Show Carl T Rowan c7d1---241t- Page 12 f4k-i-:e7-iihniii- Air Power Win Monday Morning May 29 1937 Is Costly Myth LBJ Tries Again on Campaign Fund President Johnson's new approach to campaign financing covers only one part of the problem He suggested in a special message to Congress that the federal funds be appropriated to meet major expenses of presidential candidates But he did not include the financing of campaigns for the House and Senate And the cost of politics bears as heavily on those who run for Congress as on those who seek the presidency The message was dispatched on the same day that the House agreed with the Senate on suspending the controversial Campaign Act of 1966 This is the legislation that gave federal income taxpayers the option of contributing $1 each to a presidential campaign fund which would be divided equally between the two major parties It slipped through the last Congress as a rider on another bill and provoked a bitter Senate fight this session Opponents first tried to kill the law later agreed on suspension as a compromise Mr Johnson quietly promoted the $1 plan but the burden in public was carried by its sponsor Senator Russell B Long the Democratic whip Now the President has tried to give the proposal a new look by advocating direct appropriations His Interest however could be partly political Since the Democrats usually have more trouble than the Republicans in raising campaign funds a statutory source of party income would serve as an "equalever-increasi- izer" The idea of federal financing has considerable support But it will not be accepted by Congress unless adequate safeguards are devised That is why the Long plan was finally laid on the shelf Although it would have provided an estimat for each party it was silent on the control of ed 30 million dollars ondary and elementary education under existing guidelines rests now with the US Senate and a return of sanity in the House of Representatives A bill to authorize 35 billion dollars in education grants for 1969 has emerged a chaotic session of the House so battered by amendments that it might better have been sent back to the Educa- Committee as sought by many ' original backers Registering inconsistency and confu- slon the House first defeated the contro- versial Quie amendment which would have stripped the US Office of Educa- tion of most of its controls over the feder- al aid money and given block grants to the states Later the lawmakers approved the amendment which would give the states control of some 500 million dollars In Title HI funds for "supplementary" education services These permit local tion-Lab- ' sec- - or '' distressingly spending a point repeatedly emphasized by the opposition Senator Albert Gore leader of the fight against the Long plan quickly spoke up for the inclusion of congressional campaign financing in any new bill However the high cost of winning office is only slightly less important than the high cost of holding office For while the former may lead to political commitments at variance with the public interest the latter may tempt elected office holders to cross line between the ethical and the unethical And almost every representative or senator is preparing for the next campaign whether it lies two or six years in the future A thorough overhaul of campaign financing is certainly needed The President's message suggested a number of reforms among them full disclosure of the source of all campaign funds a $5000 limit on tile-totaan individual can contribute to the campaign of any candidate and repeal of present arbitrary ceilings on expenditures of candidates for federal office This is a realistic approach but it still does not solve the problem of the high cost of politics Because of the intricate nature of the suggested legislation Congress may not be able to enact a new law in time for the 1968 elections We believe however that Congress should ignore the calendar in the interest of obtaining effective legislation The subject demands the most careful consideration And that is what the Long plan did not get when it slipped through Congress tr Vietnam The Public Forum halt Piccolo Practice Editor Tribune: Our high school boys are safe from the Insidious and evil influence of college coaches and the intoxication of and the gyms will be closed to our boys until next fall Mediocrity and apathy have triumphed again Beware all you parents who scrimp and save to give private lessons to your piccolo players who play in school orchestras or permit your daughters to spend $40 or more on pep club uniforms You are in danger of being branded rich and soon your student will not be allowed to participate in school activities if you encourage private practice extra lessons to set up special educational centers and other facilities and ser- vices that may — among other uses — be shared by students of parochial schools In agreements previously worked out with the school districts Since 33 states have prohibitions against the use of public funds for church-relate- d activities into federal the the state money ling treasuries — instead of allocating it as before directly to the local districts—most likely will bar parochial schools in those states from further participation in the schiiol districts By Our Readers - could help One member of the last group of three teen-ager- s kindly plugged in a cotter pin for me I think it was a very