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Tuesday, July 23, 1974
TH IC: MI'ia^N DAI'LY
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Tuesday, July 23, 1974 I ML MlIJIIUAIN LJIMLT
City Council Republicans kill
local Blues and Jazz Festival
By GORDON ATCHESON
City Council effectively k it Il e d this
year's Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Fes-
tival last night by voting down a contract
that would have authorized a concert
site.
The festival promoters, Rainbow Multi-
Media Corp., said that without a firm
commitment on location at this time, it
would be impossible to book and stage
the event.
ARGUING that I a s t year's concert
caused multiple problems for area resi-
dents, council Republicans cast all the
votes against the contract which was
defeated 6-4.
"Last year's Blues and Jazz Festival
tarnished the city's i m a g e," Mayor
James Stephenson said. He mentioned
the city received complaints about the
garbage those who attended the event
left behind.
Stephenson also blasted Rainbow Multi-
Media as "untrustworthy" for failing
to live up to contractual agreements
made for the 1973 festival, including
nonpayment of various employes and
inadequate trash collection immediately
after the event.
THIS YEAR'S festival-also a three-
day concert series-had been tentatively
planned for the s a m e location near
Huron High School in early September.
"There is no longer any possibility
of a festival this year," Rainbow Multi-
Media representative P e t e r Andrews
said immediately after the council vote.
He lashed out at Stephenson's charges,
saying that with the possible exception
of the clean-up operations the festival
was "a totally positive experience."
THIS YEAR the sponsors had agreed
to put up a $5,000* bond to guarantee the
site would not be damaged or left in a
garbage-filled condition.
Andrews added that with the financial
backing this year's event had received-
assuming it would go on-all the debts
incurred at the 1973 concert could have
been paid.
"The Republicans' decision against the
concert was totally political . . . they
totally missed the cultural worth of the
event," Andrews said, although admit-
ing he was not surprised by the council
vote
SPEAKING in favor of holding the
concert, the Democratic a n d Human
Rights Party council members asked
t h a t the contractual guarantees be
tightened rather than not approving any
agreement for a location.
But the Republicans rejected that op-
tion. Councilmen Robert Henry (I--Third
See COUNCIL, Page 5
Judiciary unit
er counsel defend
Nixon position
WASHINGTON ('I)-The Ilouse Judi-
ciary Committee was told yesterday that
even if it finds President Nixon engaged
in impeachable conduct it should consider
whether it would be in the best interest
of the nation to allow him to remain in
office.
In an anti-impeachment brief and oral
argument presented to the committee,
Minority Counsel Sam Garrison said it
is "not only proper but necessary for
Congress, having concluded that an offi-
cer has engaged in conduct for which
he could properly be impeached, then
to step back and assess the situation
m o r e generally, to determine . . .
whether the best interests of the cauntry
would be served by his removal or con-
tinuance in office."
GARRISON presented his argument as
the committee moved toward the start
of debate on whether to recommend im-
peachment of the President.
Meanwhile, the House voted 346 to 40
to amend its rules to permit television
and radio broadcasting of the debate
which is scheduled to begin tomorrow
The final decision was up the committee.
Votes on proposed articles of impeach-
See MINORITY, Page 5
Another investigation
Thomas Richardson, an associate of financier Robert Vesco and head of a
Los Angeles brokerage firm, testifies before a Senate subcommittee that he
paid federal drug agents to search Vesco's home for electronic bugging
devices. Later, he claimed Vesco reimbursed him,
Mariuana arrests exceed
other drug busts last year
WASHINGTON (UPI) - Those who
have the idea that the increasingly wide-
spread acceptance of marijuana has
given the drug a virtually de facto legal
status in this country are in for a big
surprise.
According to FBI statistics recently
released by the National Organization
for Reform of Marijuana Laws
(NORML), almost 70 per cent of all drug
busts last year were for pot.
