Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 23, 1976)
Page 2A THE BATTALION FRIDAY, APRIL 23, 1976 Democratic race muddled Associated Press WASHINGTON — With nearly one-third of the delegates to the Democratic National Convention selected, frontrunner Jimmy Carter would have to more than double his delegate capture rate to assure him self a first-ballot nomination for pres ident. For the other contenders, the numerical task is even tougher. Bandwagons and political fires torms, of course, can wreck delegate trends and projections. But the pat tern of the first one-third of the race illustrates how difficult it will be for any candidate to win on the first bal lot. The picture is different on the Re publican side, where President Ford is leading in delegates selected and the candidate preferences are not as fragmented as on the Democratic side. Although challenger Ronald Reagan says the COP nominee will not be picked on the first ballot, he has not explained how, with only two candidates in the race, neither will get a majority on the first ballot. Before last weekend’s events. Democrats had selected 943 of the 3,008 delegates to their July conven tion. That’s 31.4 per cent. It will take I, 505 votes to win the nomination. Carter, with 264 delegates, led the pack — but still had won only 28.0 per cent of the delegates so far chosen. To capture the 1,505 needed to win the nomination, he would have to be the candidate of 60 per cent of the remaining delegates yet to be chosen. Sen. Henry M. Jackson is winning delegates at an 18.8 per cent rate. Rep. Monis K. Udall at 13.7 per cent, and Gov. George C. Wallace at II. 0 per cent. But one in every six delegates cho sen so far is listed as uncommitted. This group, plus the assortment of delegates committed to favorite sons and trailing candidates, will be targets of the leaders. But some of them also are regarded as an advance force ready to rally to the support of unannounced candidate Sen. Hubert H. Humphrey. Ford now is moving at a pace which, if sustained, woidd almost certainly guarantee victory. The GOP has selected 531 of its 2,259 delegates, or 23.5 per cent. Ford has won 47.7 per cent of those, Reagan only 15.6 per cent. The other 36.7 per cent are committed. If only one in every 15 of the un- committeds leans toward Ford, then he has an effective majority of dele gates picked to date. Unless a third candidate gets into the race, there is nowhere for the uncommitteds to go except to Ford or Reagan — meaning one or the other woidd win on the first ballot unless some delegates didn’t vote at all. Army starts language program Associated Press BERLIN — After three decades of service in Germany, the U.S. Army has launched a mandatory program to teach its troops the language of the host country. The educational work done in the Berlin Brigade is held up as a model of what can be accomplished in clas sroom work now under way at all Army installations in West Ger many. The Army also is taking steps to expose new commanders to Ger man before they leave the United States. Getting often reluctant GIs to study German is a pet project of Gen. George S. Blanchard, com mander of U.S. Army Europe. In a West Berlin interview, Blan chard said he has broadened an orig- inal 40- to 50-hour concept for younger new arrivals to include a mandatory program of up to 120 hours of instruction for senior offic ers and noncommissioned officers. The Army chief of staff, Blanchard said, has approved giving all new battalion, brigade and division level commanders assigned to Germany a 120-hour course at the Army lan guage school in the United States before they depart for Germany. This program takes full effect July 1. A knowledge of German is indis pensable to better community rela tions as well as important operation ally, Blanchard declared. He said that added language capa bility is but another logical step for the Army in Europe as it becomes more qualified in its men and much better equipped. On the personal side, Blanchard added, it becomes a question of help ing to give, especially to the young soldiers in Germany, a sense of fit ting in among the German popula tion. “I’ve never seen an American sol dier who has a good German friend who is unhappy in Germany,’’ the four-star commander observed. Blanchard said the most effective teacher he has seen so far was a young German girl teaching at one Army post. “The; first thing she taught the sol diers was how to meet a young Ger man girl without getting their faces slapped,” he said. “You don’t just say, ‘Hello, Baby’.’’ Blanchard maintained that changed times, tighter money, fewer marks to the dollar and other influences have caused the GI in Germany to turn in on himself more and more. But, he said, the effort to get the men out of the barracks and circulat ing is an objective that must be un dertaken . Sgt. l.C. James White of Louis ville, Ky., who is taking the course in West Berlin, said: “I’ve been in Germany 11 years, three tours, and this is the first time I ever studied German. Before I learned it all mixed up. This program is straightening it out for me. But how well it comes across is still up to the ability and interest of the guy taking the course.” Che Battalion Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the editor or of the writer of the article and are not necessarily those of the university administration or the Board of Regents. The Battalion is a non-profit, self supporting enterprise operated by student as a university and community newspaper. Editorial policy is determined by the editor. Represented nationally by National Educational Advertising Serv ices, Inc., New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester; $33.25 per school year; $35.00 per Rill year. All subscriptions subject to 5% sales tax. Advertising rate Rirnished on request. Address: The Battalion, Room 217, Services Building, College Station, Texas 77843. LETTERS POLICY Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words and are subject to being cut to that length or less if longer. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit such letters and does not guarantee to publish any letter. Each letter must be signed, show the address of the writer and list a telephone number for verification. The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to the use for repro duction of all news dispatched credited to it or not otherwise credited in the paper and local news of spontaneous origin pub lished herein. Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein are also reserved. Second-Class postage paid at College Station, Texas. Address correspondence to Listen Up, The Battalion, Room 217, Services Building, College Station, Texas 77843. Editor Managing Editor City Editor .... Campus Editor . Sports Editor . . . Photo Director . . News Editor . . . Jerry Needham • Richard Chamberlain Jamie Aitken Kevin Venner Paul Arnett Jim Hendrickson Llovd Liety David S. B voder Reasons for increased congressional retirements deserve closer scrutiny B Mr. 5 Pals an on the i |jvious t and th< WASHINGTON — In a week like last week, when the presidential candidates were making little news, some newspapers deemed it a story of front-page importance that re tirements from Congress have reached a record high. They were right in the significance they attached to that trend, but not for the reason you might think. There is no danger that Capitol Hill will be depopulated to the point that the housing market in Washington will collapse. But the reasons for the retirements are important, and so are some of the consequences — both good and evil. First, let’s get the picture in perspective. The announcement that put the story on Page 1 — the straw that broke the editors’ indif ference, so to speak — was that of Rep. Joe Karth of Minnesota. The St. Paul Democrat was the 44th member of the House to an nounce his retirement at the end of this session. Along with the eight announced Senate retirees, that makes 52 members of Congress who are voluntarily quitting — either to run for other offices or to return to civilian life. That beats the previous record of 51 who left in 1974. The rate of retirements has obvi ously been on the increase in recent years — a fact which can he attri buted both to the increasing hazards of the political game and the im proved pensions members of Con gress voted themselves a few years back. But the figures still mean that nine out of ten House members and three out of four Senate members whose terms expire this year are, as of now, planning to run for reelec tion. It is largely members who already have given their best years to Con gress who are stepping down. The eight senators average 20 years of service in that body and all of them held prior public office. Seven of the eight ai-e past the normal retirement age in private industry and the eighth has only one year to wait for Social