The Lowell Sun from Lowell, Massachusetts • Page 6

THE SUN Lowell, Mass. IN 1878 July 7, I972, Volume 94, No. I57 Pressure on Ted We sympathize with the pressures that will be put on Sen. Ted Kennedy this coming week. As the Democratic party goes down to the wire at its national convention in Miami, trying to pick a leader lo defeat Pres.

Richard Nixon, a Kennedy candidacy lurks hauntingly in the wings. What the man couid do for the party, for the country, for the cause of Liberalism, for the young, the blacks and the poor I But it is a sad commentary on the Democratic party that it must turn to the Kennedy charisma to bail it out in its hour of need. What is surprising is that so many responsible party leaders would fly in the face of Sen. Kennedy's oft repeated affirmations that he is not. a candidate in 1972 and wouldn't accept a nomination if offered to him.

The pressures are already great on him to rethink his reluctance "for the sake of the But to put more pressures on him is to show little respect for the human torments the man has already endured, the constant threats from crackpots, the responsibility he bears for the Kennedy clan as its only living survivor and all the temptations to do himself what others should be doing for the coun try. As Ted sits it out in Hyannisport, we hope he will be encouraged by the display of democracy at work in Miami, that he will be strengthened in his conviction that this is not the year for him and that if and when the time does come for him, he will be ready, able and willing. We believe that inevitably that time is four years hence. the no workers It is a paradox to equate the large number of unemployed in Lowell with the "help wanted" ads that appear regularly in The Sun. Many jobs for both men and women and for the skilled and unskilled are offered by employers with few takers.

Only recently a Lowell industry started to recruit 100 workers because of increased business and found, to its dismay, that there was only a trickling of interest from the unemployed. The difficulty is promoted by the fact that so many who are out of work are subsidized, temporarily at least, by a generous Uncle Sam or through the lar gesse or tne Kmmy men on Deacon run. There is probably no way to instill ambition, with a touch of pride, into these able bodied, chronic non workers who prefer subsidized leisure to a productive life. Probably the dreary unemployment figures of Lowell and other larger Massachusetts cities would be considerably improved if the public offices, state and federal, would be stricter in doling out funds to those who have an established reputalion believing that a day's work is a distasteful thing that must be avoided as much as possible. Not bad everyone In warning that colleges and univer citimc must rwnmp "more the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education Ut (r, Wit nCtc lc tpl augcoia uini.

v.nt: inj encourage "reluctant attenderV to quit. That, is sound advice for more than economic reasons. Somewhere between 5 and 15 per cent of all students in college, the comrnissron estimates, are there not because they really want, to be but because they have been persuaded that it is the thing to do. Some of these students lack the motivation to make a success of higher education. And othei let us face it, lack the intellectual capacity.

So what purpose is served in putting pressure of various kinds on them to stay in college? The poorly motivated student may in time find himself and take full advantage of the opportunities college offers. But until and unless he does, he is wasting his own time and, worse, that of faculty members and others. So are the students who just aren't up to college academically. Letters To The Sun Don't listen, Ted! Blaming the Russians LOWELL Recent press coverage of Robert Fischer, an American, in his challenge for the (hie "World Chess Champion' has struck 1 is American as biased. Fischer, after all, is an indiviJual, materially disadvantaged, a challenger unsupported by any group or government, bargaining against: 1) The Russian Government (we all know Spassky doesn't make "a move" without first consulting his government).

2) The Icelandic Government (are they truly neutral?) 3) FIDE the international chess fed era I ion (known to be Russian dominated). According to our President it is not easy to bargain with the Russians when they hold an advantage. Can we not extend to our countryman at least the benefit of doubt (all the facts Tom Wicker not being available) when he is negotiating alone against such formidable opposition? It seems to this American that it is the Russians who want out this match (Fischer, an American, having routed Ihe best in Ihe world an unprecedented 25 out of his last 20 games!) and are provoking Fischer into a situation in which they won't have to put the title on the line and will be able, to save face in so doing. Spassky's refusal lo play, without slating any conditions or substantial reasons can be interpreted as further provocation. I ask the press or this country why Spassky (and the Russians) are not being chastised in the media for their well considered shennanigans, as Fischer was con he delayed Ihe STEVEN EDELBLUM 332 Andover St.

