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Show Frnt Conin' I J The Salt Lake Tribune, Friday, March The Los Angeles Times Delighted Republicans chortled over what they saw as ammunition for their contention that the President is dangerously naive in his dealings with the Soviet Union. Exasperated Democratic leaders complained that Carter seemed intent on making the chances for ratification even worse than they already are. Neither Republican glee nor Democratic chagrin was notably affected by the ensuing White House clarification." Probably a Blunder Purely in tactical terms of how not to win votes and Influence people on Capitol Hill, its probably true tha Carter blundered. It would be nice to think, though, that the President was looking beyond the Senate that he was trying, before it is too late, to disengage his administration from the dangerous, prophecy that the failure of SALT II would be a disaster for America and the world. There are two ways, of course, that SALT II could fail. The first is that the United States and the Soviet Union mr.y never be able to nail down an agreement. This seems unlikely, however. Outlines Known The broad outlines of the treaty have been known for months. Final agreement seemed near a few weeks ago when the Soviets pulled back in apparent pique at the blooming friendship between Washington and Peking. But now Leonid I. Brezhnev is saying that he hopes to meet with Carter and sign the treaty in the near future. Assuming that negotiations with the Soviets are successfully concluded, there will remain the problem of getting the treaty ratified by a vote of the Senate. As of now, the votes are not there. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, among others has warned that Senate disapproval of SALT II would be a prescription for nuclear disaster. If the prospective agreement was being judged on its own merits, such a statement would be dismissed as alarmist nonsense. two-thir- Soviet Buildup worth Its keeping in mind that the most disturbing elements of the Soviet Unions massive buildup in strategic nuelear missiles have occurred since the SALT I agreements were signed in 1972. The Soviet effort, if anything, speeded up. As the Presidents own experts have acknowledged, there is no reason to doubt that the Russians will continue to increase military 3 percent or spending by an inflation-adjuste- d more each year, even with SALT II. As the administration has also acknowledged, SALT II will not prevent the United States from proceeding with a new ballistic missile, with new bombers or with cruise missiles, if these steps are deemed necessary to maintain the nuclear balance. In short, claims that the failure of SALT II would force this country to spend $20 billion a year more than it would otherwise spend are not very credible. Common sense tells you that, in real life, if SALT II fails to win Senate approval, Washington wont go off halfcocked, building every weapons that the Pentagon can dream up; it will watch what happens to the Soviet military and adjust ours as necessary. program i bun. of Unfortunately, the Presidz-nt'candor may have come too late, for he has to and the world encouraged the country tmlieve that failure of SALT 11 would have potentially tragic effects on the overall U S Soviet relationship This logic is hard to follow, since U S. Soviet relationships are already more strained what with the Kremlin's persecution of dissenters at home and its troubling behavior in than they ever Africa and the Middle East were in the decade preceding SALT I. Perception and Reality If enough people come to believe that something is so, however, the perception becomes a reality that has to be reckoned with. Its probahly true that the failure of SALT II at this point might well have some unfortunate political effects having little or nothing to do with the merits or demerits of the treaty itself. Opponents of SALT II bear a heavy share of the blame for this state of affairs The prospective treaty is open to criticism on many technical grounds, but these are too or the complicated for the average citizen to understand. Hence average senator Republican critics, especially, have found it easier to challenge SALT II on the basis of Soviet misbehavior in areas having nothing to do with arms control. Balanced Treaty In truth, a truly balanced treaty will leave the United States able to defend its interests if the Soviets do not behave as we would like. And if the treaty gives an important edge to the Soviets, it should not be approved even if the Russians suddenly turned into pussseats, for the obvious reason that Kremlin policy could whenever the make still another temptation was great enough. By insisting on linking approval of SALT II to Soviet behavior, critics of the treaty have encouraged the administration and its supporters to play the same game in reverse. The Carter people have not claimed that SALT II will produce a golden age of U.S. Soviet friendship, but they have suggested that its failure might make relations perilously worse than they are. European leaders actually are very worried that their security interests have not been protected properly in the SALT II negotiations, but they fear that a failure of SALT would destroy Carters effectiveness as a world leader and lead to strains in their own relations with Moscow. The result is tnat the Germans, the French and the British are lobbying tactfully for Senate ratification because they would rather take their chances with a defective treaty than with no treaty at all. As The Guardian editorialized, technically SALT will not leave the