The Philadelphia Inquirer du lieu suivant : Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 10

Harrisburg jb JpftttaWpftia inquirer An Independent Newspaper -Published Every Morning by Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc. 400 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 19101 State law is soft on loansharks AM H0 rT FREDERICK CHAIT, President SAM S. McKEEL, General Manager JOHN McMULLAN Executive Editor CREED Cv BLACK Editor JOHN" S.

GILLEN Managing Editor Page 10 Monday, April 24, 1972 cm Mental patients deiserve treatment, not peonage Let a thousand flowers bloom By WILLIAM ECENBARGER Inquirer Harrisburg Bureau Two years ago the Pennsylvania Crime Commission estimated there were 5,000 loan sharks operating on the streets of Philadelphia and a like number functioning throughout the rest of the state. These latter-day Shylocks, whose snforcement methods sometimes go beyond extracting a pound of flesh from tardy debtors, are the hirelings of racketeers. Loan-sharking the lending of money at higher than the legal interest rate is second only to gambling in fee handsome profit picture of organized crime. What makes loan-sharking an especially attractive conduit for syndicate money is the fact that in Pennsylvania it really isn't a crime until and unless it gets to the extortion stage. There are three Pennsylvania laws that brush the practice lightly, but none is aimed directly at loan-sharking and therefore none is an effective deterrent.

The usury law, for example, prescribes no fines or jail terms for violators. Aggrieved persons must seek legal redress in a civil proceedingan unlikely course for the average loan-shark victims. Letters to the editor U. S. rules cause welfare mess some, it is exactly the opposite hospital officials are reluctant to release a valuable employe, especially one who works for nothing.

"We don't think there is anything therapeutic about performing work without pay," says Welfare Secretary Helene Wohlgemuth. "Any place else in the world you get paid for a day's work. If the work is of no therapeutic value, we don't want the patient doing it. If the work is of therapeutic value, we want to pay him for it." The Shapp administration is requesting the modest perhaps too modest sum of $3.1 million to begin phasing out this practice of "institutional peonage" over the next five years. Philadelphia-State Hospital says it eliminated the practice some time ago, and so should all other state institutions.

"Institutional peonage," which exists in many other states as well, is not merely a cruelly expensive saving. It is a disgrace to any society which claims to be civilized. 'As everyone knows, slavery was abolished in this country more than a century ago. Or was it? Today, in Pennsylvania, there are at last- count 7,617 people who are employed by the state, sometimes working as much as 48 hours a week, without getting paid for what they do. They wash dishes.

They do housekeeping chores. They work in laundries. They grub away on farms. They do odd jobs of various kinds. They are patients in many of the state's institutions for the mentally ill and the mentally retarded, and, indeed, many of those institutions could not operate without them.

But what of the patients? These are not" "cases" they are human beings, who need help, who need compassion, who need treatment, who need encouragement, who can be taught to function in outside world. Yet in most instances, the work they do is of no therapeutic value to them; in Letters should be brief and written on one side of the paper. The writer must sign his name and give his address. Names will be withheld at the editor's discretion only for good reason. The Inquirer reserves the right to condense.

Loan sharks' interest rates vary from 1 to 150 percent a week, but the classic is the five-for-six loan (get five dollars now, pay back six at the end of the week), which is 20 percent weekly interest. The typical prey of the loan shark is the gambler trying to cover his losses, the drug addict trying to feed his habit, the small businessman unable to borrow through regular channels, and the just plain poor person struggling to make ends meet. For various reasons, the average loan-shark victim is extremely unlikely to bring his creditor to the bar of justice, and to remedy this situation legislation has been introduced in the state House that is aimed at thp Money -and political hindsight year or more pay less than 7 percent in income taxes in 1970. And, while we were wondering about the GOP, we pondered: just what have all those Democrats who have been cursing the Nixon Administration's economics to the heavens been doing in their own back garden? loan shark. It provides 20-year prison terms, $10,000 fines, or both for the "extortionate use of credit" which means any loan made with the direct or implied understanding that late payment or default will result in harm to the debtor, his family, his associates or his property.

