The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • 12

Eos Attacks HARRISON GRAY OTIS, 188H9I7 HARRY CHANDLER, 1917-1944 OTIS CHANDLER, Publisher ROBERT D. NELSON Executive Vice President and General Manager WILLIAM F. THOiLAS Executive Vke President nd Editor CHARLES CHASE, Vice President Production ROBERT LOBDELL, Vice President Administration-General Counsel RICHARD S. ROBINSON, Vice President Assistant to the Publisher VANCE STICKELL, Vice-President Sales JAMES BASSETTr Associate Editor JAMES BELLOWS, Associate Editor ANTHONY DAY, Editor of the Editorial Pages "ROBERT J. DONOVAN, Associate Editor PRANK P.

HAVEN, Managing Editor NORMAN CHANDLER, 1944-1960 12 Part II MONDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 13, 1972 The Future of the Democrats Lawrence F. O'Brien, former chairman of the Democratic Party, said the other day that Democrats must avoid "rancor, bloodletting and Monday-morning iquarterbacking" in the wake of Sen. George McGovern's massive defeat in the presidential election. Even as he spoke, recriminations were flying thick and fast, and a debate over the party's future direction and leadership was under way. this fact of political life.

The reforms initiated at the Democratic convention succeeded admirably in making it possible for some groups that were previously underrepresent-ed young people, women and the minorities to have a genuine voice in the presidential nominating process. Unfortunately, the reform rules also worked to i out organized labor, white ethnics and middle-7 aged people in general It is these very groups who, together with the South, have provided most of the votes for past Democratic victories. And it is these i "Now hear this! Who gave the order for blacks to ride at the back of the carrier?" Letters to The Times It is doubtful that O'Brien, as one of the Demo- crats' most seasoned old pros, really intended, his advice to be taken seriously. McGovern was not, just defeated. He was trounced.

It is essential to the health of the party and the future health' of the two-party system that the appropriate les- sons be learned. One has to keep in mind that the Democratic Party does not exactly lie sick and bleeding on the floor. Aside from McGovern, its candidates did well last Tuesday. The Democrats remain in firm control of Congress, and there was a net gain of one Democratic governorship. The fact remains, though, that the major purpose of a national political party is to elect the President, and in this enterprise the Democrats failed miserably.

Many factors were involved but the underlying reality is that McGovern allowed himself to forget that presidential elections are won in the middle of the road. He came through to the voters as a man who, however decent his impulses, was well to the left of most Americans. The damage was made worse by the carelessness with which some of the most important elements of traditional Democratic coalition were treated. The success of the Democrats over the last 40 years is a direct result of the fact that, far more than the Republican Party, they have succeeded in being a truly national party. McGovern lost last Tuesday because, in his zeal for moving the party to a more leftward ideological base, he overlooked groups whose defection did more than anything else to cost McGovern the election.

The aim of the Democrats now is to rebuild the coalition. Richard Scammon, the elections expert, went to the heart of the matter with his observation that most Americans think of themselves as Democrats, and that the party can still be a vehicle for progressive change. But, he added, "If the party cannot find a way to appeal to the average working man, it isn't going to win in 1976." To this end, there may be a need for reforming the reform rules so that the next convention will be truly representative of the party's broad constituency. Jean Westwood, the Democratic chairperson, is so identified with the McGovern wing that she may have to go. In the final analysis, what the Democrats need is a centrist candidate in 1976 a man who can speak to the needs and aspirations of the disadvantaged without forfeiting the support of middle America, a man who can bridge the gap between the change-oriented McGovern forces, the change-resistant admirers of Gov.

George Wallace and the much vaster number of people somewhere in between. As of now, Sen. Edward Kennedy seems the most likely choice, but a lot can happen in four tacked with lead pipes and motor oil by grown men. I no longer believe the myth that this kind of hatred is a Southern characteristic. It lives everywhere, anywhere, in the hearts of people who cannot accept anyone different from themselves.

The tragedy is that, even with the recent successes of the civil rights they would have found numerous titles with which Dionne could identify featuring friendship between boys and girls: realistic, timely, readable, inviting, here and now, on the contemporary scene and with-it! "Male and female" have been getting along for some time now in our children's literature in "books that do not "feature women in aprons and men in offices." I ought to know, I've been a children's librarian for some 29 years now and never has children's literature been more relevant than in the here and now. The Internment of U.S. Citizens The article by Vince Matsudaira (Editorial Pages, Nov. 7) pointed up one of the great blots on our national conscience. The internment of American citizens of Japanese ancestry remains a national disgrace.

Must we compound this injury by returning confiscated, savings held for 30 years without a penny of interest? We should be attempting to permit some restitution for the gross abuse of civil liberties after Pearl Harbor. I remember 1942. Many of these people were neighbors in the San Joaquin Valley good neighbors and good citizens. JEAN CHAMBERLIN Topanga High-Level Indiscipline in the Navy NETTIE FRISHMAN Tarzana Confict of Interest Regarding the story, (Oct. 26), "Reagan Housing Official's Own Units Being Rented to the I find Wardell A.

