Delaware County Daily Times du lieu suivant : Chester, Pennsylvania • Page 7

Post-Warren Court less bold By VERNON E. JORDAN, JR. The Supreme Cdirt ended its 1971-72, term with kie. dramatic and heartening verpict that bans' the death-'penaltjj'as it. now exists.

This so nettling long since the leath penalty is a cruel and unisqal punishment that ha? beh applied in a discriminatory ftshion. As Justice Marshall pointed out, penalty fell disproportionately "the poor, the the underprivileged members of society." But the fact thaf this decision was by slim '5-4 margin, and that Court tithe door open for reihstitiitiori ibf the 1 death penalty by states that' provide for application or otherwise meet some of the Justices'- objections indicates that" the Court stopped far short of humane-'goal of outright abolition. It -'also indicates that the post- Warren Collet is" less bold in char ting -new "pains in law. This was especially evident by another' decision announced the same day! that sharply limits the rights: of the press. BLACK NEWSMAN Earl new Caluweu and Bother reporters lost their suit to prevent forced testimony before grand juries that could imperil their sources of news, Since reporters have'-'been called before such, bodies as part of "fishing expeditions" evidence, the verdict-could wind up harming the public's right to know and th'V freedom of the press.

The Supreme Court's record this past year has in general, been one of retreat on issues- of personal and civil rights in favor of property rights and local government. The. clearest indication of the Court's turnaround on equal rights was last month's ruling private clubs, even when licensed' by. state can practice racial discrimination. The Court, in a decision authored by Justice Rehnquist, the ultra-conservative whose appointment was stf bitterly: ruled against a black man denied service "by.a Moose Lodge operating under state liquor license and state regulation.

IF THIS decision is ah indica- tion that the court means to 1 narrow black people's' rights of access to private facilities licensed by the state, a recent school desegregation case could indicate trouble, ahead 'in 'that' area well. The Court ruled; by a slim 5-4 vote, that a town in Virginia whose schools were predominately white could not secede from a school district w- predominately 'black. The real significance of that case is that for the historic 1954 decision outlawing school 'segregation, Court, was less than unanimous on a major case in that field. The firm stand in. past casesJias been broken; one vote separated victory from defeat on' a crucial school integration case.

With a number of vital school cases coming up in the could mean that-the Court 'will branches of the in retreating from the effort to fimally desegregate America's schools. This narrow decision rings a warning bell for the future. ONE OF THE hallmarks of in law the Warren Court was its rulings enlarging the protection given the rights of defendants faced with- the power, of the state. But two'recent rulings show that the Court is taking a strong "iaw-and-order" stand against individual rights. ln one case, it ruled that suspects are not entitled to legal assistance at police lineup identifications before the formal charges are brought.

In another, perhaps more important case, it ruled that juries in most criminal in state courts can convict defendants by less than the: unanimous vote that has been a -hallmark of our system -of what happens to guarantees that guilt must be determined "beyond any shadow of doubt" if people will- be senV-'to jaii. on 8 to 4 and 9 to 3 jury; Black defendants' a expect''little justice; uhder these new i These are just V. handful of the cases that, taken together, indicate a turnaround by the Supreme Court. That is why we look to the coining Court term with apprehension. Hoiti much real estate DOES the state own? By CARMEN BRUTTO Harrisburg.

Correspondent knows how much real estate -the Commonwealth owns, much is worth. The Seriate i would like to determine the former without paying to lear-n the latter. The that the. Commonwealth is unaware of its. came.

in. for' publicity past spring when the Governor's, Review Task reported that nobody in state government had a on the size or the value' Commonwealth holdings. The 'had already cleared a make both determinations even before the task force issued its', report jn March. was i 1 Commottweai'tihLto know both the size: and value of holdings wasn't up at least Republicans, and a pair week rejected the Wnat they balked on, and what was 'deleted from the House bill under the leadership of Sen. John 'Stauffer, (R-Chester), was the that any inventory include the value of the land and buildings A R.

said that determination' would cost from $600,000 to $800,000, and the task wasn't "worth, the money, that the- job' could be done for half that amount: if the only survey was "on, physical holdings, not value. There really isn't any need to place a value; on the holdings, said, simply beca'use there isn't much likelihood that the state is going to sell Even mori? puzzling to Stauffer. was why a'nyone should. need to know 'the. value of the Main Capitol Building, any of -the many state' parks, since there was no contemplation of sale here either, This bejng he reasoned, why pay a real appraiser to tell anybody what 'they're worth.

True, he there is the possibility that someday the Commonwealth would around someday to reimbursing local municipalities, with in-lieu of taxes payments, for state owned property jn their confines, but dollar values could be determined at that' time. THE "IN LIEU OF TAXES" talk has been! -kicking around Capitol Hill 'for! many, years, but it has' seldom gotten mtch attention 1 i 1 a outside 'the 'Dauphin County contingent. Just let us know, Stauffer told the Senate, what where it is, whether its open land, Letters forest or physical structures. "Present could bfe fixed as needed. Stauffer also questioned the reason -why administration sought bids on having private do the appraisal work, even before, tlie bill the Legislature.

