Tke^n ew* - journal
0*/io&tia
PRESS
S SOCIATION
Published Eveiy Thursday at Raeford, N.C. 28376
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PAUL DICKSON Publisher-Editor
SAM C. MORRIS General Manager
MRS. PAUL DICKSON Society Editor
MARTY VEGA Reporter
Second Class Postage at Raeford, N.C.
THURSDAY. JANUARY 22. 1976
Restoring National Unity . . .
It is disheartening to watch the confusion that often surrounds American
foreign policy these days. Even America's friends abroad have taken to publicly
voicing their concern about the absence of firm diplomatic leadership from
Washington because of the lack of trust between the President and Congress.
One leading London Newspaper suggests that the European allies are
appalled by the "open disarray" in American public life and by the
"self-criticism and self-destructive tendencies" now evident. Other
commentators, too, note that Congress frustrates presidential initiatives, that
the CIA is being undermined by overzealous attack, that the Secretary of State
is under constant attack.
Such descriptions are overdrawn and oversimplified. Yet as the new year
begins there does seem to be a good deal of divisiveness and disunity at a time
when problems all across the diplomatic spectrum cry out for national
initiative and national will: Angola is but the latest thorn to crop up in
relations with the Russians. The SALT talks are stalled, begging for a
breakthrough if mankind is to avoid another lethal round of arms development.
In Europe, Washington's relations with Turkey are still chilly, the Cyprus
problem remains unresolved, and political uncertainty threatens in Portugal.
Spain and Italy. In the Middle East, a way out of the deadlock is sought. And
in Asia, a new unknown equation emerges with the passing of Chou En-lai.
If this were not enough, the world's statesmen have yet to come to grips
with the less dramatic but no less important problems of food sufficiency, new
trade rules, energy, and the economic development of poor nations.
This is not to paint a picture of gloom and doom, for the very absence of
wars or major crises points to a degree of stability in the world. But the United
States should be doing much better, and would be if it were not weighed down
by domestic political considerations. Not only is this an election year, when
politicians tend anyway to act more like politicians than statesmen. But the
people's elected representatives are still playing out the passions of
Watergate-probing, exposing, questioning, certainly legitimately but
sometimes to the point of damaging the nation's best interests.
The argument can be made that America must live with this condition for a
whole year. That foreign policy cannot be brought under real control until
there is an elected president in the White House who can confront Congress on
equal terms. At the moment the President is on the defensive-both because he
calculates every move for its political impact and because he was appointed by
Richard Nixon.
Need this be the case? Is it not possible for the While House and the
lawmakers to reflect on what they are doing to the nation and lor Americans,
as James Reston puts it, to "stop tearing ourselves apart"? There is great need
for self-examination of America's institutions and its policies; that debate must
go on?over the U.S. role in the affairs of other countries as on many other
difficult issues. But certainly there is point of legitimate debate that still makes
it possible for the President and the Congress to join in a mutual recognition of
the national interest and to reach a consensus on key diplomatic initiatives.
In the months ahead the President ought to make every effort to meet with
congressional leaders to explain his policies and get majority support to try to
restore a feeling of trust between the two branches. The legislators ought to
meet the chief executive halfway and exercise forbearance. If they do not do at
least this much, 197b could find the United States with a lame-duck foreign
policy.
. . . And Trust
America's naitonal restoration of trust can he fostered by a public
conviction that the government is taking all possible measures to ensure that
intelligence activities are both effective and free of abuse. To make such
measures work there needsjo be the spirit of cooperation suggested by the
decision of the White House and the Senate intelligence committee to try to
prepare joint proposals for reform legislation.
Both parties are reported to reserve the right to take separate paths when
agreement cannot be reached-and properly so. The House intelligence
committee, indeed, prefers to fashion its proposals "uncolored by influences of
the executive branch."
But both the White House and Congress will have to live with the final
legislation.The more each step can be strengthened rather than diluted through
mutual efforts, the better.
The integrity of individuals, as always, remains the key to how far the CIA.
the other intelligence agencies, and the administration's use of them can be
trusted. Much of their work. by its nature, has to be secret. In the past. there
was a widespread public assumption that what the agencies and representatives
ot the people did in secret would be in keeping with what the people, given the
circumstances, would accept as being done in their name. The disclosures of
abuses have reduced that assumption.
New legislation can help restore a trust in proper governmental use of
secrecy it it both encourages individual integrity and protects against lapses of
integrity. This means strict rules of accountability and means for punishing
violations. Obviously, there can be no return to the CIA's history of ability to
control Justice Department prosecution of CIA employees in criminal cases.
