The Mail-Journal, Volume 7, Number 3, Milford, Kosciusko County, 18 February 1970 — Page 9

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

Tomorrow's Farmers

Agriculture, while still basic to survival, has become far removed from the knowledge of most of us. The nation depends upon today’s agribusinessmen, who have made a science of farming. Like any science, farming requires an early start in life for those who wish to become successful agriculturists. Between February 21 and 28. the country will be observing Future Farmers of America Week. During this week the FFA, a national organization with *450,000 students studying vocational agriculture in 9,000 public schools, will conduct special events expressly designed to emphasize agriculture and the roll it will play in

A Giant Os His Time

Next Sunday, Feb. 22. we will celebrate the birthday of this country ’s first President — George Washington. Generations of school children have learned of his being the “Father of his Country,” and of the story of his honesty and the cherry tree. ’ Washington was both a surveyor and a soldier — at 16 he helped survey ' the Shenandoah lands of Thomas, Lord Fairfax and at 21 he was sent by the governor of Virginia to tell French soldiers they were trespassing. The following year he was a lieutenant colonel. Washington was a giant of his time ' in more ways than one. He stood six feet, two inches tall and weighed 200 pounds. In 1759 Washington spent his time at Mount Vernon where he managed the

Tomorrow's Students

“ ‘No more pencils, no more books . . . ’ That happy children’s chant seems doomed. o Doomed. that is. to go the way of the Little Red Schoolhouse ... if predictions voiced at the first annual educational planning conference at Auburn University in Alabama come true. Tomorrow's students will be spending more and more of their lives in formal study. By the end of the century’, said one

CAPITOL COMMENTS With SENATOR i VANCE Indiana •

Indiana Counties Helped By Social Security Boost

WASHINGTON, D.C, - Kosciusko county will be $1,100,000 better off because Social Security benefits have been increased by 15 per cent The 15 per cent Social Secuity increase was added to the Tax Reform Act of 1969 by Indiana Senator Vance Hartke

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EDITORIALS

Hartke. a leader in the fight to make social security benefits keep pace with the cost of living, said the new social security law will bring $115,000,000 additional dollars into Indiana each yeai*. “This is like each county gaming a brand new industry.” Hartke said, “or like a new in-

this country’s future. FFA Week is traditionally celebrated beginning the Saturday before George Washington’s birthday and ending the following Saturday. George Washington made significant contributions to American agriculture, in addition to his military and patrrbtic contributions. The FFA recognizes him in their ceremonies, and especially during FFA Week. One farmer now feeds scores of people. Thus, the responsibility of those who turn to agriculture as a business is heavy, and the young people of the FFA and other farm organizations who have elected to devote their lives to the production of food and fiber need every bit of support we can give mem.

land he had acquired. He and Martha Curtis, a widow, were married and he spent much time with his two stepchildren. The future President was elected a delegate in the Second Continental Congress. By the time it met in Philadelphia in May of 1775 Lexington and Concord were written into the history bodes. Washington was chosen commander in chief to take command of the minutemen who were then assembled at Cambridge and led this country’ through the war to freedom. We need not go further, everyone knows of Washington’s part in the Revolution and of his days as President of the United States. He was truly a giant of his time and we should all be thankful for such men as Washington who dedicated much of their lives to America.

speaker, educational systems will have been extended downward to include three-year-olds in 50 states’ ‘Compulsory university’ education is coming also,’ said Dr. L. O. Haaby of the University of Tennessee. ‘This will be necessary’ because life will be so complex that the schools will be unable to do the job in the time they have at present.’ ” —LaGrange Standard

dustry locating in Indiana with an annual payroll of $115,000,000." “Not only does this increase in benefits help the elderly,” he said, "but it also bolsters the Hoosier economy The additional money will be used by the social security beneficiaries to purchase more goods and services from local businessmen.” Hartke explained. “Increased purchasing by social security recipients will be directed at the private sector of Indiana economy. The resulting better business will ultimately bring added tax revenues to city, county, and state government. In this way the local property tax burden will be eased. In other words, this large increase, aimed at the elderly, will have the effect of benefiting all Hoosiers regardless of age” Hartke said that for Indiana’s elderly who receive social security benefits, the increase was badly needed because of the failure of attempts to check inflation. “With prices rising at an annual rate of 7.2 per cent, even this current increase fails to keep up with the mounting costs the elderly are forced to pay for medicine, housing and clothing.” Senator Hartke has introduced new legislation to raise the minimum monthly payment from $64 to SIOO. and to require future increases in social security to become automatic with rises in the cost of living.