Principle lacks the answers New York Times MIAMI BEACH The Democratic Na Committee is going into the Supreme Court to fight a lower court decision on the California challenge, but also to support the lower court's Illinois decision. This policy might appear to be what lawyers describe as "ridiculous on its face." Because if the California decision stands, the committee will be relieved of its greatest headache; but if the Illionis decision stands, the whole Democratic Party may well be relieved of Chicago and Illinois in next fall's eleclion. There is nevertheless a consistent principle behind Ihe Democratic Committee's eland, and la hear Joe Califano tell it, I hat principle ranks at least with the case of the Pentagon Papers in constitutional importance. Califano, the committee counsel and the former foreman of Lyndon Johnson's While House staff and cabinet, described the priciple in a news conference first of Ihe convention 'Season. II was, he said, "The right of the Democratic Party lo associate fraly in convention and to determine who goes to ils convention and to determine who votes on Ihe issues that come hetore it." There is, Califano insisted, J'no higher exercise" of the First Amendment right to freedom of assembly, and in restricting that exercise Ihe District of Columbia court of appeals' decision in (he California case "goes further into the political arena than any prior decision that we've been able to find in our research." Thrrefore.

he said. Ihe national com miltec's appeal to the Supreme Court was 'more compelling and more important in lerms of fundamental rights than cases for which the court has been convened, the most recent being the Pentagon Papers SIMPLY STATED, Califnno's principle is that "courts do not belong in the political process" because the political conventions are tne proper judges of their own members and procedures. That view explains why the Dcmocraiie National Committee can oppose the appeals court's reinstatement of Sen. George McGovem's California delegates, but support the refusal of the court lo reinstate Mayor Daley's delegation, fn bolh cases, the committee is supporting decisions of the convention credentials committee. McGovern supporters are not likely to take such a lofty constitutional view; and the action of ihe national committee in appealing Ihe reinstatement of Ihe 153 Mo Govern delegates, principled a it may be to Califano, is likely lo look to them one more effort to "stop McGovern" at any cost.

And it now seems clear that the ultimate California Illinois decisions will determine whether McGovern can, in fact, be stopped. Ironically, if the national committee should prevail in the Supreme Court, its ricad3ch.es would really begin. As only one example, Califano, National Chairman Larry O'Brien and others would have to decide whether all the original 271 California delegates, or none of them, or just the 118 left to McGovern by (he credentials committee, could vote on the California challenge. Dut that would be a simple judgment to make compared to the next deciding who could vote on the inevitable appeal from the first decision. These rulings alone couti shatter any hope of a unified cenven liou, or of an effective campaign against President Nixon.

Even more ironically, the national committee's opposition to the reinstatement of Daley's delegation is a high price to pay for the principle involved. And while the two decisions of the appeals court may look like a double viclory for the McGovernites yielding them a total ol about 194 delegates the victory could by Pyrrhic indeed. TO GRASP THE problem, try to imagine any Democratic candidate winning the presidency without sizeable majorities in New York, Philadelphia, Detroit and Chicago; in 1960, for instance, John F. Kennedy's 3(6 000 vote margin in Philadelphia was bigger than that by which he carried Pennsylvania. But this year, Democratic Mayor Frank Ri720 of Philadelphia has openly proclaimed himself for Nixon; in New York, the doubts of Jewish voters about McGovcrn's stand on Israel couid be lethal to the hig majority he needs in the city; and in Detroit, the business issue is at ils hottest and could cost him much of the Democratic support usually to be expected.

If Ihe alienation of Daley should also reduce the Democratic potential in Chicago, McGovern would be substantially handicapped in four major states, even before the race, began. But can he abandon the reform guidelines he has so strongly espoused, in order to help reinstate a plainly illegal Daley delegation and save his prospects in Illinois? Would the reform minded McGovern delegates support him if he did? Nothing in Califano's principle leave it to the party provides the answers. jtotb siae Big trouble By LOR1NG SWAI.M Sua Slate House Bureau STATE HOUSE Next year in Massachusetts fiscally and tax wise will be awful, really awful. Not many people know it and the Sargent Administration is down playing it but the Commonwealth has failed to pay some ol its hills for the past FIVE years! The situation is far more serious than ihe public realises, Some eager beavers on Beacon Hill are happily inaugurating all kinds of new programs, and blithely ignoring the responsibility to pay old bills and fund existing programs. The welfare department, for instance, has no real idea of how many back hills it has piled up.