decent and kindly act for all the young men and well merits being recognized as such There is much lack of consideration and selfishness but also a great reservoir of kindness and unselfishness exists In the world DORSEY 'HAGER te Kennedy Comedy Routine programs - I - I These developments lend credence to speculation that the department plans a cut in wheat acreage and will seek no increase in feed grain plantings next year unless bad weather impairs this year's crops That poses a dilemma for the administration A few days ago Vice President Humphrey Secretary of Agriculture Freeman and several other government officials were in Chicago to promote the administration's war on hunger abroad They told a group of businessmen the world is threatened by famine and social unrest of catastrophic proportions perhaps within a decade unless the less developed countries get more food The administration's position is that the United States and other surplus producing 0 ( - ' countries must continue sending food aid to forestall mass famine while stepping up efforts to show the hungry nations how to boost their own food output Since 1954 United States food aid shipments have cost nearly 25 billion dollars Last year India alone received about a fifth of our wheat crop which helped feed 60 million Indians Yet Humphrey asserted "We must produce more food and we have the means to do it" He then went on to talk of the necessity for giving American farmers the "proper in centive and return" to assure food abundance Thus the vice president seems to favor paying farmers to produce more while the secretary of agriculture is considering ordering them to cut back on wheat and not grow any more feed grains next year under programs which pay subsidies for not producing The secretary currently is the object of considerable criticism from farmers because of low prices The less they produce next year the stronger farm prices can be expected to be around presidential election time The dilemma for the administration seem to be how to wage full scale war on hunger abroad while escalating the battle for votes at home ) offi- - - NV 4 I gab sable Moth 7 fron Rad at t COUE ham Don' they man way! ble Ileco beca Eitel -- - at a blue geoll the I of fe the Fe whal y havE rim bysh Stay non-victo- ry Fe Ns of ar ddre Richard Wilson loom Jos NO UN-Bears-Mid- Peacemaker Burden east WASHINGTON — How much the world 1950 is clearly illustrated crisis In 1950 the by the Egyptian-Israel- i United States France and y -- - 11 Britain could enter into an accord as the joint arbi- I '1 ' ters of international politi- - i C -: cal stability in the Mid- - :': Ii :- has changed since r east Today the Union is the Soviet strongest i i 1 I11‘ ' 1 - itet-'-- i ' I Considerate Teen Agers -- t arms makes it possible for Egypt's President' Gamal Abdel Nasser to renew his challenge to Israel threaten to involve the entire Mideast In war and by humiliating and hurting Israel try to erase the last vestige of American Influence In the are& Nor are the possible confrontations confined to the Gulf of Aqaba the Gaza Strip or the Sinai Peninsula They could occur in Syria or between Morocco and Algeria or Somalia and Ethiopia and wherever elatooltussian and US interests collide In Northern Africa and the Near East -world power in the area Ihaving filled the vacuum r :' left by the decline of More Deeply Involved Mr Wilson French and British influon the face of it that Russia's clear is It ence and replaced the United States as the are far more deeply involved in vital interests benefactor of the United Arab Republic this area of the world than In Vietnam the (Egypt) Congo Cuba or the Dominican Republic The great powers of the West consequentThese nations of the Mideast are near or acly must place their reliance in the United Naon the borders of the Soviet Union and tions as the peacemaker and expose this tually it has a clearly definable national interest International body to a Soviet veto if it seeks that they should neither be hostile nor to enforce the peace Or if not that then the Involved in war United States will consider using its force of America's Interest while considerable is arms in another confrontation with the Soviet not that clearly definable Union This Is all the more reason why any conWe see here what could happen in the Far frontation with the Soviet Union should not East if the United States were to abdicate its be pressed beyond controllable stages Much role of enforcing political stability and leave of the damage has already been done by the' a vacuum into which Soviet and-o- r Chinese growing penetration of Soviet influence and that cannot be undone now by military inter- power would advance vention Nor can the fact be changed that Presing Several Poids British and French influence have declined When the whole picture is seen in its larg- -' More essential than anything else Is that est context It is found that the Soviet Union no domestic political considerations should and Communist China are both pressing at 'affect United States actions in this matter several critical points in the world to force US reaction while committed to freedom of back upon the North American continent access in the Gulf of Aqaba has avoided an extensions of American military power emotional commitment to Israel That atti- d A billion dollars worth of tude should continue tvir' 'rlIELMA rs the bee - How