The Mail-Journal, Volume 6, Number 47, Milford, Kosciusko County, 24 December 1969 — Page 7
Mail///Journal PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY The Milford Mall (Eat. 1888) Syracuee-Wawaeee Journal (Cat 1807) Consolidated Into The Mail-Journal Feb. 15, 1962 DEMOCRATIC ARCHIBALD E. BAUMGARTNER, Editor and Publisher DELLA BAUMGARTNER, Business Manager Box 8 Syracuse, Ind., — 46567
EDITORIALS The Christmas Story B Hll FOR II From the Gospel of Luke
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
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And she brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, 10, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone around about them; and they were-sore afraid. And the angel said unto them fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
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And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning the child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
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Know Your Indiana Law By JOHN J. DILLON Attorney at Law
This is a public service article explaining provisions of Indiana law in general terms.
Inspection Os Public Records
Many citizens are not completely aware of their right to examine public records or papers, or attend official meetings or hearings of a public nature. Some persons think this is a privilege reserved for lawyers or newspapermen. The great maze of government that constitutes our system is of course mysterious to the average citizen but nevertheless public officials and public records are available for every citizen’s scrutiny. This is a rule followed all over the United States but the public policy on this question is very explicit in Indiana. Our
Special Report from Washington
WASHINGTON - The Washington Merry-Go-Round has recently written about the sad world of the American Indian, how shabbily the Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs looks after them, how they are abused by white trading post owners. The mail that has flooded in assures us that America has a heart when it comes to the brave Redmen who »nce owned this land. But as our investigation continues, we have found some ugly facts about life on the Indian reservations. For example, the tribal councils of the Navajos in Arizona and the Paiutes in Nevada have become a sort of city hall. The council members take care of themselves, paying no attention to their poverty-stricken tribe. The grassroots Indians are stirring. In the land of the Navajos a college-educated Indian is working with Poverty Corps lawyers who are often at odds with the city hall attitude of the tribal council. He is Peterson Zah, born and bred on the reservation. Zah told us that the tribal council, rather than taking care of the poor Indians, is at the beck and call of the bumbling Bureau of Indian Affairs. Pete Zah is a moderate who wants to do things for his Red brothers without violence. However, if the American government refuses to heed his voice and continue to listen to the softsoap of the Navajo and Paints tribal councils, the younger generation of Indians may be back on the warpath, creating the same kind of angry disasters that afflict our nation’s black ghettos. BANKS FURNISHING FINANCIAL DATA ON CONGRESSMEN The American Bankers Association has asked members in each congressional district to fill in questionnaires, giving information on the finances, business interests and other activities of their Congressmen. The information will be used to help their lobbyists plan the best approach to individual Congressmen. These “contact bankers’* are also called upon to write letters to their Congressmen every time an issue comes up affecting the banking industry. Banking legislation is handled by the Banking and Currency Committees of the Senate and House. Most
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legislature has made it a crime for any public official to attempt to defeat a person’s right to know about the operation of his government. This law, commonly referred to as the Hughes Anti-Secrecy Act, enunciates this in the strongest possible language as follows: “Pursuant to the fundamental philosophy of the American Constitutional form of representative government which holds to the principle that government is the servant of the people, and not the master of them, it is hereby declared to be the public policy of the State of
Indiana that all of the citizens of this state are, unless otherwise expresely provided by law, at all times entitled to full and complete information regarding the affairs of government and the official acts of those whom the people select to represent them as public officials and employees. “To that end, the provisions of this act shall be liberally construed with the view of carrying out the above declaration of policy.” The important thing about this law is that it declares our rights as citizens. Obviously confrontations in regard to this law come about most often between reporters and lawyers and the keeper of the records. We are informed through the media about the operation of our government, and this contributes greatly to our wonderful form of government. If you are curious and want to know what some record holds, then walk into the court house and ask to see it. This doesn’t mean you should be unreasonable or disrupt the operation of a public office, as you have no right to do that. But to know the public business is your right.
