The Town Talk from Alexandria, Louisiana • Page 6

'They Were Green They Called 'Em Trees' gftjft of the By Adras LaBorde MMSfllm EAtar Bails $alfc Established on March 17, 1883 McCORMICK and Company, Proprietors Main atWashington St. Telephone Alexandria, Louisiana 71301 Published each evening and Sunday morning, except Christmas Day MRS. JANE WILSON SMITH President JOE D. SMITH, JR. Publisher and General-Manager THOMAS JARREAU O'QUIN TOM JARREAU HARDIN Secretary-Treasurer, Business Manager ADR AS LABORDE Managing Editor MONDAY EVENING, MAY 24, 1971 Nixon Won a Battle, Not the War mil pi THE 'YOUNG TURKS' AND THE BUDGET The "Young Turks" in the Louisiana House of Representatives had a point the other day when they ked that the House sit as a "committee of the whole to run a fine-tooth comb through the proposed $1.6 billion budget.

They would have an even better point with the addition of $24.7 million to the "standstill" budget. A chapter-and-verse citation to. back up the statement in my first paragraph is not possible without having at hand copies of the 1971-72 budget and the 1970-71 budget for comparison. But one of the "Turks" showed me copies the other day, with proposed changes marked in, and some items would really rankle the taxpaying fraternity. Too bad this legislator said he couldn't leave the budgets with me.

Nicholas Von Hoffman If Only We Had Listened to Sen. Taft SAMPLE ADDITIONS Consider some of the items added in a closed-doors meeting of the House Appropriations Committee last Thursday: $5.4 million for supplemental pay for deputy sheriffs. $1.8 million for an increase in firemen's supplemental pay. $319,000 to implement a pay raise for assistant district' attorneys. The legislature, characteristically, voted for such a raise at the 1970 regular session but did not provide the wherewithal.

made little effort to understand the current mood of Congress. Mr. Mansfield's proposal was offered as an amendment to a bill to extend the military draft. Also related to that one bill are proposals to limit the draft extension' to one year, end the draft this June, and set a date for the end of the war in Vietnam. They will all be fought over separately and the president might eventually win 'on all issues, even if he has to veto the draft bill to get his victory.

But there are more proposals, on Vietnam, military spending and a declaration of limits on the president's authority to declare a war, pending in the Senate. The president gathered round him a raft of former molders of public opinion from past wars and other administrations to resist the Mansfield amendment. On this issue he probably had more of the old liberal establishment of the United States on his side than the old traditional Republican establishment. But the scope and energy of the many, congressional efforts to restrain his authority in all areas of foreign policy is more suggestive of a war than a battle. The administration's position is inflexible.

The White House sent Secretary of State Rogers, who gets along-better with the Senate than anyone else in the administration, up to the Capitol to reject any possible compromise on the NATO issue and on the issue of warmaking powers. Sending, a strong message of defiance by means of a friend makes things clear among antagonists. There are unfortunate aspects to this situation. The fact is that Mr. Nixon has.

conducted foreign policy more cautiously, and probably more reasonably, than his predecessor. He seems to have convinced the Russians that new accommodations are possible; his administration has come fairly close to arranging new settlements for the Middle East; it has wisely stood back and allowed European nations to try to find their own new arrangements in the world; it seems to be making a realistic approach to the China question. But it has seriously misjudged the domestic reaction to its handling of the war in Vietnam, and it has been secretive and often contemptuous in its dealings with What most surprises one about the fight between Congress and the White House over presidential authority in foreign affairs is that it seems to have caught the White House by surprise. That may explain why there is a fight at all. Former Secretary of Dean Acheson, who is a veteran of a few similar fights, says that Congress occasionally decides to "have a go at tearing down the president." Something more is involved this time.

It is true 'that the constitutional division of powers regularly brings the executive nd legislative branches into conflict During this century, at least' since Theodore Roosevelt was in the White House, when the great issues of social change were fought out, the presidents have pretty regularly carried the people against the Congress. In the last 20 years the presidents have won most of their battles over foreign policy as well, but the longer history of the. United States is mixed; Congress has won a lot of big fights against presidents over foreign affairs. America may be reverting politically to an earlier time. There is good evidence that, over the past four years.

