I
President
ilr mirhigan Dail
Eighty-four years of editorial freedom
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan
fails
as
a
conic
Wednesday, October 16, 1974
News Phone: 764-0552
420 Maynard St.; Ann Arbor, Mi. 48104
(Rocky's motives questioned
SOME RATHER weighty questions
have recently been raised in re-
gards to the uses to which vice-presi-
dential nominee Nelson Rockefeller
has put some of his money - ques-
tions of such nature as to make us
seriously question whether this is the
man we want to be our next vice
president.
Due to his wealth, Nelson Rocke-
feller has often been considered
above the reach of normal political
influences, such as the temptation
to grant political favors in return
for campaign contributions. The
question, "Has he been using his
wealth to further his own political
ambitions?" has never been asked be-
fore, and there now appears to be
some indication that this may in
fact be true.
Since the asking of this question,
some alarming information has been
made public. Rockefeller has disclos-
ed that during the past 17 years he
has made gifts and loans to the tune
of $2 million to present and former
public officials and staff aides. In
addition, unconfirmed reports con-
tend he has made gifts to public and
political figures outside of New York
state.
THE DISTURBING implication of
this disclosure is that these gifts
were intended to buy the loyalties of
the public servants involved.
In a letter to Senator Howard Can-
non (D-Nev.), chairman of the Sen-
ate Rules Committee, which is pre-
sently considering his nomination,
Rockefeller claimed that all of the
recipients of his gifts were account-
able to him and that they shared
identical viewpoints with the gover-
nor on matters of public policy. If
so, New York is blessed with more
meeting of the minds among public
officials than any other state. Or
could it be that Rockefeller's gener-
TODAY'S STAFF:
News: Cindy Hill, Andrea Lilly, Jeff
Ristine, Judy Ruskin, Jeff Sorensen,
Jim Tobin
Editorial Page: Steve Ross, B e c k y
Warner
Arts Page: Ken Fink
Photo Technician: Ken Fink
Sports Staff
MARC FELDMAN
Sports Editor
GEORGE HASTINGS
Executive Sports Editor
ROGER ROSSITER .... Managing Sports Editor
JOHN KAHLER ........ Associate Sports Editor
Photography Staff
osity makes it easy to agree with
him?
Further doubts are cast upon
Rockefeller's desirability as a pros-
pective vice president by his admit-
ted financing of an extremely unflat-
tering biography of his one-time gub-
ernatorial opponent Arthur Gold-
berg.
Didn't we just get rid of one poli-
tician who employed similar tactics?
Granted, Rockefeller apologized, but
the deed has been done, and we have
no guarantee that it won't happen
again.
THE ROCKEFELLER family has
spent an estimated $25 million on po-
litical campaigns over the years. This
figure is based solely on reported ex-
penses; the Goldberg book cost an
extra $60,000 and was not included
in the campaign expense category.
One may rightly wonder how many
other such side investments the fam-
ily has made
The statement made in the Chau-
tauqua in 1887 that the "impecunious
but unprincipled politician may do
as much to damage political morals
and corrupt the purity of government
as any rich man will be likely to do"
is put to the ultimate test by Rocke-
feller, and any validity it had seems
to be decreasing by the day.
How can the American public de-
termine whether or not loans made
by the Chase Manhattan Bank were
intended to further Rockefeller's per-
sonal career? How much Rockefeller
money has been used for projects
similar to the Goldberg biography?
If Rockefeller makes a sizable gift of
money or art objects, is he being gen-
erous or is he making a payment in
expectation of future political sup-
port?
FOR SOME UNKNOWN reason, the
Senate Rules Committee never
questioned Rockefeller about these
gifts. It's about time they did. In the
post-Nixon period, the importance of
such considerations cannot be ig-
nored. Unless the questions surround-
ing Rockefeller's munificence can be
satisfactorily answered, his nomina-
tion should be seriously re-examined.
-SUE WILHELM
LINDA ROSS.................Operations Manager
SUEEDeSMET.................Finance Manager
DEBBY NOVESS ........ Sales Manager
DEPT. MGRS.: Laurie Gross, Ellen oJnes, Lisa
Kanengiser.
ASSOC. MGRS.: Rob Cerra, Karen Copeland, Niles
Flescher, Kathy Keller.
ASST. MGRS.: Janice Glinisty, Liz Kurnetz, Ro-
sanne Lapinski, Beth Phillips, Nancy Ross and
Dave Schwartz.
SALESPEOPLE: Mike Binger, Susan Goldstick,
Emily Hin, Bill Koopman, Steve LeMire, Andi
Yakushav.