members are approached by the “contact bankers’’ and are invited to serve on the board of a local bank. They are told their prominence in the community would benefit the bank, so as an inducement they are offered bank stock either free or below the market value. As a result, most banking committee members are linked by stock or directorships to national banks. More than 100 other Congressmen or their relatives have been identified on the lists of bank stockholders. In addition, the law firms of many Congressmen collect fees from banks. Members of Congress who don’t have a financial stake in banks and oppose the banking lobby find that the enormous resources of the nation’s financial institutions are turned against them on Election Day. This may explain why the banks have been able to get such favored treatment on Capitol Hill. GLOOMY BUDGET OUTLOOK Budget boss Robert Mayo has given President Nixon a gloomy, private report on the budget outlook. The loss of the surtax alone, he told the President, will cost the Treasury $8.5 billion. Now the Senate has passed a tax bill that would cost the Treasury another $10.5 billion. Mayo privately suspects that Senators loaded the Christmas tree, as the tax bill has been called, with so many ornaments that the President will have to veto it. Then they could blame the President for killing tax reforms. The President WILL veto the tax bill and call Congress back into session to write a more responsible tax-reform bill. In his State of the Union message, the President will promise much but then will oppose the appropriations to pay for his program. He will put his anti-inflation program ahead of his programs to control pollution, reduce crime, feed the hungry and improve the general welfare. PEACE ON EARTH This is the season when people sing about “peace on earth, good will toward men.” It is appropriate, therefore, to review the prospects for peace. In Viet Nam, President Nixon is following a two-track strategy. As he sees it, the rapid
Congressional Corner: John Brademas Reports From Washington
Poverty Program; S. S. Benefits Up
The pace of activities in Congress has been rather hectic over the past week as Congress prepares for adjournment in time for the Christmas holidays. The House of Representatives has acted on several important legislative matters over the past few days. POVERTY PROGRAM The defenders of our antipoverty programs scored a surprising victory several days ago when a coalition of moderate Republicans and northern Democrats supported the position of Donald Rumsfeld, Director of the OEO, and achieved passage of a bill to extend the activities of the Office of Economic Opportunity for an additional two years. The key vote came on an amendment which would have given control over the war on poverty to the Governor of each state. This amendment would have destroyed the effectiveness of the anti-poverty program. It is no secret that in the past state governments have done very little to attack the problem of poverty in this country. In our own state of Indiana, for example, we do not even have a state poverty office. In fact Indiana refused to participate in Federal programs for elderly persons, who constitute a large portion of the nation’s poor. It was not until passage of the Economic Opportunity Act in 1964 that national attention became focused on the problem of poverty in our affluent society. The anti-poverty programs created by that legislationproject Head Start, Upward Bound, Legal Services for the Poor, Neighborhood Youth Corps—have not eliminated poverty from our midst, but at least they have made a start. Turning the program over to the states would have dissipated the impact of a unified and coordinated attack oh poverty at the national level by creating 50 state bureaucracies to replace the national Office of Economic Opportunity. I am therefore pleased that the House chose to go along with the Administration’s request for a two-year extension of the national commitment to attack the curse of poverty in our wealthy land. SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS INCREASE By a unanimous vote of 397-0, by both Democrats and
road to peace is through negotiations, the slow road through Vietnamization. The North Vietnamese have given absolutely no signs that they are willing to negotiate a truce. It is a communist tactic to show unbridled ferocity until just before they are ready to settle. The President believes, for example, that the present enemy buildup in Viet Nam is intended for bargaining purposes. But meanwhile, he is also moving down the slow road and is turning the fighting over to the South Vietnamese as fast as they can be made ready. The Viet Cong are trying to slow this process by concentrating their attacks upon the South Vietnamese combat units, which have replaced Americans. There is no quick peace in sight. The President has emphasized to aides that any cease-fire must be mutual, that we will not cease while they fire. In Helsinki, the Soviet-American talks are going better than any negotiations in the past. There bas been no polemics, no propaganda. The Russians have shown a sophistication and earnestness that has just about convinced the American negotiators that the Kremlin sincerely wants to reduce tensions and cut heavy military expenditures. In the Middle East, the Israeli and Arabs seem to be heading for another dash. The Russians have accused the Americans of refusing to exert pressure upon Israel to make concessions. The Americans feel that the Russians have failed to bring pressure upon the Arabs to be reasonable. In Arab countries, public opinion is so inflamed against Israel that nothing but a blind “holy - war” will satisfy the mood. The militant guerrilla organizations are so powerful that the more moderate governments can no longer control them. The Israeli leaders also are taking an increasingly tough line. The outlook in the Middle Eas is gloomy. In North Korea, communist dictator Kim II Sung is reported to be planning new incidents to humiliate the United States. During 1989, his forces have shot down an unarmed reconnaissance plane and an unarmed helicopter. Intelligence reports warn that he may attempt something drastic, such as a commando raid across the demilitarized zone upon a U.S. camp to keep the situation in turmoil.
Republicans, the House approved an across-the-board increase of 15 per cent in Social Security benefits. This action by the House will give a real boost to the 25 million Americans—most of them retired, elderly people—who depend to some extent on Social Security for their means of livelihood. At a time of inflation, people with fixed incomes are among those most severely affected by rising prices. The benefit increase voted by the House will help to maintain the purchasing power of those least able to defend themselves against the ravages of inflation—the aged, the infirm, and the incapacitated. Because of a surplus in the Social Security Trust Funds the rise in benefits can be put into effect without increasing the Social Security payroll taxes which employers and employees must pay. Since a similar provision has ’ already been approved by the Senate as part of its tax bill, I am hopeful that the 15 per cent increase, a bill which I cosponsored, will become law soon. AMERICAN POW’S IN NORTH VIET NAM The House of Representatives in another unanimous vote—this time 405-o—passed a resolution deploring the treatment of American military personnel held prisoner by the North Vietnamese. The resolution called upon the Government of North Viet Nam to abide by the Geneva Convention on the treatment of prisoners of war, and expressed approval of efforts to obtain humane treatment and early release of the prisoners. The inhuman treatment of prisoners of war in Viet Nam by any party cannot be condoned. The leaders of North Viet Nam in the past have been sensitive to world opinion. I sincerely hope that they will heed the overwhelming sentiment of people all over the world and improve their treatment of the yoimg Americans they hold captive. OTHER NOTES/ —I want to send my best wishes to the members of tne Notre Dame football team as they prepare for their Bowl contest with the first ranked University of Texas footbML team. The entire Third District—and a good part of the nationwill be rooting for the Fighting Irish to pull the upset of the year.
By JACK ANDERSON