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September 25, 1974 - Image 4

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Michigan Daily, 1974-09-25

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Eighty-four years of editorial freedom
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan

Wednesday, September 25, 1974

News Phone: 764-0552

420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mi. 48104.

GOP thwarts registrati on

JOR THE UMPTEENTH TIME in a
low, the "get out the vote" phi-
losophy has been muddied by parti-
san haggling and political power-
mongering.
the seemingly simple task of es-
tablishing voter registration sites was
the target of divisive and bitter de-
bate at City Council Monday night
when the Republicans approved a
resolution allowing only one campus-
area registration site.
Ignoring recommendations made by
City Clerk Jerome Weiss and Ad-
ministrator Sylvester Murray, the six
council Republicans refused to ap-:
prove registration sites in the Angell
Hall "Fishbowl" and the School of
Public Health.
At various points during the shout-
ing match, the bemocratic and HRP
councilmembers accused the Repub-
licans with discriminating against
students because they are unlikely to
vote for conservative candidates.
REPUBLICAN MAYOR James Ste-
phenson, of 'course, denied that

the new registration plan was po-
litically motivated. His rationale for
limiting on-campus registration sites
is that "peer pressure" can result in
"unintended registrations by stu-
dents."
Taken at face value, Stephenson's
statement indicates he believes stu-
dents are incapable of making their
own decisions. However, the "peer
pressure" remark is merely a clever-
ly worded cover-up for Stephenson's
fear of the student vote.

Does
By GORDON ATCHESON
SENATOR EDWARD KENNEDY'S (D-
Mass.) decision not to seek the pres-
idential nomination two years from now
may have been in part motivate by
fear of 'a jinx that has cost six former
chief executives their lives.
The jinx, also known as the "Fatal
20," began with the death of President
William Henry Harrison back in 1840.
Since then the candidate elected presi-
dent every twenty years has either been
assassinated or has died of natural
causes while in office.
It has happened without fail for al-
most a century and a half and the last
victim was Edward Kennedy's brother
John.
Of course, the Senator has not offered
any indication that the jinx affected his
decision not to run in 1976, and there
is no reason to suspect he gave the leg-
end any extensive thought before making
the announcement.
But consider the scenario: if Kennedy
runs and wins in 1976, as the incumbent
he would be expected to seek re-election.
And were he to emerge victorious again
-this time in 1980 - Kennedy would
live in the shadow of the cutse.
NOT THAT A REASONABLY intelli-
gent man such as the Senator gives
credence to something as flimsy as the
Fatal 20, still it might cause a bit of
queasiness now and then.
Most people who have heard of the
jinx dismiss the phenomena as coinci-
dence or "something like that." Prob-

Kennedy
ably. Yet death has struck the nation's felled by a
leaders only in this twenty-year cycle. Lee Harve
November
The pattern goes as follows:
1840 - William Henry Harrison is JUST C(
elected. He dies in 1841, having served Political
only a month of his term. The cause of toral trend
death is pneumonia contracted after giv- bunk the
ing his inaugural address outside during political fo
a freezing drizzle.
1860 -,Abraham Lincoln wins his first Interestin
term in the White House. Shortly follow- to be no p
ing the end of the Civil War and his re- six preside
election, he is killed by John Wilkes other than
Booth while attending a play. elected.
1880 - James Garfield captures the Those in
election. Less than a year later, he isparties inu
gunned down waiting for a train in a anReu
Washington terminal. men. Two
1900 - William McKinley gains re- they died.
election. A crazed man shoots the Presi-
dent as he greets people' at the Pan- Among 1
American Exposition in Buffalo, New capable p
York. Although he lingers in a coma country, in
for several days, McKinley finally dies Roosevelt,
in September 1901. all - Har
1920 - Warren Harding, one of, the Several
least likely candidates,dwins the presi very kindl
dency. Making a cross-country speaking
tour three years later, he becomes ill in not so kin
San Francisco and dies within a week. tiv ttk ng
1940 - Franklin Roosevelt earns an tivhtyce
imprecedented third term in the White ublack
House from a'war-torn nation. He is dead lk
in 1945 shortly after receivig another like.
mandate at the polls. Still, for
1960 - John F. Kennedy, the youngest times witl
man to be elected president, ekes out lv substan
victory over Richard Nixon. During a could be t
standard motorcade trip, Kennedy is a mouthfu

ear
high-powered rifle bullet from
ey Oswald's gun. The date is
22, 1963.
OINCIDENCE? Probably.
scientists admit many elec-
ds run in cycles. But they de-
20-year jinx as a legitimate
irce.
ngly, however, there seems
articular similarity linking the
ents who have died in office
the dates on which they were
men came from a range of
eluding the Whigs, Democrats
blicans. They were not all old
were in their forties when
the six are the greatest, most
hief executives to serve, the
n the persons of Lincoln and
and perhaps the worst of
ding.
of them have been treated
y by the historians, a couple
dly and the rest indifferently.
'at the facts with cold objec-
Fatal 20 deservesabout as
dibility as other superstitions
cats, broken mirrors, and the
superstition to hit six straight
hout a miss creates some fair-
ntive food for thought. It just
that Edward Kennedy has had
ul.

inx?

