The Mail-Journal, Volume 7, Number 51, Milford, Kosciusko County, 20 January 1971 — Page 9

Mail ' "* c!gr / PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY The Milford Mail (E«L 1888) Syracuse-Wawasee Journal (E6L 1807) Consolidated Into The Mail-Journal Feb. 15, 1962 DEMOCRATIC q * L ARCHIBALD E. BAUMGARTNER, Editor and Publisher DELLA Business Manager Box 8 Syracuse, Ind., — 46567

A Great Bunch Os Kids... , To use a slightly off-beat expression that we are sure Lakeland's English teachers will frown at, this editor thinks we have, “a great bunch of kids at Wawasee high school.” ' Everyone in the Lakeland area should appreciate the things the teenagers of WHS do for this community. They often prove the younger generation, as a whole, is still a pretty good lot and as adults we should let them know how much we really do appreciate them. It’s always easier to downgrade people, especially the younger generation, for the things they do wrong than to give them praise for the good things they accomplish. t

Home Rule

' Again in 1971, the Indiana General Assembly will be asked to serve as a super city council and approve a stack of bills that are purely local in nature. In the last session of the Legislature, there was a bill to create a sevenmember police commission for Fort Wayne, a bill to permit Indianapolis to have a general improvement fund, a bill to raise the pay of Park Board members in second-class cities, a bill to raise the pay of certain policemen in Evansville, and a bill to let fifth-class cities lease unneeded land to private organizations for recreational purposes. These were but a few. Probably 20 to 30 per cent of all the legislation introduced in that, and in most, sessions of the General Assembly has been local legislation — measures that the cities themselves should have been able to handle without having to travel to the Statehouse in Indianapolis, hat in hand. Usually, these local bills pass, but only after much time-consuming and often expensive, exhaustive efforts by

A Sickness... A Cure (ED. NOTE: The following is from a speech delivered by Pat Michaels at the Bth Annual Police-Fireman Awards Breakfast of Oakland, Calif, last March.) There are those who claim that ours is a “sick” society. That our country is sick, our government is sick, that we are sick. Well, maybe they’re right. I submit that maybe lam sick... and maybe you are sick too. I am sick of having policemen ridiculed and called “pigs” while cop- ‘ killers are hailed as some kind of folk hero. ’lam sick of being told that religion is the opiate of the people ... but marijuana should be legalized. I am sick of being told that pornography is the right of a free press, but freedom of the press does not include being able to read a Bible on school grounds. 1 am sick of commentators and columnists canonizing anarchists, revolutionists and criminal rapists but condemning law enforcement if it brings such to justice. I am sick of paying more and more taxes to build schools while I see some faculty members encouraging students to tear them down. I am sick of Supreme Court decisions which turn criminals loose on society .. . while other decisions try to take the means of protecting my home and family away. l am sick of being told policemen are mad dogs who should not have guns .. . but that criminals who use guns to rob, maim and murder should be understood and helped back into society. I am sick of being told it is wrong to use napalm to end a war overseas . . but if it’s a bomb or Molotov cocktail at home, I must understand the provocations. I am sick of not being able to take my family to a movie unless I want them exposed to nudity, homosexuality

EDITORIALS

This jtas brought out a short time ago wheirwe attended a meeting where several of the guests were from outside of the Lakeland corporation and two musical groups — the boy’s barbershop quartet and the girl’s sextet provided the entertainment. The guests held nothing but praise for the two groups and soon those of us from the Lakeland area were swelled with pride at both the talents of these students and at the manner in which they conducted themselves following the meeting. We congratulate these teenagers and the others who work hard in the musical, sports, drama and other departments at Wawasee. We appreciate your talent and we appreciate your good conduct.

