The State of the Union
Message given by the President
has set the major guidelines for
this session of Congress. The
Chief Executive ably stated our
national goals: . to keep the
economy growing, to open for
all Americans the opportunities
now enjoyed by most Ameri
cans, to improve the quality of
life for all.” With these laudable
objectives, few would quarrel.
How to achieve them brings dif
fering views.
Since this opening message to
Congress, a swift succession of
other special messages have
come to Capitol Hill outlining
Administration views on health,
(education, immigration, and
foreign aid. Later the Budget
Message is expected to set the
price tag for the entire pro
gram.
Most pre-State of the Union
thinking was that the President
would center his remarks on a
handful of proposals and permit
Congress to work toward ad
journment by mid-summer. But
like many recent State of the
Union Messaged, this one turn
ed out to be broad with few
promises left unmentioned. This
could turn an otherwise quiet
session into a series of legisla
tive battles requiring Congress
to resume its recent pattern of
virtually year long sessions.
The second Johnson State of
the Union Message had much
to commend it. I was encourag
ed by statements that we are
going to remain militarily strong
to the extent that it would be
11<T fna nnTT/\mn tn nHonlr 11C
I was impressed by the empha
sis on conservation of natural
resources.
On the other hand, the Mes
sage and the above-mentioned
amplifying special messages are
certain to provoke a number
of legislative battles. This is
particularly true in respect to
requests regarding education,
Taft-Hartley Act amendments,
and foreign aid.
The requests -for aid to ed
ucation renew a long - standing
dispute by ecclesiastics over
whether the State should im
plement church revenue sources.
Many believe that the propos
ed aid to pariochial schools is
a violation of the First Amend
ment, which prohibits the use
of tax monies for the support oi
religious institutions. Many oth
ers think that the proposed par
iochial school aid is unwise.
The message also raises the
long controversial question oi
revision of Section 14 b of the
Taft-Hartley Act. A repeal oi
Section 14 b would invalidate
“right-to-work” laws in twentj
states, including North Caroline
and make mandatory “unioi
shop” rules legal in every state
Under the “union shop” a per
son must join a union within ;
specified time after employmen
or employment ceases.
Any revision of the Taft-Hart
ley Act would trigger a legisla
tive battle whereby both man
agement and labor would seel
to improve provisions accord
ing to their respective views.
Foreign aid requests may agaii
renew a torrid battle over tha
program’s policies and funds
Aid policy reforms promised o\
er the years have been minima]
Many of those have not mater
alized. The foreign aid prograi
chronically suffers from th
'to, muc
practice
which w
same oia aeiww —
indealism, too little
ity for the wOrtd in
OTHER EDITORS SAY
HERTFORD COUNTY HERALD
Diagnosis Comes Before Cure
You can’t do anything about
a malignancy unless you recog
nize its presence. Which is why,
for example, increasing empha
sis has been placed on import
ance of early diagnosis in can
cer. Disclosure in Wednesday’s
newspaper that the Negro il
legitimacy rate average one
out of every four births in Hert
ford County last year was meant
in the nature of an early diag
live, too costly, and too difficult
to adjust to changing world con
ditions.
With so many legislative items
on the menu, Congress may ex
ercise its ancient prerogative on
the controversial ones: “The
President proposes, Congress dis
poses.”
nosis of a situation wmcn, in
the words of Recorder’s Court
Judge Joseph. Blythe “seeds
itself.”
Like a malignancy which
spreads through the entire sys
tem, the effects of this increas
ing illegitimate birth rate could
spread through an entire society
to destroy its economy and com
munity life. The problem involv
es something more than morals
— and the morals of an indivi
dual we have always been in
clined to feel are his own con
cern so long as they do not in
terfere with society or hurts
others. Unfortunately, in this sit
uation, the illegitimate children
are the tragic victims as well
as the community which must
bear the increasing economic
burden.
What makes situation sorrier
is disclosure by Hertford Coun
ty Health Officer, Dr. Cooke,
that free oral contraceptives are
going begging in the county.
Only a small number of women
are taking advantage of this
program. Available to any wom
an — wed or unwed — who
cannot afford them, the pills
can be obtained at the Birth Con
trol clinic held monthly at the
Health Department in Winton.
The cost to the county is only
$1.20 per woman per month's
supply. Relief costs for illegiti
mate children run many times
this amount — yet are suffi
cient only for the barest needs,
with no guarantee either that
the money actually ever will be
spent for the child.
This, too, is tragic.
What, you may ask, is the
solution to the problem. It would
appear that a concentrated ef
fort on the part of both Ne
groes and whites is needed to
find the answers.
JARMAN FUNERAL HOME
24 Hour Ambulance Service
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JA 3-5143 KINSTON, N. C
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