The Delta Democrat-Times from Greenville, Mississippi • Page 1

80th Year United Press International (UPI) Monday, March 3,1969 Price lOc No. 155 Supreme Court rules state violated law WASHINGTON (UPI)-Tho Supreme Court ruled today that Virginia and Mississippi improperly disregarded the 1965 Voting Rights Act In changing certain election practices in their states. Chief Justice Earl Warren handed down the rilling for an eight-man majority In a long, detailed opinion analyzing the pertinent section of the act. Justice Hugo L. Black, who believes the section is unconstitutional dissented.

The court 'refused, however, to set aside the Mississippi elections conducted pursuant -to the laws in question and conduct new ones. The Justice Department had urged this course. Justices William 0. Douglas, John M. Harlan and Thuvgood Marshall dissented to this part of Warren's ruling.

The 1965 act sought to remove many matters dealing with voting from control of states having a record of racial discrimination. Today's decisions hinged on the meaning of the section which says any affected state wishing to change its voting practices or voter qualifications must submit the revision to the U.S. attorney general or to the Federal District Court in the District of Columbia, Virginia and Mississippi made several changes without taking either of these steps, contending the law didn't apply to what they did. Warren expressed no view on the merit of the laws nor their constitutionality but merely said they should not have been placed in effect without approval "The Voting Rights Act was aimed at the subtle, as well as the obvious state regulations which have effect of denying citizens their right to vote because of their race," he said. Apollo 9 in orbit CAPE KENNEDY (UPI)- Apollo 9 thundered into orbit around the earth today on a lOday flight to make the dangerous first tests of the flimsy lunir "spider" built to land men on the moon this summer.

"Everything looks fine here," reported spaceship commander James A. McDtvitt as he and his crewmen, David R. Scott and Russell L. Schwelckart, rode Into space on the most difficult and dangerous voyage astronauts have yet attempted. They blasted off on a river of flame exactly on time at 11 a.m.

EST--completely recovered from the colds that delayed their launch from Friday. The 36-story Satutn 6 rocket rammed Apollo 9 into orbit at 11:11 a.rn It was the first trip Into space for the entire Apollo moon package--men, mother ship and the weird lunar lander, carried In a tapered cone between the spaceship and the third stage of the rocket. After nearly three hours checking Apollo's 9 systems as though it were moonbound, the astronauts must separate from the third stage, roll the ship over and pull the lunar lander out of its cocoon. The strange four-legged structure dubbed the "spider" Is so weak it cannot support Its own weight on earth, where it weighs six times Its moon weight. The launch was one of the most routine in the smooth Apollo series.

Apollo 9 is the first complete Apollo moonship and at 45 tons, it Is by far the heaviest payload to be launched. Goal of the $340 million mission Is to give the moon landing module its initial manned space test In the relative safety of an earth orbit scheduled to go no higher than 310 miles. Apollo 9 soars to orbit jSI McDivitt, Scott and Schwelckart walk to their spaceship Towboat crew flit Apparently sea sickness is not jji jj: the only ailment that strikes those who tread the waters of the earth's surface. ij-i The entire crew of the Esso ijj: Arkansas was hit with an influenza virus that reached an almost "emergency situation," according to Buddy Wamock of Waterways Marine. jg The Arkansas, northbound, tied up just below Warfield Point at jj: 9:30 a.m.

Sunday for about four jjj: iji hours while Dr. Jerome Hirsch jg went aboard to give physicals and -ij: c-j: administer shots.Warnock rushed ijij: Into town to get prescriptions for crew members who had apparently ijij jij battled the virus without success for several days. 'tfc "We thought at first we might ijij have to take them all to the emergency room," said Warnock, "but Dr. Hirsch made the call and the boat was only delayed a few hours. "You just don't shut down a quarter of a million dollar boat like that and let it sit idle," he said.

Wamock said that the captain of jjjj the vessel had been ill for about ijij two days and was' apparently ijij feeling better when the doctor ijij came aboard. i-ij ijij "He stood watch while the ijji iiji doctor made his examinations and i-i; jiji then got the boat underway again," iij ijj Warnock said. ijj: No settlement inAtkins strike No settlement has been reached by union and company officials in the wage dispute and strike at Atkins Saw Division of Nicholson File Co. Rufus H. Brooks, a machinist at Atkins and president of local 1543 of United Steel Workers, said that Sunday's all-day session had produced no final agreements.

The strike by the union's 350 members will continue today, Brooks said. A date for new negotiations has not been set yet, Brooks said. The strike began Saturday when a settlement for a new three-year contract was not reached when the old contract expired Friday. Union members want a 25-centan-hour across the board raise this year with a 20-cent-an-hour raise for the next two years. Brooks said that he felt the union and company officials are close to a settlement but that a "few minor details" must still be worked out.

Stanley Walters, personnel manager for Atkins, confirmed the fact that the strike was still in process. He said the company is still hopeful of an early settlement. Charles Evers to run for mayor of Fayette JACKSON (UPI)-Negro leader Charles Evers announced today he will run for mayor of Fayette and 34 other negroes will seek offices of mayor and aldermen in 1969 municipal elections across Mississippi Ever's Is state field secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and brother of Medgar Evers, civil rights leader shot to death from ambush here in 1963. He ran unsuccessfully in 1968 for the Third Congressional District seat vacated fay Gov. John Bell Williams in his only political race previously, although Evers was elected chairman of the Jefferson County (Fayette) Democratic Executive Committee last year.

