4 A
'"tverybni! In Southern Oregon
Rtjiti fhe Mail Tribune "
Published Daily except Saturday by
MEIJKOim PRINTING CO
S3 North Kir St.. Ph772-6U1
ROBERT W RUHL. Editor
HFRB GnEY Advert. Bin Manager
GERALD 1 LATHAM. Bui Mgr.
ERIC W ALLEN. JR . Ring. Editor
EARL H ADAMS. City Editor
HAIiRY CH1PMAN. Teleg Editor
RICHARD JEWEIT. Sport Editor
OLIVE S T ARCHER. Women'i Editor
DALE ER1CKSON. Circulation Mgr
An Independent Newipaper
Entered at second class matter at
Med lord. OreRon. under Act ot
March 3. 1B97
stlKKPHIPTION RATES
Diny'and Sunday i year i5oo i
n.tlv nri Runriav (I Dint 8 00
In Advance, copy inn
Daily and Sunday (I mo
riatlv and Sundav 3 mo
25 1
Sundav only une year . u
Bv Carrier In Advance Medford.
AahUnd. Central Point. Eagle
Point Jacksonville. Gold Hill.
Phoenix. Shady Cove. Rogue Riv
er Intent and on motor route
Daily and Sunday 1 year $18 00
Datlv and Sunday 1 mo 1.50
Carrie and Dealers Copy 10c
All TermijCaih In Advance
Official Paper of City of Medford"
Olflctal Paper of Jackson County
UnitedPres International
Full Leased Wire
U P 1 Telephoto News picture
MEMBER OF AUDIT BUREAU
Or CIRCULATIONS
Advertising Representative:
NELSON ROBERTS & ASSOCI
ATES. Office in New York, Chi
cago Detroit, "an r rancisco. Lo
Angele Seattle. Portland. Denver
NEWSPAPER
PUBLISHERS
ASSOCIATION
NATIONAL EDITORIAL
As)kaTSn
blHIIIIH.'.llll.HI
Flight o' Time
Medtord nd Jackson County
History from the files ol The
Mall Tribune 10, 20, 30, 40
jnd 50 yean ego.
10 YEARS AGO
July 30, 1952 (Wednesday)
Jackson county grand jury
reports that the Rogue river
bridge is "entirely sate in all
respects. "
Shaping ot preliminary
plans tor a proposed multi
million dollar shopping center
south of Medford began last
nighl.
20 YEARS AGO
July 30, 1942 (Thursday)
The California railroad
commission approves Copco's
request to reclassify its out
standing stock and issue more
common stock.
From Arthur Perry's "Ye
Smudge Pot" column: "A
school for the IraininR of the
lady pistol shots has been
established in New York
state. They are apt students,
hit what they are supposed to,
and can see the white of a
blonde hair on a male shoul
der at 60 paces.
30 YEARS AGO
July 30, 1932 (Saturday)
A transient arrester! in Ta
coma admits the theft of nine
electric motors from Pinnacle
Packing company.
A representative of the
Oregon - Washington pear
bureau speaks in Medford,
predicts widening markets for
winter pears in Industrial
centers when the depression
ends.
40 YEARS AGO
July 30. 1922 (Sunday)
Rash of burglaries continues
as Vernon Vawtcr and Sam
Richardson report their Gene
va st. homes were illegally
entered.
Former Gov. Oswald West
and five other orators sched
ule Medford stop to urge the
unmerglng of the Southern
Pacific and Northern Paoilic
railroads.
50 YEARS AGO
July 30, 1912 (Tuesday)
The Spalding buggy com
pany, which has niovrd out
of Jackson county to escape
s warrant for illegally selling
buggies without obtaining a
license, receives a temporary
Injunction to restrain the j .....
nSwrrar """'"jTHK application of capital punishment is er-
ratio and capricious. oalthv murderers otten
VVhal'e Yniir I ii 7
eeiiuio ivui x
Nine er ten correcr is superior,-;
even o, ei.hl i. ...ell.at; live
iiisoed.
I. winch fou. states of the
Union have names beginning
with the letter W?
2. What is the national em
blem of Canada?
3. Name the four Presidents
of the U S. whose last names
contain a double o
4. What bird is a symbol of
meekness and the emblem of
peace'
5. Tetanus is another name
for what?
