e r tra in in g , and m any o the r essential program s to the poor o f the n atio n . In ,958, he becam e the first m an in the U nited States to intro du ce a m ed ica re b ill. He served on the special su bco m m itte e th a t p ro du ced the O ld e r A m ericans Act o f ,965. W ayne M orse's lea d e rsh ip pro du ced d ra m a tic changes in the fie ld o f e d u ca tio n le g is la tio n . M orse becam e ch a irm a n o f the Senate Education S ubcom m ittee in 1961 and under his le a d e rsh ip the U nited States Senate passed m ore e d u ca tio n le g isla tio n , in q u a n tity a nd q u a lity , than in the e ntire history o f the n a tio n . A fte r years o f in ­ decision, the U nited States Congress fin a lly endorsed the th eo ry th a t the fe d e ra l g o v e rn m e n t has a m o ra l o b lig a tio n to the e d u c a tio n of A m e rica 's ch ild re n . The m a jo r e du catio n le g is la tio n passed under Senator M orse's g u id a n ce includes the im p o rta n t Elem entary and Secondary Education Act, w hich p rovides special funds fo r the e d u ca tio n o f c h ild re n o f lo w -in c o m e fa m ilie s . S ecretaiy o f H ealth, Education and W e lfa re A b ra h a m R ibicoff said in 1965, "W h e n the nam e M orse app-tcrs on an e du catio n b ill, the present g e n e ra tio n o f c h ild re n a nd ch ild re n ye t unb orn w ill be assured th a t the b ill stands fo r the o ne m an w ho , in m y o p in io n m ore th an a n y o th e r sing le in d iv id u a l in the history o f the n atio n , has h e lp e d fu rth e r the cause o f e d u ca tio n in the U n ite d S tates." Senator M orse was w id e ly a ck n o w le d g e d as a fo re ig n p o lic y statesm an a nd his e a rly and lo n e ly o p p o sitio n to the V ie tn a m w a r was praised th ro u g h o u t the w o rld . His p osition as a labor law e xp e rt w as u n c h a lle n g e d His re p u ta tio n was estab lish ed as a co n stitu tio n a l e xp e rt, as a conser vatiom st, as one o f the Senate's le a d in g liberals, and as a source of strength a nd in sp ira tio n in the passage o f social le g isla tio n . i- ’ s courage and w illin g n e s s to fig h t long and nard, and o fte n a lo n e , and to oppose e vil w h e re v e r he fo u n d it is w e ll kn o w n . But the Senator from O regon w ill also be re m e m b e re d fo r his concern fo r the in d iv id u a l. N o p ro b le m w as too sm all and no person too in s ig n ific a n t fo r his personal a tte n tio n . A m id his speeches on the flo o r o f the Senate, his m asterful debates, his hours o f research a nd study, W ayne M orse m ade tim e to a tte nd to the personal p ro b le m s o f his constituents The late Social Security checks, the d e n ie d w e lfa re grants, the cases o f d is c rim in a tio n on the docks and in the Post O ffic e o f Portland, w ere to h im of ma|Or im p orta nce The w o rld w ill lon g rem e m b e r this g re a t Senator, w h o was n eve r a fro id to stand a lo n e on a m atter o f p rin c ip le ; w ho spent his career in the pursuit of in d iv id u a l lib e rty He co u ld have ta ken an easier path and avoideO the w ra th and the scorn o f those w h o opposed h im , but he liv e d his m otto, "P rin c ip le s A b ove P o litics". His life w ill re m a in an in sp ira tio n a n d a c h a lle n g e to those w ho also w o u ld serve I N ix o n 's re m a in in g R epublican supporters n ow have a n e w b a ttle cry. W h ile the President, th ro u g h his press secretary, calls the House Ju d ic ia l C o m m itte e a K angaroo C ourt, R ep ub lica n c o m ­ m itte e m em bers a re saying it d o e s n 't m a tte r w h a t the President has d on e, but the im p o rta n t d ecision is w h e th e r im p e a c h m e n t w o u ld be g o o d fo r the co un try. W ith o u t im p e a c h m e n t, h ow can a g o v e rn m e n t based on la w c o n tin u e to exist? If those w h o a re chosen to le a d the n a tio n b e lie v e th ey a re a b o v e the la w , if those w h o are chosen to e n fo rc e the la w b re ak it w ith im p u n ity , h o w can w e c a ll o u r­ selves a n a tio n o f law s? If those w h o sw ea r an o ath to u p h o ld the C on stitu tion v ie w its g u a ra n te e s w ith c o n te m p t and conspire to a v o id its p ro ­ visions — h ow can w e c la im a c o n s titu tio n a l g o v e rn m e n t? W e in A m e rica w e re m uch closer to a facist d ic ta to rs h ip than w e w ill e ver re a liz e O n ly because o f the b u n g lin g o f the W a te rg a te b urgla rs w e re w e a le rte d b efo re it w as too late. N o w th a t w e know the facts are w e to sit back a n d le t this m an reta in his o ffic e ? N ix o n has not sh ow n c o n tritio n . His coverup continues. There is no reason to b e lie v e that if he stays in o ffic e his abuse o f p o w e r w ill end. A n d if w e a llo w this c rim in a l a d m in is tra tio n to re m a in in o ffic e , how can w e e n fo rc e th e la w a g a in s