European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 19, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes saturday april 19, 1986 Reagan plugs Contra Aid plan at fund Raiser new York Dpi president Reagan asserting the defense of democracy Means protecting those who fight for it sounded an urgent new Call for his endangered Aid program for nicaraguan rebels Friday in offering a Politi Cal boost for sen. Alfonso d Amato . Preoccupied for Days by his confrontation with Libya Reagan left the White House for four hours to enrich d Amato s Campaign coffers and press his Effort to keep the Senate in Republican hands this fall. Reagan the keynote speaker at a million Dollar fund raising luncheon heaped Praise on d Amato As a crime fighting crusader against drugs and an ally in his fight against soviet expansionism imperialism and  we face a direct and explicit military and political Challenge in Central America a Challenge involving communism and its ambitions Reagan said in his pre pared remarks. Al d Amato agrees that to protect the peace you have to protect democracy. And that mean protecting those who fight for  Reagan said d Amato in supporting his request for $100 million in Aid to the rebel contras a proposal mired in partisan bickering in the House proved the first term senator can face the hard Choice and make the hard  the presidential appearance on behalf of one of the Republican party s most comfortable incumbents under scored Reagan s determination to keep the Senate in gop hands and to improve gop fortunes across the Board i Advance of the november elections. The Brief trip Reagan planned to be at the Waldorf Astoria for just an hour marked Only the second time he has emerged from the White House since the . Attack on Libya tuesday. At least 17 people were killed inthe attack and two . Airmen also died. And while his prepared remarks contained no mention of Libya the consequences of the . Strike against Mili tary targets in Tripoli and Benghazi Libya were evident. Heavy Security was in place for the visit reflecting concern accentuated in recent Days by terrorist incident abroad. Despite heightened Security concerns however Reagan and his aides made Clear thursday he was satisfied Mon Day s air raids sent a message to col. Moa mar khad Afy and instilled a very real fear in the libyan Leader that continued support for terrorism will be met with addition Al use of american Force. D Amato is the Lith Republican seeking re election to the Senate to see his Campaign coffers enriched with help from Reagan. All told 22 Republican seats in the Senate Are at stake in november. Twins Chris and Ken Blodgett certainly Aren t sheepish about performing for a photographer at their family s wild and wooly times a photo farm in East Pittston Maine. The boys Frisky play mates also Are twins. Cheaper Gas May mean More deaths Chicago a steeply declining Gas prices could mean More Highway deaths this year As americans travel billions More Miles the National safety Council says. A demonstrated relationship exists Between increased traffic deaths and substantial decreases in gasoline prices Douglas m. Fergusson vice president for Highway traffic safety said in a report thursday to the Council aboard of directors. The report said every 10 cent per gallon drop translates into about 25 billion additional Miles of . Vehicular travel per year according to a news release. Current mileage death rates indicate such a jump in travel corresponds to about 650 additional deaths the release said. Gasoline prices Are still dropping after a decline of 24 cents per gallon in the first Quarter of 1986, which alone can be expected to correspond to an increase in fatalities of 2,500 to 5,000, the release said. These estimates do not necessarily mean that traffic deaths will increase by that much but a substantial in crease is Likely the release said. Fergusson said continued support of major Highway traffic safety programs such As measures against drinking and driving legislation requiring adult and child safety restraints elimination of Highway hazards and improvements in safety features for vehicles should help counter the upsurge in deaths. . Highway traffic fatalities have been declining since 1972, when they reached a record High of 56,278, Accord ing to Council statistics. Deaths fell to 46,000 in 1982 and fewer than 30,000 in 1983. New Jersey mayor goes to Bat for City in dispute with new York Hoboken . A new York and new Jersey have battled Over the statue of Liberty a major new York City Highway project the moving of Busi Nesses defections by sports teams and now the Birthplace of baseball. On thursday Hoboken mayor Thom As Vezzetti asked new York gov. Mario Cuomo and two new York lawmakers to withdraw legislation that seeks to have new York License plates in 1989 Bear the slogan Birthplace of  the measure was introduced earlier this month by state sen. Thomas Barto Siewicz of Brooklyn and assemblyman Alexander Grannis of Manhattan. Vezzetti disputes the Long accepted be Lief that baseball was first played in Cooperstown n.y., contending the game was played june 19, 1846, in Hoboken. Vezzetti said historical evidence backup his claim. A plaque rests in a Field near a Maxwell House Coffee Plant marking the site of the game at Elysian Fields where the Knicker Bocker baseball club lost to the new York club 23-1 in a four inning game. Apparently you have been Misin formed Vezzetti wrote to Cuomo. The City of Hoboken ., was the site of the first baseball  for a Long time the people of Hobo Ken and new Jersey have begrudgingly accepted the fact that baseball s Hall of Fame is located in new York he continued. But the flaunting of the false claim that new York is the Birthplace of baseball is too much to  Bruce Nash and Allan Zullo authors of the baseball Hall of shame 2," agree that Hoboken was the site of the first game. The authors who were at a news Confer ence thursday called by Vezzetti also con tend the game was invented by Alexander Cartwright jr., a charter member of the Knickerbocker club not Abner Doubleday. What s really an injustice is having the baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown said Nash. We know it won t be moved to Hoboken but we d at least like to see major league baseball recognize the City As the site where baseball was first  Vezzetti also called for a letter writing Campaign to baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth so Hoboken could gain some recognition. Grannis says he has no intention of withdrawing the legislation while Barto Siewicz called Vezzetti s claim baloney and offered to Settle the matter on the Field of Honor. I hereby Challenge the mayor of Hoboken to a Stic Ball game in Brooklyn Bartosiewicz said. He can pick any Street he wants. Then after we beat the pants off Hoboken i la gladly take him to Nathan s in Coney Island and buy him some hot dogs my  Grannis said baseball was played in new Jersey at an Early Date. My understanding is that baseball was first played in Cooperstown in 1839," he said in a Telephone interview from his Albany n.y., office. It s our understanding that a very important game was played in Hoboken in 1846, but that was after the Cooperstown game. Well Field our team of historian against theirs and see who  new York City has been upset by the defections of the giants and jets football teams to the Garden state businesses moving to new Jersey to Benefit from tax Breaks and the failure of influential new Jersey congressmen to help secure Pas Sage of the West Way superhighway project on Manhattan s West Side. More recently new Jersey lawmakers tried to claim the statue of Liberty was part of the state. Florida police plan to dry up water fights Jacksonville Beach Fla. A water fights Are getting out of hand along the oceanfront with water filled bal loons and squirt guns causing injuries and property damage and police plan a crack Down on the fad. What started out As kids having fun with water pistols has mushroomed into a serious problem police chief Paul brow said thursday. There have been broken windshields from water filled balloons injuries of All kinds wrecks or near wrecks caused by Drivers getting squirted in the Eye by some thing he said. Most of the problems have been on week ends and Brown said he planned to have extra officers on duty saturday and Sunda to make arrests. Traffic accidents and fights have resulted from somebody getting doused with water ammonia or Beer he said. Some Drivers got out of their cars with tire Irons and chased people Down Brown said. Sixty to 70 people were arrested in connection with balloon throwing fighting and drinking along the beachfront strip on the first weekend in april. Half were juveniles