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“Tell It Like It 1b’
THE TRIBUNALAID
Serving Davidson, Firsyth, Guilford, Randolpii, Rockingham and Rowan Counties
VOLIIIE II, NO. 51
WEIX®;SDAY. HAY 14. 1975
15 CHJTS PER CXPZ - $5.00 PER YEAH
Member of NORTH CAROLINA BLACK PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION
Truesdale To Receive M.D. Degree
Week’s
Capsule
by Alfred Hinson
Gerald L. Truesdale, a
fourth year student at The
Pritzker School of Medicine
of the University of Chicago
will be awarded the Doctor
of Medicine degree from
that institution on June 13,
1975. Born in High Point,
N.C., Truesdale attended
high school at William
Penn High School where he
graduated in 1967. In that
same year he entered
Morehouse College in
Atlanta, Georgia where he
majored in chemistry.
While at Morehouse he
participated for two sum
mers in the Harvard Health
Careers Program in Cam
bridge, Mass.
In 1971, Truesdale gra
duated from Morehouse
with Honors, Honors in
Chemistry and Phi Beta
Kappa; entered the Pritz
ker School of Medicine in
October 1971. While in
Chicago he has become
interested in the field of
surgery and has chosen for
a career, general and
plastic surgery.
He will begin his
Residency in Surgery on
July 1, 1975 at the Emory
University School of Medi-
cine-Grady Hospital, in
Atlanta, Georgia.
Presently he is actively
involved in Project-75 in
Chicago, an organization
whose goal is to increase
the number of minority
students in medicine.
Truesdale is the son of
Mr. and Mrs. G.L.
Truesdale of 614 Amos
Street in High Point, N.C.
national
A spokesman for the Internal Revenue Service stated
that the government mailed 13.7 million of the 78
million rebate checks last week. The checks mailed last
week were sent to those individuals who filed early
returns. The maximum amount to be received by
anyone is $200.
The Social Security Administration is experiencing
its most difficult test in its 40 year history. Unless
additional funds are provided, it is felt that the
disability payment program will go broke by 1980.
According to government officials, several
alternafives exist for improving the status of the
disability payments program. One alternative is for the
general treasury to provide funds to support the system
and the other calls for an increase in payroll taxes.
STATE
Last week the North Carolina Ufilities Commission
ordered natural gas distributors to not take any new
customers. The Commission was prompted to take this
action after being informed by TRANSCO that the state
may suffer a 60 per cent curtailment in natural gas next
winter. The 40 per cent reduction in natural gas
experienced by North Carolinians last year caused
some factories and schools to close down or reduce their
operations temporarily.
The North Carolina Department of Human
Resources, through its Project Reach program has
raised by 2.7 per cent statewide the number of persons
eligible to receive food stamps. Instead of ranking 46th
in the nation. North Carolina now ranks 32nd in the
effectiveness of its food stamp delivery program.
According to Human Resources Secretary David
Flaherty more than 200,000 persons have been added to
the roll of food stamps recipients since Project Reach
began in February. The North Carolina Department of
Human Resources now plans to implement Project
Reach II next fall.
On a national level, the Social Security
Administration is about to go broke. On the state level,
the North Carolina General Assembly is experiencing
financial problems too.
Clyde Hall, legislative services officer who directs
the General Assembly operation recently informed
N.C. House and Senate officials that the present budget
will be exhausted an short of funds if General Assembly
sessions extend beyond June 20. The present budget of
$5 million a year but already been supplement with
$250,000 which Hall refers to as cushion money.
Nevertheless, House speaker Jimmy Green and Lt.
Gov. Jim Hunt have both announced the plan to adjour
by June 20.
It is likely that residents of Thomasville, N.C. will
soon be given another chance to determine whether
ABC stores will become a reality for the city. The last
ABC referendum was defeated by less than 200 votes
and varying views have been expressed by citizens
about the proposed up-coming referendum.
The proposed bill was reported favorably by a
committee and must now receive similar backing from
House and Senate officials before Thomasville City
Council can schedule a referendum.
Reidsville Men
Presented Certificates
REIDSVILLE - Six local
men were presented certifi
cates for distinguished and
outstanding service of 25
years or more to Omega Psi
Phi Fraternity at the sixth
district annual meeting
held April 25 - 27, at the
Royal Villa in Raleigh.