6. Which came first - the
automobile or street-car''
7. Which of these Texas ci
ties is farther north - San An
tonio or Fort Worth'
8 Who was the wife of leg
endary King Arthur'
ft. Are skewers used by
dentists, druggists, butchers
or machinists'
10 Is a table d'hote meal
one that has a set menu, or
one in which the dishes are
chosen from a menu card'
Answers: I. Washington,
West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wy
eming. 2. M a p 1 1 I 1 . 3.
F.uo.evelt, Hoover. Coolldqe.
F. D. H. 4. Dove. 5. Lock
jaw, t. Street-car. 7. Fort
Worth. I. OultllTitl, 9.
Butcher. 10. Sit menu.
MONDAY, JULY 30. 1962
A Clemency Appeal
Four weeks from today LeeRoy Sanford Mc
Gahuey will die in the gas chamber at the Ore
gon State Penitentiary unless Gov. Mark 0.
Hatfield commutes his sentence to life imprison
ment. Two other people one a woman are under
death sentence in Oregon, and will be scheduled
for execution provided the Oregon Supreme Court
floes not. remind thp death sentences, nr unless
the governor exercises
.
in Ia Mfornia. three
i a
sciieuuieii iu me -fuij,.
scheduled a clemency hearing for them this weet
One of the three is a woman.
IN THE general election of 1958, a measure to
abolish capital punishment in Oregon was
narrowly defeated, 264,434 to 276,487 a margin
of only 12,053 votes.
Oregon has long had a curious on-again-off-again
attitude toward capital punishment. It was
banned for many years, but was reinstated about
40 years ago. It' has not been used frequently in
recent years, and the situation of today, with
three persons awaiting execution at the same
time, is unusual.
In California, it has also been hotly debated,
principally in recent years as a result of the
Caryl Chessman case. It is also an issue in this
fall's gubernatorial election, for Governor Brown
i .. i u: i i i l
lias eA)iu!Mi nnnsuu as
isnmeni, wnne Kicnarri
approving its use.
I TP TO this point it has not become a current
political issue in Oregon. Governor Hatfield
has expressed himself opposed to it, as a mat
ter Of Principle, althouuh he has indicated he
except where extenuating circumstances arise.
We do not know Attorney General Thornton's
position on capital punishment. He isn't saying.
Hatfield has been asked to extend executive
clemency to McGahuey, but has not indicated
what he will do. Four provisions of the Oregon
Constitution bear on this power. They are these:
"Laws for the punishment of crime shall be found
ed on the principles of reformation, and not of vindic
tive justice." Article 1, Section 15.
"The penalty for murder in the first degree shall
be death, except when the trial jury shall in its verdict
recommend life imprisonment, in which case the penal
ty shall he life imprisonment." Article I Section 37.
"He (the governor) shall lake care that the laws be
faithfully executed." Article V, Section 9.
"lie (the governor) shall have power lo grant re
prieves, commutations, and pardons, after conviction,
for all oTlenses except Ireason, subject to such regula
tions as may be provided by law , . ." Article V,
Section W.
rON Willncr, a columnist for the Portland Re
porter, in an "open letter" to the governor,
makes a strong plea to Hatfield to exercise his
power of clemency in the McGahuey case.
We have great sympathy for the governor in
this matter, for we have watched two Oregon
executions in the course of a reporter's job, and
have also watched former governors when they
were struggling with a life-and-death decision.
To permit a man any man to die when you
have the unrestricted power to save his life by
the stroke of a pen is an awesome responsibility.
The governor needs
commute or not to commute. The power is his, i
absolutely, and can be exercised or not on the
basis of whim or conscience or principle.
ll'li HOLD no brief for murderers, McGahuey
' or any others.
By the same token, we do not like the state,
its;plf tn tak-p tlii liff nf ;i man nr woman. ''Of-
f icial munler" is no more
other kind of murders.
To us the arguments against capital punish
ment are compelling.
Executing one man does not, it has been
shown in many studies, deter others from the
same crime. Indeed, statistics tend to indicate
that non-capital punishment states have fewer
murders than do capital punishment states
The possibility for error always exists,
(h,rp is nn n;inlnn. no renrieve. for a dead mail.
'escape tne ultimate penalty, tlivougli long icpai :
.1 .
lvitlliw and anni'als whereas lie tutor man IS
. . . e . .
"Ulfll 111010 apt to die for Ills SHIS.
