Democrat and Chronicle from Rochester, New York • Page 6

Opinion Pa Editorials ftemotml ana It's Neglect ROCHESTER, N.Y., FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1973 That Leads to Mrs. Hanley Never Really Grew Old' Watergates Cliff Carpenter all were in rhyme; she simply preferred to write that way. For instance, in one of the early replies I wrote to one of her letters, I slipped and addressed her as "Miss." She pounced on it happily and wrote in part: Ah woe Is me, and do I me an it! I'd not believe, had I not seen it. Your letter came, addressed to "Miss" Now what I want to know is this: How can I explain satisfactorily HAY ISLAND, GANANOQUE, ONTARIO The sad news reached me tardily at this is-' land where time never counts for much. County Judge Julian R.

Hanley wrote from his office in Warsaw: "One of your best fans, my mother, rietta Hanley, died Aug. 6 at 93 Vi wonflerful years. Your retirement may almost have hastened her end, she bemoaned it so. Your comments always brightened her day, even when she disagreed. The Lord was good to her to the end, for she died quietly and painlessly after a short hospitalization.

Her last bit of poetry was her "Goodbye" written shortly before she died. She wanted you to have a copy and I have enclosed one." HENRIETTA HANLEY widow of onetime Lt. Gov. Joe R. Hanley is one of the gentler jewels in my safe deposit box of memories.

I first heard from her some four years ago, a pleasant," perceptive letter written in meticulous rhyme scheme, with a refreshing economy of words. It was a cheering letter, a pat on the back for one of the controversial things I had written which brought the usual blend of bricks and bouquets from readers. I did not realize then that she was already pushing 90, so clear and young were her script and her thoughts. She seemed to sense that a man driven by conscience to write provocative things, must acho silently for a bit of encouragement now and then. So she wrote thereafter, fairly often.

SOME LETTERS chatted, as to a friend. Some giggled with irrepressible humor. Almost The Watergate affair has not, thank goodness, infected everyone with cynicism. A shining example of faith in the political process has been provided for some time now by the Monroe County Coalition for Voter Registration. This is the dedicated group that has taken voter registration facilities to the people, and we use this space today to remind readers that there are only a few days left for making use of the registration booths staffed by volunteers at shopping centers and malls.

For example, booths will be at Midtown Mall from 11 to 3 p.m. today, 12 to 3 p.m. tomorrow and finally 10 to 4 p.m. Monday. Longridge Mall will have booths tonight from 6 to 9, tomorrow from 11 to 3 p.m.

and Monday from 6 to 9 p.m. There are many other neighborhood sites open between now and the 10th, when the current drive winds up. For the complete schedule, call the MCCVR at 328-1850. The Board of Elections in the County Office building takes registrations from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

weekdays through the 10th. After that, the last chance to register will be the 11th, 12th and 13th of October at local polling booths. This is a last call for people who have moved since they voted last, those who haven't voted in more than two years or who haven't ever registered for some reason. That includes all the 18-year-olds who want to start voting. It isn't the political process itself that produces Watergates.

It's the failure of enough people to involve themselves fully in the process, whether it's registering to vote or contributing to public campaign financing. Henrietta Hanley (From a 197 0 photo) Watergate the Peoples Fault' Letters My trailing line of progeny? First there was and then came Joe, And then you know how those things go. Three youngsters came upon the scene With proper intervals between. The latest count now estimates Thirteen grands and fifteen greats. But please remember if you will, Those were the days before the pill.

EVEN IN HER RARE exhibitions (and always justifiable) of annoyance, she was gentle and charitable. There was the time this newspaper printed something of hers, I've forgotten just what, and managed to botch it. She wrote her resentment. I She then replied in part: my feeling of disappointment was definitely not intended as a complaint. Toward a reputable newspaper or magazine, I never lose my awareness of the numberless influences and people involved in its makeup, and my feeling is always akin to reverence." That quote is the ultimate in understanding to one in my craft.

THE "GOODBYE" that Judge Hanley passed atong to me, written just before her death, follows: That I'm saying goodbye to life is true; What I did yesterday, today I can't do But It seems preposterous to ask for more Than a life span verging on ninety-four. I had planned so mnch, not big or vast. But the days and years flew by so fast Even living each day, just one by one, Much of my plans are left undone. But what is more futile than regretting? And what, indeed, is more upsetting! So I leave it all to One who knows My ups and downs, my failures and woes, And I want to say, as I always do, Goodbye dear friends, I'll be seeing you. I AM NOT surprised by Watergate, corruption in high positions and all the other problems existing in the U.S.A.

