The Glacier reporter., 1963-06-13
a MINUTE
WITH MI

again taken 4 prominent place in
the States news spotlight As
usual. the Democrats are lined
up solldly in favor OF its con
,tructiOn and the Republicans
IRE set against IT,
In a resent poll conducted by
Congressman Jim Battin. he re-
ports that in reoly to the ques-
uO1raire he sent out 1925 were
against the construction. 81
faI Inrpd il. and ) wanted more in
formation
Poll or no poll politics or no
politics We hsye made il q pOiEt
10 clcstIy observe public OPT lions
through our exchange papers.
and through this medium Il
would appear that Nr. Battin's
poll Is about as correct as could
be secured
Thesl things, particularly wheH
hey involve big money and sew
eral Dig contractors. get badly
msuled and mixed up il politics.
and right or wrong. there are
influence peddlers on both sides
uhO stard TO make big gains
and. therefore offer nice fat u1-
der,,he-table handouts
We couldn't say this was the
case in the Knowles Dam pro
posed project. but IL is very evi-
dent that our Democratic sOlons
are not following the will Of the
people Why il should be that
the Democrats are ninety nine
per cent Of the time on one side
of the fence and the Republicans
on the other. We will never know.
What a difference 1t would make
TO US and our pOcketbOOks If both
parties pulled in the same direc
ton the direction the tax
payers favor. After all. that is
why they were elected 10 office.
Both sides invariably come up
with a briefcase full OF figures.
each claiming 10 be solid proof
Of the right Well. we never put
tco much stock in the estimated
costs or savings. in dollars and
cents as presented by any polite
ian they got them from some
one else. who in turn got them
from someone else. and 50 down
the line until We finally run out
OF someone elses The main
course is the one favOTing tn he|
majority OF the taxpayers. and
that in this case. ceretainly IS
against the construction OF
Knowles Dam 10 be operated by
the federal government on tax
free basis that has been banded
around 10 show that the govern
me1t can produce a product at a
lower cost than private operators
Il jus; can't be done.
Il appears that Governor Wal
lace OF Mississippi has lost his
o1e-msn stand agains: the entry
Of negro students into the univer-
sity Il certainly wasn't because
the E3vCr rnOr didn't fulfill his.
promise TO enforce a 0ne-man
blockade. nor because he didn't
have the backing OF the Stat
National Guard unit. W hem
President Kennedy natiOnaliZei
the guard unit. thus taking them
cut OF st1te control and putting
them uEder his own orders. there
seemed little the governor could
do but 60 hCme and mix himsel!
. good stiff drink
This whole integratiOn problem
is q disgrace. and we feel that
II Kennedy was as anxious to-
travel to Tuscaloosa and sit down
with the governor and talk Il out
as ne is anxious 10 fly around
the country on vacation weckends
making political speeches under
the disguise OF the nations
business. and al the taxpayers eX-
pense. the whole affair could well
have been settled 10 everyOCe's
satisfaction and without the fed
eralizirg OF armed forces.
We believe in eTual rights fer
every American -ilizen. but there
IS 4 right way a1d wrong way 70.
60 about il and certainly the
way It has Been and is being
ha-dled is no credit 10 either
side.
The administration Wednesday
suffered a major setback in the
defeat Of Kennedy's Depressed
Areas Program Expansion "a new
version Of the cid Roosevelt PWA
and WPAl. This IS a direct re-
suit of the southern integration
problem and the presidents &C
ton. The southern Democrats
lined up with the Republicans and
others opposing the bill and
brought the roof down on the
administration TO hand them the
major defeat Of the year. other
than the Wheat Referendum 3.
II Just may 60 on and on that way
until Kennedy decides TO take
off the iron glove.