Editorial Staff
DANIEL BIDDLE
Editor-in-Chief
JUDY RUSKIN and REBECCA WARNER
Managing Editors
KENNETH FINK...................Arts Editor
MARNIE HEYN.......Editorial Director
SUE STEPHENSONF..e. ...Edeature Editor
CINDY HILL............... Executive Director
STAFF WRITERS: Prakash Aswani Gordon At-
cheson, Laura Berman, Barb Cornell, Jeff Day,
Della DiPietro, William Heenan, Steve Hersh,
Jack Krost Andrea Lilly, Mary Long, Jeff Lux-
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Pilate, Sara Rimer, Stephen selbst, Jeff Soren-
son, Paul Terwilliger.
By GORDON ATCHESON
THE SPOTLIGHT focused on a tall,
aging man as he stepped up to the
microphone.
Slowly, with an almost painfully de-
liberate delivery, he cracked a joke. It
wasn't funny. Still nearly 4,000 people
who had just finished their $50 dinners
laughed - not a deep, rolling belly-
laugh but a polite titter.
Was the performer some over-the-hill
vaudeville comic up to do some old-
time patter at an exclusive nightclub
just before the headliner bursts on stage
to thunderous applause?
Was the laughter more a product of
sympathy than anything else? Not quite.
President Gerald Ford often entertains
audiences - just like that one at a Re-
publican Party fund-raiser in Detroit
last week - with a brand of humor that
strains to be funny and occasionally
winds up in an illogical void.
THE MAN FROM Grand Rapids blew
his big joke of the night and the entire
routine went downhill from there.
"I do have to be honest," Ford said,
leading into the punch line (that was
not the funny part). "When the Wolver-
ines are playing, asking me who I'm
rooting for its about as necessary as
asking Governor Milliken and Senator
Griffin how to get to Traverse City."
Well, if somebody doesn't know how to
get to Traverse City or anywhere else
in the state for that matter, he or she
ought to ask directions.
Of course, it would be much easier to
get them from the guy who runs the gas
station on the next corner, but one could
call the governor's mansion or Griffin's
Washington office.
And what any of this has to do with
Ford's allegiance to his Alma Mater's
football team is pretty obscure. Quite
frankly, the entire statement makes no
sense.
BUT THAT'S because Ford decided to
ad lib the joke and got the key word
wrong. According to the text, the Presi-
dent should have said ". . . asking me
who I'm rooting for is about as neces-
sary as telling Governor Milliken and
Senator Griffin how to get to Traverse
City."
Now granted the joke isn't much fun-
nier. It does, however, form a clear
logical pattern of thought - presuming
that Milliken or Griffin could get to
Traverse City from somewhere else in
Michigan.
Most of the audience probably didn't
catch the subtle twist Ford pulled in try-
Daily Photo by KEN FINK
ing to improve his material. They just
yukked it up, even though they weren't
exactly sure the joke was humorous.
Besides, there is an unwritten moral
code that says a crowd must respond
favorably when a high government offic-
ial, particularly the president, tries to
be a comic - no matter how bad the
performance.
THIS IS THE same set of rules that
prevents people from belching during
a sermon or standing up and shouting
"encore" before a violinist has finished
a solo. Protocol simply requires that
some things be done while others are
strictly taboo.
But it's extremely tough to stick to
those guidelines when it comes to Ford's
funnies.
At least he told the opening joke right,
although it didn't help much. The thing
was so far gone that a massive injec-
tion of adrenaline wouldn't have revived
it.
"You don't know how much fun it was
driving in from the airport and seeing
so many nice people come out just to
watch this Ford go by," he told the au-
dience, smiling broadly.
Ford probably first alluded to the
similarity between his name and a make
of car when he was sworn is as vice
president nearly a year ago.
At that time he remarked, "this Ford
is not a Lincoln." Not an overly witty
retort but just the type of comment the
p'bhlic wanted to hear.
IT REFLECTED humility, sincerity,
and a nominal knowledge of American
history - all fairly desirable traits in a
rnan who proved to be a heartbeat, a
scandal, and a resignation away from
the nresidencv.
However, Ford has probably used the
s-rme comayrison in some form or other
in almost all of his snepches since then,
and - if you will - the vehicle is be-
g'-ina to r'n oat of gas.
Haying belabored the haeknpved once
a in and goofed the original, Ford tried
one more tactic-he inadvertently turned
to the tasteless.
He reached into his coat pocket, pulled
out a dog biscuit and proceeded to say
that he hadn't brought it for his own
consumption.
This provided a springboard for a me-
andering story about the new dog his
daughter Susan had bought a few days
earlier.
All the Republicans decked out in the
latest fashion and expensive jewelry
genuinely appreciated the line about eat-
ing the dog biscuit. Imagine something
as absurd as that.
