The Salt Lake Tribune from Salt Lake City, Utah • 14

William Safire Is This Right? first Scrtstn Wednesday Morning, Room For Ultimate Compromise In Downtown Improvement Job There js nothing eternal about Salt Lake Citys downtown Main Street. There never was and never will be. It has changed repeatedly through the years and must continue doing so to remain alive and useful. The time for another adaption has arrived Failure to recognize that fact could be a fatal mistake Plan-, for a three block Main Streei improvement project must move forward. If the work so long in preparation is now, it could mean the irreversible decline of Main importance as a commercial thoroughfare.

Coder current conditions, the area simply isn't keeping pace with developments that have and will compete for its business Since 19111, foresighted people interested in the downtowns survival as a prospering city center have labored over the design nd purposes of a promising modernization program It currently encompasses a proposed improvement disrict for Mam Street from South Temple to 3rd South. Initial remodeling involves a new street flanked by wider, tree-decorated sidewalks, boulevards for pedestrian comfoit and convenience. Although similar to projects that have actually rescued other downtowns from economic decline, the proposal is being seriously opposed Fortunately, it is also being resolutely defended Salt Lake City Mayor Jake Ci am very wisely refuses to tie stampeded. With a 'majority of city commissioners, he managed to preserve the idea of calling for bids on the street reconstruction job, so costs on different alternatives could be analyzed. This is now essential.

Quite likely, the difficulties can be resolved with a compromise. It appears many The Public Forum 'Sweet Are the Uses of Adversity Pape 14 opponents object not to the modernization concept, but, rath1 to certain details. Alternate construction bids can help determine where these details can be adjusted. A principal obstacle seems to be the apparent restrictions on traffic narrower street and fewer HO parking stalls. But the city has little choice in this matter Various air pollution control officials, both state and federal, am insisting that downtown Salt Lake City limit, not endlessly evpard, its automobile accommodations.

The challenge is to profit, not lose, from that inevitability. The Mam Street improvement program vould take gainful advantage of the situation One hundred years ago, Main Street was a place for oxen, mules and horses. Several decades later, trolley tracks ran down the center of its length. All were eventually replaced by cars and buses. Now another era is dawning and those with interest in seeing downtown Salt Lake City retain its economic vitality will join in making the transition to easy access and easy traffic movement not only possible but successful.

Mayor Gam is providing the necessary leadership, concerned property-owners and Mam Street tenants have contributed time, money and faith to the planning efforts. Mis-. understanding or contrariness shouldn't be allowed to slop progress at this critical stage Agreement can be reached and calling for bids on alternative possibilities including construction in one block at a time is crucial to finding it. With emphasis on conciliation, this indispensible downtown reawakening program wilj succeed. And the future will honor Salt Lake Citys past as a result.

black ash contained enough heat to warm every house in Vestmannaeyjar, a town of 5,200 for 20 years. Holes are being dug into the lava and spiral pipes inserted. Water pumped through the system attains a temperature of 140 degrees by the time it reaches the home. In addition to the cheap heat, villagers used pumice which also came from the volcano to pave an airstrip and extend roads. And why not? Didnt Shakespeare observe (in Alls Well That Ends Well," of course) that The web of our life is a mingled yam, good and ill together 'High Crimes The latest, and perhaps the most thorough investigation' into the meaning of high crimes and misdemeanors, was made by ihe highly regarded Association of the Bai of the City of New York under the direction of Martin F.

Richman, a former deputy attorney general under Presidents Johnson and Nixon. The bar association study rejects both the Ford and Kleindienst theries. It also shatters the commonly held idea that the constitutional reference to high crimes and misdemeanors is a literal one readily translated into todays meaning of those words. Impeachment provisions, the bar study concludes, were included in the Constitution to enable Congress to remove a president for serious misconduct without waiting for the next election. Further, the study says, The constitutional phrase high crimes and misdemeanors was lifted bodily out of English impeachment law and refers not to acts that are necessarily criminal, but to those which undermine the integrity of government.

Historically, a high misdemeanor was a catch-all term covering serious political abuses and used only in parliamentary impeachment proceedings. The study concluded that intention of the framers of the Constitution, the history of the actual use of impeachment and removal, and considerations of sound public policy all strongly support construction of high crimes and misdemeanors as not limited to offenses under the ordinary criminal law. the heart of the matter is the determination by Congress that the officeholder has demonstrated by his actions that he is unfit to continue in the office in question." It is generally agreed that the framers of the Constitution were men of rare wisdom-and foresight. Surely they must also be credited with realizing that it is not necessary to commit a crime in order to become unfit to hold high office. Ye Greasy Spoone invites the oil industry to make bids on recycling its kitchen pro leagues proliferate, some of the team names make them hard to distinguish from rock groups Members of the White House staff are told to report ail contacts with the media Theres a lot of suprious stuff, tke talking to the corner newsboy and pus-nv change back and forth January 1974 Querys Late New York nes Service WASHINGTON At 4:35 a m.

on the morning of May 10. 1970, as the nations capital was besieged by demonstrators after the Cambodian incursion, a 30-year old aide to John Ehrlichman was on duty at a Secret Service command post in the offices used by the Peace Corps. He heard an amazed voice call oat on the police squawk box: Searchlight is I on the lawn! This meant that the President of the United States had surprised his Secret Service protectors, appeared ir. the middle of the night on the White House lawn, and was making a foray-out into the darkness to mingle with the demon- The aide hurriedly telephoned his boss. woe him with this information and asked what to do Sensibly.

