THE
Summer Daily
Vol. LXXXIII, No. 58-S
Ann Arbor, Michigan-Thursday, August 9, 1973
Ten Cents
Twelve Pages
VP denies
'scurrilous
ne0w claims1
of payoffs
WASHINGTON (A) - Vice Presi-
dent Spiro Agnew denounced as
"damned lies" allegations involving
him in political payoffs from Mary-
land contractors, and said yesterday
he has no intention of resigning or
even temporarily stepping aside.
Agnew said the normal secrecy of
federal investigations apparently
does not apply in his case, then he
added:
"I HAVE NO intention to be skewered
in this fashion and since I have no inten-
tion to be so skewered I've called this
press conference to label as false and
scurrilous and malicious these rumors,
AP Photo
VICE PRESIDENT SPIRO AGNEW points to a newsman at his Washington press
conference yesterday. Agnew decried as "damned lies" charges that he was in-
volved in a kickback and bribery scheme.
W t
Will pytolt'1ob
kep ties inlobby?
By CHARLES STEIN
McCollough bill has supported that claim. Only two letters
a popular topic of conversation in the back rooms opposing the legislation had been received as of last week.
ooms of the nation, pay toilets have finally escaped McCollough also points out that under current state law
nd closed doors and made their way onto the floor there is no ceiling on the price an entrepreneur could
te legislature. charge for toilet faciilties. "The sky is the limit," says the
r the provisions of a bill introduced by Sen. Patrick senator.
these assertions and accusations that are
being circulated."
Agnew appeared somber and somewhat
angry as he met with newsmen to break a
self-imposed silence on the published ac-
cusations.
"Let me say right -now, I have no ex-
pectation of being indicted and I am not
going to face any contingent thinking of
that type this time," he declared.
THE NATION'S second highest elected
official said "I have not" when asked if he
was giving any thought to resigning, even
temporarily. President Nixon, he said,
has expressed confidence in him.
Agnew said repeatedly throughout the
31 minute news conference that he had
nothing to hide and that his lawyers would
decide on the appropriate way to make his
personal records, available to the U. S.
attorney's office in Baltimore.
However, the Vice President avoided
answering whether he would personally
appear before the federal grand jury. The
investigators have not asked him person-
ally, he said.
A SOURCE close to the investigation
said prior to the news conference that Ag-
new would be invited to appear before the
grand jury as a "normal courtesy." He
said a subpoena was not contemplated at
this time.
About the same time, a White House
spokesman said the fact that Agnew is
under investigation is no reason for the
president to lose confidence in the Vice
President.
The spokesman said Nixon did not
watch the news conference, which Ag-
new said was his own idea. He said he
met with the President for nearly two
hours Tuesday and discussed the investi-
gation.
NIXON "expressed confidence in me,
which is all I need,". Agnew told a packed
auditorium of newsmen and a national ra-
dio and television audience.
The investigation, directed by U. S. at-
torney George Beall in Baltimore, involves
an alleged kickback scheme of political
payoffs from private contractors in ex-
change for state and federal contracts
while Agnew was governor of Maryland
and later as Vice President. A number of
See AGNEW, Page 10
Long
and bar r
from behi
of the star
Under
McCollough (D-Dearborn) at the close of the recent legisla-
tive session, the coin-operated toilets would be banned from
the state of Michigan.
THOUGH HE concedes the bill was greeted with some
amusement in Lansing, McCollough was quickly able to pick
up 19 co-sponsors-enough to insure the bill's passage in the
Senate.
How did a middle-of-the-road Democrat like McCollough
get interested in an issue like pay toilets?
"It was mostly by suggestions from other people rather
than personal experience," says McCollough, who does
admit having a maiden aunt who once got locked in a pay
toilet at the airport.
"OLGA MADAR, a vice-president of the UAW, sent me
a newspaper clipping about the passage of a similar bill
in Nevada," he notes. "It was also brought to my attention
that a number of newspaper polls in Michigan showed an
overwhelming majority of people would support a ban here."
According to one of his aides, the mail reaction to the
Several years ago Pennsylvania Goy.
Milton Shapp ordered all pay toilets
removed from the state tollways after
he found himself in a toll plaza rest-
room, without a dime.
X}Y::..";::"i:v i :"?::? "%'. . r:"fi
THOUGH A PIONEER in the Wolverine state, McCol-
lough is by no means the first politician to take a stand
against pay toilets.
Several years ago Pennsylvania's millionaire governor
Milton Shapp ordered all pay toilets removed from the state
tollways after he found himself in a toll plaza restroom,
sans dime.
To Madar, interest in the questin of pay toilets began
as a sort of "women's related issue."
Seel PAY, Page 10