Duels in the West

Sir: Everyone seems surprised that Rockefeller won in Oregon (May 22). But the Lodge workers could not even pronounce the name of the state! Rocky and his campaigners cared enough to say "Oregon" correctly, not "Oregone."

KAY SPIESS

Hollywood

Sir: Oregonians were obviously misled by the meaning of Rockefeller's slogan, "He Cared Enough to Come." It was not Oregon he cared about, but his all-consuming desire to be President. This desire has left New York without a Governor for months at a time. Many Republicans will never forgive him and the so-called Eastern bloc for their smear campaign against Senator Goldwater.

CARROLL P. GRIFFITH JR.

New York City

Sir: Some say that Goldwater should be given the nomination if only to prove to the party--once and for all--that super-conservatives can't win. But what a risk! In view of Johnson's wild self-confidence in his personal survival rate in fast cars and in crowds of potential assassins, I'll vote for a real presidential alternative in our California primary: Rockefeller.

TOM WALKER

Los Angeles

Sir: We saw a display of Senator Goldwater's famous temper in Kansas City recently. The offenders were not "fresh jerks," but serious Americans seeking to meet the man of so much supposed presidential timber. How can we trust him with the hot line when something might come up on one of his dour days?

DONALD A. JOHNSTON

Shawnee Mission, Kans.

Sir: If Goldwater becomes President, a courageous, upright patriot will assume the office. No one can guarantee there will be no war, but with Goldwater we can be sure there will be no surrender.

MARVIN E. ROE

Ellsworth, Iowa

Sir: I think you should know that our total Oregon expenditure for Lodge was $52,975.63. It should also be realized that the unpaid balance (as of May 18, 1964) is $7,000, as contrasted to a $23,000 deficit in New Hampshire. Considering the fact that Ambassador Lodge ran second in Oregon against a very active candidate, Rockefeller, who had tremendous financial support (a probable $350,000), I do not think Ambassador Lodge did poorly. It is our opinion that a very good man won the Oregon primary.

ALAN GREEN JR. State Finance Chairman Oregon Draft Lodge Committee Portland, Ore.

Sir: So Oregon Cave Men and Woodpeckers [May 8] don't carry too many votes, eh!

DONN KUMMER

Albany, Ore.

Trying To Be Meaningful

Sir: Your statement that Governor Connally faces no meaningful Republican opposition [May 15] is in error.

JACK CRICHTON Republican Candidate for Governor of Texas Dallas

Massachusetts Morality

Sir: Instead of the Indian that appears on our Massachusetts state seal, it would be more appropriate to have a state official with his amply greased hand outstretched. The title of your article, "Corruption Is Commonplace" [May 15], would be a good substitute for our state motto. Nothing is more fitting.

CHARLES M. LAPIENE

Springfield, Mass.

Sir: It is very apparent that the state politicians of Massachusetts are very sincere and honest in their efforts to serve the commonwealth--first, before they go to jail; second, while in jail; and third, after they get out of jail.

MARK J. MOORE

Boston

Sir: I do not suggest that we go so far as the Romans did when they stabbed Caesar, or as far as the English when they beheaded Charles I, or the French when they stormed the Bastille, or the Russians when they assassinated their czars. But I am sure that our ancestors who dressed themselves as Indians and threw the contents of British ships into Boston Harbor must be looking down upon us with scorn.

ALEXANDER N. MACLEOD III

Boston

Old Folks There Are Not Forgotten

Sir: I believe TIME clipped Lady Bird's feathers unduly. Though I'm a young 34 and live somewhat outside the pockets of poverty, I'd gladly change places with the Charles Cutlers at a rent of $5 per month [May 22]. I'd breed beagles on the acreage.

WILLIAM H. THOMPSON

New York City

Sir: You quoted Mrs. Cutler as saying: "But I do wish Mrs. Johnson would fix the roof. The old house leaks bad." Behind this statement lurks the key to poverty and social squalor in the U.S. among both white and Negro groups. The Cutlers had, after rent, $145 per month clear in welfare funds. Why the hell didn't they fix it themselves?

JOE LA ROCCA North East, Pa.

The People Called Methodists

Sir: A simple word of appreciation for the sensitive and piquant article in TIME dealing with the people called Methodists [May 8].

LLOYD C. WICKE Bishop, New York Area The Methodist Church New York City

Capitol Game

Sir: There is a new game going around Washington. The way you play is to take 100 people and choose up sides. One side tries to win by voting. The opposition tries to stop the vote, and the best way they can do this is to filibuster. It's quite a game: it's called Stop the World I Want 20 Million People To Get Off.

JOHN C. FRIBLE

Arlington, Va.

Helpful Discrimination

Sir: Aloha and thank you for "Legacy of a Princess" (May 22). It concludes with the thought that our native Kamehameha Schools run against civil rights principles because only Hawaiian and part-Hawaiian children attend. Is this idea really so appalling? Our native Hawaiian people have welcomed with aloha all races and nations to our islands. But the cost to us has been heavy. From an original population of 500,000 in 1778, our people have only 114,000 left. The tragic marks of our present suffering are to be seen in the sad statistics of our social welfare and public health agencies, our prisons and reformatories. We lead all the races in these categories, but trail all others with the lowest median income in the islands we once owned. Our princess left her estates to redeem her people. I cannot believe that our beloved nation would intentionally deprive a materially and culturally weakened native people of the last remaining instruments of their redemption.

