The Mail-Journal, Volume 6, Number 25, Milford, Kosciusko County, 23 July 1969 — Page 9

I j, mjlA | PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY * The Milford Mail (Est 1888) Syracuse-Wawaaee Journal (Eat 1907 y Consolidated Into The Mail-Journal Feb. 15, 1962 DEMOCRATIC ARCHIBALD E. BAUMGARTNER, Editor and Publisher I DELLA BAUMGARTNER, Business Manager Box 8 Syracuse, Ind., — 46567

One-Way Street All sorts of plans have been put forward to cure our ailing postal system. The noted columnist Milton Friedman offers a solution, “ . * , simply repeal present provision making it illegal for private enterprise to provide mail service. Competition would quickly set modern technology to work in thte-trans-mission of mail, and simultaneously lower the cost to the consumer. ,The government system would have to shape up or ship out.” We have heard much about the merit of government electric plants as “yardsticks” to judge the performance of the investor-owned electric companies. Why not apply the same reasoning to the postal system and open the way Swimming Safety Safety experts can predict with reasonable accuracy that more than 6,000 persons will drown this summer. Most of these drownings could be avoided if swimmers and others engaging in water sports would pay attention to the basic safety precautions. Some of the' basic rules are: 1. Learn to swim and relax in the water. 2. Never swim alone. 3. Don’t swim when overly tired or when water is extremely cold. 4. Don’t overestimate your ability and endurance. 5. Swim at protected pools and beaches under the supervision of a trained lifeguard. 6. If a boat overturns, stay with it The New Court As expected President Nixon has appointed a chief justice of the U. S. who is a staunch advocate of law and order. Judge Warren Earl Burger is on record as being opposed to the theory of protecting the guilty at the expense of the innocent. It is a bit early to attempt to label the new supreme court, but we anticipate a difference in the new “Warren Court.” The highly-respected Washington Star published an excerpt of a 1957 dissent by Judge Burger. The judge was in disagreement with a court decision to reverse a conviction in a narcotics case. We believe that the judge’s words sound a refreshing note. . He said: “Os course, the guilty should have the same protective safe guards as the innocent and I would afford them as much. “But I refuse to join in what I consider an unfortunate trend of judicial decisions in this field which strain and stretch to give the guilty not the same, but vastly more protection than the law-abiding citizen.” This sums up our own feelings. Every person brought before the courts

CAPITOL COMMENTS With SENATOR i VANCE HARTKE Indiana <

Space Program Must Be Continued

The flight of Apollo 11 is evidence of the vast success of our space program and I firmly believe that program pust ba continued. There was the capability gap

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EDITORIALS

between us and the Soviet Union that the first Sputnik opened in 1957. Apollo closed it. There were those who felt that all of the world’s frontiers had been explored. Apollo has open-

for private enterprise “yardstick” to judge the performance of the post office. Mr. Friedman gives a number of reasons why his proposal for a private enterprise postal operation will never be permitted. Chief among them, of course, is the fact that too many people have a stake in preserving the existing patron-age-ridden government postal system. At any rate, the case of the Post Office is a good illustration of why extension of government into commercial enterprise should be relentlessly opposed. When government enters business, it is nearly impossible to get it out. Government in business is a oneway street. and don’t try to swim a long distance to shore. 7. Never dive into unknown waters. 8. Try new activities only after learning the skills from qualified instructors. Skin diving and Scuba diving both are fine sports that are gaining more participants each year. Water skiing is an exhilarating sport, but it also has its hazards. Even a strong swimmer should wear a life jacket when water skiing —- even he can be winded by a hard fall at high speed. Most important of all to safe swimming — if you get into trouble in the water, flon’t panic. Float on your back and paddle gently. It is possible to stay afloat for hours this way. is entitled to a fair trial, but the leniency of our justice has become a serious matter and must be tempered with punishment that fits the severity of the offense. We must stop letting confessed killers walk out of court on technicalities. The victim is entitled to a fair trial as well as the guilty. The, initial reaction in the Senate was overwhelmingly favorable and conservative, men of all political ideals voiced their approval with the possible exception of the candidate from Massachusetts, Senator Teddy Kennedy, who appears to be wary of getting caught approving the actions of: the President. The bipartisan acceptance of Judge Burger seems to put into perspective the fears of all Americans of the permissiveness of our judicial system. It shows that almost all of our political factions are prepared to unite in the fight against the growing menace of crime. This is the only way this battle can be won. We hope that the new Chief Justice will not forget the spirit with which his nomination was greeted. — Delphi Journal-Citizen

ed the gates to new worlds in the Solar system, new worlds of technology on earth, and new worlds for growth of human spirit. American astronauts will revisit the moon several times in order to determine the potential usefulness of a future moon colony. NASA is looking forward to orbiting a space station that would house different teams of astronauts for periods of up to fifty-six days at a time. On his recent tour of Russia, Apollo 8 astronaut Frank Borman expressed the hope that we might achieve this feat in cooperation with the Soviet Union. At the moment, there is speculation that America can no longer afford the “luxury” of space exploration. I can fully appreciate this view. Our cities continue to flounder, our transportation systems need rejuvenation, our financial base needs restructuring, and the Viet Nam war persists. Nevertheless, the future of the world is locked to the future of our space efforts. We have already begun to harvest the benefits of space research in the fields of medicine, communicaz tions, and bold new technology. We should set realistic goals for the space program and stick to them. I seriously doubt, however, if we can have a top-flight space program as long as the war in Viet Nam continues. The needs of our people at home certainly deserve priority after war expenditures, and at present these needs are not being adequately supported.