Murder, treason, kidnapping, and in some
i, narcotics peddling, are the only crimes
HOW punishable OV (loath ill this COlUl'll'V. Rut
only a couple of hundred years ago the supreme
penalty used for many minor offenses, including
some which would hardly merit the term "juven
nilo delinquency" today.
Thus far we have come, Rut wo have not yet
come far enough.
Till': oi.
lYstamrnt calls for an cxe for an rye
1 tU fi. n t.mtVi n., I, nLA tA'if.h..j :
i . . t
1 IIHII M I t t L IH H J 1 1 I.
And the Now Testament is even more em
ph;:tie against taking human life.
Not lieeause we feel sorry for McGahuey, or
tho others, hut heeause we believe capital pun
ishment is ileijiatlinu;, we join Willr.er in his
appeal to the Governor. II1 said:
. Oniy you, a- tfovrrnor of Or-runn, tiiii piovrnl
our jtt.ttr'5 first rxcrutini. in ahoul mnr rrj Thr
rtnliinlion hivps ou iho absolute discretion lo com
mute this nmn's scnlnur And require Intn to spend tiu
rest of his days m priM-n You alone have the au
thority Your duty to eviutr (he ia5 of the state
tnrludrs your duly to tirant elenieney if (his is our
vih '
tain nitTi'y.
his power of clemency.
' . . .
convicted murderers arc
o n n..i r k'-r.l
o. uov, i ai biuwii t)aK?
uiiiiusuu w tapiuu jiuii- j
mxon is on record as
no reason nor excuse to
to our liking than any j
I
1 . I It 1 1 I
arc the niorciful, for thev shall oh
' K.A.
"The Butinett Situation Is None Of Your
Business"
f. Jwtf P 'ClOSf?' I House
COMMUNICATIONS
Letters to the Editor must bear the name and address ot the writer,
although under certain circumstances the use of a pen name or initial
for publication is permissible. The Mail Trib'jne reserves the right to
edit all letters with a view to clarification and condensation. Letters
submitted for publication must not exceed 400 words. The letters
prlnted in ,hls c0umn do not necessarMy rep,esent th. yi5w. of the
0aPer; in tact the contrary is often
Gospel Is Real
I To the Editor: With the ad
vent or the leistar aciiica 10
the marvelous inventions of
the radio, the TV and radar,
we are realizing the marvel-
nus age we are living in, and
f tho 1-iurl't should be an incentive to
us to believe more
the
Bible.
It is not so long ago our
transportation was by horse
and buggy and the Pony Ex
press. Now we have globe
encircling jets for the masses.
From the Vikings and Colum
bus we come to John Glenn.
The astronomers have de
veloped powerful telescopes
through which they have seen
much, but no mention is
made among them of an om
nipolant God. Is there then
the assumption that planets
have built themselves and
that inhabitants create them
selves? Is it not more pur
pose and meaning if we take
the precious word of the gos
pel writer John gives us, "In
the beginning was the word
and the word was God. And
all things were made by him,"
etc . John 1:1-3 Psalm B.
We can only imagine how
the great truths have been
transmitted through the ages
by the instruments, the Urim
and the Thummin which the
ancient prophets had: Exo.
28:30. Ezra 2:62-63. And the
many television scenes of 2,
700 years ago. Such scenes as
our airplanes, automobiles
and passenger trains, and the
lick of the Mormon pioneers
from Nnuvoo, III., to the
Rockv Mountains and the
great Sail Lake Desert, where
Isaiah could see the "Desert
b00m as the rose and the
solitary place would be giad
tor them." He could see
where the fastness of the
Rocky Mountains would be
chambers of safety for them
from their enemies, "and the
rocks would be munitions of
! defense for them."
And he also could see the
' "House of the God of Jacob
-J- -
nations would flow unto it."
How else could Noah have
known except through inter
planetary messages, minute
specifications of an Ark that
would ride the flood success
fully, and Solomon his beau
tiful temple, and Moses the
Tabernacle in the desert.
Radioed programs came in
i great numbers and were in-
lerpreieu ny uie .ii-nnnnM,
Isaiahs. Ezekiels, and Daniels,
and the Peters and the Pauls,
and from out of space came ,
suddenly a multitude of Heav-!
enly Host praising God. and j
,hP AnK,-i cahtiei came from
tlllV lll
the abode of our Heavenly
Father. God still lives and
life is real, and so is the gos-
that has nol been changed
by private interpretation
John F. Peterson
rill South Holly
Medlord.