Predictably, the
proved plan will
registration sites
areas of the city -
the student sector.

Republican - ap-
establish several
in the outlying
far removed from

Hopefully, students will not be de-
terred from exercising their fran-
chise by the limited access to regis-
tration sites and droves of eager, new
voters will swamp the Michigan Un-
ion site during the Oct. 1-7 registra-
tion drive.
-CHERYL PILATE

Kennedy

Farmworkers

fight to

un ionize

In the'nation's best interest

SENATOR TED KENNEDY bowed
out of the 1976 presidential race
Tuesday and thus chose to avert an
extended round of domestic turmoil
that post-Watergate America is ill-
prepared to handle.
Since 1968, a Kennedy candidacy
has been standard equipment in any
discussion of potential heirs to the
nation's top office.
Many observers had all but con-
ceded him the 1976 Demnocratic nomi-
nation should he have pursued it.
the awesome appeal of the Ken-
nedy name among Ted's country-
men has always been his greatest
asset; at one time it seemed a sec-
ond Kennedy White House was a
matter of national destiny that could
transcend any obstacle, even Chap-
paquiddick.
After the initial shock of that in-
famous 1969 incident, Ted's faith in
'tthe Grand Design was no doubt
strengthened anew. by the American
electorate's nonperformance of 1972.
TN THAT ELECTION, emphasis on
the day's major issues comprised
a rather murky background for Mc-
Govern's strategic blunders and His
Formership's imperial smugness.
TODAY'S STAFF:
News: Jeff Day, Sara Rimer, Sue
Stephenson, David Whiting
Editorial Page: Diane Morrison, Steve
Ross, Steve Stojic, Becky Warner,
David Warren
Food Page: Ken Fink
Photo Technician: Stuart Hollander

The American voter eventually de-
cided that McGovern couldn't be
trusted to find his way back to
Washington after all he'd done to,
confuse his stance; and, what the
hell, Nixon could just keep holding
court in the White House as long as
he felt so comfortable there.
The lesson of their impropriety two
years ago has not been lost on most
Americans. In terms of voting Wis-
dom, the people have aged consider-
ably in that short time. One hopes
they've grown less reliant on candi-
dates' personal appeal or incumbency
and more aware of policy issues, in-
tegrity, and accountability.
The 1976 Republican presidential
candidate, Gerald Ford, has never
been elected to national office. More
than ever before, popular debate of
the issues must remain unfettered
by controversies over the men.
AKENNEDY CANDIDACY w o u 1 d
have precluded the possibility of
an issue-oriented campaign at a time
when the voting public would be'
most receptive to one. It is the vot-
ers who stand to reap the benefits of
Kennedy's decision.
To formally resign himself to the
role of permanent Capitol Hill fix-
ture was painful for Kennedy. Ul-
timately, though, he was forced to
let his chance at ascendancy drift
unclutched beyond his grasp, in def-x
erence to the still dormant shroud of
Chappaquiddick surrounding it.
"My mother was extremely re-
lieved," said the Senator. Once again,
the Kennedy matron must claim the
nation's empathy.
--PAUL HASKINS

By SUE WILHELM
CESAR CHAVEZ, the m a n
whose name is synonymous
with the United Farm Workers
(UFW) and the plight of the
migrant workers has been hav-
ing a few problems lately. No
longer must the Chavistas fight
solely against the growers for
survival; they now have an ad-
ditional foe to contend with -
the Teamsters. Shrewd tactics
on the part of the Teamsters
have enabled them to elbow
their way into UFW territory
and to establish a firm base
on the shaky foundation laid by
Chavistas.
Muscle, money, and organi-
zation skills have been success-
fully employed to undermine the
UFW's collective bargaining
power. Today, the UFW has
fewer the one dozen of the 300
contracts they had with /grow-
ers last year. Workers are still
under contract with the gtowers,
only now the workers are sign-
ing contracts with the Team-
sters.
Why are the workers signing
contracts with the Teamsters
instead of the UFW? Physical
necessity more than anything
else. When one has a family to
feed, one really can't be over-
ly concerned with which unir<n
is responsible for the contracts
which provide the money.
THE GROWERS sign w i t h
the Teamsters for a different
reason. Many growers who pre-
viously signed contracts with the
UFW strongly disliked Chavez.
Since it appears that union ia-
tion among the migrant lab r-
ers is here to stay, they ;=few
signing with the Teamsters as
the lesser of twoevils.
Thesconstant flow of "illegals"
into the country isn't helping the

