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Show Oftr JS'aB Section A Ma nJmnf nJ Sunday Morning, March Only a Prelude Grand Jury Not Urgent grand jury may prove to be the only to settle questions arising from sev-uway Salt Lake County land purchases. Hut the request for a grand jury should be delayed until after a pending civil suit involving some of the principals in the land pui chase controversy has cleared the courts. The civil action was filed by the County Commission last December after County Auditor (lien F. Palmer subpoenaed six persons for questioning about the commissions land purchases. Mr. Palmer raised issues which led to allegations of conflict of interest on the part of some other county officials. During the course of his investigation the civil suit was brought in Third District Court to determine, among other things, the powers and duties of the auditor and whether or not there was a conflict of interest in the countys purchase of property in Big Cottonwood Canyon. A al The falling out of the two grand Communist empires, on the longest and politically hottest border in the world, is bound to evoke l,om most of the other the civ of a peoples on both your plague houses. Having lived in India for a year (1959-1960- ) Mr. Palmer has said he will go before Third District Court judges with the information he has collected thus far and ask that they call a grand jury into session. Such a jury wields extraordinary investigative powers and by carrying out its proceedings in strict secrecy seeks to encourage citizens with information about official misdeeds to come forward and share it. Grand juries are particularly adapted to sweeping away rumor fogs and laying bare instances of official wrongdoing. But they should be resorted to only when the legal horizon is free of cases closely tied to the matter the grand jury is asked to explore. If, after the pending civil suit is disposed of, Mr. Palmer still feels there is sufficient reason for seeking a grand jury he should by all means do so. But the matter is not so urgent that it cannot wait until the judicial coast is clear. Now thaf the State Senate has passed idle funds investment bill (SB205) bv a unanimous vote, we urge the House of Representatives to give its approval, too. Legislation of such importance to the state and its political subdivisions certainly should not be permitted to go astray during the hectic final week of the legislative session. SB205 resulted from a careful study committee of experts. It by a was drafted with equal care. And it was debated at length in the Senate. All that needed to be said seems to have been said, and we believe the House can confidently accept the Senate product as it sands. The legislation would establish a council, with the slate treasurer as chairman, to supervise the investment of public funds so as to earn interest. Some opponents of the bill saw a constitutional defect here and offered amendments which would have, in effect, given the treasurer a veto over actions of the council or staff members of the new Division of Investments to be created in his er five-memb- er department. But, the Senate, reiving on previous legal opinions defining the treasurer's constitutional authority and opinions of the bill's drafters, rejected the amendments. When the House was about to consider the legislation, a group of county treasurers showed up to press for amendments of their own. One of these would delete a provision of the bill which would require quarterly reports on the investment of idie county funds. But their arguments were specious and they made a bad case worse with an indefensible personal attack on Sen. W. Hughes Brockbank, a sponsor of the legislation. The Senate is to be congratulated. When enacted into law, SB205 will generate more income for the state. Furthermore, the proposed investment council and staff will be shielded from political pressures. But the legislative job is only half completed. SB205's fate now rests with the House where the outstanding merits of the legislation are the best possible argument for affirmative action. Deserters Pass the Dirty Work Historians don't know when the first army gathered for battle. But when reveille sounded on that momentous day its a sure thing some of the troops turned up missing, gone over the hill, deserted. Desertions lan high in the Revolutionary War and on both sides during the Civil War a hundred years later. Neither of these struggles, though carried out on American soil, were overwhelmingly supported by the population. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that a Senate Armed Sen ices subcommittee is being told that desertions during the Vietnam war, both unpopular and fought far from home, are occurring at the rate of one every 10 minutes for a total of 53,337 in fiscal 196.S. Some of the more publicized deserters are being given sanctuary in Sweden, Canada and other countries. That desertions are taking place in such numbers docs not excuse the individual soldier or sailor. But it points up a fact the Senate committee apparently does not wart to face. Desertions are high now not because the services are too lenient on runaways, as the senators charged, but because of general aversion to this particular war that permeates the overall population. High desertion rates arc a logical reflection of impassioned preinduction resistance. Arguments and ideals which fuel draft resistance do not vanish once Selective Service has won out at the induction center. They cairy over and constitute a philosophical base for the ultimate doc'sion to desert once in uniform. As with other crimes there are de- - grees of seriousness in desertion. A total figure, like 53,357 in 1968, does not tell the whole story. A serviceman is considered a deserter if he is absent without leave for more than 30 days. During those 30 days he is merely absent without leave (AWOL). Desertion during battle is more serious than desertion while on rest leave; desertion during war is worse than desertion in peacetime, and so on. Whatever the justification and regardless of the degree of seriousness, desertion hods down to passing the dirty work to someone else. The l .umber of men deserting plus those going AWOL in 1968. the subcommittee said, is equivalent to 13 divisions of 15,000 men each. Replacing that manpower each year is one reason draft calls remain high. Deserters, whether war haters or cowardly weaklings, are saying in effect: Got someone else. Its not just a question of patriotism gone sour but a nasty game of passing the buck and should be recognized as such by peace marchers and Swedish immigration officials alike. -- End of a "Crisis' The Russians are now saying, in effect, they weren't nearly as excited over the Berlin election issue as they made out. For weeks before West Germany's electoral college traveled to West Berlin to choose a new president, the Soviet press loudly denounced the idea while the Soviet government publicly encouraged East Germany to threaten all sorts of But once the balloting was over, Soviet comment was muted. Izvestia, the government newspaper, called the election an unworthy spectacle. but seemed mildly pleased that Social Democrat Gustav Heincmann had nosed out Christian Democrat Gerhard Schroeder for the presidency. This was the fourth West German election to be held in West Berlin. And although the Russians have cooked up a minor crisis each time, they have managed to stop short of a major ere. But who can tell whether or not they are serious even when, as was the case this year, they seem ai.xious to open negotiations with the United States? The answer may well be that the Russians would be serious indeed if West Germany and its allies were to lose their nerve and back down. counter-measure- Inlt'ilandi s. y The Public Forum Junk j's 1"'- - i Murder: North Vietnamese Stjle Dynamic new leadership takes over in Vince Lombardi, Ted Williams Washington fellow. other and, uh, that By Our Readers ABM System Editor, Tribune: Public discussion of the missile (ABM) program is all too likely to be based on ignorance of a number of very important factors. First, it is only reasonable to assume that our adcrsaries would counter our move with increases of their own and the deadly spiral would be on its way up once again, decreasing our security rather than increasing it. on our part would Second, this build-u- p relaworsen to serve only tions at a time when improvement is urgent. Third, pouring billions of tax dollars into an ABM system would weaken us financially at a time when our needs are mounting hourly in so many critical areas. Fourth, since any ABM system is entirely radar, it would dependent upon ground-base- d in all probability become ineffective during a heavy attack because of the ionized gas cloud creaed by the enemys nuclear explosion, which distorts or absorbs radar waves. Finally, as former Def-msMcNamara pointed out, Such a system can rather obviously be defeated by an enemy simply sending more offensive warheads, or dummy warheads, than there are defensive missiles capable of disposing of tnem, And he added that it is futile for etch of us to spend S4 billion, $40 billion, cr $100 billion and at the end of all the spending, and . . . the the effort, to be relativedeployment, and same the at point of balance on the securly ity scale that we are now'. This colossal piece of military make-worwith its economic benefits it so many areas of the country, is going to be hard P buck, but as Sen. George McGovern recently asked, to fall