world safer; politically it will, and hence it is in Europes interests. s -- Leadership Failure The fact remains that the Senate may not ratify SALT II if and when it is signed, and there is a clear danger that failure to wm approval would be interpreted as a calamitous failure of American foreign policy and of Carters leadership. Considering that SALT II was always known to face an uphill battle in the Senate, it is unfortunate that the President allowed the treaty to take on a political importance out of all proportion to Its actual provisions. Maybe, just maybe, it isn't too late to put over the point that failure of the treaty would be disappointing, but need not have the dire consequences that his own supporteis have been predicting. Carl Rowan Decline in Jobless Rate Hides Tragedy Field Newspaper Syndicate Some Americans lejoieed over the February unemployment figures. They had expected a sluggish economy to produce greater numbers of jobless, but the national rate fell to 5 7 percent, the lowest in more than four years. Yes, some rejoiced ; but I was outraged. For those figures proved that Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Urban League leader Vernon Jordan and others have been right in assailing Presi-deW. wwan Carters anti- inflation budget policies. They are correct In saying that minorities are carrying a disastrously unfair portion of the burden of fighting inflation. From January to February, white unemployment dropped from 5.1 to 4 9 percent, with 97,000 whites coming off the jobless rolls. At the same time, black unemployment rose from 11.2 to 11.9 percent with another 100,000 blacks going on the jobless list! Social Disaster Unemployment in black America is now 243 percent of white joblessness. And that is nothing short of a social disaster. It is just plain criminal what this society is When Jimmy Carter doing to black took office, according to Labor Department figures, which are absurdly optimistic, 36.1 percent of black teenagers could not find work. So 322,000 young blacks were left aimless, and the hopeless, prey for the purveyors of crime. In January the percentage was down to 32.7, but the number of drifting young blacks was up to 341,000. But from January to February the number of black WASHINGTON nt teen-ager- s. drug-pushe- Joseph Kraft Field Newspaper Syndicate Out of the jaws of disaster President Carter has snatched a fair prospect of peace between Israel and Egypt. In the process, however, events have underlined anew the decline of American power in the world. So while Carter deserves high marks for what he did, the fact that he had to do it mutes his triumph. The sad truth is that it took an American president six days of shuttle Ut I diplomacy to budge by a "r- - 'ra couple of millimeters two relatively weak countries almost totally dependent on the United States for their very existence. round-the-cloc- 1 k Before Carter went to the Near East last week, the Camp David accords between Israel and Egypt were verging on collapse. Not because of the issues that supposedly separated President Sadat and Prime Minister Begin. f On They those issues were in absolutely insignificant. importance in Cairo and the contrary, Carters own words acquired Jerusalem only because of a string of other developments which marked in dramatic form a weakening of American influence throughout the Near East. The Starting Point The starting point was the victory of Islamic fundamentalism over the shah of Iran. That caused the radical regime in Iraq to seek cover to the against religious ferment by took the form World of Arab politics. of a common front with STD and the Palestine Liberation Organization against the Camp David accords. The unity of the Arab radicals scared the conservative monarehs. Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the sheikhdoms of the Persian Gulf joined with Iraq and S ria in denouncing the Camp David accords at the Baghdad summit meeting. President Sadat, in those conditions, inevitably had second thoughts that the settlement with Israel would isolate him in the Arab world. So he sought to protect himself by various measures which emphasized that Egypt was treaties with staying faithful to Arab states and to the provision of the Camp David agreement which projected eventual autonomy" for the Palestinian Arabs living in two bits of territory occupied by Israel, Gaza and the West Bank of the Jordan River. The conditions which caused Sadat to have second thoughts also caused Begin and many Re-ent- pre-existi- The Way It Was Here are thchr briefs of news in The Salt Lake Tribune from 100, 50 and 25 years ago: March 16, 1879 The city fire plugs are putting in airs for St. Patrick's Day. They are out this morning in a neat coat of green. Dont waste the water, is now the order from the Watermaster. Travel across the continent is increasing, and the tourist and sightseer are on the streets i k )' of Zion. The Fire Brigade, which gave our citizens well sprinkled streets for breakfast, and did the business so acceptably last season, should be k i r t seeking work but not finding it this whilp white another 52,000 unemployment was dropping by enough to make their way in this society. That is true They are the victims of past and present bigots and insensitivities. Social Malaise This infuriates not the black part of me, but the American part, because it lies at the heart of a costly social malaise of the great problems of this society, and most of that crime is and young adults committed by teen-agethe very people we leave most in joblessness and hopelessness. The Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA) tells