UFW much either. These "il-
legals," usually Mexicans w n o
pay to be smuggled into the
United States, provide the grow-
ers with a ready work fo-ce in
case of a strike. (Since the
Teamsters incorporate the 1ii-
legals" into their contracts,
they pose no threat to the un-
ion).

the workers as by the growers.
Although some migrant labor-
ers have signed conacts with
the Teamsters, many migrant
laborers identify closely with
Chavez and other UFW leaders.
On December 29, 1972, the Cali-
fornia Supreme Court judged
that "at least a substantial
number and probably the major-

tics can be, and are, successful.
The question remains, however,
who is actually reaping the pro-
fits of these endeavors.
The Teamsters are fighting?
too ->usually against the Cha-
vistas and often alongside of
the growers. Local court injnc-
tions, complete with sheriff's
deputies to enforce them and

While the immediate goals of the UFW and the Teamsters are
the same, the differences between them are formidable. The main
headquarters of the Teamsters is located on Louisiana Ave. in
Washington D.C., across the street from the Capitol. La Paz, the
UFW headquarters, is housed in what was once a tuberculosis san-
itorium in the Tehachapi mountains of California. The annual in-.
come of Teamsters President Frank Fitzsimmons is $125,000; Cha-
vez grosses around $5,000.t
"LY" YL"ir r:"r:r :: ":. !.Rm ".":.".'::.".r.Y "J r.:':14: .:t :"Y N .Lmy .:.::.rsvr::f::;.':::. ."4':":r' {":"!S{::..ti

Paz (peace), the 1UFW head-
quarters, is housed in what was
once a tuberculosis sanitorium
in the Tehachapi Mountains of
California.
The annual income of Team-
sters President Frank Fitzsim-
mons is $125,000; Chavez grosses
arouid $5,000.
Chavez still feels that the
UFW can make it, and his re-
cently acquired pledge of sup-
port from Britain's largest trade
union tends to lend support to
this. He believes that the one
thing which the UFW has, the
thing which will eventually over-
t"rn the Teamsters, is that the
UFW is a movement of the peo-
ple. The UFW, unlike the Team-
sters organization in the area,
was born of the sweat of the
migrant workers.
IN THE SIXTIES, it took Ce-
sar Chavez's charisma to get
the migrant workers' movement
off the ground. Chances, are
good that the Teamsters could
not' have accomplished w h a t
Chavez and his followers did.
And it is almostea certainty
that the Teamsters could not
have gotten where they ,are to-
day without having the UFW
foundation to build upon.
Viva Chavez? Viva T ea m-
sters? Who are 'we supporting
when we boycott grapes, let-
tuce, and Gallo wine?
Apparently we are supporting
both. One milks the cow, the
other skims off 'the cream.
What is really more import-
ant is that we are supporting
the people who need our help,
the migrant workers. They've
come a long way in the past 10
years, but they've still got a
long way to go.
-Sue Wilhelm

Perhaps Chavez's biggest'
problem began when he and
other top UFW officials irsti-
gated the practice of the ,;r-
ing-hall boss. The workers were
to report to these men to be
told where theyswould work.
Lacking experience, hiring-hall'
bosses generally messed ;hings
up. One-car families were often
split up with half of the fam-
ily working at one field and
the rest working at another.
Both workers and growers dis-
liked this practice and when
the Teamsters offered n con-
tract in 1972-73 wAi ;n did not
ask for hiring-halls, it was ac-
cepted; sometimes as much by

ity of applicable field workers
desired to be represented by
the UFW rather than the Team-
sters."
The Chavistas are fighting
back. The UFW's most power-
ful tactic is to stop the grow-
ers in the market place. The
local "Goodby To Gallo" cam-
paign is one part of their 'con-
tinuing battle to keep themselv-
es alive. For a while, with the
aid of a $1.6 million contribu-
tion made by the national AFL-
CIO, they were able to spread
their strikers into fields where
the Teamsters presently have
contracts.
The Chavistas know these tac-