refuses to state the total amount. It pleads it cannot tell at any given moment, which is technically correct; many vendor bills are not submitted for two or three monlhs after the obligations are incurred. Worse still, many nursing homes in Massachusetts have folded, gone under because the state has reneged on bills for welfare patients, Rep. John Desmond, almost a voice crying in the wilderncs, has pleaded that at least 5100,000,000 is owed by the welfare department, some of the bills dating to 1967, ON A LESSER scale, but still symptomatic of the fiscal malaise, Is the million due HI cities and towns in the Commonwealth this year in additional Cherry Sheet reimbursements. The Department of Corpora aiions and Taxation certified that new valuations on state owned property and facilities in those torais warranted new reimbursement figures.

The Department of Administration and Finance (which made up this year's budget) just ignored this statutory obligation this year. It promised to reimburse next year, if the ones who spotted the discrepancy would only keep their mouths shut. So next year will be awful; it's the year the tax axe will fall on you know who. Perhaps 400,000,000 in addiona) revenue must be found somehow first to pay back obligations, then to meet rising costs of the current establishment. What has the cities and towns frightened out of their wits is the fact that white the legislature will be debating a distasteful new revenue raising program, they are scheduled to be shifting to a fiscal vear in conformity with the state's July to 30 fiscal year.

To implement this "reform" will mean cities and towns must budget for 18 months, not the normal 12 monlhs. And they must do so without knowing what Cherry Sheet reimbursements they will he getting. How can they know what the Cherry Sheets will say? Cherry Sheets aren't worked nut till the stale budget is passed; the state budget can't be passed till the tax program is passed; the tax program is not likely lo be passed until well into the end of 1STJ, given the uncertainty about how to raise new taxes or how much new taxes to raise. SO CITIES AND towns in setting their tax rates may have to resort to wholesale borrowing or gueswork till the legislature sorts out its tax program and budget. Secretly, the Sargent Administration is praying for a break from Washington.

If revenue sharing is passed in some form be fnr the November election, it could bnii the Commonwealth and make a dent in paying those back bills. But if revenue sharing is shot down, we're in hjg trouble. Like we said at the start, it will be an awful year to contemplate. Town and County What now, dear ladies By PETER E. GLUCKLEft Sun Metro Editor About 2000 persons turned out for ceremonies marking the 100th birthday anniversary of Calvin Coolidge on the Fourth of July in Plymouth Notch, VI.

Silent Cal was the bull many a chortle for years, bul not to the friends of Calvin Coolidge, a loosely defined confederation not many of us ever heard about. Could it have been any other way? N'oisc was not Cal's thing. As a matter of fact, whoever heard ot Plymouth Notch. Iiefore Cal was sworn in there as President when Warren Harding died? As a second matter of fact, whoever heard of Plymouth Notch after Quiet Cal was sworn in? ANYWAY, ALL THIS nostalgia and tear sheading has to do with other silent souls, the former riders of the Middlesex and RostDn Street Railway. What a great name: "The Middlesex and Bosfon (ruffle of drums, clashing of great symbols and the sounding of silver trumpets) Streeeeet Railway." It was a company born in an era of American hyperbole.

It was an era in "'hich one one's rainspouts vllh geometic magnilieance and a sprinkling of cherubes. It was an era of stiff collars STid stuffed shirts, walrus mustaches, glowering patriarchs and a firm belief in man's ability to solve any problem mechanically, Ii was a time for awesome steam trains, incredibly ubiquitous trollies, horses and once in a white, an auto. Jack Anderson LAST FRIDAY the Middlesex and Boston stopped running. The great American Iriumph with machines did it in. Everyone has a car or two.

Hardly anyone needs a bus and outside fiosun and Riverside Station there aren't any (rolteys. Subway trams have yet to built out MfrB way. American know how beat the system with a car and the State House (ried to beat the ears with a subsidy to keep alive the For the most part, Ihe State House won a temporary reprieve for public ttan sporation, but not for the Tublic transportation is supposed to be the project of the future yet it is so sadly anachronistic. Two towns were dropped altogether from the public transportation route once covered by the MIS. These were Concord and Maynard.