t lesser m en? H ow lon g can o u r judges send little o ld ladies to ta il fo r re fu s in g to pay th e ir w a r tax w h ile a ru lin g p re s id e n t gets a w a y w ith c h e a tin g on his incom e tax? H ow lon g can our judges send youngsters to d e te n tio n hom es fo r s te a lin g cigarettes or records w h e n th e ir p re s id e n t has stolen m illio n s o f d o lla rs from the A m e ric a n p e o p le ? W o u ld im p e a c h m e n t be g o o d fo r the A m e ric a n p e o p le ? If a g o v e rn m e n t is to rest on trust, th en im p e a c h m e n t is essential " LETTERS * Dear M r. Henderson: almost single-handedly by backing what he believes in, a right to an education by all. especially our rejected and ejected younger brothers and sisters from the Portland Public Education system who tokenly promote Blacks. There are others too: George Page, Leon Johnson, Judge Mercedes Deiz, Rev­ erend John Jackson, Vivian Burnett, Dennis Payne, Hel oise Hill, the first Black woman principal in Oregon elementary and secondary education. Reverend Sam Johnson, Paul Knauls, John M u lle n , L ew W in ch es ter, Rita Clinton, Fred Markey, and Paul Wm. Dixon. This list could go on and on. Yours truly, Paul Wm. Dixon inei:il The and to have a lawyer to help in this process. W e lfa re assistance or public assistance, in its sev­ eral forms, is a Right and should not be regarded as a hand out from the "haves" to the “have nots". Monies provided recipients represent a relatively small fraction of all taxes paid by all people who have worked, are now working and. hopefully, will be working in the future. The re c ip ie n t's p arents, spouse or offspring have either paid or will be paying taxes as time passes. Most of our existing social services are sponsored by the larger society for all who are or will be in need. The Social Security Act. rightfully interpreted, estab lishes a philosophical and economic framework for a real partnership of the Fed eral Government, state and local governments in pro­ viding financial assistance to large groups of individuals who temporarily or perma nently lack the means of livli hood to which they are entitled. The Social Security A rt and similar Federal measures are but conscious or unconscious expressions of the concern of civilized people "who ca re " th a t human beings live and not merely survive who are also concerned that all hu man beings, regardless of social class or etnnic origin, are accorded the opportunity for self development, self determination, and meaning ful contribution to family and community life. Further more, the Social Security Act is the recognition of the destructive effects of eco nonne deprivation upon hu man life and human achieve ment. The object of meeting human needs in a way that will be acceptable and. there fore, most helpful to the in dividual client and client community requires an em pathic, trained staff with sound conviction regarding the rights and dignity ot human beings. Ironically, the m atter of an individual's right to public assistance is feared by some people, at least until they find themselves facing the need for such assistance. It is then "a horse of another color”. To many people public assistance connotes the indiscriminate "giving to any and every idler who chooses to be supported by those who toil." Others feel it is a threat to democracy. It is well to recall that the sound American conviction that the needy individual has a claim on society of the right to public financial assis tance had its beginnings for us in the passage of the English Poor Law of 1601 With the growth of the American legal system, poor relief practices were in stituted by our colonial and ea rly A m erican fath ers. Have we 20th century Ameri cans suddenly and conviently lost that conviction? Our forefathers and mothers felt that "no man should lark the means of survival." In the "good ole days" it was commonly believed that able bodied men were obli gated to work, but that temporarily or permanently larking capacity or oppor tunity to work, they had a right to assistance. Where are the jobs? W ith the unconscious fear, on the part of some selfish. I R hodesia b o yco tt TO THE EDITOR How you prioritized your list of Black people making the news leaves me won dering how much research into Albina and other Oregon State communities was done. The list of Blacks pre sented was impressive but incomplete, in my opinion. Hopefully, your next issue will include other Blacks making contributions to the brothers and sisters in this and other communites of Oregon. Assuming that this recog nition is going to be given again, I would like M r. Rance Spruill's name placed among them. His record as the Director of the Albina Youth Opportunity School speaks for itself. Educationally speaking, M r. Spruill has kept the doors of AYOS open In accordance with a re solution on “Full Public Assistance for the leg ally Entitled" adopted by