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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 1970)
’ •••• ■■ «MS> 1 ■ WV. . , Pagre 4 College Station, Texas Tuesday, September 1, 1970 THE BATTALI^)N The right to end the war; is it congressional or presidential? The Senate will vote Tues day on the McGovern-Hatfield amendment, the most controver sial issue in the long debate over U.S. policy in Asia. The opposing positions are outlined in the following articles, writ ten for The Associated Press by a co-author of the amend ment and one of its leading op ponents. By SEN. ROBERT P. GRIFFIN WASHINGTON <A>) — Most Americans want to see an end to our involvement in the Vietnam war. Most Americans would like to see our troops come home as quickly as possible. It is appealing but deceiving to suggest that the war could be ended simply by passing an amendment. Yet, such a proposi tion will come up for a vote in the Senate next week. As originally proposed, the McGovern-Hatfield amendment would require withdrawal of all American forces from Vietnam • Infant's Wear • Gift Items Grandma’s House Ramada Inn Room 110 Earline Gent 846-0132 Free Home Cooked Meal Every Wednesday at Noon Spiritual Boot Camp Also sandwiches, chips and tea each Monday, Tuesday, Thurs day, and Friday during Noon Bible Studies. Baptist Student Union (Student Center One Block North of Post Office) Phone 846-6411 Bob Burch, Director and Bible Teacher BROWN - AIXEN MOTOR CO. OLDSMOBILE SALES - SERVICE ‘Where satisfaction is standard equipment" 2400 Texas Ave. COURT’S SADDLERY.. . by June 30, 1971. In order to at tract a few more votes, the amendment was rewritten in the past few day to extend the with drawal date to Dec. 31, 1971. In still another effort to at tract more support, the amend ment was revised again just be fore it became the pending busi ness before the Senate. The latest version would give the President an additional 60 days on the deadline for with drawal if he found that Ameri can troops were exposed to “un anticipated clear and present danger.” The new version also would freeze into law the President’s announced intention of reducing the troop level in South Vietnam to no more than 280,000 by April 30, 1971. The sponsors, obviously, are trying to make palatable an un palatable product. In the Senate cloakrooms the revised amendment is appropri ately referred to as “the amend ment to extend the war.” That’s exactly what it would do—in ei ther its original or its revised form. As the showdown on this issue approaches, it is well to recall President Nixon’s statement at a press conference as far back as September 26, 1969. “It is my conclusion,” he said, “that if the administration were to impose an arbitrary cutoff time—say, the end of 1970 or the middle of 1971—for the com plete withdrawal of American forces in Vietnam, that inevita bly leads to perpetuating and continuing the war until that time and destroys any chance to reach the objective that I am trying to achieve of ending the war be fore the end of 1970 or before the middle of 1971.” The Hatfield-McGovern Amend ment seeks to impose by legis lative fiat what the adminis tration refused to do. It should be defeated for the same rea son: It could prolong rather than shorten the war. Even the liberally oriented Washington Post has said edito rially that the amendment “is too reckless for serious consider ation.” The amendment all but ignores the fact that the President has embarked on the realistic course of disengaging in Vietnam. More than eight months ago, the Presi dent signalled this turnabout in Vietnam. “We have,” he said, “adopted a plan which we have worked out in cooperation with the South Vietnamese for the complete withdrawal of all U.S. combat forces on an orderly, scheduled timetable. This withdrawal will be made from strength not weak ness. As South Vietnamese forces become stronger, the rate of American withdrawal can become greater.” The President has kept his promise and every schedule he has set has been met. As of now approximately 115,000 troops have been withdrawn from Viet nam. By next April, under the President’s schedule, an addi tional 150,000 troops will have come home. It should be obvious that the administration is moving to bring our involvement in Southeast Asia to an end as soon as pos sible. While no timetable has been announced, and for obvious