Ain'l It Fair
To the Editor A recent
headline in a San Francisco
paper reads 'Monthly plan
lo leach confused beginners"
It just ain't fair to the be
cinnei s They shouldn't be re
quired lo spend months leam-
ins the hum
v. e snouin
appropriate a billion dounm
" "
and send them to Washing-
ton Thev could teach them to
become confused expert, in a
w eek.
Everett Ai'khn
Ashland. Ore.
Vitwt on Mortt
To the Editor. Without ran
cor toward those who arr
now cnanipionins h or
Morse for reelection, may I
! speak up for the many Ore
.son citwens who not only,
don't think be is a Rreat Set.-,
alor. but actually think ho is i
a security rik to our Nation;,
(or the following reasons.
Quotum fro m Harrison .
I Spammer s book, Thp Record j
! of Wayne Morse, "Who's t
,. (p. s liiile)rsj Plf
the case.
Who In Amcrlcd, from 1940
to 1952 inclusive, reveals
that Morse is listed as a mem
ber of The Institute Of Pa
cific Relations." This "huge
and powerful organization
had cells or branches reach
ing from the back rooms of
Washington across the dark
alley from Alger Hiss lo the
lush rooms of the Kremlin in
Moscow. This organization
rendered vigorous assistance
to Joe Stalin in subjecting
China lo the Communist
yoke."
Spangler gleaned the fol
lowing (and much , much
more) from the 6-27-S2 report
of our Senate Internal Se
curity Committee: "Members
of the core of officials and
staff members who controlled
the Institute Of Pacific Rela
tions were either Communists
or pro - ummun.sis. ..-iWn0 vo(od , h(
an organization for a U.S. posal to
Senator lo belong to! Unhinge sovereign murder
According to Spangler, and revenBC
Morse was not only willing From ,be bru(a , befor(.
but insistant. that our friend ; wMch
we crinfie.
and ally, formosa, be fed to ; Somedav that chair shall split
the Red Chinese wolves, also.
For although our Military
and our President both agreed
that this pricelessly strategic
little country, which we had
liberated from Japanese rule,
must be defended at all costs.
Senator Morse took the Sen
ale floor and strenuously op
posed the Formosa Defense
Resolution; and a few days
later just as strenuously op-
posed the Mutual Defense
Treaty With Formosa. (Conar
Record 1-28-55 and 2-9-55).
The Associated Press report
ed on 2-14-55 that the Red
Chinese radio In Peiping used
Morse's position and remarks
on Formosa in support of
their own position, a fact
which disgraces him in my
eyes forever.
Never forget that, in 1946,
it was Wayne Morse's Resolu
tion that 'passed the Senate
..
and put the U.S. under the
jurisdiction of the World
Court. Only the grace of God
and Sen. Tom Connaily's
amendment have so far saved
our hides, our Bill of Rights,
our Constitution, and our sov
ereignty. Currently Morse seems in
favor of the UNESCO treaty
which would put U.S. schools
under International Control.
In my opinion, if UNESCO
is given treaty status, w-e
won't have to send American
children to Moscow to he Com
munist indoctrinated like Cas
tro did the Cuban children.
Communist controlled UNES
CO will d" it for us right
here
L C Powell
.116 S. E Eighth st..
Grants Pass. Ore.
Capital Punishment
To the Editor: Headline
"McGahuey To Die in Gas
Chamber Aim in for Mur -
der.'
July
tMedford Mail Tribune.
9. 1!)R2 )
1 "w OI,p roast iikc a
I ' "M toast . . .
. As prosecutor 1 put
piece
him
therf-
Much to
my sorrow and
despair.
I heard the last words the
felon said , , .
Ler the unfeeling n.M shocked
him dead.
. . . .. -
' ' " '"""r ' UP """
his head.
' And sme led the odor his shat-
Afterward ... at midnight . . . j
m the lobby.
1 saw bis nine-year son. named .
Hobby
"What are you doing here
I asked the laddy
mp ann i ncie iirnrwe is wan -
in for my daddy
The man in the chair, killed
his own wife . ,
Now the State had taken Rob
hv's father's life'
it that child should turn out
malicmus and ban--11
will not be as slrancf . . .
as It will bf sad;
A murdered mother nd
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD, OREGON
Foreign News: French Peasant Riots;
Political Parties Due for Pakistan
By PHIL NEWSOM
UPI Foreign News Analyst
Notes from the foreign
news cables:
Peasant Riots
A new outbreak of peas
ant riots is likely in France
this week. Farmers are angry
because the
gov ernment
has not done
enough to
help French
a g r I culture
and they plan
block high
a y a and
m onstrate
In front of
Newsom county teat
offices.
