The Akron Beacon Journal from Akron, Ohio • Page 6

AMON BEACON JOURNAL PiWff. Ntlilir, 1W-im Fotce Of The People PmMic Defender Hea Has Faults JEST IA IOCSRT H. STOPHSt, MmU by rtw April IS, 113 indigents in misdemeanor cases (Argersinger vs. Hamlin) is a very big step toward "equal justice for all." Anyone who has had to go to court to obtain "justice" knows that it is often Many must choose between the expense and justice itself. This is the real tragedy of our present legal system.

It may be true, from, the economic IV Editor: Re your editorial June 28, "An Awesome Step Toward Equal Justice For All," I would like to raise some questions you may not have considered when you endorsed the concept of a public defender's office to assist indigents in criminal cases. Certainly, the recent Supreme Court decision extending the right to counsel to Friday, July 7, 1972 point of view, that the present system of court-appointed counsel does attract the younger, less experienced lawyer whose law practice is not yet so established that he can afford to pass up the nominal payment for defending the indigent It may also be true that the lawyer must weigh the amount of time and expense to pre- A6 6All right who wants to go to Security Increase To Harvest Votes social Timed It's a- congressional election year and Social Security benefits hadn't been raised for over a year. So it was uiat vuiigicaa would raise them again. The question was: By how much? wesiaent xsixon recommenaea pet. The bill passed by the House made it 10 pet.

But the Senate insisted upon 20 pet. And since the fattening of Social Security was tied to a bill raising the debt limit, like last year, the President couldn't veto it. He had to hive the higher debt ceiling. So he signed, reluctantly. If you're 65 or close to it, you think it's great Maximum benefits for a single person will rise from $216 to $259 month, and for a couple from $324 to $389.

I But if you're young enough to be more concerned about your tax liability; than about the size of the check you'll be getting after retirement, you may wish that Congress had been ntore restrained in its generosity. As might have been expected, the thing is timed so that the first checks reflecting the larger benefits will go into the mails just a month before the Americans making more than $9,000 a year, the extra bite in payroll deductions will be considerable. At present no one pays more than $468 a year an amount matched by his employer. Under the new schedule, the maximum payment will go up to $594 next year for people earning $10,800 a year or more, and to $660 in subsequent years for those making $12,000 or more. It figures out to a 41 pet.

increase over the next two years. For millions of people in middle-income brackets, as Mr. Nixon pointed out, the Social Security tax increase will wipe out the benefits of the 1969 reductions in the federal income tax. But large as it is, the Social Security tax increase falls short of covering the liberalized benefits. The ing increment in the fiscal 1973 deficit was estimated by the President at $3.7 billion.

And as Mr. Nixon properly noted, this expansion of the deficit will hinder the government's effort to stem inflation an effort in which no group has a greater stake than Social Security recipients. A 5 or 10 pet. increase in Social Security benefits, accompanied by a boost in payroll taxes large enough to cover it, could have been justified. A 20 pet.

increase, not wholly covered, was an indulgence in election year expediency. Or as the President labeled it, "fiscal irresponsibility." Aufti hi tli Philadelphia Inqwlrtr Not Yet Willing To Bury The Past election, while the higher payroll taxes required to support the increase will not take effect until Jan. 1. Ninety-six million individuals (and their employers) will be footing the bill for the increased Davments to 28 njillion beneficiaries. And for all ing the past.

If burying the past means the continuance of discriminatory practices, forced resignations, token employment policies and pres sured silences, then I refute burying the past. WHEN I CAN look at the black male and know he is on an equal basis with the white man, when I can see that black men have advantages, resources and opportunities available in the social, educational, economic Philadelphia's Airport Gouge pare his defense against his probable court-determined fee. When one makes a living it any- thing, he must consider the economic consequences. However, there are ethical considerations and duties imposed on an attorney which require a high standard of quality owed to all clients, regardless of economics. I do not see this standard of quality being violated in Summit County, and I am sure our judges would not tolerate a lowering of that quality on the part of any lawyer.