And to get at the loan sharks' superiors in the criminal hierarchy, there are similar penalties for anyone supplying lump sums of money for use by loan sharks. As a moralist, I favor the abolishment of capital punishment but, as a pragmatist I call for its retention. I propose the reformation of the entire penal system, not just those parts which have stirred a national consciousness of morality. GERARD M. PETRONKO Philadelphia.

Double standard To the Editor: "We don't allow any of that political stuff here, take those flyers down and get out." This was the treatment I received March 16 at SEPTA's Bridge and Pratt sts. elevated station, from a SEPTA supervisor (in a manner which led me to believe that I was some sort of criminal.) I am a candidate for uncommitted delegate to the Democratic National Convention, and myself and a couple of my campaign workers were merely trying to inform a few people of this fact. I recall what the elevated station had looked like during the recent mayoralty campaign. It resembled campaign headquarters, decorated politically with all the pomp and glory of one of Caesar's entries into Rome. The contradiction in the two treatments received is easily understood.

What effect, positive or negative, can a delegate to a convention have on the operations of SEPTA, but the mayor of Philadelphia I am not condemning SEPTA's actions of March 16 for that was just one isolated incident which happened to involve myself. Certainly, SEPTA has the right to try to keep their property clean. I am, however, condemning the sum total of the many isolated incidents like this that happen every day all over America, which results in the existence of the double standard in today's American society. JIM LLOYD JR. Philadelphia.

Recent knowledge To the Editor: Calling Richard M. Nixon America's greatest President only proves Mr. Rizzo's knowledge of the Presidency must have started in 1968. ELIZABETH RAGGERTY Philadelphia. Not everyone who sends their kids to Catholic school is rich.

I went to Catholic school all my life and I wouldn't go to a public school because I want a Catholic education. THOMAS WHITE Glenside. To the Editor: In response to your editorial dealing with the federal court decision striking down the "Martin P. Mullen" bill, I would like to say that it is not necessary to compel all taxpayers to subsidize this freedom of choice. As a father of four children "attending a nonpublic school, I would greatly appreciate it if that portion of my taxes was directed to the school of my choice.

I am asking nothing for nothing. This ruling has taken away my choice of education for my children. You further state in your article that in certain fringe areas, such as transportation, the Constitution is being circumvented. In Ridley Township where I reside, this is still considered unconstitutional. It seems strange to me that within the bounds of the commonwealth the Constitution can be interpreted so differently.

A. J. GLAVIN Ridley Township. Pragmatic moralist To the Editor: The fault I find in the movement to abolish capital punishment is its failure to realize that capital punishment is part, of our penal system, a system which many believe is in need of reform. Will the abolition of capital punishment bring about reform? No.

Psychologically, capital punishment is an integral part of our penal system and its removal could cause the system to collapse and become "If the Federal Government confiscated all income earned by all the millionaires in the nation," a fund-raising letter from the National Republican Congressional Committee instructed us the other day, "it would pay the cost of government for only 39 hours! There just aren't enough millionaires in the USA but wage earners, with incomes of less than $200 per week pay the lion's share of taxes (estimated often at over 90 percent)." The message was that the wage earner should take seriously the importance of small campaign contributions and their effect on national politics. The Democratic National Committee, in a similar letter, went more directly to the point: "The Democratic Party is just about broke," Lawrence F. O'Brien confessed. "You know it. I know it.

The telephone company knows it. And most of all Richard Nixon knows it." They, too, sought contributions. Fine. We are strongly in favor of everybody getting involved, with their money or their voices, in the political process whatever party they favor. But the congressional committee plea did make us wonder where all those congressmen it serves were when Congress passed the tax laws that let 18,646 Americans with incomes of $100,000 a Still Stalemated Organizers of the world chess championship between Bobby Fischer of the U.