Political Rebirth
Look for a rebirth soon of
In the Days News
By FRANK
, From Washington:
President Kennedy set up
a crucial conference with lop
diplomatic, military, and
atomic advisers to discuss the
possibility .of easing U.S
terms for an East-West nu
clear test ban treaty.
Invited to the White House
muroerea aad ...
I wonder what will happen
to that lad.
Should he wind up in some
State's lelhial
Who would you say (be
honest) put him there?
Of the blame I'll take my
shameful share.
But society set that sneaky
snare.
Lives there a man with soul
so dead
That he does not shudder
when he is told
That a fellow mortal is set statement to the effect that
to die . . . j whenever we feel it is NE-
In the squatty chair that you CESSARY for us to test our
and I I weapons we will test them.
Put there lo feed the greedy 11 wi" never be safe to risk
maw ! our future on the word of a
Of a barbarous, vicious and communist because commun
outmoded law? ists believe that lying is ex-
His blood shall stain Ihe i cusable if it advances the
brain of you
asunder
Rut when? Oh,
God We wonder
when? Oh,
Governor Hatfield, if you are
a man
Not just a plugging politician
Confound the herd
-- and
speak the word
To save our creature from
- perdition,
Consider this, your Honor,
just one man's Dctition.
My prayer is that there
somewhere . . .
Is
j A
power that may pray
a stroncer oraver.
But just in case that power's ! FINANCE THE EXPENDI
busy ... TURES GAP lifted municipal
Let lis make the Governor dpbt to a record of nearly S25
dizzy ... billion.
May our names someday be
found
0n,."?5 scr0" that afk Hat -
fltrl
field
To please have mercy and
give ground;
Post cards cost 3c a round.
Tom Graff
520 North Front St.
Medford
Semantic Block
To the Editor: The letter
in Communications by J.
Scott, which appea.ed on
July 26. states that the
"Semantic Block" is an ob
stacle to worid peace. To me
that statement has no mean
ing . . does not make sense.
I The English dictionary savs
semantics is the science which
treats of the evolution of Inn
I guages and of the phenome
na which mark is growth.
So what has semantics got to
do with peacemaking?
j Mr. J. Scott must be en
'dowed with an unusual rea
soning power .What is a "Se-
. manuc a iock .
I I',nn E- Ming
104!) West
Medford
. o
11th st.
Editor's note: Semantics is
also defined as the science of
meaning, and a "semantic
block' is created when one
individual or croup under
stands a word : mean one
thkic while another indivi
dual or group understands it
to mean something else
- s
nt i
. " -f 7," PHl,r. I
-To the Editor
WnM Cfln vou do
who smoke"
They sit and talk and lauch
and joke.
They are completely unaware
; The stuff is more than you
can bear
, Ann u you navr an allere
You cough and wheeze in mis-
' ery.
You pray that they u ill soon
be gone,
Although. ou know that with
the dawn
Thecoma will still linger on
Pa roar a Kantor
Rou;e 1. Ro 2M
Talent, Ore
numerous political parties in
Pakistan now that President
Mohammad Ayub Khan has
signed into law a bill making
political parties legal again.
Former Muslim League offi
cials already have announced
immediate steps are being
taken to revive their party,
which once dominated politi
cal life in Pakistan.
New Pressure
The Communists are expect
ed to increase pressure on ci
vilian traffic through East
Germany to and from the
West. They'll do it through
traffic laws requiring such
things as all cars traveling
over 40 m.p.h. must be fitted
with safety belts. Also by
forcing West Germans to ob
tain transit visas to drive or
travel by rail to or from West
Berlin.
JENKINS
session were Vice-President
Lyndon Johnson, Secretary of
State Dean Rusk, Defense
Secretary Robert McNamara,
Chairman Seaborg of the At
omic Energy commission, Di
rector John McCone of the
Central Intelligence Agency
and others.
Officials said thev exoecteri
a decision would be announc-
i ed within the next few days.
.
