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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (April 24, 1975)
Page 2. THE GAZETTE-TIMES, Heppner, OR.. Thursday, Apr. 24. 1975 Horse sense Itv ERNEST V. JOINER V. I t) There are times when we become so exasperated with laws and problems of their enforcement that we're inclined to throw up our hands and go along with those who would decriminalize" crime. This is, in fact, a growing practice. England had a dope problem, with severe penalties for drug abuse. Unable to curb the spreading cancer, she decided to join'em. The English passed laws making it possible for any drug addict to get a free "fix" at taxpayer expense. The problem has considerably diminished. In India, the New Delhi Municipal Council found by experience that it could not stop politicians from stealing and accepting graft. It passed a law legalizing bribery and corruption, but set limits on the amount any one politician could steal. The United States has been unable to cope with drugs and with marijuana in particular. Consequently, several slates (Oregon among them ) are moving to make marijuana use and possession a misdemeanor. The limited experience indicates a slackening of interest in the stuff. A high school in Baltimore was plagued with fistfights and petty crime. Police officers decided that if they couldn't whip'em, join'em. They got hold of the ringleaders and made Junior Policemen of them. Comparative calm descended upon the campus. California schools find they cannot control smoking among the public school students! There is a bill in the legislature now to permit schools to set aside "smoking areas" where students may gather to jeopardize their health in a segregated environment. We all remember 'the classic solution to winning the war in Vietnam: just declare that the U.S. had triumphed, bring the boys home for a ticker-tape parade, and ignore anv resultant protests! Now. the way things are going in the courts these days, we appear to be well on the way toward solving the problem of murder by turning the murderers loose-to be followed by repeal of laws against it. I suspect. On the other hand, when this country was young and vigorous: when heroes were being made whom we honor to this dav. a rigid criminal code regulated frontier society. A lot of people didn't live to draw their social security pavments. but people generally were safe in their homes. Lvman Jones, Times editor, produced this excerpt from the Criminal Code. State of Connecticut, circa 1650: "If any man have a stubborn and rebellious son of sufficient years and understanding, viz., 16 years of age. which will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and that when thev have chastened him will not hearken unto them, then mav his father and his mother, being his natural parents, lay hold on him and bring him to the magistrates assembled in Court, and testify unto them that their son is stubborn and rebellious and will not obey their voice and chastisement, but lives in sundry and notorious crimes, such a son will be put to death." aj Here we have two opposing social philosophies, the extremely lenient one toward criminals and the extremely harsh one. What interests me is that in both attitudes there is a lack of interest in human life. In today's popular retreat from punishment there is little or no consideration for the innocent victims of crime and murder. In the old and harsh frontier code there was little or no compassion for the actual perpetrator of crime, including murder. Now that we have enjoved both systems we should be able to make up our minds whether society's consideration is to be for the criminals or for the victims of criminals. It would appear the board of equalization may have its work cut out for itself this year. Most of the Heppner residents received distasteful news in last weeks mail. It came in the form of a notice concerning the increase in appraised property values. Some of the raises came in whopping proportions. Perhaps its time for the State Department of Revenue to distribute pamphlets telling how to appeal values you feel are too high. It is a little hard to understand how last year's appraisal could be so far off. It was made from an inside inspection and this one had to be from the sidewalk in my case. 0 A few years ago during our involvement in Vietnam, the demonstrators were out in force protesting our inhumane methods of carrying on the war. There hasn't been a war yet that didn't see the innocent, women and children, being killed. It was particularly true in Vietnam due to the uncertainty of knowing who the real enemy might be. Where are all the protestors today now that the Communists are killing women and children and beheading surrendered