Will we permit our country military-industriof the the under sway increasingly complex, or will v.e dem mstrate to realize that v.e v ill lose ihe wisdom ihe American dream if we continue to pursue the illusion of security through arms?" MRS. D. E. YOUNG American Fork anti-ballist- Soviet-America- n ... ... al ... Rubber Stamp Editor, Tribune: Why would conservative Wallace Bennett vote to raise his own salary 40 percent when he knows the citizens of Utah were opposed almost to a man? He certainly doesn't need the money. My guess is that he is taking dictation from the White House. For political reasons, the Mr. Negative of Democratic administrations is glad to rubber stamp a Republican President. LOUISE JORGENSEN West Jordan A secret biological and chemical warfare research and testing being currently carried out in Utah. While Gov. Rampton is worrying about atomic testing in Nevada, we are daily exposed to dangers far greater and closer to home. JOAN B. SHNEOUK Read Water Meters Editor, Tribune: As soon as Commissioner E. J. Garn took office over a year ago, he announced to his senior city commissioners that he would be head of Parks and Public Property. They told him they would be the ones to decide what his duties would be, and assigned him to the Water Dep irtment. Commissioner Gam quieted down until recently when he announced that he had been conducting a study of state salaries! Will the senior city commissioners kindly remind him again that his job is the City Forum Rules Public Forum letters must not be more than 250 words in length, must be submitted exclusivey to The Tribune and bear writer's full name, s gnatu e ard address. Names must be printed on political letters but may be w.thhed I cr good reasons on others. Preference will be given 'efters permitting use of true name, and to Ihost which arc typed (double-spaced- ) and short. Water Department. Which brings up my point the water meters in our neighbothood havent been read since the new water line was laid across the street, which is a year ago last summer! RICHARD A. DAVIS Blames Large Families Editor, Tribune: I agree with Dorothy Deatherage and Sally Jacobsen (Forum, Feb. 26). Insufficient revenue and the high cost of education are one of the biggrst pioblems in Utah. These problems are due to the great number of children. Utahns have too many children per family. These large families get a $600 per child income tax exemption which reduces the amount of tax they pay and, therefore, reduces the amount of money they contribute toward their childrens education. Yet they add a larger burden to the school systems and cont pay their way. It is unfair to make the childless or small families pay for the prolific peoples children's education! The housewives who are hollering about increased taxes should first take a '.ok at their own families and see how many children they are asking the state to educate. Ore way to increase revenue would be io limit the number of exemptions allowed per family. Another way would be to raise the sales tax because people with more children buy more consumer goods. SUSAN K. BARNHILL Surry Bargain Editor, Tribune: The sanctimonious statements of our local government representatives on the recent shipment of nerve gas through Salt Lake from Denver to Tooele could perhaps he classified as more to be pitied than censored were the residents of this valley not the victims of this kind of thinking. We hear that in order to have the protection of our national defense system, and 25.000 jobs, we must take the risk of dying from exposure to this same defense. From whom or what is this nerve gas protecting us ? Are 25.000 jobs worth the lives of 500,000 persons should an accident occur? (We are told that no accident has occurred yet; we e oil heard the same thing about leaks' contaminating California beaches until last month.) And why should this deadly gas be stored near Salt Lake rather than near Denver? Is it not strictly a matter of risking half a million lives rather than a million? With pet haps the Utahns are less orollary that likely to protest than more alert Coloradoans? This shipment is most timely, following as it docs on the heels of the nationwide television broadcast of Fiist Tuesday" (Feb. 4), which exposed at great length the natuie of off-shor- d that banks dilni start t,.k;ng photographs of roblters until the era of he really great bindits was ovei. It U the Chinese the on encroachments Ladakh border flared into bitter fighting, I recall vividly the Indian reaction of dismay after tacthe naked bully-botics of a neighbor who professed antiimperialism and practiced imperialism. Pakistan. Afghanistan and especially Burma have all had similar border experiences with Communist China. The Russians, themselves no great