Thursday, October 3,. 1968THMIIGNALYPgThe
LOSING BATTLE:
Congress reform stalls
WASHINGTON (iP') - House
memibers bent on reorganizing
Congress and revamping the
9electoral process appear to be
fighting a losing battle but
arer~t giving in.
Three wreeks ago, a small
group of Republicans announced
plans to create a parliamenta-
riani's nightmare, hoping to em-
barrass Democratic leaders and
revive congressional reorgani-
zatlon and election reform bills-
Both measures are now In the
deep freeze reserved by the
SDemocratic - controlled H 0 U s e
Rules Committee for measures
not favored by Speaker John W.
0McCormack and other leaders.
The reorganization bill was
recommended by a bipartisan
Senate-House committee a n d
passed by the Senate abotit a
year and a alf ao.r hn10
changes to modernize a n d
Sstreamline Congress' structure
*and working amethods, transfer
power from t h e committee
chairman to ordinary members.
require open-door transaction of
much business now conducted in
secret, give minor'ity members
more staffing, and tighten lob-
bying regulations.
The election bill - also passed
by the Senate - would, among
other things, strengthen con-
trols on campaign finances.
In their first attempt to dis-
rupt the House Sept. 11 the
group - Republicans, primarily
but also a few Democrats -
prevented the body from doing
anything except answer endless
troll calls and listen to a read-
ing of the previous day's pro-
ceedings for 2% hours.
Last Thursday, Democratic
Leader Carl Albert of Oklahoma
asked the House to give its con-
sent to permit the calling up of
tworbll th is week under th
cerning older Americans and
federal banks - would 'not have
to go to Rules Committee if
there were no objections.
-Rep. Donald Rumsfeld (-
Ill. objected.
"It seems unfortunate that
the gentleman from Oklahoma
is not asking unanimous con-
sent to bring one of those two
bills, legislative and electoral re-
form, to the floor of the House-
We have not been meeting every
day. We have had plenty of time
for the consideration of these
pieces of legislation," Rumsfeld
said.
Replied Albert: "Of course,
the gentleman knows the cir-
cumstances are entirely differ-
ent. Almost every week we do
take up by unanimous consent
certain bills that are not con-
tested and on which there is
general agreement.'"
Rumsfeld attempted to call up
the two bills he favors under
unanimous consent but Speaker
McCormack said he was not rec-
ognized for that purpose.
Chairman Carl Perskins of
the Education and Labor Com-
mittee asked Rumsfeld to with-
draw his objection to the bill to
help elderly citizens but he re-
fused. The two bills were then
scheduled for next week on the
condition the Rules Committee
approves.
LBJ
chief
1Rus0 hs
UNITED NATIONS, N.Y. (AP
nunced the Soviet-led invasion of
Czechoslovakia yesterday as re-
pugnant and dangerous to world
peace, and challenged the Rus-
sians to make good their promises
ofa military withdrawal.
125-nation Genera Assembly, in-
terrupted at the outset by Viet-
nam peace shouters, Rusk declared
the United States will end the
bombing of North Vietnam "the
minute we can be confident this
will lead toward peace."
He warned the Soviet Union
that the United States and its
Western allies would not tolerate
the threat or use of force against
West Berlin or West, Germany.
On the Middle East, he urged
Israel and the Arabs to take ad-
vantage of a "small and precious
momentum toward peace" and
cooperate with the mission of U.N.
Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei
A. Gromyko listened impassively
to the 37-minute speech. He and
other Communist-bloc leaders did
not join in the applause at the
conclusion. Gromyko will deliver
the Soviet policy speech today.
Six men and three women,
ranging in age from 16 to 38, took
part in the brief heckling of Rusk.
They shouted slogans and dis-
played banners in the public gal-
lery reading "Stop the War in
Vietnam an "Big Firms Get
removed by U.S. guards.e ee
There were no injuries to the
guards or demonstrators, a U.N.
spokesman said.
INATIONAL GENERAL_ CORPORATION
IjFOX EASTERN THEATRESm..
FOR VILIBE
ii37hNo.MAPLE RD.-769-1300
withdrax
0
justice
ws
Fortas
nomination
__- Denounces Senate's
failure to cut debate
WASHINGTON A@ - President Johnson yesterday accept-
ed with "deep regret" Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas' re-
quest that his nomination to be Chief Justice be withdrawn.
In a strongly worded letter to the President deploring at-
tacks on the Supreme Court, Fortas bowed to Senate opposi-
tion and requested withdrawal of the nomination.
"I believed when I made this nomination, and I believe
now, that he is the best qualified man for this high position,"
the President said.
Johnson's nomination of his long-time friend and adviser
to su'cceed Chief Justice Earl Warren appeared to have been
doomed Tuesday when the Senate refused to cut off a fili-
buser y opponents.
A 45-43 vote to put the Senate's? ___
antifilibuster rule Into effect was -
14 short of the required two-thirds *3 -j~
majority of senators voting. And JU 1 V R~3
taking into account six additional
senators who did not vote but an-
nounced their position, the count p a l l n
would have been 47 to 47.
The 58-year-old Fortas, appoint-
ed to the Supreme Court by John- *
son in 1965, became the first nom -
inee for Chief Justice to fall of jj l~ 1 I
Senate confirmation since 1795,
when George Washington's nomi- PARIS VP - North Vietnam
nation of John Rutledge was re- charged yesterday th at the United
Ref erring to the Senate's re- tory and bring all Vietnam under
fusal to cut off a filibuster by op- Washington's domination.
pont ofFortas's confirmation, "Utterly fantastic," replied U.S.