WELL, WITH THE rapidly rising cost
of food, that's just what a lot of im-
poverished families are doing. Federal
social service agencies have found that
poor people - particularly in the inner
cities - are now eating pet food be-
case they can't afford the real stuff.
Of course, Ford certainly didn't mean
to be crass with his little joke. It was
harmless enough considering the cir-
cimstances. But he'll probably never
have to eat Purina Dog Chow because
h- hqs no other choice.
Hey, Mr. President, how do you get to
Traverse City?
Gordon Atcheson is a staff reporter
for The Daily.
Letters
to
Thu
IA __'1
KAREN KASMAUSKI
Chief Photographer
KEN FINK
Picture Editor
STUART HOLLANDER .......StaffI
STEVE KAGAN ..............StaffI
PAULINE LUBENS.........Staff]
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Photographer
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MARC SANCRAINTE
Business Manager
AMY KANENGISER.......Adertsing Manager
clericals
To The Daily:
THERE HAVE been various
ideas and attitudes expressed
about whether we should resort
to legal collective bargaining
as a solution to the inequitable
treatment we have come to ex-
pect from the University.
The issue raised by the no-
union clericals presents an il-
lusion to the rest of us which
does not touch upon the reality
of our situation. Trying to
maintain our "individual rights"
without the strength of u n i t y
to enforce those rights is ludi-
crous. If they sincerely believe
that they can maintain dignity
and self-respect alone against
the bureaucracy of such a pres-
tigious institution as the Univer-
sity, it is obvious that they have
never experienced the "fair"
grievance procedure of the U of
M. It is also apparent that they
feel they should not have a voice
in the decision-making process
which formulates the policies
that affect them.
The biggest objection that
seems to come through is t h a t
clerical employes at this "pres-
tigious" university are socially.
above the so-called low-class
stigma which they attach to the
term union. What is so painful
in adopting such an attitude is
the ironic realization that these
"low class, union people" make
40 to 50 per cent more in sal-
ary per year than the "upper-
class, white collar" secretary
who is eligible for food stamps
and can't afford meat.
I SINCERELY hope that the
1,539 total votes cast in favor of
legal collective bargaining in the
first election will prove to those
who were then undecided that
the majority of us do feel we
need the unity of a combined
force to receive fair treatment,
dignity, and respect. It appears
that this runoff is our final op-
portunity, and if we don't com-
bine our efforts and help each
other now, we will forever re-
main in the situation in Which
we find ourselves. We'll always
be begging for favors fr:m the
administration on an individual
basis with no protection or re-
course. If that happens - none
of us will have any "rights."
-Pat Filter
C-4 Development Office
7:30 p.m., a wait must b. ex-
pected. I do find it regrectanle
that the editorial implied that
the library staff is unaware of,
and insensitive to, these delays.
The problem does not nave
any one, simple cause. Like ev-
ery section of the University,
the library is faced with bud-
getary problems and certain
limitations on staffing. The lib-
rary does not have funds for
unlimited personnel, but is for-
tunate to have a core of hard-
working student assistants who
staff many areas of the Under-
graduate Library. This year
over 50 per cent of the students
working at the Reserve Desk
are new and just learning the
job. Things do go a little -core
slowly at first, but please re-
member that these assistants
are students too and are sympa-
thetic to your problems. Impa-
tience and discourtesy 4o lttle
to improve their efficiency and
quite naturally can upset them.
IN COMPARISON to last year,
the Reserve Desk has 11 per
cent more staff. However, the
Undergraduate Library has also
taken over the course reserves
for students working toward a
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
degree and for most undergrad-
uate courses in the School of
Natural Resources. These pro-
grams have grown so raaidly in
recent years that their respec-
tive libraries cannot keen up
adequate services for their stu-
dents.
As mentioned above, the lib-
rary relies heavily on student
assistants. In general they are
very steady workers but as with
all students, their hours must
remain very flexible. If this is
not possible, it leaves the Re-
serve Desk unavoidably under-
staffed.
There are some things that the
students themselves can do to
help the library in solving the
problems and alleviating the de-
lays: 1) When requesting a
book, please copy down the com-
plete call number and try to be
accurate. It takes a lot of staff
time to search for non-existant
books. 2) Please bring your IDs.
They are the only means the
Reserve Desk has of charging
out your books. 3) If your ID
is cracked or damaged in any
way, please have it replaced
hefore it gets stuck in a charg-
the list with you. This can save
a great deal of time in waiting
for your reserve notebook.
IT WAS TO improve service
for the students that the exit con-
trol was installed and the lib-
rary is pleased that it is suc-
cessful.
