Albany Democrat-Herald from Albany, Oregon • 4

Part build-up JUbantj Bemocrat-Serali KmfyAfn bunk Convention reform part ft an Btspccspn Glenn Jackson htsidtnl Glenn C. Cushman Publisher Page 4 revolution does not represent an uncontrollable upsurge of the new Democratic left. Women are not represented in proportion to population by a long shot Blacks fare better but still fall below their quota of delegates. Labor is not represented in the strength it has had before. Many of the old bosses are out, and By RICHARD WILSON Register ft Tribune Syndicate old faces familiar for two generations are seen no more.

Elected officials from the South and North feel alienated and are not overwhelmed but merely horrified by a national convention in which abortion. Divorce rate puzzling Oregon came out with a black eye in citable differences" are enough a recent federal report on divorce reason to dissolve a marriage. It also rates in the nation. It's difficult to say, lowers the usual residency however, just how much Oregon requirement from a year to six deserved it in relation to other statesTMnonths. The report covered 43 states and the District of Columbia.

It showed that for the first four months of this year there were 768 Oregon divorces for every 1,000 marriages. Montana was the only state to beat this. Its rate was 802. Statistics can lie. But these still should, raise a few eyebrows.

They mean Oregon's rate is above that of infamous California, whose rate of 775 shows three of every four marriages breaking down. They show Oregon's rate significantly above the national average of 455, whereby a little less than half the nation's marriages end in divorce. On possible explanation is Oregon's relative absence of large numbers of desperately poor people. Perhaps Oregonians tired of their marriages can better afford the $300 or so a divorce might cost. People without the money often don't bother with the legal formality.

A slight reason behind Oregon's high rate may be the state's liberalized divorce law. It permits no-fault divorces, in which "irrecon- marijuana and homosexuality are deemed to have political content along with sharing the wealth. 'The very young are notable only because some of them are i- actually here and able to vote. Otherwise the convention is a familiar replay of an old theme which has been heard before in both political parties, most often recently in the Republican party. Wendell L.

Willkie, Thomas E. Dewey, Harold E. Stassen successively represented a revolt against the old guard in the Republican party over a period of some 20 years. They and their associates beat the old 'guard in battle battle by attracting younger elements and women, by advocating new ideas foreign to the old conservatism, and, in short, by fighting the establishment. They did not shatter the Republican party but reinvigorated it and, in the end, forced the nomination of a sure winner, Dwight D.

Eisenhower, with a young running mate, Richard M. Nixon, who himself later became president. These champions of the new losers, preferring ideology to a prospect of victory, until 1952 when a convention coup slipped Gen. Dwight Eisenhower in ahead of Sen. Robert Taft.

A lot of "ideology" now has overrun the Democrats. It is an ideology that says the old power bases of the party are bad. The word is out that organized labor has become fat and contented and conservative, antiblack and prowar. So to hell with George Meany. So a group of blacks boasts that, "for the first time in 40 years," they, rather than the AFL-CIO, delivered the delegates needed to win nomination.

The new ideology says that party bosses and elected officials have no right to call the tune certainly not any more than a housewife in Denver or a truck driver in Buffalo. So to hell with Chicago Mayor Richard Daley if he thinks he still can sit in secret and decide who can be a convention delegate. To hell with the congressmen and the other mayors and the ward bosses and all those other characters who have assumed a divine right to take over that stockyards emporium in Chicago or the Cow Palace in San Francisco or Con Republicanism, Eisenhower excepted, were all younger than the present leading contender for the Democratic nomination, who is 49. Dewey was 42 when nominated. He was first a canidate at 38.

Willkie was 48. Nixon was a mere 39 when first nominated for vice-president and 47 when nominated for president the first time. At 43, John F. Kennedy captivated the I old leadership of the Democratic party in a preconvention blitz no less dazzling than McGovern's and only slightly less laden with predictions of sure defeat because Kennedy was a Catholic. Throughout this long process there always were dire predictions that the spumed would "sit on their hands" in the election campaign or bolt the party or form a new party or switch to the opposite party.

