I
Edited and managed by students at the
University of Michigan
Editorioas printed in Te Michigan Daily xpre s the individual
opinions of the author Thii must besoted in oli reprints.
TUESDAY JUNE 6, 1972 News Phone: 7646752
HEN THE four persons charged with digging simu-
lated bomb craters on the Diag turned themselves
in to the police for arraignmssent yesterday, they presented
a testimonial bearing the names of 280 other persons
who "acknowledge organizing and digging those craters."
In response to a call for sunport from those arraign-
ed, over 100 ersons marched from the Diag to the court-
house to protest the arrests. The signed testimonial de-
mands that "the charges be dropped and the University
confess to its war crimes."
This cry merits support, From the University's view-
point, the arrests can only make martyrs of those ar-
rested. In addition, they add substance to the belief that
the University does indeed support the war despite the
alleged liberal anti-war stance of some administrators.
Singling out just five ersons-one of those arrested
is an unnamed juvenile-to bear the brunt of a group
protest is arbitrary and clearly motivated by the political
prominence of those five persons.
But it would be even more arbitrary and politically
repressive if the 280 testimonial signers were to be ar-
rested too. That is not the intent of the testimonial at
all. Rather, it is meant to demonstrate concern over the
University's continuing complicity with the war while
demanding that all the charges be dropped immediately.
VVEN THOSE who disapprove of such demonstrations
as crater digging would have to dig deep to prove
anyone guilty as charged in this case.
For one thing, the University calls the act of dig-
ging "malicious destruction of property," yet it had pre-
viously agreed to allow digging at a different site. How
can digging on the Diag be malicious when digging near
Hill Aud. is not?
Further, digging destroyed no property; it simply
transferred its location. And, it is doubtful whether the
soil allegedly destroyed would be construed in court as
"property."
FIVE PERSONS must not be allowed to suffer trial or
convictions for malicious 'destruction of property
w'o1 the University continues to aid and abet malicious
destruction of property, of persons, of entire lands
thousands of miles away.
-ROSE SUE BERSTEIN
Co-Editor
On Davis' freedom
A NGELA DAVIS is free.
After spending 16 months under maximum security
in the Marin County jail and 13 weeks on trial while out
on bail, Davis has been cleared of murder-kidnap-con-
spiracy charges.
The prosecutors contended that Davis had bought
the guns for, and helped plan a dramatic courthouse
shootout in August, 1970, as part of a plan to free Sole-
dad Brother George Jackson. But their case was riddled
with weaknesses from the outset.
To prove Davis guilty, the prosecution employed old
and sexist strategy. Excerpts from her journal and al-
leged love letters to Jackson were read to the jury in an
attempt to prove that Davis was motivated by love for
Jackson to plot his escape.
More than 200 "exhibits" were presented to the jury
in the several months of prosecution testimony. The
trial was one of the longest, most costly and controver-
sial criminal proceedings in California history.
Yet in just a few days, the defense was able to pro-
duce a very solid case proving that Davis not only was
not in the shootout area but had had no previous know-
ledge of the alleged plot.-
The all white jury deliberated 13 hours before reach-
ing a not guilty verdict. Evidently, the issues in this case
were clear, for juries in such controversial cases cus-
tomarily spend at least a week deliberating. The pro-
secution's case came through to the jurors as an emo-
tional appeal to link Davis with Jackson. That appeal
failed miserably.
B UT, ALTHOUGH Davis proclaimed Monday the hap-
piest day in her life, it should be remembered that
all is not well with American justice.
As Davis herself commented, "The fact of my acquit-
tal means there was no fair trial at all. The only fair trial
would have been no trial.'
-MERYL GORDON
NIGHT EDITOR: PAUL TRAVIS
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR: ROSE SUE BERSTEIN
ASSISTANT NIGHT EDITOR: JIM OBRIEN
Aboard the viclory special
Whistling through Calif. wit
McGovern aides and agents
By DAVID MARGOLICK
BAKERSFIELD, Calif.
THE CROWD of people standing
around the red, white, and blue
railroad car was shuffled restless-
ly. The preliminary speaker grew
repetitious himself, and the high
school band, which had quickly
run through its entire repertoire,
had broken into "California Here
I Come" for the second time.