It used to be said the only users of the bus line were the cleaning ladies from Maynard, an old mill town, who rode to cultured Concord employer's huge homes. Maybe so, maybe not. BUT YOU USED to be able to stand on Main Street in Maynard and watch some very old and wrinkled ladies climb aboard ihe filthy dicsc buses every day. They often wore ragged overcoats, and thin cotton dresses and babushkas on their weary heads and many carried shopping bags with thin rope handles. Not one of those ladies spoke English.

But if you had an ear for Finnish, well ...1 It was for these people the Maynard selectmen often voted to coniinue to support the MBTA, the MfcB's lord. The MBTA and the has foresaken thou What will happen now, dear Gassed greens WASHINGTON Florida iomalo growers have been scheming behind closed doors, under the auspices of the Agriculture Department, to keep vine ripened Mexican tomatoes oul of U.S. supermarkets. Instead of the juicy red tomatoes from Mexico, Ihe growers want to push olf on the housewives low grade domestic tomatoes that are so green they have to be gassed with ethylene to make them look palatable. These greens," as they're called, actually cost more than the ripened Mexican tomatoes.

The Agriculture Department is conspiring with the tomato growers, there lore, to restrict Mexican imports. Fact finding committees have been established to study the problem. The hilch is that the Agriculture Department has appointed tomato growers as the fact finders. The press and public have been barred from these fact finding sessions. We have obtained Ihe transcript, however, oi a typical discussion.

"Well," drawled one Florida tomato tycoon, "the thing we're looking at, we're trying to help the Florida growers in eliminating our competition. Let's face it. they're trying to eliminaie our competition We're mainly eliminating it out of Mexico." Agreed another tomato man: "We're not here to satisfy them. We're hero to satisly ourselves and get a little more money." "They (the Mexicans! want to keep growled a third grower. ''We're going to have to keep cutting (hem out." Meanwhile, the Agriculture Department has reached a "recommended decision" to restrict tomato imports from Meiioo.

An Agriculture spokesman assured us that the "recommended decision" was based on thousands of pages of testimony and exhibits. Competent sources say, however, that the department had hoped lo appease the fomato growers at the expense of Ihe tomato paters. Footnote: Senate Consumer Chairman Frank Moss, Utah, will conduct sn investigation. In a confidential memo lo his stalf. he claimed it's commonplace Tor "Agriculture to ignore the intcresl of consumers in order to serve its agribusiness clients, but this situation seems on Ihe face of its a morc than routine outrage." WITH REPUBLICAN cloth eoat frugality, President Nixon iast year sternly ordered everyone in his Administration to refrain from first class travel.

But the highly publicized order was so ambiguously worded by the White House bureaucracy that no! even the President's loyalest cabinet, members are paying any attention to it. Ever cabinet officer we checked on uses first class, often taking along various staff members. Even such lesser potentates as assistant agriculture secretaries and. the Bureau of Mines director invariably travel up front. President Nixon's order was translated into a regulation by the White House's Office of Management and Budget.

It starts enough with a stern decree that "persons who use commercial air carriers for transportation should use less than first class accomodations But then comes the falal qualifying phrase, "with due regard to efficient conduct of government business and (he travelers convenience, safely and comfort." These final words, of course, nullify the regulation. It means everyone should travel tourist unless it' inconvenient or uncomfortable. Sis foot eight inch Rogers Morton, the Interior Secretary, immediately seized upon the comfort loophole to justify riding up front with the rich folks. "He' big," said a sympathising spokesman. "He doesn't (it in a coach seal." Over at the Commerce Department, aides admit that Secretary Pole Peterson flics first class "most of the lime." But a spokesman pointed proudly to Ihe fact lhat Peterson had flown lourisl coming hack from Philadelphia the other day.

We checked with the airline learned it was an all tourist flight. Agriculture Secretary Karl But, the former cereal executive who is accustomed to (he comforts of life, always flies lirst class. His aides, who usually fly up front with him, invoke the claim that il's necessary "for efficient conduct of government business." All the assistant secretaries fly first class, too..