Connerly's statement, "We took advantage of a situation" revealine a state of mind I read, with a great deal of sym movement, the triumphs of the Warren Court, and the awareness, at last, that a problem exists real change will not take place until every white person asks himself just precisely what it is that makes white skin better than any other color. A legitimate answer does not exist. DIANE JOHNSON Santa Barbara Two Fine Actors I join the nation in sorrow at the passing of two of our finest charac- ter actors just a week apart this past week. Lew Parker (known to millions as "That Girl's" father to Mario and Reginald Owen. Both fine talents just appeared together last year in the Center Theatre Group's 'production of "A Funny Thing Happened, on the Way to the Forum," at our Ahmanson Theatre.

Reginald Owen's performance as the old man in "Funny Thing" will never be forgotten by theXhousands who enjoyed the show in Los Angeles, Chicago and New, York. RAY D. WORKMAN Los Angeles that seems to be the order of the day in business practices that involve government officials and government contracts. ute information bulletins reporting racial progress that had been made, and that they refused to meet the requirements that annual fitness reports on officers include evaluations of their ability to "foster equal opportunity." In part, all this is an example of the old problem of getting bureaucracies to respond to changes ordered from the top. It goes much deeper than that, however.

On the most important level it is a matter of assuring justice and equity for all men in uniform. On another level it involves the important matter of service efficiency. There have been major racial incidents on at least three ships now, involving fights, injuries and at least in the case of the Constellation a shutdown of operations. Zumwalt, for one, thinks that all this might have been avoided had his orders been carried out. High-level indiscipline is no more acceptable than disobedience to orders in the ranks.

Officers in any of the services who have not learned that are unfit to hold command. The chief of naval operations has accused top admirals and their subordinate officers of ignoring or deliberately undercutting orders he issued more than two years ago that were aimed at reducing the potential for racial friction in the Navy. One result, said Adm. Elmo R. Zumwalt, was the rebellion of 130 crewmen, most of them blacks, on the carrier Constellation.

The men have charged unfair treatment and refused to go back aboard the ship in San Diego. Zumwalt's charge is serious, like the problem it addresses. He has accused his officers of placing "hallowed routine" ahead of both the need and the orders for changes. That seems to be a euphemistic way of saying that efforts to end the Navy's history of racially discriminatory practices were purposely thwarted. Specifically, Zumwalt said top officers "hamstrung'' the minority affairs specialists he had assigned to all commands, that they failed to distrib I consider the legislative counsel's opinion on whether Connerly might be involved in a conflict of interest' a dubious legal interpretation.

It's certainly not one that protects the legal interest of the taxpayer who foots the bill for these supposed legal practices. I suggest that the Legislature take a eood hard look at this tyoe of legal business practice by government officials, which to me, is an unfortunate use of government power and in- side knowledge. FRANK E. ME1TZ Santa Monica The Job of Reapportionment I i Smokeless Meals pathy, the article written by Vince Matsudaira. I remember Dec.

7 very well, as do the families of all the young American sailors aboard the Arizona and the others killed during that attack on Pearl Harbor. I don't wish to imply that I agrees with the act of incarcerating all Japanese-Americans in concentration camps. I would just like to inform Matsudaira of how an American citizen, living in Japan at that time, was treated. My husband's father was one of those men. He was put into a tiny cell, in a prison.

It was about 4x4x4. My father-in-law was not a small man, so this was indeed very uncomfortable. He was fed very little. Some of the food was rotten. During months of such existence he was sick and lost considerable weight; In the meantime, his home, furnishings, bank account and all possessions were confiscated.

In time, he was repatriated on the Swedish liner Gripsholm and returned as a 58-pound sick and penniless man. Till his dying day, he never received one cent nor any of his possessions or his health. So that's the story of how the Japanese treated an American businessman, in Japan, during that war. CLARA LANDON Manhattan Beach A 'Civilized' Nation? Having just read (Oct. 26) of the two school buses that were attacked while traveling through a white neighborhood in New York City, I am moved to write my first letter to the editor.

When grown men resort to violence on children because of the color of their skin, it makes me sick at heart. The "adults" of this country are responsible for the bigotry, hatred and prejudice still rampant in the year of 1972, not the little childrenyet they are the ones who suffer. Where is our "civilized" nation? In Chicago, a black man is beaten and shot by white adults, men and worn-. en, in a middle-class bar where he had gone to make a phone call after his car broke In Redondo Beach, a young black man and his date are refused service in a pizza parlor. And in New York two busloads of minority children are at- In January the California Supreme Court directed the 1972 Legislature to reapportion legislative and congressional districts this year.

