The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee • Page 1

mi ih! I TT in A served by in: in i j'- 1 I erica's ii Jill, Greatest iXcii's Services At the Crossroads of Natural Gas and IV A Power Telephone 255-1221 VOL. 62 No. 309 5econd Class Postage Paid at Nashville, Tenn. NASHVILLE, FRIDAY MORNING, MARCH 1, 1968 10 CENTS 52 PAGES C1 'A i lU1 in i HI Nation Can Balk 1 i hf Commission Memphis Loan Firm 'Guilty7 Of Usury MEMPHIS (AP) Federal Dist. Court Judge Robert M.

McRae, in a landmark case affecting thousands of small loans, found Memphis Loan Thrift Co. guilty of usury yesterday. The decision came in the case of 0. C. Bogan of Horn Lake, a 42- lion by the state, local and federal governments and one million by private industry.

Federal subsidy of on-the-job training for the hard-core unemployment, "by contract or tax credits." An approach to the "guaranteed minimum income" for all Americans, though a "basic allowance" to individuals and families. Bringing 6 million new and 1 -v year-old laborer four children. Wright: Violence Cant Aid Negro -4 f4 Wave the it Rain, AP Wirephoto End Convention Bill May Be Balked By LARRY DAUGHTREY and JIM SQUIRES House Speaker James Cura-mings said yesterday he may refuse to sign a bill calling a limited constitutional convention if the Senate fails to honor a request that it be returned to the lower chamber. bill, although approved' in the same form by both houses, apparently could not become law without Cummings' signature. SHATTERING traditions and Jcgislative etiquette, the Senate voted 22-9 yesterday gainst returning the bill to the House for possible amendment of the classification of Jroperty section, i Cummings said he had Jiever heard of a similar development in his 32 years in the legislature.

And he told the House: have not yet made up my tnind, but I am seriously pondering my duties, and whether 1 would sign this bill if the Senate disregards the wishes of this House that has been so good to me." HOUSE MEMBERS, who a moment before had heard one representative suggest that they send a raiding party to recover the bill, responded with a thunderous standing ovation. In a conversation with reporters later, Cummings added: "I just would not be inclined to sign a bill that my House wanted and couldn't WASHINGTON Robert McNamara, retiring secretary of defense, gives a final wave at a Pentagon door. With McNamara are Gen. Earle Wheeler, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Paul Nitze, deputy secretary of defense. Navy Destroys Runners McRAE RULED that Memphis Loan Thrift had charged Bogan usurious interest rates, unnecessary investigation fees and that insurance premiums he paid included usurious profits and were illegal because the company required insurance coverage before granting the loan.

He ruled that the $G12 loan made by Bogan was usurious on its face. Bogan borrowed $612 but received only $556.62 because the interest was deducted first. Bogan had to repay the entire $612 or 12 interest while state law permits only a 10 interest charge on small loans. The opinion hit hard at the profitable loan company practice of "flipping" frequently renewing loans. "THE DEDUCTION of interest in advance and the practice of frequent renewals of the loans allowed by the loan company shows a shocking opportunity for profit on the part of the loan company," it added.

The ruling also gives bankruptcy courts access to records considered necessary to determine whether usury has been charged on cases now pending in court. McRae's opinion substantiates an earlier opinion by bankruptcy referee David Dot-en that Memphis Loan Thrift was guilty of charging Bogan improper insurance and investigation fees and "interest upon interest." BOGAN frequently renewed loans at Memphis Loan Thrift, and investigation! by the court showed that at one point he was obligated to pay tingency fund," he said, "but the Metropolitan Council already has obligated $32,000 of that for Metro's courts. "There are other needs which will have to be met, too," he continued. "We appropriated $450,000 for matching funds for Social Security for the employes and it looks like we will need $500,000. That means $50,000 from the contingency fund will have to be used for matching Social Security." It would cost approximately $35,000 to conduct a county wide election.

(Turn to Page 23, Column 1) The command reported 470 Americans were killed and 2,675 wounded last week, the second highest seven-day toll of the war. IN THE NAVAL action yesterday, the Navy said the 100-foot enemy trawlers were detected by coastal surveillance ships at several points off the coast from Chu Lai in the northern part of the country to the Ca Mau Peninsula on the southern tip. "Running dark" and flying no flags, the trawlers began crossing inside the 12-mile coastal limit shortly after mid- (Turn to Page 8, Column 4) Riots: WASHINGTON (AP) A presidential commission said yesterday that racism and riots will split the nation into "two societies, one black, one white separate and unequal" unless massive and costly remedies are begun at once. The bipartisan National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, after eight months' intensive study of the 1967 big-city riots, reported that bias and segregation "threaten the future of every Amcri- but added: "THE MOVEMENT apart can be reversed." It notified President Johnson that new taxes must be levied if necessary to "meet unprecedented levels of funding" for slum housing, education, job training, and welfare. The commission did not put a price tag on its sweeping proposals, but their magnitude made it clear that the cost would at least approach the $2 billion a month level of the Vietnam war.