me that blacks make up 47 percent of the state prison population, 41 percent of the Inmates In local jails, 40 percent of the federal prison population. It is easy to say, as 29 percent of whites do, that blacks breed crime," but the crime is bred by policymakers who, year in and year out, leave as many as 60 percent of urban youth outside the economic system. I know many a reader is saying that among those jobless blacks are the high school dropouts, or the high school and college graduates who cant read or write or count well Another Side just another side of the tragedy. Jobless, hopeless people produce children whom they cannot educate properly, and these children grow up to become jobless and hopeless. How is it that our system can put men on our moon, explore Jupiter and its satellites with a camera, build weapons of incredible destrucbut it cant provide a basic tive potential education and a job for its young people? Those unemployment announcements are dismissed by too many Americans as just statistics. But behind those figures lie a lot of human suffering and a very heavy price tag that you and I must pay. Our greatest shame is that this society has created a permanent class of jobless people, with most Americans never giving a damn. (Copyright) teen-ager- s jumped teen-ag- e 20,000. rs job-seeki- again employed. The masquerade ball at Sandy was a success. Our Sandy correspondent was at the dance, and he danced, and danced, and the last heard of him ho was thrown across the back of a chair to thaw in the sun, while hia heels kept time to the music still humming In his cars March 16, 1929 An ages old lake, ROCK STRINGS, Wyo. completely snuffed out and its waters dashed to the four winds, is the newest phenomenon for Wyoming. Mirror lake, near the apex of Grand Teton pass, nearly 9000 feet above sea level, is no more and a great depression, 50 feet deep, covering 20 acres, is all that remains where the shadows played on the placid surface of the lake for many years. March 16. 1954 Im lease in liquor prices to forestall a prospective $H00,000 slump in profits was urged Monday by The Utah Legislative Council in a letter to the State Liquor Control Commission The commissioners, headed by clv.ii iiiao J.W. Price, immediately met with Gov. J. Bracken Lee The chief executive reserved comment until the commission has had an opportunity to study the council's appeal for additional funds. A reply is expected within a few days. other Israelis to have second thoughts. How did they know Sadat would not be ousted as the shah had been toppled? Wouldnt Islamic solidarity inevitably transform Palestine autonomy" into an independent Palestinian state hostile to Israel? Hardening of Opinion On both sides, accordingly, there took place a simultaneous hardening of opinion. That Is how Articles IV and VI of the draft treaty came to aquire so much importance. And the question of whether diplomatic relations would begin at the ambassadorial level or not; and the matter of Israeli access to oil in the Sinai desert. Indeed over time Sadat and Begin attached so much of their personal prestige to these negligible matters that a breakdown of the whole Camp David negotiation process seemed likely. By going to the area himself, Carter afforded the two leaders the occasion they needed to make the slight concessions necessary for agreement. Begin was seen standing up to the president of the United States. So he could compromise on target dates for Palestinian autonomy without anybody saying convincingly that he had started down a slippery slope that would unevitably yield to the extinction of Israel. Sadat was given the drama and excitement and ballyhoo of a visit by a leader of the most powerful country in the world. With the presidents arms around him, he can claim that he extracted through the Americans the most anybody could from the Israelis. If only because of the cloud of dust set up by the president's visit, nobody can easily gainsay him. All to the Good The immediate outcome, of course, is all to (he good. A disruption in the Camp David process that might have led to more chaos and even another war has been averted. Settlement between Israel and Egypt has been virtually for the time being, at least. assured But the settlement can stick only If it spreads first to Saudi Arabia and Jordan and then to the other Arab states and the Palestinians. That means rebuilding confidence in the U.S. throughout the Near East. The starting point for that enterprise is close to zero. The spectacle of a shuttling president, begging Sadat and Begin to be reasonable, accommodating his moods to their most idiosyncratic political needs, serves to remind us how far the U.S. has to go to reassert its position in the world. And by us," I mean not just the president, and the administration and the Congress, but all of us. (Copyright) That is half-dece- The Public Forum Tribune Readers Opinions Proper Exchange I hope we have more symphonic exchanges such as with the Honolulu Symphony on March 2. That performance was good. The predominant adjective for the Honolulu Symphony is energetic. KEITH MOORE Strayed Too Far Carter Victory Reflects Weakness i 23 U.S. Failure to Ratify SALT Wont Be That Traumatic When President Carter was quoted in this months issue of the Atlantic as saying that he might abide by terms of the prospective new armscontrol treaty with the Russians even if it were rejected by the Senate, the roof fell In. I IK, 1979 The prices for fuel, telephone bills and food no end in sight. When Mountain Fuel Supply calculates our bills It is ridiculous, such