By its order last week denying an Assembly petition to extend the deadline to June 1, the high court made it plain that it did not intend the job to be done by the new 1973 Legislature. If the lawmakers do not act by year's end, the court itself will do the redistricting, though reluctantly. Reapportionment is properly the duty of the Legislature, and it is a duty that it should face now. The 1971 reapportionment bills were vetoed by Gov. Reagan because of partisan gerrymandering.

Obviously the 1973 Legislature, in which Assembly Democrats have substantially increased their par-ptisan muscle, will provide an even more fertile field for gerrymandering. Yet, that is exactly what the Assembly Democratic leadership is pointing They, and those Republicans who may acquiesce to such a stalling move, are wrong. There is a far better chance of achieving equitable reapportionment this year than next. We disagree with Assembly Speaker Bob Moret-ti's view that the Legislature can wait until the court draws new boundary lines and if those boundaries are not acceptable to the majority of senators and assemblymen, the Legislature can ignore the court-drawn lines and do another reapportionment itself. We do not believe that the court, as loath as it may be to delve into the political jungle of reapportionment, should countenance any such action.

If the Legislature is unable, or unwilling, to meet its redistricting responsibilities this year, it will pave the way for a move to take reapportionment completely out of the Legislature's hands in the future Since ecology is the in-thing now, and very muchly needed to help clean up the outside world, I believe there is another area in which attention should be devoted that of cleaning up the air inside eating establishments and indoor, gatherings. I feel that our legislators should be pressed into passing a law to either prohibit smoking in these areas' or as an alternative make provisions for the non-smoker to have a separate' area from the smoking crowd. My husband and I greatly enjoy eating out at the many wonderful restaurants, but I think it is veiyun-fair to us as non-smokers' to Rave our meal ruined by having to inhale smoke from those on either side of it 3 us. MRS. DONALD R.

YtfVA Ventura Speedy Returns The trend of radio and television political reporting on election day is to project the winner before anyone else does. What does this accomplish except to deter people from voting? The next step in their maniacal urge to blurt out the winner will be to eventually just give the winning time it took them to calculate and forget to name the man who won. KAY MEERSAND Los Angeles Children's Literature As a librarian for the Long Beach Public. Library -and as an officer of the Southern California Council on Literature for Children and Young People, I wish to disagree most strongly with the views of Mario Thomas as expressed in Joyce Ha-ber's column (Oct. 31).

Ms. Thomas states categorically that there are no books for children that depict -boy-girl relationships and assign female characters to other than the traditional stereotyped roles. Any children's librarian will be happy to prepare a bibliography for. Ms. Thomas that contains innumerable well-written, relevant books preparing children and young people for a world of heterosexual relationships and their roles as individuals, not stereotypes.

May I suggest that, should Ms. Haber wish to recommend quality purchases of juvenile recordings or books in the future, she consult a competent authority in 1 the field, rather than an entertainment personality who has no background in children's literature and whose only purpose is a commercial one. HARRIET J. LAMPERT Long Beach Evidently neither Mario's niece Dionne nor Mario Thomas herself has visited a public library recently! If they had and asked for the services of the children's librarian Feuding Among the Supervisors often overflows at board sessions and has all but cut off communications among the supervisors. Compounding the problem is the furore over the transfer of ownership of the Mile Square Regional Park from the federal government to the county.

Board Chairman Ronald Caspers, who has clashed with Baker on that issue, plans to continue the dispute with Baker and Baker's chief aide, Richard Ruiz, at Tuesday's board session. In, the board will be reorganized when newly elected Supervisor Ralph Diedrich is sworn in. But the board need not, and should not, wait till then to rededicate itself to uniting for the good of all county residents. That doesn't mean there should be no disagreements. It does mean that supervisors should put aside petty differences and stick to issues not personalities.

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Coughlln. Jerusalem (11 Ben Labrat Rehavia), Harry Trlmborn. Unite Nations (Secretariat United Nations), Don After any election everyone hopes that divisions caused by campaigning will be put aside in the interest of good government. That hope should now animate the Orange County Board of Supervisors. Breaches in the board's unity have been evident for some time.

The recent runoff election in the 1st District, wherein incumbent Robert Battin held off 'a strong challenge to win reelection, provided more fuel to the feuding. Battin and Supervisor David Baker have been at loggerheads for several years. Their bitter exchanges have become more frequent in recent months. Just before election day, Baker took the unprecedented and unwise step of endorsing Bat-tin's opponent. From a purely practical point of view, Baker's action can only add to the existing illwill that too Tha Times welcomes expressions of all viewpoints from readers.

Letters should be kept as brlel as possi-bla and are subject to condensation. They must Include signature and valid mailing address. Pseudonyms and Initials will not be used. Because ot the volume of mail received, unpublished Individual letters cannot be acknowledged. Send to: LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, LOS ANGELES TIMES, TIMES MIRROR SQUARE, LOS ANGELES, CALIF.

JO053. -but Politically, that may be too much to less is needed..