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Know Your Indiana Law By JOHN J. DILLON Attorney at Law

This is a public service aiticle explaining provisions of

Indiana law in general terms.

Between Reassessments

If you fail to exercise your right to appeal your real property assessment at the general reassessment time, then you have one further remedy. In the case of individual pieces of real property, there is only one statutory method for securing a reassessment of such during the six-year interim, and this is by petition filed with the State Board of Tax Commissioners on or before March 31, in any year, other than a year in which a periodical reassessment of real property first becomes effective. Both the State Board of Tax Commissioners and courts have been reluctant

Special Report from Washington

WASHINGTON — This columnist was among those present at Cape Kennedy last week to witness the start of man’s first flight to the moon. There were 15 magnificent seconds as the great Saturn rocket rumbled, seemed to hesitate, finally pushed the three astronauts up into the heavens. Then it was all over for those of us watching on the ground, except for the knowledge that we had seen the start of the most exciting venture in human history. This column has been among the critics who have questioned whether the billions spent to place a man on the moon could not have been better used on problems on earth. Nevertheless, there was no questioning in the awesomeness of the moment when man on earth began interplanetary travel, only a dream from the dawn of history until as recently as two decades ago. And there was the feeling that if men could attain such perfection of achievement and cooperation in science, industry and government, then perhaps there really is hope that we can achieve peace on earth and good will among men. Certainly rebuilding our ghettoes, providing better education and opportunities for the underprivileged, feeding the hungry, are problems far less difficult of solution than the monumental complexities of space travel. Peace in our cities, peace among races, even peace among nations only calls for the mutual / recognition and respect for the lights of others; there are no requirements of tremendous technical expertise, miracle

in the past to require such an interim reassessment except on account of very unusual circumstances, usually resulting from some isolated change in condition which has occurred subsequent to the last periodical reassessment, which change substantially affects the valuation of such property. This reluctance doubtless stems from the belief that the property owner has his chance initially to complain about his assessed value and to show that it was not proper; if this opportunity was ignored or if the assessed value was finally determined after having been reviewed as pre-

components and perfection in everything as in a moon rocket. This lesspn seemed crystal clear at Cape Kennedy; it must also have seemed clear to many of the hundreds of millions' of people who watched around the world via television. So we left Cape Kennedy with the feeling that whatever the results of man’s first effort to land on the moon, and however great a successful landing would be, we may also have witnessed the dawn of the greatest era of history, an age in which all men and nations began working together to reach the goals of perfection on earth of which mankind is so clearly capable. SPACE AGE DIVIDENDS If the great potentialities of space travel don’t appeal to some of us, it’s well to recall that there have been many tangible benefits which some of us tend to forget. First, perhaps, is the recovery of worldwide prestige by the United States, lost to Russia when it stunned the world with the first Sputnik. But there are many others — from Tfflon-coated cooking utensils to solid-state microcircuitry which has revolutionized radio and TV and home music systems, from heart pacemakers the size of a pinhead to the electronic systems whereby critically ill patients can be monitored constantly by nurses at remote stations in hospitals, from greatly improved communications systems to computers that eventually will free men from many chores. The list is almost endless and will grow as the space age advances.

viously indicated, to thereafter reduce such value would probably distort the uniformity of the county, unless some substantial change to a piece of real property has occurred after the reassessment, thereby reducing the actual value of that particular property, but not effecting a like reduction in the actual value of all property. After the assessed values of all real properties have been settled by the reassessment, the reduction in assessed valuation of any real property during the six-year interim can only result in increasing the tax burden imposed upon those real property owners who do not ask or receive any such reduction. For such interim reductions in assessed values to be granted without sound justification would be unfair to other real property owners and, if granted in any great number, would completely destroy the uniformity of assessment and the equality of sharing of the tax burden by real property owners. Uniformity and equality are the cornerstones of the entire reassessment program. You should be required to pay no more or no less than your neighbors.