; TIIIS ' wnat 'he President
wants to know:
How far is it safe to go in
the way of cutting down on
testing of our nuclear wea
pons in order to get an agree
ment with Russia to END NU
CLEAR TESTING?
j T ET'S put it this way:
, " It would be unsafe for
i us to go any farther than a
cause of communism.
TROM New Delhi, India:
Nehru says he is going to
go ahead and buy Russian
M1G fighter planes - whether
the .U.S. and Britain like it
or not.
Appropriate response to
Nehru:
"If that's the way you feel
about it, we're going to cut
; off your relief check WHETH-
ER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT."
,. , ; .
. rN the home front:
" The Census Bureau re
ports in Washington that
spending by city govern
ments in the United Slates
rose 8 per cent in 19fil, to a
record 16'-$ billion dollars.
The report adds:
Revenue increased by 5'
per cent to a new high of
SI 5 8 billion and borrowing to
COMMENT?
Well, its wonderful
j while we re spending it and
null na , nn lha ...iff K,,4 IT
putting it on the cuff, but it's
going to be rough on the com
ing generations when they
have to start paying it back.
Strictly Personal
By Sydney
lei Field Enterprise,. Inc.
HOUSE DISCRIMINATION
I own a house, and the man
around the corner owns a
i house
Mine is a three-story
town house.
So is his. We
both pay
roughly I h e
same amount
of real estate
tax. But here
the r e s e m
blauce ends.
J My house is
occupied sole
ly by my fam
ily. He has divided his house
intn little rabbit-warrens, and
collects a considerable amount
of rent each month from his
; roomers.
Moreover. I am not allowed
lo deduct a penny for any re-
pairs or improvements I make
on my house - whereas he is
allowed generous deductions
as landlord.
Tfiit. il iir to mi, it a
grossly iniquitoui situation.
Popl art penalized for
owning a horn in tht city,
not only b-tcauit thtir taxtt
ar high (mint hart bcn
raistd thr timi in thrc
ytari). but also btcausa tha
prica of buying a houst in
tht city is gtartd to tht
"convarttr.
Tha "eonvtrttr" can tasi
3y afford to pay $10,000
mort for a city houst if ht
plant to turn tht 10 roomt
into 20. to rtnt out tht bait
mtnt and tht attic, to con
vtrt clotett into kitchtn-
tttM.
But tht man buying a
houtt for his own family
iter.'
Harris
Try and
By BENNETT CERF-
A MOTORCYCLE cop stopped a driver who was tootling
up the West Side Drive of Manhattan at breakneck;
speed, and gave him a ticket. "I clocked you doing "5 miles
an hour," said the cop
grimly. The driver nod
ded cheerfully, then ask
ed, "Couldn't you make
it 90 an hour, officer?
I'm trying to sell this
car."
Wayne Howell and Char
He Rice have been playing
a new game called "Im
probable Authors" that
may -intrigue intellectual
Try -ajld-Stop-Me readers.
You'll get the idea from
'the following samples:
.Wan and Peace by Pee-j-wee
.Reese; Finncyui'a Wake by Veronica Lake; Tvanhoe bjr
Brigitte Bardot; Charley's Aunt by Immanuel Kaiit; High Tor
by Tools Shor; Decline and Fall by Lucille Ball; Peyton Place by
Princess Grace; The-Peppermint Twist by Ftunz Liszt; and Th9
Polka-Dot Bikini by G, Puccini.
Cynthia Lindsay, viewing an exhibition of the high-bounding"
Ukrainian Dancers at the Metropolitan Opera House, overheard
this exchange by two little old ladies seated directly behind her:
First old lady: Well, I must say they're mighty nimble. Second
old lady: They have to be, you know. They don't have any money,
A Harvard Junior, back from an expensive weekend at Vassal,
composed this melancholy couplet:
, ; . Pretty dishes
f Are avaricious.
; C t(62.iy Bennett Cert. Distributed by King Feature 8yndict., ,
Washington Report
By William
(ci United Feature Sync1 1 cats '
CONGRESS'S RECCHD
Washington Two more
really big legislative decis
ions - and two only - may
.. be expected
. of this Con-
J gross, no mat-
O ler how late
it? intn tho fall
its session
may struggle
on.