mayors, city councilmen and other community leaders. . 4 In these same sessions of the Legislature, bills are usually also introduced to give cities the power to make such decisions themselves. These are called home-rule bills. And they seldom get out of committee. At this point, no cities in the country have less power of self-government than do those in Indiana. This is rather ironic, when you consider that Hoosiers pride themselves on their ability to solve local problems locally. Sound home-rule legislation will again be introduced in the 1971 session of the Indiana General Assembly, and we believe it’s time this legislation is passed. If you agree that local grovemment in Indiana should have the power to govern its own affairs, we urge you to let your legislators know. And let them know now — before they get bogged down in a bunch of local measures that they shouldn’t even have to worry about.

and the glorification of narcotics. I am sick of pot-smoking entertainers deluging me with the condemnations of my moral standards on late-night television. I am sick of cynical attitudes toward patriotism, I am sick of politicians with no backbones. I am sick of the dirty, the foulmouthed, the unwashed. I am sick of the decline in personal honesty, personal integrity and human sincerity. And most of all, I am sick of being told I’m sick. And, I’m sick of being told my country is sick ... when we have the greatest nation man has ever brought forth on the face of the earth. Yes. I may be sick, but if I am only sick, I can get well. And, I can help my society get well. And, I can help my country get well. Take note, you in high places. You will not find me under a placard. You will not see me take to the streets. You will not find me throwing a rock or a bomb. You will not find me ranting to wild-eyed mobs. But you will find me at work within my community. You will find me expressing my anger and indignation in letters to your political office. You will find me speaking out in support of those people and those institutions which contribute to the elevation of society and not its destruction. You will find me contributing my time and my personal influence to help churches, hospitals, charities . . . But, most of all, you’ll find me at the polling place. There, you’ll hear the thunder of the common man. There, you’ll see us cast our vote ... for an America where people can walk the streets without fear /.. for an America that will be educated and not indoctrinated ... for an America of brotherhood and understanding ... for an America no longer embarrassed to speak its motto, “In God We Trust.”

(A

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

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

Public Utility Rates

The rates you pay for electricity, gas, water and local telephone service are regulated by the Public Service Commission of Indiana. It was decided many years ago that such essential public' services should be conducted by only one company or city in any given territory in order to prevent competitive rate wars that previously destroyed companies offering such services, and left their customers with no service at all. In order to prevent the monopolies thereby created from taking unfair advantage of the public, it became necessary to give one public body state-wide

SPECIAL REPORT FROM WASHINGTON

Interior Department Won’t Block Giveaway

WASHINGTON — The Interior Department is opening the way for a 15 million giveaway of 100,000 acres of desert lands to the political powerful, land barons of the West. This bonanza for the giant farm conglomerates was opposed by former Interior Secretary Stewart Udall because it smelled of “fraud, deceit, concealment of truth and misrepresentation.” Yet after Walter Hickel left as Interior Secretary and before Rogers Morton has been sworn in. the Interior Department took a position in favor of the $5 million giveaway. On December 23. Interior Solicitor Mitch Melich wrote to Assistant Attorney General Shiro Kashiwa stating bluntily that “we do not recommend that an appeal be taken” on the controversial Indian Hill case. At Indian Hill, near the Snake River in Idaho, 12 persons claimed parcels of federal desert land supposedly to irrigate and farm them on their own as they are allowed to do under U.S. land laws. Instead, they turned their claims over to a subsidiary of Hood Corporation, a farming giant The 'eal was accomplished by fancypaperwork involving notes, mortgages, leases and stock pledges. Udall, after some squabbling within his department, cut through the legal underbrush and backed up his hearing examiner’s view that the whole deal was a “fraud" to deliver the lands to the big corporation in violation of federal law. The case sets a precedent for 100,000 or mqre acres of rich, but presentlyunwatered. land. The Hood Corporation, fighting back in the courts, won a ruling from a federal judge in Idaho that the land deal was made in “good faith.” Because of the former Secretary’s strong stand on the issue. Interior lawyers expected a speedy appeal. But Melich quietly sided with the big land grabbers. “It is unlikely that error can be demonstrated on appeal,” he wrote the Justice Department. Footnote: Melich vigorously denied that the decision would permit the agricultural conglomerates to take over the whole 100,000 acres of desert land. “I don’t think it sets a precedent at all,” he told us.

