WGBH Journal; Campaign Contributions By City Workers To City Offices, E.R.A. Ratification Deadline, Reverend Lothrop And F.B.I Surveillance, Louis Lyons

Good Afternoon man. Welcome to GBH I'm bilk out on things show with every report on the proposed ordinance which would forbid city employees from contributing to campaigns of candidates for city office. We'll have an interview discussing a possible extension of the federal Equal Rights Amendment ratification deadline. Then an interview with a man who has been the subject of government surveillance for over 35 years. And a look at the week's news from the airline. Everything such political scandals as Watergate dominated our national attention. Americans have become particularly conscious of potential political corruption.

The reflection of such a consciousness can be seen in new campaign laws which have been proposed such as one which would limit the amount of money a person could contribute to a political campaign. In Boston a city ordinance has been proposed which would forbid candidates for mayor city council and school committee from accepting campaign contributions from city employees or from officials of companies that do business with the city. Leslie Clipper has more information about the ordinance in this report. The two newest members of the Boston City Council Rosemarie Since alone and Raymond Nelson have filed the city ordinance which concerns campaign contributions made to Mayor Oriel city council and school committee candidates. Rosemary Samson explains what the ordinance says. This ordinance would prohibit city employees to be Felicity or contribute to any political campaigns or committees as well as business businesses doing business with the city of Boston. And the reason we proposed with ordinance is

because we believe that there is a lack of public confidence in government and elected officials and we're hoping to increase public confidence with this ordinance. I question Ms since Owen as to whether the filing of the ordinance had anything to do with the upcoming May Auriol race and the alleged campaign abuses in the past. No it doesn't have a matter of fact I personally believe that there's probably more abuse where this is concerned or than with go Department and here in city hall but as a result of filing the ordinance many city employees have thanked both counselor one and myself because they feel that there have been abuse and that it's really gotten out of control. When asked about who would have to approve such an ordinance the councilwoman explained the procedure where the legislature really doesn't have anything to do with the city ordinance and the only people that it has to. Pass by are the other council members

and then the mayor. Council if women I would not have filed with ordinance. If we hadn't the best intentions that it was going to pass. I think that there's a real need for that kind of an ordinance right now in terms of what public opinion is and I feel that some of my colleagues are already supporting the ordinance. And as far as the merits concerned I think that he would be highly inappropriate for him to veto this kind of ordinance because he had to be aware of what people are feeling as well. The ordinance has evoked quite a bit of controversy concerning its constitutionality. Critics of the proposed ordinance feel that the ordinance is unconstitutional on two counts. The first problem that arises has to do with the clause in the state constitution that prohibits city in towns from regulating elections. City Corporation Council Herbert Gleason explains I don't think it is within the power of the city council to pass such an ordinance.

Elections are of course a subject widely and in great detail regulated by the Commonwealth by those of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and it has been said and held that the regulation of campaign contributions is a matter so involved in the electoral process as to be a regulation of elections themselves. And the Home Rule amendment which was passed in the 60s which increased the power of cities and towns. In fact it says that cities and towns can enact by laws and ordinances creating any power which the legislature could give to. But there is a provision in the Home Rule amendment which excludes certain areas from local control or from action by the municipality. Among them are

taxation the judiciary and elections. And in my view the regulation of campaign contributions and who can make campaign contributions is. A regulation of an election and hence a matter that is prohibited under the whole movement for a City Council acting alone to trespass upon the second potential problem with the ordinance concerns first amendment freedom of speech rights. Again you heard the Gleason That is a different problem that such an act one would have. It has as I've discussed the problem of going beyond what is permitted by the Home Rule amendment to the Massachusetts Constitution. But it would have a First Amendment to the federal Constitution problems as a restriction on free speech and not on the free exercise of political rights.