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

This is a public service article explaining provisions of Indiana law in general terms

A Civil Or Criminal Case

American law is generally divided into civil law and criminal law. Civil law cases involve situations where one person, or group, wrongs another person or group. Such cases are private matters between the parties. The state is not involved except that it provides a court system to settle the dispute. Civil wrongs may involve such things as breaches of contract, automobile accidents or bad checks. Civil cases are sometimes referred to by the areas of law which they involve as contracts, torts, negotiable instruments, domestic relations, etc. In fact, it might be said that all cases w’hich are not criminal cases are commonly referred to as civil cases. Criminal wrongs on the other hand are wrongs against society. The Legislature has determined that certain types of conduct are so wrong that society as a whole should punish the person responsible. Such punishment is

Special Report From Washington

WASHINGTON — The big Western cattle ranchers have ridden into town and their rough and tumble lobbying tactics would make Jesse James blush. The target of their roundup is the Public Land Law ReView Commission which is drafting policy for the use of the wide open public rangeland. The Commission's report is due in mid-1970 _ Little known by the public, the Commission will vastly influence the nation’s mineral rights, grazing fees, water and recreation. The report can make the difference between proper taxation of the mighty and muleskinning of the public. While most lobbyists discreetly court Congressmen and government officials in some downtown hotel, the cattle men brazenly use the marble Raybum House Office Building for their corral There, on Wednesday, Feb. 18. the Western Livestock Industry through its lobbying arm. the Public Lands Council, is having a reception for Land Law Commission members and advisers. The handsomely printed invitation advertises that Rep Wayne N. Aspinall. DColo.. is the guest of honor. Aspinall, 73 and getting tougher every year, is the conservationists most durable foe. He can almost always be found defending the timber, oil. cattle and chemical men against the beauty* of American nature. s But what makes him the star wrangler for the livestockers is his job as Chairman of the House Interior Committee. This insures that Interior Department officials will hustle up to the Rayburn Building reception. THE SPONSOR IS THE GUEST And who has arranged for the party to be held in the publicly owned Raybum House Office Building? Why, none other than the honored guest of the gathering, crusty old Wayne Aspinall himself So the Colorado friend of the wealthy is at

usually a fine, imprisonment, or both. Murder, robbery, arson, etc. are examples of crimes. What confuses many people is that a civil wrong can also be a criminal wrong and a criminal wrong can be a civil wTong. For instance. Joe wrongfully strikes Bill, knocking put his tooth. Joe , has committed the crime of assault and battery for which he could be sent to jail. Bill could also sue Joe for the damage done to him in a civil action Criminal wrongs are of two types. felonies and misdemeanors. A felony is a more serious crime than a misdemeanor. Indiana law defines a felony as a crime which can be punished by imprisonment in the state prison. All other crimes are misdemeanors. Thus crimes which are punished only by a fine, imprisonment in the county jail or the state farm are misdemeanors. However, it is the maximum sentence that the judge can impose and not the

sentence actually imposed that determines if it is a felony or a misdemeanor. A criminal action is brought by the county prosecutor. A civil action, on the other hand, is brought by the individual and usually requires the services of an attorney. For small claims the expense of bringing the action may be greater than the claim itself. However, it is possible in a Justice of the Peace Court for a person to represent himself without knowing too much law. Sometimes the wrongdoer may be what attorneys call “judgment proof.” That is where the defendant in a civil action does not have any money or property to pay a judgment even if the plaintiff wins the case. I hope that anyone reading this article who finds himself in court will be involved in a civil action, not a criminal action. You And Social Security Q — I’ll be 65 on George Washington's birthday. I understand that I should file my claim before that time but can’t get to your office during working hours. What should I do? „ A — Phone the social security office. With few exceptions, all social security matters can be resolved over the phone. If your signature is required the material will be mailed to you after the telephone discussion.

the same time the main guest of the gathering, the sponsor of it and the chief bushbeater to make sure the right quarry show up. The cattle men will pay the bill for the reception. But they hope that this investment will bring them ranch-size dividends from the taxpayers when the Land Commission files its report. For example, bargain rate grazing on much & of the 180 million acres of public land could save the stock men sls million — and cost the taxpayers that much — if Interior Secretary Walter Hickel continues to block a modest fee increase. At present, the U.S. government permits a cow and calf to graze for 44 cents a month — what it costs a city dweller to feed a dog for tw’o days. Private range owners charge up to seven times that much The grazing issue is more important than the sls million loss. The lands are rapidly turning into erosion-creased plains because the fees that pay for upkeep are so puny Thus watersheds, wildlife and recreation areas which give the city dweller his drinking water and his rest also are at stake. The stockmen have gloated about their ability to six-shoot Hickel into delaying a fee increase. The .Montana Public Land Council, one of the major cattle lobbies, jubilantly tells in a letter how the pressure has paid off. “The effectiveness of the council’s work to date was recently displayed when Secretary of the Interior Hickel announced a moratorium on further grazing fee increases. “We hope these benefits will be further magnified when the time comes for the Public Land Law Review Commission to report to Congress. It will be then when skilled representation will be vital to the stockman s future.” The letter then goes on to specify what each rancher should pay to "finance the employment of special representation in Washington. D.C.”