"The action of the Senate, a Ambassador W. Averell Harriman.
body I revere and to which I de- Earlier he had accused North
voted a dozen years of my life, is Vietnam of planning a massive in-
historicafly and constitutionally vasion of the South.
tragic." North Vietnam's ambassador
Supporters of the nomination Xuan Thuy told the U.S. envoy.
said Fortas was the first Supreme "You have been impudent enough
Court nominee to be denied con- tn - a that the UTed,+ St
Mao lives!.
A Contempotary Approach to OCTOBER 113
Shakespeare s
-
Directed by Ellis Rabb
Mvsic by Conrad Susa
Communist China's Chairman Mao Tse Tung made a rare per-
sonal appearance at the National Day parade in Peking yesterday.
The Communist news agency which transmitted the photo said
Mao is currently 89 years old.
REJECT DEFENSE CUTS-:*
'As Now as a
Noimi J.cket['
... Lv Angeles Th,,es
WASHINGTON (J-The Senate
met for 24 hours in secret yester-
day and then gave another strong
endorsement to the Sentinel Anti-
Ballistic Missile (ABM) defense
system.
By a margin of 45 to 25, it re-
LAST TIMES TODAY
"PETU LIA"
I j -~ --I
ATE
*STARTS TOMORROW *
FRI.-MON.-TUES.-7:10-9:10
SAT.-SUN.-1 :15-3 :10-5 :05-7:10-9: 10
DEAN I STELLA I ANNE
MARTIN ISTEVENSJWAllC JCSN
* SIANLEY SHAPIR O 0 9 SAW NARRIAK-
~- MRUINYOURUFE
jected an amendment by Sen.
aon others to cu $387. millio
for the Sentinel from the $71.9
billion defense appropriation bill.
Then it beat back other moves
to cut the bill-largest single mo-
ney measure ever to come before
the Senate-en route to final ac-
tion expected today.
The secret session-invoked by
Cooper under Senate rules so op-
ponents of the Sentinel could ask
detailed, classified questions apout
July 14 1966 when the fisSenate
was considering its watchdog
procedurese for the Central Intel-
Cooper's amendment would have
lmited the Defense Department
to the $312.8 million in the meas-
ure for further research on the
Sentinel in order to give more
time for study of its feasibility.
But supporters of 'the Sentiniel
said that continuation of the pro-
ject, which Secretary of Defense
empIted fom'federalasending
limits, would be the best spur to
such an agreement, as well as a,
deterrent to possible attack.
Sen. John 0. Pastore (D-R.I.),
chairman of the Senate-House
Atomic Energy Committee, said
that only $70 million is scheduled
to be spent this year and that if
this leads to armament control
"that's the best. $70 million vie've
pg
w
See CLOTURE VOTE, page 7
firmation by a filibuster, althouigh
the Senat h as refused to confirm
Court nominees.
Although there were scattered
demands in the Senate that For-
tas resign from the bench, he said
in his letter to Johnson that he
will be on hand to participate in
the Court's work when it opens
its new term next week.
uatio whether Johno ol
try to wlin confirmation before
Congress adjourns, probably next
Aother alternative would be for
the President to make a recess ap-
pointment, but Sen. Philip A.
Hart, who led the fight for For-
tas's confirmation said this would
be undesirable.
In 1960, during the closing
months of t h e Eisenhower ad-
ministration, Hart sponsored a
aewthons'dsuppot oppos-
ing recess appointments to the
uFortas said he hoped withdraw-
al of his nomination would "help
to p u t in motion a process by
which there will be an end to de-
structive and extreme assaults
upon the Court."
Critics contended In the Sen-
ate debate that Fortas had joined
in decisions expanding the rights
of criminal suspects, overturning
obscenity convictions, and permit-
ting Communists to work In de-
fense plants.
Aside from attacks on rulings
of the. Court, opponents contend-
ed t a or a r eached th
par'ticipating in White House con-
ferences while a member of the
Court.
seeks no war with North Vietnam.
"It should be clearly pointed out
that the fundamental designs of
the United States are to sabotage
th e 1954 Geneva agremet on
into a U.S. neocolony and military
base, and to prepare for an attack
against North Vietnam with a
view to imposing its domination
on the whole of Vietnam."
Harriman retorted: "Everybody
knows this Is utterly false. The
U.S. has no designs on North Viet-
nam.eThe extremel limited ob-
many times, namely to permit the
pepl of South Vetnam to cecld
side Interference."
Before Thuy made his charge,
Harriman said evidence uncovered
by allied troops sweeping the
,once-neutral demilitarized zone
indicated the North Vietnamese
planned a mnassive invasion of the
South. He cited the network of
trails, and the bunkers and arms
cches found ther'e in the last
Both Thuy and U.S. spokesman
Harold Kaplan said the 24 ses-
sions had produced, "no progress."
Thuy said Hubert H. Hum-
phrey's qualified bombing halt
pledge Monday contained nothing
original, and he termed it' "de-
ceitful."
Humphrey had said he would,
if elected President, halt U.S.
bombing of North Vietnam if he
received evidence that Hanoi was
willing to restore the status of the
demilitarized zone.
"Mr. Humphrey, llke'Mr. John-
son, still demands reciprocity.
reue the bobin ofNrth
Vietnam," Thuy said.
Starts TOMOR ROW-
EY&T U
7A~isi~
3020 WASI4TENAW F4one 4)4-1782
1-3-5-7-9
7 and 9:00
2 Fields of Action in Ann Arbor an d Ypsilanti for this Exciting Show:
George Plimpton read the rule books, put on his uniform
and played with the pros. He never became a real lion,
only the Paper Lion, which is what this picture is all about.
Stuart Millar prsnt
_AIai? Alda
I
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