paid Teamster guards "protect"
the fields under contract by the
Teamsters.
THE STRIKE fund is gone
now. Last summer many of the
1970 contracts Chavez and the
UFW worked so hard for were
lost to the Teamsters. While the
Chavistas continue to'° fight it
appears that much of their im-
pact is waining.
While the immediate goals of
the UFW and the Teamsters are
the same, the differences be-
tween them are formidable. The
main heidquarters of the Team-
sters is located on Louisiana
Ave. in Washington D.C., across
the street from the Capitol. La

i#
}

Letters

to,

The

CLOAK AN D 3 r l

4
G'~

Levin
To The Daily:
ON WEDNESI)AY, in the Law.
Quad, I heard a person w h o
seemed to be Sander Levin:
1) claim that despite his ties
to the utility companies through
his chief fund raiser and his
Lt. Governor nominee he would
make better appointments to
the Public Service Commission
than Governor Milliken;
2) say that he favored more
women in top government posts,
but only offered the Lt. Gov-
ernorship to a woman who had
already retired from politics,
and failed to explain why there
are no women at the top of the
Democratic ticket and why
there never have been;
3) maintain that he was mis-
quoted as favoring a Reagan-
style welfare plan for Michigan,
but not state what type of wel-
fare plan or level of benefits he'
does favor;
4) say that he did not re-
member voting to delay and
postpone coverage of migrant
farm workers for job-related in-
juries by the worker's compen-
sation program in May of 1965,
but that he must be a friend

nesty when in 1970 he was quot-
ed as opposed to any form of
earned re-entry;
7) repudiate the findings of
the AMA and the National Com-
mission on Marijuana by saying
that the jury isn't in and that
the drug should still be illegal,
while claiming that nuclear en-
ergy posed no threat to human
safety and ignoring the warning
of top Atomic Energy Commis-
sion scientists;
8) refuse to debate Zolton Fer-
ency until he could debate Gov-
ernor Milliken, despite Levin's
statement that candidates have
the responsibility to debate
openly and honestly the issues,
their differences, and t h e i r
records;
9) lie openly and repeatedly
when he said he had fought for
the minority plank on the Viet-
nam War at the 1968 Democratic
National Convention when' con-

fronted by an eyewitness w h o
said that he did nothing of the
sort;
10) say that busing and abor-
tion were dead issues despite.
continued 'racial segregation and
abortion mills that victimize
women; and
11) say that who he might
support for President in 1976
was not material to the 1974
campaign.
Was that Sander Milliken or
Sander Levin I 'heard?
-Marty Wegbreit
September 19
pardon
To The Daily:
IN YOUR recent reporting of
the Diag Rally sponsored by
the Ad-Hoc Committee Against
Pardon, it was stated that Con-
gressman Esch was not present
and that a statement by him.

"was to have been-read at the
rally but never arrived."f
It is true that the Congress-
man was not there because the
House of Representatives was in
session that day, but a member
of the Ad-Hoc Committee did,
call at his office to ask if there
was a statement on the pardon
and was told that she could
come to the office to pick it up.'
to be read at the rally. The
statement, however, was never
picked up. To inform those who
might have wanted to know the
Congressman's feelings on this
most important issue, the state-
ment is attached.
-Mark Dremely, '76
Chairman, Students
for Esch
* * *
IMMEDIATELY upon hearing
of President Ford's pardon of
former president Nixon on Aug-
ust 8, I stated the following:
I do not concur with Presi-
dent Ford's action granting a
pardon to former President
Nixon. This was properly a mat-
ter for the courts and the judi-
cial process should have been
allowed to take its course. Simn-
ply stated, I still believe that

sideration is being given at this
time to issuance of blanket par-
dons.' I have expressed explicit-
ly and forcefully my conviction
that .it is absurd to even con-
sider additional pardons, es-
pecially since so many facts
about this tragic affair have
not yet been made public at
trials of congressional hearings.
I WILL continue as I have
throughout my public career to
believe I have a responsibility
to asure that all our citizens are
treated equally. E
Marvin. L. Ese
Member of Congress
Tapioca
'to The Daily:
MR. WARREN'S revieW of
Tapioca Holiday printed Sat.,
Sept. '14 contained two glaring
factual errors.
1. I am not the man who
brought you Zazzuzoo or the
author of Tapioca Holiday. I
wrote portions of each show,
but the overall conception and
production was a group effort.
2. There is no such group as
"The East Quad Players." Tap-
ioca Holiday was presented by
Peachy Cream Productions.
I would like to see a correc-

Contact your reps-
Sen. Phillip Hart (Dem), Rm 253, Old Senate Bldg., Capitol
Hill, Washington, D.C. 20515.

I

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