European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 28, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sidelights the Rollins Flap fuels debate about voting Clarence Page d Rollins Days As a Republican Campaign Genius May Well be Over All because he was too candid about an old political f Rule when you cannot build up your own votes hold Down your opponent s. Also if you do it Don t brag about it. Rollins apparently could t contain himself at a breakfast of Washington reporters couple of weeks ago. Out of the Blue this onetime aide to president Reagan volunteered that Christine Todd Whitman s new Jersey gubernatorial Campaign of which he was Campaign manager won by paying $500,000 in walking around Money to Black ministers and others not to openly Back Whitman but to refrain from openly encouraging their flocks to vote for democratic gov. Jim Florio. Now there is nothing new or particularly illegal about walking around Money also known As Street Money to get out the vote on election Day particularly in ethnic neighbourhoods of the Industrial Northeast from Chicago to Boston. But while it May be of to use walking around Money to get out the vote is it equally of to use it As sitting around Money to suppress votes apparently not in Rollins mind for it was not until reporters pressed him for More details that the old political hand appeared to catch on that maybe his Little aside was about to become a big headline. The Iii did Rollins was in the Doghouse. Democrats from president Clinton on Down expressed out -.-. " u-1 rage calling for investigations and filing suit to in validate the election. Whitman and other republicans expressed equal outrage Over Rollins smearing of his own party and the Black Church. Rollins recanted but artfully i went too far which quelled few tempers or concerns. Then Rev. Keith Owens political co chair of the Black ministers Council of new Jersey added fuel by saying he was told that some ministers had told other ministers that they had been approached. Although he named no names the rumours fed More rumours. A thorough investigation is a must. If any amount close to the $500,000 Rollins boasted was put onto the streets to encourage Black ministers to hush up auditors should be Able to pick up Money trails. But whether they do or not the volume of rhetoric in this affair has blown itself out of proportion to the possible offence and the self righteousness pouring Forth from both parties in the Rollins Deba Cle is too much to take. President Linton was historically Correct when he recalled nobly How Many people have fought and died for the right of All americans particularly Afri can americans to vote. But no one s right to vote was actually threatened in this Flap. It is the right not to vote that is in question or More precisely the right not to urge someone else to vote. This is important. The right not to vote is As pre Cious in american tradition As the right to vote. In some countries you can be fined imprisoned or even shot for failure to vote. Here no problem. A More serious Case of voting rights violations was made in 1982 when new Jersey republicans sent visibly armed off duty police officers into Black areas with intimidating signs that warned in big letters that vote fraud was an imprison Able offence. Florio lost that election by fewer votes than he lost this one. No one is charging intimidation this time. From what i hear Black voters in new Jersey did t need to be paid to stay away from voting for Florio. Plenty were willing to do it for free. Some of Whitman s supporters like the Wall Street journal s editorial Board like to claim that Blacks liked her conservative policies. But Florio ran to the right of Whitman on such Touchy issues As crime and welfare Reform and rightly or wrongly Many Black voters turned Cool on his incumbency. When Black voters like other voters really care about a candidate either vote Money or hush Money does t matter. When former Chicago mayor Jane de Rollins from while House to Doghouse. Byrne offered Christmas hams to woo Black voters who were Drifting in Masse Tozier challenger rep. Harold Washington in 1983, Jesse Jackson set the Lone for Many when he chanted take the Ham but vote for Harold folks did. So As much As the democrats will try to capitalize on this Republican Flap it won t result in much. The legality is too murky and the morality is too partisan. Where you stand depends too much on where you sit. The Flap will blow Over. The memory of it will not. Rather the party of Abraham Lincoln has serious work to do Patching up relations if it really cares about Black voters. As tempted As president Clinton and his fellow democrats might be to gloat they too have work to do. We americans like to think it is the politicians obligation to give you a reason to want to vote. Florio among other democrats failed to do that. That s not an encouraging sign for Bill Clinton s political future. It s a warning. The Chicago Trabun an experience Worth its weight in Cash Andy Rooney this is a Long personal Story but i Don thave things like this happen often so i going to Tell  months ago i was asked to speak Ata lunch held by the Rockefeller Center club. It s a club for business men and women most of whom work at 30 Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan. They take Over the Rainbow room for lunch every Day. Al night it s for tourists. I spoke that Day to about 150 people had a pleas ant lunch and started to leave. I m not a great speaker but it seemed to have gone Well and i was feeling Good about it. As i started to leave a Short Florid Man who looked As though he d had a few too Many drinks grabbed my Elbow and said Rooney that was the worst speech i Ever  i m susceptible to feeling bad about something like that and in spite of assurances that he was wrong from other people standing around including the club president and the manager i left feeling less than on top of the world. I figured his Drunken assessment was More honest than their polite Assur ances. Two Days later i got a Nice letter of apology for the Boorish behaviour of Che Man who had accosted me from the manager of the club. The were allem Barrasse he said and were making me a member of the club and waiving the usual initiation fee and the yearly dues. Next chapter a couple of weeks ago All the 60 minutes correspondents were to be on the Phil do Nahum show. We assembled in a room just off the Abc studio that Donahue uses in Rockefeller Cen Ter. Everyone but Mike Wallace was there. We obviously were Early and my Bank was right around the Corner. I had two checks with me that i wanted to Cash Worth a total of $182.37.1 went Down to the Bank got the Cash and put it in my outside coat pocket because i m Lumpy enough on camera without anything in my pockets. Back at the Dona Hue show my friends had just been told that Mike had called with laryngitis and could t make it so they were rescheduling the appearance for the next Day. We were a group of unhappy campers. We Felt like chopped liver. Lesley Stahl suggested that it should t be a total loss let s have lunch. I jumped at the Chance to big Deal it by asking them to come upstairs to my  i d never had the Opportunity to use it before. We had a Good lunch and went Back to the office. That evening i started to leave and could t find my coat. It dawned on me that i must have left it in the chec Koom when we had lunch. I took a cab Over there and went up to the 65th floor to look for it. The Young ladies let me go into the cloakroom to try and identify my coat. Nothing like it. Aha i thought. I left it downstairs in the Donahue  i took the elevator Down 57 floors. By the time i got there it was late. They d All left and my coat was nowhere to be found. The following morning i got a Call from the Dona Hue show. Was i missing a coat i said i was. After you left yesterday the voice said we taped a segment with five people involved in the Reginald Denny beating Case. Henry Watson s Mother Joyce Watson just called from los Angeles. Henry was the Man accused of holding Down. Reginald Denny s neck with his foot while others beat him she says she took a coat by mistake when they were leaving yesterday and wondered if we knew whose  i got my coat Back from los Angeles this morning by Federal express with the $182.37 in the pock. It. ,. Tribune Media a Vic Andy Rooney is Fornyar Start and Suipi Raporte. Page 28 sunday november 28, 1993