John Ehrlichman told him to follow the President, introduce himself as a White House aide at an appropriate time, and make himself generally useful. That night. Egii Bud' Krogh met Richard Nixon for the first time. In the predawn hours at the Lincoln Memorial, Krogh a straight arrow by all accounts was profoundly impressed by the awkwardly earnest attempt of the President to communicate with and reassure some young people. Gains Top Assignment A year later, it was Krogh.

the liaison with the Department of Justice on narcotics control and District of Columbia matters, who was given the assignment to stop security teaks. An infuriated President put him in charge of a special investigations unit that was to be just about everybodys undoing. After his sentencing last week, an older and differently illusioned Krogh put out a 2.500-word statement that should be required reading for anyone thinking of entering government service. The invocation of national security stopped me from asking the question. Is this the right thing to do? to invade (citizens rights) unlawfully is to work a destructive force upon the nation, not to take protective measure When contemplating a course of action.

Krogh wTote to young people who may enter government, I hope they will never fail to ask. Is this right? The advice is straightforward enough: yet we can see in his statement how it must have been for a man working in a gray area to differentiate between black and white Hiss-Etlsberg Parallel Krogh was shown the parallel between the Hiss case and the Ellsberg case: he listened to the unchallenged assertions of the CIA that the Soviet Embassy haii received a complete set of the Pentagon Papers including unpublished secrets: he was told that further hemorrhaging of national security information would jeopardize Vietnam peace negotiations and set back hopes for an end to the arms race with the Soviets. Is this right? never occurred to Krogh because he saw himself involved in a vast effort to combat so many wrongs, and with so many lives at stake. Although he received no orders from the President to break any laws, Krogh felt the clutch of circumstance was so extenuating that even burglary could be seen to be the public interest. The justification for an immoral or an illegal act is often the big picture.

the righteous cause, which seems to transform transgressions into necessary and noble disobedience to unjust or uncomfortable restrictions. On that basis. Daniel Ellsberg took the Pentagon papers, and Eud Krogh okayed the plumbers plans to break into the office of Ellsbergs psychiatrist. (The fact that one man is being canonized and the other cannonaded is a twist of irony and not a consequence of logic.) Crucial Need to Ask Here enters the crucial need to ask is this right? out loud. Asked silently of themselves, the question would then have produced a yes' both Ellsberg and Krogh, hooked as they were on higher laws and greater goods but asked aloud of at least one superior or friend, the ethical question might have produced a restraining doubt, or a refusal to join in responsibility that would have engendered second thoughts.

The lesson Krogii teamed, and is anxious to pass along, goes beyond an understanding that the only national security comes from lawful vigilance. Taking his medicine without complaint and without falsely passing the blame up or down. Bud Krogh is saying that the moral buck ends with each one of us (Copyright Interlandi Do jou realize another spring is almost apon and atergate is still here? Don't Raise 'em Editor, Tnbune: It shouldn't be too much of a surprise that the Legislature is considering a 100 percent increase in fishing license fees less than a year after virtually exempting one of the major user groups the senior citizens. We are not opposed to an increase to co er rising costs but it should have been obvious that more revenue would be required and that most of Forum Rules Public forum letters must be submitted exclusively to Tbe Tribune and bear writers full name, signature and address. Names must be printed on political letters but may be withheld for good reasons on others.

Writers are limited to one letter every 10 days. Preference will be given to short, typewritten (double spaced) letters permitting use of the writers true name. All letters are subject to condensation. the money should be obtained from those who want the Retired people make much more use of the facilities than working people; therefore are already getting a better bargain. Last years action was perhaps a misguided attempt to help lower income older people but the assumption that older people, in general, are less able to pay than young people with families is not necessarily true.

Fishing is a form of recreation, not a necessity of life, and the cost of a license is only a smalt part of the overall cost, compared with gasoline, fishing tackle, campers, trailers and boats. It has been our observation that most older fishermen are very well equipped. The action of the same Legislature to provide a $4,800 tax exemption on retirement income was a much more practical and substantial way to help lower income retirees. Perhaps the account The Tnbune which gave the age of those eligible for the senior citizen discount as 55 was a misprint. Even if not, we would like to go on record to say ve would rather see an increase to $7 or so for all users than have a discount for some.