If that standard of quality is not met, the client has a legal action to remedy any wrong suffered. IF A PUBLIC defender's office is established, it likely will cost the taxpayer a great deal more man the present system, since it would re- quire hiring full-time lawyers, sec- retaries, and all the accompanying ovehead of a daily operating busi- ness. More important than the cost is the quality of legal service. At present, the prosecutor's and other 1 governmental law "departments are manned mostly by the younger, less experienced attorney who is working to gain legal experience and to build a reputation, so that when he does enter private practice, he will be able to make it economically profit- able. I do not see the public defender at- tracting better qualified attorneys -without a substantial increase in the present governmental salary range for attorneys.

Thus, we would have the same quality of attorney under the public defender system as we do now defending the indigent. 1 4 Finally, would the public defender be elected, or appointed? In either event, politics would enter into the picture, and possibly affect the work- ing relationship between the prosecutor and the government-operated public defender's office. If I were charged with a crime, I would not want the government controlling my defense as well as the prosecution of the case against me. While the present system may have its flaws, I do not feel the establishment of a public defender's office will improve the situation. The real solution is to lower the cost of justice to all by modifying and streamlining our legal system, a job which should be of top priority to our government.

EDWARD C. WEBER Attorney at Law 510 Second National Bldg. Constitution To The Editor: On June 18 I turned on the radio for'inuslc and, instead, heard Community Issues and Answers with Joseph Pirincin of the Socialist Labor Party. He stated "we should throw out our Constitution and write a new. one.

Ours is outmoded." Our Constitution, is, the greatest document ever written for people to govern themselves. The only aspect that is outmoded are the people who are usurping powers not granted in the Constitution. Our President and other elected officials take an oath to uphold it. As for Mr. Pirincin, there is more involved here than freedom of speech or a divergent opinion.

In the 9th Amendment the Constitution says: "The enumeration in the Con- stitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people." MRS. S. L. CLARK 81 E. Catawba av.

Batchelder Is Praised To The Editor: I would like to thank you for the fair and unbiased coverage of recent weeks of our fine State Representa- tive, William G. Batchelder. We in Medina County and the portion of Ashland County he represents oonsid- er him our voice in the Legislature, that we elected him to represent: us and to hear our wishes. This we feel he has done admirably, and having, done this, many of us have been more than a little upset when you, in the past, were so seemingly unfair to him. It is true his stand has not always been the popular one statewide.

But to know that Bill is a person who has the courage of his convictions makes me beam with pride when I proclaim him to be our Representative. What this country needs is not really a good 5-cent cigar but rather more men with the courage of Rep. Batch-elder. MRS. DON WAGAR Sharondale Farms Ridgewood Rt.

1 Wadsworth Airport departure taxes are nothing new. They have been in effect for years at many foreign airports for passengers leaving the country. And in projected an annual take of $14 million. They may be disappointed. A court test of the legality of the tax is coming up July 18.

And in the meantime the gouge is meeting unexpected resistance. Many passengers are simply refusing to pay, electing instead to fill out refusal forms which presumably will lead to civil suits to collect. Charter groups are preparing to by-pass And the Pentagon has given orders that military air passengers whenever possible be diverted from airports where a head tax is levied. For Philadelphia this could mean the loss to Newark Airport of the heavy traffic to and from Fort Dix, N. J.

If this exercise in greed boomerangs in Philadelphia, as we hope it does, this may stand as a lesson to other American cities. To The Editor: After reading Mr. Maidenburg's article of July 2, 1 make the following observations concerning it and blacks burying the past. You cannot bury the past until the white society is ready to assume responsibility for the present. Regardless of the status of today's blacks, the doctrines of the past continue to be the repressive means of keeping blacks lrt their place.

The faulty excuses of moving too fast, give us time, are only guises to move blacks back to plantation bosses. In slavery blacks were able to achieve a minimum of stature, becoming soldiers, abolitionists, artists, architects, physicians, lawyers and preachers. There were other professions that black men achieved. However, these are burled in the archives of injustice that failed to make known the history, heritage and cultural background but instead led them in the false belief of being an inferior people, lazy, shiftless. IF BURYING the past means a continuation of keeping my heritage, history and background hidden, I refute burying the past.