Congress has stepped up its struggle for a veto in foreign affairs as a response to popular pressures. This is not very surprising. The cost of our foreign policy since World War II has been immense and the apparent rewards are diminishing. We are embroiled in a war which appears to have no end, and two administrations have been unable to explain convincingly why there is no end of it. If there has not been in fact a lot of official lying about our activities abroad for a dozen years or more, there appears to have been some lying; and, politically, the consequences are the same.

The newest battle was over the proposal of Sen. Mike Mansfield (D-Mont.) to cut our commitment of men to NATO in half by the end of the year. Mr. Mansfield has been talking about this idea to almost everybody for at least two years; the fact that the administration is surprised that he offered it for a vote now is good evidence that the White House never respected him to believe what he was and that it has WASHINGTON The Senate voted down Mike Mansfield's proposition to halve the number of troops we keep in Europe doing nothing other than satisfying ancient geopolitical theories. They have been there for a generation, It was precisely 20 years ago that they were sent over the objections of men like Sen.

Robert A. Taft and other well-known reds. The thought of the removal of any of these troops touches off something close to hysteria, not only in the present administration but among the ghosts of administrations past Characters have been coming out of the woodwork whom we haven't seen in years to shake bony fingers of warning at us. They even found old Dean Acheson to bulge his eyes and switch his moustache while he decried the very idea and called it "asinine." He was calling Taft names two decades ago. But whose judgment have the years shown to be more wisely founded, Acheson's, Truman's, Dulles' or Taft's? Taft is dead, but this is a propitious time to print excerpts from his speech to the Senate of the United States on Jan.

5, 1951: "During recent years a theory has developed that there shall be no criticism of the foreign policy of the administration, that any such criticism is an attack on the unity of the nation, that it gives aid and comfort to the and that it sabotages any idea of a bipartisan foreign policy for the national benefit. I venture to state that this proposition is a fallacy and a very dangerous fallacy threatening the very existence of the nation. "In very recent days we have heard appeals for unity from the administration and from its supporters. I suggest that these appeals are an at tempt to cover up the past faults and failures of the administration and enable it to maintain the secrecy which has largely enveloped our foreign policy since-the day of Franklin' D. Roosevelt It is still fashionable to meet any criticism by cries of isolationism.

Criticisms are met by the calling of names rather than by intelligent debate. seems to me that our battle against communism is in fact a world-wide battle and must be fought on the world stage. What I object to is undertaking to fight that battle primarily on the vast land areas of the continent of Europe or the continent of Asia where we are the greatest disadvantage in with must not undertake anything be-' yond our power, as we have in Korea. We must not assume obligations by treaty or otherwise which require any extensive use of American land forces. committee, Secretary Acheson was asked the direct question by Sen.

Hickenloo-per: 'Are we going to be expected to send substantial number of troops over there as a more or less permanent contribution to the development of these countries' capacity to "Secretary Acheson: 'The answer to that question, Senator, is a clear and absolute "Is such a military possible for any period of years without inflation and the loss of liberty at home? larger the army with very little to do, the more difficult it will be to maintain its morale. "The key to all the problems before Congress lies in the size of our military budget. That determines the taxes to be levied. It determines the number of boys to be drafted. It is likely to determine whether we can maintain a reasonably free system and the value of our dollar, or whether we are to be weakened by inflation and choked by government controls which inevitably tend to become more arbitrary and unreasonable.

"And finally the policy we adopt must be. approved by Congress and the people after full and free discussion. The commitment of a land Army to Europe is a program never approved by into which we should not drift. The policy of secret executive agreements has brought us to danger and disaster. It threatens the liberties of our people." With that, Sen.

Taft sat down and was beaten, beaten not only by those who are dead but by many who still sit in the Aiken, Ful-bright, Long, Ellen-der and others. Some learned and others didn't. LBJ was a -member of the Senate and Richard Nixon soon would be. In 1951 it wasn't so easy to see that Sen. Taft was right Not only, were we going through one of 'our periodic attacks of commie-phobia, but Hitler was a lot the idea of appeasing any antagonist was much, more frightening.