In a broader sense, if congressional "oversight" is to mean anything, the
proper committees must not only be informed about covert activities. They
must have means to have their opinions considered without risking legitimate
secrecy by leaking information.
Two promising suggestions-made by the Rockefeller CIA investigating
commission among others- are strengthened "oversight" bodies in both the
executive and congressional branches. In the executive, the Foreign Intelligence
Advisory Board would be expanded, including distinguished citizens with
varying backgrounds, to watch over the CIA. It would have access to all CIA
information to assess the agency's effectiveness and compliance with the law.
At the same time, improved internal controls in the CIA would ensure that
individuals of integrity be heard whatever their level of employment. The
commission noted that lowerlevel employees had. indeed, questioned some of
the activities later exposed as improper or unlawful.
On the legislative side, there is merit in the proposed joint congressional
committee on intelligence. Like the joint committee on atomic energy, it
would be entrusted with secrets. Its membership would be rotated to avoid any
tendency of congressional committees to slip into the pocket of agencies they
are supposed to oversee. It would have powers of soliciting testimony and
information from the executive branch, with standards set for what might be
iegit miatel>Mi^thheld.
Through such means the road to trust could be reopened.
-Christian Science Monitor
We put Reagan's name on the back...er...in case..:
GOP
Campaign
Headquarters
I
ll I 5J
VI,
by Marty Vega
Volcanic Eruption Next
It is quite a letdown about the
big earthquake that was supposed
to be here Saturday. Somehow it
just makes a person feel cheated,
doesn't it? Of course, the real story
is that nutty California soothsayer
was close, but she got it all mixed
up.
We have contacted tamed
psychic Ewing Waxwood, who
shuns publicity, yet because of the
great urgency of this matter he
graciously agreed to divulge to us
the one and only correct prediction.
For any of you who do not know
Waxwood. or doubt his powers,
understand that he does not claim
any supernatural gifts, but rather
he relies on what he divines from
the universe through his intense
powers of concentration. His pre
dictions arc uncanny, yet true, and
still he is regarded by some of the
conventional psychics as "phony".
Yet this is the same man who
pondered the size of the galaxy for
months, and then correctly pre
dicted more people would buy a
fairlane!
Since no intelligent person can
dispute such an amazing ability to
foretell the future, we put the
question to him.
"There will be a major volcanic
eruption in the Piedmont area...
no. 1 see it clearly now...a volcano
erupting in the sandhills region of
North Carolina the week of. uh. the
third week in January", he
declared.
"Sir. can you tell which volcano
it will be?"
"Mv extra - sensory thoughts tell
me it w ill be one of the long thought
- to - be inactive volcanoes, possibly
in or near Hoke County. Or
possibly occurring in Favetteville".
"Sir. can you be more specific?"
"My child, you must under
stand. the present era is the
Cenozoic. the last million years of
which is known as the Quaternary
period. The Quaternary period is
divided into two epochs; Pleisto
cene and Holocene. The Pleisto
cene epoch lasted from about 1
million years ago to the most recent
15.000 or 20.000 years. These last
15,000 or 20.000 years are known
as the Holocene epoch".
"Yes. of course, that's under
stood. But what can the average
person do now. BEFORE the big
volcanic eruption?"
"My child, the same thing the
citizens of Wilmington did after the
earthquake warning. They all
rushed out and bought earthquake
insurance."
"Your advice tnen is to uuy
volcano insurance?"
"My child. 1 do not give advice. I
only foretell the future. The future
tells me that since the ordinary
homeowner's insurance policy does
not cover earthquakes, every in
surance agent in and around
Wilmington took out big ads in the
newspapers to proclaim this fact,
and the results speak for them
selves. So, I see now many, many
people in haste to buy volcano
insurance and many, many in
surance companies raking money".
"Do you have any other im
portant predictions for the year
sir?"
"Ah. yes. I see a big. rotten,
stinking snowfall last Saturday
which ruined the whole day except
for those lunatics who get a kinky
thrill out of how big the Hakes are
and think snow is swell, yet they
don't think it's so swell that they
move up North where they can be
knee-deep in it half the year
Puppy Creek Philosopher
Dear Editor:
As some of you may know, 1 w as
suddenly carted off to the hospital a
few weeks ago. but 1 can now
report that I'm back in fairly good
working order.