AND WHAT is more, arrest figures for
1973 show an astounding 43 per cent
increase in marijuana arrests over 1972.
The cost of those arrests in "wrecked
lives" is "staggering," the head of the
marijuana reform group says.
More than 400,000 persons were ar-
rested on marijuana-related charges last
year, up from 292,179 persons in 1972.
CALIFORNIA led the country by
arresting 95,110 dope smokers in 1973.
One of every four felony busts in that
state was for grass.
Keith Stroup, director of NORML, says
that it cost law enforcement agencies
between $250 million and $600 million
to track down and arrest marijuana
smokers in 1973
"This amazing increase in arrests for
marijuana is ironic at a time when more
and more groups, including the National
Commission on Marijuana and Drug
Abuse and the American Bar Associa-
tion, are calling for decriminalization,"
he says.
"THE COSTS of continued criminal
prohibition, in terms of wrecked lives
and careers, is staggering," he adds.
Stroup estimates that as many as 26
million Americans are at least occa-
sional users of the weed and expresses
the hope that the release of the facts
on marijuana arrests will shock more
people into getting behind the drive to
liberate dope.
While claiming to oppose what he
terms "recreational use" of all drugs,
including alcohol and tobacco, Strout
says "we should stop making criminals
out of those who ignore our advice.
"Giving a criminal record to the user
only exacerbates the potential harm,"
he adds.
St. Clair won't say if Nixon
will bow'to Supreme Court
LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. (A-Lawyer
James St. Clair refused repeatedly yes-
terday to say whether President Nixon
would obey a forthcoming Supreme
Court ruling on tape recordings if it is
unfavorable. He said Nixon couldn't
make a decision until the court rules.
St. Clair took Nixon's impeachment
defense to the nation in a 30-minute tele-
vised and broadcast news conference
less than 48 hours before the House Ju-
diciary Committee is to begin its public
debate.
REPORTERS asked in a variety of
ways whether Nixon would obey the Su-
preme Court if it rules he must turn over
tapes of 64 meetings to the prosecution
for the upcoming trial of the Watergate
cover-up case.
"That would require speculation on my
part and lead to other questions," St.
Clair said.
A variety of White House spokesmen
also have refused numerous times in
recent weeks to say whether Nixon
would obey a court decision. A ruling
is expected soon, following an extraor-
dinary summer courtroom argument on
the case.
ASKED whether Nixon has made up
his mind about obeying the court, St.
Clair said: "No, I don't see how he can
until he gets the decision, reads the opin-
ion and consults with counsel."
St. Clair held the news conference after
nine weeks of closed evidentiary hear-
ings by the House Judiciary Committee.
He said he believes impeachment de-
bate will focus narrowly on the Water-
gate cover-up because "the evidence
doesn't even come close to supporting
any charge of misconduct" in other
areas of controversy such at ITT, milk,
wiretapping and tax data.
ST. CLAIR also disclosed he has asked
the committee to allow him to participate
in its forthcoming debate on proposed
articles of impeachment.
The presidential attorney said he made
the request after John Doar, chief coun-
sel for the Impeachment inquiry, "as-
sumed a prosecutorial role," a refer-
ence to Doar's presentation to the com-
mittee recommending that the President
be impeached.
In Washington, Judiciary Chairman
Peter Rodino said the committee ruling
would not permit St. Clair to participate
in the final arguments as he has re-
quested.
He said the committee has a counsel
to the minority, "whether this is Sam
Garrison or whoever." Rodino said it
would be the minority counsel who would
properly respond to members' questions
in the final days of debate.
"Mr. St. Clair has no further role as I
see it," Rodino said. "He was given ev-
ery opportunity -- we bent over back-
ward."
St. Clair met for two hours earlier yes-
terday with Nixon at the Western White
House, a few miles down the Pacific
Ocean beach in San Clemente.
"I advised him in my judgment that
if all the evidence is reviewed objective-
ly, it would not sustain any of the
charges," St. Clair said.