Suddenly half the band stopped
and the rest was drowned out by
applause. George McGovern step-
ped up to the back of the train.
The whistle stop tour was under-
way.
The whistle stop campaign is a
pleasant anachronism. It brings to
mind images of small towns and
clanging hells and waving hands
receding into the distance, all of
which are mostly memories in this
age of packaged politicians. It is
the last resort of impoverished
candidates.
Yet although campaigning by
by train is sunsafe as well as inef-
ficient in this "media slate," Mc-
Govern resurrected a run-killed
a year ago by Amtrak-from Sac-
ramento to Bakersfield, dubbing
it a "victory special."
The whistle stop tour lent a
humble flavor to a campaign
threatened by overconfidence. And,
more importantly, it was a whole-
some touch in a primary marred
by charges of excessive expendi-
tures for media advertising, among
other things.
The frequency of stops-nine in
all-permitted observation of the
esoteric elements of a campaign-
the reaction of different crowds,
ranging from guffaws to snickers
to stony silence; attempts to per-
sonalize the speeches by reading
certain placards in each crowd;
how, as the trip proceeded, the
candidate perfected his delivery
of certain lines while others grew
stale through overuse.
AS THE TRAIN wound its way
south and McGovern's speeches
seemed more and more repetiti-
ous, the caiipaign itself seemed to
diminish in importance. The vast
entourage which followed McGov-
ern around proved far more in-
teresting to study thanhe can
didate bhimself, who was barricatd-
ed off, inaccessible.
AS ALWAYS throughout the
c a ii p a i g n, the Secret Service
agents acre bothersoie. Nattily
attired, in suits siisaclking of Hsi-
bert Humphrey's taste, they posi-
tioned themselves in all the stra-
tegic places as well as in numier-
ous irrelevant ones.
Their activities seemed a curi-
ous mixture of strict security and
the most blatant laxity. They
guarded vigilantly against the
flocks of would-be assassins in the
candidates completely exposed to
a few thousand imponderable ele-
ments in every crowd.
Despite its omnipresence,
though, the Secret Service had met_
with mixed success in this elec-
tion year-as the agents who now
film all the potential Arthur
Bremers will readily acknowledge.
What was most obvious about
the agents themselves was their
complete lack of emotion. Like the
Queen's guards at Buckingham
Palace, they stood moving only to
chew their gum, which they do
with the frequency of baseball
players. I had long since given up
hope of seeing one of them laugh.
It was, in fact, almost a relief
when one of them ordered me to
move because he had "had enough
of this shit." Later the same
agent surpassed himself when he
threatened to break my colleague's
camera.
Though they were not sanctioned
to break or confiscate cameras,
McGovern aides, too could be un-
pleasant. Unlike the volunteers on
the trip, who were almost always
friendly, the paid staff members
were brusque; they seemed almost
to have missed the message of
their man.
PARTICULARLY i r o n i c was
their treatment of the college
press. The McGovern campaign
has sent out periodic assurances
to campus newspapers promising
such goodies as separate press
conferences for their editors, yet
we constantly fell to the bottom
of the list as various other
porters paraded to the bac
the train to interview and p
graph McGovern.
Because of this brusque tI
ment and the usually cliquish
titude of most of the reporter
was a relief to leave the opi
sive din of the typewriters to s
alone, listening only to the c
ety-clack rhythm of the railr
These moments of isolation
fleeting, however, owing to
intrusion of camera crews ant
the others.
Soon the only respite came I
listening to the candidate him
Like the eye of a hurricane.
Governtwas an island of tran
ity in the midst of turbulence.
like some of the staff which
buttressed him throughout, he
tinually exuded honesty and fri
lness.
AT EACH stop McGovern s
in his midwestern drawl of
and morality. There were freq
biblical allusions, and never
be slip in the swear word or
which Humphrey occasionally
on college campuses.
Most remarkable of all, not
the most jaundiced observers
say that McGovern changed
tune each time he re-entered
train. Somehow this realiza
that he had thus far eluded
cynicism whichhas const
stalked him, renewed my flag
faith in the trip. It provided
impetus to hop aboard again
sit contently until the next st