rea sons none should be, Secretary of State William Rogers and other official spokesmen have made it clear that the administration’s plan is “irreversible” and “con templates the complete withdraw al of the troops in Vietnam.” There is no need at all for a law or anything else seeking to accomplish what already is being done. If we should tie the Presi dent’s efforts to a fixed and pub lic-proclaimed schedule, it would only serve to make an orderly withdrawal more difficult—and, quite possibly, more dangerous for our men in Vietnam. The latest McGovern-Hatfield amendment seems to take note of this in a belated recognition of one of the harsh realities of war. Just as important is the effect of such an amendment on the peace talks which have been re sumed in Paris. Owing to the limited nature of the war in Vietnam, we have committed our selves to a negotiated settlement as the best hope of attaining a just and lasting peace. President Nixon deserves our support in his efforts to end the war in Vietnam. I am confident the Senate will voice that sup port in the vote on this amend ment. By SEN. GEORGE McGOVERN WASHINGTON <A>>_The Mc Govern-Hatfield Amendment, the so-called Amendment to End the War, would accomplish two main purposes: .—It would restore a greater measure of constitutional gov ernment in the United States by providing that the President and the Congress share in the deci sions of war and peace, particu larly in Indochina. —It would establish a fixed timetable for the withdrawal of all American forces from Indo china, thus ending U.S. involve ment in the war and probably hastening the end of all hostili ties. The Constitution gives the Congress the power to raise ar mies, to vote on continued fi nancing for them at least once every two years and most im portant, to declare war. It gives the President the heavy respon sibility of acting as commander in chief of those armed forces. In simple terms, the Constitu tion says that the Congress shall determine whether American troops shall be deployed and the President shall determine how they are deployed. These provi sions ensure a shared responsibili ty over matters of war and peace. The Congress cannot force a President to employ the armed forces; the President cannot com mit them to a war without the consent of Congress. But, in practice, we have stray ed from these constitutional rules over the past few decades. Con gress has failed to exercise its powers, and succeeding presi dents have assumed increasing responsibility for all decisions in volving our armed forces. The war in Indochina is the longest in which the United States has been engaged in our national history and there is no prospect of it ending soon. The time has come for the Congress to reas sume its role and to share the political responsibility with the President for bringing it to an end. By voting to end our involve ment in the Indochina war, the Congress can put a stop to an ill-conceived venture which has divided our nation, cost us 150 billions of dollars and 50,000 young lives. By this act Congress can help us learn a central lesson of this war—that never again should we commit American youths to an undeclared crusade to resolve another people’s civil conflict. Both the President and a great majority of the Congress believe that the Indochina struggle must be settled politically, through ne gotiations, not through a contin uation of the military conflict. Yet the administration seems pre pared to let the war continue in hopes that events on the battle field will in some way bring about a better negotiated settlement. In more than two years, the Paris peace talks have yielded no agreement—other than the shape of the bargaining table. In the meantime, the administration has proposed a policy of Vietnamiza- tion, under which Vietnamese are expected to carry on the fighting while more than a quarter of a million American troops provide them support. And the ultimate withdrawal of American troops has been made a Vietnamese de cision, not an American deci sion, because it is up to the gen erals in Saigon to tell us when our forces are no longer needed. In short, we are asked to con tinue spending American lives and treasure as long as a corrupt military regime in Saigon, a gov ernment which does not enjoy the support of the vast majority of Sen. Robert P. Griffin its people, says we must