But in fact, no new party of any consequence was formed. Wholesale defections, although on both the left and right, did not beat Harry S. Truman, or elect either George C. or Henry A. Wallace.

A Democratic revolt against Franklin D. Roosevelt's third term did not elect Wendell Willkie. outta that window" vention Hall in Philadelphia and decide the future of the Democratic party. So the reformers have come to Miami Beach. And it's not going to be bad for the eyeballers.

There'll be a lot more females, and they'll be younger! And this convention is going to have that "American melting pot" look with blacks, Chicanos, Puerto Ricans represented as they never have been before. What we are seeing here is an attempt to revitalize the Democratic party by conferring special attention and dignity on the groups that heretofore have had little power among Democrats and are considered still to be anathema to the Republicans. The question that dominates this gathering is this: "Maybe it's good ideology, but is it good politics?" These delegates come here to face a brutally divisive dispute over the California delegation with a sort of ultimatum from frontrunner George McGovern that, if they sustain a credentials committee decision to take 151 delegates from him and thus deny him the nomination, he will run as an independent. "Face it, we're not gonna get this damsel in distress Carl Rowan El Paso's image tarnishes Old, new politics will clash John Buchner Executive Editor Neil Felgenhauer Associate Editor Bob Rodman Ne ws Editor Howard Messmer Business Manager Monday, July 10, 1972 For the first five months of last year, under the old law, Linn County's divorce rate was 680. In the same period this year, under the new law, the county's rate was 722 about six per cent higher.

Beyond these reasons, however, apparently no one can say for sure why Oregon's divorce rate is so high. But it is certain people move around a lot more than in the past. They aren't so bound to family ties and community codes. They're taking another look at the value of permanent marriage. People marry, divorce and remarry so much that some writers call the phenomenon "serial marriage." The national divorce rate has doubled since 1950.

Indications are it will increase even more. Yet the institution of marriage still is far from dead. Census figures show that about two-thirds of married Americans over 18 are living with their spouse. Less than one in 20 are divorced and not remarried. Power Commission to formal action on earlier rate hikes pending for a year.

That could be. But in any case El Paso isn't coming off as the big firm unusually interested in using its size to keep consumer costs low. It's appearing more like one trying to bully more money from the Northwest while it still can. Censorship Not all syndicated columnists appearing in the Democrat-Herald are covering the National Democratic Convention this week. Columnist Joseph Kraft is in Hanoi, North Vietnam.

But it will be several days before his dispatches come through. A syndicate representative reports receiving the following cable from Kraft: "In view of difficulty of communications plus complexity of local situation I will delay filing from The syndicate official says "it seems apparent that censorship has restricted the content of what Kraft wants to write." sons will the idea of international law have any substantive meaning; until then, a treaty merely is a promise to do something until it stops serving one's end. If your early character is not shaped by what you are given to admire, it will be deformed by what you are given to hate. Passersby who stop to rubberneck at a public catastrophe ought to be fined for "social pollution." The reason that men should be freed from external struggle as much as possible is so that they can devote their energies to becoming who they really are, who they were meant to be, Collectors as a class always faintly have Irpclled me; the lust for acquisition is not tcmperea i to my mina oy we iaci inai me object may be esthetic indeed, this seems only to add hypocrisy to greed. Almost 250 years ago, Dr.

Thomas Fuller wrote line that contains as much uling today, when he remarked "Accusing the times is but excusing MIAMI BEACH, Fla. Attendance at a 19th consecutive national political convention sets no record, but it does induce reflections on the windy assumptions whirling around Democratic Convention Hall here. By most accounts, this convention is to be a fascinating spectacle of the newly democratized Democratic party at work. A great upsurge of the young, the black and the female has revolutionized the part, kicked out the old hacks and now is proceeding to nominate a broad-lapelled, long sideburn candidate of the new era. The old election-winning Roosevelt coalition of labor, the blacks, ethnic groups, and the intellectual elite is coming down in the reckless adventurism of war-hating liberal, disaffected young, liberated women, militant blacks and all other elements which are disgusted with the establishment and don't like the way things are going in general.