Security. The retiring House members pre sent a greater age range, for a sig nificant number of them are running for other offices — governor or senator. They cite two sorts of reasons for quitting. One is the in creasing political hazard or pressure in their jobs. The ceaseless demands of constituents plus the unforeseen risks of politics — which burdened the Democrats with George McGovern in 1972 and the Republi cans with Watergate in 1974 — all make the game uncomfortable for some members and their families. That argument will not — and should not — elicit too much sym pathy. Constituent demands grow razos Valley Art League presents May 8 and 9 County Courthouse 9am —6pm iriniE ie a ie Happy Hour 4:30p.m.-7 p.m. Live Entertoinment Thurs., Fri. ( Sat. TWO BIT MARY 12:00 A.M. TO 1:00 P.M. Fine Dining in a Rustic Railroad Atmosphere FEATURING PRIME RIB 5-10 P.M. AT THE Aggieland Inn 1502 S. Texas Ave. AGGIE CINEMA presents % SHAMPOO Fri., Sat. 8 and 10 P.M. April 23, 24 Theater .00 proportionately with the size of the government that Congress has created, and members of Congress should not be immunized from the consequences of their own bureauc ratic creations. Nor is the answer to keep expanding congressional staffs; Capitol Hill is quite bureaucratic enough already. The financial squeeze is real for members with young families, but the recent automatic cost-of-living salary adjustment is a better protec tion against inflation than most of the constituents enjoy. Nor should we weep when the congressmen are afflicted with “extraneous” political burdens, be it an unpopular nominee or a scandal in their party’s administration. It is, after all, their party. But there are also some retirees who speak of their frustration as legislators. Because these include many of the younger men of real talent who are leaving the House, these complaints deserve greater consideration. Some Democrats who were in line to become committee chairmen in the near future are leaving without achieving that status, observing that recent House rules changes have left too many chairmen with authority that falls well short of their responsi bility. Some Republicans have said those same “reforms have diminished the shop? 61 capacity of minority party [ Fair, to contribute to the legisli "Lool cess, by bringing an airo pants ai ated partisanship to eve observe li mi nary bill-drafting prodgjSure the subcommittee level. Bgator Some retirees in both ftlthat re; the House and Senate: they ar spaired of the CongresH‘1 m; rationalizing its committee 'jphotogi enough to enable its meit|ine -1 E focus on the real policy promt Am ’ ing the nation. people These complaints areseni Spea justify the Joint Coininitteejdoll dr gressional Operations lioldi;, tunic, ings on the views of them “I e members. Bnes But, again, it is well to I-“Beopl retirement phenomenon inn ofafrh tive. A 10 percent voluntary; dressei in congressional inemberslii| sign ilk two years is not excessive:it ways w is needed to keep the Guidancei touch with a changing count now, v Retirements provide (Ik fulfill 1 seats where most of tluHBen changes in Congress ocrnKiw \ make the elections more# Berry tive. And retirements alsoo| her ur way for advancement up con ago w ladders, a necessary incentBork; continued service bvother s out of a s mem tiers. h What we have in short.■pent; wave of congressional retirr job las is big news that, blessedly.iv wante news. ■ ‘ I r |adg< ••♦• •••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••Mill t H • • • • • • • • • • ••••••••I Bei dolls NOW AVAILABLE IN COLLEGE STATIO B roa< series I “I tume PASSPORT PHOTOS IN LIVING COLOR — INSTANT UNIVERSITY STUDIO 115 College Main • Northgate • 846-8019 Fit • •••••••••••••••^••••••••••••••••••••••••••••ii • ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••MU Discotheque Upstoirs Introduces shov The Munchie Shoppe Hot Sandwiches Ham T urkey Roast Beef Call Hot Coffee Pius AFTER HOURS ENTERTAINMENT Friday 9 P.M.-1:30 A.M. Saturday 9 P.M.-2:30 A.M. At The AGGIELAND INN 1502 TEXAS AVE. mrrmnmTTm W PetefCUVSN 4Hl> JsntaMTisd ofjefidfAuL Atwmtb BYTHt mATetSFW Al/IUM ofCMkldjon uttm m biktcrisd of THE At4P#U/f bf INTERNATIONAL SERIES TUES. 8:00 P.M. APRIL 27 THEATER $1.00 Starring: Patrick Magee, Glenda Jact son, Ian Richardson, the Roy: Shakespeare Company. fife ztf&v ^Hooks’ POPULAR SERIES FRIDAY APRIL 30 $1.00 8 & 10 P.M. Auditorium COMING SOON: CARNAL KNOWLEDGE, PAPER MOON, GREAT WALDO PEPPER.