as $57.23 for one month. Meat is almost $2 a pound. When will it get better? Not until we protest like Im doing. There is no reason to guess at our gas bills, they can read the meter, that is what they get paid for. The telephone service is also way out of proportion, car gas is also way out of sight. We have strayed so far from our humble beginnings. The forefathers of this great nation stood for honesty, truth and God. Now, if a farmer doesnt get enough for his crops, he will protest. If the grocer cant make it, he will raise his prices. So goes this land of the free and the home of the brave. Now you dont see many things that are free. If our forefathers were living, they would no doubt be appalled over the corruption in government both on the local level and national level. MARY NEWCOMB are skyrocketing every month with Biologists Commended In order to comply with federal guidelines, several federal agencies and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources recently formulated plans to provide land for mitigation for some of the severe wildlife habitat losses caused by the Bonneville Unit of the Central Utah Project. Working together In a spirit of cooperation the Bureau of Reclamation, the Forest Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the state division produced a reasonable plan based upon the wildlife needs of the area and the available land In the area. Hearings to discuss this plan were held In early February in Orem, Duchesne and Salt Lake. Instead of focusing upon the adequacy of the mitigation plan, the only Issue substantially raised at the meetings was whether or not land belonging to certain property owners was going to be condemned. It was made clear at the hearings that land would not be condemned because there were enough willing sellers to acquire adequate land. What should have been an opportunity to discuss how the wildlife losses were going to be mitigated, was turned Into a confusing and disturbing confrontation. It was rumored that letters were sent to private property owners warning of possible condemnation of their land but it was unclear why such letters were sent. It is also disturbing that plans for mitigation were not drawn up and presented to the public at the same time that the rest of the project was presented as part of the Bonneville Unit Environmental Impact Statement. This type of piecemeal public presentation allows one to present all the positive aspects of a project first and then several years later when the issue of building the project is already decided, the negative aspects of that decision are presented. We agree with the professional biologists that there are serious losses of wildlife habitat associated with the Bonneville Unit of the Central Utah Project and that they should be mitigated for the benefit of all citizens of Utah. Forum Rules Public Forum letters must be submitted exclusively to The Tribune and bear writers full name, signature and address. Names must be printed on political letters but may be withheld for good reasons on others. Writers are limited to one letter every 10 days. Preference will be given to short, typewritten (double spaced) letters permitting use of the writers true name. All letters are subject to condensation. Mail to the Public Forum, The Salt Lake Tribune, Box 867, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84110. We feci that the professional biologists working on this plan should be commended for their work. While we do not seek the condemnation of private property, we do recognize the need to completely mitigate the losses caused by the construction of the Bonneville Unit. PETER HOVINGH And 8 Others Suitable Recognition It has been customary to have patriotic celebrations in February because our two greatest presidents were born in that month. I should like to add the name of another super-greAmerican, bom Feb. 15, 1820, to the list of those who make us consider this a particularly patriotic month; Susan B. Anthony. She devoted nearly 60 of her 85 years to the cause of freedom for half of the American population. Although she rightly considered suffrage the mosi basic need for political freedom, we also owe her and her fellow workers gratitude for women being admitted to universities and the professions, for having control of (heir own property and earnings, joint guardianship over minor children and many other changes in female lifestyle. Miss Anthony appeared before congressional committees more than 25 times. When she and her fellow crusaders became active in the cause of liberty for all adult Americans they were harassed just short of physical violence. But as years passed, her uilor sincerity, her high moral character and the justice of her cause were widely accepted When she died in 1906 she was said to he the best known woman in the world. More than 1,000 newspapers and periodicals published eulogies of her life. One of Utahs leaders in the woman's rights movement (Emmeline B. Wells, whose statue is in front of the Pioneer Museum) said: The world Is richer because of the beautiful life, character and example of Susan B. Anthony. The nation does well to heap honors and build monuments to her who made so brilliant a record for heroism and loyalty to a cause which, when she espoused it, was decidedly unpopular. Her statue is to he soon in our national Capitol and in the Hall of Fame in New York. And now her honest, rather austere face is appearing on our new dollar. Her greatest honor will continue to be the fart that the woman suffrage statement in our Constitution called The Susan B Anthony Amendment MARY G. JENSEN |