But now it is a full generation. later, and it turns out; that Taft was right, right on every question all the way from inflation to the terrible demoralization of troops. Right on point after point, and yet in the face of all these years of facts and experience Acheson comes out of nowhere to say "asinine" and Nixon calls it "isolationism." Well, it was neither. It was a way to defend the country without destroying it, a way to be part of the world without running it, and we still, on the day of this vote, so long after the last one, haven't found anything better. IT'S GOT TO END SOME DAY Being against "supplemental pay" bills, such as those proposed for deputy sheriffs and firemen, may invite political suicide.

But this sort of thing has got to reach a dead-end one of these days. The raise for assistant DA's is subject to even closer scrutiny, in view of the repeated criticism of state prosecutors in recent months. The case load of the average district attorney's office may be skyrocketing; but the laity is not impressed. What the rank-and-file is cognizant of is the failure of so many DA's to uncover miscreancy par-, ticularly among public officialsso much so that fed-' eral attorneys and grand juries have to try to fill the gap. There may also be some questions about the addition of $2.5 million to build a football stadium at Northeast State University at Monroe.

The college perhaps needs a new stadium, but must it be built and paid for in these times of state government austerity? Ebb and Flow of Billboard Battle NEVER FULL SATISFACTION When the Young Turks first challenged the standard procedure during the first week of the session, Rep. Robert Munson was obviously irked. Mr. Munson, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and a member of the Legislative Budget Committee, said something like "we'd never get the appropriations bill to the governor." Last week when the committee had voted on the $24.7 million addenda in closed session, Mr. Munson again found reason to lament.

He said the additions will throw the budget out of balance. "We were at zero when' we started on it," he said apparently meaning that the original budget provided for- spending every red copper' cent the state could expect to take in. But that's the way it is with the people's money at Rouge: There is never enough. There is never full accord on how the available pie should be carved up. And there is never general satisfaction after the carve-up either among the lawmakers or among their constituents who provide the money.

The Readers Write Youth Cites Clerics' 'Poor Example1 best space?" she asks, plunking down $1,800 to have one of her paintings enlarged to billboard size, plus $250 a month rental fee, for the edification of motorists on Manhattan's West Side Highway. New York was. also the scene of a one-woman picket protest against the blanket indictment of all billboards as "eyesores." Sharon Harvey, whose bikini-clad figure adorns thousands of billboards coast to coast as Miss Tanya, the symbol of a suntan lotion, says she gets hundreds of letters from drivers who say they think her billboards are beautiful. One man wrote that he stays awake during night driving by watching for the Tanya billboards. But even women write to her; one said that the billboards inspired her to diet and thus saved her marriage.

Sharon suggests there should be a rating system for billboards, similar to the one that classifies movies. An. rating, for example, would mean that a billboard was truly unsightful and should be banned. Six years after passage of the Highway Beautification Act of 1965, Lady Bird Johnson's pet project as First Lady, Congress finally got around to appropriating money to compensate billboard owners for the loss of their The first billboard to be removed was during recent ceremonies in Free-port, at which Transportation Secretary John A. Volpe officiated.

That is, it was the first to be removed under the Beautification Act. In southeastern Michigan, night-raiding vigilantes have sawed down 81 billboards illegally in the past two months. Owners have retaliated by erecting new signs with steel supports instead of wood. "Let's see them cut down steel poles," says Joseph Jones, manager of a Lansing advertising firm. They probably will.

Inevitably, however, an anti-billboard movement has sprung into being. In New York, an artist named Linda Charleston is pioneering the use of billboards for the display of fine art. "Why should advertising get all the jumped more than 100 percent, as a result of the rail strike. Editor, Town Talk: On Monday night, May 17, 1 took my girl friend to the Plantation Manor for dinner. This was the night I graduated and we were celebrating my graduation from high school.

