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