Impeachment Debate

Sir / When the President of our country thinks that he and his associates can violate the law with impunity, we must either change the name of our governmental system from democracy to dictatorship or change Presidents. I personally prefer the latter.

CLAYTON W. DAVIS Newport News, Va.

Sir / The hostile hypocrites of the press and Congress have "got religion" about political campaigns a little too late to make them credible. An equal application of the law requires that this Republican President be judged by no harsher standards than were his Democratic predecessors.

THOMAS HUNTER RUSSELL Hollywood

Sir / How many hundred times have we heard the President preach law-and-order to our countrymen while at the same time refusing to practice it himself? When anyone holding the highest office in the country places himself above the law, it is indeed time for a change.

CAROLINE M. CRANE Providence

Sir / How important is it to "we, the people" that our elected leader, our President, has by his own choice and actions surrounded himself with people of such obviously poor moral integrity? And is it not clear that Mr. Nixon has apparently confused "President" with "Dictator"? Has he forgotten the basic fact that our leaders are all servants of the people?

This great country has survived many tragedies, and although impeachment and conviction of a President would be a tragedy, we shall survive this too.

JEANE E. WESTERMAN San Antonio

Sir / Our President, who finally brought our men back from Viet Nam and has desperately tried to bring about peace in the world, is on the verge of being impeached. Watergate was no worse than country boys upsetting outhouses on Halloween. The threat of Communism is another matter.

FRANCIS WHITCRAFT Bel Air, Md.

Sir / It is very evident that President Nixon is guilty of all charges, but they certainly do not warrant impeachment. What a gross waste of time and money!

FLO HUGHES

APO San Francisco

Wages of Watergate

Sir / It is quite distressing that society, and book publishers in particular, should allow Watergate criminals to profit from their crimes [July 29]. Jeb Magruder has already profited by writing his book. John Dean says that a publisher offered him $250,000 to write a book about Watergate. If these men have anything to say, let them say it in a court of law. They should otherwise not be allowed to profit from their crimes. Is this not a grave injustice?

TERI LEIBOWITZ Chicago

Sir / My heart bleeds for John Dean's having to give up his $135,000 D.C. house for $110,000 digs in L.A. I wish you had asked him how, in these days of tight money, a man facing prison, broke, in debt, with no potential of earning a living can even get a mortgage! Seems to me that such a person would be lucky to get a room on a week-to-week basis.

NINA M. CORNELL Huntsville, Ala.

No Kliegs, Please

Sir / Old myths never die; they don't even fade away. Your statement concerning television at the Judiciary Committee proceedings [Aug. 5], that "a panoply of klieg lights transformed the committee room into a blazing national platform," simply demonstrates that its author was not there. There were no klieg lights and there was nothing blazing--or dazzling, or blinding, as some others have described it. Special soft lights installed in the ceiling yielded a light count that did not exceed 100 foot-candles anywhere in the Judiciary Committee room. A well-lit living room or office measures at about 100 foot-candles.

RICHARD SALANT

President, CBS News New York City

.No klieg lights were used. But the quartz lamps were strong enough to cause some committee members and spectators--and even one TV cameraman--to wear tinted glasses.

Is a Dancer the Answer?

Sir / After reading your recent articles on Argentina [July 15, 22], I cannot help regretting the repeated references made to the new President of this country, Maria Estela Martinez de Peron, as the "former cabaret dancer."

What you failed to mention was that she still has some ground to cover until she can be considered on a par with other heads of state. She has yet to be accused of wiretapping, income tax evasion, mishandling of federal funds in connection with personal property, locker-room language, payoffs.

As a U.S. citizen who had the privilege of residing in Argentina for six years, I wonder if the answer to our own problems might not just be a former cabaret dancer.

G.E. CHERRIE JR. Sao Paulo, Brazil

Pet Mills

Sir / Your article concerning the deterioration of the St. Bernard [July 29] should have mentioned that inbreeding intensifies both good and bad qualities. It is clear that most of the offending animals are either products of backyard breeders without knowledge or regard for quality, or of puppy mills that breed indiscriminately to satisfy demand. Inbreeding is not in itself damaging. The critical factor is who practices it.

GENE M. BOWDEN Washington, D.C.

Sir / Certainly dogs (and cats) are being overbred by puppy and kitten "mills" to be peddled to pet shops and on to the public. Add to that the irresponsible owner who thinks it is just great to have a litter of unwanted puppies or kittens so that the children can see the "miracle of birth." They ought to take the kids out to the animal shelters so that they could also see the miracle of death as thousands of homeless strays are killed every day in this country.

LEE COBURN Lansing, Mich.

Coping with a Crisis

Sir / While your report on the strike of some municipal employees in Baltimore [July 22] accurately presented some of the facts about the walkout, it failed to capture the sense of civic pride that was so strongly demonstrated by citizens and municipal employees during this period of potential crisis. Thousands of Baltimoreans transported their own refuse to the four large landfills that remained open throughout the strike. Also, 38,000 municipal employees continued to work--including a few who remained on duty for up to 50 straight hours to ensure that city services were maintained.

Traffic moved smoothly in all parts of the city at all times. Our water and sewer systems were effectively operated and maintained.

We hope that we will not have other problems of this kind, but if we do, we know that we are capable of coping as we did during those two weeks.

WILLIAM DONALD SCHAEFER

Mayor Baltimore

Repent and Prosper

Sir / The Essay "How to Mobilize Against Inflation" [July 29] offers suggestions that should be heeded by those in position to put them into effect. However, there is a human element that is of even greater importance: we have all sinned (carrying out "the old-time religion" bit--the Administration phrase for classic inflation remedies).

Who among us has not been greedy for the world's goods to the point of depriving our brothers in the poor nations? It is all a matter of repenting, even to the extent of digging up our lawns and growing food. Only changed national and individual attitudes that put human good above profit and power can save us and the rest of the world from disaster.

CORA G. CHASE Vaughn, Wash.

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