many pilots died or were captured in these losses is a "military secret" that the Pentagon will not divulge — meaning that the Communists have a reasonably accurate count but the American people do not A pretty accurate estimate is that just over 200 American pilots have been lost in raids on North Vietnam That too is fairly costly for missions that did not achieve their objective Add to this the 179 combat planes and 320 helicopters lost in missions over South Vietnam In addition we have lost 644 fixed-win- g planes and 533 helicopters in Vietnam due to what the Pentagon calls "opera- tional difficulty" Thus the cost of planes lost in the Vietnam war at mid-Mawas approaching four billion dollars Add the amount spent for bombs rockets missiles ammunition gasoline personnel and the sort and you will find that "air power" has provided about the costin American history liest two garbage cans are still in brand new condition How grateful I am for this splendid service Also for The Tribune carrier and the milkman who have faithfully done their daybreak jobs regardless of weather I don't know any of their faces but these men are each a credit to the organizations they serve Thanks IVIRS L S ZONES Editor Tribune: People in nursing homes live such confined lives that any kind word from outside those doors is just pure sunshine Pills can't take the place of kindness I work in a nursing home and enjoy it Some of the people there are ro nice like Emma from Mona who raised a big family Mr Collett always with a smile Mrs Rietveld with her great courage Mrs Hinman a charmer Mrs Harris and Mrs Kessler who remember their yesterdays Some of the finest people come to live in home and loving them is boluremnursing no pro rs spot the - plihes Editor Tribune: Promptly at 8 am came the reassuring rattle Of the garbage truck — every Monday morning for four years Our Nursing Home Friends on the highways has some elof teen-ageement of truth especially about speeding and cutting in and out But I'll have to acknowledge that I W113 surprised at the actions of when my three different sets of teen-agecar wai stalled on Wasatch Drive the other day I was partly off the drive trying to fix trot Ing beal witl These are Pentagon figures And they don't make air power look very terrifying Nor do they lend credence to the hawks' cries that the war would be over next week if John son McNamara and Rusk would take the wraps off and let the air power advocates hit the targets they really want Questions about the merits of bombing North Vietnam become even more worrisome when one looks at the incredible cost As of combat May 17 we had lost 544 fixed-win- g aircraft and five helicopters over North Viet- nam That is $11000000130 worth of air- Thanks for Good Service DAVIS Editor Tribune: All the talk about the Jack of decency and consideration on the part here in which American tim hu Wouldn't Shorten War give the lie to her claim that she left her country and family in quest of free expression in the West It is disgraceful for anyone to sell his or her country for money even if that country happens to be Russia J HARRIS Dugway Utah 4 '''t Lk C Cori now Public Forum ktters must not bp more than ISO words length must be submitted exclusively to The Tribune end bear writer's full name and address Names must be printed en political letters but may be withheld for good reasons en Others Preference will be givom letters permitting use if true name and to those which are typed and I) MRS ly t thei gue nei the M full-tim- anti-gu- n How to Fight Hunger and Round Up Votes I) were demoralizing the enemy huge defections record causing e Well the Viet Cong had 47300 soldiers in 1965 they have an estimated 63000 now They had 91000 irregulars or guerrillas two years ago as against 171000 In House-passe- W B-5- Forum Rules - future backgrounders Editor Tribune: Now we know better the reason why Sveltlana the daughter of Stalin came to this country The royalties pom the sensational book she is writing with the help of others of dubious motives amount so far to three and half million dollars These millions out-of-sta- 04 dais have claimed that bombing runs by the Sells Her Country As for the rest our schools will continue' to receive pour national ratings our colleges will recruit more and more athletes and Laden Anderson's clinic will provide a rich experience for boys In time Utah will pay the price It JOHNSON itotf From the Chicago Tribune A farmer advisory committee has recommended that the Department of Agriculture cut the 1968 wheat crop by 13 per cent to avoid a possible new surplus At the same time the department's chief economist Walter W Wilcox issued a report foreseeing little likelihood that 20 million acres of feed grain and cotton land farmers are now being paid to keep idle will be needed in the near sv- near the DMZ We have bombed North Vietnam for more than two years with the announced purpose of stopping the flow of troops into the south Yet the Pentagon estimates there are now 50000 North Vietnamese soldiers4n the south as against 11000 two years agog Another reason for unleashing air power on North Vietnam and on Viet Cong strong- holds in the south has been to destroy the enemy's will to fight There have been several my gas pedal My feet protruded from the car as I was bending over inside Three different young men stopped at different intervals and came to the car to