Kingsport Times-News from Kingsport, Tennessee • 30

S-C KINGSPORT TIMES-NEWS Sunday July 9 1972 Political battles that go to court The injection of the courts into the political picture in connection with the selection of delegates to the Democratic Convention is something new and it may set a precedent for future conventions when there is conflict between groups In the future any disgruntled group which feels it is being treated unjustly will rush into court This is making the process of electing a president what Alice would call complicateder and complicateder The oddity about the California question is that generally speaking most everyone agrees that the winner-take-all system is neither a fair nor democratic method of naming delegates The split on the basis of the ratio of the vote seems more reasonable But the political organization of each state makes its rules and California made the winner-take-all plan the one to use The oddity about it is that there is a suspicion that the boys who made the rules really expected someone else to win in the state It was a shock when the winner-take-all plan worked to the advantage of Senator McGovern And it is said that before the election it was Senator McGovern who was opposed to the winner-take-all plan So we can be quite sure that if the result of the balloting gave the edge to Senator Humphrey instead of Senator McGovern it would be George McGovern and his followers who would be calling it unfair It would be Hubert Humphrey and his friends who would be saying that the winner-take-all idea should stand In plain English neither side is greatly interested in abstract justice they are interested in getting the advantage We can discount all the talk of noble ethics and fair play and lousy trick and dirty steal This is simply a hardboiled battle of politics But without knowing what if anything the Supreme Court will do about it it does seen that the rules under which the primary was conducted were well understood by all parties beforehand and there was no notice filed that the game was being played under protest It was not until the balloting had been finished that the anti-McGovern people claimed foul If it had gone the other way the two positions of the opposing forces would have been reversed But now the bitterness is so intense that it is giong to be a herculean job to bring the discordant elements into harmony for the battle aginst the Republicans Senator McGovern says he expects to get the nomination and then it will be his job to unify the party If he succeeds in doing this he will have earned the title of Master Politician But he starts with the handicap of having said if the convention delegates ruled against him in the Californa case he would not support the candiate of the convention He cannot tell his opponents that they should support a man who said that jam kilpatricli a conservative vieiv End of the trail in the front row and saw her grow tense The governor never flinched The problem he said in effect cannot be separated from larger problems of foreign aid Now let me tell you where I stand on foreign aid That was the last of the Allende government After the broadcast Mrs Wallace permitted herself a small sigh of relief and pleasure I like to have died she confided when that man asked George about Chile I thought what does George know about Chile? But you saw didnt you? Her wifely pride bubbled over He knew all about Chile The same kind of story could be told of the others Hubert Humphrey in the snows of Milwaukee Henry Jackson doggedly appealing to barefoot collegians McGovern at his best in California It has been a long trail typewriters and telephones planes in the night tears and laughter violent shock We ought not say to travel this particular Bamum Bailey route again but if the primary campaign of 72 proves to be the last such parade it provided an unforgettable show three national convulsions in less than three months A system of five regional primaries advocated by Oregons Sen Robert Pack-wood offers a better solution His plan would preserve the roles of the States it would retain the ultimate party conventions it would eliminate wasteful travel and it would provide abundant time over a five-month period to examine the candidates minds as well as their stamina Meanwhile- we are stuck with what we have and the trail has had its memorable moments One of the highlights for me came in Jacksonville on a balmy night in March when George Wallace turned up at a TV station to be interviewed by four regional newsmen The governor is the best base-running shortstop in politics he gloves everything that comes his way and he can hook-slide around a question with consummate skill No one ever lays a tag on him This particular night saw all the usual questions neatly fielded Then a reporter asked Wallace how he would deal with the Allende government in Chile I happened to be sitting behind his lovely wife who was shire but the emotional outbursts were fatal If he could not keep his cool under so little heat what would he do in the White House? As for campaign organization we saw in the McGovern operation the benefits of staff experience His top people got the fumbles out of their sy stem in Florida thereafter they played like the Cowboys Nobody else was in the same league Yet the drawbacks far outweight the advantages Any primary system is bound to be physically exhausting but the helter-skelter scheme that now obtains is needlessly exhausting Campaigns are bound to cost money they ought not to cost a fortune At the very least party primaries should be just that they should produce a nominee who is the first choice of his own party but crossover voting makes a travesty of this objective A single national primary late in August under the plan proposed by Sen Mike Mansfield is not the answer Such a system would undermine our federal structure and assuming a runoff election in September it would demand WASHINGTON For politician and political writer alike this weekend brings a point of termination The road that began last March in New Hampshire now runs to the sea at Miami We have reached the trails end It is a road in my own view we ought not to travel again The present system of presidential primaries contains some good features but it offers much less good than ill By 1976 a better system must be found This year saw the Democratic candidates struggle through 23 primary elections Advocates of the system insist that it benefits both the voter and the candidate The voter has a chance to observe the contenders under conditions of stress and to judge how they stand up under fire The candidate for his part has a road-show chance to try out his company before taking the play to Broadway Both points are valid In retrospect it seems evident that Edmund Muskies campaign was