Over the weekend preceding this Monday night, I had been to Fresno, along with my Dad to take part in a lay witness mission and tell the folks out there what Jesus Christ has meant in my life since I surrendered to him. We got back into Alexandria on Monday morning at 3 a.m. after a weekend with almost no sleep. As we sat there waiting to be served I heard a group of men sitting at the table next to me cursing and using the Lord's name in vain and giving the youth of today the worst condemnation I have heard in a long time. This upset me.

I thought I would say something to them and turned around to do so. Imagine how shocked I was when I saw that these profa-ners of God were men of the cloth! Sitting there condemning the young people of today, and using the Lord's name in vain to do it, and they supposedly were Men of God! Can you imagine such a thing? I was so stunned and hurt that I couldn't approach them directly, so I did the next best thing. I said just as loudly as I could so that they could hear me, "Well, aren't they setting a fine example for the young people they condemn?" I hope and pray that they heard me! After thinking about this all night and today, I know now that I let my Lord down by not getting up and witnessing to these so called Men of God and advice; he (or she) is a blessing. If your parents don't take you seriously, seek a sympathetic ear among your friends' parents. If, however, the latter share your mother's and father's attitudes, cultivate new friends who have rapport with their elders, and benefit therefrom.

Through such friends, you might also join another church, whose pastor could counsel you. Most denominations have excellent programs and activities for teenagers with which ministers and parents are deeply involved, and participation would greatly improve your outlook on life. Unfair teachers, by the way, don't mean the end of the world. You would be surprised to learn how many superior men and women have suffered at their hands yet have succeeded despite, or because of, such experiences. Study earnestly for the sake of learning, not for the sake of earning top grades.

While you are struggling with excessive and difficult assignments (This interested parent is all too familiar with this), bear in mind that the I more knowledge you gain in school, the better your pros- pects for a bright future. Things rarely go smoothly for most people, old or young, but every obstacle one overcomes adds strength to his character, makes him a bet- i ter person, and enriches his' life. So stick in there, youngster, and keep plugging. I hope this has been helpful, Senior '73. Best of luck, and many wonderful tomorrows to you! 'Concerned Mother of Teenagers', Alexandria, La.

about the Lord they are supposedly serving. Through this medium of the newspaper I hope to get the message to them that the young people of today along with the adults don't need condemnation for their sins. They need Jesus Christ in their hearts and then they would not be so quick to judge; I am not judging either these men or their church with the letter. I am simply stating that our Lord set the example when he said, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." We are all sinners, but we are also all children of God, and as such it is our responsibility not to condemn each other but by ex-, ample, word, and deed do our best to bring our brothers back to our one Father. May this letter be used to do so.

Bill Wisenbaker, Graduating Senior- of 1971, Alexandria, La. Reply to Senior '73 Editor, Town Talk: Should appreciate your printing the following reply to the letter from "Senior '73 (Name Alexandria, published in your The Readers Write column this past Sunday, May 16, 1971, with the request that you withhold my name also: Dear Senior '73: Yes, you are living In trying times, and the multiple pressures on kids are unbelievable. Maybe some suggestions from a concerned and understanding mother of two teenagers can help you make your life more pleasant and meaningful. First, rely on your concerned teacher for guidance News-highlights of May 24, 1946: The nation reeled today from the first effects of the greatest strike in railroad history. From coast to coast and from border to border rail transportation was at a virtual standstill.

Southern Bus Lines doubled all scheduled buses out of Alexandria today as the volume of passenger traffic Housewives swarmed into grocery stores of Alexandria today bent on filling their pantry shelves to avoid being caught short by the railroad strikes which will prevent additional shipments from arriving here. PROMPT CLAM SETTLEMENTS By City Corrler, Motor Carrier ond Mall SUBSCRIPTION RATES One Month 2.59 Three Months OntYeor 30.00 Second class postage. paid at Alexandria, Louisiana 71301. All memorials, obituaries, will be accepted only as ad vertisirtg matter and must be paid for as such at the regular reading rate prior to ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Branham-Moloney, Inc. One East Wacker Drive, Chicago; 335 Lenox Towers 3400 Peachtree Rd Atlanta; Penobscot Detroit, 367 Charlottetown Center, Charlotte; 625 Market St, San Francisco; P.O.

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