A great deal of of this is simply media-type build-up. Another part is bunk and some of it is true but in far less vivid terms. In any case, the George McGovern In Miami Nomination to result this way WASHINGTON, D.C. Everyone has his own scenario for this week's Democratic National Convention. The way things have been going with the party, one scenario has as much validity as the next.

This is the one that I have written and if it comes true, remember, you read it here. It is the fourth day of the convention and the Democrats have been unable to decide on a presidential candidate. The fight to seat delegations has taken up three days and those people who were ruled ineligible have refused to give up their seats to those who were officially designated as delegates to the convention. Almost every state delegation has two people sitting in every chair. No one dares leave the floor for fear that someone will grab his seat.

When someone tries to speak he is hooted down by the opposition faction. Larry O'Brien, the chairman of the party, has the podium ringed with the National Guard so no one can grab the microphone. The nomination speeches have not been heard, but the candidates have been nominated George McGovern, Hubert Humphrey, George Wallace, Shirley Chisholm, Henry Jackson and Ed Muskie. There have been no demonstrations for the candidates in the hall because everyone is afraid if he gets up and marches they won't let him back in his section again. On the first ballot McGovern picked up 1,234 votes, well shy of the 1,509 he needed.

The rest were split between the other candiates with the uncommitted refusing to vote for anyone. The second and third ballot found no one budging. By the tenth ballot of Wed- By ART BUCHWALD Le AngeleiTimei Syadkite nesday's all-night session, the convention was hopelessly deadlocked. The state delegations caucused right on the floor, trying to get people to change their minds. But it was impossible.

On NBC, John Chancellor and David Brinkley became short-tempered and refused to talk to each other. Howard K. Smith and Harry Reasoner on ABC were also not speaking to each other, and on CBS, Walter Cronkite wasn't talking to himself. It was obvious to everyone in and out of the convention hall that a compromise candidate had to be found one who had not already been nominated. But who? The Democratic Party leaders call a recess behind the podium.

They argue and thrash it out for several hours. The only man whose name is proposed as the compromise candidate is a very famous, but controversial, figure on the American scene. He has announced many times that he is not a candidate for the presidency or the vice-presidency, and has said under no conditions would he accept a draft. Yet, the leaders argue he is the one person who can save the party. This young man, whose name had been associated with a very embarrassing incident, is a household word now.

Because of the deadlock at the convention, he is the only one who can possibly beat Nixon in November. The compromise candidate ia not at the convention. He has purposely itayed away so people would believe he was not interested in the nomination. O'Brien puts in call to him. Everyone, In turn, gets on the phone and tells him he has to be the candidate.

The compromise candidate speaks to McGovern, Humphrey, Muikle and Wallace. They urge him to run. The candidate finally agrees to a draft and says he will take the next plane to Miami. And lhal'i how Bobby Fischer, the U.S. chess champion, became the Democratic presidential nominee for 1972.

Ml El Paso Natural Gas Co. filed for a rate increase last week. El Paso, which supplies wholesales gas to the midvalley, cited increased costs as its reason. The request itself isn't unusual. El Paso's costs indeed may have gone up enough to justify and increase which, if passed along by gas retailers, could cost homeowners another $1 a month.

But now is a strange time to ask for more money. Only last month the U.S. House of Representatives held hearings on a bill that would allow El Paso to keep its Northwest properties in spite of anti-trust laws. The bill is justified. The mammoth El Paso has the money to deal in on Canadian gas reserves now up for bid.

Properly regulated, El Paso offers Northwest customers low-cost natural gas for longer than a poorer-financed firm buying its Northwest lines. Yet that isn't the impression a rate increase request gives. That isn't the view El Paso needs to help passage of special legislation already met by strong opposition. E)emocrat-f)ralD jf AILBAG MIAMI BEACH, Fla. Well, here we are in tinsel city, eyes bulging and heart throbbing the way they do only at an illegal cockfight or a heavyweight championship brawl.

