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sese
Karat
s Pen
Che Battalion
College Station, Texas
Friday, December 6, 1974
Public prayers still allowed;
27-31 decision settles issue
By TERESA COSLETT
Staff Writer
A resolution replacing public
irayer before university functions
ith a minute of silent meditation
as defeated at Thursday night’s
tudent senate meeting.
The roll call vote was 31 no, 27
es, 2 abstentions and 2 absentee
otes.
JeffDunn, student vice president
f academic affairs, who wrote the
•esolution, said its scope was li-
nited to public prayer not private
studies or activities in the All
aiths Chapel.
Debate centered on whether
ablic prayer at a public institution
mpinges on minority rights.
Student President Steve
berhard compared the resolution
the academic freedom resolution
ecently passed by the senate sup-
wrting production of Marat-Sade.
“We have to protect minority
ights,” he said.
Dunn said, “The resolution is not
a threat to religion or tradition. It
guarantees self determination.”
“Nobody’s being persecuted,”
said Tony Pelletier, senior senator
from the Corps living area.
John Nash, student vice presi
dent of external affairs, said the
issue was supporting a philosophical
underpinning of separation of
church and state.
Senator Susan Fontaine said,
“Nobody is being denied anything.
A person doesn’t have to listen to
the prayers.”
Senator Troie Pruett said she
didn’t see how forbidding prayer
could be called religious freedom.
Senator Rajesh Kent said, “Yes,
the majority rules, but we re talking
about minority rights.”
Senator Cecil Albrecht said to be
consistent the bill should eliminate
silent prayer also since it would be
tiiding religion. He said, “aprayer is
a prayer.”
Also at the meeting the senate
passed by voice vote a resolution
calling for the Student Service Fee
Allocation Committee to consider
an athletic “user fee” proposal.
Such a user fee would mean foot
ball and basketball would be par
tially financed by home game tick
ets. This could make possible a re
duction in student service fees
which now support men’s intercol
legiate athletics.
Author of the bill, Curt Marsh,
student vice president of finance
said he envisioned a system like
shuttle bus which is partly financed
by student service fees and partly by
the students using it.
Marsh’s Student Service Fee Al
location Committee will recom
mend its user fee proposal to the
senate next semester.
Also carried by voice vote was a
resolution committing the senate to
financially back the coming Mike
Murphy concert co-sponsored by
Student Government Radio and
Town Hall.
The resolution commits the se
nate to back student government
radio for up to 60 percent losses in
case the concert loses money.
Student Government Radio will
receive 60 percent of the profit for
station improvements.
A third resolution passing by
voice vote provided for setting up a
student government book exchange
next semester.
The exchange will be funded out
of senate savings and refrigerator
profits. It will buy texts back at 60
percent of original retail and resell
them at 65 percent.
The University Book Exchange
buys used books at 50 percent cost
and resells them for 75 percent.
In another resolution carried by
voice vote, the senate decided to
purchase a non-pay phone for the
library due to the long lines at the
one non-pay phone now available.
The phone will cost $8.50 for in
stallation, $5.00 per month and be
paid for from the Refrigerator Ac
count.
Also at the meeting, the senate
approved Eberhard’s appointment
of Beverly Bams as a senior senator
from the College of Agriculture.
Eberhard announced vacancies
in the following senate seats,
sophomore Education; junior,
Corps; graduate. Agriculture;
junior. Liberal Arts; under
graduate, off-campus; and
University-Owned Apts.
Applications for these senate pos
itions will be open until Dec. 20.
Photo by Jack Holm
Jeff Dunn presents prayer bill
Freshman officers elected;
results clouded by appeals
A freshman president, vice presi
dent and secretary-treasurer were
selected in fish run offs Dec. 5.
Elected president was Mark
Toppert with 347 votes running
against Brandon Coleman with 176.
Iredibility questioned
Sirica says Nixon
not needed at trial
WASHINGTON (AP) — The
Vatergate cover-up trial will end
without the testimony of former
resident Richard M. Nixon, U.S.
District Judge John J. Sirica ruled
m Thursday.
Declaring that Nixon’s testimony
|s not indispensable or necessary,
irica said much of what Nixon
nows has been or can be obtained
ram other wihiesses, including the
ive defendants.
Beyond that, the judge said,
J irons testimony is not required
muse the former president’s cre-
ibility as a witness is in doubt.
Noting that Nixon is among 20
nindicted co-conspirators in the
ase, Sirica said the former presi-
lent “has been accused, in effect, of
leing an accomplice of the defen-
lants."