Only the future will tell whether this ordinance will be passed by the council and approved by the mayor or if a court battle will follow. Either way the ordinance represents a belief that the system's past abuses must be dealt with and eliminated for GBH general clipper. With less than a year to go till its March 1979 deadline the federal Equal Rights Amendment still has not been ratified by the required 38 states. While some groups notably the League of Women Voters are still hoping for passage by next March. Others like the National Organization of Women are pursuing a new strategy. Now through a Congressional Women's Caucus has asked Congress to extend

a ratification period for seven more years. The March 1986. Never posable has met with opposition not only from angry IRA groups who have charged now with trying to change the rules in the middle of the game. But also from some supporters as well. The New York Times specifically announced its opposition to the seven year extension two weeks ago arguing in part that ratification by March is still possible and that an extension would remove pressure for passage by that deadline. Rosemary Trowbridge of Boston now told Amy sands at the decision to push for extension is a decision to start playing what she called the game of power politics. You know women have played by the rules and now you have to realize that realistically we are going to get our rights we have to do with the women we did and it was just a two minute three long battle of power politics and we have to learn that we didn't quite ladies following rules and our opposition isn't following the rules in fact they're they're

calling out for not following you. I mean it's interesting Ellen Goodman wrote in your cycle talking about how we've been playing chess and even playing rugby. But you know what. So if you want the seven year extension tell me why you want to send it out. That with with more time. People can be defeated who switch their votes like right now a lot of people have switched their votes on even after lection time like you need someone you need time for that. They need also time to get you new people and see how they vote and if they don't vote right they have to be defeated. That's going to take time. That's going to take money. There's also the issue of continuing to educate people about the importance of each. No other amendment of the Constitution has taken longer than seven years according to The New York Times. And as the Times has raised the question you know if I have been more than seven years you know it's not time to wit. You have to realize that it took her nine hundred twenty three thousand nine hundred seventy

two almost fifty years just to get that out of Congress. It took 50 years for Congress just to decide that equality of opportunity and constitutional protection for women was a good idea. The other thing you have to look at was that the other I said the other amendment to the Constitution which power parallel says is the 13th Amendment which about slavery and that took a civil war. So I mean when you have an issue as deep that affects the fabric of society like slavery in the position of blacks who then white society or women within a male dominated society. Seven years is nothing. And our score who wrote the memo nine hundred twenty three men who said in nine hundred seventy two when the Senate attached that there is no way that is going to happen and she was right. I think one Warren position that I think of the women voters is taking is that proposing a seven year extension removes pressure for

passage you know it's a self-defeating move that you or I could possibly have been passed. And now that you're asking for seven years extension Well nobody's going to bother anymore. I think I mean I understand why they're saying that because of course are working very hard ratification just as the National Organization for Women is I think the problem with that is that in fact the term limitation which they're saying is pressure you know there's only so many months left so therefore these states are ratified is in fact working the other way because the opposition is saying to the state Senators and Representatives just hang on. We'll hold it up in committee. You won't even have to vote on it. Therefore you want to be held accountable for it. Time will run out. And so in fact I think time is working against us. Now tell me a little bit about the extension itself who proposed it in Congress and where is it in Congress now. Well the extension was rejuvenated the idea of it by

several women who were law students and thought you know that this might be a possibility and you know did some kind of a paper of course. And to go to now and I went to the women in the house and they took it and sponsored as a joint House resolution. Right now it is in the civil civil and civil rights and constitutional subcommittee something I shouldn't talk. It's on the subcommittee on civil one constitutional right that's where it is. There are enough votes to get it out of the sub community. So far I think we are one vote short. The necessary votes in the whole judiciary committee. When can we expect some action. You know it kind of quiet right now. Well they are going to be hearings later in the in the whole judiciary committee. It's expected that in late June early July it will be voted upon. The National Organization for Women

is planning a huge march were hoping 50 to 100000 people will be in Washington on July 9th which is a Sunday which we feel it's probably just before it's going to be voted on to go down where in Congress in the mouse in the house yes in the house to show the house and the Senate and the president that this is a very vital issue and women all over the country care very desperately about it and willing to come from all over the country and show that support. Do you feel that the that the E.R.. It is worth all the struggle. Then what concrete gains can be made in other ways. Winning the NRA is very important. Legally it's very important because without a constitutional basis this means every individual is having to deal with their own issue all by themselves in the courts. Without that without a constitutional basis saying you must treat people the same we haven't got a prayer. And if that Yairi is lost people will say this proves women don't