Congressional Comer: John Brademas Reports From Washington

Arts And Humanities Hearings

During the past three weeks the education subcommittee which I chair has been holding hearings on legislation to continue the programs of the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities. The Foundation is the primary government agency for support of a variety of activities in the arts, including the theater, music, poetry, painting and the film, as well as scholarly and other work in the field of the humanities, such as history, literature, archaeology and philosophy. During the present hearings, we listened to a cross-section of outstanding spokesmen for the arts and humanities from throughout the country. Some of our most interesting testimony was provided by representatives of the State Arts Councils, the organizations within each state which receive funds from the National Arts Endowment, as well as from private industry, to stimulate arts activity within each state. Frank Thomas, Chairman of the Indiana State Arts Council, discussed the recent work of his organization in sponsoring concerts by the Indianapolis Symphony in the parks and in the inner city. On a national level, the $2.5 million provided by the National Arts Endowment to the states for state programs has generated more than $6.8 million in state government funds and an estimated sl2 million in private funds. The hearings produced some rather startling testimony from the representatives of museums, symphony orchestras, and the dance, all of whom noted the severe financial crisis performing arts face today. Clive Barnes, drama critic of the New York Times, told us the city of Hamburg, Germany, spends more on its opera house than the United States government provides to all the performing arts. Amyas Ames, President of the New York Philharmonic, told my subcommittee that the 90 principal symphony orchestras were suffering from an $8.5 million deficit this year with a projected increase in that deficit of 30 per cent by next year. Efforts to close the income gap would require that symphonies increase their ticket prices and thereby price many devoted listners out of the market. Representatives from our great art. science and historical museums told that museum attendance had leaped from 200 million visits in 1960 to 560 million in 1967. The phenomenal growth in popularity of American museums and the demands upon them, educational and otherwise.

The grazing issue has so angered some Senators that they have had hot words for Hickel. Sen. Lee Metcalf, D-Mont., for example, has enlisted Sen. Ted Kennedy, DMass. Kennedy, who is not exactly at home on the range, nevertheless has ordered his Administrative Practice Subcommittee to do a quiet investigation of Hickel’s tactics. And Metcalf, in a private letter, has bluntly accused Hickel of using “an excuse, not a reason’’ to shortchange the taxpayers. SCIENTISTS STAND FIRM While the catdemen whoop it up in the Roman-style corridors of the Rayburn building, some scientists are trying gentle ways to counter them with the Public Land Law Review Commission Prof. Robert Marty, of Michigan State University, although a consultant to the Commission, has not been bullyragged into silence by Aspinall and the stockmen. In an unpublished report to the commission he said the 44-cent fees cover at most only one third of the value of the grazing, and “continuous over-grazing” is causing “cummulative deterioration" of the range and its life-giving watershed. Note: While the W’estem cattlemen tend to do their campaign fund raising with a heavy hand. Congressmen have developed the gentle art into a precision feeding enterprise. Thus, last week, Sen. John Pastore, D-R.1., raised SIOO,OOO for his senatorial campaign at a SIOO-a-plate stag dinner in the luxurious Alpine Country Club near Providence. Among the 1,000 guests were a handsome showing of broadcasters, favored by Pastore’s bills to keep newcomers out of the TV-radio business. And, Rep. Charles Wilson, D-Calif., is tapping his friends for $125 a plate at a stag lunch in the smart Cockatoo Restaurant near Los Angeles. Calif., with musical entertainment geared to the clink of his campaign cash registers.

have not been matched with substantially increased financial support. As a result, many of these institutions have been forced to curtail their activities drastically and to charge admission fees. Perhaps most shocking of all were the statistics related by the witnesses who represented the dance. Many of the top performers with leading American dance companies earn salaries as low as $5,600.a year. Salaries in the $3.800-$4.200 range are not at all uncommon, and all of this in a profession that requires years of preparation and a high degree of skill. On the subject of the humanities. Dr. Keeney pointed out that American Society was “in real trouble” because of the overwhelming emphasis on science and technology. While only S2O million in Federal funds has been requested to support the humanities. science and technology exceed sl6 billion. This imbalance in our Federal attention to the two fields is all the more tragic because it is the humanist who can teach men how to be the masters of their technology and not its unthinking servants. The hearings which we have held during these past weeks have focused national attention on the plight of the arts and the humanities. Many of the members of our subcommittee, and I would venture to say, a large majority of the American people are not aware of the severe crisis that we face in these fields. Our symphonies, museums, and dance companies, as well as our individual artists and humanists are national resources and they should be nurtured and encouraged. On an international level, the work of our great artists has won many friends for the United States. For all these reasons, I strongly support President Nixon in his efforts to raise the funding of the Foundation from S2O million to S4O million a year. It is a modest sum indeed when we consider the remarkable results that this investment produces in terms of what President Nixon described as a major national goal for the 1970’s—enhancing the quality of life of the American people.