doomed long before he denounced the Wallace voters in Florida or shed those famous tears in New Hamp Bobby Fischer a little cocky You have to hand it to Mr Bobby Fischer He is the first player of chess who made the headline writers take note of him He is putting chess on the map and people who do not know a pawn from a bishop or a knight from a castle are following his career The Great International Chess Match is getting more build up than the Olympic Games There has been nothing like it since the days of the heavyweight championship fights The Russians say they are disgusted with Mr Fischer because he seems to be more interested in money than the love of chess Well why not? Who is not interested in money? Fischer has studied the game of chess to the point where he is almost in a class by himself It took a lot of work to get where he is and he is entitled to capitalize on his skill That he is very egotistical and temperamental may not be very admirable but this may be part of his technique for getting in the public eye If Fischer were a self-effacing individual he would be worth a few paragraphs in the paper and the results of the match with Mr Spasky of the Soviet Union would be played before a few chessports His name would go into the record books and be forgotten as are the names of other great chessplayers Now when Fischer comes home whether he wins or loses his match (assuming that he will play it) he will come home if not exactly like a hero at least as a celebrity His interest in money is a guarantee that he will play the match And when he comes home he will give interviews and then his managers will arrange a series of public meetings in which Mr Fischer will demonstrate his wizardry by playing three or four matches with different people all simultaneously And people with a sudden interest in chess will plunk down the price of a ticket to see him in action For the American people do love a celebrity Then he will make some good arrangements in which he will appear on the air to tell people why he drives only a certain kind of car or uses only a certain kind of deodorant or eats a certain cereal for breakfast or uses a certain brand of tablet for a headache or indigestion This is just a case of American initiative and taking advantage of opportunity Kind of an Alger story taaihcal piclu r(' All eyes on Miami Beach I realize that in order to correct this problem (which is the result of poor or no planning) the city will have to spend some money (magic word during an election year) but if money is not spent lives will continue to be spent instead If you will not get the money from the citizens why not get it from the businesses which are causing the problems and profiting? Lisa Keen 1505 Addison Rd Hampton Va We know better To the Editor: Since the dawn of time the practice of medicine has fascinated and repelled people of all cultures Members of the so-called primative societies insisted that they be allowed to watch each move the Medicine Man made so as to guarantee that no bad medicine could be introduced The Medicine Man was a figure to fear and respect We in our modem society have banished the boogey man but we still retain all the curiosity and mistrust of our ancestors We want to see and know whats going on when we hire the Medicine Man It makes no difference to us that the Medicine Man has spent years in training and knows what hes doing We want to be there in case he doesnt do a good job Right now were trying to gain entrance to the Labor and Delivery Rooms at Holston Valley Community Hospital (weve got one on our ancestors here the husband wasnt allowed in the cave until everything was over After all we know the patient better than this Medicine Man does We can tell him when and what to do and we wont hurt the patient either! This Medicine Man might claim that he had to cut the patient open to save her life but we know better and if we can just get it through their thick skulls at Holston Valley Community Hospital that they need us standing by the patient at all times WELL BE THERE! We come reinforced with ten whole hours of instruction and study That ought to stand up against any Medicine Mans training and experience! (Of course we will promise to be quiet and not make a sound but once we get In we can then speak up if troubles develop) Maybe its Stonehead Dr To the Editor: If I were told today that of the 630 traffic deaths recorded over the Fourth of July weekend 630 occurred on the so-called Golden Mile of Kingsport I would not be surprised Coming from a busy city I thought I would be escaping to civilized roads by visiting some relatives in your city But to get to their house I had to use 11-W alias Stone Drive After having to use it several times during the weekend let me suggest that it be named after anyone who would use it Stonehead Dr Please forgive my sarcasm but I cannot understand how the people of any city would allow such a murderous mass to develop to such an uncontrollable and intolerable state 11-W is the only by-pass to some of Tennessees major cities from Interstate At the same time the road is lined from one end to the other with every kind of restaurant store and gas station and shopping center a traveler trucker and native could want These businesses provide a necessary convenience and service to everyone but at the same time they are the cause of dangerous (understatement of 1972) traffic conditions to motorists who are getting on down the road at 45mph I understand that this problem has been discussed in your paper before I do not know what solutions you suggested but allow me in my out-of-state humbleness to suggest some 1 SERVICE ROADS have been used with great success in Hampton to route cars to businesses while maintaining regular traffic They also allow cars to get back on the road without having to tear out from a dead stop in front of traffic that could stop them dead 2 RED LIGHTS WITH DIRECTIONAL SIGNALS can if properly placed keep four lanes of traffic moving without necessitating left turning cars to try and beat other lanes of traffic I was astounded to discover that Stone Dr had only THREE stop lights 3 SLOWER SPEED LIMIT If you cannot have the above two ideas you could at least slow traffic on the road so that when the inevitable accidents occur they will at least be less devastating 4 If you cannot do or will not do anything to solve the problem then my final suggestion would be to speed up the construction of the hospital presently under construction on Stone Dr and draw up plans for several more When the roll call of states starts Alabama will not be the first state called it will be California States were listed by lot instead of alphabetically Tennessee will be 17th instead of 42nd and Virginia will be 17th instead of 46th Thursday if still on schedule will