Reporting on its analysis of the riots that brought looting, shooting and arson to American cities last year, the commission headed by Gov. Otto Kerner of Illinois said: "THE URBAN disorders of the summer of 1967 were not caused by, nor were they the consequence of, any organized plan of But the commission said that militant Negro groups and "individual agitators" helped create the hostile atmosphere that contributed to the outbreaks and with obvious reference to the summer ahead added this caution: "We recognize that the continuation of disorders and the polarization of the races would provide fertile ground for organized' exploitation in the future." THE REPORT bore down on race prejudice as the underlying poison, saying: "White racism is essentially responsible for the explosive mixture which has been accumulating in our cities since the end of World War II." The commission prescribed, among scores of other proposals: Immediate action to create two million new jobs, one mil- By Joe Hatcher "moderate," but there are many other tags, including a Howard Baker vs. Bill Brock struggle, the old guard vs. the new, the "lily whites" vs. the black and tans, and perhaps the John Birchers vs.

the Republicrats, the Belle Mead- (Turn to Page 16, Column 3) Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," was voted Album of the Year and Best Contemporary Album, as well as Best Engineered Recording. Campbell also won awards for Best Vocal Performance, Male, and Best Contemporary Male Solo Vocal Performance for his "By the Time I Get to Phoenix." TOPS IN the strictly Country and Western categories, in addition to "Gentle on My Mind," were Tammy Wynette, voted Best Female Solo Vocal Tammy Wynette Best CW Female Solo I if utv (Turn to Page 5, Column 3) (Turn to Page 9, Column 1) Official Says Metro Shy Election Fund existing dwellings within reach of low and moderate income families in the next five years, starting with 600,000 next year. Expanding the rent subsidy program, and launching an "ownership supplement program" to help low income families buy their own homes. Enacting "a comprehensive and enforceable federal hous- (Turn to Page 10, Column 1) sity, Wright drew a standing ovation when he decried "the progeny of hatred and racism, generating violence." Wright said the report by the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders indicates that civil rights is the "most explosive and dangerous domestic problem" facing the nation. Wright said he hopes the report "may wake some people up" to the dangers confronting the country.

"The only people who really seem to be taking this seriously now are the police departments, the National Guard and the Army," Wright said. HE SAID the white leaders have made "serious mistakes" in their dealings with the Negro demands. "They grossly underestimated the Negro's resentment of the status quo and his loss of faith in peaceful approaches," Wright said. white community also "emasculated" the established, moderate Negro leadership, and responded to riots with ''commissions which came up with the same tired findings of the 1930s," he said. Wright blamed today's tension on the lack of change in the areas of the original Negro complaints high unemployment, discrimination in housing, poor ghetto schools, lack of government services and lack of "any appreciable increase in involvement in Negroes in policymaking boards." HE ALSO criticized Negroes for their failure to make effective use of their political, economic and legal power and public opinion.

(Turn to Page 10, Column 3) Tennessean Today Page Amusements 24, 25 Ask Andy 40 Jean Bruce 32 Page Furnishings 27 Horoscope Obituaries 40 43 20 Radio-TV Business Classified 41-43Scram-Lets 22 43-51! Sports 35-39 Comics 40; Weather Mao 15 Crossword 21 Woman's Editorials 18, 19 World 27-34 Fashion Game 40 presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS). THE FESTIVITIES were broadcast by WSIX but not televised. Some of the winners will perform their winning songs in a television special on May 8, "The Best on Record" to be aired on NBC (Ch. 4) at 8 p.m. The 841 guests at the Armory members of NARAS, their guests, and assorted dignitariesbegan gathering at (Turn to Page 6, Column 1) June Carter "Jackson" won Politics Republicans Pick Sides Tomorrow In Party 'Civil War' for Control By PAT WELCH Negroes cannot use violence or threats of violence successfully in their campaign for equality, Dr.

Stephen J. Wright, president of the United Negro College Fund, said here yesterday. "Negroes cannot be allowed to continue to threaten violence because it will be dealt with by the law," said Wright, former president of Fisk University here. SPEAKING AT Neely Audi-torium at Vanderbilt Univer- BULLETIN Metro police raided a house at 1721 Scovel St. early today and said they confiscated several hundred dollars worth of marijuana.

Officers, armed with a search warrant, said they took at least eight persons into custody. i Police said three youths arrested last night for possession of the drug said they got the marijuana from that house. ,000 Bond Frees Canady Ralph Canady, one of five men charged in the murder of a Metro policeman and the wounding of another, was released from jail here yesterday on $5,000 bond. Criminal Court Judge John L. Draper set bond for Canady, 25, over the objections of representatives of the district attorney general.