officials. No one is cry ing about inhumane treatment. Maybe their true color is showing. NP 1 L PROSECUTION MANIA HATCHECK Tax appeal Mayor of Hardman assistance dear mister editor: available "Mine Is The Big White One Over There With The Halo Above Property owners have the right to appeal if they feet their property value is exces sive. The assessor's office should be contacted before May t to determine if a mistake may have been made. After May 1 you must appeal to the county board of equalization. The appeal form is available at the county assessors office. After filling out this form it must be filed with the county clerk between the 2nd and 3rd Monday in May. The State Department of Revenue has published a pamphlet giving guidelines for making your appeal. This publication is also available at the assessor's office. Returns home Following three weeks of chemo therapy treatment at the University of Oregon Medical School. Portland. Garland Swansnn. president of the Port of Morrow and a prominent rancher has re turned home Although visitors are re stricted, the family said that cards and letters would be appreciated as he 'is still receiving treatment. The mail pouch EDITOR: I am writing this letter not to the editor but to the general public I would like to make you aware of a problem that I'm sure most people don't know exists. If the average person desired telephone service, he would contact the telephone company and ask that a phone be installed. In a few days the service man would be at your door to install your phone. In our case service has not been so easilv obtained. Four years ago we first asked for telephone service to find out that even though we were only 18 miles from the nearest telephone we couldn't go to the end of that line because we were in another company's territory. At that time their nearest phone (in our territory! was over 10 miles away. Since then they have built a line to a new site. We are now 51 miles from the nearest phone in our territory. Still the cost of building to that line is over $5,000. to the phone company, plus the time and equipment to put the line in. The construction would also be our responsibility. In addition to that it would be up to us to get all of the legal easements. We have tried many times and in many ways to be released from the territory we are in so we could be serviced by the other company or to be allowed to go the route of a foreign exchange service, thus going the 18 miles to service. Paying the company whose territory we are in a FEX fee every month The manager has refused to release us from his territory or even to allow us to use the foreign exchange policv to receive telephone service. Recently I spent some time in the P.U.C. office in Salem only to find out we are at the mercy of the telephone companvs. There is no way a private individual can petition the P.U.C. Dept of a telephone company which would allow us to cross this imaginary line. I realize the P.U.C. Dept. was established to protect the public but as near as I can see it is creating a monopoly working for the big companies at the expense and mercy of the individual. Right now we are trying a mobile phone in our car, so far . the problems have been so many I can't even begin to list them. The only hope I can see is to get a bill through the legislature to allow an individual to petition to be released from one territory thus allowing another company to service you if you can show good cause. I think the outlay of over $5 ooo is more than ample cause. LEANN REA 7 S. fl wm 'Waal ' I E - aW T ' m ix M 1 vr V vrv R iy-'' It." School board . . . (Continued from Page I) High, Pamela Dean. Language arts teacher at Heppner High and Penny Shepherd, fifth grade teacher at A C. Houghton Superintendent Doherty told board members that at present it appears that there will be very little turn over in staff this coming year. He reported that he already has some 150 applications from teachers wanting jobs in the district. The board voted to advertise a job opening for an assistant to the superintendent. Such a position had not been filled after Ernie Teal resigned as curriculum coordinator in July. 1974. However, the position had been budgeted for. Members of two vocational cluster advisory committee were approved for Riverside High School Memlx-rs of the vocational agriculture cluster are Mike Conley. Robert Sicard and Kurt Gantenhein of Boardman and Benny McCoy and George Kenney of Irngon Members of the secretarial-clerical cluster are Barbara Centner. Shirley Zielinski. Harold Baker. Oscar Showmake. and Shirley Donovan of Boardman and Barbara Byrd of Irngon. The board received a request from a national committee for National Guard and Reserve Armed Services asking