be anti-climatic That is the day the vice-presidential nominee makes his acceptance speech to be followed by the presidential nominees acceptance speech and then adjournment While the new rules were aimed at preventing a repeat of the Chicago disorder by bringing into the hall some of the elements that caused the rowdiness observers will still be looking outside as the convention progresses From all indications there will be as much going on around the convention hall as inside In fact Miami police are already on the alert While the delegates and their friends are whooping it up in Miami Beach this week the rest of America will be glued to television sets watching Included will be a great many old pro pols who will be absent from their first national convention in years They might not be sorry they missed it Chairman of the committee that forged the new rules was Sen George McGovern of South Dakota who has emerged as the frontrunner for the partys presidential candidate to be selected this week The states delegations totaling some 5000 delegates and alternates include women young people ethnic minorities and others who have not generally been sent as official members of the convention The new rules yet to be adopted by the convention but theres little doubt that they will call also for other changes in an effort to streamline the proceedings and to make for better television viewing No longer will spontaneous demonstrations with hired bands pretty girls and professsional clackers be allowed If a candidate does permit this the time consumed will be charged against his 15 minutes allowed for nominating and seconding speeches Neither will there be the long-winded nominating speeches for favorite sons To have his name put before the convention a candidate must prove that he has substantial support in three states According to the convention program Monday will seee the official call and the report of the credentials committee It won't take long to read the call but the committee reports is something else Even before the convention starts over 1000 delegates have had their credentials challenged While the committee has solved some of the differences many others are expected to reach the floor If this occurs the whole timetable could be thrown out of gear One wag has commented that the credentials committee might still be in session Thanksgiving Barring any long delays the keynote address and adoption of the platform is set for Tuesday The keynoter will sound the battle cry with spirited oratory but the platform debate could be long and at times rough Wednesday comes the big excitement when the nominations are made and the balloting starts If McGovern wins on the first ballot that will be it If he does not get a majority on the first vote the convention could go on and on and on A deadlock in 1924 caused the Democrats to take 14 days before nominating a candidate It all started in 1831 when the Vnti-Masonic Party held the irst political convention The ractice will be resumed Monday when the Democrats ipen their presidential lominating convention in Miami Beach and will be xjntinued next month in the lame city when the Republicans convene Although the Anti-Masonic arty started the practice it vas a year later when Andrew facksons party the lemocratic-Republicans ealllygot the custom growing It was this convention that established many important recedents including delegate ipportionment on the basis of lectoral votes the casting of otes by state delegations and he necessity of a two-thirds rote for nomination The Jemocrats killed the two-hirds rule in 1936 Up until this year it had been raditional that delegates to the onvention be party leaders ind their hand-picked cohorts Ibis year under a set of new ules the delegates are mostly lewcomers to politics With the 1968 convention in nind the Democrats sought to hange the rules to eliminate he rioting and other unsavory ispects that occurred in Chicago The patient of course will be sedated during this time but we will be present (with all our facilities) and the sight of our face (even if it is green would surely comfort the patient We have hired this Medicine Man We will insist upon standing by his side and watching him even if we get scorched by the flame and nauseated by the performance Pannell Bishop Church HillTenn ail hndnvald the litilil lottf'li Scenario for the convention OBrien the chairman of the party has the podium ringed with the National Gurd so no one can grab the microphone The nomination speeches have not been heard but the candidates have been nominated McGovern Humphrey Wallace Chisholm Jackson and Muskie There have been no demonstrations for the candidates in the hall because veryone is afraid if he gets up and marches they wont let him back in his section again On the first ballotMcGovem picked up 1234 votes well shy of the 1509 he needed The rest were split between the other candidates with the uncommitted refusing to vote for anyone The second and third ballot found no one budging By the tenth ballot of Wednesdays all-night session the convention was hopelessly deadlocked The state delegation 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 Smith and Harry Reasoner on ABC were also not speaking to each other and on CBS Walter Cronkite wasnt talking to himself It was obvious to everyone in and out of the convention 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 tie is the only one who can possibly beat Nixon in November The compromise candidate is not at the convention He has purposely stayed away so people would believe he was not interested in the nomination OBrien puts in a call to him Everyone in turn gets on the phone and tells him he has to be the candidate The compromise candidate speaks to George McGovern Humphrey Muskie 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 thats how Bobby Fischer the chess champion became the Democratic presidential nominee for 1972 WASHINGTON Everyone has his own scenario for this weeks 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 Fertilizer no hazard To the Editor: In reference to your article on the reported hazards of some liquid fertilizers quoting the University of North Carolina (July 3): I There is a distinct difference in Liquid Fertilize used to spray on mature plants the kind used in transplanting water and the type material available in this area which is put down in liquid form and incorporated into the soil before planting There basically is no difference in this type liquid fertilizer and conventional dry type other than faster availability for the plant The article had several references to slower early growth and possible damage to the plant We have living proof that this is not the case in the use of our Liquid Fertilize Davis Supply Company Davis Owner Fall Branch.