the N a tio n al U rb a n League, there are at least five legal entitlements for public assis­ tance recipients: D The Right to Apply and to receive prompt determi nation of eligiblity; 2> The Right to Equal Treatm ent and to have needs and resources judged by the same standards in all parts of the state: 3) The Right to Cash Pay ment. or provision of medical care and other services with out restriction, and to spend the cash as one sees fit without dictation by the wel fare worker or department, unless a special finding is made that money is not being spent in the interest of the child; 4) The Right to Service on a non discriminatory basis within the funds available: S#äilin& Telephone: Subscriptions: $5.25 (»er year in the T ri County area, $«.00 per year outside Portland. Second Class Postage Paid at Portland, Oregon The Portland Observer’s official position is expressed only in its Publisher’s column (We See The World Through Black Eyesl. Any other material throughout the paper is the opinion of the individual w riter or submitter and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Portland Observer. During the last session of Congress, the Senate passed S.1868 to repeal the Byrd amendment which has al lowed the importation of chrome, ferrochrome, and other materials from Rho desia in violation of United Nations sanctions. In Rho desia today, a white itiinority of 5 percent dominates an African population of 95 per cent. The economic and political structure of Rho desia is built qn white con trol. Since 1965 when the illegal Smith regime declared Independence u n ila te ra lly , the regime has increasingly strengthened its police state powers, jhiled African na tionals. and moved towards a total repression of the Afri can community modeled after South A fric a 's ap arth eid system. In 1971, believing that the defense of the U.S. and job security of its workers re­ quired it. Congress passed legislation breaking these sanctions. There is enough chrome ore in the United States stockpile for defense needs for the next half cen tury. In fact, President Nixon has proposed that some 2 million tons of chrome ore and 768,000 tons of ferrochrome be disposed as surplus. Africa has be­ come a critical source of natural resources for the United States. The U.S. already gets 25 percent of oil from Africa. For the United States to support 'white suprem acy in Southern Africa would be to invite a negative attitude In the supplying of vital resources from Black Africa. Secretary of State Kiss inger has stated that the Byrd amendment is an ob stacle to the conducting of foreign affairs, and advocates its repeal. A vote on H.R. 8005 to repeal the Byrd amendment is due on the Floor of the Congress within narrow minded people, that persons other than ourselves might survive and be happy, has also come the fear that individuals might feel they have the right to public assistance. The accompanying under lying attitude seems to be that needy people must not feel entitled to those rights to which they are entitled. Even in these modern times of wealth and enlightenment, people who are on welfare rolls are treated and re garded as worthless paupers. Attempts are made to con trol their freedom to spend the little money received through public assistance through the imposition of unreasonable laws and too close supervision by those who lack a real under standing of human dignity. The National Urban League joins other concerned citizens and human service agencies in meeting the great chai lenge and social responsi hility of conserving human resources through the pro vision of adequate social welfare services. Enjoy D e n ta l H e a lth N o w a n d Im p ro v e Your A p p e a ra n c e (OMI IN Al TOUR t ON»I N4hl I 'PIN SílllSÍA» M O lhSt • kO AFFÓlklMíM M IlH ü' • t OMPI t It (ÜUPfBAÜOk O h A U b lk U l , ‘ HSl M M PlAks • (ÜM PUIt dlfc'Al tb» U U N IO N O i C O N P A NV O I N T A l -N S U t A N C I C O V O A O I A C C IP T IO O N TO UR N IIO IO r iN T .V B v A » M 'k e S h e p la * M O U IV W « o b o y t l J O i m l o J p w S o ’ • JO a m »o I p m D R . JEFFREY B R A D Y , D E N T IS T SIM LIH BUILDING 5 \A 3ru A M e i iv - • P vitR ind O regon Take t ic v o 'o ’ to 2” ii 1lu u ' 3' a S’ ! »tun « Phone: 2 2 8 -7 5 4 5 N ot E v e r y o n e S u b sc r ib e s To The I Portland Observer b a t th e n , not e v e ry o n e c o m e s In o a t o f t h e r a i n , e i t h e r . o w A b o u t V on ? $5.25 $6.00 RATES: in Tri-County Area and Armed Services O ther Areas of the US Name the next two weeks. In dividuals who believe the passage of this amendment is contrary to the best in terests of the African people should contact their Con gressman immediately. Address C ity ___ State 22 0 1 N . K illin g s w o rth P o rtla n d , O re g o n 9 7 2 1 7 P R IN T IN G PROBLEMS? C a ll us to d a y ! C o m m e rc ia l p r in t in g - L ith o g ra p h y T y p e s e ttin g - W eb Press EXIE Publishing, Inc. 283 2487 I