We like the smell and the sight of blood, and when the Democrats assemble in convention there always is the expectation of entertaining carnage. The people gathering here are not the old Democrats. Many are interlopers, attending their first convention. It is their very presence that carries the promise of mayhem beyond anything these traditionally warring politicians ever put on before. It used to be said that the Republicans nurtured a "death wish." They were slaves to their ideological opposition to the New Deal and the subsequent policies and programs that have made this superficially a welfare society.

(I say superficially because, in truth, almost every government program we have that purports to help the poor masses really winds up fattening the bank accounts of the fatcats and the special interests.) So the Republicans kept nominating What happened to pure water? To the Editor: I wish to convey to all that read this letter that they use their intellect to understand that "the forerunner to all biological activity on this Planet was pure water." If water is not free of harmful chemicals, and property cannot be purchased with a source of safe drinking water, then it must be known by the medical profession, insurance and real estate associations that politics is the best way to keep the masses ignorant by controlling the technology and the educational curriculum. Without this control over our technology and educational institutions, the Individual would have power over the causes of disease, poverty, crime, narcotics and thousands of other causes of unhappinesi and premature death. Certainly the organized churches, fraternities and educational Institutions have failed to Irradicate these causes. The "pure water cry of the InnocenU" are drowned out by the clank of money in Ceasar's collection plates, psuedo-occultism and the rustle of diplomat passed on by higher educators witn frustrated egos, hiding their talents In the earth. Who can educate himself above his own Ignorance! The environment and cemeteries stand out as a symbol of proof and question as lo man bring created In the Image of Gotf.

Albany Some feel El Paso asked for the new End of comment on North Vietnam increase to help spur the Federal this week. Sydney Harris Treaties only promises Only when "treaties" between nations have the force of contracts between per- Somewhere once, in a great book of wisdom, I read, "Listen, and I will give you a river of pure water." Where, I must ask, is that river of crystal pure water? Won't you know the god by the fruit which it bears? Harvey Roberts 4441 Highway 20 Sweet Home Allow no system to control man To the Editor: Yes, Joseph Novak, that is some thought-provoking list of rules (July 6 D-H Mailbag), but let us look at i few other ideas. First; What makes up a society? A society is made up of individuals with different points of view, different prejudices and different intelligences. By this, then, we can see that when people with different points of view, different prejudices and different Intelligences come together there Is bound to be some confrontation and unrest, at least until the prejudices are destroyed and reason Is employed. Just ai there Is a type of confrontation between matter and antimatter (which are oppositrs), there is a confrontation between differences of opinion which in turn causes unrest.

Second: It Is true that we are under the subcrsive thumb of the USSR but It li also true that the USSR is under the subcrsive thumb of the United Suites. If one were to stop or discontinue supervision tactics, the power balance between the two powers would swing in favor of the continuing power. I am not saying whether this is intelligent or not but just that it is happening now. Third: Our whole governmental system, at present, is based upon our founding father's reality of 200 years ago. Their known reality then was extremely small as compared to ours now.

They knew little about the structure of life except anatomy of the human body and some of its interrelated structures. Their universe was confined to the earth mostly, except for the use of telescopes. But even then they did not have a complete view of what the universe contained, how the sun worked, or what matter was made of and its structure. They had little knowledge about human relations, about life and its relation to us, and the world as a whole. Yes, we have had many advancements since their time, so how can we allow ourselves to be controlled by an old worn-out system? We are not immutable beings.

We are changeable with changing outlooks and wishes. We cannot allow any governmental system or self-appointed God to control us, for If we cannot control ourselves, what use is there in living? I may sound like some fanatic or petty fool or any of a billion other things we call each other on this little planet, but I would like to say one last thing-where all is rotten, It is a man's work to cry "stinking Sam Cox 1815 E. 29 th Ave. Albany 1 i in Down on donnybrook farm.