want this country does not want equal rights so every battle that we fight whether it's this place homemakers Social Security abortion everyone point to the euro and say you don't want to look you couldn't get that. For decades the Boston community church serves as a forum for social change. This Unitarian poles with has hosted such notable speakers as Bertrand Russell Martin Luther King Jr. God hearing and other voices of protest. The long time minister of the church Donald Lothrop. Has often sided with unpopular causes and according

to FBI documents has been the subject of government surveillance since 1941. Under the Freedom of Information Act Reverend signed away for his FBI file. And last March received over 160 pages of newspaper clippings biographical sketches and reports on his political and religious activities. Reporter David Friedberg spoke with Rev. Lothrop about his years of prominence in government files. Thing about is about this material that runs to so many it is that I was placed on a list as a key figure and then I was dropped. Then I was put back again and dropped again and back again and then finally dropped in 1972. I don't understand I understand the waves of a page in which a device supported Roosevelt's foreign policy and they say in the report that I support

the war effort then maybe I wasn't a key figure and was dropped and then later on if I supported some communist who was put in prison and felt that his rights as an American had been had been taken away from him then this was a dangerous activity and again I was put back on the list and so it goes. There is actually a frightening reference back in the early 1940s to your name being included on the custodial detention memorandum we all know that there were custodial detention centers in the United States for largely Japanese-Americans sort of. Concentration camps here how do you feel now after these many years learning that you had been considered for such detention. Well this is what this is. This is more shocking than anything else of course. I have known that the plan is to place in detention centers selected people throughout the

country. And I had talked about it and warned about it but rather it is the it's the right thing to do to realize if you are chosen to replace the area. And that term does appear in several in several of the FBI reports. The FBI has seen fit in delivering these documents to you to delete a good deal of the names of obvious informants you suspect. Who some of those informants were over the years how do you feel knowing that others were spying on you. Well it's a matter of fact I wasn't suspect and she was free of the instances of the way and manner in which the reportage was made. I know who the informants were. Some of them were friends of mine people that I like very much because I don't respect them for having indulged in such a procedure.

But one can like people the one that the one doesn't respect and one can just like somebody that one respects. So this is part of the human condition. And over there I have to live. However at some of the statements of these friends of mine. And in two instances there are long since dead. And I say maybe God will forgive them. I notice as we've been talking here you've been chuckling quite a lot at this whole business you must find it at least ironic in some sense I suppose of all the younger i get mad at this stuff. Now I'm more or less disgusted with as I say the vast waste of money and nuns and so this whole thing. And we wonder where our taxes go. And now I have an inside information as to where they do go. You've been paying for the woods boon doggle that's ever been perpetrated on the American public. Look at this week's news here is commentator and the president has overruled his own

Nuclear Regulatory Commission to order the sale of enriched uranium to India. The Commission denied a license for the uranium export citing India's resistance to international safeguards against the use of uranium for weapons. But the president a message to Congress said that to deny uranium to India would seriously undermine our efforts to persuade them to accept safeguards the Indian government has given its commitments he said to use our exports only at their atomic power station not for any military purpose. And he had full confidence in that. He pointed out that the Nuclear Proliferation Act of 1978. Permits continuation of exports for two years while Washington seeks agreement for full scope safeguards. The United States agreed 15 years ago we pointed out to provide all the fuel requirements of the India power station and India then agreed to operate exclusively on fuel from the United States.

Secretary Vance in Israel as Diana said today's discussions on ways to break the impasse on negotiations. Secretary Bennett says their exchange has been useful and will be in touch after we have had time to reflect not a very exuberant statement from diplomat Diana reportedly presented a plan to begin granting limited home rule in the West Bank with Israeli police and military presence continuing. Yesterday Diane met a group of United States senators and told reporters that we oppose jet plane sales to the Saudis and Egyptians at this time because we think it's dangerous. We resent the concept of a package deal. We think a provision selling arms to Israel should be on its own merits not within any package. President Carter had said flatly this press conference it would be a package deal or nothing if the Congress vetoed plane for Saudi Arabia he would withdraw the proposed sale to Israel. This is brought a backlash from reading Foreign Relations Committee Senators and a warning from Speaker O'Neill of the