respecters of borders (as Berlin shows today), have spent the whole decade of the 1960s worrying about their long border with China. They have had to divert the larger part of to their army and their best sold'er-cadre- s guarding it. Delicious Spectacle But after hundreds of minor episodes, the border has finally burst into flames, and the world is treated to the delicious spectacle of the two giant, peace-lovin- g champions of the oppressed shooting it out over a tiny island on a fiozen river at the far reaches of the two emnires. Inevitably, each side accuses the other of being the aggressor. Without wanting to play Solomon and sit in judgment over this family ihe Russian version a ouarrel, I should little more, since the events fit the pattern of Chinese border behavior since their revolution. Nikita Khrushchev sent a negotiating team to Peking in 1964, but found the Chinese impatient about ironing out small differences. They kept talking about the Russian czars and the "unequal treaties they extorted from imperial China. In the Treaty of Tientsin in 1858, of Peking in I860 and of L!i in 1881, the Manchu emperors handed over big territorial tracts in cenrtal and fair Asia to Russia. when Now for Mouse Okay of SB205 the Clash Sino-Rus- s Page 16 9, 19(J9 Lerner Kudos for Ballet Editor, Tribune: I would like to ci nvey to the people of Utah the deepest respect ar.d admiration we have for the members of the Utah Civic Ballet. They are ambassadors for Utah without poor, and the people of San Antonio will not soon forget their f;rst visit iu the Alamo City. We expected the professional brilliance we have heard so much about, and it was a real pleasure to find that this great artistic talent resides in the finest group of people we have met to date. Despite a hectic schedule, a long tour, and a small stage they gave a performance that was positively incredible. The Utah Civic Ballet has made friends with Texas, arid when you befriend a Texan you can't get rid of him for life. We await their return visit which may well become a love affair between one state and another. As we say down here- - 'all come back! And back. RICHARD J. McCRACKEN Director of l'ublic Relations Incarnate Wod College San Antonio, Texas - i! m m 'ms,.'!. Brooded for Centuries The Chinese have brooded about these territory grabs for a century, and now they feel no cocky enough to do something about it in a major way, but enough to kill the local Russian commander and 30 of his men (by Russian reports), enough to blame the Russians for provoking it, enough to welcome an excuse for staging a siege around the Soviet Embassy in Peking with hundreds of thousands of chanting demonstrators. Why did the Chinese pick this time for playing up such an episode with massive demonstrations, and why did the Russians choose to announce it and give it world attention, instead of suffering it in silence? Here we move from history into guess. I suspect that both sides are trying to win the marginal Communist parties, especially the N'mth Vietnamese. Both have the Paris peace talks in mind and doubtless, also, the coming World Communist Congress in May. Each wants to label tne other at this crucial moment as tyrant and imw-ialist- . Focus on Paris Talks to pick a single rocus, it would be had If I the Paris peace talks. The Russians want summit negotiations with President Nixon on a variety of problems, and the President in turn is pressing them to use their influence to get things moving at Paris. The Chinese, who are joyful over the prolonging of the war and want it to go on forever, may find this a good moment to attack the credibility of the Rus-siaon anything involving The demonstrating mobs at the Soviet Embassy in Peking used the slogans of Russian - American collusion at a point when the Russians must be sensitive about it. The Chinese have anoHer and perhaps stronger reason for whipping up the demonstrations their army. In the present phase of the unhappy Cultural Revolution, the Jiao regime is counting on Lin Piao's army to keep the whole power structure from falling apart, and Lin in turn is looking for some issue to hold the army together. They may think they have found it in the propaganda line that the Russians, in harness with thp hated Americans, are violating China's sacred borders. For both sides there are high, long-terstakes in the border struggle. There is a lethal contest for the mineral-ric- h spaces of inner Asia. Both sides are moving technicians into these areas the Russians into Soviet Asia, the Chinese into Northern Manchuria and Sinkiang. It will be decades before this struggle has quieted. Both Communist giants will be lucky if what began on a little Island on the Ussuri River ends someday without nuclear weapons. The Parrish Cartoon |