Congress
w i' 1 1 . decide
w'hether the
,rit , economic out
look justifies a tax cut to
stimulate business. And cdn
gress will complete action on
the historic bill lo grant
President Kennedy unex
ampled authority to lower
tariffs in order to associate
this nation with the- new
world of trade arising from
the European common mar
ket. It is curiously fitting that
the remaining real program
of this congress, as it draws
toward the close, should be
confined to such hard practic
alities. From the beginning,
the tone of the session has
been to grant the President
most of what he wanted in
foreign policy and to some
extent in economic policy,
but to deny to him most of
what he has asked in welfare
legislation.
AND that
tone is being
maintained
to the end.
Dead, for example, are the
President's request for a fed
eral Department of Urban
Affairs, for a new medical
care plan, and for large-
J. Harris
cannot afford to compete in
such a market-so he moves
out to the suburbs.
This, of course, is the
way city slums are created
and perpetuated. Landlords
buy up more and more
apartments and houses, per
mit them to run down,
cbarqe excessive rentals,
provide poor service, and
pay no extra tax lor the
privilege ol doing so.
In Chicago, as in other
larce cities, 'ens of thousands
of fine old town houses have
been converted in this manner
almost always witn otias-
trous effee'1
hood A fa
Hi Hit" IKimiUtir-
lily wantinc to
buy and restore jnch a house
for its own use is forced to
: compete with buyers who care
little about the neighborhood
' or the city, but onlv about a
i quick and sure return on
j their proper! v.
Many factors are respon
! sihle for the flight to the
suburbs; but one of the most
! i tTi nr riant i the. enntl int K-
I rising property tax in the
I city. Tave.s ne in the suburbs.
j too, of course, but the services
i are hetter. lc schools ate
I better, and the neighborhoods
t are occupied by householders
w ho genumclv care about the
future of their community.
One of the most effective
! ways, in my view, to halt this
flight, to arrest the growth of
, slums, and to preserve home-
! owning neighborhoods in the
city, would be to impose a
j stringent but realistic tax on
those who use their wntses for
1 hustnrss purpose - which
Stop
S. White
scale federal aid to publirj
education.
Very much alive, however,
is his foreign aid program,
and very much alive is his
world trade program. Con
gress has just sent to the
White House a very good for
eign aid bill which will
strengthen - the President's
hand in the cold war. And the
House has already approved -with
Senate approval still to
come - a strong world trade
measure which involves per
haps the most important legis
lative achievement since
World War II.
It is against all this back
ground that this Congress
must be measured. Has it
really been an unexpectedly
obstructive and difficult con.
gross, as some of the Presi
dent's liberal advisers keep
insisting in their disappoint
ment at (he rejection of wel
farisl measures? No. Instead,
it has really been just the
kind of congress that should
have been foreseen all along.
TT HAS been moderate--
minded, middle-of-the-road
in political complexion and
cooperative toward the Presi
dent on the Great Survival
issues but on little else. If
congress has very often
checked the Presidenl on
proposed domestic innova
tions, it has - to the great
credit of the minority Repub
licans - given him high bi
partisan support on cold war
matters.
The only puzzling thing is
why anybody ever supposed
that it would be any other
kind of congress. Kennedy
himself, after all. ran an es
sentially moderate campaign
in I960. It was not wildly
"liberal" any more than Rich
ard Nixon's was w-ildly "con
servative " The people, in
narrowly electing Kennedy,
spoke in tones of moderation.
For in choosing him. as only
a moderately liberal man,
they chose a congress which
was moderalely conservative.
Nothing in thai election,
and nothing since has sue
grsted that the people want
domestic reforms and innova
tions syi murh as they want
strong leadership aaainst tha
Soviet menace. This Congress
both the Democratic and
Republican sides nf it has
helped to give them that
leadership bv its bipartisan
support ol the President in
I th,. arra
, .
, ri'iiFRF nevi-r it,. .i,m
-a.
e--t reason to suppose that
fnnnmem ten. .1.1 i
! . "L V . .....
I "u U . .V-
'SO, ft decade where the trn
national problem is not de
pression hut rather the op
nresve dancer of interna
tional Communism
And lhose who lament the
failure of this or that reform
measure in Concress should
comfort thcmf,olve a bit.
I.'"1 r IUM "pfl
! 'nrJm.
r or mis is an hour in his
tory in which concrrs had
preferred, and rmht'y so. to
do what is absolutelv rrrr.
sary at the expense of what,
is not really necessary hut
rather only desirable - and
ewn desirable only in a de
batable wav.
would offer relief from tav
rairs to those families who
are trying, against hcavv
j odds, to maintain their home
m the metropolitan area.