stay. On the other hand, by setting a timetable for withdrawal, with all American forces out of Indo china by December 31, 1971, we would be telling the Saigon re gime that it must be prepared to defend itself by that time or to come to terms with its challeng ers. This is one way to get mean ingful negotiations under way. In fact, Hanoi and the Viet Cong have repeatedly said in Paris that they would be ready to negotiate as soon as we announce our will ingness to withdraw on a definite timetable. And with an announc ed withdrawal plan, the Viet Cong and Hanoi would have no incen tive to step up military opera tions. The Amendment to End the War would make the withdrawal date effective by cutting off all funds for further military action by American forces after the end of 1971. But funds would remain available for the return of pris oners, asylum for Vietnamese en dangered by the withdrawal and for aid to Vietnam. The President could withdraw the troops in whatever way he saw fit in or der to protect their lives. And the President and Congress could ex tend the withdrawal date if they agreed that the military or po litical situation made an exten sion imperative. The withdrawal of American forces would undoubtedly lead to a new regime in Saigon—almost certainly a coalition government representing major political groups in South Vietnam. Even if the Communists were heavily rep resented in such a coalition, it is not to be assumed that they are the stooges of either Peking or Moscow. We fall into easy and mislead ing rhetoric by branding many nationalistic elements in Vietnam as Communist. A recent poll by the U.S. military command in Sai gon shows that 65 per cent of the South Vietnamese want the United States out of their coun try. They are not all Commu nists! The withdrawal of American forces would undoubtedly lead to a new atmosphere in America. It would help end the division that has torn our nation. Infla tion has taught us that we can not have both guns and butter. We need to end soaring costs and begin meeting the urgent needs of our citizens. The Amendment has a chance Sen. George McGovern of passage in the Senate. If it passes there, it will become part of the Defense Authorization Bill that goes to a conference with representatives of the House. Its fate is unclear. But in any event, the vote on this proposal forces each Senator to face squarely his own responsibility for either continuing or ending the involve ment of American forces in the Indochina conflict. Beyond that, this vote calls upon each Senator to face the issue of constitutional government in our Nation. Area youth to get firearms training Area boys and girls will begin their training in firearms and hunter safety at 10:30 a.m., Sept. 5, announced Sidney L. Loveless, National Rifle Association coun selor. The school will continue through the succeeding two months at Pleasant Acre near Easterwood Airport for those be tween the ages 11 and 19. Nuclear engineering receives grant The Department of Nuclear Engineering has received notifi cation of a $40,5000 grant from the U. S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare for its radiological health specialist training project for 1970-71, ac cording to Dr. R. G. Cochran, head. Dr. Richard D. Neff, associate professor and radiological safety officer, is director of the activity. The funds will provide trainee- ship positions for ten graduate students, Neff said. Neff came here in 1966 from Michigan State University. Space shuttle grant goes to division The university has received a $100,000 grant for continuation of its “space shuttle” research for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Manned Spacecraft Center. Harry Whitmore, director of Texas A&M’s Space Technology Division, said the space shuttle project is part of NASA’s study for an earth-orbital laboratory. Whitmore noted the project in volves design, testing and aero dynamic studies for a reusable craft which is a combination of an airplane and spacecraft. The $100,000 award provides support for the project for the remainder of this year. FOR WESTERN WEAR OR FOR YOUR MARE. •”."r . ’ ' . , . FOR SHOE REPAIR BRING IN A PAIR. 403 N. Main 822-0161 Steam locomotive makes historic ride daily McNARY, Ariz. <A>>_With the roar of steam and the thunder of an old locomotive, a portion of American history moves across a section of