“Certainly . . . his testimony
rould be subject to the instruction
o the jury that it should be received
vith caution and scrutinized with
are,” Sirica said.
The 61-year-old Nixon, recover-
ngathis San Clemente, Calif, es-
atefrom complications of a chronic
ihlebitis condition, was sub-
wenaed last September by trial de-
endant and former White House
lide John D. Ehrlichman.
Ehrlichman opened his case
Thursday, and among the first wit
nesses called by his lawyer was
brmer White House special coun-
el Charles W. Colson.
Colson, also an unindicted co-
ranspirator in the cover-up case, is
urrently serving a prison term for a
related Watergate offense.
Although a defense witness, Col
son provided damaging testimony
against three of the defendants.
When he had finished, Associate
Prosecutor James F. Neal declared
to Ehrlichman’s lawyer: "If you’re
gonna call more witnesses like that
we ll take ’em all. ”
In late January 1973, Colson said
he refused a request from former
White House counsel John W.
Dean III that he talk with William
O. Bittman, then Watergate con
spirator E. Howard Hunt’s lawyer.
Colson said he sounded out the
lawyer on Hunt’s status only after
Dean obtained word from Ehrlich
man that it was all right to see Bitt
man.
Hunt was then standing trial for
the original Watergate break-in and
was demanding hundreds of
thousands of dollars for the Water
gate defendants. Previous tes
timony has shown that high-ranking
Nixon administration officials be
lieved Hunt was about to tell federal
prosecutors about links from the
break-in to the White House.
Assistant Prosecutor Richard
Ben-Veniste said Colson, Ehrlich
man and Dean were all “afraid Hunt
would be so distraught he might
make the best deal he could by tel
ling what he knew.”
The prosecutor asked Colson the
purpose of meeting with Bittman.
Colson, who got Hunt his first
White House job, said Dean and
Ehrlichman “wanted Hunt to know
I was still his friend.”
Colson said that while Ehrlich
man wanted him to eet with Hunt’s
lawyer, he cautioned Colson not to
make any commitments to Hunt, a
retired CIA agent.
Under questioning by Mitchell’s
lawyer, William G. Hundley, Col
son said he urged that the guilty
persons in the Watergate scandal
should turn themselves in.
Initially, in his six-page order,
Sirica granted a request from
Nixon’s lawyer, Herbert J. Miller,
that subpoenas for his client’s tes
timony be dismissed.
The order also ruled out the pos
sibility that Nixon might answer
written questions about his party in
the cover-up.
Three court-appointed car
diovascular specialists recom
mended on Nov. 29 that Nixon not
be required to provide even limited
testimony before Jan. 6 — about
two weeks after the trial now is ex
pected to end.
m4 i
, A
Elected vice president was Mark
Sicilio with 277 votes running
against Chris Southworth with 244.
Elected secretary-treasurer was
Susan Kelly with 281 votes running
against Charlie Brown with 227.
The election was held despite an
injunction issued to halt it.
Judicial Board member Mike
Perrin issued the injunction be
cause of complaints from Jim Craw
ley and Douglas Winship about lack
of notification in The Battalion.
Perrin said the judicial board will
hear appeals by Winship, Crawley
and Susan Warren, election com
mission chairman, concerning the
election results Monday, De
cember 9, at 7:30 p.m. in the stu
dent government conference room.
Murder trial results
in Maddox acquittal
By STEVE GRAY
Staff Writer
A verdict of not guilty was re
turned Thursday afternoon in the
murder trial of Bob Maddox in 85th
District Court in Bryan.
A seven-woman, five-man jury
acquitted Maddox, 20, of Navasota,
after deliberating for about two
hours. He had been charged in the
stabbing death of Charles Greer of
Bryan April 27 in the parking lot
outside of the Zipper Lounge on
Highway 6 across from the Texas
World Speedway.
Maddox had been on trial since
Tuesday afternoon when testimony
began. The case was presided over
by visiting 20th District Court
Judge W. C. Wallace of Cameron.
Greer died during a fight involv
ing his brothers, his cousins, Mad
dox and some ofhis friends. Maddox
voluntarily turned himself in the fol
lowing day to Grimes County
Sheriff John Darby.
Maddox testified Wednesday that
he stabbed Greer in self-defense
after Greer had swung at him twice
and hit him once while the two were
scuffling on the ground. He said he
did not report the incident to police
because he became afraid and was
unable to think coherently.