The ribbon was snipped, shutetbugs snapped and onlookers looked Event exceeds expectations Winterville Park dedicated Snow falls in state, maybe in Greenville JACKSON (UPI)-Llght snow felt across north-central Mississippi early today, but the Weather Bureau said temperatures are high enough to keep highways from becoming hazardous. Snow was reported at Wlnona, Kilmichael, Valden, Carrollton, Starkvllte, Durant and Kosclusko. A spokesman said It was sticking to cars and grassy areas. A spokesman said accumulations of near one inch and up to three Inches is expected in a 50-mile wide band from the Greenville area eastward through the Columbus area. Another tnow ttory, photo en Page 12 World crises in brief MOSCOW SAIGON MOSCOW (UPI)-The most serious Slno-Soviet battle ever officially reported brought threats from both Moscow and Peking today that further aggression by each other would be dealt with harshly.

The fighting Sunday on a frozen section of the border was one of the most critical developments between the two Communist giants since their ideological split nearly 10 years ago. Each said the other was responsible for the clash near Damansky Isknd on the Ussuri River In Far Eastern Russia, along a disputed and undefined section of the Soviet-Chinese border. Both sides suffered casualties. Hundreds of well-wishers, short speeches and cloudy brightness made the dedication Sunday afternoon of Winterville Mounds State Park a success exceeding most everyone's expectations. More than 300 adults stood at the entrance of the mound-shaped museaum to witness the dedication speeches and ribbon-cutting, while children romped on the structure's earthen embankment and Sunday afternoon motorists filtered in to see what it was all about.

Before the four-hour opening day ended at 6 p.m., about 600 persons had hastily toured the jam-packed museum, taking snapshots, buying flintstone souvenirs and wandering over the fields and mounds. The park was officially dedicated by A. F. Sumner, a special assistant to Gov. John Bell Williams.

Sumner used a stone knife from the mounds to cut a big ribbon at the entrance to the museum. The museum, closed on Mondays, will be open Tuesdays through Sundays, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Admission will be 50 cents for adults and 25 cents for youths 18 and below), according to G. A. Choctaw Indians make friends with a paleface BERLIN SAIGON (UPI) Guerrillas slammed three 100-pound rockets into Saigon today and one of them hit a hospital one block from the U.S. Embassy. American Marines threw off a North Vietnamese attack below the Demilitarized.

At least 32 South Vietnamese civilians were killed and more than 20 wounded in" the second Communist shelling of Saigon In eight days, most of them in a direct hit on a riverside shanty where they slept. The rocket triggered 8 fire that destroyed 31 homes, A second 122mm rocket blasted into the courtyard of the French-run Grail Hospital, spraying the walls of a maternity and pedlatrlc pavilion. BERLIN (UPI)-Westem airlines brushed aside today Soviet threats of possible dangers if their planes fly to West Berlin and vowed allied aircraft would operate until they were shot at. The Soviets warned Sunday they could not be responsible for the safety of flights from the West to the outpost city this week. Airline spokesmen interpreted that announcement ns a notice of likely harassment of American, British and French flights to West Berlin, but promised to maintain their regular schedules.

They said the Soviets still would be responsible for any accidents due to buzzing western aircraft similar harassment. Weather The forecast for the Mid-Delta today is mostly cloudy with occasional light rain, according to the U. S. Weather Bureau in Jackson. Decreasing cloudiness is expected tonight.

Tuesday will be mostly fair and continued cool. Highs today are expected to be In the 40s and low 50s with lows tonight In the tow and mid 30s. In Greenville the temperature at 7:40 a.m. was 36 degrees, according to U. S.

Weather Observer Brodie Crump. The high for the preceding 24 hours was 55 and the low was 32. Rainfall was 0.25 of an inch. Mahoney, resident park ranger. Mayor Pat Dunne was master of ceremonies at the dedication, and Dr.

William Perry Claxton, pastor of First Baptist Church, gave the. invocation. After the introduction of special guests, including several members of Choctaw Indian royalty from the reservation near Philadelphia, remarks were made by Richard Marshall, assistant professor of anthropology at Mississippi State and also director of the Mississippi Archeoiogical Survey, Department of Archives and History, and Spencer Medlin of the Mississippi Park System. Archeologist warns artifact destruction obliterates history Marshall, who recounted the history of the mound-building "Mississippians," warned that modern agriculture and road-building are Indian mounds and buried villages. "There is little time before the story of the Indian, the ancient mounds and villages will be gone," he told the audience, noting that current destruction being done in violation of Hou: Bill 62, passed by the Mississippi legislature last year to provide for the preservation of the prehistoric and scientific resources of the state.

"We must work together to set aside examples of these remains for future appreciation and study," Marshall said. "We must act now or there will be nothing left to illustrate the 'what' the American Indian was in the Mississippi Delta and the rest of the alluvial valley." Marshall asked rhetorically: "What are we to say to our grandchildren when they ask why the mounds were torn down? What can we say without condemning our actions, or our inaction! We are hiding it behind the flimsy veil of economics." He said much of the destruction of artifacts can be blamed on "uncultured appreciation, senseless misunderstanding and a lack of looking to the future." However, Marshall added, it isn't too late to save the remaining artifacts. He cited the Winterville Mounds State Park as an example of what happens when citizens become concerned, and those with power of destruction (planters, businessmen, road builders) become aware of the value of artifacts. The state, he said, appropriated $20,000 last year for an archeoiogical survey, Iwu Olc Miss graduate students full time. The students, both i a i are currently excavating sites in the North Dnlta.

"By setting aside several of the prime archeoiogical sites such as Winterville, Marshall concluded, "we preserve not only for future generations, but for future scientists, frozen capsules of timo.".