the board to adopt a policy that would insure that all employees of the district in the Guard or Reserve be allowed participation in the training exercises of those bodies at anytime during the year without a cut in pay or vacation time. The board choose not to respond because they felt that the majority of their employees were hired on a nine months basis and such a policy would place a hardship on the district. Secondly, because they didn't think any of their employees were members of such groups. Mr. and Mrs. Stein were present to discuss the sale of school property in lone to them by the board The property in question has been before the board for discussion on several occasions. Originally a lot was sold to the Elwayne Bergstroms for $212 50 The Bergstroms could not get title to the lot because a 30 by 100 foot piece of the lot actually was not the boards to sell. The money was returned to the Bergstroms. The board then agreed to sell the lot to the Steins for the same price charged the Bergstroms. However, the Steins requested a reduction in price because they were not purchasing the 30 by 100 foot piece of land. In action Monday night the board approved a price of $75 for the actual land being sold to the Steins The Steins indicated they would accept the offer. Board members Jack Sumner and Don McElligott were absent from the meeting The next regular meeting of the Morrow County School Board will be Monday. May 19, at Boardman, beginning at 8 p.m. Girl receives injuries in early morning accident W1ien "lil" feller needs a friend Although only Ihrw yean old, Justin (Jak) Murray is not too young for com tition. He participated In the barrf . racet, Sunday at the Wrangler'i play day and finished third, with the help of hit il.tef Anne, who is leading the bronco. Jeanine Hammons, 19, nar rowly escaped serious injury early Sunday morning. She was driving home and fell asleep at the wheel of her car. The car hit a bank and rolled over, pinning her arm under the top of the overturned car. She tried to free herself but wai unable to do so. Knowing she was but a short distance from her home, ihe started honking the horn. The noise awoke the family dog, who started barking. The dog'i barking awakened Jeanlne'a father who heard Field day . (CanUnue from Page 1) Murry was junior showman. Sub novice in dog obedience went toTamlGorham; novice wai Dee Dee Rood and Kathy Enbysk was winner In the senior division. Public speakers from The Dalles FFA chapter took 1st and 3rd place honors. First was Debbie Miller, 2nd Jerry Lee of Prineville and 3rd was Ann Tenwuon. Bobby Fisher of Spray was most proficient in the 4 II tractor driving contest to take 1st place honors. His counter part In the FFA contest was the continuous honking. Thinking it was some prank sters in the area he Investigat ed and found his daughter. He notified the hospital who sent an ambulance to the scene, however, they could not free the girls arm. Sheriff Mollahan was called and with the aid of a Jack the girl was released. She was taken by ambulance to Pio neer Memorial Hospital for treatment of a broken collar bone and multiple bruises. She was released from the hospital Tuesday. Tom Wood of Prineville. The 4 II displays Included bicycle club, International bread display, pin cushion, lealhercrafl, clothing and purses. Sue Olson of Heppner won the drawing for the purse. The Heppner FFA displayed projects of skill In woodwork ing and welding. Cherl Jo Carter, extension agent from The Dalles, was home economics Judge. Ron Davis of Olex, was livestock Judge and Ken Killingsworth of Fossil was presentation and public speaking Judge. . .... .i ,! liitl nlace. lest like we S ?S! le can depend on to operate on skedu e. M, d I?S5ft heirwl h the cleaning and with gi.ting the ISJSt like I ain't been helping fer the past 50 year 8 T. w!s giod , Mist" Editor, to git down to real Issue, during the sAionV the country store Saturday nigh . It was Zeke rruhb that allowed the hole thinking machinery of this J try ha bTn overhauled fer the worst In the las. 25 year, He sa d we got our gears stripped when we can repeat down to the S how much military aid we m" Ikle in a civil war on the other side of the world but we ain t 1 nl i how much our county tax rate s or how much we Sy our police to keep order at home. It's that kind of big Eki g declared Zeke. that Is the root of some o our woet. rnefa I speaking, the fellers was agreed with Zekes S c S J a thinking. Bug Hookum claimed our cS is to blame" fer a lot of It. We leach agriculture, ho Sture and all them cultures. Bug laid, and we know all K big words ain't worth a cuss til we boil etr . down to arming and ranching. We got companies begging fer S s and accountants. Bug went on. and we .end