(THE REV.) ABRAHAM K. AKAKA

Honolulu

Local Heroics

Sir: In a small Seattle coffee shop, I tried to break up a fight between two men in close quarters which threatened the safety of many women. Aside from one of the guy's friends, nobody else helped--it was too exciting, you see (and I think this is the real reason). Even the waitress in charge of the place soundly berated me for "interfering" and for asking a cab driver to call the police. If they had been outside in an alley by themselves, I'd have just watched too.

VICTOR LYGDMAN JR.

Seattle

Bing's Musical Chair

Sir: Lady Bird Johnson's fall at the Metropolitan Opera (May 15) reminds me of an account of Queen Victoria's visit to Napoleon III and the Empress Eugenie in Paris in 1855. According to Historian Raymond Mortimer: "At the opera the contrast was conspicuous between Victoria's figure and that of the willowy Empress. The Parisians noticed, however, that when they sat down after the national anthems, the parvenu Eugenie looked around to see that her chair was rightly placed, and the Queen did not: born royal, she knew that it would be." Mrs. Johnson did exactly the right thing. Shame on Mr. Bing!

ALICE L. EVERITT New York City

Ancient River

Sir: Bravo, bravo, bravo to Laurence Lowry for his sensational photographic essay, "A Mighty New Dam To Tame the Nile" (May 22). His uncanny eye has captured and distilled a moment when past, present and future collide. Seldom is so much said with such eloquence.

DONALD RAMSEY Los Angeles

Sir: TIME'S photos of the Nile Valley and the Nubian monuments were awe-inspiring. It should be added as a footnote to your story that the $12 million that President Kennedy had hoped the U.S. could contribute to the $35 million needed to save the splendid temples of Abu Simbel was recently denied by Representative John Rooney and his House appropriations subcommittee. This project would not have cost the U.S. taxpayer one penny. The $12 million was to have come from the many millions of dollars in American credit already in Egypt as counterpart funds that can be spent only in that country.

BARBARA SWITALSKI

Chicago

Mrs. Murray's Atheism

Sir: Atheists have the unwelcome distinction of being the only group in America that is officially persecuted on religious grounds (May 15). Until 1961, atheists could be barred from holding public office. The House version of the civil rights bill cynically authorized an employer to "refuse to hire and employ" an atheist. Even Presidents of the U.S. have found it politically expedient to imply a link between atheists and the enemies of our country. But during the last census, 70 million Americans declared no formal religious allegiance. If Madalyn Murray's actions are extreme, they are a reaction to the injustices that the atheist suffers.

DR. ALEX HERSHAFT

Washington, D.C.

Sir: Catholic citizens who use parochial schools pay public school taxes, Jewish citizens accept the fact that their business will not proceed as usual on Christmas or Easter, Republicans abide by the orders of a Democratic executive (or vice versa), pacifists pay taxes to be used for military defense, and nondrivers pay taxes to be used for highway construction. Each of us, I am sure, contributes to or accepts in some way some national policy with which he does not agree. Mrs. Murray must recognize this sine qua non of existence in a democratic society.

JAY ARNOLD

Kingston, N.Y.

Fast Reaction

Sir: Your story on the thought-provoking suggestion by Judge Burger that citizen review boards be set up to scrutinize cases where police officers may illegally obtain evidence (May 15) was fair and objective. Speaking for the professional association of police executives, I can assure you that this will continue to receive our conscientious attention.

Incidentally, in line with your suggestion in a previous issue (May 8) that a simplified national telephone number be developed to obtain emergency police service more quickly, our communications committee will shortly undertake an exploration of the merits and feasibility of this very worthwhile thought.

QUINN TAMM Executive Director International Association of Chiefs of Police, Inc. Washington, D.C.

Sir: When the Supreme Court, after weeks of study, rules five to four that a split-second decision made by a policeman while arresting a felon amounted to an unreasonable search and seizure, we, the police, will have to accept the fact that the policeman's action was an "error." If, as you assert, the policeman was "ignorant of the doctrine (May 15)," then it would appear he has company among the minority of the Supreme Court. For many years we have been trying to persuade the courts, the legislatures and the people that law-abiding citizens should have some rights too. We are pleased to note that Judge Burger, along with other jurists, is likewise becoming concerned about the constitutional rights of society as well as those of individuals.

R. S. SEARES

Chief of Police

Arcadia, Calif.

Timeless Martyrdom? Sir: I must disagree with your statement that Shaw's play Saint Joan has "threadbare" ideas (May 22). How could anyone sit through the trial scene and fail to realize that the Inquisition excommunicated her because she would not submit her conscience to its dictates? If that isn't an attempt at brainwashing, I don't know what is. And if brainwashing isn't relevant to the 20th century, what could be?

PATRICIA K. SANTELMAN

Bloomington, Minn.

Sir: In one short season in Minnesota, thirty-five professional actors are assured of work and experience. An excited community, 1,200 miles from the center of the theater world, is personally involved in the survival of the Minnesota Theatre Company. You can't lower our sights by implying that the productions offer nothing but the kind of easy laughs that a Midwest audience demands!

MRS. CONNIE GOLDMAN

Minneapolis

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