If burying the past means forgetting blacks were lynched because they sought to protect their homesteads from the scourge of human indignities that emasculated the black male and caused women and children undue humiliation and pain, then I refute burying the past. If burying the past means an acceptance of unequal justice in the courts, racial i a 1 a in the schools and de facto segregation policies, continued oppression and polarized communities, then I refute bury tte United States the Federal government collects a 3 tax from every passenger embarking on a flight over international waters, which means flights to Puerto Rico and Hawaii as well' as to foreign lands. Unique in the world, however, is the airport tax which went into effect July 1 at Philadelphia i International. The -city collects $2 from every passenger, going or coming, and the tax applies to domestic as well as international flights. (A $1 tax on departing passengers only went into effect at the same time at Richmond, Hunts-ville, Sarasota-Bradenton, and Saginaw, Mich.) -In Philadelphia, the city fathers 'They're the same chessmen Bobby Fisher New Orders For Amtrak and financial system, then and only then will I be willing to attempt to bury the past.

Only through a continuance of fighting for freedom can one achieve to bring the lynch mob tactics employed by various sectors of the community to justice. The blacks dare not lull themselves to sleep by burying the past because your past is with you and is spelled out when you are forced out of a job or disciminat-ed against in housing. As long as men can remember the past and indipities foisted upon minorities and the Constitution can be rolled back at the whim of a few to change the destiny of a people long penalized; as long as the community, state and national administrators accept these changes without consultation with blacks, then burying the past is futile. No one ever really buries the past In observing national holidays, the past comes alive brutally if only for a short time. HELEN ARNOLD President, Akron Branch of NAACP 5 E.

Buchtel av. To The Editor: Thanks to Mr. Ben Maidenburg for his excellent article on looking back to July 4, 1776 with the revealing reference to the second, sentence of the Declaration of Independence. We can be sure that truth is the source of our freedom and that believing a false statement, however eloquently worded, can produce only confusion. It is remarkable how readily we are willing to accept a lie if it sounds good and purposes to be noble.

Now while our Supreme Court continues in the mood to rewrite and modernize our Constitution (under the guise of interpretation) perhaps they could help us out considerably by reviewing Declaration sentence No. 2 mentioned above. Let us suppose that the High Court would conclude that it is not "self evident, that all men are created equal" and that no more have been created since the sixth day! Currently, most scientists are in agreement that men (and women) are being born by a biological process which has not guaranteed ity. Many die soon after birth, notwithstanding the "inalienable right to life." Others question their possession of "liberty" and a few prefer happiness rather than the elusive "pursuit" thereof. Were the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence rewritten so as to express the reality of 1776 as it continues to be in 1972, Mr.

Maidenburg's article would not likely have ended in two unanswered questions. W.E. HARPSTER 332 N. Lyman st. Fischer Called 6Ugly American9 To The Editor: Bobby Fischer is the perfect example of "the Ugly American," greedy, obnoxious, running scared, falling back on religion to excuse himself.

C. B. McELWAINE 6570 Chaffee ct. Brecksville Many Helped Celebration The Casey Joneses of Congress, unhappy with the first year performance of Amtrak, the special government-backed corporation created to rescue the nation's "railroad passenger business, have taken the throttle in their hands and issued some new train orders to the engineers of the system. Jin the new financial aid authorization bill for Amtrak, the lawmakers provided a real incentive to the top brass to make the passenger system a paying proposition.

They limited the top salary of Amtrak officials to $60,000 annually with any amount over that to come from the corporation's net profits. Since Amtrak President Roger Lewis has been pulling down $125,000 while the corporation continued to operate in the red, he stands to lose a healthy hunk of in-; come unless the system can be turned around. The Congressmen also want to JVO Post Office? Department, the Summit County Sheriff's Department, the Copley Police and Fire Departments, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Without their support we could not have provided the community with one of the finest fireworks, displays in -Northeast Ohio. Thanks go also to all who waited patiently during the traffic rush that occured after the fireworks.