I would suggest, however, that the Legislature also give consideration to providing a 2-day or 5-day resident license similar to that available to non-residents for the benefit of occasional fishermen who might otherwise be deterred by the SI5 or $20 a couple pnee tag for one or two outings. GEORGE R. VAN HOUSE Bountiful Editors Note: The age 55 Mr. Van House refers to was an inadvert nt typographical error. The correct age should have been 65.

Biased Judge Editor, Tnbune: I do not believe Congressman Wayne Owens was being frank with the citizens if Utah in his recent statement: I have refused to make a judgment on the question of the Presidents ultimate impeachability. Although I hope this is true. I believe your readers should be reminded of several of the Congressmans statements ujnng October, 1973. On Oct. 22, 1973.

The Tnbune reported the following The action of President Nixon in the past two days have left the House Representatives with no alternative' to impeachment, Rep. 'Wayne Owens, D-Utah, said Sunday." The next day. The Tnbune reported Rep. Wayne Owens, D-Utah, Monday announced he will be among at least 25 representatives who will sponsor a resolution to impeach President Nixon hen Congress convenes Tuesday morning." I do not believe that the Congressmans statements of last October are consistent with the objectivity he now claims If the Congressman has retreated from his earlier pronouncements, I think he ought to tell us so rather than claim he has refused to make judgments about the President's impeachment If the Congressman has not retreated from his earlier pronouncements, then I thin1' Utahns ought to know that Congressman Owenr is sitting as a biased judge and a prejudiced juror in the impeachment hearings of a President of the United States. In any hearing to determine whether a President of the United States has committed treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors as the Constitution requires, the American public should demand jurors who have not made their decisions before hearing the evidence.

WILLIAM COCKAYNE Republican State Chairman Time for Cleansing Editor, Tribune: Richard M. Nixon should be removed from the presidency. He has twice taken an oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. He has more than twice broken that oath. He has made judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure of the office, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of new offices (OSHA, EPA, etc.) and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance. He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies without the consent of our legislature. He has affected to render the military independent of and superior to the civil power. He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our Constitution and unacknowledged by our laws. For imposing taxes on us without our consent.

For the felony, extortion, by which he is forcing us to obey a law using highway funds as the ransom. In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms. Our repeated petitions have been answered by repeated injury. A man, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. Enough of Watergate.

Richard Nixon should be tried for the above mentioned offenses, which were largely copied from the Declaration of Independence. The time has come to cleanse our government of the tyrants and scoundrels who have been deceiving the people of this great land for too long. JIM BEAN Delta More Medicine Editor, Tribune: In glancing over the latest version of our energy crisis, I read where Mr. Nixon was quoted, saying, The main thing is I want the truth. Which leads one to ask, What is truth? Well, if I may suggest it.

Ill try it this way. An old saving says, One mans medicine is another mans poison. The logic can apply to countless subjects. Like, for one, One mans energy is another mans leadership. Hence, if your readers will substitute the word' leadership" for our current hot subject, energy, I think they might find themselves very dose to the truth.

There is no energy crisis. The Load. through Joseph Smith said it. For the earth is full And I know it is, too. You may print this letter as another friendly suggestion that Mr.

Nixon should resign andor be impeached. KEN DILLON Helped a Stranger Editor. Tnbune: About 5:30 a.m. Jan. 18.

1 was involved in an auto accident, en route to a call at University of Utah Medical Center. My car was disabled, but a passing motorist stopped and offered to miss his connection with a car pool for a 100-mile commute in order to drive me to the University Hospital. I wish to thank that motorist for his kindness and generosity helping a stranger need DANIELS. SELINGER.MD Department urgery. Division of Ophthamologv University Hospital Can there be a silver lining a cioud of volcanic ash? If there was any silver in the tons of hot dust that spewed from the Helgafjell volcano in Iceland's Westman Isles last year the natives haven't gotten around to extracting it yet.

But the islanders, many of whom were driven from their homes by the eruption, have' begun converting the hot lava carpet into a source of cheap heat for homes and public buildings. When eruptions stopped last summer, scientists began experimenting with thermal grower in the hot lava. They concluded the 5 Understanding 5 a One reason the prospect of impeaching a president frightens so many people is that anyone is certain what impeachment rSs all about. In the months since the subject became a National issue the once widely held idea that impeachment constituted conviction has been substantially dissipated. Thousands of words explaining that impeachment by the House of Representatives is merely a form of indictment have begun to have the desired effect Confusion now seems to center on what is tmeant by the constitutional term high crimes and misdemeanors" for which a president could be impeached.

Most of us initially assumed that the words mean just what they say, i.e. a president would have to be suspected of committing a crime of some sort before the House could rightfully i impeach. 7 Another view, expressed by Vice President Gerald R. Ford, is that an impeachable offense is whatever a majority of the House of Representatives considers it to be sAnd former Atty. Gen.

Richard Kleindienst once told a congressional committee that to impeach you don't need facts, you don't need evidence. you need is votes." Veiling Cartoonist tocher in The Chicoso Tribune.