CANADY AND the four others are charged with slaying patrolman Thomas E. Johnson in January and wounding Charles Wayne Thomasson. Johnson was shot to death when he stepped from a car on a dead end street in North Nashville. Thomasson was critically wounded when he (Turn to Page 10, Column 3) Performance for her "I Don't Wanna Play House," and Johnny Cash and June Carter, whose "Jackson" won an award for Best Country and Western Performance by a Duet, Trio or Group. It was also a night for ironies, as the Frankenstein monster of yesteryear, Boris Karloff, won the Best Recording for Children award and Sen.

Everett Dirksen won in the Best Spoken Word, Documentary or Drama Recording category. The Grammy Awards are Chet Atkini Best Instrumental 55 By WAYNE WHITT The Metropolitan Government does not have the funds to finance a primary election for local offices as it would be required to do under a bill pending in the legislature, Metro's budget office said yesterday. Roy Bush, budget officer, told a subcommittee of the Davidson County legislative delegation there was no way for the government to obtain the funds for such an election during the present fiscal year which does not end until June 30. "WE HAVE a $37,000 con- McNamara Goodby Goes Awry By BOB HORTON WASHINGTON (AP)-Presi-dent Johnson bade "goodby and farewell' to Robert Strange McNamara yesterday. It was a day when the retiring defense chief's super-efficient military machine seemed to sputter in disarray.

ON AN OCCASION set aside for honoring McNamara upon his departure as secretary of defense after seven years: The President and McNamara were trapped for a frustrating 13 minutes in a Pentagon elevator just as they prepared to go outside for a full military honors ceremony. The elevator was No. 13 and was carrying 13 persons. Johnson's word of praise "Bob McNamara's career is just about the textbook example of the modern public servant" went virtually unheard when the public address system failed. A chilling rain forced cancellation of a scheduled fly- (Turn to Page 13, Column 1) Not So Cold NASHVILLE: Fair, not as cold today, tonight.

High 40, low 18-26. Map. other data page 13 Staff phots by Frtnk Empson I Gun FROM WIRE REPORTS SAIGONAllied naval units battled yesterday with three trawlers running guns and ammunition to Viet Cong troops in South Vietnam, and the three Communist ships were destroyed. The Navy called it "the enemy's boldest sea infiltration attempt to date." TWO U.S. NAVY men were reported to have received minor wounds during the action.

In other developments yesterday: The Viet Cong shelled Tan Son Nhut air base on Saigon's northwest outskirts for the seventh time in two weeks. The U.S. Command said 10 or 12 rockets hit the sprawling complex in a short barrage that caused "extremely light" casualties and negligible damage. More American servicemen have been killed in action in Vietnam in the last four weeks than during all the first five years of U.S. involvement in the war.

Cumulative figures disclosed by the U.S. Command showed 1,829 Americans killed from Jan. 28 to Feb. 24, a period of hard fighting marked by attack and counterattack during the Communists' lunar new year offensive. The death roll from 1961 through 19C5 was 1,636.

By KATHY SAWYER Nashville's John Hartford had "Gentle on His Mind" and four Grammies to his credit last night at the 10th annual Grammy Awards dinner at the National Guard Armory on Sidco Drive. Hartford wrote the song, which was voted Best Country and Western Song, and his own recording of it won in the Best Folk Performance category. Glen Campbell, who was not present, won JJest Country and Western Record-See pictures on page 28. ing and Best Country and Western Male Solo Vocal Performance for his version of "Gentle." THE COVETED Grammies were presented at simultaneous banquets here, in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Other Nashville winners included John Loudermilk, Best Album Notes; Chet Atkins, Best Instrumental Performance (Other Than Jazz); and Elvis Presley, who was not present, Best Sacred Performance.

In New York, The 5th Dimension hit recording of "Up, Up and Away" soared up, up John Hartford, 'Gentle on My Mind Grab 4Grammies Davidson County Republicans choose up sides tomorrow, in the tug of war that is developing into a party "civil war" for control of the party's organization in Davidson County. On the surface the battle is labeled as "conservative" vs. and away with six Grammies, including Best Record of the Year and Song of the Year. "ODE TO Billie Joe," which" had been nominated in more categories than any other record 10 won its composer, Bobbie Gentry, four awards: Best Female Vocal Performance; Best New Artist; Best Contemporary Female Solo Vocal Performance and Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist. Miss Gentry accompanied herself.

The Beatles' album, "Sgt. Johnny Cash Best CW Duet i I i Best Folk Performer, Too John Hartford, left, accepts his Grammy for Best Folk Performance from George Hamilton IV on stage at the National Guard Armory. Hartford's song, "Gentle on My Mind," also won three other awards..