The fault lies directly on the people of this nation. Our nation will not move forward until the majority of people ence again love their country with dedication to all the ideals that man should strive toward to make this a better world. Perhaps I am an old fashioned traditionist but I sincerely believe that people in positions of authority, responsibility, supervision should be motivated with or.e major objective in mind "the betterment of the people they serve." LAWRENCE J. PERONA, 320 Noridge Dr. On Presidential Japes WHEN ALEXANDER BUTTERFIELD testified before the Senate Watergate Committee about the existence of the Presidential tapes of conversations and telephone calls, he Insisted that the motivation for their existence was "posterity." Okay, I'll buy that.

But if I buy that, I must ask the obvious question: Why are we being so frantically denied the truth which Richard Nixon was so assiduously preserving for future generations? CLAIRE W. SOULE, 315 Walzer Rd. Readers' opinions on the issues of the day are part of the lifeblood of this page, and original letters are welcomed accordingly. The rules aren't rigid, but preference will normally go to clearly-written letters of one page or less. The editors reserve the right to edit con-scientiously for reasons of clarity, and fair play.

Jfames and addresses must be qiven for publication. Letters not accepted will be returned only if accompanied by stamped, self-addressed envelopes. i Beginnings Or Ends? One of the county's more astute politicians, William J. Tagart, chairman of the State Senior Citizens Council, has made a 'good point in the series "Are They Golden Years?" Too much money, says Tagart, is poured into planning for the aged; too little money into programs to meet senior citizen needs. Tagart's point applies broadly to government at all levels.

Politicians willingly approve money for plans or "studies" to show concern for special interest groups. Federal aid givers are particularly fond of "pilot programs" which give the impression of action while they make small dents in large problems. But as Tagart says, vital programs to meet human needs often hover in the talking stage for years or struggle, on badly underfunded. Beginnings, too often, are an end in themselves in the game of politics. Touting the Bus If the American's love affair with his auto is not yet over, it's certainly being severely tested.

An Associated Press report the other day noted that experimental express bus lanes and computerized car pools are slowly breaking down the one-man, one-car commuting pattern in some urban aieas. There's a new willingness to innovate, and it's good to see. In Dayton, Ohio, for example, a new system of free bus service has begun operating in the downtown areas and suburban Oakwood; Called the downtown area short hop, the service is aimed at "getting people in the habit of riding buses again," says the local transit authority president. Roch 'Let's Support President' I'M WRITING to express my 100 per' cent support of President Nixon. While it is true Watergate never should have happened, how.

easily people forget that unfortunate happenings occurred in previous administrations, too. Watergate must not overrule the great accomplishments of his administration to date his historic journey to the People's Republic of China, his trip to Moscow, and most important of all, his bringing to an end a long and difficult war in Vietnam which he inherited. As the President stated it so well In his address on Aug. 15, "The time has come to turn Watergate over to the courts, where the questions of guilt or innocence belong. The time has come for the rest of us to get on wijh the urgent business of our nation." JENNIE A.

RECTOR, Dansvllle that President Nixon held two news conferences on Aug. 22. The lead sentence in Mr. Stern's article was: "The voire quavered at times and the tension blazed ir his face Then he closes with: ''His anger under tight rein at most times, flared up visibly under the battering of questions." Now, two quotes from the Times editorial. "Indeed, the President conducted himself with such self-confident and conciliatory good humor that it is hard to understand why he had postponed for more than five months a televised interrogation for which the American people have clearly been waiting.

"If Mr. Nixon wanted to show himself in command of his temper in what was clearly an uncomfortably adversary situation, he succeeded admirably. No previous ocqupant of that office has had to face such harsh questioning." Surely Stern and the Times' editor (one unlikely to give the President points) were not witnessing the same conference. E. G.

MOORE, Waterloo Tes'fo Women Troopers' AFTER HEADING the letter Aug. 23) written by a future law enforcement official who is against having women troopers involved In "dangerous or physical tasks such as road patrols," I am filled with apprehension. However my misgivings are not the results of doubts about whether indeed a woman could handle the job, but rather they are concerned with what type of lawman the writer would make. Mr. Gerula's article seems to reflect the idea that only a tough, physically overbearing man can handle situations such as road patrols.

It seems such an attitude presupposes that every speeder or drunken driver a trooper stops needs punishment rather than correction. He Implies that every person he stops is potentially violent, and that physical superiority is more important than a firm reasonable mental approach. HOW. MANY of us have known teachers or a parent who could control a child or a class with one firm, but understanding look, and yet never have to raise a hand or voice? Is it not far more important for citizens to have a sense of confidence that their law officers are reasonable people working to help them, rather than a fear that they will hurt them if they get out of line? The second implication in Mr. Gerula's letter that causes me a great deal of concern is the idea that women are Indeed not capable of such work because they haven't yet shown that they are.