our yXgun-sto college where they take training In movie appreciation and how to shoot pool. .... FdDoolittle got the floor and said he read a piece where some col ege is giving a course called the science of Strimony " In the firs, place, matrimony ain't a -lence. Fd said, it's a mistake ever man ought to make one. fer his own itood In the second place, Solomon hisself couldn . teach waller of scalding ho. coffee. You got to do it to know It. and when you do you're stuck with it. Actual, broke in Zeke. Ihe hole world is like Ihe ocean l.ner that lost its compass. The captain come on the speakers and old the passengers not to worry. We don't know where we are, the captain said, but we know we re making good time It looks like, Mid Zeke, that the civiliied world has give up all important business but learning how to kill one another qlpmonal Mister Editor, I couldn't help but recall the piece S saw in the papers recent where dentists die younger and have a higher rate of suicide and divorce than any profession. Thev know how to fix teeth painless, but they worry theirselfs to death over their patients worrying about the pain of going to the dentist It looks like we've lost confidence In ourselfs. and that worry is catching I would say w e got a world worry epidemic to worry about. Vours truly. MAYOR ROY. Jen Elijah Muhammad in retrospect l IKSTKItKINSOl.MNG The Rev and Hon Walter Fauntroy. Congmsonal Delegate of the District of Columbia, has described the recent death of Black Muslim leader Elijah Muhammad a. a loss to the nation " ... i. Chicago's Mavor Richard Daley lamented this demise in what he termed' "a great loss to Ihe City of Chicago and the MTht Rev Jesse Jackson, also of Chicago, proclaimed: The Prophet has passed, but the prophecy lives on ' The Washington Post published reams of such extensively doctored encomia as to suggest the possibility of their eulogizing the wrong man For those who are at all acquainted with the highlights of the career of this meretricious hate peddler, such eulogies-even from religious groups-inevitably brought to mind Ihe ancient aphorism: Here he the dead-and here the living lie. In Chicago, the superb editorial voice of Mike Royko provided a rare dissent and antidote to this near-epidemic of effusion, For Royko, who has been closely watching the Honorable Elijah Muhammad lalso of Chicago) for years, has noted: We're told about the fine example Muhammad et lor nis followers, teaching them self respect and selfIisciplin. That may be true, and those are desirable virtues. But wonder what part Ihe death of Malcolm X had in teaching discipline-an event noticeably overlooked by Elijahs eulogizers." , . Somehow over the years the blame for Malcolm s death has been shifted to (what Elijah described a 'the white-skinned, blue-eyed devils' ... But the convicted killers of Malcolm were black and at least two of them were Black Muslims." "Some of the warmest praise came from national religious organizations, who spoke of (The Honorable's) firm leadership, good works and fine example ... I wonder If they would gush in the same way about a white leader who ranted quite recently about blacks being 'the enemy.' What about a white leader who preached that we must segregate whites and black? . . . Who preached racism and racial hatred? . . He preached racism and racial hatred, pure, simple and unmistakable." "Try to Imagine somebody establishing white private schools In Chicago that preached racial hatred against blacks. Jesse Jackson would have pickets all over the place. Yet the Rev. Mr. Jackson has praised rather than picketed this patently anti -Christian bigot, who managed to merchandise malice Into an empire worth a reported 175 million and a following of nearly 100.000. This following Included an unofficial and Informal sort of harem for The Honorable, according to a report of the late Malcolm X. This expose was announced by Malcolm publicly-Just before he was assaasinated. To give credit where it is due. Elijah Muhammad did leach "racial pride" and "discipline," Indeed yes. Thia la undoubtedly the reason that one celebrated guest of the Black Muslims was the late American Nazi, George Lincoln Rockwell, who hailed The Honorable as "The Adolf Hitler of the black man." And THIS la what Congressman Fauntroy, Mayor Daley, the Rev. Mr. Jackson, The Washington Post and other gushers are telling us is "a loss to the nation." THE GAZETTE-TIMES MORROW COUNTY'S NEWSPAPER Box 337. Heppner, Ore. 97836 Subscript ion rate : 16 per year in Oregon, $7 elsewhere Ernest V, Joiner, Publisher Published every Thursday and entered a. a second etas, matter at the post office at I leppner, Oregon, under the act of March S, 1879 Second la.s postage paid at Heppner, Oregon. tmttutt