climate in the house. The president must submit each big sale request separately and Congress has 30 days to veto. But the president declared it's in the United States national interest to develop friendships of moderate Arabs. That is the Saudis in Egypt and in the interest of peace and security for Israel. While the president faces a serious Congress opposition to his package deal Prime Minister Begin has this week met a large domestic protest in Israel. Peace Movement which has drawn public support for meeting American Jews they sent a letter to Israel protesting the Baggins hardline might miss the chance for peace which they said is more important to Israel than occupied territory so which national leader faces domestic resistance to its policy report today from our labor department that living costs in March rose eight tenths of a percent. Grocery prices were up one and a half percent.

That is a an increase in the rate of inflation but further evidence that the national economy responded substantially in March from any kind of the window is the report that the United States trade deficit was cut by two and eight tenths billion in March. That's still left a deficit for the month of one and nine tenths billion. And for the first quarter of nine hundred seven tenths billion which is half again as great as for the first quarter of last year. So how would cooperation has announced its decision not to sell off all its stocks in the companies doing business in South Africa saying it feels a sounder policy is to monitor each company individually and encourage each improvement in its employment practices. This decision after hearings by the by the board and the studies that have gone on for the last several years brought the student protests in mass demonstrations demanding full divestiture of all such stocks and the demonstrations are

continuing today. By a margin of 1. The Supreme Court has freed masters corporations to spend their stockholders money to oppose a referendum on a graduated income tax or in fact any other public issue whether or not it has anything to do with their own business. It was a graduated income tax that made the issue of the First National Bank of Boston and three other corporations won by five to four the court upset the Massachusetts legislation restraining corporation expenditures to issues that materially affect them. I state Supreme Judicial Court had uphill that law. Nothing in the master's law prevented the bottling industry from spending millions to lobby against the bundling bill as it is done successfully is doing now. The majority of the court hold that the First Amendment gives a corporation the same right of expression their worth as an individual for the dissenters Justice weight holds that the First Amendment has nothing to do with the case. The issue he says is simply whether

the offices of a corporation may use the stockholders funds to press their personal views. In this case their personal views would protect their personal incomes from higher taxes. The majority opinion by Justice Powell notes that the graduated income tax question has been submitted four times to Massachusetts referenda. It's always lost. Spokesman of big business here have always taken the lead in opposition. Nevertheless in Power's majority view quote There's been no showing that the relative voice of corporations has been overwhelming or even significant in influencing referenda in Massachusetts. End quote. White says the decision raises doubts of the validity of all acts to control lobbying and even of the Corrupt Practices Act of 1970. Only the day before the court issued another ruling of national importance it held their employer with a contributing pension fund may not challenge its women employees more than its men. The Los Angeles water and sewer department was deducting 15 percent more from the pay envelope for women than its men employees.

This on the basis of mortality tables that women's average life is 50 percent longer than men. Chief Justice Berger in that case just descended on the ground of its subsetting effect on the pension insurance industry. The court judgment is widely believed to affect also searched teachers and other state requirement retirement funds that pay a lower monthly benefit to women retirees because their big collecting payments monger M.E. Supreme Judicial Court announced yesterday that the committee on judicial responsibility has brought nine charges against Robert bone and Chief Justice of the Superior Courts the higher court stated its readiness to give barring a prompt hearing. The charges cover the issues raised some months ago. The committee had been investigating and also those arising from just chest bone and attendance at a recent fund raising lecture for a group indicted for sex offenses. South Africa's prime minister vaster this week agreed to United

Nations conditions for independence of Namibia South-West Africa which is government has long refused to accept the United Nations expect acceptance by swap of the native guerrilla resistance to the conditions South Africa had imposed. The puzzle of the day's news is a reported coup by a military group that overthrew the government of Afghanistan. Its significance of any beyond its remote borders will doubtless develop. For Friday the 20th of April 1978. That's to be a journal or regional news magazine heard Monday through Friday at 4:30. Producer and editor for The Journal is Marjorie Hertz. Today's engineer Nathaniel Johnson and I build cameras. Have on a public Friday.