The men, members of
the Sigma Chi Chapter of
the fraternity, were C.E.
Fowlkes; H.K. Griggs, Sr.;
Dr. K.W. Jones; E.M.
Townes, Jr.; C.C. Watkins,
and T.L. Williamson.
H.K. Griggs, Sr., was
also one of the recipients of
the special achievement
awards presented to two
retired Omega men for 40
years or more of dedicated
service in education, civic,
fraternal, and religious
work in their states. The
other recipient was T.J.
Crawford of Orangeburg,
S.C., a former Director of
Admissions and Records at
South Carolina State Col
lege.
Approximately 400 dele
gates attended from 39
chapters in North and
South Carolina. The three
day session featured the
Annual Talent Hunt; a
memorial program for
deceased members; and a
brotherhood luncheon with
an address by Milton
Kimpson, executive direc
tor of the Human Relations
Council of the Columbia,
S.C. Chamber of Com
merce.
Continued on Page 2
Educates Flock
GREENSBORO - In any
day and time, inflation or
not, it’s not an easy task to
raise nine children. It’s an
even more difficult task to
put them through college.
A&T State University has
been the salvation of the
Arthur Councils. Six of
their children have already
graduated from A&T, the
latest being Thomas, who
received his degree in
industrial arts Sunday at
the University’s 84th Com
mencement.
Although most of the
Council children are now
living and working in the
larger cities across the
country, they grew up on
the Council’s 100 acre farm
in Greenville, N.C. Mr. and
Mrs. Council bought the
Continued On Page 5
‘I-1. ^V' -tv"
Re cycling For The Economy minded
GREENSBORO In a money. The class ended I he
time when housewives and year by crcaling usclul
even single women, arc household items llinuiyh
more conscious of saving the method of rccyc'lin”,
money, students in BennctI Under the guidance ol
College’s Marriage and instructor Ouccn Hesicr
Family Relations class arc Bell, the sludcnis designed
learning how to save and conslruelcd quills.
shcels. pilli'w cast's,
clolhcs hags. nigs, and
al'ghans rroni ciildau'd.
lorn, or oulgrowii uar-
menls. Some ol' ihe innri'
induslrial suulenls ina(U'
Continued on Page 3
A CASE OF JUDICIAL ABUSE
WASHINGTON - The
man who succeeded John J.
Sirica as Chief Judge of the
U.S. District Court here has
just pulled off a judicial
power play that even his
fellow judges say is as
arrogant as anything at
tempted by those involved
in the Watergate scandals.
On the basis of no legal
process whatever, Judge
George L. Hart, Jr., has
“ordered” the Justice
Department not to assign to
any courthouse duties as
chief deputy U.S. marshal
who incurred the judge’s
anger during a tempes
tuous cellblock takeover
last July by two heavily-
armed prisoners.
Whereas a Justice De
partment spokesman said
privately Monday that
Hart’s action was “illegal”
and “an abuse of power,” I
learned the next day that
Atty. Gen. Edward H. Levi
apparently had agreed to
yield to Hart’s demand.
One source said that the
Justice Department would
transfer James F. Palmer to
a lower court even though
the department recently
signed an agreement giving
Palmer his job back with
written assurances that he
would not again be
tranferred.
Palmer was thrust into an
emotional storm last July
when two prisoners, Frank
Gorham and Robert Jones,
seized several hostages and
held the courthouse for four
tense days. I have Justice
Department records show
ing that Judge Hart felt
that if Gorham could be
lured to a spot where he
could be shot, the cellblock
drama would end. Palmer,
who in the early days was
the negotiator who tried to
prevent the prisoners from
killing the hostages, was
unwilling to lure one
prisoners to a phone where
he could be shot. Palmer
says he feared that the
other prisoner would then
begin shooting the hos
tages. The U.S. Attorney,
Earl Silbert, and other law
enforcement officers also
opposed violence.
I have another Justice
Department document
quoting Judge Hart as
saying that “throughout
Palmer’s handling of the
matter he exhibited more
concern for Gorham and
Jones than he did for the
hostages.”
Justice Department affi
davits contain sworn state
ments by other senior law
enforcement officials who
dispute this contention by
Hart.