Thought I'd tell you about a
dream I had. I dreamed that for
some strange reason the three TV
and radio network editors and the
leading newspaper and wire service
editors all gathered at my Bermuda
grass farm out here one day. There
was Walter Cronkite. John Chan
cellor. David Brinkley, James
Reston. and too many others to
mention. "Look." the president of
CBS said. "We're getting tired of
having to chase all over the world
with our cameras and reporters
every time a world crisis breaks out
in some country we never heard of
before."
"That's right." John Chancellor
chimed in. "I've been in the news
business all my life and it was only
a month ago I heard of Angola.
Took two secretaries and half the
morning to find it on the map."
"Yeah." Walter Cronkite put in.
"Beirut. Zaire. Zanzibar. Belfast --
every one of them has been in a
world crisis at one time or another.
Everybody gets excited, world
leaders confer and wring their
hands, we report it all. then the
crisis fades aw ay and we get set for
another one. It's getting mono
tonous. There ought to be some
way to stop it."
This dream is pretty wild because
at that point I spoke up.
"I've got an idea." I said. "Let's
teach the world a little lesson. Let's
make up a mythical country,
manufacture a crisis there, put it
on TV and radio and in the
newspapers, and then sit back and
see how the world leaders per
form."
"Great idea." David Brinkley
said. "What are we going to call
this country?"
"I've got the perfect name." 1
said. "Let's call it Hypodermia.''
"Great." James Reston of the
New York Times said.
They all agreed and that evening
the news was filled with the new
world crisis developing in far-off
Hypodermia. "Internal strife is
boiling over in the towns and
throughout the countryside." the
reports went. "Two Soviet ships
loaded with supplies have been
sighted off the east coast of
Hypodermia."
Lights burned late at the U.S.
Senate Department that night and
by next morning Washington was
seething with excitement.
"Where is Hypodermia?" one
State Department expert asked.
"What difference does that
make?" another put in. "Let's get
our aid on the way and we'll find
out later where it is."
"Should we tell Congress about
this?" another asks.
"No." another answers. "You
tell Congress and it won't be 24
hours before the whole country
knows."
Unfortunately, a nurse came by
to give me a pill before I finished
this dream, but you've got to admit
it has some side-splitting possibili
ties. especially when you think of
all those cargo planes loaded with
U.S. aid circling the globe trying to
locate Hypodermia so they can land
and protect our interests.
Yours faithfully.
J.A
CUFF BLUE ? ? ?
People & Issues
EDWIN GILL...With State
Treasurer Edwin Gill deciding not
to seek reelection, he can look back
on a job "well done" as State
Treasurer, set to leave office with
the State having a triple A rating in
borrowing money ?? a rating unex
celled by none.
Not only has Gill been an able
and outstanding state treasurer, he
is a man steeped in government ?
county, state and national as few
other officials are. Not only has he
been an outstanding figure in
government, but in other fields as
well, particularly in the field of
arts.
Governors, legislators -- state
and national have sought his
counsel and advice . When a bond
issue was to be submitted to the
people. Gill's advice was always
sought. In his years of public
service he has fully earned the
acclaim, "Well done thou good and
faithful servant". His successor will
have big shoes to fill.
CANDIDATES...State Rep. R.
Lane Brown III, Stanly County
Democrat announced several weeks
ago that he was a candidate for the
office. No doubt there will be other
candidates. Gill's deputy, Harlan
E. Boyles, has said that he would
seek the job if Gill decided against
running, and others may well toss
their hats into the ring. Brown has
been travelling the state for several
weeks devoting full time to the
campaign.
GOOD EXAMPLE...Lt. Gov.
Jim Hunt, Jr. set a good example
last week in measuring up to the
spirit of the 1975 Legislative Ethics
Act. Despite a ruling by the
Attorney General that the present
members of the General Assembly
and each presiding officer would
not have to tile a report this
January 15, Hunt did so saying: "1
believe that it was the intention of
the General Assembly for all
present members and each pre
siding officer to file an economic
interest by Jan. 15, 1976," adding.
"I have done so."
PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY...
The presidential primary in March
is expected to bring out a record
vote. President Gerald Ford and
Ronald Reagan will certainly bring
out a big Republican vote. On the
Democrat side a heavy vote is also
anticipated with Terry Sanford.
George Wallace and Jimmy Carter*
having asked to be put on the
ballot. Also expected to be on the
Democrat ballot are Senator Henry
Jackson of Washington and Sena
tor Lloyd Benson of Texas, bring
ing the number to five for the
Democrats.