-Rose-Grace Faucher
Head, Undergraduate
Library
Reuther
To The Daily:
I BELIEVE that people are
capable of making a choice,
when given a choice. My choice
is among (not between) a joan
Reuther who supports uncondi-
tional amnesty, a John Reuther
who supports general amnesty
(for generals maybe?) and a
John Reuther who supports a
form of alternate service - "six
months in VISTA, or something
like that." Which John Reu-
ther should I vote for?
-Walter P. Kellenberg
October 6
bike theft
To The Daily:
CLAUDIA KRAUS intended to
do campus bikers a service with
her article (1016/74) on protec-
tion against bicycle theft. Her
advice, however, is incomplete
and partially misleading. Here
are some things I've learned
the hard way about bicycle pro-
tection:
1) Don't park your bike any-
where close to a street. Serious
rip-off artists don't ride off on
the bike they've taken. They
make off with it safely in a car
or van.
2) Buying a lock is a : good
idea, but don't be fooled into a
sense of security by any lock-
a bolt-cutter can go through
any of them. This is another
reason to park your bike away
from streets: a four-foot bolt-
cutter is an obvious item when
packed by your pedestrian thief.
3) FORGET THE Ann Arbor
Police - don't register your
bike. The police don't have a
chance in the world of geatirng
a good bike back. A report
of a stolen bike is greeted by
yawns. The police will not
search for your bike. If they
stumble over it, you might get
it back, but don't count on it:
1
one-speed, ugly enough so that
no one would want it. ' The
banks, I suppose, are getting
similar advice from Captain
Klinge: stop keeping money,
swallow your p r i d e, and you
won't be robbed.
BICYCLE THEFT is big busi-
ness - ten bikes a day is at
least a thousand balloons - and
deserves the kind of attention -
surveillance and investigation-
heretofore reserved for 'hose
victimless bugaboos considered
"threats to public w".lfare ' by
our boys in blue.
-James Paul
Grad, English depart-
ment
tenants
To The Daily:.
OPEN LETTER to candidates
for public office:
We would like to know your
position regarding the following
questions relating to tenant3:
1. As an elected official what
would you do to help tenants?
2. Do you support a rent con-
trol program?
3. What have you done in the
past to help tenants?
We would like to se. a public
statement in response to these
questions as soon as possible,
and we intend to evaluate can-
didates on the basis of their pub-
licly stated positions on these
questions.
If you care to send us a form-
al response, you can send it to
oir office, 4110 Michigan Union,
Ann Arbor, Michigan.
-Ann Arbor Tenants
Union
October 8
farmworkers
To The Daily:
RECENT VISITS to your area
by supporters of the United
Farm Workers of America
(UFWA) have been surrounded
by misinformation and propa-
ganda.
In a nutshell, the UFWA is
asking consumers 'throughout
the country to boycott the com-
modities harvested by another
union so that the UFWA c a n
force farmworkers to join the
UFWA against their will.
Who the hell are you, the
consumer, to decide which un-
ion should represent the farm-
Those who were once members
of the UFWA became fed up
with that union's failure to ful-
fil its promises and inability to
function as a legitimate profes-
sional trade union.
CESAR CHAVEZ and the
UFWA lost the support of i t.s
workers in the fields. Now, they
are asking you to step in and
force workers out of the Team-
sters and into the UFWA. If you
support the boycotts of lettuce,
grapes and Gallo wine, you will
help the UFWA subvert the will
of the workers. You will also
help destroy the jobs workers
already have made by choos-
ing Teamster representation.
Under Teamster contracts,
farmworkers receive wages and
benefits superior to those under
UFWA contracts.
Wages under Teamster c o n-
tracts for general field work are
as much as 20 cents per hour
higher than comparable UFWA
rates.
Teamster, contracts provide
far better fringe benefits, i n-
cluding a health and welfare
plan, a pension plan, call-time
pay, jury pay, funeral leave,
worker health safety and pesti-
cide protection, and vacation
pay.
IN ADDITION, the Teamster
contracts require the employer
to cover the workers under
state unemployment insurance,
coverage farmworkers are not
automatically provided by the
law. The UFWA has not nego-
tiated unemployment coverage.
The so-called facts paraded
out by UFWA supporters pur-
port to show that the California
farmworker leads a life of ab-
ject poverty and misery. The
truth is that California's farm-
workers are the highest paid in
the nation. Much needs to be
done to improve their lot and
the Teamsters, by unioniation
and organizing, are getting the
things done.
I suggest that before you con-
demn California for its treat-
ment of farmworkers, you take
a look at your own state. If
you truly want to help the farm-
worker, start out by cleaning up
your own back yard.
In the meantime, stay out of
this jurisdictional dispute be-
tween unions. and allow the per-
son most concerned, the farm-
I