see if I was hurt or if they anti-everythi- -- 7 Soviet-supplie- etc put-fro- m (D-II- bring But subsequent weeks have shown that "victory through air power" was a delusion — as it has been in every war fought since the advent of military aircraft Ground troops are on a very risky mission in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) for the simple reason that air power was unequal to the task of clearing out the Communist troops located there or destroying the powerful new weapons that the Soviet Union has sent in US officials had known for weeks the location of the five crack divisions that North Vietnam had sent to into and beyond the DMZ They knew the locations of the missiles d rockets mortars and other heavy weapons US bombers rained millions of dollars worth of explosives on these areas but they did not impair the Communists' ability to launch withering attacks on American forces 'Gentlemen I think we have debated this question long enough Program - would " Hanoi to the conference ! wr r table Mr Rowan Some presidential ad- visers argued that devastating demoralizing applications of US air power had the Communists reeling — so we drove a hard bargain Air Power Victory a Myth The Quie amendment was backed by a Editor Tribune: While Senator Dodd Is Minnesota Republican and the Green busy trying to cover up his shady financial amendment is the handiwork of former dealings the Kennedy brothers are outdoing school teacher Edith Green recalcitrant the Smothers Brothers with their comedy Oregon Democrat who teamed up with routine anent the legislation In Consome Southern and Republican congress-Gree- n gress Teddy says there Is no need for the private men citizen to arm himself in his home for protecd amendment Another tion as the duly constituted law authorities would kill the controversial National are fully capable of handling the matter Teacher Corps designed to upgrade in Numerous criminals have testified that struction to slum area children but still the greatest fear they have when engaged in not adequately tested Another amend- - crime against the private citizen is that they el yl ment would cut allocations in the federal will be faced by the citizen who Is armed knows how to use a gun and is perfectly willaid program to Northern metropolitan areas and boost funds for Southern states: ing to do so The NRA does not encourage vigilante The United States Army reportedly The wild undisciplined session did has discovered a new drug called Agent block Southern efforts to sneak through action only DON B mrrcHELL BZ which would produce dizziness and an amendment that would have legalized hallucinations when sprayed on enemy any and all "free choice" Southern school forces It has never been used in combat Top Russian Agents integration plans But other amendments and may not be Its use would certainly to racial down water were passed integra Editor Tribune: Your editorial of May 22 lead to new charges of unethical warfare tion requirements of federally-aide- d mentioned the fact two Russian KGB agents forces although from the schools It would be the height of had been recognized and shadowed last month one would think temporary derangement inconsistency to subsidize school districts by the FBI Well and good But the Identificato be far preferable to permanent death which refuse to abide by the moderate tion of these two agents by a columnist as in However we would think the chemical desegregation guidelines set up for all 50 the top echelon of the KGB Is Interesting It kJI logical to believe they were in this country spray might be far more effective than states to superintend the US branch of the appartear gas in halting riotous disturbances It may be true as Representative a- tusI don't th"c Moscow sent them to have In this country:And temporary- derange- - Pucinski of the Education-Labo- r a "dialogue" or to "build bridges" ment which halted disorderly conduct Committee has said that the Senate can VINCENT RIGDON would be far better thin the use of clubs not undo the damage done in the House ' dogs or gunfire But the only hope for continuing the presWhy Not Call Police? We do see one problem If the drug ent federal aid program under most an open invitation to rioting for all who promising guidelines lies now with the - Editor Tribune: In response to B A acts something Ike LSD its use might be Senate with moderate elements in the 1Na1ker's (Forum May 18) what was a fouryear-old want to take a free "trip" House later falling in line doing in the neighbor's yard in the first place? It gets tiresome keeping up yards when mothers don't know where their children are Other Viewpoints or what they are doing And lots of them don't I congratulate the woman who called the police I've felt like it many times Incitement to - ' l How Much Better Than No Hope for continuing federal aid to WASHINGTON — Lavish promises by 01 "victory through air power" advocates may have led the Johnson Administration to its er- -biggest error of the Viet !: nam war That error was not to )'' 4 eotboviet Premier accept ' 41 Alexei Kosygin's challenge : ' 6) e' last February when he tt I 1 said in London that a ces- 'sation of bombing North I You 4I 'I IVef Pas Pas Pas 1 A Mani' You I redid' ( hold ' AA 1 Soul 14 2 ? V unhaii c good hAnd a slw Ci You 4Q ' 1 Wes 44 5 A ttili hes t 1 Zia ' ogN4a ' I i 1 7 '4 — - hand'- $ Soviet-supplie- V - 4 4 1 I -L —ft |