European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 24, 1978, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Doily Magazine Kentucky and the canal Issue Wendell Ford people understand real estate by John berbers new York times it is not unusual for Wendell Ford to arrive Home from Washington and find his in the conservative City of stuffed with petitions seeking Hli vote against the Panama canal treaties that the Senate is expected to take up within a few All fait and into the the 53yearold democratic senator has been deluged with ant treaty Telephone fails and personal he has responded favor saying that he leans strongly against the but because he has said his opposition is not Irre Voca the Carter administration is engaged in a struggle on Kentucky soil to win his unable to personally ring the senator the administration is appealing to Carters the latest Effort was Secretary of slate Cyrus Vances appearance there before a group of Community and slate leaders that included a number or prominent Ford in Many regions of the country the canal i Tot lot aroused More passion than administration leaders had but in where the be Middle West and Appalachia ant treaty sentiment particularly Strung for a stale outside the deep Fords inclination to go with grass rods opinion bos brought the National conflict into item at the same the Kentucky straggle provides a Case study in How the administration is going about win Ning votes for the treaties that by All still in trouble As the Congress reconvenes Lor t new rather than going through the usual channels of the democratic the Carter White House is using car ters own As he did during his presidential and More and More his advocates of the trea ties Are using the argument that a favourable vote is needed to prevent ant american uprisings i latin As elsewhere in the us canal Issue is not the overriding one in the slates More than three million who live mostly in Small cities or Rural have More immediate when Joseph Califano Secretary of a Deucalion and announced an antismoking the state Legisla Ture adopted a Resolution urging his be cause of  ties to yet the canal question has been soldering above and below the surface far Julian the popular democratic governor who was an Early supporter of Carter for president and who has been actively Advocat ing the said at the time they were signed last year Public opinion against them was 10 to his Esti mate May have been but it is agreed that anti treaty sentiment was much higher in Kentucky than it was the treaties would assign control of the canal to Panama after with the retaining the right id assure the canals neutrality for an indefinite period Kentucky opponents have sounded a Central theme against them with memories of the Vietnam War still there is a feeling that the is being pushed around by a Small people understand real out the canal it ours and we ought not to give it said this is a National theme but there Are several Rea sons Why it has taken such Strong Root in the moderate ring of the stale Republican which sustains such senators As John Sherman Cooper and thus ton has former California Ronald the most pro tinant opponent of the had a substantial Impact in Kentucky during the 1976 presidential Campaign and still has a Large following it is suspected in Many areas of the despite Deni that Omar panamas chief of has Cluse ties to Fidel Castro and to the soviet Union and that the United Stales might Well lose use of the Ford and of thurs Point out that 29 million ions of appalachian Coal move yearly through the in a Deal Cut years ago by Kentucky political the stale got the patronage for District judges appointed to the canal no one suggests this As a reason for the ant treaty but it has provided the state with a tie to the canal zone and a retired has been Back in Kentucky speaking against the opposition Hai Woi sorted without formal organization within the although ii has been fuelled by National mailings of ultraconservative or operating from Washington and cite and from a number of Kentucky political the struggle is entering on Ford rather than Waller who is up for reelection this also a indicated his sup port of the has been subjected to a tide at Anil treaty his political advisers Sec the Issue As but one he can in the absence of any major challenger or he i found another Case of legionnaires january 1978 the stars and stripes Page 13