Yet, three days after the
cellblock takeover ended
peacefully, with all the
hostages safe. Palmer was
removed from his post as
chief deputy marshal. His
pay and responsibilities
were reduced. The director
of the U.S. Marshals
BY CARL I. ROWAN
Service, Wayne Colburn, Deputy Marshal with all of
asked the FBI to investigate
Palmer. Judge Hart says he
had nothing to do with any
of this.
Palmer went to court and
also filed a discrimination
complaint within the Jus
tice Department. He is
black, as are prisoners
Gorham and Jones. Hart
and Colburn are white.
These racial factors were
cited by some persons
present in the cellblock as
the reason for the hard
feelings over Hart’s desire
to shoot Gorham and
Palmer’s unwillingness to
be the lure.
The FBI probe showed
the allegations against
Palmer to be silly smears
and on April 10 Colburn
gave Palmer a letter
clearing him.
On the same date Justice
Department officials signed
a document effectuating
“the return of James F.
Palmer to the position of
Chief Deputy United States
Marshal for the District of
Columbia Marshals Office
as aforesaid. It is further
agreed and understood as
such, Mr. Palmer will be
the rights and duties
appertaining thereto.”
Palmer thought that after
10 months of costly
litigation he had won his
job back.
But one day later Judge
Hart wrote Atty. Gen. Levi,
trying to block Palmer’s
reinstatement. When this
and another letter failed to
block Palmer, Hart wrote
the following to Colburn on
April 29:
“I ‘requested’ that Mr.
Palmer be assigned no
duties in this courthouse
and that he not be
permitted to enter this
courthouse in any official
capacity. Notwithstanding
my request, you have
reinstalled Mr. Palmer in
offices provided in this
courthouse for the conven
ience of the Marshals
Service. I, therefore, find it
necessary to Order that you
not assign any duties to Mr.
Palmer in this courthouse
and that he not be
permitted to enter this
courthouse in any official
capacity.”
In a taped interview on
Tuesday, I asked Hart what
rooms and the prisoners...I
have the right, if I have no
confidence in a man’s
ability to handle those
things, to keep him out of
the courthouse.” He added
that he thinks he has “the
authority, if I wish, to put
the whole Marshals Officc
out of the building.”
Judge Hart says he is
blocking Palmer’s return (o
his job, without any due
process, because “I lost all
confidence in his ability and
in his judgment and in his
discretion when it comes to
matters of courthousc
safety.”
Others
cellblock
Palmer’s
the
housed in the quarters legal authority he has “for
customarily assigned to the telling the executive branch
Chief Deputy Marshal whom it may assign to
within the Marshal’s com- executive branch positions
plex of offices in the United in this building.” He
States Courthouse...It is replied:
further agreed and under- “1 am responsible as
stood that Mr. Palmer will Chief Judge for the security
serve as the ranking Chief of the judges, the court-
involved
drama praise
role. Court re
cords show that one
hostage told Judge John H.
Pratt that he [the hostage]
felt comfortable when
Palmer was there. A sworn
Justice Department affida
vit quotes Donald W.
Moore, Jr., an assistant
director of the FBI who also
was in the courthouse
during the takeover, as
saying: “It was obvious to
me that Mr. Palmer had
established a rapport with
Gorham and Jones. I
thought Mr. Palmer did a
good job during the period
he was maintaining tele
phone contact with the
prisoners and 1 told him
so.”
“I have my own
opinion,” said Hart, who
added, “I’m not going to
change my mind.”
Apparently the Justice
Department changed its
mind, for Colburn told
Palmer Tuesday that he w ill
be transferred Thursda\.
Justice Department
spokesman Robert Havel
said that Palmer’s offices
were being transferred to
the Pension Building, but
that Palmer would retain
his title of Chief Dcput>
Marshal. Asked if Palmer
would be permitted to enter
the courthouse to carry out
his duties, Havel said: “I
don’t know.”
Havel said Colburn alone
made this decision and that
neither Levi nor the Deputy
Attorney General was
lnvol\ed.
Copyright 1975 Field Kn-
terprises, Inc.
II Reading Guide
j ] Pagcj I
! |Business& Finance.... 2
I ICapsule News 1
I jClassificd 8| |
j .Editorials 41 I
I jEducation
I lEntertainnicnt 7
I iLadies 3
Notes & Reminders....2l I
I |Obituarics [
I IReligibn 6
I ISports 7
j |youth ,....8JI
ibooocaaoaoDoew
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