northern Arizona daily each summer. The history-maker is the White Mountain Scenic Railway, oper- ^tnrnes umbersritp men’s! toear 329 University Drive 713/846-2706 College Station. Texas 77840 WHEN YOU BUY FROM LOU HE’LL HAVE MONEY TO BUY FROM YOU! North Gate ated by Reed Hatch. The railroad makes daily runs through giant stands of ponder- osa pine and aspen, past rushing streams and giant beaver dams, around tight, twisting curves and over steep mountain grades. The 44-mile, five-hour trip in cludes a stop to take on water for the engine alongside a brook, a place for photographers to take pictures as the hard-working en gine climbs a steep grade, a chance to inspect a beaver dam at close range and countless op portunities to observe wildlife. Hatch, president and chief en gineer of the railroad, began the excursion trips in 1965 after he bought two steam locomotives scheduled for the scrap heap in California, and five coaches from the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Rail road. “I thought when I started this, it would draw lots of kids. Young sters who have never seen a steam engine,” said Hatch. “But, you know, two-thirds of my pas sengers are older adults.” Hatch started his railroading career in the area in 1924. “I started as a helper and by 1926 became a fireman on an old logging railroad near here. “I later worked on the Santa Maria Railroad in California, but left to return here and got into UNIVERSITY TRUST THE MODERN APPROACH TO LIFE INSURANCE FOR COLLEGE PEOPLE Especially Prepared for You by the RESERVE Y2FE INSURANCE COMPANY A Legal Reserve Stock Company HOME OFFICE • DALLAS. TEXAS 75222 Kay Morse representative Ronnie Ingle general agent Jim Kidwell representative other things before the chance came to begin this realroad.” The chance came when South west Forest Industries, operators of the Apache Railway, leased the track to Hatch for his train. For a time, Hatch made his scenic runs in the daytime and the lumber company used the line at night to haul logs to the sawmill at McNary. But when Southwest Forest de termined it was too expensive to operate the logging trains, Hatch’s daily scenic runs became the sole user of the line. “The preservation of a steam locomotive—that was the thought behind the enterprise,” he said. “I know some people think it’s a folly. They told me so. “But you know, a man should not live a life, just to make a pile of money. He ought to spread some joy. He ought to take some risks and realize his rewards in seeing others taking pleasure in his efforts. I know a man, a rich, rich man, who wouldn’t spend a dime. Didn’t have a car or a house. We told him he ought to change his ways. He didn’t and he died, with everything in cash.” Then there’s Reed Hatch, mak ing the bell ring, hand on the throttle, waving at the kids. GOLF GARDEN 19 Hole Miniature Golf Course 2002 E. 29th Bryan, Texas Next To Skyway Twin MONDAYS Ladies Free With Escort SATURDAYS 10:00 to 3:00 Play All The Games You Want For ONLY $1:00 rr per GAME Mon. 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College Ave. Bryan, Texas 77801 Phone 822-5383 Bryan's Leading Independent Volkswagen Service DISCOUNT MEAL COUPON BOOKS ARE ON SALE AT THE FOOD SERVICES MANAGERS OFFICE, MSC "monday^evening SPECIAL BROILED SALISBURY STEAK W/SAUTEED ONIONS Choice of two vegetables Rolls - Butter Tea or Coffee $0.99 TUESDAY EVENING SPECIAL BAKED MEAT LOAF WITH TOMATO SAUCE Rolls - Butter Tea or Coffee and Choice of any two vegetables $0.99 WEDNESDAY EVENING SPECIAL CHICKEN FRIED STEAK WITH CREAM GRAVY Rolls - Butter Tea or Coffee and Choice of any two vegetables $0.99 THURSDAY EVENING SPECIAL ITALIAN CANDLELIGHT DINNER ITALIAN SPAGHETTI Served with Spiced Meat Balls & Sauce Parmesan Cheese Tossed Green Salad Choice of Salad Dressing Hot Garlic Bread Tea or Coffee $0.99 FRIDAY EVENING SPECIAL OCEAN CATFISH FILET Tarter Sauce Cole Slaw Grandma's Cornbread Rolls - Butter Tea or Coffee and Choice of any two vegetables $0.99 SATURDAY SPECIAL NOON AND EVENING GULF SHRIMP Cocktail Sauce French Fried Potatoes Cole Slaw Rolls - Butter Tea or Coffee $0.99 SUNDAY SPECIAL NOON AND EVENING ROAST TURKEY DINNER Served With Cranberry Sauce Cornbread Dressing Rolls - Butter Tea or Coffee Giblet Gravy and your choice of any two vegetables $0.99 For your protection we purchase meats, fish and poultry from Government inspected plants.