OTHER ISSUES...Other state
issues will be decided on the same
day, March 23rd, the presidential
primary day, in North Carolina.
Tar Heel voters will decide for or
against two constitutional amend
ments and a state bond referendum
on capital improvements for state
institutions of higher learning.
The first proposed amendment
would allow the legislature to
authorize the counties, cities or
towns to issue revenue bonds to
finance the building of health caje
projects, whether govermental or
non-profit corporation.
The second proposed amend
ment would allow the legislature M
authorize counties to create au
thorities to issue revenue bonds to
pay for, but not to refinance, the
cost of capital projects consisting of
industrial manufacturing and pol
lution control facilities for industry,
and pollution control for public
utilities. Such bonds would be
secured by, and payable only from
revenues or property derived from
private parties, and in no way be
secured or payable from any public
moneys.
The bond referendum proposed
the issuance of $43,267,000 in
bonds to pay for capital improve
ments at state institutions of higher
education.
POSTAL RATES...We hear a
lot of grumbling about postal rates.
It seems that postal rates are
out-running inflation by leaps and
bounds. Many people, we under
stand, have'started delivering local
first class letters by hand. Com
menting on the system. Gene
Smith, Editor of The Havelock
Progress says: "Despite the clamor,
despite the inefficiency, despite the
deficits and despite the declining
service we will have the Postal
System or its successor with us,
losing more and more money,
cutting more and more services and
charging more and more for the
lesser efficient service...The Postal
System's inefficiency is here to ?
stay."
After its holiday recess. Congress
went back into session this week.
The members face a year that is
bound to be filled with controversy
and debate, made more intense
because this year we elect a
President.
On a personal note. I found the
recess useful, as I stayed in North
Carolina, got some rest, and
worked in my Raleigh office. All
during this time. I talked to
constituents in an attempt to learn
their views on public matters.
One issue that will arise quickly
this year is that of the Post Office.
People are upset and unhappy
with the higher rates that went into
effect in late December, but the
problem goes much deeper than
that. The very future of the Postal
Service, as 1 see it, is in danger.
Of course the objective in raising
the rates was to reduce the operat
ing losses which the Postal Service
says it is suffering. But 1 am afraid
that this increase in the cost of
mailing may not do what was
intended.
Already, private carriers are
siphoning off much of the more
profitable mail that is being sent.
There have been stories in the
papers that some industries, such
as utilities, are considering meth
ods of delivering monthly state
ments to their customers by mes
sengers in an effort to cut costs.
And on one Wilmington television
program on which I took part, it
was stated that even some govern
ment agencies are using the private
carriers rather than the Post Office
for parcel post.
If this trend should continue and
the Post Office loses more revenues
than the added postage rate brings
in. then we are going to be in a real
mess in that area.
As everyone knows, the govern
ment. in 1971, turned^ the Postal
Service over to a government
owned department that is admini
stered by a board of governors.
Many of their policies, especially on
the wages and salaries, have been
questioned and criticized, and
Report
To Tlu*
People
by Senator Robert Morgan
some members of Congress feel
that the Postal Service's troubles
stem partly from mismanagement.
There is a bill now in the House
of Representatives to bring the Post
Office back into the government,
and 1 am sure that this will get
some support. Whether this is the
answer is something 1 will have to
study further before making a
decision, but 1 am sure of one thing
and that is. we cannot let the
nation's Postal Service be brought
to a point where it breaks down.
Also, there seems to be no excuse
for the huge deficits it keeps piling
up, when a private competitor can
deliver parcel cheaper and faster
and do so profitably.
I am certain that Congress vaill
take up the matter and dp whatever
is necessary to keep the Postal
Service viable. After all. it's a
service we cannot do without.
Letter To
The Editor
To whom it may concern:
You had a writeup in the paper
about what the judge said about
calling the cops jokers. He did not
say anything about all the lies
(police officer) Tindell told about
what happened on the street. I
asked him how could he sleep after
telling all those falsehoods. He
replied "The D.A. told him to do
it' . Chief Wiggins is not any better,
for he covers up dirt for them.
Signed,
Louis C. Cunningham
Edltor'i Note: The author of the *
above letter was a defendant ap
pearing In District Court Jan. 9
who waa found guilt; b; Judge
Chariee Gu; of disorder!; conduct
and resisting a police officer and Is %,
appealing the convictions. The
article published In the News
Journal to which the writer refers
reported the remarks of Judge Gu;
concerning Cunningham's testl- ?
men;. 5f