S. and Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union are having as much trouble finding financial backing as the organizers of the Republican national convention in San Diego had. Belgrade sponsors demanded a financial guarantee that Fischer would play in that Yugoslavian capital, then backed out when they couldn't get it. Now Amsterdam chess officials say that even if they could get an assurance that Fischer and Spassky would play there, they can't find sponsors to put up the approximately $160,000 needed. We don't suppose, at this particular time, it would do much good to inquire at the International Telephone and Telegraph Unfortunately, this bill will observe its first anniversary in the House on May 10.

But Rep. William H. Eckens-berger Jr. Lehigh), the chief sponsor, predicts action later this year. "It is unbelievable to me that in this day and age Pennsylvania does not have a criminal usury law," says Eckensberger.

"This just can't be allowed to continue." The Crime Commission, in its landmark 1970 report, had this to say: "Organized criminals have been encouraged to move into the loan shark field by the absence of effective laws. Loan-sharking has sinister personai, social and economic consequences. "It milks the urban poor. It forces victims into committing crimes to raise payment money. It often leads to the infiltration of legitimate businesses or unions or to the corruption and manipulation of government To the Editor: As a member of the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives Special Committee to investigate the welfare problem, I diagree with your article, April 16, "Rescuing Welfare Reform." Contrary to your suggestion, H.

R. 1 is the wrong solution to the welfare problem. Instead of correcting our floundering welfare system it will only make it worse. One of the most glaring facts I have discovered after a year of study and investigation, is that federal rules, regulations and guidelines are causing most of the abuse, mismanagement, and high cost in our state's welfare program. The answer is not more federal control and direction, but less.

I feel sure that we, as a state, can do a much better job both for our taxpayer and for the deserving recipient than some distant bureaucrat in Washington. I also am sure if we were given half a chance on the local level we could reduce the number of people on the public assistance rolls, raise the benefits of those who qualify for help, and still save the taxpayer money. RICHARD A. McCLATCHY JR. State Representative Montgomery County Harrisburg.

Crosstown wanted To the Editor: In answer to the statements made by Barney and Tobias Weinstein on the Crosstown Expressway, please be advised that we have in our possession and will bring forward to the public, the names of business people still in operation in the South-Bain-bridge Corridor, who are in favor of this new plan for the expressway and whose years in this area total over 2,00020 centuries. These were taken only as examples from the massive lists of thousands of signatures which we have on pur petitions to be presented at the proper time. We, who are "39-plus," have our memories, but our eyes are open to the real needs of the entire community and we say "On with the Crosstown Expressway for the greatest good for the greatest number." SIGBERT ROBBINS Philadelphia. Tax increase? No! the Editor: Recently Rep. Herman T.

Schnee-beli, of Pennsylvania's 17th Congressional district, forecast in Williams-port the possibility of a tax increase next year, stating that, "We need to have greater revenue in Washington." I disagree with Rep. Schneebeli. If anything, we need less bureaucracy and less spending in Washington. Here's where a bundle of our tax dollars has already gone: $20,600 for a study of German cockroaches, for initiation and support of a colony of baboons, $45,000 for a flag pole about $500 a foot, $28,000 for seven raincoats for the riders of the Army's horses, $33,398.05 for 130 knobs with a retail value of $210.60, $1,000,000 for locomotives for Thailand which were the wrong gauge for the tracks, $50,400 for a study of Blackbird Social Organization; and the list goes on and on. I can see no justification for a tax increase in light of such wasteful spending and tremendous bureaucracy.

JAMES G. CARN Williamsport. Why not state aid? To the Editor: I am a fifth grade student at a Catholic school. And I found out that we don't get state aid. Why not? Does it matter what kind of school it is? We're all Americans.

Does it matter if there is religion taught in the school? Our parents who send us here are taxpayers. They pay for public schools even though their kids are in Catholic schools. Is this fair? The state should help us. Just because we're Catholic doesn't mean we're not people. Teach them to he good sports The War Is Vietnam involvement immoral? When insufficient funds and questions of priorities resulted in last year's decision, later rescinded, to abandon the athletic program in Philadelphia public schools, the crisis received nationwide attention.