Mr. Gerula wants no part in giving them a chance to prove themselves before ho will believe that they can do such work. LINDA NOETII, 69 Curtis St. 'Articles Contradictory' AFTER READING Laurence Stern's article (DiC, Aug. 23) und a N.Y.

Times editorial of the same day, I "am left with the impression ester, among other cities, will watch this experiment closely. AND SO THE LADY died, proving in the last years of her life that a person need not really grow old, need not resign from living just because the body loses its vigor. She inspired others as she did me, and I hope she knew that. For myself, I am sad and a little angry at her passing sad because she left before I ever got around to seeing her in person, and angry at the pace of living which persuades us too often to scramble our priorities. We put a cocktail hour before a visit to a friend; a business conference before an overdue letter; a weekend of high-paced pleasure before an hour that could have more meaning, an hour listening to remarkable people such as Henrietta Hanley.

the small society Desmond Stone, Editor of the Editorial Page "MP I'LLfHW YOO FtofLz OF 6Top3UoTlrA3 Ate-To Eugene C. Dorsey, Publisher Stuart A. Dunham, Executive Editor Richard B. Tuttle, Managing Editor Published daily by Gannett 55 Exchange Rochester, N.Y. 14614, Paul Miller, chairman of the board; Allen H.

Neuharth, president and chief executive; Jimmy L. Thomas, treasurer; Douglas H. McCorkindale, vice president general counsel and secretary. 'r li Bible Passage FOR WHOEVER WANTS to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. Mark 8:35 i 1 Washington Star Syndicate.

Inc. TELEPHONE 232-7100 About Dream Cars, Traffic Tickets, Nonsense Books, etc. utf; Des Stone disciplined, appreciative connoisseur, for the man or woman who prizes beauty in motion, for the person who is tired of being pillowed in an unwieldy, unresponsive giant of a car (I happen to own a Nova) in which safety and craftsmanship may be questionable. The Jaguar XJ could be your dream car, Mr. Stone." TRAFFIC TICKET: The City Court Traffic Violations Bureau had written advising tliat I had been cited for failure to appear on the return of a summons and that I should pay $10 to clear the charge.

DEMAND LOAN: A local bank to which I'm indebted for a small demand loan had sent a form letter advising of an increase in the interest rate and noting that this increase on the loan "will assure our forbearance at this time with respect to your obligation to us." Maybe they didn't have them in your town, but I remember well the "lucky dips" that excited us as children at church and school bazaars. The custom, no doubt long since abandoned, was to fill a wooden barrel or tub with bran, and then to secrete in it various gifts of varying values and sizes. You paid a nominal fee and then fished around in the bran for what could well be either a beautiful bargain or a piece of glittering junk. That's a little the way it seems with the mail that accumulates at. home when you're away on vacation.

You don't know quite what you're getting. Let me share some of my own recent findings: HEALTH CARE: A new local health spa, reminding me that "an alert mind needs a body fit to work in," had invited me to attend GREAT PERFORMERS: The Eastman School had posted me a brochure of the new Great Performers series of concerts. DOVER BOOKS: As requested, Dover had sent me three paperbacks of humor some Robert Benchley essays, the Complete Nonsense of Edward Lear, and the Nonsense Novels of Stephen Leacock. As to the disposal of these various items, I chose to ignore the spa Invitation. Thoughtful though it was of them, I prefer to deal with my degenerating body in my own way with a little tennis, a little gardening and a little house painting.

Nor was there anything I could say in response to the enterprising Jaguar dealer. I just don't dream about cars. The traffic ticket, I discovered, had been issued to me as the owner of a car I don't pos sess. I've joined battle with the errant computer, but more on this at another time. And there was nothing I could do about the interest rate increase except take it in stride.

On a much more positive note, the news of the Great Performers series was good to receive. But it was to the nonsense books that I turned in refuge from the vacation shower of unsolicited missives and missiles. And I found not inappropriate this Edward Lear limerick: There was a Young Lady of Troy Whom several large flies did annoy Some she killed with a thump, some she drowned at the pump And some she took witb her to Troy. If there's any moral to all this, I suppose it would have to be, don't take a vacation if you don want to be surprised by piled-up mail a gala preview, complete with champagne and hors d'oeuvres, and promising as "a special added attraction," a meeting with Mr. Peter, "Willie" of "Mission Impossible." DREAM (Alt: A local auto, dealer had written me saying it had been suggested to him (by whom for heaven's sake?) that "you are one of the few people in the Rochester area who is really capable of appreciating tne XJ models of the Jaguar automobile." This beauty, I informed, "is for the.