European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 14, 1978, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 12 the stripes february 197fl Tom Wicker treaty Issue deserves serious Why is the United Stales giving away the Panama canal the most pow Erful nation on Earth is supposed to be giving in to this blackmail by a poor lilt a Pipsqueak Wilh a population or about on fourth that of the cily of los an because of threatened riots and Dis orders which the police Force of los Angeles alone could wipe out in h Oceh if our own government were not helping and encouraging Castro and Brezhnev to instigate and build up such riotous forays by their communist agents thus spake Robert Welch of the John Birch society in a fierce polemic typical of much recent verbiage on this emotional As debate opened in the Senate on ratification of the canal George will Weicker and the White House Lowell Weicker believes in giving fair i he to be candid 1 dont covet he position of presi Dent at he says he Only envies the i president when must speak in South Dakota and wishes he had air Force Gilim to gel him but 760 Days before the sew Hampshire the Junior Llor from Connecticut has a languid in alien to seek that which he does not in front of Weicker is to know new Yorks grand Central station Coli inns and comments in Foci with the pan am building loom Over it he is quite tall and otherwise his general Demeanour is ample he is the preschool boy in lie relaxed and rumpled and with an oppressive sense that life is diff of regarding the new mood of electorate a a sober sense of limited Bui regarding presidential new mood of Many politicians is a sense u this is the of Jimmy Carters rapid Rise from but weickers presidential i May be evidence far the axiom that t Hopes Are disappointments stored up r the ithe episode that brought Weicker to the attention was the Senate Waler committees he was i least senior member he was in the half of his first term and to Many re and he was insufferable he seemed too eager to share with the nation at great and loudly his original insight that burglary is but he is older and and As he considers a run for the White he in one an orthodox when democrats seek a presidential they say they want to protect the nation from when republicans seek a presidential Nomina Tion they say they want to protect the re publican party from inadequate thus far weickers program is if a bit underdeveloped he wants the 1980 Republican contest to present an ideological Range broader than the ist6 contest Between Gerald Ford and Ronald when he goes beyond that general he tends to get even More flu epic Mii ii remd in in alumni me or twin an mh9t no nil at i n in n my u w Nemih Nelna ii atm a tin Sun sir into m null i saying for example that he wants the top to address the Urban he is a Liberal Republican who Wilh mistaken that at the 1972 Republican convention conservatives Defeated Liberal opposition to a Rule award ing a Bonus of convention delegates to Stales that voted for the Republican Nomi Nee in the last both sides consid ered this in the Light of the Southern and assumed with steady growth of Republican strength in the the Bonus plan would increase the importance of conservative Stales nominating today Weicker seems to think the conservative Victory in preserving the Bonus system backfired because in 1979 Carter carried the South and Ford carried such relatively Liberal Northern states As new Michigan and but kurd swept the where Many state Republican organizations Are about As conservative As organizations in the Weicker is pleased that the 1980 primary Soson will begin in now Hampshire and that there May be primaries in Massachi Vermont and Connecticut the follow ing of he he probably will be the Only North easterner in a crowded re publican but i i9ts Milton Shapp was the Only  in a crowded democratic speculation about the potential effect of regional primary scheduled and party rules is Jolly but As Gilbert Highet politics is persuading the Public to vote Tor this and support that and endure these for the Promise of Weicker says he is considering the or at least the of duty because no one else seems prepared to carry the Flag of Liberal but then he says things like this americans must address the Urban crisis or cities will blow sky and so he demonstrates his Princi pal problem even More than most Pollyl Cial Liberal republicanism seems like borrowed rhetoric about Umlor mukaled solutions to undefined let to the nation was spared such even though a National Public 1 once was hearing a historic first Broad cast of Senate discussion m Calm and if a bit James Allen of the rant ing wizard of the Rule Book and a dedicated treaty was even Beard that he would not engage in debate it a position that shatters All set Alt he also offered a Washington Post interviewer the dubious theory Ufuti filibuster or stalling tactics would no purpose in the treaty debate though on the face of a ratification lion requiring a two thirds vote i splendid Opportunity for an opposition fill we shall see Whai we shall if the opposition senators follow Allen the country will owe idea j debt of the canal Issue Lif great Issue and deserves better than argued in cliches or settled by nor should the real question be i numerous imaginary or Side the charge that the rtt the behind the treaties is to enable a Penn Loi Panama to pay Back Loans owed us Ameri can Banks in which the treaty Ellsworth Bunker and sol Lowitt it said to be secret this allegation has been circulated it fundraising mail by treaty opponent urine is a favorite of Anil treaty letter writ Nib Bunker is not no nested american Unowitz resigned Irso the Board of the Marine Midland baft when he was appointed a ind i the last year or panamas ratio outta payments to its revenues has risen from to 3d percent without the on the other there is every Teri Why senators on both sides at lie by should try la discover in the for debate the True Dollar costs of the arrangement with the the state department and the ministration has been that the will not require any congressional and that until it lakes Oyer tin canal in the year Panama will if delve Only million a year cell Perton share of canal additional 10 million per year i it traffic and revenues but on comptroller Elmer Slabau told the armed committee that the Treasury million a year now received operations thai other costs not from canal revenues would million for Early optional remit meals to canal employees and w relocation and other Staats said further Cost not be made until the admin diced legislation to carry out the and Parfitt of the Ca expressed grave doubts that future dolls would meet the million that Panama if he panamanian might Well demand in the year 2000 sum to make up any deficiencies years Between now and All the Side rations led the committee the Day to predict that the treaties could billion in lost revenues Anil the administration tar too High but the question Only the actual costs to be it Jeth the administrations veracity in fim ing that no appropriations Dollar costs Are Flat that h whether the is and can to yield i outpost whose people Are no tourer to accept outside continued subjection to it May Utica disaster in latin America third world the great Issue seems fairly