These, werev riot "bids;" Stauffer "tfas told by Majority Leader Thomas' Lamb, Allegheny,) but unofficial proposals. Stauffer wouldn't, buy that argument, either, contending the state has enough personnel on the payroll to conduct any survey of its resources, without up for grabs anywhere up to $800,000 to find out from outside. WHILE THE incident serves to spotlight how tax monies can go out on projects which have a questionable value, it also points up something The task force came 'up' with 885 recommendations vvhich, it said, could save the taxpayers in excess of $500 million if -fully implemented. Sortie suggestions require only executive approval, and.Shapp has already come forth to save money; others 'would; require legislative action, and to date there's only been legislative-inaction. July 15, 1972 Page 7 Harry Harkleroad vs.

World checkers By JAMES F. BYRNES 3RD Daily Times Staff RANAU, BORNEO-With the world-wide interest created by the Bobby Fischer--Boris Spassky world championship chess playoffs in Iceland days, the International Checkers. Matches currently under way in the shadow of Mt. Kiiiabalu here, have all but been overlooked. The world jumpoffs, as they are.

known, pit the skills Harry Harkleroad, tile low-key U.S. checkers king from Ekjmidji, against I. Chum Pu, of Nanking; the Chinese checkers champ. The most startling news coming out of Ranau, where large portions of the populace have been observed pulling miniature checkers and boards out of their sari-like clothing on Java breaks, was the premature start of the matches. IT SEEMS neither Harkleroad nor Pu could resist the.

1,000 water buffalo put up as first prize by the World Checkers League or the convulsive twitching of the fingers on their playing-hands. But since masters smashed the first dozen boards they tried out anyway, they A time to live forced' tp fore'go fla1.1iiig''unti|; a cohcrete pedestals, inlaid in ''red and black parquets, could be cast. After the first false start, Harkleroad and Pu to stop twitching long enough to allow the native Dusuns, Tagals and Miiruts, as well as the thousands of checker fanatics who have flooded here from around the globe to fill Choi-Oi Stadium. THEN IT WAS the petulant Pu who delayed the rabid fans even. longer by stating he couldn't start until his- specially- carved checker stool arrived.

Match officials declared a recess when it was learned Pu's stool was aboard a slow boat from his native land. So it appears both contestants are here not for a fat chunk of money but for the prestige. That and the geisha -girls assigned all visitors in this friendly land. The game of checkers, millennia old and with a wider appeal than its more cerebral cousin of the squares, offers its devotees faster paced action than the seemingly endless pondering required by a successful chess player. For those masters of the intricacies 5 arid 1 t-r'a't nuances of 'game, 'Mbtm'rig' can compare with 'the -adrenaline thrill of pouncing 'on a hapless opponent for multiple junips as the loser views up to half or more of his forces decimated.

ALTHOUGH LITTLE was known, before now, of the interest in the matches here have served to highlight an interesting facet of Borneo's culture. The parlor game Marco Polo carried from this section of the globe and introduced to Europe centuries ago is believed to have been originally played with frogs, whose jumps were controlled by the hands of their owners who kept them as pets. The switch to wooden wafers and a geometric playing surface somewhere along the line is being pointed to by some experts as responsible for a phenomenon recently publicized in otlier areas the South Pacific: frog wars. And the impact of that hopping amphibian on Borneo's becomes even more significant when one considers the national pastime here, symbolic of taking an opponent's piece on the checkerboard, is leapfrog. Ml gentlemen, it specifically prohibits Congress NOT the Supreme Greedy Fischer to checkmate himself By RALPH NOVAK have seen over the past few days the creation of something new in chess, 'the Fischer gambit.

This is where you threaten to hold your breath until you turn blue and-or pick up your chess board and go home unless you can have your own way. A true inspiration to the youth of America, Bobby Fischer has shown vis that these tactics work in this greed-smudged real world. Fischer's performance, the prelude to the world chess championship match now going on in Iceland, should not surprised us. all, never said he was sensitive, poised cohsidereate, modest, generous, admirable intelligent He has said only (UiouglT many many times) that he is the best chess player around Brooklyn, the 'United States, the world and presumably, the universe. Let us assume that he is right.

THE NEXT question is, so what? Fischer seems to be operating under the belief that because we pay our athletes and entertainers outrageously large sums, of money, we should do the same for chess players. i point of view this is, reasonable, of But from. -everybody is 1 super-arrogant' riprisen.se. That we are 'to sanction paying Tom $125,000" a year to throw baseballs is no justification for our being foolish enough to sanction paying Bobby Fischer for. a bunch of toys around for a month.

