420 Maynard Street, Ann Arbor, Mich. Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan Editorials printed in The Michigan Doily express the individual opinions of the author. This must be noted in aol reprints. Tuesday, May 11, 1971 News Phone: 764-0552 NIGHT EDITOR: ROBERT SCHREINER An instructive lesson WHEN STUDENTS at a local junior high school were de- nied permission to hold an anti-war program in their auditorium last week, organizers of the assembly claimed it was a violation of their First Amendment rights. While this point is debatable, the circumstances surrounding this arbitrary administrative decision suggest improprie- ties whose basis is less subject to question. The school, Scarlett Junior High School, has a chap- ter of the Student Mobilization Committee which has reg- ular status as a student group, including a faculty advisor, Gail Reed. R e e d says SMC received permission to have the program several weeks ago and that there was never any question about the program's approval until last Wed- nesday, when principal Joseph Vachon denied the group's request. Vachon claimes the request was invalid because it was never "formally" submitted to him in writing. Yet in recent memory, written requests for assemblies have nev- er been required. In addition, Vachon cites school regula- tions requiring parental permission for any students to attend an assembly and the need for submitting cost esti- mates. However, all evidence indicates Vachon made no attempt to inform Reed or her group of these rules or the degree to which they would be applied. While admitting that the group would have had to send flyers to every student's home for written parental approval, Vachon made no move toward assuring materials or equipment would be provided for this operation. As'if to make these bureaucratic hurdles more formi- dable, Vachon remained silent and pleasantly aloof until it was too late for SMC to comply with the regulations. Vachon knew whatever costs incurred for the program were going to be met by a student bake sale - the school system's secondary council (of which Vachon is a mem- ber) had approved the bake sale weeks before with the understanding that SMC was likely to use this money for paying program costs. Yet Vachon did not issue his order denying permission for the assembly until last Wednes- day, two days before the program. PERHAPS VACHON'S machinations become more under- standable in light of the beliefs of the program's main speaker, Peter Camejo. Camejo is a prominent socialist and anti-war activist who was in town for a campus con- ference. As it became more clear Camejo would be able to come and speak - including planned talks at a t h e r schools - school administrators became more nervous. Pioneer High School principal Theodore Rokicki received a newspaper clipping from an obscure eastern newspaper which attacked Camejo. He forwarded it on to Vachon. Then, Vachon says, "my suspicions were certainly aroused." Aroused so much he sent copies of the article to other faculty and was used in his announcement of his de- nial to SMC members. And, although he said the decision to bar Camejo was his alone and affected only his school, the note he sent to Reed said the ban was effective "sys- tem-wide." If the decision to b a n the assembly was Vachon's alone, how could the ban be effective (as his note states) "system-wide?" And, if Vachon's denial was based only on the lack of "adequate" information in his students' request, how is it that Vachon's note to Reed announcing his decision at- tributed the denial to new "information" that reached his office? One can only deduce that, despite Vachon's denials, his decision to prohibit the assembly was a political one - one which was implemented effectively but one which nevertheless underscores a basic lack of honesty and de- mocracy in school decision-making. FOR THE YOUNG students denied the right to h e a r those they wish, last week's decision should be one of the more instructive lessons at Scarlett.- -MARK DILLEN Suimner Editorial Staff STEVE KOPPMAN LARRY LEMPERT Co-Editor Co-Editor ROBERT CONROw ..... . ................... ............. Books Editor JIltSJUDI~S .............. .... ....... ... ...Photograpihy Editor NIGHT EDITORS. Roan Sue Berstein, Mark Dillen, Jonathan Miller, Robert Schreiner, Geri Sprung ASSISTANT NIGRT ECITORS: Juanita Anderson, Anita Crone, Jim Irwin, Alan Leohoff, Curia Parks Summer Sports Staff RICK CORNFELD... ................ ........Sports Editor SANDI GENIS........................... Associate Sports Editor Summer Business Staff JIM STOREY... . ......... Buiness Manager JANET ENOL.......................... ........ Diaplay Advertiasang FRAN HYMAN ... .......... .................... . . .. Classified Advertising BECKY VAB TDYKE............................. Circuitaion Department BILL ABBOTT.............................. ..OGenerai Office Asitant Railpax: Knight or dragon? By P. E. BAUER WHILE MOST OF THE city slept, the Norfolk & Western's Wabash Cannonball pulled out of Union Station in Detroit at 6:15 a.m. to begin her last run to St. Louis. Only about 100 were present for that final boarding, a mixture of nostalgic old men, kids who had never before ridden a train, sea- soned railroad buffs, employes, and a few news- men. The formerly luxurious Cannonball, which had weathered many battles to remove her in the past, left the station with only two coaches, one dinette car, and an engine. She was beaten at last. THE WABASH CANNONBALL, along with about S20 other of the nation's passenger trains, was re- moved from- the tracks on May 1 as Norfolk and Western became a member of the newly formed government National Rail Passenger Corporation, otherwise known variously as Railpax and Amtrak. As a result of the changeover which occurred in most American railroad companies, about half of the country's inter-city rail passenger service is gone; with six states now totally without passenger service. Many major urban areas have been similarly de- prived. Fifteen cities in the lower peninsula of Michigan now have no passenger service, with only one inter-city route remaining open, a Detroit- Chicago run, which includes stops in Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Jackson, and Ann Arbor. All of these changes have come about as a result of the government's efforts to create the nation's first unified coast-to-coast system of passenger serv- ice. Railpax, created by Congress last year, has established the policy that the government will save railroad passenger service even if it means running it themselves. To this end, it intends to eliminate the financial losses of privately owned railroads on inter-city passenger lines, and concentrate rail serv- ice on large urban areas. presumably promoting national advertising and new innovations in railroading, inter-city passenger serv- ice is currently reduced by one-half and there are no promises being made as to the interval which the public will have to wait for the return of "re- tired" runs. Six states and many major urban areas, most notably Cleveland, are left with no inter-city passenger service whatsoever. Ostensibly, this will give Railpax the time and financial resources to better publicize their facili- ties and attract many who would otherwise resort to other modes of transportation. Actually, how- ever, this will probably discourage rather than en- courage people to travel by rail. With few routes offered, poor connections, and the possibility of over- night stopovers in small rural hamlets, it is doubt- ful that the best advertising scheme could persuade the American public to take the train. In order to compete successfully with the car and the airplane, trains must offer cheap, punctual routes that lead to places where people want to.go. As it is, rail travel is the most expensive type for long-distance travel. While Railpax has definitely committed itself to providing speedy service, no promises have yet been made as to the quality of that service, nor has any mention been made of the role of the passenger in routing of trains under the auspices of the corporation. The current route system designed by Railpax will definitely be inconvenient for long-distance r a i1 travel, with few provisions for effectively changing that condition. "You can't get there from here," will be a cliche frequently mouthed by, ticket takers around the country if, indeed, the public is even ambitious enough to ask. The formation of Railpax and the implementation of its plans have not gone unquestioned, to say the least. Many people, especially those railroad em- ployes displaced by recent changes, claim that the a The procedure planned for achieving these goals was a relatively simple one. The government-ap- pointed Railpax board decided which inter-city pas- senger lines had to be retained. Railroad companies which then joined Railpax were permitted to dis- continue all rail passenger service except that deem- ed essential by the Board. Losses sustained by companies on these lines are to be absorbed by Railpax: ICC approval is no longer necessary for the discontinuance of passenger service of member companies, while all companies which are not mem- bers are required by ICC regulations to maintain their passenger service in its present status until 1975. Because the dues for joining Railpax are considerably less in most cases than the projected financial losses of continued passenger service, most of the nation's railroad companies have joined and passenger service has been cut to approximately that prescribed by the Railpax board. It is still possible for passenger service not prescribed in Railpax's projected routing system to be added or maintained by railroad companies. But on these lines, Railpax will absorb only one third of the loss. Service will be supplied if a state, region, local agency, or city will agree to absorb two thirds of the deficit incurred by it. "It lays the foundation for what in my opinion is destined to become the all-time comeback in the history of American transportation," says David Kendall, chairman of Railpax board and former Chrysler executive. Kendall is hoping that Railpax can deliver better service on what remains of the railway passenger system, attract more passengers, and thus make rail travel a more popular and lucrative mode of transportation. ALTHOUGH RAILPAX appears at first to be a chivalrous knint in shining armor for the languishing. railroad companies of the United States, it's possible that it may be just another dragon in disguise. While Railpax is railroad companies are not really losing money on passenger service as they have frequently claimed, but are instead figuring their losses so it will appear that way. This way, they would be free to turn to freight, a more lucrative pursuit. Others, while admitting the need to salvage the country's passenger service, object to Railpax on other grounds. Railpax succeeded, they say, in draw- ing members not through any promises of restoring the American rail system to greatness but through offering a successful method for members to escape the jurisdiction of the ICC and thus cut their fin- ~ ancial losses. Now neither Railpax's fares nor its service is subject to the ICC or to any other agency. The Secretary of Transportation instead has the ultimate authority to specify routes and service. He mayoverrule the Railpax board, and his decision is not subject to change by Congress or review by court. More serious accusations have been levelled against Railpax for a variety of reasons, the most note- worthy of those by Senator Mike Mansfield (D- Mont.). He called Railpax an "outrage," adding "I think Railpax is going to increase unemployment, de- crease revenue for local governments in such states as my own, and add to the gravity of the (economic) situation." Mr. Mansfield's state of Montana is now one of six states in the nation with no passenger service. IT IS obvious that the rail passenger service in this country has been severely jeopardized by a great many factors since the days of its prime. Railpax is to be lauded for its intentions to save this facet of railroading, but not for the methods of salvation offered thus far. It appears that Railpax has created for itself problems as great as those which it ariginally con- fronted. Whether it will be able to surmount them remains to be seen.