supervision and control over the drawing of territorial lines for such public utilities, the rates they may charge for their services, and the service they must provide for their customers. In 1913, the Public Service Commission of Indiana was created to perform that function. Prior to its creation, such utilities were chartered by cities and towns and by the General Assembly. Each was regulated only by the terms of its own charter, creating a hodge-podge of utility territory, powers and regulations. The Public Service Commission consists of three

members appointed by the Governor. No more than two may be members of the same political party. The Commissions’ duty is to see that essential services are provided to the public in an efficient manner. In order to fulfill this duty, the Commission is required to consider the public’s desire for rates as low as possible. The Commission must also be guided by the facts that the stock-holders of any privately-owned utility are entitled to receive a fair return on their investment, and that both privately-owned and publiclyowned utilities must receive income sufficient to maintain their plants and equipment and pay necessary salaries and other expenses. If they do not receive sufficient income, they will be unable to continue to render the required services. Expansion of plants and other facilities, such as new sources of water, must also be provided for in view of our current “population explosion.” Every time a public utility desires a rate change, an increase or decrease in territory, or a sale of its property and territory to another utility, it must petition the Public Service Commission of Indiana. Both the

ADVICE TO FRESHMEN In the backrooms on Capitol Hill, the new Members who will be sworn in this week are going through the initiation process. They are being taken aside by their elders for a few words of quiet advice. The way to get ahead, they’re told, is to hang back. Follow your leaders. Wait for their signals. The first freshman to poke his head above the crowd, they’re cautioned, will receive only lumps. The golden orator, even while voicing a great truth, can hurt his cause. For the most effective speeches are delivered, not on the Senate floor or before the television cameras, but in the privacy of the cloakrooms. • The droning, out-of-context oratory in the congressional chambers has little to do with the legislative process. The great decisions are made in the policy huddles and shaped in the hard slog of the committee rooms. Even more important, the decisions are determined by the hidden interests, the friendships, the ambitions, the power relationships, the economic dependencies, the political pressures, the personal prejudices and the campaign obligations of the men who inhabit Capitol Hill.. For newcomers who seek admittance to the inner circle, who wish to become effective in the backrooms, here’s the advice their leaders are offering. 1. A Congressman who wants to leave his mark must be willing to work. He must tend to his committee chores and accept his share of legislative drudgery. In hearings, he should dig for facts, stick to the issues and not raise irrelevancies. “An effective Congressman,” a committee chairman is fond of repeating, “is a working Congressman.” 2. He must be flexible. While he should have convictions, he should be able, on occasion. to yield gracefully and to have a clear eye for the plitical realities. As one Democratic leader has put it to the newly elected: “You shouldn’t be too violently addicted to principle.” 3. He should avoid becoming a pop-off. The gadfly who seeks the spotlight is resented and is, therefore, ineffective. As one leader expresses it: “The fellow who behaves like the son of a wild jackass and fills the air with his braying may get his name in the papers but