For one thing, there is the -wrongs-don't-make-a-right theory. For another, there is the fact that chess is riot, either historically or. intrinsically, an interesting spectator sport. Such vicarious enjoyment as- chess games provide comes from i leisurely-study of the move-by; overlooked watclung Fischer knit, his. brow in thought or lick 'his: chops anticipation of crushing an opponent's ego.

future time there will enough fans around to in the fashion which.iFischerVwbuld like to 0 right now there are not. And no exploiting Another chess game awaiting the first move Don't take older people's vote for gran ted The Dally Times welcomes letters to the on matters of public interest. Name, address and number must be given before letters can be' considered publication. The letters snbuld be written specifically and solely to the Dally Times. Open letters, carbons, photo copies, will be rejected.

All letters are subject to condensation. No letters can be returned. By BOB WALTON If you're in politics don't take the vote of older people. for granted. It can upset you as it did a freshman member of Congress in last month's Republican i a in California.

Along the same line--if you're speaking for publication--don't be funny. The spokenword can be amusing-at the moment, but it can be deadly in cold print the next day. The California vote proved a theory long held by this columnist that senior citizens control an election if they ever got together. This is especially possible in areas with e. heavy population of retirees as in southern California.

However, with more than 20 million oldsters across the nation--and their number growing annually--it behooves both major parties to keep a close eye on these over 61. IN THIS SAME vein a careful analysis of recent primary victories by two United States Senators, Margaret a Smith, Maine Republican and John L. McClellan, Arkansas Democrat, undoubtedly will show heavy support by senior citizens in their states. Both are in their 70s. It might even be a new kind of Lib--Senior Citizens Lib, if you please in operation.

While it's hardly to be expected tiiat many will merge retirement to seek office, it is true older people are better informed today than ever before on how elected officials are doing their fobs. In the first place they have more time to read than does the average active citizen. While they cover the media thoroughly a Jot of credit for keeping them informed must go to AARP, American Association of Retired Persons. AARP keeps an unbiased eye on Congress and. a legislation affecting legislation uffecting Americans.

Its observations, are passed along monthly to its more than 4,000,000 members in a tabloid size "News Bulletin" from Washington. A I I A Congressman who learned the hard way about the voting vagaries of older citizens was Rep. John G. Schmitz. It happened at the polling booths in Leisure World, a retirement complex of approximately 14,000 persons from every state in the Union and all walks of life.

Two years ago when Schmitz made his first bid he polled 69.8 per cent of the Leisure World Republican vote. A few weeks before the primary he was considered a shoo-in Avinner. But, when the votes were counted he had only 27.6per cent due to a switch of 5,452 votes from hirii to his opponent, Andrew Hinshaw, a County assessor. Hinshaw didn't even announce for the race until the final afternoon of the filing period. At that time Schmitz was such a favorite that at least four other possible a i a decoined to enter the race against him.

Tax assessors don't usually win popularity contests and Hinshaw did a lot of personal agonizing before filing his candidacy. So why did. Schmitz lose? LEISURE Republicans never forgave him for a quip he made at a news conference in Olympia, last January. In response to a question, he said he favored the President's trip to Red China, but not his return. Schmitz contends was meant as a joke and it is true the newsmen present laughed.

But, they slso used it in their stories and in print it was not nearly so fimny. backfired on Schmitz as did his support of Rep. John Ashbrook, of Ohio, against President Nixon. In fairness it must be said support for Schmitz in other sections of the district took a nose dive to near the 20 per cent mark. Hinshaw carried Leisure World by 1,731 votes and the entire district by 2,325 votes.

Right now Leisure World Republicans are basking in the glory of what their vote did and come a new organization. In politics it's the unexpected that has to be "expected. The big test comes in November and they have nothing to fear from the youth vote in Leisure Would, there isn't any. (Mr. Walton -likes to hear from his readers and whenever possible letters of general interest be answered from time to time in this column.

Letters should be addressed to Mm in care of this newspaper. If you desire a personal answer, please enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope.) uu llu(i0n State Health Department, 277-3210 Pollution and contamination from pesticides State Health Department, 277-3210. Litter and rubbish Local sanitation department, or if concerning operation of a disposal site, State Health Department, 277-3210. Noise Pollution Local police. Sediment and i drainage, colls information -Soil and Water Conservation District, 1671 N.

Providence Road, Media, 5654449. 'This it unfortunate, in vestment James bJater' -saw tit to' add' purse For Fischer's threats to the match 'bordered on Us should 'v have been called. "This would have been painful' for Ireland whose costly preparations for tiie match Fischer held hostage aut it puld have put Fischer, a fatuous, graceless man, in his proper place, that of someone who happens to be a genius at a trivial pastime. Now, though, we havp Hio confrontation. HAS at times tried'Si; make.

his. match with defending world champion Boris Spassky a Cold War kind of crusade, good old American versus godless i a 1( Commumst But he was not so dedicated to' the crusade that i he was willing, to wage it for a mere' $100,000. He was not so proud that he not apologize to the Russians to av TM match and his money And he.was not smart enough I i a i ij would have earned the respect and, probably, 'the financial' rewards he demanded so permaturely. Boris. Environment hotline about Air pollution Council for dean Air, 311, S.

State.