Hopefully the of 1-77 late this year will eliminate most of this problem for 1973. We have tried hard to bring back the old fashioned Fourth of July and thereby keep our friends and neighbors home and off the highways during the holiday time. Too many of our good traditions have gone by the wayside or lost their true meaning. Let us all hope and pray that the birthday of our great country and what it stands for will not take that course. JOHN B.

SELLARS I President Fairlawn Kiwanis Club know more about the actual operation of the system so they required, in the new bill, monthly reports on revenues and expenditures, patronage and train operations. Moreover, they gave Amtrak specific instructions to get into international operations by providing service links with Montreal and Vancouver, Canada, and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. All of this might seem an unwarranted intrusion into areas in which the lawmakers have no expertise except for the fact that they are putting up the taxpayers' money to finance the entire effort. And the financial coal they are providing, requested by the Amtrak officials, is substantial $225 million in new grants as compared to an initial $40 million, and a loan guarantee ceiling of $200 million effective June 30, 1973, as compared to a present ceiling of $100 million. In fairness, it must be stated that the Amtrak officials have done a creditable job under difficult circumstances rundown passenger systems, antiquated operations and lack of cash for improvements.

In some areas, like the New York-Washington corridor, service is reputed to be excellent. In other areas, Amtrak officials have complained that lack of progress was due to lack of money. That shortage has now been largely corrected and the officials are being put to the test. To pass, they will need to use the new grants with innovative boldness and imagination. That seems to be what the new train orders from Congress are all about.

The throttle must be opened to make up for lost time, but care must be taken that the entire experiment doesn't end up like the wreck of the old Cannonball. To The Editor: The members of the Fairlawn Ki-wanis Club wish to thank all 1 who helped so much to make this year's Fourth of July celebration such a success in spite of five days of rath-er poor weather. The celebration is our major fund raising project and has helped our club provide over $50,000 to various community pro- jects. We particularly a to thank Chief Peitro and the Fairlawn Police Thanks For Finding Son To The Editor: I would like to thank the woman who found our 20-month-old son at the end of our driveway July 1. He was crying "mommy." You can't imagine all the "what ifs" I thought of until I got back to him all the thoughts of what could have happened.

I'm sorry I didn't even think to get her name or where she is from. MRS. RALPH SCHLEY JR. Rt. 1, Box 95 Rittman INTERCEPTED LETTERS DR.

MAX EUWE President International Chess Federation Dear Max: "BEGIN to think that match between Fischer and Spassky should be played in the psychiatric ward. AKRON, Jr. Three Votes For Summer School Vacation Now that the Old Post Office has bfeen designated an official historic pjace by the Ohio Historical. Society aid entered in the National Register Historic Places by the U. S.

Department of Interior, one assumes that the 77-year-old structure will be preserved indefinitely. And that raises the What to call it? I This building at 70 E. Market st. has been called the Old Post Office ever since 1928 when the New Post Office at 168 E. Market st.

was ojpened. But soon there will be a still newer Ijbst Office at Grant and Thornton sts. VVhen it materializes, Akron will be left with two Old Post Offices. Obviously one of them will have to be renamed lest confusion run rampant. and others, do yard work, paint, houses and garages, babysit.

VELDA K. HOFACKER, 11 Rankin School To The Editor: Students need time off to unwind, such as Christmas, Spring and Summer vacations. Without this time off there will be more students with emotional problems and nervous tension. RICHARD M. HOFACKER, 12 and you can't work good if you don't get enough rest.

DAVID HOFACKER, 9 Rankin School To The Editor: You can't tell me teachers are going to teach three extra months on the same pay. Who is going to pay the teachers extra? The taxpayers. Children who want to go can be in the Summer programs. Those who don't want to can do plenty of other things during the Summer learn from the TV series "Split Editor's Note: After reading a letter to the editor from P. Randall Cohen, a teacher at Rankin School, on lengthening the school year School Outdated," July 2), three children of Mr.

and Mrs. R. E. Hofacker, 799 Greenwood responded. Following are excerpts from their letters.

To The Editor: I think it should stay three months of vacation and nine months of school because you need a lot of rest when yu work hard for nine months Simon Perkins Jr. High vvca aujrmjujr nave a Buggrauu. 1.