Congressional Comer: John Brademas Reports From Washington

Many Unsettled Issues To Be Decided By 92d Congress

There are many unsettled issues to be decided by the 92nd Congress, which convenes here Thursday. But at least one issue is not controversial. There is no question in anyone’s mind that Congressman Carl Albert of Oklahoma will become Speaker of the House of Representatives. IMPORTANT POSITION The Speaker of the House holds the most powerful legislative post in the nation. The job has been considered the equivalent of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court or the Presidency in a government where the legislative, judicial and executive branches are coequal. Mr. Albert becomes only the 13th man to hold this high post in this century. Carl Albert has been called “a man for all season.” As a Member of Congress, he has been utility and the Commission publish notices of the date of the hearing and the matter to be heard in the legal notices section of a county-wide newspaper. Os course, these matters are usually reported in the news columns of the paper as well. Customers of a utility may also petition the Commission where they feel they are getting poor service from a public utility. The Commission can order the utility to provide proper service. The general public is represented at the hearing by a Public Counselor appointed by the Governor and paid by the State. However, customers affected by the changes are entitled to attend the hearing and testify, and may become parties to the matter to protest the change. Any person unfamiliar with (he specialized and complicated accounting required for public utilities may well be daunted by the volumes and volumes of technical accounting evidence introduced by the public utility to prove its case. Anyone seriously interesting in protesting the change would be well advised to consult his attorney-in order to obtain all of the expert advice he will need to present an effective case against the change. Copywright John J. Dillon

not on legislation.” 4. He should become a specialist. The legislative circus under the Big Dome has so many acts all going on at the same time that it’s impossible to star in all of them. The Congressman who becomes an expert in one field swings the most weight and. ultimately, his prestige will carry over into other fields. 5. He must be trustworthy. The backstab, a familiar method of advancement in politics, is unpardonable in the hallowed halls of Congress. The man who double-crosses his colleagues or gains political advantage at their expense soon finds himseff an outsider. 6. He must be willing to make’deals, to win support for his own legislation, he must trade votes, grant political lOUs, share credit and when the occasion demands, come to the aid of his party. In the words of a wise, old GOP veteran, “To be effective with colleagues, you must be prepared to scratch their particular itches. If you do, they will scratch yours.” FLITE’ PLAN Those George Washington law students who have been filing suits against the federal bureaucracy in behalf of the public interest are about to file again. Using the acronym “FLITE” (Future Lawyers Investigating Transportation Employment), five students of consumer crusader Prof. John Banzhaf are demanding a voice in the merger of American Airlines and Western Airlines. FLITE wants to force the Civil Aeronautics Board to rule on “the equal opportunity hiring practices of the two lines before the merger is approved ’ The students plan an “intervenor’s” suit against CAB in a few days to back up an earlier petition demanding black, Chicano and other minority hiring that reflects “to some extent the composition of the public which (the airline) serves.” An American spokesman said the airhne had worked hard to find minority stewardesses and other workers The air industry complains that few qualified minority workers apply. The industry blames the paucity of Negro airline pilots on the fact that the Navy and Air Force which are the airline’s recruiting pools—train soffew minority pilots.

a meticulous student of the legislative process. During most House sessions — many of which are sparsely attended — Mr. Albert has usually been on hand, listening attentively and consulting with his colleagues constantly. As a Member of the House leadership for many’ years, first as a Majority Whip and then as Majority Leader. Mr. Albert has been infinitely fairminded. He has been receptive to fresh ideas and has always sought to weigh both sides of an issue. WIDE SUPPORT Given his even-handed approach and his hard work as Majority Leader, it is not surprising that Carl Albert, a moderate liberal from the American Southwest, draws strong support from House Democrats of every political persuasion and region in the country. John Fischer, a fellow t Oklahoman and long-time friend of Carl Albert, writing in a recent issue of Harper’s Magazine, predicted that Mr. Albert’s leadership would usher in a new era for the House, an era in which the House be more responsive to the people and more assertive in its relationship with the other branches of government. * Syndicated columnist David S. Broder wrote last week that Carl Albert “has a first class mind, good political judgment and is so indefatigable a worker that he has sometimes put his own health in jeopardy.” GREAT EXPECTATIONS I have been proud to be a friend of Carl Albert’s since I was first elected to Congress in 1958 and he has been unfailingly kind to me. As fellow Methodists and fellow Rhodes Scholars and feljow Democrats, we share many of the same interests in religious background and education and politics. Although he is only five feet, four inches in height and the shortest man in the House. I believe that Carl Albert will become a great Speaker and a giant in the history of the Congress of the United States. 1

By JACK ANDERSON