RENAMING CAPE KENNEDY Sentiment in Florida is mixed toward dropping .the Cape Kennedy in favor of the original Spanish name, Cape Canaveral. A resolution to make this change has been introduced in the Florida legislature, and many people are for it. We can now reveal that President Johnson, when he telephoned Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy to say that he was renaming the space center to be the John F. Kennedy Space Center, did not actually plan to rename Cape Canaveral, the area around the space center. But Jackie Kennedy wanted thewhole thing renamed, so the President used his influence with the National Geographic Board to rename it. He did not have the power himself. Now it’s proposed that the space center be continued as the John F. Kennedy Space Center but the cape revert to its original name. The Kennedy family so far has not indicated whether it would agree. ENEMY PLAN IN VIET NAM Secretary of State Rogers and Secretary of Defense Laird have been making optimistic statements recently about peace prospects in Viet Nam, hinting that the lull in the fighting could be a prelude to eventual peace. Their public statements, however, don’t square at all with the secret intelligence reports on their desks. These reports claim that the lull is only a prelude to new hostilities, which may break out before the end of the month. We can reveal that the United States has very reliable pipelines into Hanoi. Through them the Pentagon has learned that Hanoi fully intends to launch an-

Congressional Comer: John Brademas Reports From Washington

Historic Commitment Toward Moon

It was only eight years ago that President Kennedy made his historic speech committing the United States to an all-out effort to achieve a manned moon landing by the year 1970. At that time, the President’s commitment was met with widespreads skepticism. True, great strides forward had been made in our space program since the initial shock of Russia’s Sputnik. But a man on the moon still seemed to be material for works of science fiction, not for Presidential speeches It is a mistake to underestimate the material and technical resources of the United States. There are few achievements which lie beyond our reach if we as a nation will only make the necessary commitment. And so as we turn our gazes upward and outward to the limitless expanses of space, we should take care that in our justifiable pride 'over the feats of the astronauts, we do not turn our backs on the problems which remain to be solved here on our own planet. The list of unfinished business is long and steadily growing. How can we make our cities better and safer places to live? Why do we have a costly farm policy which still fails to balance supply with demand or to protect the economic security of the small farmer? How can we assure all Americans equal opportunity in housing, employment, education? How can we organize a world order which will enable the emerging nations to satisfy their legitimate desires in an atmosphere of peace and stability? Solving these problems should not be beyond the capacity of the country which can send its men to the moon. The necessary skills and resources are not lacking. What is needed is a national commitment to use them, similar to President Kennedy’s prophetic commitment of eight years ago. DRUG ABUSE EDUCATION A problem of increasing, urgency in the United States is drug abuse. Increasing numbers of our young people are making use of dangerous drugs. During the past week, hearings continued before my education subcommittee on a bill to provide Federal funds for the development of educational programs on the use and abuse of

drugs. Throughout the course of the hearings I have been surprised to find that the witnesses representing the Administration have opposed the Drug Abuse Education Act. They claim that the Federal government has enough authority already to move forward in this area, and that additional legislation is unnecessary. I cannot agree with this position. Statistics indicate that there has been a sharp increase in drug use over the past several years. Obviously not enough is being done. I was therefore encouraged when President Nixon sent a message to Congress which indicated that he was prepared to increase the Federal role in handling the drug problem. One of his proposals dealt with the education gap on drugs. He directed the Secretary of Health,“ Education, and Welfare to “gather all authoritative information on the subj&t and to compile a balanced and objective educational program to bring the facts to every American — especially our young people.” But my optimism was dampened the next day when the Justice Department revealed that its legislative proposals on drug use would be limited to tightening up the criminal law and increasing the penalties for drug users. It seems to me that this is the wrong track to take. The problem of drug abuse goes beyond law enforcement. It is also a problem with deep social and psychological roots. The first step in getting to these roots should be a comprehensive program of education on the dangerous effects of drugs. This is what the Drug Abuse Education Act would do. I am hopeful that the Administration will eventually dedide to support this necessary first step. VISITOR FROM THE THIRD DISTRICT Last week I had the pleasure of having as my luncheon guests at the Capitol, Mr. Donald Nichols, editor of the Nappanee Advance News, and his family, who were taking advantage of some vacation time to visit the nation’s capital. The Nichols’ also attended one of the subcommittee hearings on the Drug Abuse Education Act.

By DREW PEARSON And JACK ANDERSON

other offensive. The first attack is expected against the South Vietnamese city of Tay Nink near the Cambodian border. However, communist troops haven’t alw,ays been able to carry out the directives of their leaders. Gen. Creighton Abrams the American commander, has effectively disrupted their supply lines and broken down their organizational intrastructure. Two previous offensives were Actually called off, because the Hanoi leaders realized they couldn’t carry out their plans. There is no question,, accord- / ing to the intelligence reports, that the communists now intend not only to continue but to step up military operations. In this way, they hope to make the Viet Nam war as painful and unpopular as possible with the American people. The intelligence briefings, which Hanoi has been sending to its field commanders and cadres, confidently claim that the United States will sue for peace before the 1970 elections. President Nixon, of course, is aware of the Hanoi strategy and hopes to counter it by reducing American casualties and softening the effects of the war upon the American public. This is the reason he sent Gen. Earle Wheeler, the Joint Chiefs’ chairman, to Viet Nam to explore new tactics. It’s also the reason the two top Cabinet officers have issued reassuring statements about the peace prospects. Nixon intends to make a show of withdrawing combat troops and reducing casualties. This should lessen the public pressure here at home which the North Vietnamese are counting on to force an early peace.