Maddox’s testimony was the last
before his attorneys, Richard Fields
of Conroe and Neeley Lewis of Col
lege Station, rested their case for
the defense. District Attorney Tom
McDonald and his assistant, Brad
ley Smith, questioned the final wit
ness for the prosecution Wednesday
morning.
Both sides presented final argu
ments Thursday before the case
went to the jury about 11 a.m.
Puryear asks longer
dorm visitation hours
Fender bender
Rain and heavy mist made the Bryan-College Sta
tion roads hazardous yesterday. There were sev
eral minor accidents reported. This one at West
Gate was a little different. The driver’s father
owns a body shop.
Photo by Glen Johnson
By JUDY BAGGETT
Staff Writer
Extension of Puryear’s visitation
hours was requested by Ed Min-
nich, Puryear resident advisor (RA),
at Thursday night’s Residence Hall
Association (RHA) meeting.
The RA staff of Puryear agreed
unanimously to ask for visitation to
start at 10 a.m. instead of noon dur
ing the week. Picking up dates for
lunch, returning class notes and
study materials would be easier, he
explained.
Also, the RA staff wants hours ex
tended during the week from 9p.m.
to 10 p.m. because many people
watch television in their rooms and
the movies are not over until 10
p.m.
Ron Blatchley, RHA advisor, saidi
that minor changes such as this
could be done in his office.
RHA decided to take the proposal
to the visitation hours committee
whose purpose is to get 24-hour visi
tation in the dorms.
In addition to the visitation hours
committee, plans have been made
to form liquor on campus and dorm
spirit committees.
The main objective of the dorm
spirit committee is to run a civilian
for yell leader. A civilian yell leader
promotes spirit among the civilian
dorms, one member said.
Also at the meeting Tim Jordan,
casino chairman, told plans for ob
taining a group for the RHA
weekend concert. Among sugges
tions were the Beach Boys and
Bachman Turner Overdrive.
r
Today_
Inside
County Commissioners .p. 3
Art sale p. 3
Basketball p. 6
Weather
Gradually clearing Friday,
becoming partly cloudy and
mild. Fair and mild
throughout the weekend.
High today 73°; low tonite
45°; high Saturday 68°.
y
Tax reform coming?
Mills’ expected replacement promises bill
WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Al
Ullman, the probable next chief of
the House Ways and Means Com
mittee, predicted Thursday that
“we re going to get a tax reform bill
next year and it will be a good one.’
The Oregon Democrat who is ex
pected to succeed the hospitalized
Rep. Wilbur Mills, D-Ark ., as
chairman of the tax-writing commit
tee, also told reporters that new
kinds of taxes are possible. Furth
ermore, he said, “next year we have
to produce a national health plan.”
Ullman’s comments came as Mills
remained in Bethesda Naval Hospi
tal, reportedly under sedation for an
undisclosed illness. He entered the
hospital Tuesday following a
weekend journey to Boston where
he visited stripper Fanne Foxe.
Hospital authorities said Mills
would be allowed no visitors except
his wife.
Along with making his first exten
sive comments on his plans, Ullman
predicted Congress in the final
weeks of this year will pass the
committee-approved, multibillion -
dollar package of oil tax hikes and
some tax cuts for millions of average
Americans.
“I want to get that behind us,”
Ullman said at an informal news
conference. “It is a good bill, it sol
ves a lot of problems.”
The bill would eventually end
petroleum producers’ major tax
saving depletion allowance, impose
a temporary new levy on windfall
profits of oilmen, give individual
Americans who do not itemize their
tax returns a boost in minimum and
maximum standard deductions, and
hike the investment tax credit for
public utilities from 4 per cent to 7
per cent.
With passage of this, Ullman said.
“then, we’ve got a tremendous lot of
work to do” on taxes, health and
welfare issues. He indicated a look
must be made at the basic tax sys
tem itself and the ways the govern
ment raises its revenue.
On health insurance, he said, “I
don’t believe in payroll taxes . . .
but we’d have to find some other
financial mechanism. I think it
would be a disaster to dip into gen
eral revenues.”
In addition, Ullman said, the
committee must look into Social
Security issues “and I think we’ve
got to go to welfare reform. We may
not get a welfare reform bill next
year but we’ve got to begin it” for
action the following year.
As for the tax bill, he said “our
goal is action by July. Asked about
chances for any across-the-board in
come tax cut, Ullman said he does
not favor it and “I see no possibility
of that.”
Furthermore, he said he is “not a
great believer in the surtax as re
cently proposed by President Ford
because it would underscore “ine
quity of the income tax. ” He said an
“overreliance on the income tax . . .
brings a shelter problem.”