And the great debate over the role of sports in education was awakened again recently at the annual convention of the National School Board Association in San Francisco. Inquirer education writer Thomas Hine reported from the convention some delegates' comments well worth pondering. One must have had Philadelphia in mind when he said: "Cutting out athletics is a very shrewd move. That way you rally support for the total school program." There is much truth in that. An empty purse has been forcing the Philadelphia Board of Education to cut back on academic and extracurricular programs for years but complaints were relatively minor until the prospect of an autumn without high school football evoked cries of anguish.

But if the desirability if not the necessity of high school sports is accepted, what are the objectives? One school board member from Arizona and calls a spade a spade. Responsible members of the press should follow Mr. Hempstone's lead and take a stand for our nation and against those anti-Government radicals who would destroy our democracy. All newspapers and T.V. companies have reporters stationed in the South-East Asia area and they must be sending back full information on all activities and events, but for some reason the American people are not being told the horrible truth.

The continuous shelling of South Vietnam and the slaughter of innocent refugees by the Vietcong and North Vietnam in- To the Editor: We have failed to contain crime and corruption here. Why attempt to contain Communism anywhere else? Let the Pentagon-oriented Saigon politicos "hack it" on their own now! JULES S. ORLOFF Philadelphia. To the Editor: I am fed up with the incessant condemnation of my country for striving to aid an oppressed people. The article by Smith Hempstone on April 19 headlined "Hanoi attack ends myths," lays the cards on the table quoted by Mr.

Hine addressed that question by asking another: "If schools are teaching our children good sportsmanship, then how do you account for all the boos and catcalls and penalties when you go to a game?" Well, how do you account for this unpleasant aspect of athletics? Most students are involved in interscholastic sports as spectators rather than participants. If sportsmanlike conduct is not being adequately taught on or off the field, then the athletic program hardly can be called a success no matter what the won-and-lost record says. One board member at the San Francisco parley was loudly applauded for this provocative declaration: "I'm sick of hearing about how there's too much emphasis on winning. We're not in business to produce a nation full of good losers." This would seem to contradict the traditional philosophy of high school sports it's not whether you win or lose but how you play the game. Where does a good coach draw the line between inspiring the spirit to win and building character? Maybe the answer is that no line should be drawn at all, for a winning spirit is no virtue if it is acquired at the expense of good sportsmanship.

In life there are winners and losers. To be triumphant in victory is easy enough. To be graceful in adversity is not so easily learned, but it's no less important. Athletics are a praiseworthy part of education but, like every other curricu-lar and extracurricular program, constant re-examination is essential. Some critics say there is too much emphasis on sports.

Perhaps a more valid criticism could be. made of too little emphasis on sportsmanship. vaders receives but little mention, while every bomb dropped from Amer-can planes is headlined on the front page and written up as villainous and immoral. It wasn't villainous and immoral when we stepped in to stop Kaiser Wilhelm in 1917, nor when we aided in eliminating Hitler and Mussolini. And it certainly wasn't counted as villanous and immoral, at least from our point of view, when France assisted us in obtaining our independence from England.

FRANK M. GRAY Oxford. To the Editor: There is no way we can continue to excuse our presence and activity in Vietnam. Considering the terrible cost in human life, human energy the continuing physical, mental, and emotional distress of the people in Vietnam and United States because of this vile orgy, there will never, never be a victory for anyone involved no matter what the outcome. Long ago we went beyond the point of reason and humanity.

We are now indulging in a nameless obscenity. MARION G. MOSELY Philadelphia. (Columnists Garry Wills and William S. White discuss the latest events in the War on the Opp-Ed page today.) Worth preserving We are delighted by the announcement that the Philadelphia Chapter of the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing will present its annual Festival of Harmony again this year.

Maybe some of the groups will be singing the blues, hair styles being what they are these days, but it's good to know that, come what may, the melodies will linger on. it "5 I. Crewmen on the USS Constellation, off the Vietnam coast, prepare bombs.